Work Text:
Arthur stood awkwardly in the centre of his living room, as Merlin made himself at home on the sofa with his long, angular limbs folded over themselves, relaxed. His eyes sparkled with humour as he took in Arthur's anxious shuffling.
"Come and sit down," Merlin beckoned him over to the sofa.
"You know this is my house, right?" Arthur's lips twitched upwards at the cheek of the man before him. Then, he took a seat anyway, pointedly ignoring Merlin's soft chuckle.
"So," Arthur began after a beat of silence, trying his hardest to avoid fidgeting with his fingers.
"So," Merlin parroted, his teasing tone still evident. Seeing the unamused expression on Arthur's face, however, his expression became softer. "Nervous?"
Arthur shrugged. "A little."
“Don’t be.” Merlin’s smile turned gentle as he reached across the space between them to take Arthur’s hand in his own, “We won’t do anything that you aren’t comfortable with. This is for fun, yes?”
Arthur’s lips quirked up in a strained smile, and he inclined his head, almost certain his voice would break if he replied.
“Exactly. Fun. Not a– oh my God, is that the complete box-set of Stargate?” Merlin’s expression morphed from gentle into something that would have looked far more at-home on an excitable puppy.
“Oh, yeah,” said Arthur, grinning at his delight, tension breaking at the change of subject. He found he could breathe easier now that Merlin’s gaze was directed at his TV stand, and not at him, “But it’s the original, not the remastered version or anything. Not even Blu Ray, so it’s–- ”
“Perfect, obviously. Low-def was clearly the way it was intended to be watched. Who wants to see the dodgy effects made even more dodgy by high definition?” Merlin interrupted, hands gesticulating wildly to underline his point. “Wow. I haven’t seen SG-1 in years!”
“I’ve got Atlantis too, over there,” Arthur admitted, pointing at the wooden sideboard across the room. It was his guilty pleasure, for hiding inside were countless box sets of discontinued TV shows that he had loved over the years. Usually, the collection was a closely-guarded secret, gaining him merciless teasing from anyone who stumbled across it. But now, he found himself wanting to share it with Merlin, to see if he would react with the same giddy excitement as before, or if he would screw up his face at some of Arthur’s choices. Somehow, he thought he might enjoy that reaction more, as well as the inevitable bickering that would follow. “You could borrow it, if you like?”
“Or I could watch it here, with you warming my cock for me.” It was said with the same wide smile as before, Merlin’s tone casual and eyes still on the box set, as though what he had just suggested wasn't the single most shocking thing Arthur had heard all year. As though he hadn’t just made Arthur’s heart stop, and the air freeze in his lungs.
Arthur opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure of how to reply. Finally tearing his gaze away from the box set, his eyes met Merlin’s own, seeing by the amused glint there that Merlin knew exactly what effect his answer had on Arthur. “But that's for another time. Tonight, I want to be able to give you my full attention.”
If Arthur was struggling for words before, he was rendered entirely speechless at that; at the way Merlin grew suddenly serious, eyes narrowing just a little, before his lips curved into a wicked smile. Arthur swallowed, waiting for Merlin to continue, nerves warring for space in his stomach against a sudden wave of want. He wanted Merlin to continue painting hot, filthy pictures of what he wanted to do to Arthur. Because Arthur would let him turn them into reality. In that moment, he would have granted Merlin anything he asked of him.
In the wake of Arthur's continued silence, Merlin spoke again, "You said that toys are a hard yes for you. Impact play too. Does that still stand?"
Arthur nodded, but knew from the way Merlin watched him closely that he was waiting for a verbal response. "Yes," he croaked, voice hoarse like he hadn’t spoken for a while, “to both.”
"Excellent," Merlin grinned, looking Arthur up and down in a way that made Arthur's skin tingle. "I'd like to flog you, if that’s something you think you would like. You have a bottom made for it, and this sofa looks like it would be the perfect height.”
“The perfect height for what?” The whispered question was out of his mouth before he could stop it, mind somewhat preoccupied with the thought of Merlin checking out his behind.
“To bend you over,” Merlin whispered back, just a little teasing. “I wouldn’t want to hurt my back having to lean down now, would I?”
“No,” Arthur agreed, forgetting to be outraged by the concern for Merlin's back, while they discussed the logistics of how Arthur would have his arse flogged. Instead, the discrepancy only made his heart beat faster. That was exactly what he wanted, for Merlin to use him however he saw fit.
“Good boy,” Merlin praised, and all of the wild thoughts in Arthur’s mind fell suddenly silent at the words.
Good boy. Merlin had called him his good boy, and all for one little answer. The satisfied look on Merlin’s face suggested the act had been intentional. Or, it could have been in response to the damning, and now rather evident, bulge in Arthur's jeans. Arthur found he didn’t care either way.
“But before any of that,” Merlin dropped the teasing tone, growing serious again, “we need to have a conversation. Impact is fine, but no marks anywhere that can’t be covered by clothes, yes? And you’re happy with the use of the traffic-light system?”
Arthur groaned internally. They had just been getting somewhere. "Merlin, is this really necessary? We both know why we're here. I'm not made of sugar. Please, could we just get on with it?"
Merlin levelled him with an unimpressed look. "It's very necessary, Arthur. I did warn you that we'd be having this conversation today."
“Yes, but we were just getting somewhere, and we’ve covered all of this already. You know my answer.” To drive the point home, his eyes strayed to the pre-negotiated duffel bag of supplies Merlin had brought with him that evening. This was far from new ground.
“I’m not taking risks for my own selfish impatience, or yours. It would be too easy to fall into something that you aren’t comfortable with that way.”
And Arthur’s dick, the traitor that it was, gave a jump at the protective edge to Merlin’s voice. He sighed. “You’re right. Sorry. Yes, impact is fine. No marks that might lead to awkward questions, and the traffic-light system is good.”
“Okay,” Merlin smiled. “What about contact? Toys, hands, mouth, cock? Any contact, from light touch to full penetration is entirely your decision. If you’d like, we can forgo skin contact entirely.”
Arthur’s groan was most certainly not internal, that time. “Anything,” he ground out, recoiling from the idea of Merlin not touching him for an entire evening. “Everything. Contact is fine. I want anything that you’ll give me, please.”
Merlin chuckled at the plea, pleased, eyes roaming up and down Arthur’s body. “You can have it, I promise. But you have to earn it first.”
“Tell me,” Arthur leaned in, barely restraining himself from squirming under Merlin's scrutiny.
“I’ll bend you over this sofa, get a good look at what we’re working with, yes? And then I’ll warm you up. I’ll start gently and we’ll see how much you can take. And then, if you’re good, I’ll fuck you until you come. I know how much you like to be filled.”
Arthur, entirely past shame now, and using every ounce of his self-control not to throw himself at Merlin, let out a little whimper. He wanted it. Wanted it so badly.
“Does that sound okay?” Merlin’s voice had lost the rasping, hungry edge that it had developed as he had described what he wanted to do to Arthur. The question wasn’t a tease. Merlin wanted his consent.
“Yes.” Arthur answered in a heartbeat.
“Arthur,” Merlin warned, unimpressed by the negligible time that Arthur had taken to consider what he was suggesting.
Arthur took a deep breath, pushing down his exasperation. Something told him that this feeling was going to become very familiar, very quickly, with Merlin in his life. Confronted with Merlin’s wide, expectant eyes, however, he figured that he might just be worth the extra expenditure of patience.
Merlin cared. He cared about Arthur, that what they did together was safe and never short of consensual. Having to discuss things so explicitly still made something uncomfortable squirm in Arthur's stomach, but he would get over that. He’d get over it, for Merlin.
“Yes,” he tried again, “that sounds good. I’d like that - what you suggested.”
“Good.” Merlin smiled, reaching across to smooth his thumb across the soft inside of Arthur’s wrist. “Now. Stand up and strip,” he ordered, voice taking on a low, deliciously authoritative quality as he sank further into the sofa, resting his arms across the top, making it plain that he intended to watch Arthur do exactly as he’d commanded. When Arthur sprang to his feet, wriggling his arm up the sleeve of his jumper, Merlin added, with a hint of amusement, “Slowly. I want to enjoy it.”
“Yes, Sir.” Arthur muttered, cheeks growing pink under Merlin’s unwavering gaze. It was the first time he had said it aloud, the name Merlin had instructed Arthur to call him when they were playing. He found he liked the weight of it on his tongue.
“Enunciate, Arthur. What’s the use of those lovely polished consonants if you mumble when talking to me?”
“Sorry, Sir.” Arthur’s pronunciation could have cut glass that time and he spared a brief, hysterical thought for the fact that this probably hadn't been the scenario his father had pictured when scolding him for dropping the ends of his words as a child.
“Much better,” Merlin praised, and that really shouldn’t have been enough to send a shock of renewed arousal running through Arthur.
He was too nervous to check if Merlin was as affected by the game as he already was. He didn’t know if he would be told off for doing so in the first place. Instead, he focused on slowly removing his jumper, and then the shirt beneath, tamping down his unease as he did so, and shushing the anxious voice in his head that insisted he was doing something wrong. There was no way that Merlin could find this sexy. In fact, Arthur thought that he shouldn't even try to make it so. Instead, he focused on doing as Merlin asked, and hoped that he wasn’t doing too bad a job of it.
As if reading Arthur’s thoughts, Merlin shifted on the sofa. “Gorgeous. You’re so gorgeous, Pet. Just like that, nice and slow for me. Belt next.”
Arthur’s blush deepened at the endearment. Arthur enjoyed it almost as much as the complement Merlin had paid him. It gave him the courage to continue, reaching down to slowly unbuckle his belt, rather than crumple with the nerves that had been plaguing him only moments before. Emboldened, Arthur let his eyes flick upwards to where Merlin was watching him. Merlin’s hungry, wrapt expression took his breath away. He was watching Arthur intently, as though he were the only thing worth looking at, eyes skimming the length of Arthur’s limbs, catching at the stretched material of his jeans, now bracketed by the loose ends of his belt. When Merlin’s eyes finally came up to meet Arthur’s, Arthur only had a second to enjoy the fierce heat there, before he dropped his gaze to his feet.
“Look at me, Arthur.” Merlin’s command took Arthur by surprise. Heart pounding wildly in his chest, he did as he was asked. Merlin’s expression was just as focused as it had been moments before, but his smile was warm. “You can look at me whenever you like. I want you to watch me as I watch you. I want you to see how much I’m enjoying it. Enjoying you .”
Arthur swallowed, starting to wonder if Merlin really could read his mind. “Yes, Sir. Thank you.”
Before he could resume undressing, with his own eyes fixed firmly on Merlin’s now, Merlin asked, “Colour?”
“Green.” Arthur replied, a smile playing on his lips. Only Merlin could think that asking Arthur to strip would be pushing at his limits. Merlin, however, gave him a warm, genuine smile at his answer, and that alone was enough to make Arthur forget his misgivings. He’d do anything to gain another pleased reaction like that from the man sat across from him.
“Good. Carry on then. Belt,” Merlin prompted, gaze sliding down Arthur’s torso to the accessory in question.
It was easier this time, to reach for the end of the belt and slide it loose, loop by loop. When Merlin swallowed, just a little, at the satisfying clunk of the belt falling to the floor where Arthur dropped it, he found himself relaxing into it even more. He felt powerful. Wanted. Despite being the one laying himself bare, the way Merlin followed his every move made Arthur feel as though he were the one with the power. It was intoxicating. When he unbuttoned his jeans, he couldn’t help but slip his hands downwards, grinding the heel of his hand over his erection. His eyes fluttered shut at the relief, so that he missed the change in Merlin’s expression. “Did I say that you could touch yourself?”
“Sorry Sir.” Arthur’s eyes snapped open as he apologised, letting his hand fall back to his side. His stomach clenched at the rebuke, but he wasn’t really sorry. Not really. He couldn’t even convince his tone to sound truly apologetic, not when it had felt so good.
“Careful, Arthur, don’t forget who's in charge here. Touch yourself again and I’ll have to punish you.”
“The flogger, Sir?” Arthur’s breath hitched at the promise of Merlin’s earlier suggestion.
“No,” Merlin snorted. “I think you’d enjoy that too much. I mean a real punishment. Something to teach you some control. I’d get you all worked up, and deny you any relief. Teach you the real meaning of need. You’d soon learn to control your impulses.”
Merlin wouldn’t. Arthur knew he wouldn’t. There was no way he’d insist on such an explicit negotiation, only to change the game like this. But there was a threat there, in the stern glint of his eyes, that made Arthur pause. He might not do it, not right now, but that glint told Arthur that he would. If Arthur wasn’t as careful as he’d been warned to be, Merlin wouldn’t hesitate to punish him in the future. It wasn’t a threat, but a promise; and that thought was as exciting as it was daunting.
His thoughts had taken most of his concentration, and Merlin took the pause to fill the silence once more. “You know I’d do it, don’t you? I can see it in your eyes. Good. Perhaps you’ll control yourself from here.”
“I will, Sir. I promise.” But Arthur couldn’t vouch for the sincerity of the words. He wanted to make Merlin happy, so badly. Yet there was also a part of him, larger than he would have thought possible, that wanted to push his Dom, to test the boundaries of this new thing between them. It seemed as though, once again, Merlin saw right through him.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Pet,” he chided. “I’m not sure you can control yourself yet, but don’t worry, I’ll teach you.”
“Thank you, Sir.” And this time, the words were entirely genuine.
It seemed as though that was the end of the conversation, because Merlin setted himself against the back of the sofa once more, and gestured for Arthur to continue. Soon, he stood before Merlin in only his boxers. When Merlin’s gaze fell to Arthur’s crotch, and the prominent damp patch that had developed as he’d slowly undressed, painfully hard under Merlin’s keen supervision, he was more than a little pleased that he’d chosen a light grey pair for the evening. Dark fabric would have made it harder for Merlin to see how much Arthur was enjoying their game, how much Arthur wanted him.
“Perfect,” Merlin whispered. Arthur just stood there, still, allowing Merlin to look his fill. After several moments, Merlin dragged his eyes back to Arthur’s face. “Boxers, too.”
Arthur's hands jumped to do as Merlin directed. In just a few seconds, he would be completely naked before Merlin, who was still fully dressed, save for the shoes that he had insisted on removing on arrival.
If someone had told him earlier that evening that he would be doing this, he would have blushed furiously. As it was, he found himself loving it, loving the way Merlin watched him, and the way it made him feel. As the last item of clothing fell to the floor, he had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from smiling, a little giddy with the rush of power that Merlin’s rapt attention gave him.
“I’ve half a mind to forbid you from ever wearing clothes again, Pet. A body like yours shouldn't be hidden away.” Merlin leaned forward, bracing his arms on his knees as he regarded Arthur. “Turn around for me.”
Arthur, again, did as he was bidden, turning very slowly, wanting Merlin to enjoy the movement of his body, just as he had enjoyed Arthur’s slow revealing of it.
“Do you know what?” Merlin’s tone took on a wistful note that piqued Arthur’s interest. He suddenly wished he had moved faster, so that he was facing Merlin once more to see the expression on his face.
“Sir?”
“I think I was wrong earlier. Your arse is even better than I was expecting.”
Arthur couldn’t hide his smirk at the complement. Silently, he took his previous thought back. Perhaps it was a good idea Merlin couldn’t see his expression. “Thank you, Sir”.
Merlin chuckled, “No need to thank me for the truth, Arthur. Now, could you fetch a flogger from the duffel bag please? There’s a few in there. I’d like you to choose which one you’d like me to use.”
“Yes, Sir. Thank you.”
He moved quickly to the bag, heart rate increasing at the thought of what might be inside and at the thought of Merlin selecting them, planning what they might do together. Sifting through, he found three floggers, as promised. The first was made of simple silicone, soft as butter with long, flexible lashes. Arthur ran his hand down its length, imagining how it would tease his skin, its sting light and playful. A starter, rather than a main event.
The second was mid-length and made of suede. It had a pleasing weight, the leather warming quickly to his touch. The lashes were soft, but a little firmer than the silicone ones, caressing his skin as he threaded his fingers through them, holding more threat than the former had. Depending on its user, it could inflict a wealth of sensations.
The last flogger was a little intimidating, Arthur wasn’t ashamed to admit. He could tell, just looking at its knotted lashes that it would inflict pain. Real pain. And it wasn’t that he shied away from that, exactly. He trusted that Merlin knew what he was doing, knew he wouldn't have brought it if he didnt. He just didn’t think that this was what he wanted from their first evening together. That was probably something that they should work up to. Both of them.
Arthur had to stifle a laugh at the thought of Merlin, checking in with him every two seconds to ensure he wasn't crossing a line, and Arthur, minimising his reactions for fear of scaring Merlin off entirely. No. Definitely something to work up to.
Mind made up, he selected the suede flogger and returned to Merlin, holding it out towards him, handle-first. Merlin smiled, evidently pleased by Arthur’s choice, "Thank you, Pet. This is perfect.”
Arthur returned the smile. Now that his hands and mind were unoccupied, he found himself having to focus even harder on not touching himself. His cock, rather than becoming disinterested during the interlude, had enjoyed the mental images the different floggers had conjured. He could feel it pulsing in time with the heartbeat in his ears, could feel the wet slide of precome collecting at the tip and spilling down the shaft, no longer being soaked up by the material of his boxers. Fisting his hands to stop himself from giving into temptation, he met Merlin’s eyes. “Where would you like me, Sir?”
“Such manners, Arthur. I must thank whoever instilled them in you,” Merlin grinned, though on seeing the complicated dance of expressions that flitted across Arthur’s face, amended, “Or perhaps not.”
Arthur grimaced in agreement. He wouldn’t inflict Uther Pendragon’s presence on anyone, and certainly not on Merlin.
Merlin snorted, “Okay, that’s enough of that.” Face becoming serious once more, he stood up. After so long standing above him, Arthur was briefly shocked by the reminder of Merlin’s height. “I’m going to bend you over now and put this to good use.” He swung the flogger in a playful arc, and Arthur’s mind abandoned all thoughts of his father and willingly followed Merlin’s segue back on topic. “We’ll see if we can get those cheeks nice and warmed up, shall we?”
“Yes, Sir.”
In lieu of a response, Merlin guided Arthur gently by the hips over to the sofa, applying just the slightest amount of pressure to instruct Arthur to kneel on the seat and brace his arms on the backrest. Instead of moving away, Merlin only crowded closer, pressing his clothed crotch to Arthur’s behind. Arthur wasn’t entirely successful at stifling his gasp at the press of Merlin’s rough, denim-clad erection against his bare skin. He had been so caught up in their game, that Arthur had almost forgotten that he was entirely naked while Merlin was fully-clothed. Now, it was almost all he could think about, beside the threat of the flogger, which Merlin had begun to tease along the outside of Arthur’s thigh.
“I was right,” Merlin hummed happily. “The perfect height.”
Arthur shot Merlin a playful look over his shoulder, “I’m glad, Sir. Wouldn’t want you to strain yourself.”
Merlin laughed. “Quite.”
He ground his hips against Arthur’s arse a final time before taking a step back, continuing to tease the flogger across Arthur’s skin. The simple touch had Arthur squirming in an embarrassingly short period of time, and he had to bite down on his tongue to stop himself from urging Merlin to just get on with it already. Merlin had been fine with his teasing, but he figured that barking those words at him wouldn’t be so well received.
Merlin, however, seemed fully aware of the effect he was having on Arthur. His tone was pleased when he brought his lips to the shell of Arthur’s ear to whisper, “Perhaps I was wrong about your self-control. You’re being very good for me, Arthur. Look at you, hard and leaking, and just waiting patiently. Letting me do whatever I want to you. Such a good boy.”
Of course, now that Merlin had drawn attention to it, the aching pressure between his legs was all he could think about. A groan slipped past his lips when he looked down and saw that Merlin was right. A shiny trail of precome was dripping from the tip of his cock, swollen and flushed dark, to pool in a wet patch between his knees on the sofa cushion .
Well, that would be a fun stain to get out.
“Colour?”
Arthur blinked, taking a few seconds to realise that Merlin was waiting for a response, that he had to break out of the passive space he’d sunk into.
“Green.” But it was as though speaking had broken a little more of the control inside him. He felt his muscles shake a little from the effort of holding himself still, needing Merlin to do something more than pass the flogger across his skin in light, feather-soft strokes. “Please, Sir. I need more.”
“Hmm?” was Merlin’s only reply, not stopping his movements or altering their pressure. When the lashes skimmed across the cleft of his arse, Arthur whined.
“Please, Sir. Harder.” Something, anything other than the incessant teasing. He would even take no touch at all, over this: the barely there sensation that made Arthur all too aware of every nerve ending in his body.
“Patience,” Merlin cooed, “we’ll get there.”
Arthur summoned his limited, remaining self-control to bite down on the sharp retort that bristled on his tongue.
“But you have been good for me. I suppose we could step things up a little.” Merlin chuckled at Arthur’s relieved half-sob.
He didn’t know what he’d been expecting. Pain, possibly, or more unbearably light teasing. But the gentle kiss of the suede against his skin as Merlin spun the flogger in a fast circular motion against the backs of his thighs and the cheeks of his arse was a surprise. After a few moments, Arthur found himself grinning into his forearm. The effect was exactly what Merlin had threatened from the start. The strikes were gentle and whisper soft on their own, but over time, built into a growing heat across his skin, a slowly-building sensual burn that had Arthur keening into the touch.
“Stunning,” Merlin whispered, switching the flogger to Arthur’s other thigh, running the flat of his hand in a gentle caress across the skin he had warmed.
Arthur wished he could see what Merlin was seeing, what Merlin had done to him. Was his skin as flushed and warm as it felt? Was it light pink, or a dark red? He was so caught up in his thoughts, in the sensation of the flogger against his skin, that he nearly missed the fact that Merlin had continued to speak. “How’s that, Pet? Feeling any better?”
“Yes, Sir. Thank you.” And it was the truth. The shaky, uncontrollable need had simmered down into a warm tug of desire. He just needed to trust Merlin. He would give him what he needed.
“Ready for a little more?” Merlin paused the movement of the flogger and the slow caress of his fingers across Arthur’s skin, giving him the space to answer. Not that he needed it. His mouth had the answer ready, in barely more time than his mind had needed to consider the question.
“Yes Sir, more, please.” He imagined Merlin’s resulting smile.
“Very well.”
This time, when Merlin brought the flogger down, Arthur felt a little of the sting that he had been expecting from the start. It intensified the gentle heat that had built across his skin and Arthur didn’t attempt to stifle his whine, leaning more into the sofa and pushing his hips out towards Merlin, presenting himself shamelessly.
Perhaps misjudging his movement for discomfort, Merlin paused. “Everything okay?”
“Yes,” Arthur chuckled, “Entirely green if that’s what you’re asking. Who taught you to use that thing?”
Merlin huffed a laugh too, pinching Arthur’s bum unexpectedly, “Now that, Pet, is a story for a different day. Okay to continue?”
Rather than responding, Arthur grumbled, pushing his bum out even further by way of response. Merlin seemed to sense Arthur’s slip of patience, however, because the next strike of the flogger against his cheek brought a sharp, rebuking sting. “Where did those lovely manners go?”
“Sorry, Sir.” Arthur grinned into his forearm. He hadn’t expected the evening to be as fun as it was shaping up to be, but Merlin and his ability to flit between playful and serious just kept surprising him.
“Better.”
After the single stinging lash, Merlin returned to the lighter movements he’d been using before. He brought the flogger down on Arthur’s skin in a rhythmic, unrelenting pattern. Before long, Arthur was certain that his skin was glowing, the gentle heat having built into a wildfire under Merlin’s attention, and Arthur was a mess. He was panting, leaning into the kiss of the flogger every time Merlin brought it down against his skin.
“Oh Pet, I wish you could see yourself,” Merlin whispered, placing the flogger down by Arthur's side, to run both hands against Arthur’s flushed, sensitive skin.
“Me too, Sir.” Arthur groaned.
“We’ll use a mirror next time. Then you’ll be able to. You can watch me too. Would you like that?”
Arthur had to focus really, really hard on keeping his hands in place, and not letting them stray to his cock at Merlin’s words. “Yes, Sir. I’d like that a lot.”
Merlin hummed, a small, pleased sound; and continued running his fingers along Arthur’s skin. “You’ve been very patient. I’m so proud of you. I’d like to fuck you now. What do you think?”
“Yes, Sir. Please, I’d really like that.” His heart hammered in his chest at just the thought of Merlin being inside him.
“I’m so glad to hear that. I’m going to collect some things, but I won’t be long.”
Despite Merlin’s words, Arthur couldn’t help but look over his shoulder to where Merlin was kneeling beside the duffel bag, needing to see for himself that he hadn’t strayed too far. He watched with an ever-growing impatience as Merlin carefully sifted through the bag, before straightening and returning to Arthur’s side with lube and condoms.
“How are the knees?” Merlin smiled at finding Arthur’s eyes on him.
“Oh?” said Arthur, briefly thrown by the question. “Fine. They’re fine.” If he weren’t so unbearably turned on, he was sure he’d be laughing at the fact that Merlin was thinking of his knees, when all he should be thinking about was getting inside of Arthur as soon as possible. He watched with rapt attention as Merlin unbuttoned the fly of his jeans, just enough to free himself and roll on a condom, before resuming his previous position, ghosting his fingers across Arthur’s flushed skin. Just the lightest of pressures had Arthur arching into Merlin’s touch.
“This is what I imagined earlier.” Merlin’s voice was a little raspy now and something inside Arthur glowed with the knowledge that he had played some part in that. “You’re so ready for me, aren’t you, Pet?”
Arthur called upon every inch of his self-restraint not to sound impatient when he replied, “Yes, Sir.”
“Colour?”
“Green,” Arthur replied, but the word might as well have been a plea for the obvious implication his tone carried.
Merlin chuckled, and Arthur knew it was coming, knew because he had been warned by Merlin’s encouragement to widen his knees, and then the popping sound of a cap; but he still jumped when Merlin ran two lubed fingers across his hole. The gasp became a quiet groan when the fingers pressed in, just a little, and melted into a whine when Merlin pressed a kiss to the top of Arthur’s spine.
“Stay there, Gorgeous. Just like that.”
Merlin pushed himself in, slowly, unbearably slowly. He paused to run his fingers down Arthur’s sensitised flank once the head of his cock sank inside; and Arthur just wanted to push back, to take Merlin until they were flush against each other, but he reminded himself to be patient. Instead, he listened to the sound of his and Merlin’s loud breaths in the silence of the room.
Finally, when Arthur was ready to scream, Merlin started moving again. Arthur’s fingers twitched with the need to reach behind himself and force Merlin to move faster, but he resisted, and suddenly the need was gone, because Merlin was pressed against him, denim on skin. Merlin paused there, allowing Arthur to accustom to the stretch of him, resuming his feather-light touches over Arthur’s skin and once, twice, pressing gentle kisses to the nape of Arthur’s neck.
Soon, the stretch became a need again, and Arthur turned his head towards Merlin, gaze imploring, “Please, Sir.”
Merlin didn’t respond with words, instead beginning to rock his hips against Arthur, reaching around to take him in hand, stroking him in time with his thrusts. Everything became a delicious pressure, the feel of Merlin inside him and around him, and Arthur knew that it couldn’t continue for long.
“Sir,” he warned, “I won’t… I won’t last.”
Merlin laughed, low and breathy, “You’re vastly overestimating my stamina, Arthur. You haven’t seen yourself. Or felt yourself, for that matter. Now come on, Pet, give in, let me look after you.” His mouth was hot on the back of Arthur’s neck, and Arthur, for the first time that evening, didn't have to fight with himself to do as he was told. He let his head fall back onto Merlin’s shoulder, giving himself over entirely to the other man, whose movements grew gradually faster and more erratic as he pushed them both to the edge.
“Merlin, I’m going to –” he warned, feeling the telltale pressure of his orgasm building.
“Yeah. Yeah. Come on Arthur,” Merlin encouraged, and Arthur could tell he wasn’t too far behind.
He placed a final kiss to the side of Arthur’s neck and worked his fist around the head of Arthur’s cock, pushing into him and just grinding there. Arthur was lost to sensation. He came, spilling over his own chest and Merlin’s fist, using the limited brain power he had remaining to stay upright, feeling suddenly boneless. Merlin held him tightly against his front as he came, pressed as deeply inside of Arthur as he was able to go. Arthur found himself wishing that Merlin had foregone the condom, so he could spill inside him properly; so that he wouldn’t be able to move after without Merlin's come sliding out and reminding him of what they’d done, of how Merlin had used him and made Arthur his.
The thought was possessive and took Arthur by surprise, even as he knew he wouldn’t take it back. He had never had such a strong reaction to sex before, not even with long-term partners. Never felt so entirely turned inside out by someone’s attention. It was as though he had given over a part of himself irreversibly to Merlin, and with stark clarity, Arthur now understood Merlin’s insistence that they discuss everything between themselves beforehand. This was powerful, what they were doing together, intoxicating.
They collapsed onto the sofa, Merlin’s arms coming around Arthur to pull him close, and Arthur pressed a kiss to the salty skin of Merlin's forearm. He could feel Merlin’s heart thumping against his back, both of them breathing hard and fast.
“That was – ” Arthur started.
“Yeah,” Merlin agreed.
After a few beats, Arthur tried again. “So, what now?” He winced at the lameness of the question, and immediately wished he had remained silent.
Merlin seemed unfazed, however, pulling back to grin at Arthur, “Well, first, we are going to take a shower. Then, I’m going to judge you for what is likely to be an upsettingly healthy collection of snacks in your kitchen; and then, I’m pretty sure something was mentioned about a Stargate box set?”
Arthur snorted with laughter, sitting up and pulling Merlin with him. “Sounds acceptable. But you’re wrong about one thing.”
He enjoyed the confused expression flickering across Merlin’s face, before he gave in to the bait, raising an eyebrow and asking, “Oh yeah, and what’s that then?”
Arthur stood, walking on shaky legs in the direction of the bathroom, looking over his shoulder to confirm that Merlin was following him. “If you check the cupboard over the kettle, there’s a stash of chocolate.”
Merlin groaned, face splitting into a beaming smile, “Oh my God, you actually are perfect.”
Arthur hid his pleased smile by tugging Merlin into the bathroom, and setting about the long overdue task of ridding him of his clothes.