Hello again! Here's chapter number two for you all! I should probably take this time to also add the warning that this fic will contain attempted suicide so for those that find this subject disturbing, here's your warning. The fic will be out of chronological order and cover key parts of the development of Merlin's and Arthur's relationship.

Thanks to the reviews from nobodyshouldknow and Nini03! I appreciate your taking the time to review, I hope I don't disappoint!

And now without further ado, the chapter!

Two Years, Six Months After Meeting

This year was a particularly terrible year for Arthur.

It'd started out with Arthur finding out that Merlin had found someone over the summer and had rapidly declined from there. First Arthur found out who the someone was. That someone turned out to be another man named Edwin who was a total creep and was totally not worth Merlin's time or worthy of Merlin at all in Arthur's oh so humble opinion.

Not that he had said anything about it, he wasn't supposed to particularly care what Merlin did either way so he'd kept mum while stewing quietly in his proverbial corner while Edwin integrated himself nicely in to their group. Arthur was standoffish and snippy with Edwin and the already strained relationship between himself and Merlin became even more so until they were almost forcing their friends to choose sides between them.

It didn't help that it was a man Merlin was dating and not a woman was Arthur had hoped yet not hoped when he had found out Merlin had found someone over the summer. At least if the person had been a woman, Arthur could have stewed in jealousy and longing but eventually convinced himself to get over Merlin since it was now virtually impossible for Arthur to have any sort of relationship with Merlin when Merlin was mercifully straight.

But the universe was merciless and Merlin turned out to be as gay as Arthur was- though Arthur was strictly in the closet for the rest of his natural life- which meant Arthur had had a chance and still had a chance with Merlin no matter how slim and that gave him hope which was so painful Arthur was tempted to cut his own heart out.

Stupid, lively hope.

It made Arthur want and dream about Merlin even more then he already did. Made his traitorous mind dream up scenario's wherein he would confess his undying love to Merlin and Merlin would dump Edwin in a heart beat and let Arthur sweep him up in his arms and carry him off in to the sunset like some sort of cheesy horrible ending to a romantic comedy.

And Arthur had been close to doing it.

He'd been psyching himself up for it, his dreams having become so strong with his longing for Merlin that the realities he'd created in his dreams were seeping in to his waking life. He'd been readying himself to lay everything on the line for Merlin, phone in hand, Merlin's number on his screen when the call from his father had come and he'd been dragged back in to brutal reality.

And that was the next horrible thing that had happened to him that year; the reentry of his demanding yet never to be pleased father back in to his life. He'd been so shocked- and secretly though shamefully elated- at his father's sudden wish to be a part of his secretly gay sons life again that he hadn't known what he'd agreed to until he'd found himself on several dinner dates with several promising young women that met his father's standards.

That was when he realized that his father was trying to set him up with Uther- approved young women, convinced that Arthur was firstly, past his 'gay phase' in life and secondly, ready to get married and start a family so that Uther's image as a business man able to balance the obligations of family and work could continue on in earnest.

Also so that Uther could further his business interests with whatever family Uther married Arthur off to which was why the women needed to be approved by him.

At first, Arthur was shocked and outraged. Conversations with Morgana, his half-sister, revealed that she had known nothing before hand of Uther's plans. But that wasn't so far fetched as Morgana and Uther were not on speaking terms any more and hadn't been for a long while.

She'd advised him to stick it to Uther and date what ever girl he desired -Morgana didn't know about his status as a gay male and he'd never told her though he wasn't sure as to the reason why he'd never told her. Eventually he'd caved to his father's wishes though, too afraid of disappointing his father again and desperately wanting to earn his respect. So he'd started dating a girl his father approved of, a spunky though clumsy girl named Elena that Arthur wasn't too thrown off by.

Of course Merlin had to break up with Edwin three days later, effectively throwing Arthur for another loop, wondering if he should just go for it and break up with Elena after only dating her for three days and ask Merlin out straight after timing be damned.

Of course his father had shown up again as if he could sense Arthur's rapidly declining straightness and made sure to remind Arthur of all his familial obligations and the shame his actions in high school had brought to the Pendragon name and to make sure he never did anything like that again. Then he'd laid a fatherly hand on Arthur's shoulder and told him he was proud of Arthur overcoming his 'short comings' and Arthur hadn't been able to think past the fact that Uther was finally proud of something he'd done after all these years.

Even though those actions did make him completely miserable he was going to keep doing it, because finally, he wasn't bringing shame to his father and the Pendragon name.

Thanks for reading! Reviews and concrit welcome! Flames will be doused by my merry band of penguins!