1370 years. 500,050 days. 12,001,200 hours.

Since, he.. you know.

Merlin kept counting. Even though some years came and he didn't want to. Even though nights would come when he wanted to just give up. Even though he could still feel the weight of him in his arms when he tried hard.

He kept counting. Because he knew that one day, Arthur would return to him.

And that day came on the 3rd of May 2020.

Merlin was in a bad way. He went to work and came back and just couldn't get off to sleep. So he decided to watch a movie and prised Cinderella off the shelf. The old one of course. The warlock couldn't wrap his head around what was special about the new ones. He liked the feel of the animation, the age of the old ones. And he liked Disney movies - he couldn't bare sad endings.

Then he started to drink. Not too much, nothing silly, just a glass or two of red wine. But that grew. With every sip, every gulp, he saw Arthur's face in his mind. Arthur calling for him, holding him, clutching at his shirt until he fell limp. Gone.

So Merlin kept drinking. And he didn't stop.

Hours later, he felt hands on his shoulders, shaking him awake.

"Merlin..." A voice was calling. Merlin didn't even bother opening his eyes. He knew who it was. The same person lay in every dream he ever had.

"Arthur please, just go, you're not real." Merlin mumbled, rubbing the side of his head and shuffling on the sofa to get more comfortable.

"Merlin.. I'm serious.. wake up."

This was usually the time Merlin would reluctantly open his eyes and find the room empty. And he would feel the sadness, the loss, wash over him again. He'd had centuries to heal yet he still couldn't quite yet.

Not tonight.

" No.. you're dead.. you're not here." He muttered more forcefully.

"Merlin please, I'm so confused, I don't know what I'm doing here. I need you, please." Arthur's voice sounded a little higher than he'd remembered.

So Merlin rolled over and opened his eyes.

Immediately, his heart started to pound. His mind clouded and his grip on the sofa tightened.

" That's not... you're not..." He stammered. Standing over him was Arthur. Flesh and blood. Dressed in his camelot armour.

"I'm here Merlin.. I'm alive.. how long have I been gone?" Arthur asked. Merlin took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Arthur was still stood there.

It was real.

He was real.

"Arthur..." Merlin murmured. And he sprung up and wrapped his arms tightly around his friend. Arthur noticed Merlin was crying, but he didn't mention it.

"Merlin..I.."

Both men were speechless. They just gripped each other tight.

The next few days passed. Once they got over their original shock, it began to sink in and Merlin began to teach Arthur what life in the 21st century was like.

Arthur looked exactly the same as Merlin had remembered him. Cheekbones and blonde hair and eyes like glistening rivers.

Merlin however, looked very different. He had brown stubble around his jaws. His hair had grown out a bit and his lazy curls bounced around his face. His skin was as pale as he remembered, but there were dark circles around his eyes. Even as his servant, Merlin had been on the skinny side, but now... Arthur could count his ribs through his t shirt.

Arthur was discovering all sorts of new things and learning too. And one thing he knew was that Merlin hadn't been taking care of himself.

On the first night, Merlin set up his spare room for Arthur. He taught him how to run the bath, and then while he was in it, went to the shops and bought some food. He returned home and started to cook the meal he knew was Arthur's favourite. He'd memorised the recipe and made it everytime he felt lonely.

"So nowadays people wear a lot comfier clothes." Merlin laid out one of his hoodies and a pair of sweats on Arthur's bed. Arthur looked bemused.

"But... but..."

But he still put it on.

So Merlin served them both beef stew and sat down on the sofa.

They ate their food in mostly quiet.

"Are you okay?" Merlin asked after a while. Arthur was barely eating; his spoon kept stopping halfway to his mouth as he gazed at every little thing around the room.

Lots of odd, unfamiliar things, and lots of books as well.

" Yeah.." Arthur breathed,"Just very overwhelmed with all this new stuff."

Merlin finished his bowl and put it on the coffee table.

"That's okay," He said sympathetically. "A lot of things have changed."

Arthur started to eat again, then he paused.

"Tell me about your life now." He said, quietly.

Merlin stretched back and held a pillow between his hands and started to talk.

"Well it's 2020 and Boris Johnson is the prime minister and a new KFC just opened up around the corner..."

"No," Arthur nudged him with his foot. "Tell me about you. Your life. What you did after I... and how you got here."

Merlin smiled. "Okay. Uh, so... after you were uh gone, I moved around a bit. I kept, I kept hoping that you would come back and telling myself that I just had to be patient. So I waited. I drifted from job to job, exploring new things and learning stuff. I moved into this house 5 years ago when I got a job as a pediatrics specialist. I like healing people. So that's what I do." He shrugged, blushing slightly.

Arthur was looking confused. "You're a peedree what?"

Merlin smiled. "In our world, we have these places called hospitals which is where you go when you're sick. Doctors and nurses work there. I'm a pediatrician so I specialise in children patients. I work in the hospital." He explained.

Arthur nodded, understanding. Like Gaius, he thought with a spark of pride.

They continued to talk, well into the night. It crept up to 3 AM until they realised they should get some sleep.

So Merlin checked Arthur was comfortable and then lay in his own bed with his eyes wide open.

Arthur was back. Arthur was really back. Alive. In his spare room.

Merlin couldn't believe it.

They had so much to catch up on. So many things to show each other.

He's here, Merlin thought.

Then he sank into sleep.

Arthur was having trouble sleeping. There were just so many new things, it was like learning a new language. He turned over and could smell Merlin on the sheets. His hair smelt amazing too, due to something called shampoo.

Arthur could see the window and hear rain battering against it.

There was another sound too.

His knight reflexes picked up on it instantly. Sharp breaths. He knew at once it was Merlin.

Arthur crawled silently out of bed and walked to where he knew Merlin's room was. He stood at the doorway and saw a dark figure turning and tossing under the covers.

"No...not again.. please come back.." He was muttering. Arthur's heart quickened and he hovered over his friend, placing his hands on his shoulders just like before.

"No.. he's... you can't take him away again! It's not fair... he's, he's... he's mine..." Merlin moaned.

"Merlin, it's me, I'm right here." Arthur whispered, shaking his shoulders. He saw a sudden spark of gold illuminate Merlin's eyelids and then his eyes snapped open and his breaths halted in his throat.

"It was just a nightmare, you're fine now.." Arthur soothed. He felt the knots in Merlin's shoulders relax slightly and the man beneath him began to breathe again. Arthur sat beside him on the bed.

"Sorry," Merlin mumbled, when he was back to normal again. He rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Arthur blinked. "Why are you sorry? And you didn't wake me. I was awake anyway."

"Okay, good." Merlin sighed. "The nightmares.. I have them every night."

In the dark, Arthur could see Merlin's face in the faint light from the window.

"I'm so sorry," Arthur whispered, "What are they about?"

But he already knew.

Merlin knew that too.

They sat in silence for a bit until Arthur awkwardly started to stand up.

"I should be going back to bed-"

But before he could finish, Merlin's hand reached out and held his wrist tightly.

"Stay." He said simply. It wasn't a question. Arthur nodded at once and pulled the covers back, sliding in beside Merlin.

They both kept to their respective sides, and after they lay there, filling the silence with the rise and fall of their breathing, they both fell asleep. Together.