To make up for the fact that it has taken me a ridiculous amount of time to update, the following chapter is pretty much just smut. If that's not your cuppa tea, beware, but if not, ENJOY!

Merlin jolted as awake as he felt himself thrown forward. His neck hurt instantly, a result of the funny angle he'd been sat in but other than that he felt fine.

"Arthur?" he said.

"Are you OK?" he said.

"I'm fine, are you?"

"I think so, can you get out?"

"Not sure, foot remember. And my neck hurts,"

"OK, I'll come help,"

Arthur opened his door and climbed out of the car. On his way to Merlin's side, he assessed the damage and found that it was mostly confined to the back.

He had been driving down a winding country lane at a leisurely pace and the other driver had come speeding round a corner and crashed into him, sending them both into a bush. Luckily, another driver had come round right after that and had already called the ambulance.

Good, he though. The other driver looked like he'd need it.

He opened Merlin's door and helped him out, putting his arm around his waist and pulling Merlin's arm around his own shoulders. They hobbled onto an area of grass and sat down, waiting, still with their arms around each other.

The ambulance arrived and helped the other driver first. He was unconscious and had scarlet red blood pouring down his face. Another paramedic assessed Merlin and Arthur, telling Merlin he would need to get his neck seen to and Arthur that the twinge in his arm was probably worse than he thought.

Arthur was reluctant about leaving his car but was told it would need to be towed and that he'd be better leaving it to someone else, so allowed himself to be carted away in the ambulance.

Gwaine picked them up from the hospital in Elena's car and drove them back to the house. Arthur rung Morgana to tell her what had happened and also rang his boss, who was not too impressed that he'd been out driving when he was allegedly ill and had got into an accident. He had actually pulled most of the muscles in his right arm and had sprained his wrist and so was likely to be out of training for a month or so and would miss the opening week of the show. Merlin felt terrible that he'd caused that to happen.

"I'm so sorry Arthur," he said as they sat down on the sofa and Gwaine went into the kitchen to make tea.

"What for?" he asked.

"For making you hurt your arm and for making your boss mad at you," Arthur looked at Merlin almost amusedly.

"Don't be ridiculous Merlin!" he said, taking one of Merlin's hands in his own uninjured one. "None of that is your fault, so don't think for a second that I blame you for this," Merlin nodded but Arthur could see in his eyes that it was not going to be as simple as that. He had lost Will in a car accident and had been in another with Arthur where they were lucky to come off well. Despite this, Merlin was unlikely to see that it was no ones fault, much less his own any time soon.

Over the next few weeks, it was clear to Arthur that Merlin was never going to forgive himself. They had gone to see the show on the opening night and it had gone disastrously. The stand in lead barely new the steps and dropped his partner multiple times. To make things worse, the lighting was off and the curtain broke at the end, and even though this had nothing to do with Merlin, he left the performance apologising profusely and not stopping until Arthur had kissed him, firm and silencing, on the lips.

Merlin's pot was now off but he still walked with a bit of limp and his neck occasionally twinged with the memory of the accident. Arthur's arm mostly fine and he was back in training all the time. They usually spent the evenings together, sometimes at Merlin's house, sometimes at Arthur's and sometimes in the local pub.

They had come back to Merlin's one Friday night to find something neither of them expected. Gwaine was sat in the kitchen drinking coffee with Percy who, despite Elena also being sat in the living room on her laptop, was being particularly touchy feely with Gwaine. They'd gone straight upstairs almost straight away to avoid them and settled down on the bed to pick up on the Harry Potter marathon they'd started a few night ago. For once, it was Arthur who fell asleep first and Merlin lost concentration in the film to stare at Arthur's face. He desperately wanted to say 'his boyfriend's face,' but despite the month or more they'd been seeing each other, he didn't know if that was what they were. Merlin had never been one to be pernickety over titles, and he liked to think he wasn't being in this situation, but he somehow wanted to be sure that Arthur was all his.

Merlin heard the door shut downstairs and jumped off the bed, feeling his neck twinge in annoyance, to peer out of the window to see who had left and found that they all had. Arthur awoke after feeling his body fall without Merlin's to prop it up and smiled.

"What the hell was Percy doing here?" Merlin asked, getting back in the bed and resting his cheek on Arthur's chest.

"Who knows," Arthur replied, placing a kiss on the top of Merlin's head. "You hungry?" he asked.

"A little bit," Merlin admitted. "I think there's still some pasta left from the other night, we could have that?"

"Sounds great,"

They went downstairs and Arthur heated up the chicken pasta bake they'd had a few night ago. Merlin enjoyed the routine they had settled into, seeing each other almost every day, eating together and being able to take care of the other after the car accident. Arthur's car had managed to be repaired and neither of them had been badly hurt, but it still conjured images of the first time they met, when Merlin had been at the hospital facing much more bleak prospects.

"Are you OK?" Arthur asked, seeing Merlin staring pensive at his food

"Just thinking," he replied, looking up and smiling, not quite managing to convince Arthur of his authenticity. Arthur put down his fork and looked Merlin in the eye.

"About what?"

"Will," Merlin admitted.

"Good stuff or bad stuff?" Arthur pressed.

Merlin thought about it. "Just Will," he smiled another smile, this time letting his sadness show through and saw that Arthur felt sad too.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, suddenly remembering the conversation he'd had on the phone with Gwen on the phone earlier. Arthur looked up, attentive at Merlin's uncharacteristic outburst. "Gwen's having a surprise birthday party for Lance tomorrow evening. She asked if I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come?"

"Well are you going to?" he said, leaving Merlin confused.

"Am I going to what?"

"Ask me if I want to come?" Merlin laughed.

"Do you want to come to Lance's surprise birthday party?" he asked.

"No." Merlin could not hide his dismay. At Merlin's expression, Arthur laughed and told him, "Of course I want to come, silly!"

Merlin grinned. "Oh! I thought you were being serious! Well I have to keep him company all morning and then go back home with him in the evening. He thinks Gwen has to work and that we're just having dinner at their place. You can just go straight there if you like, or come out with us in the afternoon after you've finished work?"

"Who else is going?" he asked.

"Just our friends really, Gwaine, some people from the football and from his work, Leon and Morgana might be there too,"

"I could come over in the afternoon and then leave to go over there just before you do?"

"Sounds good, you can be meeting Morgana for a meal or something?"

"Well I'm glad I'll only have to pretend to, Morgana is not the person you want to go for a meal with, let me tell you that," They both laughed and as Merlin threw his head back, he hurt his neck again.

"Still sore?" Arthur said. Merlin nodded an grimaced at the pain. Arthur got up from his stool and crossed around so that he was stood behind Merlin.

Ever so carefully, Arthur placed his thumbs at the nape of Merlin's neck and began to apply pressure. He moved his thumbs in small circles and slipped down his shoulder blades and Merlin felt the pain seeping away. He carefully moved up the neck and Merlin hummed in appreciation.

"Why didn't you tell me you could do this before?" He asked.

"Never came up, does it not hurt too much?" As Arthur said this his thumb found a tense spot and rubbed insistently to relieve the pressure built up there.

He moaned again and told Arthur it didn't hurt one bit.

Merlin felt Arthur's breath against his neck, warm and moist, before he heard him speak. When he did his voice was the perfect mix of husk and silk, a delight for Merlin's ears.

"That noise is so hot," he said quietly and seductively. Arthur's roaming hands worked down Merlin's spine to the small of his back where they rested as Arthur placed a tiny kiss at the base of Merlin's ear. He moaned again, this time with desire rather than thanks.

Being sat on a stool at the island, Merlin was able to spin around and threw his arms around Arthur's neck, tangling his hand in the blonde hair and pulling Arthur's lips onto his own.

They kissed almost frantically, hands eager and tongues wanting more. Merlin shook his thin hoody off and stood up to push his body into Arthur's as much as he could without making them both fall over. Arthur's hands now held Merlin's face and as he walked backwards, trying to find the sofa blindly, he let go momentarily to pull his t-shirt over his head. As it fell to the floor, Merlin stopped Arthur from leaning against the back of the sofa and instead indicated towards the stairs. Arthur complied without a second thought and they were then trying to manoeuvre the stairs, neither wanting to break contact with the others lips and skin. As they reached the landing they stopped against the banister to allow Merlin's hands to explore Arthur's muscles, as if for the first time. Arthur kissed down Merlin' jaw his Adams apple as Merlin relished in the moment. They moved from the landing to Merlin's room and instantly fell to the bed, Arthur above Merlin and nudging the hem of his shirt. Merlin pulled up his body and Arthur took of the shirt, throwing it to the floor. They kissed passionately and rolled around on the bed until Merlin's hands kept dipping under the waistband of Arthur's sweatpants and they were forced to let go of each other to get them off. Arthur kicked his own bottoms off before slowly skimming his fingertips over Merlin's skin and inching his bottoms over his hips and down his legs. Merlin let him take his time as he was also kissing Merlin's legs on the way down. He shimmied out of the bottoms and Arthur slowly came back up, paying attention at first to his feet and then eventually, after the slow and tantalising ascension, to the area of his inner thigh closest to his raging erection.

Merlin's hand wrapped around Arthur neck and pulled him up to kiss him once more as he gently and subtly ground against Arthur's thigh which he had positioned between Merlin's tow legs.

"I can feel you doing that, you know," Arthur whispered hoarsely in Merlin's ear.

"Good," he responded, and pushed with increased speed and force.

"I think you'd achieve your aim a lot quicker if you were me to allow me to help," Arthur said suggestively.

Merlin halted as Arthur's hands flew to his hips and pushed his tight black boxers down to his ankles. He slipped his hand round to Merlin's front and leant down so that he was lay on top of Merlin's chest and captured his lips in a slow kiss as he gently formed a ring with fingers around Merlin's penis and worked his way up and down the shaft. It was by no means the best hand job he'd ever given, nor probably the best Merlin had received but it had Merlin squirming beneath him. They kissed, fondled, nibbled and traced their ways around each other's bodies until Merlin managed to flip Arthur to his back and pretended to pin his arms down. He looked into Arthur's eyes and grinned before kissing his way down his chest and placing his mouth on the tight black fabric of Arthur's boxers. His eyes rolled back slightly and his own hands went to his hips to pull the barrier between him and Merlin's lips away. Teasingly, Merlin pushed himself back up to Arthur's face and explored it with his lips.

"Merlin," Arthur moaned, desperate for him to finish why he'd started.

"Yes?" He asked, sucking on Arthur's ear lobe, knowing he was sending him crazy.

"Mouth," he choked out. Merlin enclosed Arthur's lips in a sloppy kiss, making it enjoyable but still leaving him desperate for more.

"On my cock!" Arthur growled.

"Getting a bit aggressive are we?" he joked, sliding back down the bed and taking Arthur into his mouth. He worked slowly, licking and sucking Arthur into a frenzy before he pulled away, too early for Arthur's liking, and lay beside Arthur's sweaty frame on the bed. They turned to face each other and kissed once more before Merlin placed his lips on Arthur's ears and said in an almost inaudible whisper, "I want you inside me,"

Arthur didn't pause to ask if Merlin was sure, fearing that if he did, Merlin would change his mind. He flipped Merlin onto his back and ran his lips from the nape of Merlin's neck to the small of his back, one hand on his waist, the other cupping his buttocks.

"Condom?" he asked softly.

"Bottom draw," was the reply, Merlin's voice thick with desire. Arthur reached over the bed into the bedside cabinet and pulled out a condom as well as what he hoped was lube. Merlin sat up and took the condom packet from Arthur, opening it himself and sensuously rolling it onto Arthur's length. At the same time, Arthur was drawn to Merlin's neck and found himself sucking lightly on the pulse point, not quite hard enough to leave a mark.

Merlin lay back down, this time on his back looking up at Arthur and allowed himself to be breached by Arthur's freshly lubed up finger. He inserted one at first, making sure Merlin was comfortable before progressing. Once Merlin had been stretched by three fingers, Arthur withdrew and kissed Merlin again, his breath heavy and his hands roaming. Merlin felt empty at the sudden absence and placed an arm around Arthur's waist to pull him closer, a hint which Arthur picked up on. Being as careful as he could be, he slid the tip into Merlin, causing a sharp intake from both sides. Merlin nodded to say that he wanted more and Arthur continued his descent into Merlin, the stretch painful at first before turning to a pleasurable sensation. Once he was all the way in, Arthur stopped for a moment to let Merlin adjust, who wiggled his hips experimentally, causing Arthur to accidentally find his prostate. When it was brushed, Merlin felt a pleasure so intense that he almost cried out. When Arthur moved to pull out, scared he had hurt Merlin, Merlin pulled him back down into a crushing kiss, his tongue working its way around Arthur's in ways he didn't know he was capable of. Arthur pushed back in and found the spot straight away making Merlin gasp into his mouth. Hands tangled in hair and limbs entwined, they picked up the pace until Merlin fell over the edge, Arthur's name on his lips with Arthur following him. They collapsed into each other's arms, sweaty, sore and smelling of sex and Merlin leant over lazily to kiss Arthur's cheek, his lips lingering on the soft skin which stretched over the defined cheek bone before they fell asleep without words in the dim light.

Long time no speak, I'm so sorry! School has been insane this last week but now I only have 4 days left before I break up for exams, so even though I will be revising like a cat on crack, I will have more time to update more often I hope! Please let me know if you enjoyed this chapter!