Merlin was tired, and he was sick of this. Of dancing around the subject. Of never getting straight answers from Arthur. Not knowing how he felt about anything. Even when Merlin thought he understood the round about ways that Arthur expressed himself, Arthur did or said something that just threw him through a loop again.
"Arthur...You think of me as a friend, right?" He asked, staring so earnestly at Arthur that if he said no or avoided it he might crush every bit of hope Merlin had. "That's why -- I mean, all the questions about me taking off?"