He sat in his room alone, taking deep breaths because Merlin had said this would help before he left. Everyone was leaving him, he was all alone to rule a kingdom, to be king and guide his people. He wasn't sure he was ready, he was too young to be king, too young for all this reasonability. He cursed his father for leaving him so soon.

"Sire…"

He looked up and the man stood there, in thick, celebration armor. His brassy hair in long loops over his forehead. He was Arthur's head knight, most trusted knight. And it was time to go.

"Arthur…" he said, as if they were friends. And they were, to a point…

"Pennicott!" someone else was shouting now. "Pennicott?" Arthur looked up, to be sitting in nothing but his underwear and looking at his coach. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," he lied.

"Right…" the man gave him a weird look. "Anyway, good game, son!"

He clapped him on the bare shoulder then and walked away. Arthur sighed and stood up, trying to get on his clothes. They had just won their third home game in a row, but Arthur couldn't find it in him to be all that happy. In the last few months, these visions he'd been have of the king have gotten worse. Not only in his dreams anymore, but just randomly in the day. He tried to stop them, tried to block them out, but it was like a flood unleashing in his head.

"Arthur!" came Merlin's voice then; Arthur didn't respond nor turn around, just in case it was in his head again. In the last few months he hadn't told Merlin still, about the king's memories coming back and with how well things were going for the pair, it didn't seem likely that he would any time soon.

He felt hands on his back and knew then, this was real, he turned around and was dragged into Merlin's embrace, he kissed Arthur once on the lips before pulling away to grin.

"You were great," he said, looking so proud. Arthur smiled at this and put an arm around Merlin's waist.

"It's because you're here."

"It's true," Patrick, suddenly said, from behind them. "He always plays better when you're here." They turned to see him grinning too. "It's because he's trying to show off."

"I know," Merlin said, running a hand down Arthur's (now covered) chest. "He's a big ham!"

"I am not!"

"Are too!" Patrick retorted. Ever since Merlin and Arthur's first date they had been spending a lot of time with Patrick and his boyfriend, Leon, (Arthur knew now, why Leon had looked so familiar,) at first, their doubles had been at Merlin's request and then, Arthur found himself enjoying their company too. They went out with Gwen and Lawrence a few times as well, but Arthur didn't find the enjoyment in those evenings.

"What are you and Leon doing tonight?" Merlin asked then, still stuck in an embrace with Arthur. There was no shame in the way they stood. Like Lovers, boyfriends, because that's what they were and no one said a word as they passed.

"Oh not much, Leon's mums in, she's cookin' dinner for us all," Patrick smiled. "What are you lads doing?"

"I think we'll have a bite to eat and then head home," Arthur shrugged, tightening his hold on Merlin, in hopes that it was suggestive.

"Cool," Patrick nodded, grabbing a bag that was sitting at his feet and slung it over his shoulder. "See you lot on Monday."

"See you!" Arthur yelled after him.

"Bye Patrick!" Merlin did the same. Once he was gone, Arthur turned back to his boyfriend.

"What the hell's Monday?"

Merlin laughed, "We're going to a Medieval times fair, remember?"

Arthur could hardly wait for that.

"I can hardly what for that."

Merlin laughed again and pushed Arthur away then, grabbing his hand instead. They walked out of the building, hand in hand, heading to Arthur's car. Merlin drove, down the street, as Arthur rubbed his sore knee, (he had fallen on it during the game,) Merlin checked on him, with that worried Merlin look every so often.

"Where do you want to go eat?" Merlin asked, as they drove down the highway. Arthur thought about it for a second, but only one place come to mind.

"Lou's!"

"Oh gods, why?" Merlin barked in return. Arthur was affronted.

"We haven't been there in months, come on!" Arthur said, almost begging. He totally did beg, but manly. It was manly begging.

"Fine," Merlin sighed, veering off to the side road that would take them to the bar. "But if anyone bugs me about getting chicken and water…"

"They won't," Arthur reassured.

Once they got to the restaurant, they walked in and automatically saw Lux, waiting on a group of young woman. She beamed upon seeing them, or at least Arthur anyway, and pointed to the booth they had sat in the first time they had eaten here together.

"Remember this booth?" Arthur asked, as he slide into the same seat he had that night. Thinking about how much had changed since then made Arthur laugh a bit.

"Yeah, I do," Merlin nodded. "I was ridiculed here."

"Oh shut up, no one cares if you order chicken and water!"

"I think they do, it was like I was committing a crime…."

Arthur laughed at this, leaning over the table and pecking Merlin on the lips. Merlin smiled at him.

"If anyone dares ridicule you, I will punch them in the nose…for you."

"Thank you, my brave solider," Merlin grinned, Arthur leaned in again and pressed a longer kiss to Merlin's lips.

"Well…this is new."

They pulled away to see Lux there.

"Sorry," Arthur said, but not sheepishly at all. He was proud that Merlin was his and he was going to keep it that way. Lux was beaming at them again.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Awhile," Merlin answered a bit sassy. He didn't really care for Lux and this made Arthur laugh for some reason. Merlin glared at him.

"I should have known, you two were so on a date!" Lux said, smiling as she wrote something down on her pad. "I'll be right back with beer and water."

"What were you laughing at, you big clotpole?" Merlin muttered after a few seconds, and Arthur just smiled at him. He took Merlin's hand then, that had been lying on the table, and intertwined their fingers. "What are you doing..?"

"Nothing, I've just been thinking…" Arthur muttered, the feeling swelling inside his chest, as it often did. Of course it wasn't something new, he felt it all the time, Merlin knew what it was too, but it was just that, he hadn't actually said it to him yet. "That I love you."

"You've been thinking that you love me?" Merlin asked in return, raising an eyebrow. But still smiling nonetheless. "How long have you been thinking that?"

"Since before you ever even kissed me, really," Arthur admitted and Merlin's smile grew.

"So you think you love me, hm?"

"I know I do."

"Good, because I've been thinking that you love me too," Merlin smirked. "And that I might love you back a little bit…"

"Just a little bit?" Arthur questioned, matching that of Merlin's raised eyebrow.

"It really depends on if I get ridiculed over dinner..."

Arthur rolled his eyes and went to lean across the table again, to kiss the hell out of Merlin, but instead, a beer was set down in his face.

"So, what are we having?" Lux asked. Merlin opened his mouth but Arthur gripped his hand hard, to get his attention. He looked confused for a second, before Arthur started talking.

"I'll have the chicken, grilled…with a side salad."

"What?" Lux asked, confused. "No burger?"

"I'm watching my meats," Arthur lied, grinning over at Merlin , who still looked confused.

"No burger…alright," Lux said, shaking her head. "And you?"

She turned to Merlin, Arthur did too, again, to see that Merlin was smirking at him now.

"I'll have a burger….Arthur's burger."

The look Lux gave them was something rather comical, but she bit her tongue and wrote down the order, promising she'll be back in a bit and then walked off.

"You're such an ass sometimes," Merlin told Arthur then, lifting their joint hands and kissing the back of Arthur's with an open mouth. Arthur felt flushed suddenly, wanting more than anything, to take Merlin to the bloke's bathroom, and…

"Well...well…well…what've we got here?" Arthur's hand dropped from Merlin's mouth then, as they both looked over at the considerably drunk Greg in front of them. "Fancy seeing you two here, like this."

"Greg…" that was all Arthur said, he didn't know what else to say. He hadn't spoken to this man since he had dragged a laughing, drunk Merlin from his house.

"Girls not enough for you anymore, mate?" Greg asked, smirking over at Merlin, dirtily. Arthur would hit him if he dares look at Merlin like that again. "Pep's told me you dumped her for a dude, didn't think it was this dude…"

"I hadn't meant to hurt Pepper," Arthur told him, but he only shrugged in return.

"He'll get boring, they always do."

"It's different for us," Arthur corrected him. "We're in love with each other, but I wouldn't expect you to understand that."

"Of course you're in love with the bloke, he's so easy," Greg laughed, gleaming at Merlin. "I almost had him myself."

"What you tried to take from him is-"

"I know what I tried to take from him," Greg held up his hand. "But I guess he rather have you up his-"

"Shut up!" it was Merlin who yelled, surprising both of them. "What happened to you?"

"What do you mean what happened to me?" Greg demanded and Merlin seemed to catch himself then and turned away, looking only at Arthur now. "Aw, I've upset your girlfriend..."

"I think you should leave," Arthur told him. "Now..."

"What? After all these months without a call," Greg complained. "Not a hello or fuck you…we we're friends, Arthur!"

"We're too different now," Arthur stated, simply. "You're afraid of what you are, I'm not."

"I suppose you think that makes you big and mighty?" Greg barked.

"No, it makes me a better person."

Greg scoffed at this and flicked his collar, turning away.

"Alright, goodbye, Arthur….I'll see ya when I see ya."

Neither Merlin nor Arthur spoke for several minutes after that. It was a great relief when, Lux came back with the food and placed the chicken in front of Merlin and the burger in front of Arthur. It was only after dinner, as they drove home, (this time Arthur driving,) did they speak properly.

"I'm sorry about…" Merlin started, but Arthur stopped him with a shake of the head.

"It's alright, he and I want different things," Arthur said, turning on to their street. It only took two minutes to get home from Lou's, on a light traffic night like this. "He wants to party and drink and take advantage of people."

"And what do you want, Arthur?"

"I want you," Arthur told him. "I don't mean like that," he said, when Merlin's mouth started moving. "I mean I want this, I want us, together, at night reading books, or watching a movie, I don't want to go out or party or sleep around."

"But you're still young, you might not want this forever, you might want to…"

"Oh but I do," Arthur corrected him, as he pulled into their driveway, turned off the car and took Merlin's hand. "I want you making me chicken soup on a quiet night at home, with a cat and a dog biting each other somewhere, and a few kids in the other room rotting their brains with video games. I want to grow old with you...even if you have to use magic to look old, I want that and I always will."

"You've thought this through," Merlin laughed. But sounded still, a little watery about the idea.

"I have, more times than I can count and it's perfect and no one else can be there in your place," Arthur told him. "I might be young but that doesn't mean I'll ever stop wanting you. So don't ever think that I will, or I'll sit on you."

Merlin laughed again, leaned across the middle-consul, and kissed Arthur heatedly. It wasn't a sexual kiss, or one that would lead them to a sexual kiss. It was a kiss that sealed their fate and when they finally pulled away both were grinning like idiots, but it felt good. They got out of the car then and when Arthur walked around it, to meet Merlin on the other side of the car, he pulled Arthur into another kiss there, and that one…was leading somewhere. Merlin took his hand and dragged him toward the back door.

"You want kids?" he asked then, as he took the keys from Arthur and fiddled with the door. (Someone should have put on the backlight before they left.)

"Of course I do," Arthur said, slipping his hands around Merlin's hips. "Two of each."

"How do you plan on getting these kids?" Merlin asked, as he pulled open the door and they walked inside. Arthur's lips found his boyfriends neck as soon as the door was shut. "I can't reproduce, you know."

"We'll adopt," Arthur said, leading Merlin to the bedroom. "I've even got our daughters name picked out."

"What is it?"

"It was a name you've told me before, it was pretty and it meant something to you, I figure it's the perfect name," Arthur told him. Pausing in his mission to the bed, to look at Merlin for a second. "It's Freya."

Merlin's expression turned from wanting Arthur naked to a puddle of goo in one second flat. He grinned something fierce and put his hands around Arthur's neck.

"Freya, really?"

"It's perfect, just like you."

(A/N: So this whole chapter was just pretty much fluff wasn't it? But then again pretty much the whole story has been this way. Quite sadly, there is only one more chapter left (and the epilogue thingy.) Now, I'm not going to talk about it here, but there COULD be a sequel, it's a big fat could, but I do have the ideas for it. I think I'll wait and see how you guys handle the ending before I decide if I'll write it though.)