Really, really enjoyed reading this. One of the things I love most about your fics is the way you flesh out so many characters in addition to Arthur and Merlin, and I really appreciated that here too, how Merlin and Will and Lance all had these different attitudes toward Arthur but all of them were basically generous and gave him time to figure things out for himself. I also love Gwen here, working through her own issues about her faith and not just existing in relation to Arthur. I also liked the way the characters and their relationships fit with canon, including Merlin being faithful to Arthur despite having this deep difference with him and his family, and also Will's attitude and Lance's earnestness mixed with good humor.

I think my favorite moment is after they first kiss and then talk about whether Arthur's freaking out. I just love that there's that trust and understanding between them, that it's going to take a while to work it all out but that they're going to help each other through it.

<3 <3 <3 Wonderful job!