The sun shone through the curtains, lighting the otherwise dim room. The prince himself slept peacefully in the bed, a large dopey smile on his face as he filled the chambers with the sound of his snores. The blond woke with a sudden start at the sound of shuffling footsteps outside his room. He let out a groan of annoyance at having been disturbed from his dream, as well as at the pounding headache that began to throb when he awoke. He reached an arm up to his forehead and began massaging his temples in hopes to ease the pain, only to no avail. 

He let out a groan again. He would strangle whoever was at the door. He had been right in the middle of a dream involving a certain big eared idiot where he had finally managed to get a kiss from the dollop-head after the servant had brought him back to his chambers when he had gotten drunk in the tavern. 

The prince rolled onto his back then glanced towards the door, wondering why no one had entered yet. "Merlin!" He called, hoping it was indeed him that was outside. 

The door creaked open, revealing the servant waiting in the hall. He entered, vial in hand before shutting the door. "Merlin? Please tell me you have one of Gaius' tonics," Arthur said, still attempting to rub away the ache in his head.

"Right here, sire," he heard Merlin say as he handed the bottle over to Arthur. He was disappointed to hear Merlin addressing him as 'sire'. He let out a wistful sigh for the dream he had been interrupted from. In there, the boy had addressed him simply as 'Arthur', much to the prince's delight. Though Merlin still did that now it just wasn't as frequently as he would have liked.  

The blond gulped down the bottle's contents quickly, almost immediately feeling the effects of the potion wash away the throb in his head. He set the empty container back onto the night stand as Merlin asked, "Do you remember any of what happened last night, sire?"

Arthur yawned and stretched his arms in the air, perhaps trying to show off just a tiny bit to the servant before answering honestly. "Not much. I remember drinking in the tavern but that's all. Though I did have a..." he smiled widely to himself as he thought back to the kiss he had shared with Merlin in his dreams, "...very pleasant dream last night."

The prince could hear a sigh from the servant beside him before the latter headed towards the wardrobe, pulling clothes off the racks. "A pleasant dream? What was it about?"

Arthur remained silent. His eyes trailed after the servant as he went about on his daily tasks. He studied the boy's every move, committing it to memory. How would the servant react if he told him the truth? That he was having a drunken dream about him? He sighed to himself. Merlin could never know. For as much as he would love for his dream to have been real, he had been acting as a total buffoon in it. How many embarrassing things did he say? Much too many to count. Merlin would only laugh at him if he told him about his dream and the utterly embarrassing things he said. And that was only if his manservant hadn't been scared off by the sudden confession of his feelings.

"What?" Merlin asked, watching the prince stare. 

"Nothing," Arthur smiled, climbing out of bed. He was content with the way things were. Just the two of them. The prince and his servant. Of course, he would be lying if he said he didn't at least wish for something more. "Now hurry up, Merlin, it's late and I still need to get dressed. I have a meeting with my father in an hour."

"You know you could learn to get dressed yourself. Would make things faster."

"Or you could learn to dress me faster."

Arthur caught a glimpse of Merlin rolling his eyes at him before he proceeded to help him dress. "Perhaps if you weren't so busy, oh I don't know, fighting 'fire-breathing dragons' last night you would have woken up on time."

Arthur spun around so quickly he could have snapped his neck. His eyes widened at Merlin's words. Those events in his dream were not real. They couldn't have been. Then again, how else would Merlin know something he had said during a drunken haze in his dream?! "What did I say last night?"

Merlin gave a small chuckle as if remembering an amusing event. "You claimed to be saving me from a fire-breathing dragon."

Arthur's mouth fell open, agape in shock. He could feel the blood drain from his face. "D-did anything else happen?"

"Why don't you ask your knights? They were there for some of it." Merlin smirked, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

The prince could feel himself pale further. "Merlin, what did I do?"

Merlin chuckled again as he pulled the tunic over a frozen Arthur's head. "Nothing."

"Merlin! Tell me!" Panic rose in the prince's voice. He was not ready for this. Not at all. If what had happened in his dreams were true then that meant he confessed to Merlin last night. What's going through his servant's mind right now? Is he disgusted at the thought of his prince falling for him?

Merlin skirted over to the door, a cheeky grin on his face. "Like I said, it was nothing."

Arthur reached for a goblet on a table nearby. He threw the cup at the servant's head, who somehow managed to dodge the flying projectile. Not without almost tripping on the door though. The boy rounded the corner and raced down the hall. All Arthur could hear was laughter echoing from the walls as his servant disappeared.

"Merlin! Come back here! Tell me what happened last night!" The prince shouted down the hall in vain. 

Arthur kicked at the door in frustration once he realized Merlin was long gone. He contemplated chasing after him only to realize he had a meeting with his father he ought to be getting to. He sighed before turning in the opposite direction down the hall from where Merlin ran.

-----

"Merlin!" 

Arthur's voice echoed off the walls of the citadel as he stormed through the halls after the meeting with his father. He had searched all over the castle already. He checked in the physician's chambers, the palace kitchens, the armoury, the stables, and the training grounds. Where else could that idiot be?

The prince was fuming by the time he ran across Leon in the halls. "Leon, have you seen Merlin anywhere? I've been searching for him all day!" The prince asked.

Leon's face broke into a grin at the mention of Merlin's name. The knight attempted to hide a chuckle before turning back to the prince. "I believe he said he was headed to your chambers last I saw him, sire," Leon said, still trying in vain to hide the smile from his lips.

Arthur raised an eyebrow in question at the knight's strange behaviour. "What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing, my lord. Nothing at all."

"Nothing? There is clearly some-" Arthur stopped mid-sentence. He thought back to what Merlin had mentioned earlier in the day. That if he wanted to know more on what happened last night he could simply ask his knights. The prince paled. "What did I do last night, Leon?"

"You don't remember?"

"No, I remember nothing. Now tell me what happened." That was a partial lie. He had a sneaking suspicion on what may have happened but he hoped he was wrong. 

"You had gotten drunk last night while we were in the tavern. You were stumbling about and even flirted with Merlin for a bit. He was about to take you back to your chambers when something happened and he was suddenly thrown across the room by a man. You got angry and tackled the man to the floor. Afterwards..." Leon started to chuckle once more at the memory of what had transpired, "...you carried Merlin out of the tavern as though he were some princess."

Arthur almost stumbled into a passing maid at Leon's words. So his dream wasn't a dream. It had actually happened. He could feel his cheeks burn red at the thought of all the embarrassment he must have underwent. His heart raced as he realized that that meant he had confessed to Merlin last night. "Thank you, Leon. I must take my leave now."

The prince turned, about to head down the hall before he stopped in his tracks. He turns back around, a stern look on his face and a finger pointed at the knight's chest. "You speak of this to no one. Do you understand?"

"Of course, my lord," Leon nods, smile still intact on his face.

The prince turned back around and raced back towards his chambers in a panic. He had confessed to Merlin. He had confessed to him in the middle of an abandoned road in the lower town, smelling like alcohol and, worst of all, while he was drunk. He had always pictured himself confessing to the servant in a much more... romantic way. If he confessed at all. Arthur cursed under his breath at his own stupidity. How was he to ever face Merlin now? 

The prince stopped once he reached the door to his chambers. What was he going to say? Was he supposed to just walk in? Act as though nothing happened? Merlin must be disgusted with him. What if he decides to quit? Stop thinking like this. If he was angry or disgusted he would have said so this morning. He seemed happy, perhaps even more so than usual. He's overthinking things.

Arthur reached his hand out towards the door handle, ready to enter when a new thought entered his mind. Hadn't Merlin kissed him in his dream before he went to sleep? If the rest of the events in his dream were true. Who's to say that wasn't either? 

Arthur cursed again under his breath. Merlin had kissed him last night and he was too drunk to savour it properly. The prince mentally kicked himself for his own idiocy. At least he had confirmation that there was nothing to worry about. Merlin may very well return his affections. Hopefully.

"Arthur?" 

The prince looked up to find Merlin staring at him with a quizzical look on his face. The door was open to his chambers. A bucket and scrubber were on the floor where Merlin must have been scrubbing at the wood.

"I heard someone cursing outside the door. Was that you?" Merlin asked, pointing a finger towards the prince.

"Merlin," Arthur said, ignoring his manservant's question and entering the room, "Do not try and avoid the question this time. What did I do last night?"

"I never knew you were such a hypocrite, Arthur. You tell me not to avoid your question while you avoid my own?" Merlin shook his head in mock disappointment, "I'm ashamed of you. Oh, what would the king think?"

Arthur rolled his eyes at the servant's mocking tone and teasing smile. "Alright, yes, it was me. Now, what happened last night?"

Merlin smiled widely, a bright glint of happiness in his eyes. "You want all the details?" He asks.

"Yes, all of it."

Merlin shot him a goofy grin before striding over towards the prince in two quick steps. He leaned forward, hands behind his back, and kissed the prat on the lips. Arthur almost stumbled backwards into the door in shock at the sudden action. The servant pulled away quickly though after his initial boldness disappeared. He backed away, his face flushed scarlet. He stared down at the tips of his boots as he shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. 

Arthur remained still, dumbfounded at what had just happend. He could feel his face begin to heat up from the close contact. He looked away as well, eyes shifting about his chambers. Merlin had kissed him. So that means his dreams were real. Does that mean he reciprocates his feelings?

Arthur looked up at Merlin who had his face turned away. The boy was busying himself with clearing away the armour scattered across the table. He seemed reluctant to turn back around. The prince takes in a deep breath, steeling his nerves for what he was about to do. He shuts the door behind him before approaching the servant. 

Arthur reached out a hand and tapped his manservant on the shoulders. Merlin turned just as the prince pressed a kiss to his lips. He let out a small gasp of surprise, almost toppling over the table before he managed to grip the edge to help steady himself. 

Arthur reached a hand up to cup the boy's cheek while the other snaked around his waist, pressing the servant against the prince's chest. He could hardly believe what he was doing. He must have been out of his right mind! He was about to pull away, feeling guilty that perhaps he had overstepped his boundaries when he felt the warlock's hands around his neck, pulling him back in. 

Arthur leaned back in gratefully, glad that the moment could last for even just a bit longer. He savoured the feeling, properly this time for this would not be something he forgot anytime soon. 

The prince was the first to pull away. He kept his hand on his servant's cheek, refusing to let him go. Merlin lifted a hand, placing it over the prince's as a smile broke across his face. Arthur smiled back. He gripped Merlin's hand and brought it towards his lips, planting a gentle kiss on the knuckle. 

"I love you, Merlin."

"I love you too, Arthur."