Hello all! Here's the next chapter for you all! Unfortunately this is going to be the only Merlin/Arthur action for a very long while in this fic. I've written out a good many chapters of the fic already and have the rest of the chapters planned out and it's fairly angsty with lots of heartache for Arthur.

Thanks to AmandaFray and Nini03 for their reviews last chapter!

Here's the chapter now!

Five Years, Nine Months After Meeting

Arthur swallowed heavily as he stared at Merlin's sleeping form.

The sight wasn't anything special. The blinds of the living room of the small flat he rented were drawn shut so no convenient shafts of moonlight could fall dramatically across Merlin's face to bath it in silvery rays causing his face to glow effervescently. Instead, the faint glow of the hallway light illuminated the sofa just enough so that Arthur could see that Merlin was curled into a loose ball on his side, blankets strewn haphazardly about his thin frame.

His face was titled upward exposing his throat, a long expanse of flash that was making Arthur's mouth water just looking at it. His cheek bones were highlighted gently by the shadows falling across his face and his silky brown hair was a tousled mess atop his head. It was the most beautiful sight Arthur had ever seen and he was compelled to touch because it was Merlin. He was crouched besides Merlin's head on the balls of his feet before he knew it and all he could think about was stealing a kiss from Merlin.

Just one.

He didn't think he'd get another chance like this and he wanted to indulge himself. Just this once. Merlin would never know anyways. So he bent his head down, lips hovering a hair over Merlin's as he paused, heart thundering in his chest. Arthur could feel his face flushing and Merlin's breath ghosting gently over his face almost made him lost his nerve. But Arthur steeled himself and pushed forward, his lips sealing over Merlin's in a chaste kiss.

For a few seconds, Arthur felt absolute bliss.

In the future if asked, Arthur would not hesitate in saying that this was the single happiest moment in his life. The weight of the world lifted from Arthur's shoulders and all he could feel was an all encompassing happiness as he kissed Merlin. Arthur pulled back slowly and reluctantly, their lips parting with a soft smack. He lifted a questioning hand to his face as something wet dripped off it on to the leather surface of the couch near Merlin's head.

He lifted his hand away in surprise when he felt the wet trails of tear tracks on them. Sitting back on his heels, he wondered at the state of his life that a stolen kiss with the unconscious object of his unrequited affections could bring tears to his eyes.

"My life sucks," Arthur thought despondently as he got up, pulling the blanket up around Merlin's shoulders and tucking them more securely around his curled form. He lay a lingering kiss on Merlin's forehead before moving out of the living room, turning off the hallway light as he left.

It was a long time before he was able to fall asleep that night.

Alright reviews and concrit welcome! Flames will be doused using buckets of the rain pouring down where I am right now!