I've been waiting

Arthur

I was in a twilight sleep, my brain halfway between waking and sleeping, which is why just the tense of Merlin's muscles woke me. I still couldn't believe i was here, in bed, naked, with my manservant, my arms wrapped protectively around his lean body- i had been pleasantly surprised to find he'd bulked up a little since Camelot, not that it would have made a difference to my attraction for him if he hadn't. On the night we had first done this, i hadn't fallen asleep straight away, my brain too busy contemplating what had happened, not regret, just confusion mainly. I had even made myself chuckle at the thought of what my Father's reaction would have been; i had not only fallen in love with a servant, but a man, and a sorcerer at that. I spent 10 minutes just trying to figure our which one would have bothered him more.
But tonight i had slipped into the warm embrace of sleep almost immediately, my brain had caught up with my heart; this was the man i loved, i had everything i wanted. At first, when he tensed i thought it was nightmares, but then i felt his body turn, looking at me. I blearily opened my eyes, but he'd turned back around, Goosebumps appearing on his skin. He wasn't cold, his skin was boiling, so it was fear.
"Merlin? What is it?" He turned to me suddenly, obviously not realising I'd been awake for a while. His eyes were wide and startled, but still blue, so i figured we weren't in immediate danger. I hated depending on Merlin to protect us now that i couldn't wield a sword- what kind of world is this?- but at the same time, just knowing he was powerful enough to, was exhilarating in a sense.
"I heard... I heard someone"
"I didn't hear anything?" I whispered, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
"It was in my head. They called me Emrys, they need help?"
"Who?"
"I don't know" Merlin detached himself from my embrace, and slipped out of bed, leaving me cold. I took a moment to grin at his naked body before he pulled on a dressing gown- a strange invention in my opinion- and disappeared. I grumbled to myself, getting out of the warm sheets to follow him. I threw on a pair of joggers and -ironically- jogged after him.
"Merlin wait"
"Go back to bed Arthur, it's ok." Merlin looked suddenly tired, leaning on the kitchen counters, his head in his hands.
"Well obviously not. Talk to me" I put the kettle on and sat down opposite him, peeling his hands away from his face to hold them both. "I'm here" I'd never been good with words, i focused more on deeds, but i seemed to have said the right thing because he smiled weakly.
"It was another Sorcerer" He sighed. "They sounded like a child. They said someone was coming for them, and i don't know what to-" His voice became thin, his breath quick, and i squeezed his hands reassuringly.
"If they need help, we'll help them" I smiled. "Can you find them?" I moved away, pecking his cheek first, to make coffee for me and earl grey for him. 
"I'm not sure. There might be a spell..." He dragged himself onto the counter, his legs dangling over the edge. I handed him his drink and he really smiled, his eyes creasing in the corners in that adorable way they did when he was truly happy.
"Then we'll look for one. I've seen that massive library of yours, there has to be something" I leant against the counters opposite him and he reached a leg out to prod me with a grin. "I don't think we're going to get to sleep now, so we might as well start looking" 
Merlin nodded and slid off the counter with surprising grace, and padded down the hall to the library. We spent 3 hours passing books down from top shelves, sipping hot drinks, scanning pages of books in many different languages, and exchanging gentle kisses. Eventually Merlin jumped up with a grin.
"Found something. I can use this to trace their location from the message in my head, kinda like following mental tracks." My heart jumped strangely at the knowledge that he'd tailored his explanation to what i knew, what i was good at. It was the smallest kindness and yet it meant everything to me. I think he noticed me smiling like a goofy lovestruck idiot, because he sat down carefully in my lap and kissed me slowly and tenderly. I wrapped my arms around him and let him lead the kiss, my head swimming with all the things i wanted to say to him. Instead i tried to show him, putting all the love i could into the kiss. 
Eventually he had to pull away to breathe, leaning his head on my shoulder and just holding me. I took a moment to breathe him in, and kissed the tender spot behind his ear.
"I love you"
He tilted back to look at me, beaming. "And i love you. You Pratt"

The spell was relatively simple, i acted as an 'Anchor' to the real world so that Merlin could go inside his own mind and track down the person who'd been there. I held his hand, watching his eyes fluttering under their lids, and his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. His hair had grown a little unruly since the last time i had seen him, but i liked it, it gave me something to run my fingers through when he slept. That was what i did now, trying to feel close to him.
When his eyes shot open, they were glowing the beautiful gold colour that turned me on- i think it was the fact it was a reminder of his power that made it sexy, that and that they looked really stunning and unique, like him. 
"Did you find them?"
"Kind of. I don't have a location, but my body is telling me where to go, like my heart is a compass." He stood, and i followed him upstairs to get dressed. "We need to find them before whatever was after them does."
I agreed and we headed out immediately, Merlin seemingly not knowing where he was going, swerving round corners whenever his compass told him to. We reached an abandoned building, ruined and open to the elements- currently rain, a downpour in fact. Merlin informed me it was a train station, and i could vaguely remember him telling me what a train was. He grabbed an umbrella from the back seat and got out, coming to my door to let me out while staying dry.
"Surely they can't be here?"
"I think it's a squatter's place." I flashed him a confused smile and he explained; "Where people with no home come to stay for a while."
I frowned. The idea of anyone living here, temporary or not, was upsetting. Especially since I'd been accustomed to such great living quarters. Merlin strode purposefully in a seemingly random direction, and i jogged to keep up and stay dry. I had always secretly harboured a grudge that he was just a little taller than me, even more so now we were... more intimately acquainted. 
We halted so suddenly i carried walking for a moment before i could stop myself. Merlin was squinting into the darkness, though i couldn't make out a figure. 
"It's ok. You can come out..." He said, handing me the umbrella and crouching. 
"Emrys?" Came a voice from the darkness. 
"That's me. We're here to help you" He reached out, and a small hand grasped his. I was at a loss for words when a small boy, maybe 4 or 5, smeared in dirt and wrapped up in a hoodie, emerged from the shadows.
"Wait" Hissed another voice, tugging the boy back. Hushed words were spoken, and then the boy came back, dragging another boy with him. His hood was up so i couldn't get a look at his face, but from his height and his voice i would have guessed he was 12. 
"We trust him. He's like me" The young boy said, lifting his hand to Merlin and letting flames dance across his fingers. Miraculously, Merlin reached out and took them from the boys hand, forming them into the shape of a butterfly and letting it fly away and turn into smoke in the rain.