"...Sup?" Arthur said weakly as his quick stance caught up with him and he buckled, face ashenly pale. 
                          
"Arthur!" cried the wizard, his voice and movements as quick as a trick of the light. 
                          
"I thought you'd gone, I....I thought-" the king trailed off, blushingly softly on his brozened cheeks.
                          
"I never left. I never will." Replied Merlin, perching on the edge of blond haired man's soft and large bed and leaning in to run a pale finger along his cheek. 
                          
"Never?" asked the king, eyebrow twitching moue of a grin about his lisp. 
                          
"Never." Arthur sighed gladly as Merlin placed a gentle kiss upon him.
                          
"Where were you?" he asked wincing at himself and how he sounded like a jealous child. The twinkle in Merlin's eey told the king he heard it too. 
                          
"I had to get breakfast for Flēo." He explained simply gesturing at the bird that sat on the ledge, happilty singing away as the warlock made his way towards her having left the bed. 
                          
"Flēo?" asked the dazed king. Watching as the small creature climbed onto Merlin's stuck out finger, as he offered her a slice of toast.
                          
"I- I couldn't leave you Arthur, I had to be here to watch you. You've been aslep a week and...." Merlin said desparetly.
                          
"A weak?" asked Arhtur, surprised at the lost time.
                          
"....And I've only left when I needed food or, you know...." continued the werewolf.
                          
Arthur watched as the bird pecked her way through the toast.
                          
"But I had to know what was going on in Camelot, I know all you guys keep telling me that magi's accepted now but it seemed too good to be true and so I asked Flēo here to just have a bit of a look around for me." Merlin finished as Flēo finished her toast. The beautific smile conquered Merlin's face like sunshine. 
                          
"Have you had enough?" Merlin asked the bird which sat on his hand. She chirped happily in confirmation. Arthur gasped in shock, as underneath the babbling chirrup of the little bird, flowed a sing-songing voice, one that was enraptured with Merlin.
                          
"Merlin! That bird can talk!" barked Arthur in shock. Merlin grinned at the light conused looks that Gwaine and Leon threw at each other.
                          
"Sire, you should get some rest." Leon started.
                          
"You didn't hear it did you? She spoke!" the king inssited wildly. Leon summoned all of his diplomacy.
                          
"You're recovering, sire." He said awash with tact. Merlin chuckled from the corner at his boyfriends undignified squawk of response.
                          
"It's the werewolf powers....you can understand animals now. Taadaa" Merlin said with jazz hands.
                          
"But she's insulting me!" Arthur shouted, glaring at the bird. 
                          
"Do something!" he insisted petulantly.
                          
"Would you like me to slay the fearsome bird for you, princess?" asked Gwaine, unable to contain his mirth. Arthur's glare transferred to him.
                          
"Why doesn't she like me, she loves you!?" the king asked his waizrd.
                          
"Animals take a while to warm up to people. You'll grow on her, on all animals." Merlin said, giving Flēo a cheerful stroke as she revelled in his toch.
                          
"Did they take a while to warm to you?" queried the golden haired man with sarcasm. Merlin paused for a beat too long before answering.
                          
"Yes." he lied.
                          
Arthur pouted, with a deep sigh. His lower lip sneaking out from below the upper in a way that cutely warmed its sneaking way into Merlin's heart.
                          
"But they like Gwaine!" the King of Camelot gripped.
                          
"Gwaine's charming." Merlin pointed out, teasingly.
                          
"I'm charming!" Arthur insisted. 
                          
Merlin opened his mouth to answer and then thought better of it, the silence hanging between them as heavy as sodden clothes on a line: like lead. 
                          
"Didn't you like me when we met?" Arthur asked, eyes puppish and brimming. Merlin rolled his blue eye and walked across to his king. 
                          
"You were a supercilious prat." He said with a subtle grin. The supercilious prat pouted more deeply. 
                          
 "And I wouldn;t have you any other way!" finished the sourcer, leaning into capture the pouting lip in his own as he settled himself softly on the edge of the bed. The two men stared, lost in the storming oceans of each other's eyes, a swirling whirlpool of love, an ocean of adoration, the power of moments lost because of words unspoken a dark undercurrent, the fear of the future a threatening swell, peeks and throughs of life and love raised and fell around them. The king and his sourcerer were so blind to their surroundings, they didn't even notice the soft footsteps and gentle closing of the door as Gwaine and Leon quietly snuck from the chambers, the heavy carved oaken door softly thumping behind them.
                          
"It woun't always be like this, will it?" ARthur asked, his voice soft and serious, gaze searching the face of the man he trusted most for an answer.
                          
"Like what do you mean?" Merlin replied, talking as if to a frighted woodland creature; genntly.
                          
"Like there's this thing under my skin, just dying to get out, to take control, to take over me" the king explained, running a hand through his blond hair which appeared golden in the steaming morning sun. Merlin smiled a sad rue with his mouth, memories flooding back of how it was when he had first been transformed, the pain and struggle an uncertaincy, he had fought through it alone but he would make sue Arthur didn't  have to. He placed his pale hand against the king's golden cheek and ran a thumb along a cheekbone.
                          
"We'll keep each otehr in check. Love will." He said with the simplicity of absolute sincerity running through his entire being like a currant which flowed into Arthur and pooled in his resolve.
                          
"And then we build future together?" he asked, with an unkingly cautious smile. He reminded Merlin of the young prince he had met many summers ago. His heart swam fluttering at the many more to come.
                          
"Yes" he answered, voice barely above a reverend whisper and joining their fingers together like tributaries, he kissed Arthur again.