I was listening to Taylor Swift's "Sparks Fly" last night, and got to thinking about how adorable Arthur and Merlin kissing in the rain would be. So I wrote this little thing to go along with that mental image.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin in any way, shape, or form. That I know of, anyway. Weird shit happens sometimes when you don't pay close enough attention. I should probably check on that, then—just in case...

Downpour

Fic:

It was just a little rain, Arthur insisted, just a little rain and nothing more.

Except it wasn't just "a little rain," it was a bloody downpour.

There was no thunder, no lightning—thank the gods—but the sky was dark and the rain was so heavy, so hard, that Merlin was soaked to the bone and freezing his ass off.

It was just him and Arthur, trampling though the woods in search of some herbs for Gaius. Usually, Merlin would go out to get them himself, but there was word of bandits nearby and Arthur had insisted he go along—just in case. The rain had come on too quickly to get back to Camelot to get out of it, but, Merlin insisted, it would be easy enough to stop and take shelter until the storm passed. It came on quickly enough, after all, so it was sure to pass quickly as well.

"For the last time, Merlin," Arthur yelled over the thundering rain, loud around them as they trudged though the mud and undergrowth. "We are not stopping. We'll find those herbs and get back to the palace in no time if you stop your whining!"

"We're soaked, Arthur!" Merlin yelled back, his rain-soaked hand coming to rest on Arthur's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. "We'll catch our deaths if we don't get out of this. There's a cave right through those trees. Let's just... get out of this, warm up, wait for it to pass." He pled.

Arthur turned to face him, his hair sticking to his face, clothes tight on his skin, chainmail wet and cold to the touch. Merlin grinned slightly at the sight of him, storing the mental image away for later use. Gods, was there anything Arthur couldn't make look sexy?

"No, Merlin, we've got to keep going."

"We're soaking wet!"

"It's just water!"

"Freezing water! We'll get sick!"

"It's a good job we're out here collecting herbs to treat illness then!"

"My lips are turning blue, Arthur!" Merlin shouted.

Arthur grinned suddenly at Merlin's words, the way he was pointing to his mouth, silence between them despite the shattering sounds around them.

Merlin grinned as well, swept up suddenly when Arthur's wet body was pressed against him, his cool, slick leather glove cradling his face as they kissed, all sweet and passion, the rain coming down harshly upon them, tight, wet clothes and chainmail pressing together, every inch of them cold and wet and close, oh so close. The rain was hard and cold, but Arthur's kisses were soft and warm.

"Let's stop in a cave, wait for the storm to pass." Arthur said against Merlin's lips a moment later.

He let his hand fall to grasp Merlin's, tugged him towards the cave Merlin had pointed out before.

The storm wouldn't pass for a while, but they would find plenty of ways to keep warm and busy in the meantime.

Fin.