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Half a year has passed since Arthur, clad in his chainmail and shivering from the lake of Avalon’s chilly waters, was dragged to the shore by Merlin. He still remembers how it went. The first thing his eyes laid on when his back met solid ground was Merlin’s face, scrunched up and stained with tears. The first scent he inhaled was of the dewy grass around them, followed by something more familiar; Merlin’s jacket, of herbs, and the woods near Camelot all those years ago. The first sound he heard was Merlin’s sobbing and incoherent mumbling, to which he recalled saying hoarsely, “Wh...What are you saying?”
Merlin then snapped at him, “Listen to me, Arthur.”
After that, Merlin went on a minute-long rant while trying to wipe away his shed tears, only stopping when he realized that Arthur was still shivering in his armour. To this day, Merlin refuses to acknowledge what’s been said in his ramble whenever confronted, always saying that he doesn’t know what Arthur’s talking about or saying that he doesn’t remember.
But he does, and Arthur knows that. There’s an unspoken truth behind every fond gaze exchanged, every touch that lingers too long, every comfortable silence when it’s just the two of them. Arthur doesn’t know why Merlin is not willing to resolve the tension that’s present, but he’s willing to wait until he’s ready. It’s the least he can do to repay his patience and loyalty.
Unresolved sexual tension aside, Merlin and Arthur have been peacefully living together in a centuries-old hut that Merlin built near the lake. The activities are domestic and mundane, far from the adrenaline-fueled battles they fought back when they were in Camelot, with most of it being Merlin helping Arthur adjust to the new era he’s in. It took a month for Arthur to finally stop calling technology ‘foreign contraptions’, and many more for him to feel at ease living surrounded by it.
Now, they’ve both settled into a pleasant routine of Merlin going out to work and leaving Arthur on his own. All is serene, a stark difference from Arthur’s life as a prince that sometimes unsettles him, but he won’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Until one day...
“Arthur!” Merlin grins, closing the front door.
Arthur doesn’t look away from the laptop on his lap, “What is it?”
“The new amusement park made its grand opening today.”
“Amusement park?”
“Yes, you know, those places I told you about where people come to ride things and have fun.”
“Ah, right,” Arthur nods. “The one with moving carts.”
Merlin plops down next to Arthur on the sofa, “Exactly. They’re called roller coasters.”
Merlin snatches the laptop away and opens up a new tab on the browser, switching from the action film Arthur was watching. Arthur crosses his arms, a frown on his face, but curiosity made him lean over to see what Merlin’s searching for.
“Here. Look at this,” Merlin rotates the laptop so that Arthur can see the screen better.
The expression on Arthur’s face shifts rapidly as the video progresses, starting from mildly intrigued, to fully interested, then baffled. Through all of this, Merlin’s eyes never left him, an amused smile stretching his lips. When it ends, Arthur meets his stare and uncrosses his arms.
“What do you think?”
“Well, judging from the people’s terrified screaming, I’d say that the experience wouldn’t be an enjoyable one.”
“Oh, now that’s where you’re wrong,” Merlin places the laptop back on Arthur’s lap and stands up.
“Tomorrow, we’ll go.”
“And what exactly is our purpose in going there?”
Merlin grins, “To ride a roller coaster, of course!”
“...What?”
“It’ll be fun, trust me.”
Merlin senses that Arthur isn’t going to agree, so he pulls out his trump card.
“Unless...you’re too scared to do it,” he tilts his head innocently.
Arthur raises his eyebrows at this.
“There’s no shame in being scared of riding them, many people are. If you are—”
“Nonsense,” Arthur cuts him off, closing the laptop and pushing it to the side.
Merlin tries to hide a taunting smile but fails to do so.
Arthur stands up, “We leave in the morning.”
He struts past Merlin with that regal posture he uses when he was still king, attempting to hide his insecurity, but Merlin is no fool.
“Yes, sire,” he chuckles.
The next day, Merlin and Arthur stand side-by-side in the middle of a swarm of visitors. A chorus of shrieks can be heard from above them, where a couple of carts just dashed past on the tracks. Arthur’s eyes never left the moving carts, observing as they made twists and turns. He’d rather die than ever admit it, but there’s a small part of him that’s on edge to be the one riding that thing.
“Come one, Arthur, the entrance is this way,” Merlin tugs Arthur’s sleeve, pulling him out of his thoughts.
“Right.”
They make their way to the entrance of the ride and joined the queue. Merlin glances at Arthur, noticing his unease.
“Never thought that you, out of all people, would be nervous.”
“What are you prattling on about? I’m certainly not nervous.”
“Eh, no, I think you are.”
Arthur crosses his arms, “Shut up, Merlin.”
“Whatever you say,” Merlin shrugs, smiling.
The carts eventually return, the previous riders exit while laughing all the while, but that show of casualness doesn’t make Arthur any less anxious. Merlin rushes to occupy the cart at the very front, hopping into one of the seats, and gestures for Arthur to take the empty one on his left. Arthur hesitantly approaches, ignoring the blatant smugness on Merlin’s face, and settles down into the seat. Merlin puts on his seatbelt, making sure it’s secure before doing the same to Arthur.
“Have you done this before?”
“A couple of times.” Merlin tugs on Arthur’s seatbelt.
“And you’re sure we’re not going to die?”
Merlin purses his lips, shifting his eyes to stare deeply into Arthur’s.
“No, not really.”
“What?!” Arthur clenches his seatbelt, his eyes widening.
Merlin lets out a loud laugh.
“This is not funny, Merlin!”
His laughter doesn’t die down.
Arthur tries to get out of his seat, “Get this thing off of me!”
“Calm down, Arthur!” Merlin grins. “I was just joking.”
“Merlin...” Arthur glares at him.
“When we get out of here, I swear that I will—”
Before Arthur can finish his sentence, an announcement is made through the speakers.
“Your ride on Lightning Rod is about to begin. Please keep your arms inside, your feet on the floor, and brace yourselves at all times. Once again, your ride on Lightning Rod is about to begin. Please keep your arms inside, your feet on the floor, and brace yourselves at all times.”
Merlin smiles in a carefree way while Arthur grips hard on the bar in front of them.
The carts begin to move forward at a slow pace, and for a moment Arthur thinks ‘Oh, this isn’t too horrible.’
But then the speed triples within a second.
“Wooo!” Merlin cheers, arms in the air.
“AAAAAAHHHHHH!” Arthur screeches in a high pitch tone, his right hand clutching onto the front of Merlin’s shirt.
The world around them passes in a blur, fast-paced twists and turns making their hairs a mess. Merlin’s fully aware of what they’re in for when he chose the seats that are upfront. He glances at Arthur’s hand, at his terrified face, and he feels euphoric. Oh, payback is so sweet.
The carts slow down to a halt and at last, the ride is over. Arthur would be the first to get out of the seat if he knew how to take off his seatbelt, but he doesn’t, so he has no choice but to grumble until Merlin helps him. They exit the ride side-by-side, Arthur avoiding meeting Merlin’s eyes while the latter is actively seeking them out.
“Arthur.”
“What?”
“You shrieked like a little girl.”
Arthur stops dead in his tracks and shoves his finger in Merlin’s face.
“We will not speak of this. Ever.”
“Sure.”
“Good.” Arthur slings his arm over Merlin’s shoulder. “Now you’re going to buy me some of that cotton-like candy that I’ve seen around.”
“Hey, why am I the one paying?”
“Because all of this was your idea.”
“Aaaaaahhhhhh!” Merlin mimics Arthur’s shriek.
Arthur’s arm leaves Merlin’s shoulder. They share a look before Merlin starts sprinting away with an enraged Arthur in tow.