Kept us Awake with Wolf Teeth 2
Title: Kept us awake with wolves teeth
Rating: Explicit
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Summary:Merlin and Arthur have one of those friendships where they're just so comfortable with each other they see no problem in sleeping in the same bed together
They don’t stay up as late as they do on the weekends and when they’re both yawning and verging on delirious, Arthur shucks his shirt off into a heap of dirty laundry. “Maybe I’ll sleep naked tonight.” He says in mock seriousness.
Merlin is a lump of comforter on the bed but Arthur still hears his “Ew, no” and laughs when he lays on top of Merlin who lets out a muffled cry of “Noooooo”
Arthur rolls to his side of the bed squishing Merlin into the wall a little, who reaches out from under the blanket and places a smack on his bare chest. He pokes his head out and Arthur tries not to think of him as a woodland creature when he wrinkles his nose and says “Why is your skin sticky?”
Tucking himself under the covers he tells him “I was sweating”
“Gross” Merlin replies but there’s no real disgust behind his voice only amusement.
They lay in a comfortable silence, Merlin’s breathing soft and even next to him and Arthur can feel it in little puffs on his neck. This started when they were three, this routine of falling asleep together, and it feels like a tradition that really matters. Sometimes his father would try to broach the subject of stopping when Merlin goes home. He says things like “Arthur, I think you’re getting a little old for sleepovers”, and “You know Merlin is like a son to me, but I hear he’s a bit, well, you know.” There’s a moment when Arthur looks up from his coffee mug and grits out “a bit what?” Uther pinches the bridge of his nose before composing himself and replies evenly “You know what, Arthur, and people will talk. And you should be a little worried he might try something.” Arthur leans back in chair and calmly tell him “I’ll try my best to keep Merlin from raping me. Maybe I’ll just keep pepper spray under my pillow, yeah?” They never talk about it again. Arthur knows this will end one day but he’s not strong enough to deal with that thought now.
He turns his face towards Merlin. “Hey M?”
Merlin starts giggling and shoves his face in the pillow to stifle it “Oh god, I hope it’s a good one tonight.”
Arthur snorts and shakes his head, linen sheets scraping roughly against his face. “I just… I don’t… just this okay?”
Merlin opens an eye “What the fuck are you on about?” he asks, but suddenly Arthur’s fingertips are dancing feather light across his face. Arthur makes a choked off noise that Merlin knows are words being forced back and Arthur’s nose nudges against his. They do this dance for what feels like a lifetime for Merlin, his heart stuttering rapidly in his chest while he waits for Arthur’s next move. When Arthur finally kisses him it’s light and nervous and he moves his lips slowly against Merlin’s and he brings his hand under the covers to curl around his hip. Merlin can’t help the small moan that escapes because he’s been dreaming of this since he was fourteen, been laying in his room on nights he’s alone with his hand curled around himself and “ArthurArthurArthur” tumbling from his lips when he comes.
Then it was over and Arthur was moving back to his side of the bed, hand slipping off of Merlin’s hip. Merlin tries to focus on him in the darkness, only making out his profile and he feels dread pool inside his chest. He thinks ‘This is the end of our friendship, Arthur’s never going to talk to me again, he probably thought it was a joke and he heard me moan knew how much I wanted it and…’
“Shut up” Arthur tugs his ear “You’re thinking I know you are. Just go to sleep, nothing’s changed.” His smile his bright even in the dark and Merlin manages to nod his head and let Arthur ruffle his hair. Arthur’s not panicking, not shoving Merlin off the bed and telling him this was a big mistake -but he said “nothing’s changed” -and somehow that felt so much worse.
#
Outside the art studio is a stretch of crumbling cement that leads to the massive kiln, that is really only used for students to shirk going to class. It’s where Arthur finds Merlin the next day, sitting on the cement next to Will who has a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. As Arthur walks up to them Will stamps his cigarette out and tucks it behind his ear for later, muttering “dick” at Arthur and walking away. Merlin snickers and Arthur puts his hands out.
“What the fuck?” he looks after Will
Merlin leans back on his elbows, a smug looking grin on his face “He hates you, mate.”
“Yeah, I got that, why?” Arthur rocks forward on his toes a little.
Merlin shrugs “I dunno, just told me he thinks you’re a cunt.” He says it so easily and when Arthur just stares at him Merlin sits up and casts his hands in front of him in mock surrender saying “I didn’t say anything to him, he came to that conclusion on his own.”
Arthur rolls his eyes and sits down next to Merlin. “I don’t know why you hang out with that chav.” He grumbles
“Your classist” Merlin says it with a little smirk on his face.
“I hang out with you.” He says it like it’s a favor he’s doing for society by hanging out with him and it makes Merlin laugh.
He bumps his shoulder against Arthur’s and mutters back “Yeah, well, community service and all that.” The air is getting chilly and it kicks up a little bit around them, prompting Merlin to zip up his hoodie. “Want to go to The Cornerstone with me tonight?”
Arthur shakes his head and digs the toes of his shoes into the dirt in front of them. “Can’t, I have a date with Vivian tonight.” And if Merlin gets a little tense next to him, he pretends not to notice. Arthur runs his hand over the back of his neck and admits “I don’t really want to go. On the date with her I mean.”
“Then don’t” Merlin says it like it’s so easy.
“But I want to get laid.” He continues.
Merlin gets to his feet and stretches, popping his back in a few places and nods “Yeah that, forgot. I’ll just hang out with Morgana and Gwaine.”
Arthur swallows hard “You interested in Gwaine?” he has to ask, keep needling at this subject, only because he can feel it that he’ll get something out of Merlin here.
“You’re a prick.” Merlin laughs and shakes his head “Gwaine and Morgana are like -a thing now.” He turns on his heels and walks away from Arthur, the air suddenly feeling heavy and thick around him as he watches a couple of art students make out behind the kiln. He scrapes his shoes against the cement and makes the decision to go find Vivian.
#
The date is one of the more disastrous ones in -well not just Arthur’s history -definitely the history of everyone. Vivian spends most of her time on her phone texting probably everyone and it’s a small mercy that she suggests they go back to Arthur’s before they even make it to the theater from the restaurant.
Morgana, Gwaine, and Merlin are in the kitchen slinging flour at each other and the only acknowledgement Arthur gets is Morgana making a rude gesture at him. He doesn’t have the time to stand about long because Vivian is pulling him up the stairs, pulling her shirt off before they even get to his room.
She’s a messy kisser, and it feels more like a personal challenge to see how far she can get her tongue down Arthur’s throat. When she backs Arthur up against the bed he hurriedly pushes her away spluttering out “Mmm not the bed -it’s
not -um the sheets, not washed.”
Vivian watches him cautiously for a moment before she opts for shoving him down into his computer chair.
In the end it’s unsurprising that Vivian fucks like she’s auditioning for porn and with the way she’s yelling as she rides him in the chair, Arthur has to ask a few times if she’s alright. Eventually she just shoves her hand over his mouth like he’s the one screaming down the house and Arthur hears the thudding of footsteps outside and Gwaine yelling “Ooooo Arthur” in the girliest voice he can muster. There’s a collection of laughing and even Arthur has to bite back a smile that’s fighting to make an appearance. Even when Morgana says rather loudly “Someone needs to get that girl a muzzle.” Vivian doesn’t notice or just chooses not to acknowledge it.
She has the most terrifying orgasm Arthur’s ever stood witness to and once she recovers she pulls herself off of him before he’s even gotten the chance to come. “That was fun.” She kisses him lightly as she pulls her skirt up “I’ll see you in class. And you know, call me if you ever want to do this again.” She offers up a dramatic wink and leaves him alone. In his room. In the dark. With an erection.
Arthur covers his face with his hands and mutters out a tired “Jesus Christ”. He pulls off the condom and tosses it into the bin by his desk deciding that he’s going to at least give himself a good wank tonight. For being such a great sport and all. He wraps his fingers around his eager cock and strokes himself slowly at first, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back against the chair. He can’t bring himself to think about Vivian, he’s sure he’ll lose the moment if he does. Instead Arthur lets his own subconscious take the wheel as he stretches his legs out in front of him.
He’s entirely unsurprised when the only image he can muster up is messy black hair and wildly innocent looking blue eyes. He thinks of three freckles in a row across a smooth pale shoulder blade and pressing a kiss against them. Arthur can feel his climax building and his breath catches at the thought of quiet little gasps falling from those bowed lips that are usually calling him a prat with familiar fondness. His orgasm shudders through his whole body and he can’t hold back from stammering out “nnn god, Merlin”.
There’s a moment of Arthur staring up at his ceiling, heart stuttering wildly, before he wipes his hand off on his discarded shirt and pulls on a pair of pajama pants. Stumbling into the hallway, Arthur thinks he might be bordering on hysteria and when he gets downstairs it’s only Morgana and Gwaine playing cards on the living room floor. Gwaine laughs when he sees Arthur and shakes his head and Morgana flicks a card in his direction yelling “God damn it Arthur, never bring that thing back here ever again.”
“She left before I finished” Arthur says with a hefty sigh and Gwaine laughs harder rolling onto his back and even Morgana smiles a little. “That was the single scariest experience of my life.”
Morgana gestures for him to sit down with them and she deals out his own pile of cards. “Good, I’m glad it was terrible for you. Serves you right.”
Arthur lets out a humorless laugh and says “I had a nice time with myself afterwards though.”
“Good man” Gwaine nods at him “Be your own best friend is what I always say.”
There’s a companionable silence as they all pool in their bets of miscellaneous change and office supplies that had been scavenged from around the house when Arthur finally ventures to ask “Where did Merlin go?”
Morgana gives him a look that’s almost pitying “Home.” Even Gwaine has his gaze in his lap “Just -don’t call or -maybe -just wait to talk to him tomorrow. Been a long day, Arthur.”
And just like that Arthur feels hollow and tired
#
Arthur finds himself dwelling downstairs hours after Morgana and Gwaine disappear into her room and he finds he’s a little embarrassed at Morgana’s ability to use discretion when canoodling with the opposite sex. Or maybe it’s because she chooses better bed partners. He keeps himself perched up on the kitchen counter holding his phone so tightly his knuckles white. In case Merlin has to call.
“Hey”
Arthur jumps and falls off the counter, looking up at Gwaine with his sleep rumpled hair. “Can you stop doing that? I don’t know make noise or something when you’re coming around corners.”
Gwaine laughs and helps Arthur to his feet “Sorry, I’ll invest in a bell collar.” He reaches for a cup “You’re up pretty late.”
“Uh yeah I guess. Couldn’t sleep you know um.” Arthur focuses on a blank spot on the wall above the calendar “wind’s loud.”
Gwaine laughs and slaps Arthur’s shoulder “Wind’s loud? Oh, Arthur, you need to work on your excuses. I mean I know you don’t like me, but give me more credit than that.”
Arthur forces himself to look at Gwaine and says so quietly that Gwaine barely hears him “I don’t -not like you -it’s. You’re sleeping with my sister. It’s biological instinct. Protectiveness.”
“Arthur” Gwaine is smiling but it’s softer now, more of a quirk of his lips “She’s your step sister, there’s nothing biological about you two. And I’m not sleeping with her. Well, I mean I’m sleeping next to her but we haven’t really done anything yet. I like her.” He says the last words with such earnest “I want this to be a serious thing.”
Biological or not, Arthur can’t help the warm feeling he gets at the idea of someone taking care of Morgana. Emotionally and all that. “Well, I’m glad. I was wrong about you, I thought you were sort of a slut.”
Gwaine grabs a cup for Arthur as well and starts opening cabinet doors until he finds the liquor. “Sometimes, I guess I am. This is about Merlin isn’t it?” he pours Crown whiskey into their glasses and sighs. “I like Merlin you know, I wasn’t using him or anything. He’s lovely and fun and I wanted to make him feel good.” He drinks his whiskey like it’s water and smacks his lips when he’s done. “I still want him to be happy.”
Arthur stares into his glass and watches the liquid swirl around. He swallows hard against nothing. “He’s my best friend. Since we were little kids he’s always been there. I just want to keep him safe.” He hates how shaky his voice gets.
“Okay” Gwaine nods but his expression is sad “yeah, take care of him then. He’s someone who gives away his heart
completely. Best you look after that.” He clinks his empty glass against Arthur’s and claps him on the shoulder before leaving the kitchen, and Arthur, behind him.
http://colorwheel.livejournal.com/2292.html part 3