The pain was horrific. It was as if a thousand of Gaius' needles were being jammed straight through Merlin's skin over and over again.

Fire burned through his shoulder and snaked down his arm, pooling into his fingertips. Tendrils of lightning darted through his collarbone and down into his chest, causing his heart to beat faster, a constant thump thump thump that made his head throb.

"Just pull it out." Merlin groaned, his head rolling backwards as his fingertips dove into the earth, grappling for something to hold onto as he prayed for it to be over.

This wasn't meant to happen. It was supposed to be different. Why did these things always happen to him? He had to have the worst luck ever.

"Are you certain that's wise?" Gwaine breathed out a long sigh with the question, and Merlin's eyes tore open to glare at the man who was hovering over him, sweat dripping down his face and clinging to the edges of his tunic.

"It is wise, it's not supposed to be in me." The warlock groaned through gritted teeth, his head tilting to the side while he sucked in a trembling breath.

"Alright, alright. Are you ready?"

"Yes, just do it." Merlin nodded once, his head leaning back into the dirt and the grass again as he closed his eyes tight and listened to Gwaine counting.

"One."

He should have spent his day differently, he should have just stayed in Camelot and gone to work.

"Two."

His mind raced as he tried to go back, thinking over the events that had led him to his current predicament.

Merlin was, for once, more than happy to get up early. In fact, early was an understatement. The sun had yet to even rise, and the warlock was already up, dressed, and was packing his bag before even Gaius was awake.

Though he supposed he could have been quieter in that task, given the dirty looks and grumbles that the elder sent his way as he tossed about on his cot while Merlin packed. But nothing was going to ruin the boy's mood, not this time.

After pestering Arthur about being rewarded for his work in the Perilous Lands and his quest with the Fisher King—"Which most certainly did not happen with you, Merlin."—the warlock had won.

Arthur had finally—finally—agreed to give him a day off. "I just want you to leave me alone for a day. This has nothing to do with you, or what I encountered on my quest alone."

Merlin hadn't bothered the prince another second about it, knowing full well how likely the man was to take away that precious day off just as soon as he'd given it. And now that day off was finally here.

The warlock was quick to move on with his day once his bag was packed, leaving Gaius to sleep in peace for another couple of hours while the boy hurried to the stables and found his mare. It didn't take him long to attach his bag, or saddle the horse, leading it quietly from the stables and riding into the forest.

Merlin couldn't remember the last time he'd had a day off when he hadn't been injured or sick and forced to stay at home or in bed, and he was desperate for fun. So when the idea had come to him, Merlin hadn't allowed himself to talk himself out of it. He'd simply risen early and rode for a few hours, making his way steadily out of Camelot's borders and through a variety of small towns.

It had been three days since he'd said goodbye to Gwaine, and there was no guarantee that the man would be anywhere close to where the warlock was looking. But after asking a few questions and being pointed in a rather angry direction, Merlin managed to find his friend in the fourth tavern he'd checked, right outside of a farming town.

The tavern itself was relatively small, and given the morning hour, had exactly three people inside. One was the tavern owner, an older man with a surly expression and a greying beard. The next was a young woman, her blond hair tied back behind a shawl and her dress brushing against the floor just like the broom she held in her hand.

And the third was Gwaine, looking a tad disheveled and a bit too drunk for the hour, which led Merlin to believe that he had either slept there that night, or had returned the moment he'd risen. Neither option seemed a good one, especially for Gwaine, who Merlin held too high in regard to wish to see him in such a manner.

Even so, the warlock made his way inside and to the bar, choosing the seat on his friend's right, though the man didn't even look up at him.

"What can I get you?" The owner asked in a gruff tone, though his expression was friendly enough towards a new customer.

"I'll have what he's having." Merlin gestured towards Gwaine, who snorted once and lifted his mug halfheartedly.

"I'm afraid the strongest thing in this glass, my friend, is water."

"To sober you up, friend." The tavern owner scoffed, shooting Merlin a knowing look as the boy grinned.

"Heaven forbid you drink anything else other than ale, Gwaine." The warlock teased, his words jolting the other man as Gwaine lifted his head and eyed Merlin suspiciously.

A flash of life sparked behind his tired eyes a moment later, and he sat up straighter before narrowing his gaze at the boy. "Don't tell me, Arthur is in trouble trying to retrieve an ancient, cursed goblet from a troll."

"Close, but no." Merlin laughed, folding his arms and resting them on the bar as he leaned forward. "I have a day off."

"Is Arthur ill?"

"No."

"Dead?"

"Also no." Merlin chuckled, sitting back and clasping his hands together. "I convinced him that I deserved one, and then I thought about what I wanted to do, and who I wanted to spend it with. If I could find you, of course."

"And find me you did." Gwaine spoke, his own smile pulling his lips up as he downed the rest of his drink and gave a mock salute to the tavern owner. "Let's have some fun." The man declared, rising to his feet and flashing a mischievous smile at the boy.

"Three."

In one swift, agonizing movement, Gwaine yanked back on the shaft of the arrow and Merlin let out a yell of pain before lifting his fist to his mouth to try and muffle the noise.

"Well, that went well." Gwaine grimaced, holding the bloodied arrow up for Merlin to see as the warlock groaned again and bit down on his knuckles. "I suppose it could have been worse, considering." The man continued, rummaging around through the boy's bag and spreading out a couple of rags he'd taken from Gaius that morning. "You're going to need to sit up now though." Gwaine encouraged, grabbing his friend by the elbow and helping to prop him up again.

"Definitely could have gone better." The boy muttered with a heaving breath, glancing over at his bloodied arm in disgust as Gwaine took one cloth and wrapped it around his injury.

"I need to apply pressure."

"Alright." Merlin nodded curtly, taking in a short breath as his friend let out a soft sigh.

"It's going to hurt, Merlin."

"Because being shot and then pulling it out didn't hurt already." The boy uttered dryly, causing a smile to brighten up Gwaine's expression.

"That's the first time you've directed that attitude you normally reserve for Arthur towards me, my friend."

"Sorry, Gwaine. Just.. do what you have to. I'll be fine."

Readjusting his hold on the rag, Gwaine used both hands and pressed the cloth over the front and back of the boy's shoulder as Merlin sucked in a breath and bit down on his tongue to keep another groan at bay. It was official. He should have just stayed home and stayed in bed all day.

"Do you normally bleed this much?" Gwaine asked after a moment, and the warlock looked over at his arm again to see the rag already stained heavily with his blood.

"Not sure." He answered wearily, exhaustion creeping over him as a surge of nausea rolled through him.

"Tell you what though," Gwaine spoke while he worked, grabbing the second rag and adding it to the first. "You've got a story all your own to tell now. One that Arthur won't keep you from talking about."

Merlin let out a sharp laugh at that, dark spots beginning to creep along the edges of his vision as his head throbbed. "You're right about that, Gwaine. I definitely have a story now."

Lifting his hand and wiping it along his face, Gwaine peered down at him with a frown. "Are you alright? You look a bit pale."

"Just tired. And dizzy." The boy mumbled, drawing up one of his knees and resting his arm and head against it.

Despite what Gwaine had said, Merlin knew this was not a story he wanted to tell. Gaius was sure to chide him, and Arthur would mock him relentlessly. No, he didn't even want to think about reliving it. He just wanted to go back to when the accident happened and change Gwaine's mind.

"Where did you get those?" Merlin asked, eyeing the bow and arrows skeptically that Gwaine held aloft while they walked.

"Do you really want to know?" His friend asked, looking back and waggling his eyebrows at him as Merlin resisted the urge to sigh while he shook his head.

"No, actually, I don't."

"Good. Come on!" Leading him further into the forest, Merlin trailed after the other man, swatting a fly away from his face and ducking beneath a low hanging branch.

"Gwaine, I should probably tell you, but I don't really care for hunting."

"Well then I suppose it's a good thing we're not hunting." His friend called back from further ahead before ducking behind a large tree and leading the boy to a small clearing.

"What are we doing here then, with those?" The warlock questioned, gesturing to the weapon as Gwaine tossed the quiver of arrows to the ground and held the bow out to the boy.

"I'm going to teach you to use it."

The laugh that erupted from Merlin was loud and long, his hand curling into his chest as Gwaine watched on, not even a hint of a smile on his face. "Wait, you're serious?" The boy gawked as his friend pushed the bow closer. "Are you still drunk?"

"I wish, but no."

"I can't shoot that thing." Merlin objected, lifting his hands and refusing to grab it as Gwaine scoffed.

"It's not going to bite you, Merlin. It's just a bow. It doesn't have to hurt animals, or other people. Not unless you choose for it too. I brought you out here to shoot at targets, that's it."

Narrowing his eyes at the man, the warlock slowly took hold of the bow, earning a grin and a clap from Gwaine that drew out laughter of his own.

Over the next hour, Merlin learned how to properly hold the weapon, notch an arrow, and take aim. His arms burned with the exercise and strain, but Gwaine seemed pleased with how far he'd come, and the boy was actually enjoying himself. His first two shots didn't go very far, and the third fell at his feet, but Merlin's fourth shot flew across the clearing and into a bush, eliciting a cheer from his friend as Gwaine jogged off to collect the arrow.

"Are we done now?" Merlin asked while lowering the bow. After being out in the sun and sweating more than he normally would, he was actually ready to go back to that tavern and have a few drinks.

"No, no! Now it's time for that fun I promised." Gwaine grinned, taking the bow from Merlin's hand and beginning to notch an arrow of his own. "We're going to have a match to see who hits more of their targets. When we're finished, the loser pays for drinks."

"That seems far more in your favor than in mine." Merlin observed as Gwaine gasped in offense and lifted a hand to his chest in disbelief.

"Why Merlin, I would never try and cheat you. I am far more honorable than that."

"Of course you are. Unless ale is involved, right?"

"Perhaps." Gwaine relented with a grin, lifting the bow and taking aim at a tree a few yards away.

His arrow stuck just shy of the middle of the trunk, and Gwaine swept into a low bow that caused Merlin to snort. "That was too easy."

"Oh was it? Here then, you try." The man taunted, holding out the bow as Merlin grabbed it from his hands and readied his own arrow.

Lifting it up and pulling back on the string, he released a slow breath like he was taught, and while Gwaine watched the tree, Merlin's eyes flashed gold at the same time he released the arrow. The arrow flew strong and landed in the very center of a tree a few yards past where Gwaine's had been.

"See, not hard." Merlin shrugged, turning to find his friend gaping at him.

"When were you going to tell me that you were a natural, Merlin?"

Smiling sheepishly, the boy passed the bow back over as Gwaine grabbed another arrow. The two took turns firing at different targets until the sun had risen overhead. They shot at branches high in the air, tree trunks sunk low into the ground, even an old nest that had half fallen from a tree already.

Each time Merlin used his magic to help him, just a little. He didn't try to show off again, he couldn't risk Gwaine growing suspicious, but it was enough to stay close in their match.

"You know what, I know how to determine the winner." Gwaine suddenly declared as he lifted one of the last arrows he'd brought while twirling it in his fingers.

"And that is?" Merlin pressed as Gwaine readied the bow and made a show of leaning towards the boy while closing his eyes.

"I bet you that I can still hit that tree, but with my eyes closed."

"That sounds like a tremendously bad idea." The warlock frowned as Gwaine cracked one eye open and stared at him. "But then again, I'd also like to see if you can do it." Merlin admitted as his friend grinned.

Backing up a few steps and closing his eyes tight, Gwaine twisted from left to right, letting out a low hum as he did.

"Are you going to actually shoot, or just pretend to?" Merlin taunted, folding his arms over his chest as Gwaine swung towards him.

"You can't distract me, Merlin. That's cheating."

"Uh huh, sure." The boy smirked, though Gwaine couldn't see him as he turned back around. As he did, the man's foot caught on a tree root and he stumbled, pulling the drawstring on the bow back as he wavered unsteadily on his feet.

"Careful." Merlin warned, surging forward to grab hold of his shoulders. At least, that had been the plan.

Instead, as the warlock leapt forward to help, Gwaine stumbled again, his body turning, and his fingers letting loose the arrow—directly into Merlin's shoulder.

With a cry the warlock dropped to his knees, pain coursing through his arm and neck as Gwaine dropped down beside him, throwing the bow away from them as he did.

"Oh God, Merlin. I'm so sorry." His friend gasped, his hands hovering uselessly around the arrow lodged in the warlock's arm.

"Fine.. It's fine.. I'm fine.." Merlin groaned, his hand reaching up to grab the arrow. A fresh wave of pain spiked through him the instant he did, and he hurried to drop his hand with another groan.

"Tell me what I can do." Gwaine said quickly as the warlock gestured vaguely to the arrow.

"You need to snap it.. and pull it out." He hissed through clenched teeth as Gwaine nodded once and leaned closer.

The shaft of the arrow was mostly through his shoulder already, and the moment Gwaine closed his fingers around the arrowhead near his back, Merlin had to force himself to hold back the scream of pain. The wound jolted as he heard the snap of the arrow, before Gwaine was back leaning in front of him.

"Are you alright?" Sweat had gathered along the man's forehead, and regret was the only expression he wore.

"Yeah." Merlin grimaced, the word coming out short and breathy as the pain radiated throughout him, causing his body to ache and his head to throb. "Just do me a favor and get it out of me."

"Merlin."

Opening his eyes slowly, the young warlock looked up at his friend kneeling beside him, concern alight in his eyes.

"I'm alright." The boy mumbled quietly, blinking through the trees at the sun which had started to sink. Only when he'd first closed his eyes, he could have sworn it was still the afternoon.

"You've been asleep for a while." Gwaine explained, following his gaze as he leaned back and rested blood stained hands on his thighs. "I cleaned your wound as best I could."

Looking back to his shoulder, Merlin found his arm in a makeshift sling consisting of his neckerchief and the jacket he'd been wearing. "Was I asleep, or passed out?" The warlock asked, carefully pulling away from the tree that he was certain hadn't been behind him before.

"Same thing in my book." The man smiled, watching as the boy slowly stretched and looked again at his arm.

"Thank you, Gwaine. It doesn't hurt nearly as bad as before."

"I wouldn't thank me too much, Merlin. I am the reason it happened."

The boy couldn't help the chuckle that rose out of him at that, the laughter continuing as it grew louder, causing Gwaine to join in. "So much for that relaxing day off." The warlock snorted, wiping at his eyes as Gwaine stood and offered him his hand.

"Perhaps Arthur will give you another." The two stared at each other a moment while Merlin stood, before devolving into another round of laughter.

"It was good to see you again, Gwaine. Really." Merlin spoke, grasping his friend's hand tightly as the man smiled.

"I'm always around."

"In one tavern or another, right?"

"You know me well, my friend." Gwaine said, folding his arms across his chest with a sigh. "It's a good pastime while I continue to search for a place to settle down."

"You're really looking?" Merlin asked with his brow arched skeptically as Gwaine hesitated a moment before chuckling quietly.

"No, not really. But perhaps one day."

Walking back through the woods where they'd left their horses, Merlin eyed his pack that Gwaine had picked up for him.

"You know," The warlock began, his voice hesitant as they reached their horses and Gwaine began tying his bag down. "You'll be able to return one day, to Camelot I mean. I know it."

Gwaine's back tensed for a moment before he simply shrugged, his fingers fidgeting with the straps on Merlin's saddle. "Maybe, but I doubt that I would." He said softly, and Merlin's brows drew together as he ventured closer.

"Why not?"

"It's not my style." Looking over his shoulder, Gwaine flashed the boy a smile, but something about it felt strained.

"Never?" Merlin pushed, resting a hand on the neck of his mare as the man glanced at the ground while his smile grew.

"Perhaps one day, but only for you, Merlin."

The grin that rose to the warlock's face was wide and felt nearly as bright as the sun. "Imagine the trouble we'd get into together."

"We'd be quite the force for Arthur to deal with." Gwaine agreed with a laugh, extending his hand out to Merlin.

Instead of shaking, the boy maneuvered a careful hug that the man quickly returned. "I'll see you around, Gwaine."

"Be careful out there, Merlin." Gwaine warned, moving away to his own horse as the warlock smirked.

"I can shoot a bow now thanks to you. I'll be just fine." Mounting his horse with a bit more difficulty than usual, Merlin adjusted the reins and his arm before looking at Gwaine and inclining his head.

Spurring his horse to move, the warlock rode through the trees and heard Gwaine's horse departing in the opposite direction, certainly off to find another adventure. Merlin just hoped that the next one for either of them wouldn't involve shooting an arrow with their eyes closed.

A/N

I was going to write angst initially after watching the Fisher King episode, but my soul just really needed more bonding between these two because I just love Gwaine to pieces.

I'm excited to reach the end of season three soon. I also love seeing how many people have returned to this story after my hiatus and how many are just discovering and binging it for the first time. I love each and every one of you, and your comments and reactions never fail to brighten up my day.

I'll see you all in the next one!