Star Filled Skies was a fun play to practice. The cast was all kinds of crazy and everyone spent the first hour or so laughing over how cheesy the lines were. Gwen, one of the protagonists, was a beautiful princess who's father insisted she marry a prince only. Arthur played the simple boy who, after seeing her one day in the town, strived to become a knight to be 'worthy of her beauty'.

The idea, was that an angel looked down on their love and decided it was worth his interference, so the play is mostly angel helping the prince. Merlin shrugged into his tunic, fiddling with his halo before walking up to Arthur. Mrs. H. thought it would be best if the cast started practicing in costume to help keep the experience fresh. Merlin grinned once he saw Arthur, who donned a knight's costume. He was actually very well fitted to it.

Arthur poked at Merlin's side, "Nice dress."

He blushed, "It's a robe!"

"It's a dress."

"Better than a tin can!" Merlin giggled, jabbing back at Arthur.

The two laughed as they poked at each other's costumes, shouting insults back and forth. Then Arthur's expression shifted, "Hey Merlin..." he started, "What was up with you yesterday? You know, when we checked the list?"

Merlin stiffened. He'd been trying to let it slip from his mind. "I just needed to get to class..."

"I'm talking about right before that."

Merlin looked up and realized once again that they were closer then he'd meant them to be. It would be so easy to just rush up and kiss the idiot. "I just wasn't feeling too good." Merlin returned, as casual as he could manage.

Arthur frowned, "You're sure?"

"I'm sure. Now can we get to actually doing some practice?" Not that he would be able to pay that much attention anyways, Arthur looked amazing in his suit of armor, all shined up and clingy. It actually made his shoulders broader, and over all manly.

Merlin tugged at his dress- his robe before flipping through the first pages of his script book. "Sir, but a humble peasant, your love shines brightly through the skies as it burns. It is pure. Radiant, true, your love is-"

"Okay hang on..." Arthur interrupted, "How is this guy's love true? I mean, he'd only just met her."

Merlin didn't look up at Arthur, but trained his eyes to the script, "Maybe he didn't need to know her that long."

Arthur shook his head when Merlin finally lifted his head, "What?" Merlin asked, "Don't believe in love at first sight?"

"I think you have to get to know a person before you're allowed to truly love them. You can like someone though.. I guess..."

He shifted lightly, "Well we can't have a love story without romance..."

"What romance? At this rate, there's more romance between the knight and the angel then him and the princess!"

Merlin gulped uncomfortably. Were he and Arthur even closer now then before? If they'd moved forward during the conversation then he hadn't noticed until now... but now they were... so close... "So what? Should we rewrite the script? The angel and the knight?" Merlin asked, more sarcastic than anything else.

"Yeah..." Arthur was ghosting his words, lightly flying off with his breath.

His husky breath.

Merlin tried to stop himself, but his eyes started averting to Arthur's lips again. The blonde caught him before he could pull away this time. "Right. You come here a second." Arthur pulled him off to the side of the stage, the red curtains shielding them from the other cast members. "Do you like me?"

Merlin blinked. "W-what?"

"God you're a clueless idiot." Arthur pulled Merlin in for a firm kiss.

It wasn't rushed, but soft and brilliant. Merlin's knees threatened to give out when Arthur snaked his arms around his, gentle hands pulling Merlin further in by his back. Arms trapped between their chests, Merlin felt safe. It wasn't his first time being kissed, but it felt magical enough to be.

Arthur slowly pulled away, his grip still tight on Merlin however. "I like you."

"I figured that cabbage head."

Arthur grinned, "I've been wondering for a while if I was gay or not... I saw you in the halls one day and well, I kinda couldn't stop thinking about you."

Merlin blushed, "You're being as cheesy as this play!"

"I'm just telling you the truth."

"So, getting put into drama?"

Arthur placed a light kiss on Merlin's forehead. "I overheard Uther talking in the office with Mrs. H. about it. They've got something going on together."

Merlin couldn't help giggle after imagining Mrs. H. and Uther being together. It was weird. "Anyway..." Arthur interjected, "I put the tack on his chair and luckily I got 'punished' into drama. Sitting next to you was a lucky break."

"You're such ladies petty coat."

Arthur shook Merlin playfully, "Don't be rude. I'm confessing to you and all you can say in reply is that I'm a girl's petty coat? What does that even mean!?"

"I don't know... I saw it on a TV show somewhere."

"Same one you get all your names from?" he grinned.

"Don't mock my name calling techniques!" Merlin barked.

Arthur kissed him again, happy when it shut him up. "As I was saying earlier, I don't believe in love at first sight. I think you have to get to know the person before you're allowed to call it love."

Merlin was silent for a while, "You love me?"

"You really are clueless Merlin" he smiled, deciding to kiss him again.

"Prat."

"Idiot."

Kiss.