And here is the second one-shot to the four part collection! It took a long time to come out, which I'm sorry about Turtle! It's also not the smutty one I thought would come next. Oh well. That'll come eventually!

Hope that you like it :)

Also, this is un-beta'd so any mistake is my own!

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin, or Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words) by Frank Sinatra!

In Other Words, I Love You

It had been five years, and being with Merlin still felt new, still made him weak at the knees and sent his pulse racing with the slightest glance, each little touch. He would never tire of him, would never be bored. Arthur could not tell you what had first drawn him to the thin klutz, what made him decide to turn their tentative friendship into this heated romance.

Whatever it was, though, he was glad that it had happened.

It was all thanks to his friend Gwen that they had met; one day she had dragged him with her to their weekly dinner, introducing him to the group with a bright grin, fingers wrapped gently but firmly around his wrist so that he could not escape. His flushed cheeks, shy grin, and bright blue eyes endeared him to everyone quickly; by the end of the night he was laughing with them all as if they were old friends, numbers being exchanged with plans to meet up again, and soon.

Of everyone there, Arthur was the only one who did not have such an instant connection. Despite all the attempts to help them develop the sort of bond they all knew that they could have if they were to only try, they never moved past the 'sort of-friends; well, he's a friend of a friend' stage of their companionship.

It wasn't until their accidental meeting outside of a coffee shop that they started to become close. It was a timid friendship—there was really no other way to describe it—and was that way until that day that their lips had first met. It was not the most perfect first kiss, teeth clacking and a nervous giggle still permeating the air, but it was theirs, and that was all that mattered.

They didn't share the news of their relationship, at first; not wanting to deal with the way their friends would gloat, trying to keep the glow of a new relationship for as long as they could. Not until a few weeks in did anyone notice a change, how they would lean into each other's touches, the small intimate smiles that are reserved for your special someone.

As expected they were told how their friends has just known that they would find something special in one another, how if they had just listened to them then they would have been together a whole lot sooner than they were! They ignored them, not needing their input to know that there were months wasted apart that they could have spent happy together. It didn't take long until they were telling them that they were nauseatingly cute together, something that they didn't understand because they were not acting like Gwen and Lancelot when they had first gotten together, thank you very much.

Falling in love was something that snuck up on them—one day they were content, thinking that things were just fine at the slow pace they were moving, and the next they realized that without their noticing they had become everything to each other. Not long after that they moved into a new place together, not wanting to force each other to move into a place that would feel more like his, than theirs. Why make something difficult when they could so easily find somewhere that would suit both of them? They had seen what the decision over my place or yours had done to Morgana and Leon's relationship.

It had taken months before they got their heads out of their asses and found a compromise that made them both happy; things had been unbearably awkward while they figured things out.

Things weren't always perfect between them. They had their share of fights, of those moments of uncertainty and times when they had to step away and stay with a friend for a week or so, however long it took for them to be able to handle things calmly and not say something unforgivable. There was the disapproval of Uther hanging over their heads, the woman he tried to set Arthur with, his attempts at driving Merlin away.

Those hard, cold months after he had passed, where Arthur almost succeeded in doing what his father had spent years trying to do.

No, things were not always perfect. But they dealt with it, fought for each other and only made their relationship—the connection between them—all the more stronger.

It was not until five years in that Arthur Pendragon was able to do what he had thought about since the moment he had won his Merlin back, since he had realized that he could not survive without him forever by his side.

The first person he had told his plans to was Morgana. She had been the one to make him see what an idiot he had been, to show him that if he did not clean his act up that he would finally do the one thing he had sworn he would never do for this father. He felt he owed it to her, that and she was the only family he had left in the world.

Once she had calmed down over the news, Gwen had been told and between the three of them they had found the perfect ring for Merlin. Once that was done, and it was hidden somewhere in his sister's house where his boyfriend would never find it—somewhere Arthur was suspecting was her underwear drawer, in all honesty—the rest of their group was told, including Merlin's mother Hunith, because she would be of assistance in his plans to surprise him.

A week later found Merlin going to Hunith's to spend some quality mother and son bonding time together, parting with a heated kiss to apologize for having to go away on their anniversary weekend. In Merlin's eyes, it was an unfortunate event that he could not say no to despite how badly he wanted to; he never could turn down his mother when she asked him to come visit, not after everything they had gone through while he was growing up.

But for everyone else, it was the perfect excuse to get him away for the day without him becoming suspicious.

By the time Merlin was due back the next day everything was prepared, set up just the way that Arthur had wanted. He was dressed to impress for their anniversary dinner, ring safely tucked away in his inside jacket pocket. Though they were just doing a quiet, romantic evening at home, Merlin had said that he wished for them to be dressed nice to make the evening even more special.

Well, Arthur had just the thing to give the night that extra bit of special his love had so desired.

Thanks to all the help he had had, the dinner went off without a hitch, the candle lit meal charming Merlin so greatly that it earned Arthur an enthusiastic kiss hello. When the meal was done and old romantic songs were playing softly on the radio as they slow danced in their candlelit living room, the two told each other how much they felt for one another, voices an intimate whisper.

It was after they had shared a tender kiss that Arthur asked the question, their foreheads pressed to one another, looking into his deep blue eyes that were still watery from their words before, the slightest quiver to his voice telling of his nerves. It only took Merlin a moment to give his emotion filled answer, a single tear escaping to roll down his cheek. Just a moment, to make Arthur the happiest man alive.

"Yes."

I actually rather like this one. :)

I have a poll up on my profile, if you wouldn't mind voting? Also, there's a link to my tumblr up on my profile as well!

Leave a review? :) See you guys next time!