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Arthur adjusts to modern life with all the grace of a toddler learning how to use a spoon. That is to say, it’s a necessary thing, but it’s painful for everyone involved thanks to the mess and general frustration. It helps that he’s actually a remarkably smart and competent person, despite all that Merlin’s ever said otherwise, so he adapts to the new structures of society very quickly, even if it takes a little longer to get him to understand things like electricity or the merits of cars over horses.
He likes the iPhone Merlin gets him, especially after Merlin puts all of the Angry Birds games on it. Once Merlin teaches him how to use Wikipedia and YouTube, Merlin’s job of explaining how things work is pretty well done. Arthur will still ask him to explain certain things, but for the most part, they both figure out rather quickly that the Internet has far more patience for explanation than Merlin does.
It’s after Merlin’s gotten home from the shops, bags in hand, when Arthur follows him into the kitchen, phone in hand. Merlin’s not bothered - sometimes Arthur watches something and needs some context, or finds a gaming channel and mistakes it for actual events (honestly, it was a little heartbreaking telling Arthur that Skyrim was not a real place). Besides, after centuries being alone, Merlin is finding it hard to balance time-with-Arthur and time-without-Arthur because, if given the choice, he’d never have any time-without-Arthur at all.
“Men can marry each other?” is what Arthur says, though, instead of any of the questions Merlin was expecting.
Merlin very carefully doesn’t drop the milk. They’ve talked about it in passing, and Arthur’s never been a bigot, even back in Camelot when it wasn’t something that was necessarily talked about openly. People were gay, of course, people have always been gay, but it was never mentioned, just… accepted. Arthur had mentioned a couple of nobles who had married, produced a single heir, and then spent the rest of their natural lives enjoying time with their ‘best friends’ instead.
In this day and age, Merlin had simply told Arthur it was more openly accepted now, that couples like that were at least not illegal anymore, even if they did face such things as violence and bigotry. All Arthur had said was that ‘no one should be hunted for loving someone, that’s absurd,’ with a strange look on his face. Merlin had quickly changed the subject, after that, not wanting to remind Arthur of Guinivere or anyone else they’d lost.
All this to say that Merlin really has no idea where the intensity in Arthur’s expression is coming from.
“Yes?” Merlin says as he puts the milk in the fridge. “And women can marry women? It’s a fairly recent development, actually, I think.” He screws up his nose and tries to think - time is strange for an immortal sorcerer after all. He doesn’t think getting into the spectrums of gender and sexuality will do any good here either, so he’ll probably leave that for another day. “Let’s see, homosexuality was decriminalized here in the late 1960s, and then marriage was made legal, what, five years ago? I told you it wasn’t illegal anymore, Arthur.”
“It wasn’t illegal in Camelot.” Arthur waves the phone, and just generally looks bewilderingly upset. “Magic was! Divorce was… not illegal, but hard. Adultery was illegal.”
Merlin puts the rest of the bags on the counter - there’s nothing cold in them, they’ll keep - and turns to give Arthur a confused look. “I really don’t know where you’re going with this. Marriage laws haven’t really applied to me, so I haven’t paid much attention.”
“I was already married by the time I figured it out!”
“Figured what out?”
Arthur takes a deep breath and shoves the phone in his pocket. “I noticed , Merlin.”
“You’re not making any sense.” Merlin shakes his head a little, goes to head past Arthur and back into the living room to take off his jacket.
As he passes, though, Arthur grabs him by the arm and drags him back those few steps, until Merlin is once again against the counter. This time, though, Arthur’s got him trapped by bracing his hands on the countertop on either side of Merlin. He could shove Arthur out of the way easily enough, of course, they’re both long-past thinking Merlin is harmless or weak.
“I noticed,” Arthur says, quiet and intense. “But I was married , and I loved her, too. Not… not the way she loved Lancelot, or the way that I felt about… but I still made vows.”
Merlin swallows as he realizes all at once what Arthur is talking about. “I never…” he trails off, looks everywhere but Arthur’s face. “I never expected anything from you, I never would have wanted you to be unfaithful. I wouldn’t have asked that of you. I wouldn’t have done that to Gwen.”
“Did you know, though? Did I ever…” Arthur places his fingers on Merlin’s chin, tilts Merlin’s face back so that he’s looking at Arthur once more. “Merlin, tell me you haven’t gone all this time thinking that I didn’t… that your feelings were unrequited.”
Merlin did enough lying back in Camelot, he says, and so he won’t lie to Arthur now. It’s damn tempting, though. “I didn’t let myself think about it for a long time, certainly not while you were alive. It didn’t seem fair to either of us to dwell on it. Your friendship was enough for me.”
“You’re a better man than I ever was or will ever be.” Arthur still sounds distressed, but his hand is still on Merlin’s jaw. “What about now, Merlin? Have all the years… changed anything?”
Merlin is struck dumb for a moment. Arthur looks like Merlin’s never seen him, an almost desperate longing in his eyes, and Merlin wonders about Arthur noticing all those centuries ago. What had he seen? Every little act of love Merlin had done? A light in Merlin’s eye? Every single moment that Merlin had forced himself not to read too much into?
“No,” he finally manages to choke out. “No, you idiot, of course nothing’s changed. I still love you, I always will.”
Arthur nods, slowly at first like he’s thinking, and then once more, decisively. Merlin’s still not sure how they got here from whatever article or video Arthur had stumbled onto, but he finds he doesn’t much care when Arthur suddenly surges forward and kisses him, like he’s been waiting to do it forever, like he’s never wanted anything more.
“You’ll marry me, right?” Arthur asks once he’s kissed Merlin within an inch of his life, until Merlin was practically begging for oxygen or mercy or for Arthur to never stop.
“I’m not sure either of us technically exist in the legal system here,” Merlin says, breathless. “And it’s awfully rude of you to propose without a ring.”
“We’ll do one of those Druid weddings.” It sounds like a promise when Arthur says it. “You’re a Druid, right? I’ll get a ring.”
“I don’t know if I can officiate my own wedding!” Merlin laughs, head spinning. “What are you talking about? We’re living the rest of our immortal lives together, I don’t think an official marriage is going to do much to change that.”
Arthur snorts, but there’s an insufferably pleased twinkle in his eye. “Well, excuse me, I’ll try to reign in my feelings of devotion,” he says, and presses another quick kiss to Merlin’s lips. He pulls away again, and adds, seriously, “I love you.”
“I noticed,” Merlin says with a cheeky grin, and Arthur rolls his eyes before leaning in to kiss him again.