the most heartbreaking thing about merlin and arthur is that arthur said "i want to say something i've never said to you before...thank you" even though arthur ALWAYS thanked merlin like ALL the time but he thought he didn't, arthur always thought the worst of himself 😭😭
do you ever just think about how neither merlin or arthur knew how much their absence hurt the other like when merlin went missing arthur was a MESS he stopped at nothing to find him or when he sent him away in the darkest hour he literally could not rest -
then merlin when arthur had to do quests alone, merlin would be worried sick and always found a way to be there with him like even when merlin was dying and arthur was on a perilous quest he still managed to help him and the amount of times merlin cried over arthur