Merlin's eyes opened slowly, blinking up at the figure crouching over him. Or figures. No just one. Wait. He rolled his head drunkenly, trying to still the multiplying people. person? Just one again. Lovely. He rubbed his cheek against the fabric under his head, crossing his eyes slightly to see it's color. Royal red. It smelled of horses, and a cloak pin was digging into his neck. Red...red.. Arthur's cloak. Arthur then. He smiled up at the looming blurs.

...Merlin's eyes uncrossed, focusing on a large red lump a few feet from him. A large, snoring, man sized, royal red lump. A man in a red cloak. Arthur?

His head lolled back around to the, solitary, thank heavens, figure above him. A figure that had suddenly gotten very, very, blurry, though with distinctly red arms. royal red. Arthur.

It was making Merlin nauseous. The figure, "Arthur?" moved. Oh...had he said that aloud? He must've. He was being stared at now. He thought he was. He couldn't see a proper face. It felt like he was being stared at.

"No" Arthur-not-Arthur said sharply. He didn't sound very Arthur like. Merlin hmphed in annoyance, watching Maybe-Arthur's hands. They were busy piling small balls of..something...white. Cold. White...Cold... Hail. horrible, hateful, hideous hail, into a handkerchief. A handsome handkerchief. He searched for another H word. Merlin's eyes rolled up briefly into his skull but he forced them back down to the handkerchief. His handkerchief. Oh an H word. His. That was his handkerchief!

"That's mine" he pointed out, brow furrowing when only "mine" squeaked out. Possibly-Arthur snorted and tied the handkerchief up around the ice. Merlin didn't like the ice. the last he remembered was having one smash into his head. It was huge though. Huge. with an H. But the ice in the handkerchief was smaller. The ice in his handkerchief. Oh that. Right. His.

"It is. Mine." Merlin argued. Gaius snored in agreement behind him. Gauis! Merlin had forgotten that. He flopped his head again, towards the familiar snore,and saw a scattering of cloaky-lumps. Gaius. Gaius and .....Gawain ...and... Merlin tried to remember.

"Stop moving". Arthur-he-supposed snapped, sounding like Uther. oh, right. Uther. Merlin's head lolled again, taking in the royal red lump near him. Uther. Not Arthur. The lump stirred, and kicked. Arthur kicked when he slept. Arthur? Merlin blinked back up at the figure. Arthur? Uther? Uther/Arthur?

"I said stop moving." Probably-Arthur growled dangerously, though the bundled ice was placed, not ungently, on his head, and the fingers digging into his chin, pulling his head back around were not to harsh.

"Ow!" Merlin protested. Oh that hurt. 'Nother H word. Hurt. Really, Really - "Hurts" he croaked out.

Maybe-but-still-blurry-Arthur snorted. "Go back to sleep you bloody idiot."

Defiantly Arthur then. Not Uther. Only Arthur used bloody before idiot. Uther was the lump. Merlin giggled, and then sobered. Was it treason if you were concussed? Was he concussed? Well Uther was a lump so it hardly mattered.

He blinked up at Arthur-I'm-Sure. "What?" He thought he had heard someone speaking, or snickering. Or was that sniggering? ohh S sounds now. What other "S"y things did people say? Say. Good one.

Arthur-Definately-Arthur sighed, twitching the blanket up around Merlin's shoulders, and Merlin dragged his attention back.

He spoke slowly to Merlin. "Go. To. Sleep." As an afterthought "Idiot." was added

"Prat" Merlin answered, smiling at their ritual goodnights. He couldn't hardly sleep now, until Arthur had called him an idiot for the day.

"Bloody royal prat" he muttered, for good measure, just to let Arthur know he was really alright. Just tired. Very tired. His eyes were drooping shut, enjoying the coolness of the ice, and the warmth of the blanket.

He heard indignant spluttering, and Arthur-Oh-God-Please-have-been-Arthur had yanked his hand off Merlin's shoulder, was yelling for himself to wake up, sounding incredibly like..

oh.

oh, this would not be good.

Merlin fell back into darkness willingly.