Practice Makes Perfect.

At first, the third love potion seems to have much less of an impact on Arthur. He acts nearly normal: he compliments Merlin's cooking and merely beams a little brighter than usual when Merlin smiles at him. He even shoves Merlin a little, laughing delightedly when Merlin pushes back.

And then Merlin goes to collect more firewood for their campsite, ordering Arthur to stay where he is. (Merlin doesn't have high enough confidence in enchanted-Arthur's competence to let him wander about in the forest.)

When Merlin returns with the wood, he finds Arthur sitting in the dirt looking utterly desolate, with - are those actually tear tracks on his cheeks?

Arthur leaps to his feet upon seeing Merlin. "My love! You returned!"

Merlin only just manages to throw the firewood on the ground before he is enveloped in a desperate, crushing embrace. Arthur squishes their faces together and whispers, "I missed you so much."

Merlin awkwardly pats Arthur on the back. "Missed you too?" he replies.

Arthur finally lets go and Merlin picks up the logs and starts tidying the campsite.

Arthur's need for Merlin's attention strikes again when Merlin is making dinner. Merlin is paying attention to chopping vegetables, and ignoring Arthur's self-aggrandizing story about a tournament he'd won, when he realizes Arthur has stopped prattling and been quiet for a few minutes.

"Arthur?" Merlin asks.

"Am I boring you, Merlin?" Arthur has, sarcastically, asked Merlin this question a number of times. This time is very different, however. This time Arthur sounds incredibly sad. Broken-hearted, even. He looks at Merlin with huge, wounded eyes.

"No, of course not!" Merlin says. It's very unconvincing, because listening to Arthur's dumb stories is the worst part of Merlin's job sometimes. Arthur looks even more hurt. "I love hearing anything you have to say, Arthur," Merlin tries again.

Arthur considers this for a minute, then brightens immensely.

"So then," he continues, "I fought a knight from Mercia..."

Merlin doesn't realize how far Arthur's newly developed (okay, newly heightened) need for attention goes until night falls, however. In the darkness, Arthur cannot see Merlin or tell whether Merlin is giving him any attention. As Merlin tries to go to sleep, Arthur whispers, "Merlin?"

"Yes?"

"Are you still there?"

"...Yes."

"Stay there, okay?"

"Okay."

Arthur repeats the same conversation every five minutes for the next half hour or so. So the next time Arthur asks, Merlin cuddles up with Arthur, putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him against Merlin's chest. "I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere," Merlin promises. He kisses Arthur's temple. "Now go to sleep."

*****

The fourth potion makes Arthur fall in love with the first living thing he sees, which is a tree, and Merlin has to knock him out again before he gets splinters somewhere very uncomfortable.

Under the influence of the fifth potion, Arthur refuses to keep his pants on for more than five minutes. He doesn't actually do anything. He just seems to think that the sight of his dick alone should entice Merlin. He's too confused to be offended when Merlin fails to be awed.

The sixth potion makes Arthur want to court Merlin by giving him presents. Since they're in the forest, his gifts include ripe berries (which he tries to feed Merlin by hand) and animals that the prince slaughters. He also gives Merlin his thick red cloak, which Merlin is not ever giving back, thank you very much.

Finally, a few hours after he drinks the seventh potion, Arthur calls Merlin a hideous clotpole and then beams and says, "I did it!"

"Congratulations," Merlin says sourly. "You didn't have to be so mean about it."

They head back to Camelot that night. Merlin is only sort of glad Arthur is back to normal. He's missed Arthur's usual personality - but he's also going to miss certain parts of this experiment. The hugs, the compliments, the open affection ... Merlin has greatly enjoyed that, but he knows Arthur wouldn't ever treat him that way without the influence of a potion.

*****

Back in Camelot, Merlin finds the next few weeks very confusing.

Sometimes he catches Arthur looking at him in a way he recognizes from Arthur's time under Potions 1, 3, and 6 - that is, as if Merlin's the most important, precious thing in his world. Merlin always blushes and looks away quickly, and when he looks back the expression has vanished from Arthur's face and Arthur is ordering him to complete some menial chore.

More frighteningly, once in a while something about Arthur's eyes reminds Merlin of the brief moments Arthur spent under the second love potion, before Merlin decided the prince was being far too forward and knocked him out. Merlin tends to flee Arthur's presence as quickly as possible on these occasions, because Merlin is absolutely unsure what to do with looks of desire being directed at him.

Merlin considers the possibility that it's some lingering effect of the potions, but research into Gaius' books turns up no suggestion that this is possible. Also, he never catches Arthur trying to take his pants off at inopportune moments or attempting to make love to a tree, so all evidence points to the potions having worn off as expected.

So, clearly, it's just a figment of Merlin's imagination brought on by his wishful thinking, and he ought to ignore it until it goes away. Right?

At least, that's what Merlin thinks until Arthur kisses him.

After the first glorious moment - during which Merlin kisses back enthusiastically, Merlin pulls away.

"But," he splutters, disbelieving, "There aren't any potions left! What are you doing?"

Arthur grins and slides his arms around Merlin's waist, pulling him closer. He seems to find Merlin's response very amusing. "I don't need a potion to like you, Merlin."

Merlin's brain stutters and he stares at Arthur's - very nearby - face for a long moment. "Er - perhaps I should make you an antidote anyways? Just in case?"

"You seem to have forgotten - I can fight off love potions now," Arthur reminds him. His eyes are sparkling with glee. "I kissed you because I truly find you adorably odd-looking, hilariously clumsy, and stupidly clever, and I like you, and I would like to kiss you again, unless you have any objections?"

"Er," Merlin says, which is not an objection. Merlin may be startled and confused and speechless, but he definitely does not object.

Arthur leans in again, and Merlin makes his lack of objections very clear.