Arthur has always loved Halloween. He has always enjoyed hanging with his friends, letting the girls eat those horrible gelatinous candies while he drank with his buddies.
He would never admit that he actually liked to dress up and pretended to do it for his friends' sake. This year, he decided, at last, to wear a costume he had wished to wear for years; a knight armor.
He had the muscles now to look good into it and by the candy eyes girls are sending his way; he certainly looked like a decent knight with a big manly sword.
He grinned.
It seemed this year a lot of people decided to dress as Arthurian Legends characters so he was definitely not left alone. There were so many ridiculous Merlin with big blue dress and long pointed hat.
He then spotted a Merlin who had him lost his breath. He didn't look like a Merlin, with his big ridiculous ears, not at all, though he knew he actually was Merlin, as stupid as it could sound.
"Merlin" he whispered and the pretty blue-eyed boy grinned at him.
"King Arthur"
He gasped.
"I'm not King Arthur; I'm Lancelot Du Lac"
For the first time in all his life he had found the courage to dress up as Lancelot Du Lac and that stupid boy couldn't even recognize him!
"No, you're not. You are Arthur."
The boy wasn't smiling anymore.
"Do I know you?" he asked.
Because the boy clearly knew his name and there was something about him, something he couldn't put his finger on it.
"Do you?"
The boy was smiling again, gazing at him as if his answer was vital to him. And he knew. He knew him. Merlin
How much he never wanted to be Arthur again, to be hurt, betrayed and bore the heavy height of his crown, he is King Arthur. Always has been.
A sob escaped from his trembling lips but Merlin's gentle hands were already fondling his face.
"I'm here, Arthur, as I've always been"
And Arthur knew it was true. Merlin has always been here for him, always. Not Guinevere. Not Lancelot. But Merlin.
Arthur slowly bends his head forward and kissed that strange boy he didn't know a minute ago, the man he knew for all his life.
When Merlin cried against his lips, Arthur felt it. That was their very first kiss and he couldn't get why he never kissed Merlin before, why he lost so much time, a life away from this absolute love.
"I'm sorry" he whispered to Merlin's ear while kissing away his tears and holding him tight.
"I'm your Arthur. I am"