There was a click at the back door that drew their attention from the laundry. A hooded figure slipped inside muttering strange words as he closed the door behind him. He reached up to pull back his hood and Arthur caught a glimpse of white hair turning black.
"Merlin!" Arthur exclaimed, "Where have you been?"
"Why? Did you miss me?" Merlin replied with a cocky smile as he came forward to drop the bundle he'd been carrying on the table.
"Pfft, no!" Arthur scoffed.
Merlin paused when he saw what Arthur was holding. "Is that a dress?"
Suddenly confused, Arthur looked down at the wet dress Hunith had handed him to hang on the clothesline, having completely forgotten about it when Merlin had entered.
"It doesn't suit you," Merlin teased, wrinkling his nose. Arthur tossed it haphazardly back in the basket.
"I'll have you know I was helping with the chores!" he replied defensively.
"You? Helping with chores?" Merlin looked at him incredulously, "well, now I'm really worried."
Hunith was ignoring them, more interested in going through the bundle Merlin had brought. "Merlin, where did you get all this?" she pulled items out of the sack: some potatoes, a couple fish, a few carrots, a plain tunic, and a pair of trousers. She gave him a worried look, "we can't afford this."
"We needed supplies. Believe me, you don't want to see Arthur when he's hungry," He could feel Arthur shoot him a glower, "And Arthur only has the one pair of clothes…"
"Yes," Hunith agreed, "but where did you-"
Merlin beamed with a blinding smile, "the cursed hut!"
Hunith paled and stared at him, "Merlin, I've told you not to go there, it's too dangerous!"
"That's what we thought before, but, Mother, I can sense magic now and there's nothing there! It's all just superstition!" he was practically bouncing with energy.
Arthur watched their interaction, not fully comprehending what they were talking about. "Wait, hold on…cursed hut?"
Hunith huffed, clearly disapproving, but Merlin explained, his voice growing more excited as he spoke, "there's a hut, not far from here. People say it's tainted with dark magic, children are warned away from it. A few have tried to settle there, but no one ever stays-"
"Because the land is cursed," Hunith interrupted, "no one can get anything to grow there."
The smile that spread across Merlin's face at that was full of pride. "I can!"
Arthur held up his palms, "that's great, Merlin, but what does this have to do with-"
Merlin rolled his eyes, "Arthur don't you see? Because of the superstition, no one will come around. We can fix the hut up, I can grow food - we can stay as long as we want!"
Arthur's eyes widened as he grasped what Merlin was saying. Is this what Merlin had been doing? Even after he'd yelled, made Merlin cry with fear, Merlin was still going out of his way to take care of him, just like he always did.
"Merlin…" an awed whisper escaped him. A swelling sense of gratitude for the man before him tightened his chest and prickled his eyes and he could do nothing but stare in wonder as Merlin babbled his plan.
"…need seeds at some point, I can't just make food out of thin air, though I have tried – it never seems to work – of course, we'll need to stay here a few more days, just until we clean the hut up a bit, it's in a bit of disarray, but at least those who were there before left some supplies, farming tools, a bed, cooking utensils, plenty of – oof!"
A sturdy body crashed into him and strong arms wrapped around his skinny frame. At first flabbergasted by the assault, he soon soothed into the comforting embrace, gently placing his arms around Arthur's back to return the hug.
"I thought-" Arthur whispered, barely audible, "I worried I crossed a line, drove you away when I yelled at you…"
Merlin smiled into Arthur's neck. "That wasn't very nice," he said softly. The embrace tightened, Arthur trying to convey his apology. Merlin's eyes slipped gently closed, surrounded by Arthur's warmth. His soft skin covered sinewy muscle and smelled tangy of iron and sweat. Merlin breathed in his scent, only faintly aware that the man he was indulging in was breathing deep too.
A metal clanging startled them, reminding them they were not alone. Arthur jumped away, a light tinge in his cheeks.
"Very good, Merlin," he said in a suddenly deep and authoritative voice, "good thinking." He patted Merlin on the back awkwardly and with too much strength, almost knocking Merlin over.
Hunith hung a cauldron over the fireplace, oblivious to the moment she had disturbed. "Arthur, if you can finish hanging the laundry, Merlin and I can prepare dinner."
"Yes," Arthur cleared his dry throat, "of course, Hunith," he said, stiffly moving back to the laundry. He could feel Merlin's eyes on him as his friend went to Hunith's side, but he felt too embarrassed to face him. What had he been thinking, going in for a hug? Was it just his imagination or was that hug turning into something more? What would have happened if Hunith hadn't been here? If they were going to be living alone in a hut together, maybe someday he would find out.
Author's note: Throughout the series, Merlin needed a potion to reverse the aging spell, except in the last episode after he found Arthur on the battlefield. I'm assuming that coming into his "true power" somehow enabled him to change back and forth at will, without a potion.