King of Stubborness

Everyone who knew Arthur knew he had things in abundance, wealth, strength, determination, pride and stubbornness. The last two were what infuriated Merlin the most, not just as his adviser but also as his boyfriend. Arthur was always the last one to take a break, the last one to go to bed unless he was enticed, the last one to leave the training grounds and the last one to stay at a celebration, in his kingdom or any other. It was a problem when the King was healthy, and it was a huge problem when the King was sick and refused to admit it.

It started in the morning, with Arthur feeling a little bit sluggish, practically dragging himself out of bed and nagging Merlin to help him get dressed like in the old days, but this time with an added complaint of his whole body aching. Merlin urged him to stay in bed for a while longer but of course Arthur protested and put on a strong face as he attend his duties.

After that it was his daily sparing routine in which he moved slower than normal, even swaying and stumbling, drinking down a lot more water, asking for it to be colder. Any other person may have thought it was just the demands of a spoiled Prince turned King, but Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table knew better. And they were all understandably worried for him.

The day seemed to drag on and on for Arthur and as it did his condition worsened.

He found it harder to focus on the words said to him, the papers and reports he needed to read through. Things that were normally as easy as breathing, things he has been doing for a long time, things that he was raised for, that he studied for.

For those reasons he convinced himself that he can't be sick, he has be alright, he has to be a King worthy of his people. The only problem was that it was hard to maintain this image when his eyes kept closing and he was going in and out of consciousness in-between meetings.

Arthur kept going, he pushed through the entire day and finally stepped into his room. But his day wasn't over yet, there was still books to look over.

"You look like you're about to drop dead any moment now." Merlin spoke from the doorway, his posture relaxed but his arms crossed over his chest and voice a little worried.

"A King's work is never done Merlin." He spoke from his desk, his hands trembling as he sorted through the content. "I haven't managed to do anything today."

The mage rolled his eyes. "That might be because you've been getting sicker and sicker all day. You should have stayed in bed when I told you to." He walked over to his side of the bedroom and Arthur heard him changing his clothes. "What do you think you're gonna accomplish by pushing yourself to your limits?"

"Getting things done. I'll go to sleep soon don't worry." He flinched when he felt a cold hand press against his forehead. Here we go…

"You're burning up. Go to bed now Arthur." Merlin commanded and tugged on Arthur's damp shirt.

Arthur could already feel Merlin shifting into protective boyfriend mode. Come to think of it he'd been in it the whole day, bringing Arthur water, telling him to change out of his clothes, bringing him fresh fruit, letting him lean on his shoulder when he dozed off out of exhaustion. It was cute, he was always protective of him, but before it was out of a sense of duty, then friendship and now love.

In the past when Arthur got scolded he took it as a personal slight against him, or against his kingdom. Now he knew better, it was mostly for his own well-being and his safety. From his friends he didn't mind it too much, there was however one problem: he was the King of Camelot. That came with a certain set of expectations from people outside his circle.

"I'm not a child. I can take care of myself." Because of how he had to present himself he had to be able to get through a lot of things a normal person can't. "I'm a little under the weather, that's all."

"Yes, yes, I've heard this song before, but it's not going to work anymore Arthur. You're the King, you need your rest. And as your advisor, and more importantly, your boyfriend it's my duty to make sure you're healthy. Now stop being stubborn and get your handsome self to the bed." Merlin gently tugged the blonde man away from his desk while hearing semi-coherent rants. There was times when they were younger when Merlin thought Arthur loved being babied and pampered, those times were long gone now.

Sometimes it seems like Arthur is pushing himself so hard to make up for how he behaved before.

With a grumpy grunt Arthur allowed Merlin to take his shirt off and nudge him backwards onto the bed. "Work will be here tomorrow, and you need to make sure you are too." He brushed Arthur's hair off his forehead and kissed him. "I need to lower your fever. I'll bring a bucket of water, and something warm for you to drink. Stay in bed. If I catch you with papers or books I swear I will burn them in front of you." Merlin's words were not an empty threat. When it came to his beloved Arthur he could be very scary. Even to the Arthur himself.

"You'll have to help me catch up." Arthur offered a small smile in return, finally ready to accept that he needs to rest.

"I will. And you need to keep in mind that you're the King, but you're only human." He reminded him as he set his desk in a somewhat nice order.

Merlin thought about making a little potion for Arthur, something he could take through the day to boost his health if he needed it. Yeah, he should get on that, after making sure Arthur heals properly.