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Arthur is back, which Merlin is overjoyed about.
Arthur has no clue how to behave in the 21st century, which Merlin is distressed about.
There'd been the initial confusion, the grief over almost everything he knew being pretty much gone, the questions, the feelings.
Merlin had done as he always had, stood with Arthur and tried to help him through it all.
And now, half a year after his return, things are starting to look up.
Their relationship is as strong as it's ever been, now that there's no secret magical talents, or hidden feelings.
A relationship that is not strong, however, is Arthur's relationship with modern times.
"So did you enchant the horses to be small?" He asks, trying to understand Merlin's car.
"No, I just enchanted it so the seats will be warm so I don't have to pay for the fancy ones." Merlin says smugly as he gets in.
"Does everyone have these?" Arthur asks as he copies Merlin's actions to get into the passenger seat.
"Not everyone, but lots of people do."
"And why are there lines?"
Merlin tries to explain as best he can, but the questions are neverending.
"If you're supposed to stay in the lines, why didn't you?"
"Well, you'd think all this time would have improved my driving. But I never got the hang of it."
"I bet I could do better."
"Sure, prat. I'd like to see you try."
Arthur takes this as an invitation, and tries to climb into the driver's seat with Merlin.
"Not now! You clotpole, two people can't drive at once!"
"Why not? I thought we were supposed to do things together?!"
"Not this. There's plenty of other things we can do together, but driving is a one person job."
"Fine." Arthur says, pouting in a very kingly way.
"Did you just want to sit closer?"
"Don't be stupid, Merlin."
"Come on." Merlin pulls him closer at the stop, never so glad he didn't get rid of the old car with no center console.
"Buckle up. I don't need you flying out the windshield." Is all he says.
Arthur, always grateful for the way Merlin can easily read him, does as told and rests his head on Merlin's shoulder.
"Do you remember the rules for the store?"
"Merlin, I'm a king. Kings don't need rules for the market."
"Maybe other King's don't, but you most certainly do. What were they?"
Arthur sighs, then starts reciting all Merlin had told him.
"Stay with you, if I lose you, don't yell like I did in Camelot, don't talk to people I don't know, especially about our time, don't make it obvious I was in a lake for fifteen hundred years. Did I miss anything?"
"Don't eat anything on display before it's paid for."
"But in Camelot people let you do that! So it's not just a king thing!"
"They did that because they liked me. Also because I gave them extra money. Not like you needed it."
"You stole from the crown?"
"No, I stole from my cabbagehead friend. Besides, you always gave more than needed when you bought something anyway."
"That doesn't mean you were allowed to!"
"Apparently that's why servants weren't supposed to handle the royal coin purse. Thieves. The lot of us."
"Did you get in trouble for it?"
"What didn't I get in trouble for?"
"Doing your job. You couldn't get in trouble for it, because you never did it."
"If you wanted a good servant, you should've kept George. You know, he told me what you said."
"When?"
"While I was missing and he was assigned to you. That you'd told him I was awful, but you wanted me anyway."
"All those brass jokes must've rotted his brain."
"Oh yes, I'm sure they did." Merlin says sarcastically as he parks the car in front of the store.
"Wow, look at all those magic floating things! Did you do that?!" Arthur asks, pointing at the entrance.
"Those are balloons, it's not magic, just helium. I don't know how to explain that, but they're supposed to draw attention for a sale."
"Is there any magic in here?"
"Just me."
"I still don't understand how none of this is magic."
"Hardly anyone understands how these things work, you'll get used to it. Besides, aren't you already used to not understanding things?"
"No! You were always the most puzzling thing around, but now I know why!"
Merlin smiles, glad he can finally have no secrets, as Arthur looks around in wonder at all the things in the store.
"What is that?!" He asks about nearly everything.
"I'm glad these haven't changed." He'll say about a vegetable they had in Camelot, or he'll ask if Merlin made sure apples stayed the same.
Merlin is reminded of going to stores with friends that have kids by Arthur's enthusiasm.
Eventually he discovers that as long as Arthur is within seeing range, it should be safe.
He's just going to pop down an isle for some tea, when he runs into the lady who runs the bakery, who has become his friend through the many trips he's taken there for scones.
"Hello, Merlin!" She greets.
"Hi, Millie!" He returns, though he's internally cringing, since she likes to talk so much.
"Have you heard about Martha?"
"No, but I-"
"Oh, it's the craziest story!" Then she launches into Martha's tale, all the while Merlin is really hoping Arthur doesn't destroy anything.
He's quite relieved when he hears Arthur's familiar gate behind him.
"Merlin! There you are!" Arthur says, wrapping his arms around him from behind, so clearly, he'd been worried.
"Where were you?" Merlin asks, relieved Arthur hasn't managed to get himself sent to a mental hospital.
"You left me! I got lost. But I found these! Why are they so soft? Are they clouds? Are you supposed to eat them?" Arthur asks, holding up a bag of marshmallows.
"Those are marshmallows, not clouds, and yes, you eat them."
Millie is looking at them in confusion, wondering what's up with the guy who'd apparently never seen marshmallows.
"Oh! Millie! This is my... Boyfriend. Arthur." For a moment Merlin isn't sure what to say to describe his relationship with Arthur, but that's close enough.
"I didn't realize you were in a relationship! How long have you know each other?"
"I tried to kill him in a market twenty-five hundred years ago." Arthur says in a sappy tone, happily reminiscing on their first meeting, and apparently having forgotten the rules.
"He's such a jokester! He just moved here from a small town, nothing more than a few buildings at a lake! So he's not all caught up on big city life." Merlin says, discreetly kicking Arthur.
"How did you meet?"
"He made me stop throwing knives at a servant. Then he became a servant and I threw lots of things at him. But not knives!"
"Such a jokester. Ok, we need to get going, have a good day Millie!" Merlin quickly pulls Arthur away, as he waves happily at Millie.
"Arthur! I told you not to say that stuff!"
"But what else should I say?! I like talking about how we met! It's funny!"
"Just let me do the talking."
"You talk all the time!"
"I once went an entire year without saying a word, just so I could say I did to prove you wrong."
"What did you do?!"
"I never left the house. Didn't have a pet to speak to. I was like a monk. But then I went to town and became a town crier so I could talk a lot. It was a long time ago."
"Why would you do that?!"
"I told you, so I could prove you wrong."
"You are so strange." Arthur says, his fond tone conflicting the words.
"As are you."
"So can we get these? I want to know what the soft things taste like."
"I don't know, they're pretty expensive."
"You would deny your king the experience of eating clouds?"
"It's not clouds. And you're not technically a king anymore."
"I thought I would always be your king?"
"That may be true, but I still don't want to waste money on marshmallows."
"I won't talk to anyone else today."
"Deal."
They have a lot to do, Arthur getting recorded and going viral for seemingly being someone who thinks it's the Medieval Times not one of them.
"You'd better repay me for this." Merlin grumbles as they check out.
"Oh, don't worry. I will." Arthur says mischievously, which Merlin isn't sure whether he should be worried about or not.
~
Eventually they get everything done and return to their house by the lake.
Once the groceries are put away, Merlin takes some things outside.
"Hey! Where are you going with my clouds?!"
"Just come on."
Merlin does as he did a thousand times, a thousand years ago and gets a fire started quickly.
"I thought you didn't need fires for anything now?"
"Theyre not needed, but apparently this is the best way to have clouds."
Merlin shows Arthur how to roast the marshmallows, and then make it into a s'more.
"Clouds are amazing!"
"Don't get used to it."
"Can't you magic them?!"
"Maybe I can. I'll have to work on it."
"You're the best!"
Merlin can already tell this much sugar will not be good for Arthur.
Fifteen "clouds" later, he finds Arthur using a stick to practice his swordsmanship when he returns from washing any marshmallow out of his hair after Arthur planted a kiss on his head to say thanks.
"Hey, prat! Come help me clean."
Apparently the sugar will need some time to get out of his system, if his quick run is anything to go by.
Merlin's not complaining while Arthur helps clean, but by the time they're finished and Arthur is still jogging in place, he's nearly ready to spell him asleep.
The sugar crash doesn't take long though, and once the nightly routine has been completed, he's calmed down.
"Thanks for the clouds, Merls. Love you." Arthur says sleepily, pulling Merlin as close as possible.
"Yeah, yeah. Love you too." Merlin smiles fondly as Arthur kisses him, then passes right out.
"I'm going to have to set aside a marshmallow budget, aren't I?" He asks himself, though he secretly doesn't mind all that much, since the sweetness seems to have gotten to Arthur.
"You're lucky I love you." He mutters, dropping a kiss to the top of Arthur's head, but Merlin leaves Arthur far less sticky than Arthur left Merlin.