I've been waiting

Time Well Spent

At least 10 minutes passed before Arthur found me, the grounds of the manor were pretty big, and i had tucked myself away in the rose garden, sitting on the bench carved with the pendragon crest. Arthur raised his eyebrows at it before sat beside me. For a moment we were both silent, and then he cleared his throat.
"It may surprise you to know Merlin, but I've frequented enough brothels in my life to know what that was, and as much as wish i hadn't seen it, you shouldn't be ashamed. I'm also guessing your not quite the same Merlin as the one i knew..."
"What does that mean?" I couldn't bring myself to look at him, so i kept my head down, hiding the tears in my eyes and the redness of my cheeks.
"Well your obviously not the awkward virgin i thought you were, that thing was huge." Arthur chuckled, but i couldn't find the humour in it. "And I'm also guessing you're not- what did you call it?... straight?"
I glanced up at him, the gentleness in his tone both surprising and disturbing me. I shook my head, knowing there was no point in denying it at this point. I tried to speak, but Arthur cut in first, smiling faintly.
"Don't ever think you can't tell me these things Merlin. We've had this once before with the Magic, i don't want it to separate us again." He patted me sturdily on the back, and leaned back in on the bench casually. "So, is there a man in you're life?"
"Loads, none like that though. Just friends." I could have sworn as i said it, Arthur let out a relieved sigh, his whole body relaxing just that little extra bit. "You should meet Leroy, he'd be just your sort of person. Loves sports." I paused as Arthur nodded, and then continued. "Oh, maybe i could set you up, i know lots of eligible young women. In this century, the newest craze for women, is to have a 'Gay best friend', so i'm a magnet for-"
"I'd rather not trust your taste in women Merlin" Arthur smiled. "Besides, i'm not looking for anyone" He didn't explain himself more than that, and i wondered if it were about Guinevere. We headed back in, but he stopped me before we reached the house. "I want you to know, i wasn't looking through your belongings... i just figured you might have some other clothes, that were i don't know, bigger?"
"We can go shopping tomorrow if you like? But i'm going to have to teach you a few things first." He agreed and we sat down in the conservatory to run through social interactions now that he was not only in the modern era, but also no longer a king. I explained how shops and our currency worked, and some of the little things that would be relevant- shopping trolly's, automatic doors, tills. We talked for hours about things i hadn't deemed exciting or relevant, but looking through Arthurs eyes everything was new and thrilling, and in a strange way it infected me with a sense of childlike glee. Just the idea of a freezer was incomprehensible to Arthur.

Over the next few days we went clothes and food shopping, i took him to see his first movie, and i explained the internet and phones as best i could. I even got him excited about his first sport, rugby seemed the best option, as it was both ruthless and sportsmanlike.
In the evening I would cook for the both of us before my night shift, and when i returned Arthur would be asleep on the sofa with a cheesy action movie still playing, i would wake him up and we would both go to bed and sleep until 11, when i would wake him up again and we ate breakfast together downstairs- i was still trying to teach him to cook, but he really was awful. He mostly took care of himself, but i was required for little things like putting the washing machine on, or changing the bed because the concept of a duvet and a duvet cover was apparently too much for him to handle. We watched rugby matches together, though in truth i spent most of the time watching him smile. We gardened together, he claimed to find it relaxing, though i did most of the manual work and he just handed me things and clipped hedges. We even played dice and card games with Gwaine's old deck, most of which Arthur beat me at. We spent most of every day together, but it was the few hours without him that were becoming the hardest. 
When i laid in bed at night, the only thing i saw was him dying in my arms, over and over again, every time i closed my eyes.

It had been 2 weeks, and i decided it was finally time to take him to the pub, and finally get a good glimpse of the new society we lived in. Not to mention the drinking... 
"What do you want to be your new name?" I asked Arthur as my hands hovered over a small card. "Pendragon isn't the sort of thing we get round here, people will question it"
"What's yours?" He asked, padding into the lounge with bare feet, slipping a shirt over his head.
"Hayes. Merlin Gaius Hayes." Arthur's eyebrow tweaked, but he didn't mention anything.
"Morgan then. Arthur Morgan. After Morgana, the sister i loved. No matter how twisted she became, she began as my sister and that is how she will remain in my memories"
"I like it"
"Well that's good, i don't know what i would have done without your approval" He sassed, gently whacking me with his sock before he sat to put it on.
"Prat" I muttered playfully, turning back to focus on my magic, making the words appear on the I.D along with a flattering photo. I noticed Arthur watching me as i muttered the incantation. Once we were both ready, we headed out. 

Years of being alive gave me a high drinking tolerance, but Arthur had no such tolerance, and was drunk on two pints of beer. I had to carry him to the taxi- which would have been impossible if not for the help of magic- which gained me a few odd looks. When we reached home, getting him out was even more of a struggle, especially with him going on and on about Camelot, and me being his manservant. I paid the Taxi driver and hoped he didn't think Arthur was insane.
"I miss hooome..." He hiccoughed, slurring his words as i dragged him through the door to his room. "I miss being king. I miss being in charge... of you" He looked me steadily in the eyes and for a brief moment i thought he might lean in to kiss me from the lust in his, but he just stumbled onwards. We reached his bedroom and managed to get him on the bed before he fell, i tugged off his shoes and jacket.
"Undress me Merlin!" He commanded, back to the way i remembered him so well. "I command it. He had that goofy smile on his face, so i obliged and helped him out of his shirt and jeans, leaving his boxers on obviously. Though the sight of his near-nakedness made me fluster.
"Like something you see?" He chuckled, rolling around on the bed. I snorted and pulled the covers over him, but he tugged them away and grabbed me by the arm, pulling me in beside him. He was much stronger than me, even now, and though i would have used my magic, a part of me wanted to curl up with him and forget the years that had passed, so i let him reel me in. He wrapped his arms around me and hooked his legs behind me, pinning me in the 'little spoon' position. I sniggered and tried to wriggle out of his grip, but he just held me tighter.
"Just let me hold you Merlin" He said, his voice surprisingly sober. I suddenly remembered the last moment we had spent together, he had begged me to just hold him... maybe after all this time, there really was something between us? Something more than friendship. The position i was currently stuck in made it seem so.