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Merlin pushed open the doors to the Prince’s chambers; a tray cradled in one arm and a pile of laundry grabbed on his way from the kitchen, in the other.
“Wakey, wakey, sleepy head!” he called as he slid the tray onto the table and threw the laundry down on an old wooden chest.
He picked out a clean shirt and breeches. There was a groan from under the bedcovers as Merlin hung them over the changing screen.
“Come on, Arthur. Busy day today!” he called cheerfully. “Don’t make me drag you out from there!”
Arthur’s head appeared over the covers and he narrowed his eyes at Merlin; “You wouldn’t.”
Merlin placed his hands on his hips and raised his eyebrows in a just-you-try-me fashion.
With a roll of his eyes, Arthur cast aside the blankets and hauled himself out of bed. As he ate, Merlin read him his schedule, and whilst he dressed Merlin cleaned up his plates and made the bed.
“Right,” said Arthur as he pulled on his long brown coat. “I’m off. Wish me luck dealing with Lady Katherine. Oh, and Merlin? Don’t forget to clean the stables again.”
Scowling, Merlin opened his mouth to indignantly reply that had happened one time, but Arthur was already gone.
With a sigh he set about finishing off tidying Arthur’s room. He grabbed the dirty laundry and put it by the door, then he gathered up Arthur’s sword and chainmail that needed repairing. After that he returned to the pile of clean laundry, folding it neatly ready to go into Arthur’s wardrobe. His brow furrowed with confusion when he came across a large piece of red silk. This wasn’t Arthur’s. What was it?
He held it up and dropped it in surprise when he realised it was a lady’s corset. How had that got in Arthur’s things? Then he recalled how he’d placed all the clean clothes down in the laundry room. He must have picked it up then.
Merlin grabbed the corset again, and rubbed the material between his fingers. It felt heavenly, he pressed it against his face, unable to resist and a tingle of pleasure ran down his spine.
The door opened and Merlin froze.
Arthur stared at him.
“It’s not mine!” Merlin protested.
“Forgot my training sword,” Arthur said. “And what a man gets up to in his own time is his business, Merlin.” He crossed to the table and retrieved his sword. “The colour suits you,” he added quietly.
And then Merlin was left in silence again.
With cheeks as red as the corset, he shoved it into the gap between Arthur’s wardrobe and the wall until he figured out what to do with it.
***
Try as he might, Merlin couldn’t stop thinking about the corset hidden in Arthur’s room. It had felt so soft and smooth and cool against his face. He couldn’t help but imagine how good it might feel against other parts of his body. It probably wouldn’t harm anyone if he kept it for a little while longer. Besides, he needed time to figure out who it belonged to. It wasn’t like he could just announce to people that he had it. Delicacy was required in a situation like this. He might never be able to figure out who it belonged to.
The next morning once Arthur had left for the day, Merlin rushed over and retrieved the corset. He ran his fingers over it cautiously, secretly. Not daring to do anymore more than that before he hid it again and went about his day.
***
It started to become a bit of a ritual. For an entire month, Merlin would come and wake Arthur, get him ready for his day, wait for him to leave and then fetch the corset. It was so beautiful that Merlin was becoming obsessed with it. What would it feel like if he wore it against his skin? Would he slip it on and wear it loose? Or pull it up tight by the ribbons threaded through the back? He pondered it whilst he ran his fingers up and down the boning. Tomorrow. Arthur was going out for the whole day tomorrow with his father. He’d try it on then.
***
The next day bloomed bright and early, and a sense of excitement pervaded the air. Merlin pretended he was excited for Arthur as he carried out his usual duties, said goodbye to the prince and then rushed back to the safety of Arthur’s chambers.
Once safely ensconced, Merlin shucked off his jacket and shirt and stood with the corset looking critically at himself in the long mirror with the oak frame that Arthur had been gifted by a visiting king.
He took a deep breath and reminded himself how much he’d been thinking about this and how no one would ever know. He slipped it on over his head and took a few moments to adjust it for comfort. He turned this way and that in the mirror. Not too bad. It was definitely too loose though.
He reached behind his back and grasped the end of one of the ribbons and then did the same with his other arm. He struggled to tug them and pull the corset tighter, but eventually with a bit of wriggingly he managed to get it tight enough that it no longer slipped around. He let his arms fall and looked at himself critically in the mirror. The ensemble looked a bit ridiculous with his breeches on, so undid the laces and kicked them and his boots off.
Merlin blushed at his reflection, watching as his cock started to fill. He wondered how he could get the corset tighter. It seemed as though he needed another person. But there was no way in hell he was going to tell anyone about this.
He reached back and started to pull and tug at the ribbons and Merlin felt the material draw tighter around his chest and waist, making it more difficult for him to breathe. Better. He liked what he saw in the mirror. He admired the way the corset cinched him at the middle and tapered out giving him hips, and it felt otherworldly against his skin.
Merlin shuddered as he ran his hands over his chest and down over his stomach, before he took his neglected cock in hand, giving it a stroke, as he summoned up some slick for his hand.
But it wasn’t tight enough, he needed it to be tighter. He reached back with one hand and pulled again, gasping as the ribbons gathered tighter and he could only take short, shallow breaths. His cock throbbed and there was colour high on his cheekbones. He looked positively debauched as he chest heaved and his hand moved on his cock. If only Arthur could see him now.
He watched in the mirror the way his muscles in his forearm extended and contracted as he stroked himself closer to completion, imagining the hand was Arthur’s.
It was gradually becoming harder and harder to breathe, and Merlin’s thoughts were becoming fuzzier, but still it didn’t feel like it was tight enough.
He reached behind himself once more with his free hand to try and tug at the ribbons, his other hand still working his cock.
He jumped, his heart leaping into his throat as he suddenly spotted Arthur’s reflection in the mirror.
“Merlin,” Arthur began. “What on Earth are you wearing and why are you—you know—over King Alined’s mirror!”
Merlin felt his face burning with the humiliation of being caught. “Arthur—” he gasped. “I can— I can explain. Let me— I’ll take it off. Please. Just— Please don’t tell anyone!”
Arthur stared at him; his gaze deep and intense. “No,” he said quietly. “Leave it on.”
“Arthur,” said Merlin, his head starting to spin from the tightness of the corset and lack of oxygen. “Arthur, please— I— Don’t tell—”
With a few quick steps Arthur was behind him, tugging at the ribbons with one hand, and wrapping calloused fingers around the hand on Merlin’s cock with the other.
“Shut up Merlin,” he murmured against Merlin’s ear.
His chest heaving, Merlin let his head fall back onto Arthur’s shoulder, not quite sure if his legs would hold him up for much longer as darkness gathered at the edge of his vision.
“Look at you,” Arthur whispered. “So pretty, so depraved. Desperate for it.”
Merlin’s breath was coming in harsh pants now and Merlin knew he was close.
“Ah, ah! Fuck. Arthur!” he cried.
“That’s it,” Arthur told him as he gave the laces one final jerk. “Come for me.”
Merlin’s body pulled taut; blacking out as his orgasm ripped through him like lightning, painting the mirror with pearly white stripes.