Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

(Starts from Chapter 2 in order to line up with chapter index)

2. Hopelessly Bad at Self-Care (Merlin/Arthur, Sick Merlin)

3. Sick in an inconvenient place (Merlin/Arthur, Sick Arthur)

4. Uncooperative Patient (Merlin/Arthur, Sick Arthur)

5. Hiding an Illness (Nick/Charlie, Sick Charlie)

6. "What happened to your phenomenal immune system, huh?" (Merlin/Arthur, Sick Arthur)

* External fic: Anxious Stomach (Nick/Charlie, Sick Nick): I'd hold you as the water rushes in (I had a bad feeling)

7. "I shouldn't be worried about you, but for some reason I am" (Merlin/Arthur, Sick Merlin)

Chapter Text

“You are the most frustrating man I’ve ever had the misfortune of meeting, I swear!” Arthur grumbled, placing Merlin’s unconscious form onto his bed as he awaited Gaius. “I told you to pace yourself, I ordered you to take care of yourself and what do you do? Faint in the middle of the goddamn corridor!” 

A throat clearing interrupted Arthur’s one-man tirade and he turned to see Gaius standing at the door.

“Well? What are you waiting for?” Arthur snapped, gesturing to Merlin. 

Knowing better than to provoke his king further, Gaius overlooked Merlin, poking and prodding him in a way that made Arthur even more worried.

“He’ll be fine,” Gaius declares after a moment and Arthur feels a weight slide off his shoulders. 

“What’s wrong with him?” Arthur asks, despite having an inkling he already knew the answer.

“Exhaustion. I’ve told him he needs to take better care of himself,” Gaius tuts.

“As have I,” Arthur mutters darkly. 

“All he needs is some proper rest and nutrition and he’ll be fine,” Gaius assures, squeezing Arthur’s shoulder on his way out.

“You’re going to be the death of me, Merlin,” Arthur sighs, dropping down into the bed next to him. 

Merlin shifts closer to Arthur’s body instantly and Arthur smiles fondly, wrapping him in his arms.

“Rest now,” He murmurs, dropping a kiss in Merlin’s thick hair.

-

Merlin wakes hours later, long after the sun has set, with a groan.

He blinks in confusion at the candles lighting the room and the canopy overhead, not remembering getting into bed.

Turning slightly, he sees Arthur sitting against the headboard, doing his reading in bed instead of at his desk, one hand tangled in Merlin’s.

“Hey,” Merlin mutters, shifting so he can place his head in Arthur’s lap. 

“Hi,” Arthur replies, moving his documents to the side table. “How are you feeling?”

Merlin nuzzles into Arthur’s lap not unlike a cat, and Arthur uses his free hand to rub his scalp in a way that makes Merlin let out a content hum.

“Like I’ve slept for a week,” Merlin replies honestly. “What happened? Did I drink poison or something?”

“Merlin,” Arthur snaps and Merlin looks up at him to see him frowning, the furrow between his brow letting on that he was not in a joking mood.

“What?”

“You fainted. In the corridor, when we were walking, you just fainted. Just like that. If I hadn’t been there, you might’ve cracked your head open on the stones and—”

Arthur cuts himself off, visibly taking a deep breath.

“I told you that you needed to slow down. You’ve been overworking yourself and now you’re paying the price. When was the last time you got a full night’s rest? Or sat down and had a meal?”

Merlin winces, realizing he can’t honestly answer that question because he genuinely wasn’t sure.

“Damn it, Merlin, you promised me you would start taking care of yourself! You assured me there was nothing to worry about!” Arthur’s voice has risen, his eyes bright with emotion.

“I know,” Merlin says softly, sitting up and pulling Arthur’s hand into his. “I’m sorry, there’s just so much to do.”

“I’m aware. That’s why I told you to let George take over your manservant duties. You can’t be my manservant, Gaius’ assistant and the Court Sorcerer, Merlin. You’re doing the work of three people!”

“I don’t want you to get another manservant! That’s my job!”

“Merlin–”

“No! You can go ahead and appoint a new Court Sorcerer instead.”

“You know I can’t do that,” Arthur argues. “Merlin, I don’t know anything about magic which means that I have to depend solely on the word of my Court Sorcerer. There’s no one else I trust that can hold that position, you know that.”

“But I—I need to be close to you, Arthur. Being your manservant allows that in a way that nothing else does. My other duties would only serve to pull me away from you.”

“Okay, alright,” Arthur soothes, seeing that Merlin is working himself up about this. “How about this then? Gaius can find himself another assistant. You can still check in with him to learn if you wish but no more fetching herbs or running errands. Leave that to someone else.”

“Okay,” Merlin agrees, albeit reluctantly.

“And, I’ll keep you on as my manservant, if you start to delegate some of your work.”

“Like what?”

“Like laundry. Don’t think I don’t know that you wash my clothes yourself. Drop it off and let someone else take care of it and then you can pack it back into my wardrobe yourself. I won’t make you stop being my manservant but just let others help with small things like that so I know you’re not running yourself down.”

“I think I can do that.”

“And–”

“There’s more?” Merlin whines.

“Yes. You’re going to sit with me for breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day. Someone needs to make sure you feed yourself properly. I’m also going to force you into bed at a decent hour since you can’t be trusted on your own.”

“I’m not a bloody child,” Merlin sneers.

“No, because children actually listen to others who know more.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“I am not going to let you kill yourself working, Merlin.”

“I just overdid it these past few days, it’s not like–”

“One second you were talking and then you just dropped, Merlin! It was like someone had cut a puppet’s strings! Do you have any idea how terrified I was?”

Merlin swallows his words, looking at Arthur properly for the first time. 

“I’m sorry,” He whispers, cupping Arthur’s pale face in his hands. “I never meant to worry you.”

“Of course I’m going to be worried, you idiot. You’re so busy taking care of everyone else that you’re hopelessly bad at taking care of yourself.”

“So you’ve made it your duty to care for me?” Merlin smiles.

“I should’ve done it before.”

Merlin makes a face and Arthur sighs, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Merlin’s. “Please don’t fight me on this. I need you to be okay, Merlin. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Alright,” Merlin gives in, hating seeing Arthur worried and stressed, especially because of him. “If it’ll give you some peace of mind, I’ll do it.”

“Thank you.”

“Doesn’t mean I’m going to be happy about it though.”

Arthur breathes a laugh. “No, I expect you’d be complaining every step of the way.”

Merlin smiles, leaning in for a kiss. “Maybe not on the getting me into bed thing.”

“You’re insufferable,” Arthur tuts, but doesn’t argue against Merlin’s lips.

Chapter Text

From the moment Arthur wakes up that morning, he knows it’s going to be a bad day. Truthfully, he hadn’t been feeling like himself for the past few days but he’d been rushing to finish his work in time for his vacation so he’d just assumed he was tired. This morning though, when he wakes up and realizes that his throat is no longer dry but instead sore and his nose is a bit runny, he knows he’s coming down with a cold.

All he really wants to do is snuggle up against Merlin and go back to sleep but alas there’s an eight hour car drive ahead of them as they’re heading up to the Pendragon Lake House with all their friends.

With a sigh, he rolls over and gets out of bed, heading into the bathroom to blow his nose and brush his teeth. He still has maybe ten minutes or so before the alarm they’d set the night before goes off and wakes Merlin, so he quickly grabs some Panadol and stashes it in his bag after he takes a dose. 

He then trudges into the kitchen for a glass of orange juice, hoping against hope that the vitamin C boost will do something.

“Good morning,” Merlin whispers, wrapping his arms around Arthur’s waist from behind and nuzzling into the juncture where his shoulder meets his neck. “Mmm, you’re warm,” He mumbles sleepily and Arthur smiles at how adorable his boyfriend is.

“So are you,” He counters, pressing back into Merlin. “Sleep okay?”

“You know I did,” Merlin grins, pecking Arthur on the lips sweetly as he sets the empty glass aside. “Did you? I have to say I was a little bit put out that I didn’t get any morning cuddles on the first day of your vacation.”

“My humblest and most sincere apologies, your majesty,” Arthur teases, turning to pull Merlin into his arms as he sits on one of the high stools. “However will I make it up to you?” 

Merlin giggles as Arthur buries his head in his neck, pressing little kisses against his sensitive skin, his stubble tickling him.

“Dork,” Merlin accuses, his eyes almost disappearing with the force of his grin.

Arthur chuckles, pulling back to smile fondly at him. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, my precious boy,” Merlin beams, leaning forward to kiss his boyfriend good morning the proper way.

“Keep that up and we won’t be going anywhere,” Arthur warns him after a few minutes. Merlin pulls back with an eyeroll but acquiesces, knowing that it has happened in the past.

“Want any breakfast or just coffee?”

The thought of food going down Arthur’s sore throat makes his stomach roll. “Just coffee is fine, I’ll get something whenever we make a pit stop.”

Merlin hums, turning on the coffee machine as he pops two slices of bread into the toaster. They decide to have breakfast out on their balcony, curled up in one seat together as they watch the city come to life beneath them.

“I love mornings when you’re home,” Merlin murmurs, leaning his temple against Arthur’s jaw as he watches the morning traffic on the street below. Arthur kisses his hair then leans his head against Merlin’s, his thumb stroking idle patterns on Merlin’s thigh.

“Me too, Merlin. Me too.”

-

The original plan was for Arthur to drive one car up with him, Merlin, Leon, Elyan and Gwen whilst Morgana drives the other carload with Gwaine, Percy, and Lance. However, by the time Arthur drives to Morgana’s place where everyone agreed to meet, he knows without a doubt that there’s no way he can survive an eight hour drive.

“Here,” He passes Leon his car keys and he helps load up all the bags in the trunk. “You can drive.”

“You sure?” Leon shoots him a hesitant look. “Since when do you not want to drive?”

Arthur winks at him convincingly. “I figured it’d be much more enjoyable if Merlin and I sat together in the back.”

“Ugh,” Leon mock gags. “You two are disgusting.”

“Hey! Would you rather be stuck in a car with Merlin and I sharing the backseat or Lance and Gwen?”

“Okay, fair point,” Leon gives in, acknowledging that Lance and Gwen had a tendency to be nauseatingly sappy.

“Is everyone ready then?” Morgana checks and when all the replies are in the affirmative, they all get into their respective vehicles.

Arthur takes Merlin's hand as he’s about to climb into the passenger seat and pulls him into the back seat with him, allowing him the end seat since his legs were longer—not that Arthur would ever admit that.

Merlin raises a suspicious eyebrow at Arthur and Arthur presses a kiss to his cheek. “I was enjoying our time together this morning and I figured why not extend it,” He whispers into Merlin’s ear.

Merlin grins, blushing slightly. “I like the way you think, Pendragon.”

Content that no one had clued into the fact that he was feeling slightly ill, Arthur settled back into his seat, leaning his head on Merlin’s shoulder. Merlin tangled his fingers with Arthur’s and set their hands on his lap as Arthur lets the motion of the car lull him to sleep, hoping that he’d feel a bit better when he wakes up.

-

“Arthur,” Merlin’s quiet voice rouses him from his sleep a mere two hours later. “Hey, there you are. We’re stopping for lunch.”

Arthur rubs his eyes, sniffling slightly as he wakes himself up only to realize that he’s starting to feel congested. He sighs, climbing out of the car behind Merlin as they make their way into the restaurant.

“You okay, love?” Merlin asks when they’re seated inside, running a hand through Arthur’s hair. 

“Yeah,” Arthur lies. “I just need to wake myself up. Excuse me,” He excuses himself to the bathroom, using the sound of the toilet flushing to blow his nose. It takes three separate tries, a clear sign that Arthur was well and truly on his way to getting sick. Fuck.

He coughs on the last blow and that leads to him having a coughing fit that hurts his throat so badly that tears spring to his eyes.

“Fucking hell,” He mutters, splashing his face with water. “Of all the fucking times to get sick…”

Knowing he’s already been in the washroom too long, he takes one last look at his pasty reflection and heads back out to the table. 

“What do you want to get?” Merlin queries when he slips in beside him. “I’m thinking of the burger or the pasta.”

Neither sounds appealing to Arthur honestly but then again, nothing sounds appealing right now. 

“I might just get the soup,” Arthur decides, figuring that would be the easiest on his throat.

He startles when Merlin’s hand is suddenly on his forehead. “Are you feeling okay? You napped for like two hours and now you’re ordering soup and you do feel a bit warm…” Merlin’s eyes scrutinize him more. “And you look sort of pale.”

“I’m fine,” Arthur tries to say but ends up choking on the words, having to cough off to the side.

When he gets his breath back, Merlin is looking at him knowingly.

“Fine. I might be coming down with something but it’s not a big deal.”

“Should we hit up a pharmacy on the way?” Percival asks in concern but Arthur brushes them off.

“No, it’s okay. I have some panadol in my bag and it’s just a little sniffle. No big deal, I promise.”

The others look reassured and go back to perusing the menu but Merlin’s still frowning at him. 

“Hey Gwen, if the server comes by, can you order the chicken alfredo for me and the soup special for Arthur? We’re just gonna step outside for a sec,” Merlin tells her.

She looks between the two of them before nodding with a smile. “Yeah, of course. Take your time.”

“Thanks.”

Merlin takes Arthur’s hand in his, leading him outside before he whirls on him once they’re out of earshot.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?” He questions, cupping a hand over Arthur’s jaw.

“I’m not sick,” Arthur protests. “It’s just my throat, really.”

“You’re starting to sound nasal,” Merlin points out.

“Okay so maybe I’m a little congested too.”

Merlin huffs and Arthur sighs in resignation. “I woke up this morning with a runny nose and a sore throat but I didn’t want to ruin all our plans so I just took some meds and hoped for the best. I was hoping sleeping in the car would help but it just made it worse.”

“Oh, Arthur, come here,” Merlin opens his arms and Arthur allows himself to be held. 

“I wish you’d said something. I can’t imagine being stuck in a car for the next six hours when you’re getting sick is much fun.”

Arthur just makes a miserable noise and they remain like that until Elyan pokes his head out to tell them the food was ready.

Arthur plays with his food for the most part, having absolutely no appetite but forcing himself to have at least a little. The entire table is buzzing with conversation but he just slumps against Merlin as he tries to swallow down his lunch and before he knows it, they’re back on the road again.

This time, Merlin drapes Arthur’s legs across his own feet, allowing him to curl up against him properly. 

“Here,” He shifts, taking off his hoodie and helping Arthur into it when he shivers a bit. “I’m sorry you’re not feeling well.”

“It’s okay,” Arthur mumbles because while it is inconvenient, there’s nothing either one of them can do about it.

Merlin sighs, tucking Arthur’s head on his shoulder and playing with his head. Arthur sniffles thickly when he feels his nose start to run, sitting upright when he realizes that he’s so congested that sniffling is useless.

“Sorry,” He mutters, wiping his nose on the hoodie sleeve and leaning his head back on the headrest even though it’s infinitely more uncomfortable.

Merlin peeks across, noting that Gwen is asleep against the door and Elyan is snoring softly in the passenger seat. Leon is awake but he’s fairly sure he’s paying more attention to the song playing than to them.

“Hey,” Merlin says, pulling him back. “It’s alright, I don’t mind.”

“It’s disgusting,” Arthur protests.

“Oh shut up,” Merlin hushes him. “We still have like five hours left, the least I can do is make sure you’re as comfortable as can be.”

“But–” 

“But nothing. There’s nothing about you that’s disgusting, alright?”

“Why are you so good to me?” Arthur breathes out noisily but settles his head back down nonetheless.

“Hmm,” Merlin pretends to think. “Maybe because you decided to suffer through being sick in a very inconvenient place just because you knew I was excited about this trip.”

“Who said I did it for you?” Arthur shoots back sleepily.

Merlin snorts but doesn’t answer, simply choosing to stroke Arthur’s hair soothingly until he falls asleep.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t last long. A mere fifteen minutes pass before Arthur groans, clutching his stomach.

“Arthur?” Merlin asks in alarm, watching as all the colour drains from Arthur’s face. 

“I feel sick,” Arthur gasps out and Leon immediately pulls the car off the road. 

Merlin jumps out of the car and Arthur quickly follows, leaning half against Merlin, half against the trunk as Arthur empties the minute contents of his stomach.

“Oh baby, it’s okay,” Merlin soothes, wiping Arthur’s face with some napkins once he’s done.

“I’m sorry,” Arthur apologizes.

“Come on, none of that. It’s not your fault.”

“I didn’t know I was gonna get this ill,” Arthur moans, leaning his weight against Merlin as he helps him back into the car.

“I know, love,” Merlin sighs, stroking his fringe away from his clammy forehead. He stands outside the car, Arthur pressing his face against Merlin’s torso as he takes deep breaths while sitting on the car seat.

Merlin turns to Elyan, biting his lips as he thinks. “Is there anywhere we can stay for the night around here? I really don’t think he’s in a state to make the drive.”

Elyan immediately starts searching the GPS, even as Arthur protests.

“Arthur, we really don’t mind stopping,” Gwen promises, squeezing his shoulder. “You’d do it for any of us.”

Arthur goes to reply but a wave of nausea stops him and he gives in instead, realizing that Merlin may have a point.

He may have drifted off for a moment because he blinks awake to see everyone from Morgana’s car talking to them.

“Here’s what, you lot go ahead to the hotel and see if you can get him settled and we’ll stop at a pharmacy and get him some more stuff,” Morgana instructs and Leon nods, settling himself behind the wheel once more. 

Merlin, seeing that he’s awake, guides Arthur so that he’s fully inside the car and then goes around to Gwen’s side so he can sit in the middle this time.

“We found a hotel with enough rooms about ten minutes from here,” Gwen tells him as Merlin settles himself. 

“Sorry,” Arthur mutters, curling up against his boyfriend.

Merlin sighs, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “It’s alright. You’re okay. We’ll finish the drive up once you’re feeling a bit better, hmm? We have time.”

Chapter Text

“You’re fussing,” Arthur complained from where he was buried under three blankets. Merlin stopped fluffing his pillows to glare at him.

“Well excuse me for trying to make sure you’re comfortable,” He grumbled, pouring out some water for Arthur as he coughed roughly.

Arthur swatted at him as he tried to feed him from the cup, taking it into his own hands and taking a sip. “It’s just a chill, Merlin, for God’s sake, I’m not dying!”

“Yet,” Merlin muttered hotly, moving to stoke the fire unnecessarily.

“Merlin,” Arthur huffed but was interrupted by a sneeze. Within a second, Merlin was back at his side, the back of his hand pressed against Arthur’s forehead.

“Hmm, you’re a bit warm again. You could probably do with some more herbs. Hang on a second.”

Arthur grabbed onto his wrist before Merlin could whirl away again. “Merlin,” He said firmly. “I do not need to be fussed over. It’s just a chill and I can assure you I’ve survived much worse. Just leave me be, would you?”

“Fine then,” Merlin sulked petulantly at his efforts not being valued. “I’ll go see how Gwaine is feeling. I’m sure he’ll appreciate my special brand of fussing.”

Arthur glared, refusing to let go of his grip on Merlin’s wrist. “You’ll do no such thing. In case you’ve forgotten, you’re my manservant.”

“But you just said you wanted to be left alone,” Merlin taunted, hiding a smirk.

“I didn’t—I just meant—hang on,” Arthur turned to the side to unleash three more sneezes which then prompted a coughing fit. Despite his teasing, Merlin was helpless against the urge to rub his back until it passed.

“Okay?” He asked softly and Arthur nodded, wiping the moisture away from his eyes with a groan.

“Well in that case, I think I’ll be off then. Poor Gwaine is probably suffering and could use some proper care taking— not fussing . I’m sure he’ll appreciate my back rubs and cuddles and I might even rub some salve on his bare chest for his congestion.”

Arthur tugged sharply on Merlin’s hand, causing him to topple over and land half on the bed, half on Arthur.

“You’re not to do any of those things to anyone but me,” Arthur commanded.

“But you don’t want me to fuss over you,” Merlin reminded him.

Arthur rolled his eyes with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You’re an absolute nuisance,” He told Merlin emphatically. “But fine, I’ll allow you to do your special brand of fussing.”

Merlin snorted, burying his laughter in Arthur’s neck. “You’re such a jealous prick.”

Arthur made a sound of affront and Merlin raised his head to look at Arthur with an eyebrow raised. “Like if I’d ever leave you when you’re ill, muchless to go look after someone else. Besides, my special brand of fussing just so happens to be reserved for a special prat.”

Arthur flushed, though Merlin was sure it wasn’t because of a fever. “You’re an evil, manipulative bastard.”

“Oh hush,” Merlin shushed him. “Now, are you ready to be cooperative or not?”

Arthur remained silent for a bit as a resigned look crossed his face, the pink hue of his cheeks darkening to red.

“What is it?” Merlin asked, curiosity piqued.

“I’ll be a good patient on one condition,” Arthur bargained. “You stop running all over the room like a whirlwind and lay with me.”

Merlin smiled, reaching over to stroke Arthur’s hair off his heated forehead. 

“Is that what all your complaining was about? You just wanted cuddles?”

Arthur scowled, crossing his arms and turning away from Merlin with a thick sniffle. 

“I’m a king, Merlin. Kings don’t want cuddles,” He scolded haughtily.

Merlin snuggled up behind Arthur, wrapping his arm around his waist to spoon him as he pressed a kiss to Arthur’s cheek. 

“And yet you get them anyway.”

Whatever Arthur was about to say was interrupted yet again by a coughing fit and this time Merlin leaned over to grab the salve from his bedside table and rub some on his chest.

“Stop fighting me and get some rest now,” He murmured softly and Arthur nodded, settling his head on Merlin’s chest, his congested snores taking no time to fill the room.

“I love you,” Merlin whispered into ether. “Even if you are ridiculous.”

Chapter Text

“Fuck,” Charlie mutters, looking at the thermometer that proves he does in fact have a fever and thus can no longer pretend he isn’t sick. “Fuck, fuck, fuck. Of all the fucking times…”

“Char? You okay in there, baby?” Nick knocks on the door worried at the length of time Charlie has been shut away in their bathroom. 

Usually, he wouldn’t worry. He wouldn’t usually pay attention to something like that but recently, Charlie hasn’t been himself and Nick is more concerned than he’d like to admit. 

Charlie’s been avoiding spending time with him, which is a major red flag by itself, muchless paired together with other things. Apart from him making himself scarce whenever Nick is around, he hasn’t wanted to cuddle in bed or even kiss Nick! 

Nick and Charlie have been together for over a decade and Charlie has never, not once, ever physically pushed Nick away like this. They both understood boundaries and if either one of them needed space, which they rarely did, then they’d simply say that. The fact that Charlie’s been subtly trying to push Nick away is sending him insane.

He can’t help but spend hours wondering why, wondering if Charlie’s having a tough time with something, or worse, going through a relapse.

“I’m fine!” Charlie says through the door but something about his voice is off and that sends even more alarm bells ringing in Nick’s brain.

“Charlie, can we talk?” Nick asks, biting down on his bottom lip. “Can you open the door?”

Charlie does, and a cursory glance around the room tells Nick that there’s nothing to suggest he’d been hurting himself.

Charlie himself though is paler than usual, the skin beneath his eyes darker than they should be.

Nick holds out a hand, clenching his jaw when Charlie hesitates before he takes it.

“Is everything okay?” Charlie questions, his voice sounding rougher than it should be and Nick wonders if that’s because he’s been crying.

Nick makes a non-committal sound, leading Charlie to the couch. His heart hurts when instead of curling up as close to Nick as he can, Charlie takes the other end of the couch.

“Are you…doing alright?” Nick broaches. “Have I done something?” 

Charlie looks startled. “What?”

“You haven’t been acting like yourself and you keep avoiding me and I’m really, really worried, Char? Is something wrong? Are you having a hard time? You can talk to me, you know, I promise I just want to help.”

“Nick!” Charlie yelps, then turns to the side to cough deeply. “Fuck, I’m so sorry, I didn’t think,” Charlie gasps out, his voice sounding shot. “I didn’t mean to worry you, love, I promise it’s nothing like whatever you’re thinking. I just have a cold.”

Nick blinks. “A cold,” He repeats. “You have a cold? So you’ve been avoiding me?”

Charlie blushes sheepishly. “Things have been really hectic for you at work with the end of term and all that and I didn’t want you to worry about me or catch it from me so I’ve been trying to sneakily minimize contact.”

“Jesus Christ, Charlie, I thought you were relapsing or something,” Nick admits, bending over to hold his head in his hands. 

Charlie’s face falls and he scoots over. “I’m so sorry, Nick. I really didn’t think you’d notice—or that your mind would go there.”

Nick turns to look at him, a small smile on his face. “I’d always notice you, you big idiot. Especially when you stop cuddling and kissing me.”

Charlie laughs at the pout on Nick’s face. “I was trying to make sure you didn’t catch my cold!”

“I literally do not care about your germs, nor have I ever.”

“Yeah, well I didn’t want you to get sick when you already have a lot on your plate.”

Nick rolls his eyes, opening his arms. “Come here,” He demands, breathing a sigh of relief when Charlie does. He holds Charlie’s warm body to his own, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“You’re my number one priority, Charlie Spring. Nothing else. I always want to know when something’s up with you, okay? Imagine if roles were reversed.”

Charlie sighs, his tired body sinking into Nick. “Yeah, I guess I was being stupid.”

“You were. But I forgive you because I happen to be the best boyfriend ever.”

Charlie laughs, even though it tapers off into a cough. “Sorry.”

“No s-word,” Nick reminds him. “Now, how long have you been unwell?” 

“Just a few days. It started with a sore throat, then a cough, then body aches and now I have a bloody runny nose apparently,” Charlie sniffles in annoyance.

“You feel warm,” Nick notes, his lips still pressed to Charlie’s overheated forehead. 

“Mild fever,” Charlie tells him. “That’s what I was checking in the bathroom. I already took some cold meds, since I know that’s your next question.”

“Oi!” Nick pokes his nose in retaliation. “Guess all that’s left for me to do is cuddle you until you’re better.”

“Guess so,” Charlie agrees as Nick wraps a blanket around him, already feeling better than he has in days. 

Chapter Text

“You should keep your distance from people. There’s a nasty bug going around and I don’t want you to catch it,” Merlin says, fixing Arthur’s training armour.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Merlin,” Arthur rolls his eyes. 

“I’m serious,” Merlin insists. “I’ve seen some of Gaius’ patients and it really is nasty. I heard it’s really catching too.”

“I’m the King of Camelot,” Arthur says, just like he always does, in that tone that makes Merlin want to smack him over the head. “I have the constitution of a warrior. A little cold is not a threat to my health.”

“That ‘little cold’ has knocked most of your knights flat on their arse,” Merlin points out with an annoyed huff. “It wouldn’t hurt for you to be a little careful with your health.”

“Of course,” Arthur agrees, so easily that Merlin knows for a fact he’s just saying yes so Merlin will shut up about it.

“Fine,” Merlin grunts. “Be like that. But when you inevitably get sick I don’t want to hear anything about it. Go line up like everyone else to see Gaius.”

“That won’t be necessary, unlike you I happen to have a phenomenal immune system that won’t let a stupid little bug infiltrate it.”

“I genuinely hate you,” Merlin tells him seriously. 

Arthur grins, leaning in for a chase kiss. “I love you, too, my darling consort.”

“I can’t stand you!” Merlin calls to his retreating figure, the sounds of Arthur’s laughter echoing long after he’s disappeared out of his chamber doors. 

Merlin sighs, a small fond smile playing on his lips as he goes about getting the extra blankets from where he keeps them in the antechamber. He knows for a fact Arthur’s going to need them in the upcoming days.

-

“Are you really going to do this?” Merlin groans, following Arthur to the throne room.

“Yes, Merlin. Just like I do every week. This is the only time for my people to speak freely about their issues,” Arthur explains as though Merlin doesn’t know the purpose of holding court.

“I’m aware but just this morning I told you to stay away from people and their germs!”

“Again, you do know that I’m the king and you’re the servant, which means that I give the orders and not you,” Arthur drawls.

“You’re such a prat! I tell you to be careful about your health and it’s like you’ve decided to go out of your way to do the exact opposite!” Merlin rants.

“Merlin. I’m their king. It’s my duty to look after my people and this is a part of that.”

“Can’t do your duty if you’re lying on your sick bed,” Merlin grumbles as they near the entrance of the throne room.

“Immune systems exist,” Arthur reminds Merlin, slipping through the door and making his way to his spot on his throne. 

With an unamused huff, Merlin takes his spot standing behind him, swallowing the groan of frustration when the door opens to let in a man clearly suffering from the bug that’s going around. 

As he coughs and sneezes his way through his sentences, Merlin makes a silent vow to do some more practice on healing spells. Maybe he could find one to protect Arthur from germs.

-

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” Merlin snaps when he sees Arthur sitting in Gaius’ room, his knights surrounding him.

Leon’s coughing every few seconds, Gwaine’s sneezing constantly, Lance is sniffling unproductively, Percival is huddled under a mountain of blankets and still shivering while Elyan is groaning from body aches. 

“Are you trying to get sick?” Merlin almost shouts. 

“Merlin! It’s not a big deal. I’m just checking in on them to see how they’re doing,” Arthur argues, a frown on his face at Merlin’s reaction.

“Do you have any idea how much you stress me out?” Merlin pinches the bridge of his nose. “Don’t answer that! You know what, you do whatever you want, your majesty. Come find me when you’re done exposing yourself to every sick person in Camelot.” 

Arthur gapes at Merlin’s retreating figure, the knights all wincing at the argument that they know is brewing.

Leon clears his throat. “Thank you for checking in on us, Arthur, but I think it’s best if you go now.”

“Yeah, mate, and if I were you I wouldn’t come back until we’re better!” Gwaine adds on and Arthur agrees, making his way to his and Merlin’s chambers. 

“Merlin,” He murmurs, hugging Merlin from behind. Merlin’s body tenses. “Come on, don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad,” Merlin mutters.

“Look, they’re my men . I can’t just leave them alone when they’re down. You know that.”

“I know,” Merlin sighs, his body relaxing into Arthur’s. “I just don’t want you to get sick. You’ve seen how miserable they are, the last thing I want is for you to suffer like that.”

“It’s fine. I’m not going to get sick, I—”

“Arthur Pendragon, if you tell me about your goddamned immune system one more time, I’m going to curse you,” Merlin threatens.

“Okay, okay! Come to bed with me?”

“Of course.”

-

Arthur rolls over the next morning and immediately regrets waking up. His everything hurts. His head is pounding, his throat is sore, his nose is running and somehow feels congested already and he’s fucking freezing.

He groans, loudly, which just makes him cough and of course that wakes Merlin up.

“You’ve caught the cold, haven’t you?” Merlin asks when he’s managed to catch his breath.

“This is not a cold. I think I might be dying,” Arthur moans, mournfully.

“I warned you,” Merlin tuts. “What happened to your phenomenal immune system, huh?”

“Merlin,” Arthur whines. “This is not the time.”

“I happen to think this is the perfect time, actually. Maybe now you’ll listen to me when I warn you about these things.”

“Merlin,” Arthur coughs out, pitifully and Merlin rolls his eyes, wrapping Arthur into a hug. “Be nice to me.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll assume you’ve learned your lesson and be nice to you,” Merlin laughs. “You’re lucky I love you. I already knew you were going to be stupid and catch yourself this bug so I went ahead and got some herbs yesterday while you were at training that should help you feel a bit better.”

“I love you,” Arthur sighs. 

“Prat. Let me up and I’ll go prepare them.”

“No,” Arthur whines. “Not yet,” He pleads, his grip tightening on Merlin.

“Alright,” Merlin agrees, settling back down so Arthur can nuzzle his head into the crook of Merlin’s neck. “Are you falling back asleep?” He asks when he feels Arthur’s body grow heavy in his arms. 

“Mhm. Stay?”

“Always,” Merlin swears.

Chapter Text

Merlin is in the dungeons.

That’s not entirely accurate. A sorcerer is in the dungeons, Arthur mentally corrects himself. Thinking of Merlin as, well, Merlin , isn’t going to help matters. Merlin was Arthur’s clumsy manservant. He was insubordinate, cheeky and horrendous at cleaning. He was kind, funny and trustworthy. He was Arthur’s closest companion—the man he loved. Arthur would’ve moved heaven and hell for him.

The piece of scum in the dungeons is a liar. He’s manipulative, cruel and has spent the last ten years betraying Arthur in the worst way possible. Arthur shouldn’t even spare him another look. He has a kingdom to worry about, half of its population ill with influenza and Gaius spread thin as a result. He should have the treasonous sorcerer burnt at the stake, or hanged or even beheaded. 

And yet he can’t.

He’s delaying giving the order because as much as he tries to separate his perception of Merlin from the magic-user in the dungeons, he can’t. 

He has Merlin’s face and voice. His cheekbones. His eyes. Arthur can’t see him dead. He’s weak, and he knows his father would be ashamed of him for it, but he can’t look past the fact that the sorcerer is Merlin.

He should hate Merlin. Merlin has lied to him for every moment that they’ve known each other. He knows the deepest, darkest parts of Arthur. He knows what magic has done to Arthur, knows that it has taken away everyone he ever cared for, and yet Merlin still looked him in the eyes and swore to stay at his side.

Merlin let Arthur hold him and kiss him. He allowed Arthur to love him. He said he loved him too and all the while—he’d been using magic. 

Arthur should hate Merlin, should want him dead, but he can’t reconcile it. He simply can’t. 

His Merlin would never hurt him. Merlin has saved his life more times than he can count. Merlin has tried to die for him more times than he can count. How could he do all that, and still be against Arthur? How could he do all that and still betray him?

It’s with these thoughts in mind that Arthur sneaks down into the dungeons, despite promising himself that he’d stay far away from the man who lied to him. 

Merlin’s huddled in the furthest corner of the cell, knees to his chest and arms wrapped around himself as he shivers. Arthur frowns, the dungeons do have a slight chill but nothing that should warrant that sort of shivering.

At the sound of Arthur’s footsteps, Merlin looks up and Arthur’s heart clenches. He’s paler than he should be, with spots of colour on his cheeks. Paired with the sweat lining his brow, Arthur can safely presume he’s feverish. 

“Arthur,” He croaks out, his voice hoarse. His chest rattles as he coughs immediately after and Arthur’s unlocked the cell and stepped inside before his mind properly registers what he’s doing.

“Have you come to a decision then? How am I to die?”

Merlin looks resigned, as though he’s accepted his fate. Arthur expected some sort of resistance. Some sort of arguing as he makes a case for himself. Pleading for mercy, or even stoic silence. But not this. Arthur’s never seen Merlin look so defeated and the wretched thing tucked beneath his ribcage can’t bare it.

“Are you ill?”

“I’m the physician’s assistant, it was only a matter of time,” Merlin coughs out. “It’s not like it matters anyways. I’ll be dead before it can get bad.”

Arthur closes his eyes, biting down so hard that he feels a twinge in his jaw before he turns to one of the guards. 

“Someone fetch Gaius.”

“What are you doing?” Merlin frowns, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“What do you think?” Arthur snaps, mad at himself for being unable to let Merlin suffer. He should let Merlin die down here, of natural causes so he doesn’t have to live with Merlin’s death hanging over his head, and yet he can’t.

“Why are you trying to get me medical attention? That doesn’t make sense. You shouldn’t waste Gaius’ resources like that.”

“I also shouldn’t be worried about you but for some godforsaken reason I am! Just—just stop talking,” Arthur demands, rubbing his pounding head. He can feel his body start to shake, unsurprisingly since he’s been on edge ever since Merlin’s gorgeous blue eyes had turned gold right in front of him. “How could you?” He whispers, his voice breaking as his eyes burn with tears.

“Arthur…”

“How could you do this to me? I loved you!” Arthur cries, tears slipping down his face for the first time since this all happened. 

“I didn’t-” Merlin cuts himself off with another rough cough. “I never wanted you to find out like that, Arthur. I never wanted to lie to you either but I had to.”

“Was any of it true?” Arthur gasps out as he tries to get his emotions under control. “Did you mean any of it, or was it all part of some…scheme?”

“No! Of course not, I swear on my mother’s life, Arthur, I love you. I do, I swear. You’re everything to me, my magic was only ever for you, to protect you.”

“I don’t know how to believe you,” Arthur confesses, sinking to the floor opposite Merlin and leaning against the bars. “You had so many chances to come clean. So many moments where I wasn’t sure where I stood with magic and all you ever did was reinforce how evil it was. Why keep lying, Merlin?”

“I was scared,” Merlin admits, his own face wet with tears. “I was so scared that if I told you, you’d hate me and I couldn’t bear that, Arthur. You have to understand, all I’ve ever wanted was you, safe and happy.”

Merlin shudders again, turning to the side to cough roughly into his elbow and Arthur moves forward, reaching out to him.

“I don’t know what to do,” Arthur murmurs, wrapping an arm around Merlin’s shoulders and tucking him into Arthur’s side. “I’m the King of Camelot. The laws dictate that I execute you but I can’t, Merlin, I can’t see you dead. I can’t even cope with seeing you ill.”

“I never wanted to put you in this position,” Merlin sobbed. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

Arthur takes a shaky breath, tilting his head upwards. Despite the mess that his brain is in, he knows in his heart Merlin isn’t lying. His instincts tell him that Merlin, despite being a sorcerer, is still the Merlin he’s always known.

“I know.”

Gaius finds them like that, curled into each other, Arthur rubbing circles on Merlin’s back as Merlin soaks in his comfort.

He takes one look at Merlin’s pitiful state and tuts. “This isn’t influenza.”

Arthur’s blood turns to ice. “What? Then what’s wrong with him?”

“Well, sire, it seems like he’s dying,” Gaius replies, his face unreadable.

“What?” Arthur yelps, his grip on Merlin tightening as fear grips his heart. “There must be something you can do! You—he—he can’t die!”

“You’re executing him in any case, are you not?” Gaius raises an eyebrow.

“No! No, I’m not, okay? I don’t know what I’m going to do but he’s not dying, Gaius, he can’t, please.”

Gaius scoffs a laugh. “It’s the cold iron. Merlin isn’t merely a sorcerer. He is magic itself, so cutting off his access to magic is like cutting off access to oxygen. That’s what’s killing him. Remove the cuffs and he’ll be fine once he gets some rest.”

Immediately, Arthur rips the cuffs off Merlin’s wrist. He watches as Merlin’s body jerks. He takes a deep, shuddering breath before he settles back against Arthur.

“It’s alright,” Arthur murmurs, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “You’ll be alright, just rest now.”

“Love you,” Merlin mutters, eyes slipping shut.

“I love you,” Arthur replies, standing with Merlin in his arms so he can take him to their chambers, where he belongs.