A/N: Once again, my apologies for tardiness. I went out of town with limited internet access, and came home with bronchitis. Sadly, regaining the ability to breathe properly took precedence over editing. But here it is!

That being said, this will probably be short for some of your tastes. I tried, I really did. There wasn't as much left to be said as I thought. Much of the pithy, heart-to-heart stuff was in the big reunion last chapter. However, there is still plenty of bromance fluff to be had, and I think it rounds the story out nicely. Thank you all so much for reading, and let me know what you think!

Arthur started peeling off his royal regalia before even nearing his chambers. No matter how long he reigned as king, he was never going to get used to the boring ceremonies for visiting dignitaries. Especially for the ones that spent the whole time sucking up to him. So by the time he reached the door, enough layers were slung over his arm to feel practically back to normal.

Until he actually opened the door, that is.

"Merlin!"

Resounding crashes and fluttering parchment echoed around the gangly servant, who whipped around on his heel. While pacing as he mended a shirt, Merlin had also magically suspended Arthur's armor for polishing, set the broom to clean out the dusty corners, and had the numerous papers on Arthur's desk straightening themselves. At least, they were before Arthur had startled him. Now it was all one big mess.

"Merlin, I'd appreciate it if you would show a little more discretion in doing that," he sighed, bending down to retrieve the shoulder guard at his feet.

"Well, you know about it now, and you said you were reexamining the laws—"

"And what if I had been another servant, or one of the lords stopping by? Attitudes toward magic may be changing, but that doesn't mean we're all ready to see it on a daily basis. You have to give people time to get used to the idea."

Merlin accepted the reprimand humbly. Arthur suspected the unusual response (or lack thereof) was out of gratefulness to be allowed to live, free, while in possession of magic. He fought the temptation to milk this for all its worth. No. They weren't children anymore. And he was still overwhelmingly happy just to have Merlin back again. Nothing was the same without the cheeky commoner. So he decided to take the opposite route…he jumped in to help clean up.

"No, you don't have to—Arthur—"

"Just let me. I know you've always wanted to give me a taste of my own medicine, show me how much of a mess I leave you with. Anyway, can't have anything going missing, can I?" He grinned to show he was being lighthearted. Thankfully, Merlin returned the gesture, understanding.

"It's nice to get a bit of cooperation for a change," quipped the servant.

"I'll keep that in mind when I can. I suppose once or twice you have had more on your plate than just keeping up after me. How many times were you the single-handed defense of Camelot, again?"

Merlin chuckled. "I wouldn't call it single-handed, necessarily. I just found the right tactics to use. Or I gave you the means to do what you do best."

"Still, you can't deny that sometimes it really was because of you. Take credit where it's due. As I recall, for example, you were the only one who could defeat the spirit of Cornelius Sigan. Try to worm your way out of that one."

"Well, technically I could only do that because Kilgarrah gave me the spell—"

"Oh, shut up and take a compliment for once!" The two of them dumped Arthur's half-polished armor on the table. "Even when I'm trying to be nice to you, you insist on being difficult. I know you deserve more appreciation than I've given you, in just about every way. Well, okay, I might be stretching a bit on your ordinary duties, but with everything you did behind my back, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here. Just go along with it."

"Yes, Sire."

"And don't go starting with the 'perfect servant' façade now. Just because I complain about your insolence doesn't mean I haven't come to appreciate it," Arthur admitted, leaning against the smooth wood in front of him. He let out a huge sigh. "Gaius was right. You treat me like a human being. You listen when I'm working out problems, you're not afraid to tell me when I'm being an ass, and you stick around when everyone else has given up. I don't deserve a friend like you, yet here you are."

"Here I am. Although I wouldn't be here if you hadn't been willing to see me as more than just a servant," Merlin pointed out.

"We really are a pair, aren't we?"

"Two sides of the same coin."

"What?"

"Just something that seems to come up a lot regarding the two of us. Means pretty much the same thing."

"Oh."

Merlin poked at his mending, testing the stitches. "So, how did the ceremony go?"

"Ugh! Chambern is as bad as George! He'd probably actually lick my boots if I asked him to. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Which reminds me, what did I do with my regalia?"

"Dropped it on the floor."

"It'll need sprucing up before dinner tonight—er—which would be minimized if I hung everything on the chair…" Arthur walked himself through his train of thought. He shook out each piece before draping it on the nearest chair. Merlin watched with something akin to awe on his face. "Don't look so shocked, will you? I am still the king. If you want, I can just leave it on the floor."

Merlin went to retrieve the broom, his amused smile lingering. "No, no, you're doing perfectly fine. Don't mind me. I'm just the servant here. By the way, Leon needed to see you immediately about the new training regimen."

"Merlin, you are anything but 'just a servant,'" scoffed Arthur as he headed for the door. He could have sworn he heard a muttered spell before the polishing cloth whizzed past his head. The complete disregard for who was in charge only widened his grin. Life was back to normal, just with more interesting effects. He wouldn't trade it for anything, either.