Fic: The Epic Tale of What's Under Arthur's Bed
Title: The Epic Tale of What's Under Arthur's Bed
Author: lou_angel and hils
Rating: NC-17
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Words: 6548
Summary: Sequel to The Epic Tale of the Three Dubiously Wise Men only with slightly less crack and a lot more porn
Thanks to Rizzy for the beta work
Arthur would deny it, of course, but he secretly loved the times when he curled up with Merlin in his bed and they whispered to each other.
“I love you,” Merlin whispered in the early hours of the morning, when they were cuddled under the blankets, naked and sweaty. Unlike Arthur, Merlin had no qualms about expressing his feelings.
Arthur rarely said ‘I love you’ back but he often thought it. He thought of it when they were together in bed, when he watched Merlin rushing about his business, even when they were apart. And sometimes he’d even whisper it whilst Merlin slept next to him burying his face into the dark curls at the nape of Merlin’s neck and pressing soft kisses there.
What he hated more than anything was the sad look that would enter Merlin’s eyes whenever Arthur couldn’t say the words back. He wanted to, more than anything, but they just wouldn’t come.
“Merlin,” he finally said one day as they sat in front of the fire. “I know I don’t say it but I just want you to know that I...I...I’d do anything for you.”
“Really?” Merlin asked with a gleam in his eyes that was nothing to do with his magic.
“Of course.” Arthur reached for his goblet and his fingers brushed against Merlin’s hand softly.
“Anything?”
“Yes.”
“You can tidy this mess up for a start, you lazy bugger.” Merlin gestured vaguely around the bedchamber.
“You can’t call me that!” Arthur said with a noise that sounded somewhere between a gasp and a laugh.
“Do you just throw stuff on the floor so I have to get down on my knees?” Merlin asked suspiciously.
Arthur didn’t answer.
Merlin's eyes narrowed, but there was a smile twitching at his lips. “I knew it! Right, if you really will do anything for me I have just the thing...”
Arthur didn’t like the sound of that, all of a sudden.
~
“You have to be joking!”
Merlin looked deadly serious.
Arthur stared in horror at the frilly apron Merlin was holding out.
“You made me wear The Hat,” Merlin said grimly.
“Yes, but that wasn’t all you were wearing,” Arthur said helplessly, still eyeing the apron as if it were going to bite him.
Merlin shook it impatiently. He sniffed and did his best ‘kicked puppy’ look, the one he knew always got to Arthur. “Well, if you really don't care for me...”
Arthur sighed. “Now, Merlin, you know I didn’t say that.” He took the apron and eyed it warily. "No one can know about this!”
“My lips are sealed.”
Arthur shucked off his clothes and put on the apron. “You did lock the door didn’t you?”
“Of course,” Merlin said trying (unsuccessfully) to keep a straight face as Arthur stood, hands on hips, wearing nothing but the apron.
“Shut up, Merlin.”
“Oh, you’ll need this.” Merlin thrust a feather duster into Arthur’s hand. Then he sat in a chair by the fire and picked up a paper. “Don’t forget under the bed.”
As Arthur began a halfhearted job of dusting, he could almost hear Merlin smirking at him from behind the paper. He wasn’t reading it of course, just pretending to while he enjoyed the view. Arthur decided to indulge him and bent down to clean under the bed. “My God, Merlin, have you ever cleaned under here in your life?”
“There's an interesting stack of pamphlets with some very - er - unusual drawings under there somewhere.” Merlin said turning a page.
“Oh, God! You found those?” Arthur thought he would die. He stuck his hand further under the bed and pulled something out. It was an old, tattered toy bear with a slightly limp ear. He threw it back under the bed quickly.
“Yeah, I found Mr. Snuggles too.”
That was it. His life was over.
“Well,” he grumbled, “you could have at least dusted under here while you were at it.”
His eyes were on the old bear now, lost in a sea of memories. It had been his favourite when he was a little boy, until his father had told him that such things were not becoming to a king of Camelot. Fearful of what his father would do to the toy, he’d hidden it under his bed, only bringing it out on those rare times when he was especially sad or scared.
There was a small click and the door crashed open.
Merlin jumped, scattering paper everywhere.
Arthur leapt up from the floor and tried to wrap himself in one of the curtains by the bed. “I thought you said you’d locked the door?” He glared at Merlin.
“I did!”
The intruder cleared his throat. “You can thank me any time you like for making this,” he gestured at Arthur who was still trying (and failing) to cover himself, “possible.”
Arthur closed his eyes. “Gandalf.”
Gandalf grinned. “I need to borrow some of those pamphlets you have under your bed. Bloody hobbits...It seems you two aren’t the only ones who need diagrams.”
His life was definitely over now.
“Do I even want to know how you know about those?” Arthur asked.
“A wizard knows all,” Gandalf replied, already rummaging under the bed. “I’ll just take a sample. There's plenty left for you to...enjoy.” He threw a few pieces onto the bed. “What’s this?” He pulled Arthur’s bear out and tossed it aside.
Merlin saw Arthur’s bottom lip wobble.
“There!” Gandalf said with a smile. “That should do it. Do carry on with what you were doing.” He barged out of the door as quickly as he’d entered, leaving Merlin and Arthur alone.
Arthur glared at Merlin, “Lock. The. Door.” As soon as Merlin turned his back, Arthur darted across the room and picked up Mr. Snuggles.
“It is locked,” Merlin said as he turned back. Arthur hid the toy behind his back.
“But - how?”
“He’s a wizard,” Merlin said, “I guess locks aren’t a problem.”
“Doesn’t he know how to knock either?” Arthur grumbled.
Merlin smiled gently and moved over to Arthur. “I’m sorry.” He reached behind Arthur’s back and carefully took the bear out of his hands. “You don't have to hide things from me you know. I'll love you no matter what.”
Arthur kissed him, partly because he wanted to and partly because he didn’t want to see Merlin’s disappointed look when he failed to take this opportunity to declare his love. When they broke apart, Merlin smiled and began to pick up the scattered pages from his paper and pile them on the chair.
“Do you have to do that now?” Arthur asked hoarsely.
“Why?” Merlin asked as he picked up the abandoned feather duster, “did you have something else in mind?”
Arthur grinned. “I’ve got several things in mind, Merlin, and all of them involve you naked in my bed, so let’s go.”
“It may have escaped your notice, sire, but your room doesn’t clean and tidy itself.”
“Bugger the cleaning,” Arthur growled.
Merlin looked thoughtful. Arthur started to worry.
“You said you’d do this for me.” Merlin said eventually.
“Yes, you’re right.” Arthur felt guilty.
“I’ll tell you what,” Merlin said twirling the feather duster in his hand, “I’ll let you off.” Arthur looked relieved and went to undo the ties on the apron. “Wait!” Merlin pointed the duster at him, “keep that on for now...wait there,” Merlin said with a grin and set about rummaging in one of Arthur’s chests. Arthur watched him quizzically until Merlin emerged a few moments later.
“This room is disgusting,” Merlin huffed, haughtily; Arthur's crown now perched on his head. “Honestly, you are the worst servant I have ever had. Maybe I’ll send you to the stocks to teach you a lesson.”
“I do not sound like that!” Arthur said indignantly.
Merlin gave him an absolutely filthy grin and, for a moment, Arthur wondered what he had done to make Merlin so forward. Then he decided he didn’t care and tackled him to the bed instead.
“Well, Merlin,” Merlin said in his best Arthur voice. “Have I ever told you how much I love your ears?”
Arthur groaned as Merlin started to gently nibble the edge of his ear. “God, I’ll be anyone you like so long as you don’t stop doing that.”
“Call me sire.” Merlin whispered
“You’re such an idiot,” Arthur said affectionately. Merlin stopped. “You’re such an idiot, sire,” he amended and felt the gentle hum of laughter on Merlin’s lips as he moved to nibble the other ear.
“I think I’ll need to teach you to walk on your knees, later,” Merlin said as he pressed a kiss to Arthur’s temple.
“I can think of something infinitely more pleasurable to do on my knees,” Arthur growled in response.
“You could scrub the floor.”
Arthur scowled.
“Then you could polish my sword.”
Arthur decided that Merlin needed to shut up.
“Be quiet...sire,” and he captured Merlin’s lips in a kiss.
Merlin was already starting to tug at Arthur’s apron strings, which the prince felt was very much unfair as Merlin had a lot more clothing on than him. He started to work at the string of Merlin’s trousers.
Merlin managed to untie the apron and threw it off the bed.
“I hope I never see that again,” Arthur said into Merlin’s neck.
“Don’t count on it,” Merlin replied, and then dug his fingers into Arthur’s back as the prince slid a hand into his trousers.
Arthur let out an appreciative murmur as he started to stroke Merlin to full hardness. Merlin bucked his hips so Arthur could slide the unwanted clothing down and toss it on the floor.
“Arthur,” he groaned, “please, don’t make me wait.”
Arthur thought about the apron and the duster and ignored Merlin, choosing to tug off the servant’s tunic and to kiss the exposed skin in a slow, delicious torture that made Merlin whimper and claw the prince’s back.
“Not everything needs to be done in a hurry,” he purred in Merlin’s ear. “Believe me, it’ll feel better if you wait a little while.”
Merlin let out a small, strangled yelp as Arthur trailed kisses down his chest and onto his stomach. “I don’t think I can -” Merlin cut off with a strange noise that sounded something like ‘Nyargh’ as Arthur brushed two fingers over a particularly ticklish spot on his side.
“You will,” Arthur replied with an impish grin before he continued to kiss his way down Merlin’s body. “Why, hello,” he said when he reached Merlin’s erection standing tall and proud. “What have we here?”
Merlin whimpered and Arthur chuckled. Then, slowly and deliberately, he flicked his tongue, teasing over the tip of Merlin’s cock before licking a stripe from the tip to the base. Merlin’s breath hitched and he thought he might explode that instant.
Arthur grinned. He loved nothing more than to listen to the sounds Merlin made in moments like this. He breathed gently over the tip and then took it into his mouth. Merlin grasped the blankets beneath him firmly and tried not to arch off the bed and choke Arthur. Soft keening cries escaped his lips as Arthur sucked gently and pressed his tongue against the underside.
“God, Arthur...” Merlin growled with a strangled cry. “That feels so good. So good!”
Arthur started to hum softly, sending vibrations running through Merlin’s body. His vision blanked out and his eyes rolled back. He cried out Arthur’s name as his entire body went rigid, and he only faintly heard the rip of a blanket in his greedy hands, as he came.
As Merlin lay limp on the bed, his ears ringing and his skin tingling, Arthur crawled back up and lay down next to him. “Was that worth waiting for?”
All Merlin could do was nod mutely. Arthur’s fingers trailed up Merlin’s side and traced lazy circles on his chest.
“I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone but you,” he whispered and nipped Merlin’s earlobe.
Merlin smiled as his senses slowly returned to him. “Let me do something for you now.” He reached his hand around Arthur’s erection and started to stroke him.
Arthur shuddered at Merlin’s touch and rocked his hips to match the tempo of Merlin’s strokes with breathy gasps and a muttered curse.
Merlin smiled and tightened his hold on Arthur. “Do you like that?”
“Nyargh!” Arthur could feel a tingling at the base of his spine. His eyes went wide, his pupils so large they looked black. The tingling began to spread and flashed through his body as he rushed into a heady release, spilling over Merlin’s hand and groaning his name.
Merlin sighed happily and wiped his hand clean on one of the sheets. They’d need changing in the morning anyway. Then he cuddled close to Arthur and rested his head on the prince’s shoulder.
Arthur wrapped his arms and a leg around Merlin and nuzzled his face into Merlin’s neck with a kiss. “Stay,” he whispered.
And Merlin knew he would.
~
“Merlin, what are you doing?” Arthur asked when he woke and found himself alone. He was almost about to start pouting, not that he normally pouted of course, at being left alone when he suddenly saw a pair of feet sticking out from underneath the bed.
“You told me to clean under here,” Merlin’s muffled voice replied before he emerged. “What’s this?”
He held up a pink metallic device that Arthur immediately recognized.
“That’s Dumbledore’s iPod!” he said.
“A what?”
His eyes blazed excitedly as he took the device from Merlin and quickly showed him how to work it. “Honestly, Merlin, you have to try it. It’s incredible.”
“What does it do?”
“It plays music!” Arthur said, pressing the earphones into Merlin’s ears and pushing play.
Merlin winced at first when the ‘music’ started to play in his head but after a verse, he decided he quite liked it. He looked at the device.
“I Want to Know What Love is.” He read aloud. “This is quite good.”
Arthur looked horrified.
“Well, obviously, this is Dumbledore’s music, not mine,” he said with a blush, snatching the device away and looking for something else. “Here, try this one instead.”
Merlin listened to a few bars of ‘Firestarter’ before he pulled the earphones out of his ears and said “Arthur, you do know that setting fires isn’t a wise idea?”
Arthur huffed.
“Fine,” Arthur grumbled. “Try this one instead.”
He selected another song before pressing the earphones back into Merlin’s ears.
Merlin seemed to like this choice, or at least he didn’t say that he didn’t. After a while, when Arthur was sure the song had finished, Merlin seemed even more interested. Suspiciously, Arthur looked at the display and saw that his selection had ended and Merlin was now listening to ‘Let’s Get it On.’
“You know,” Merlin said as the track ended and he pulled the earphones out, “I still don’t know what that means.”
“Neither do I,” Arthur said. “Oh well, who cares?” And he kissed him.
Merlin let out a contented murmur and kissed Arthur back before pulling away. “Sadly, I have jobs to do.”
“Would it help if I sacked you?” Arthur suggested.
“Not really,” Merlin replied. “I’d just go back to being Gaius’s assistant. Besides, you have duties to attend to as well.”
“In that case, I order you to get back here as soon as you can,” Arthur said imperiously. “I have something urgent I need you to attend to.”
“Oh really?” Merlin grinned.
“Yes,” Arthur said earnestly, “I’ll find the songs I want you to listen to.” He waved the iPod.
Merlin was disappointed.
~
“I'm done,” Merlin announced as he strolled back into Arthur’s room, having performed all his duties in record time and with only small uses of magic. “Arthur? Arthur!”
It was only when he laid his hand on the prince’s shoulder that Arthur jumped up, pulling the earphones out of his ears. “God, Merlin, don’t do that! I thought you were my father for a moment.”
“Well, thank you,” Merlin reply dryly.
Arthur looked embarrassed.
“You did go to see your father this morning didn’t you?” Merlin asked apprehensively.
“Er…”Arthur stuttered, “Well you see I was going to but then I started listening to this really amazing song and - “
“I don’t believe it!” Merlin closed his eyes. “I’m going to end up in the stocks for a week.”
“I’ll go now,” Arthur promised, “and I’ll make sure he knows it’s my fault and not yours. But listen to this while I’m gone.”
He thrust the iPod into Merlin’s hands and ran.
When he came back he saw Merlin sat on the bed with the iPod in his hand looking rather serious.
“It’s OK, Merlin,” he said wanting to replace the frown with a smile. “I told him it was all my fault.”
Merlin pushed the iPod into Arthur’s hand. He looked at it and smiled. ‘Sexyback’. He had really liked that song.
“Arthur,” Merlin was saying, still looking very grave, “would you really want to…” his voice dropped to a whisper “use shackles? Wouldn’t it be a bit…odd?”
“Mmm...” Arthur murmured, nuzzling Merlin’s neck. “No more odd than you wearing my crown and pretending to be the Crown Prince of Camelot. Besides, I’ve never been shackled in my life.”
“It’s really not as fun as you’re thinking,” Merlin replied. “I’ve been in the stocks plenty of times and the last thing I think of is…will you stop doing that?” Arthur stopped his nibbling of Merlin’s ear. “I’m trying to talk to you.”
“Let’s talk later,” Arthur said as he resumed his nibbling. “I can think of more fun things to do, and we don’t have to use the shackles if you don’t want to.”
“Is that all you think about?” Merlin asked, pulling away from Arthur. “You used to like talking to me.”
Arthur frowned. “Of course we can talk. Here, I found another great song for you to listen to.”
Merlin glowered, “What is it this time? Do you want me to dress up as a girl or something?”
“It’s from a great tale about a warrior called Mulan!” Arthur said and pressed the earphones into Merlin’s ears. Merlin listened patiently through the song - ‘I’ll Make a Man out of You’.
“Are you implying I'm not a man,” Merlin asked. “Sire?” Which should have been enough to tell Arthur that Merlin was not exactly happy, right then.
“You fight like a girl,” Arthur said.
“You squeal like a girl,” Merlin said.
“Do not!”
Merlin smiled sweetly and reached for Arthur’s crotch.
“Oh, so you want to play now do y-AAAIIIIIIEEEEEE!” Arthur let out a squeal as Merlin squeezed. Hard.
“See! You do.”
“OK,” Arthur conceded in slightly strangled tones, “what did you want to talk about?”
Merlin suddenly went red.
“I...I don’t really know how to say it,” he stammered, “but ever since you found that...thing...under your bed you’ve been different.”
Arthur frowned. “Different, how? Merlin, it’s only been a few hours.”
“I know...but shackles?” He flushed red again. “It’s just...not you.”
“Well, I don’t know. I’ve never tried it.” Arthur said. Merlin’s eyebrows almost disappeared off his head and Arthur realised that this was probably not the best thing to say. “Look Merlin, people try all sorts of different things in bed and sometimes they like them and sometimes they don’t. And if they don’t, they just don’t do it again. I remember this one time when…”
“Oh god, please stop!” Merlin put his hands over his ears.
Arthur blinked at him. “What?”
“I really don’t need to hear the details of what you did with some random serving wench. Please.”
“All I’m saying is,” Arthur continued, “that it might be fun to try some other things. You enjoyed wearing the crown, didn't you?”
“Yes...” Merlin replied warily.
“Well, that was something new.”
Merlin considered this thoughtfully.
Arthur wondered how they’d got embroiled into this conversation in the first place, as the idea of shackles hadn’t been in his mind until they’d started talking about them. It was moments like this that he wished he was better with words and he could say exactly what it was that Merlin wanted to hear. Instead, he reached out and tilted Merlin’s face up until he could look him in the eye. “You over think things.”
Merlin smiled gently. “Possibly.”
“Come on,” Arthur said and jumped up, tugging Merlin to his feet. “Let’s go somewhere and have some fun. Want to play a trick on Morgana?”
And Merlin rewarded him with a large grin.
~
“ARTHUR, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!”
They ran, giggling, from the scene of the crime until Morgana’s outraged screeching had faded away.
“Oh!” Arthur laughed as he clung to Merlin for support. “I wish we’d been able to see the look on her face!”
“Well,” Merlin said a broad grin still firmly stretched across his face, “you’ll be able to see later. You’ve got to sit next to her at that banquet tonight.”
Suddenly Arthur didn’t find the situation quite so funny anymore. “Oh, god,” he whimpered mournfully. “It’s going to be like that time she laced my wine with a drug that made me sneeze for fourteen hours.”
Merlin sighed. That had not been a fun time. Arthur kept dropping things and of course he’d been the one to clean it up. “I guess it pays sometimes to think things through.”
Arthur gave a rueful smile. “Couldn’t we just say I was ill?”
“I don’t think anyone’s going to be fooled by that.”
Arthur looked panicked.
“You could apologise,” Merlin suggested.
“Never! Besides, she’d still get revenge even if I went down on bended knee.”
Merlin grinned at the thought. “She might be so worried you were proposing marriage that she’d forget to be angry.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Come on, you need to help me get dressed.”
They slipped easily into the usual routine as Merlin dressed Arthur in his feast clothes and, finally, with a small smile, placed his crown on top of his head.
“Don’t worry about Morgana,” he said kissing the tip of Arthur’s nose, “I’m serving you and I won’t let her within five miles of your food.”
Arthur smiled and relaxed. “Thank you, Merlin. I know I can trust you.”
Unfortunately, while Merlin could protect Arthur from having his food and wine drugged, he couldn’t protect him from the sheer amount of wine Arthur consumed at the feast.
“I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IIIIIIIS!” The prince sang loudly as they stumbled down the corridor, Arthur leaning heavily on Merlin for support. “I WANT YOU TO SHOW MEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
“Arthur,” Merlin chastised as he dragged the prince through the door to his chamber. “You need to be quiet. People are trying to sleep.”
“You can’t tell me what to do,” Arthur scoffed. “I’m your prince, and I demand more wine!”
Merlin’s mouth set into a thin line. “I don’t think that’s a wise idea.”
“Pffff,” huffed Arthur, digging the iPod out from underneath a pillow and flicking through the songs. “I want wine and if you won’t bring it to me I’ll find a servant who knows his place.”
Merlin turned away so Arthur couldn’t see the hurt in his eyes. “I’ll get some.”
When he returned, Arthur was sprawled on his bed, iPod clutched tightly in one hand, snoring loudly. Merlin resisted the urge to throw the wine all over the prince but decided to sleep in his own room that night.
~
Arthur woke with the distressing realisation that not only did he have the worst headache ever, but that apparently he’d also spent the night alone, and that at some point, he'd rolled over on top of the iPod. Thankfully, the device was still working properly. He was too tired and felt too ill to grasp the significance of Merlin’s absence and decided that he should just go back to sleep until his head felt vaguely normal.
Merlin entered the room quietly, as he always did when he knew Arthur was suffering, and started to clean the room.
“Merlin...”Arthur said in a dangerously low voice. “Where’s my tea? You always bring me tea in the morning.”
Merlin simply shrugged and continued to pick up Arthur’s discarded clothing. “I forgot?”
Arthur burrowed underneath the covers and stuck his head under the pillow. “Well, go away and don’t come back without it.” He was still feeling too ill to realise that, although Merlin might not always be the most competent of servants and was often late, he had never forgotten the tea before and, therefore, something must be up.
Merlin didn’t know how he managed to refrain from slamming the door on the way out. He sat in his room seething for at least ten minutes before making Arthur’s tea, and then spent a few more minutes deciding whether to accidentally slip one of Gaius’s tonics into the drink.
Finally, he decided that maybe accidentally spilling it on Arthur was the best idea, except for the fact that he would be the one who would end up cleaning it up.
He stalked back to Arthur’s room and shoved the cup at him with a grunted “here”.
Arthur slurped gratefully from the cup until he felt a little better. “I think I drank too much wine last night.” He ignored Merlin’s derisive snort. “You always make lovely tea, Merlin.”
Merlin was momentarily stunned. “Er…thanks?”
“Any chance of another?” Arthur waved the empty cup in Merlin’s general direction.
“Do you really think I have nothing better to do?” Merlin snapped.
“Actually, no,” Arthur replied. “You’re my manservant. It’s your job to get whatever I want.”
“Well, then I quit!”
The teasing smile on Arthur’s face faded when he realised this wasn’t a joke. “What? Merlin, you can’t quit.”
Merlin lowered his eyes so Arthur wouldn’t see the angry tears that threatened to spill. “I’m sorry Arthur, but I can and I just did.”
“No, really, there are laws. You’ve sworn fealty to me. You can only leave if I dismiss you, which I don’t.”
“So, you’re going to throw me in the dungeons then, are you?” Merlin asked with a humourless laugh. “Well, at least then you’ll get to experience shackles like you wanted.”
“Merlin!” Arthur was aghast and his head hurt. He felt like he’d missed a huge and vital part of the conversation. “I thought you were my friend! I…I like you Merlin, I thought you…” Even now he couldn’t say it. Merlin said nothing and Arthur couldn’t bear it. “Fine, then, just go.”
He was expecting Merlin to fight, argue, do something, but all he did was look at him with those sad eyes and walk out of the door.
He wanted to follow him, and to get down on his knees and beg forgiveness, but all he could do was lie in bed and wonder what had just happened. He slumped back against the pillows and onto the iPod. He looked at it for a few moments before pressing the earphones in his ears and scanning through to find something to cheer him up.
Instinctively, he put on a song he had only just found whilst randomly looking for songs he thought Merlin would like. ‘5 Years Time’, while he didn't understand all the words, made him think about where he and Merlin would be in the future. Except now, it didn’t seem they had a future. He sniffed and went back to the tearjerker songs.
Arthur had no idea how long he lay there listening to the same songs over and over again. The door opened and he looked up hopefully.
It was Gandalf. Arthur took out the earphones reluctantly.
“I need some more of those pamphlets!” The warlock was saying. “I left them in Dumbledore’s office and that Potter boy nicked them. Still in bed, I see. Where’s Merlin?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“He’s left me,” Arthur said trying to sound like he didn’t care, and failing miserably.
“Oh, bollocks.” Gandalf narrowed his eyes and looked almost as though he were going to strangle Arthur in his bed. “What did you do?”
“Me?” Arthur protested. “Nothing!”
“There must have been something. Any fool can see he loves you.”
That just made Arthur sniffle again. Gandalf sighed. “Anhora was right. This is harder than it looks. And if you ever tell him I said that, I’ll kill you. Destiny or not.” He wished Dumbledore were here. He was much better at this sort of thing. Delicacy had never been Gandalf’s strong point. “Have you told the boy how you feel about him?”
Arthur looked away.
Gandalf sighed again. “Right,” he snapped, “I don’t have time to coddle you so here’s what you’re going to do. Get dressed, find Merlin and tell him you love him. If you don’t...well, you don’t want to know what I’ll do.”
“He won’t see me.” Arthur said glumly. “He hates me.”
“Nonsense!” Gandalf said sternly.
“I don't know where he is.”
“Are you a hunter or not? You’ll find him.”
“Do you...do you think it’ll work?”
Gandalf almost wanted to hug the prince as a hopeful look appeared on his face. Almost. “Of course!” Gandalf assured him. “I’m a wizard, I know these things. Now, go.” He grabbed the pamphlets he had come for and left, deciding he really didn’t need to see the young prince dress himself. Besides, he had obtuse hobbits to attend to.
~
Despite Gandalf’s reassurances, Arthur wasn’t able to find Merlin, so he hid outside Gaius’s chambers and waited for the physician to leave before sneaking through and up the steps to wait in Merlin’s bedchamber.
Arthur waited. And waited. But it seemed that wherever Merlin was hiding, he didn’t plan to come back any time soon. Still, if there was one thing Arthur knew, it was how to be stubborn. He’d wait here for a week if he had to. He plugged the iPod earphones in and closed his eyes while he waited
When Merlin returned, exhausted and rather disheartened, from a long and fruitless conversation with the Dragon, he was not pleased to see Arthur lying on his bed still listening to that blasted contraption.
“Arthur.”
No response.
“ARTHUR!” He kicked the prince’s leg and smirked when Arthur almost fell off the bed in surprise.
“You can’t just walk in here whenever you feel like it, now. I don’t work for you any more.”
“No,” Arthur agreed. “But my father does own all of Camelot which includes your room.”
Merlin frowned and Arthur kicked himself for saying the wrong thing yet again. It occurred to him that Merlin might take this seriously and go back to Ealdor. Which would be awful. Terrible. Unthinkable. He should say something quickly.
Merlin looked like he was about to walk out.
“Wait, Merlin,” Arthur stuttered. “I’ve got something I need to tell you.” There was a stony silence. “Well, you see, it’s…it’s like this…” he licked his lips nervously. “It's been raining since you left me, Now I'm drowning in the flood, You see I've always been a fighter, But without you I give up.”
Merlin started at him for a moment, a frown crossing his face as he tried to work out what was happening. Finally, he sighed. “That’s from a song, isn’t it?”
“Well, yes, but…”
“No,” Merlin snapped. “I’m tired of this, Arthur. All you want to do is play with your new toy. You’re even using it to try and make up with me. Look, if you love it so much why don’t you just sleep with it as well. You clearly don’t need me.”
“I do need you! And I don’t love the iPod you idiot, I love you!” Arthur shouted.
Merlin blinked at him, the anger on his face extremely rapidly being replaced with shock and disbelief.
“What?” He finally whispered.
“I love you,” Arthur said, gently this time as he pressed a soft kiss to Merlin’s lips. “I’m sorry it took me this long to say it but when you left...it was like I had a hole in my chest.”
Merlin looked like he might cry.
“I will always love you,” Arthur said earnestly, “no matter what. And, yes, I might use words from songs but that doesn’t mean I love you any less. It’s just that I…I don’t think my words can ever be enough.”
“Shut up, Arthur,” said Merlin, and kissed him.
Arthur groaned. “Oh, God, Merlin! I’ve missed you so much!”
“I’ve only been gone a few hours,” Merlin pointed out between kisses.
“It felt like forever.”
They stumbled backwards and fell onto Merlin’s bed, hands groping and teasing at each other. Merlin’s hand slipped over Arthur’s and he pulled the iPod free. “You know, we could have some fun with this. If you’d be willing to share.”
“I want to share everything with you,” Arthur said and handed Merlin an earphone. He flicked through the menu until he was sure he was past ‘Sexyback’ - he wasn’t quite ready for another conversation on that song just yet - and then handed it to Merlin. “You choose.”
Merlin scrolled down a few songs and pressed play.
Arthur’s eyes widened and he grinned as ‘Let's Get It On’ started to play. He dipped his head down and slowly kissed Merlin, savouring each moment and relishing every second.
Merlin moaned and arched his back as Arthur's hands raked through his hair, but he was in no rush either, letting his fingers trail along Arthur’s arms and back as if committing every dip and curve to memory.
Arthur’s hand lowered from Merlin’s cheek, stroking gently as he stopped kissing and looked at him, really looked at him for possibly the first time since they met.
“Merlin...I...you’re amazing,” he breathed with wonder. “I can’t believe it took me this long to really appreciate it.”
“You’re not too bad yourself,” Merlin said with a cheeky grin. Then he laid his forehead against Arthur’s and just looked into his eyes. “I could stay here forever.”
“Mmm...” Arthur murmured in agreement. “I wish we could. I don’t think my father would be too happy, though.”
Merlin smiled and pressed a kiss to Arthur’s throat. “Let’s not think about him right now.”
Arthur shuddered. “You’re right,” he said, nibbling gently on Merlin’s earlobe, “you’re always right.”
“Maybe not always.” Merlin’s fingers resumed their gentle exploration of Arthur’s back.
The music was still pulsing in their ears as they slowly worked at removing each other’s clothes, letting fingers stroke flesh as their breath mixed between kisses.
“I love you,” Merlin whispered.
Arthur’s smile couldn’t have got any bigger. “I love you, too.”
This time, it was if they were touching each other for the first time. Tender, tentative, almost hesitant. As if the other were a dream that would evaporate if they thought too hard.
But no dream could ever evoke the sheer bliss that enveloped Arthur and Merlin in a connection that ran much deeper than the feather-light strokes they gave each other.
“We...we...” Arthur gasped as Merlin’s hands stroked his back. “We need...”
Merlin knew exactly what they needed and reached for the small jar of oil he kept beside his bed for these occasions.
“Roll over,” he told Arthur with a grin.
It was one command the prince didn't need repeating and he did as he was asked, getting tangled in earphone wires. With a frustrated groan, he cast the iPod to one side and then let out a gasp as Merlin’s slick finger entered him.
This was his Arthur, here, now, sweat slicked and panting and not caring what anyone else might think except the two of them. Merlin enjoyed each whimper and whisper that fell from Arthur’s lips, as his free hand traced burning hot patterns on the prince’s thigh.
“Do you want more?” Merlin asked, a gentle tease in his voice.
“Yes,” Arthur hissed. “More, Merlin. Please.”
Merlin was almost certain that this was the first time Arthur had ever used the word “please” in his life. It made him smile as he slipped a second finger into him
Arthur bit the pillow. Hard. He let out a muffled groan. Encouraged, Merlin flexed and scissored his fingers and pressed hot, wet kisses onto Arthur’s spine.
“Are you ready for me?” Merlin whispered, his hot breath burning Arthur’s ear. The prince let out another groan and nodded.
Merlin entered him slowly. He’d never been allowed to do this before, and while he knew what he was doing he wanted it to be perfect for Arthur
Arthur knew he was making some rather undignified, un-princely grunting noises but he didn’t care. He wanted to rock backwards, to feel Merlin buried deep within him. He wanted Merlin to move, to use him, to push him over the edge until his senses numbed and he collapsed in tingling heap. But all he could say was “please!”
Merlin grinned and leaned forward to nip at Arthur's earlobe. “Patience...”
“Nyargh!” Was the only strangled cry Arthur was capable of making as Merlin began to move on top of him, at the same time reaching around to stroke his throbbing cock. His hand and his body moved in perfect rhythm and Arthur wondered if it was possible to die from too much pleasure. His body burned with it. He was unable to do anything but moan as his body hurtled towards a pinnacle he wanted to reach and an ending he didn’t really want to arrive at.
He let out a strangled cry and collapsed onto the bed, Merlin falling limply on top of him. He was hot, sweaty and sticky but had never felt happier.
Merlin stirred after a few moments and pressed a kiss to his shoulder before sliding off and lying beside him.
“I think,” Arthur said with a lazy smile, “I’ll just stay here for the rest of the day.”
The last thing he saw as his eyes drifted shut was a contented smile from Merlin as he, too, drifted off to sleep
Under cover of darkness, as the outside temperatures plummeted to freezing, an overtly grumpy but secretly overjoyed Gandalf slipped into Merlin’s bedchamber and tucked warm blankets firmly around the young warlock who was entwined with the prince.
“Just like you two to catch your death of cold right now,” he muttered, but low enough so as not to awake the sleeping pair.
He took a moment to look at them, in particular the contented smiles on both of their faces.
“Oh, I can’t wait to tell Anhora about this. I told him it would be easy, and who needs Albus’s delicacy? Arthur would still be in his room if I’d been delicate about it.”
And he slipped from the room and left Merlin and Arthur to their sleep.
Meanwhile, in Middle Earth
“I ran into Gandalf a way down the road, Mr. Frodo. He asked me to give you these.”
“What on earth is it, Sam?”
“I don't rightly know. Seems to be a bunch of papers.”
Frodo took the papers from him and cut the ribbon that bound them. “Let me have a look at them.” His eyes widened. “Oh my!”
Sequel: The Epic Tale of Uther's Brush With Technology
Author: lou_angel and hils
Rating: NC-17
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Words: 6548
Summary: Sequel to The Epic Tale of the Three Dubiously Wise Men only with slightly less crack and a lot more porn
Thanks to Rizzy for the beta work
Arthur would deny it, of course, but he secretly loved the times when he curled up with Merlin in his bed and they whispered to each other.
“I love you,” Merlin whispered in the early hours of the morning, when they were cuddled under the blankets, naked and sweaty. Unlike Arthur, Merlin had no qualms about expressing his feelings.
Arthur rarely said ‘I love you’ back but he often thought it. He thought of it when they were together in bed, when he watched Merlin rushing about his business, even when they were apart. And sometimes he’d even whisper it whilst Merlin slept next to him burying his face into the dark curls at the nape of Merlin’s neck and pressing soft kisses there.
What he hated more than anything was the sad look that would enter Merlin’s eyes whenever Arthur couldn’t say the words back. He wanted to, more than anything, but they just wouldn’t come.
“Merlin,” he finally said one day as they sat in front of the fire. “I know I don’t say it but I just want you to know that I...I...I’d do anything for you.”
“Really?” Merlin asked with a gleam in his eyes that was nothing to do with his magic.
“Of course.” Arthur reached for his goblet and his fingers brushed against Merlin’s hand softly.
“Anything?”
“Yes.”
“You can tidy this mess up for a start, you lazy bugger.” Merlin gestured vaguely around the bedchamber.
“You can’t call me that!” Arthur said with a noise that sounded somewhere between a gasp and a laugh.
“Do you just throw stuff on the floor so I have to get down on my knees?” Merlin asked suspiciously.
Arthur didn’t answer.
Merlin's eyes narrowed, but there was a smile twitching at his lips. “I knew it! Right, if you really will do anything for me I have just the thing...”
Arthur didn’t like the sound of that, all of a sudden.
~
“You have to be joking!”
Merlin looked deadly serious.
Arthur stared in horror at the frilly apron Merlin was holding out.
“You made me wear The Hat,” Merlin said grimly.
“Yes, but that wasn’t all you were wearing,” Arthur said helplessly, still eyeing the apron as if it were going to bite him.
Merlin shook it impatiently. He sniffed and did his best ‘kicked puppy’ look, the one he knew always got to Arthur. “Well, if you really don't care for me...”
Arthur sighed. “Now, Merlin, you know I didn’t say that.” He took the apron and eyed it warily. "No one can know about this!”
“My lips are sealed.”
Arthur shucked off his clothes and put on the apron. “You did lock the door didn’t you?”
“Of course,” Merlin said trying (unsuccessfully) to keep a straight face as Arthur stood, hands on hips, wearing nothing but the apron.
“Shut up, Merlin.”
“Oh, you’ll need this.” Merlin thrust a feather duster into Arthur’s hand. Then he sat in a chair by the fire and picked up a paper. “Don’t forget under the bed.”
As Arthur began a halfhearted job of dusting, he could almost hear Merlin smirking at him from behind the paper. He wasn’t reading it of course, just pretending to while he enjoyed the view. Arthur decided to indulge him and bent down to clean under the bed. “My God, Merlin, have you ever cleaned under here in your life?”
“There's an interesting stack of pamphlets with some very - er - unusual drawings under there somewhere.” Merlin said turning a page.
“Oh, God! You found those?” Arthur thought he would die. He stuck his hand further under the bed and pulled something out. It was an old, tattered toy bear with a slightly limp ear. He threw it back under the bed quickly.
“Yeah, I found Mr. Snuggles too.”
That was it. His life was over.
“Well,” he grumbled, “you could have at least dusted under here while you were at it.”
His eyes were on the old bear now, lost in a sea of memories. It had been his favourite when he was a little boy, until his father had told him that such things were not becoming to a king of Camelot. Fearful of what his father would do to the toy, he’d hidden it under his bed, only bringing it out on those rare times when he was especially sad or scared.
There was a small click and the door crashed open.
Merlin jumped, scattering paper everywhere.
Arthur leapt up from the floor and tried to wrap himself in one of the curtains by the bed. “I thought you said you’d locked the door?” He glared at Merlin.
“I did!”
The intruder cleared his throat. “You can thank me any time you like for making this,” he gestured at Arthur who was still trying (and failing) to cover himself, “possible.”
Arthur closed his eyes. “Gandalf.”
Gandalf grinned. “I need to borrow some of those pamphlets you have under your bed. Bloody hobbits...It seems you two aren’t the only ones who need diagrams.”
His life was definitely over now.
“Do I even want to know how you know about those?” Arthur asked.
“A wizard knows all,” Gandalf replied, already rummaging under the bed. “I’ll just take a sample. There's plenty left for you to...enjoy.” He threw a few pieces onto the bed. “What’s this?” He pulled Arthur’s bear out and tossed it aside.
Merlin saw Arthur’s bottom lip wobble.
“There!” Gandalf said with a smile. “That should do it. Do carry on with what you were doing.” He barged out of the door as quickly as he’d entered, leaving Merlin and Arthur alone.
Arthur glared at Merlin, “Lock. The. Door.” As soon as Merlin turned his back, Arthur darted across the room and picked up Mr. Snuggles.
“It is locked,” Merlin said as he turned back. Arthur hid the toy behind his back.
“But - how?”
“He’s a wizard,” Merlin said, “I guess locks aren’t a problem.”
“Doesn’t he know how to knock either?” Arthur grumbled.
Merlin smiled gently and moved over to Arthur. “I’m sorry.” He reached behind Arthur’s back and carefully took the bear out of his hands. “You don't have to hide things from me you know. I'll love you no matter what.”
Arthur kissed him, partly because he wanted to and partly because he didn’t want to see Merlin’s disappointed look when he failed to take this opportunity to declare his love. When they broke apart, Merlin smiled and began to pick up the scattered pages from his paper and pile them on the chair.
“Do you have to do that now?” Arthur asked hoarsely.
“Why?” Merlin asked as he picked up the abandoned feather duster, “did you have something else in mind?”
Arthur grinned. “I’ve got several things in mind, Merlin, and all of them involve you naked in my bed, so let’s go.”
“It may have escaped your notice, sire, but your room doesn’t clean and tidy itself.”
“Bugger the cleaning,” Arthur growled.
Merlin looked thoughtful. Arthur started to worry.
“You said you’d do this for me.” Merlin said eventually.
“Yes, you’re right.” Arthur felt guilty.
“I’ll tell you what,” Merlin said twirling the feather duster in his hand, “I’ll let you off.” Arthur looked relieved and went to undo the ties on the apron. “Wait!” Merlin pointed the duster at him, “keep that on for now...wait there,” Merlin said with a grin and set about rummaging in one of Arthur’s chests. Arthur watched him quizzically until Merlin emerged a few moments later.
“This room is disgusting,” Merlin huffed, haughtily; Arthur's crown now perched on his head. “Honestly, you are the worst servant I have ever had. Maybe I’ll send you to the stocks to teach you a lesson.”
“I do not sound like that!” Arthur said indignantly.
Merlin gave him an absolutely filthy grin and, for a moment, Arthur wondered what he had done to make Merlin so forward. Then he decided he didn’t care and tackled him to the bed instead.
“Well, Merlin,” Merlin said in his best Arthur voice. “Have I ever told you how much I love your ears?”
Arthur groaned as Merlin started to gently nibble the edge of his ear. “God, I’ll be anyone you like so long as you don’t stop doing that.”
“Call me sire.” Merlin whispered
“You’re such an idiot,” Arthur said affectionately. Merlin stopped. “You’re such an idiot, sire,” he amended and felt the gentle hum of laughter on Merlin’s lips as he moved to nibble the other ear.
“I think I’ll need to teach you to walk on your knees, later,” Merlin said as he pressed a kiss to Arthur’s temple.
“I can think of something infinitely more pleasurable to do on my knees,” Arthur growled in response.
“You could scrub the floor.”
Arthur scowled.
“Then you could polish my sword.”
Arthur decided that Merlin needed to shut up.
“Be quiet...sire,” and he captured Merlin’s lips in a kiss.
Merlin was already starting to tug at Arthur’s apron strings, which the prince felt was very much unfair as Merlin had a lot more clothing on than him. He started to work at the string of Merlin’s trousers.
Merlin managed to untie the apron and threw it off the bed.
“I hope I never see that again,” Arthur said into Merlin’s neck.
“Don’t count on it,” Merlin replied, and then dug his fingers into Arthur’s back as the prince slid a hand into his trousers.
Arthur let out an appreciative murmur as he started to stroke Merlin to full hardness. Merlin bucked his hips so Arthur could slide the unwanted clothing down and toss it on the floor.
“Arthur,” he groaned, “please, don’t make me wait.”
Arthur thought about the apron and the duster and ignored Merlin, choosing to tug off the servant’s tunic and to kiss the exposed skin in a slow, delicious torture that made Merlin whimper and claw the prince’s back.
“Not everything needs to be done in a hurry,” he purred in Merlin’s ear. “Believe me, it’ll feel better if you wait a little while.”
Merlin let out a small, strangled yelp as Arthur trailed kisses down his chest and onto his stomach. “I don’t think I can -” Merlin cut off with a strange noise that sounded something like ‘Nyargh’ as Arthur brushed two fingers over a particularly ticklish spot on his side.
“You will,” Arthur replied with an impish grin before he continued to kiss his way down Merlin’s body. “Why, hello,” he said when he reached Merlin’s erection standing tall and proud. “What have we here?”
Merlin whimpered and Arthur chuckled. Then, slowly and deliberately, he flicked his tongue, teasing over the tip of Merlin’s cock before licking a stripe from the tip to the base. Merlin’s breath hitched and he thought he might explode that instant.
Arthur grinned. He loved nothing more than to listen to the sounds Merlin made in moments like this. He breathed gently over the tip and then took it into his mouth. Merlin grasped the blankets beneath him firmly and tried not to arch off the bed and choke Arthur. Soft keening cries escaped his lips as Arthur sucked gently and pressed his tongue against the underside.
“God, Arthur...” Merlin growled with a strangled cry. “That feels so good. So good!”
Arthur started to hum softly, sending vibrations running through Merlin’s body. His vision blanked out and his eyes rolled back. He cried out Arthur’s name as his entire body went rigid, and he only faintly heard the rip of a blanket in his greedy hands, as he came.
As Merlin lay limp on the bed, his ears ringing and his skin tingling, Arthur crawled back up and lay down next to him. “Was that worth waiting for?”
All Merlin could do was nod mutely. Arthur’s fingers trailed up Merlin’s side and traced lazy circles on his chest.
“I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone but you,” he whispered and nipped Merlin’s earlobe.
Merlin smiled as his senses slowly returned to him. “Let me do something for you now.” He reached his hand around Arthur’s erection and started to stroke him.
Arthur shuddered at Merlin’s touch and rocked his hips to match the tempo of Merlin’s strokes with breathy gasps and a muttered curse.
Merlin smiled and tightened his hold on Arthur. “Do you like that?”
“Nyargh!” Arthur could feel a tingling at the base of his spine. His eyes went wide, his pupils so large they looked black. The tingling began to spread and flashed through his body as he rushed into a heady release, spilling over Merlin’s hand and groaning his name.
Merlin sighed happily and wiped his hand clean on one of the sheets. They’d need changing in the morning anyway. Then he cuddled close to Arthur and rested his head on the prince’s shoulder.
Arthur wrapped his arms and a leg around Merlin and nuzzled his face into Merlin’s neck with a kiss. “Stay,” he whispered.
And Merlin knew he would.
~
“Merlin, what are you doing?” Arthur asked when he woke and found himself alone. He was almost about to start pouting, not that he normally pouted of course, at being left alone when he suddenly saw a pair of feet sticking out from underneath the bed.
“You told me to clean under here,” Merlin’s muffled voice replied before he emerged. “What’s this?”
He held up a pink metallic device that Arthur immediately recognized.
“That’s Dumbledore’s iPod!” he said.
“A what?”
His eyes blazed excitedly as he took the device from Merlin and quickly showed him how to work it. “Honestly, Merlin, you have to try it. It’s incredible.”
“What does it do?”
“It plays music!” Arthur said, pressing the earphones into Merlin’s ears and pushing play.
Merlin winced at first when the ‘music’ started to play in his head but after a verse, he decided he quite liked it. He looked at the device.
“I Want to Know What Love is.” He read aloud. “This is quite good.”
Arthur looked horrified.
“Well, obviously, this is Dumbledore’s music, not mine,” he said with a blush, snatching the device away and looking for something else. “Here, try this one instead.”
Merlin listened to a few bars of ‘Firestarter’ before he pulled the earphones out of his ears and said “Arthur, you do know that setting fires isn’t a wise idea?”
Arthur huffed.
“Fine,” Arthur grumbled. “Try this one instead.”
He selected another song before pressing the earphones back into Merlin’s ears.
Merlin seemed to like this choice, or at least he didn’t say that he didn’t. After a while, when Arthur was sure the song had finished, Merlin seemed even more interested. Suspiciously, Arthur looked at the display and saw that his selection had ended and Merlin was now listening to ‘Let’s Get it On.’
“You know,” Merlin said as the track ended and he pulled the earphones out, “I still don’t know what that means.”
“Neither do I,” Arthur said. “Oh well, who cares?” And he kissed him.
Merlin let out a contented murmur and kissed Arthur back before pulling away. “Sadly, I have jobs to do.”
“Would it help if I sacked you?” Arthur suggested.
“Not really,” Merlin replied. “I’d just go back to being Gaius’s assistant. Besides, you have duties to attend to as well.”
“In that case, I order you to get back here as soon as you can,” Arthur said imperiously. “I have something urgent I need you to attend to.”
“Oh really?” Merlin grinned.
“Yes,” Arthur said earnestly, “I’ll find the songs I want you to listen to.” He waved the iPod.
Merlin was disappointed.
~
“I'm done,” Merlin announced as he strolled back into Arthur’s room, having performed all his duties in record time and with only small uses of magic. “Arthur? Arthur!”
It was only when he laid his hand on the prince’s shoulder that Arthur jumped up, pulling the earphones out of his ears. “God, Merlin, don’t do that! I thought you were my father for a moment.”
“Well, thank you,” Merlin reply dryly.
Arthur looked embarrassed.
“You did go to see your father this morning didn’t you?” Merlin asked apprehensively.
“Er…”Arthur stuttered, “Well you see I was going to but then I started listening to this really amazing song and - “
“I don’t believe it!” Merlin closed his eyes. “I’m going to end up in the stocks for a week.”
“I’ll go now,” Arthur promised, “and I’ll make sure he knows it’s my fault and not yours. But listen to this while I’m gone.”
He thrust the iPod into Merlin’s hands and ran.
When he came back he saw Merlin sat on the bed with the iPod in his hand looking rather serious.
“It’s OK, Merlin,” he said wanting to replace the frown with a smile. “I told him it was all my fault.”
Merlin pushed the iPod into Arthur’s hand. He looked at it and smiled. ‘Sexyback’. He had really liked that song.
“Arthur,” Merlin was saying, still looking very grave, “would you really want to…” his voice dropped to a whisper “use shackles? Wouldn’t it be a bit…odd?”
“Mmm...” Arthur murmured, nuzzling Merlin’s neck. “No more odd than you wearing my crown and pretending to be the Crown Prince of Camelot. Besides, I’ve never been shackled in my life.”
“It’s really not as fun as you’re thinking,” Merlin replied. “I’ve been in the stocks plenty of times and the last thing I think of is…will you stop doing that?” Arthur stopped his nibbling of Merlin’s ear. “I’m trying to talk to you.”
“Let’s talk later,” Arthur said as he resumed his nibbling. “I can think of more fun things to do, and we don’t have to use the shackles if you don’t want to.”
“Is that all you think about?” Merlin asked, pulling away from Arthur. “You used to like talking to me.”
Arthur frowned. “Of course we can talk. Here, I found another great song for you to listen to.”
Merlin glowered, “What is it this time? Do you want me to dress up as a girl or something?”
“It’s from a great tale about a warrior called Mulan!” Arthur said and pressed the earphones into Merlin’s ears. Merlin listened patiently through the song - ‘I’ll Make a Man out of You’.
“Are you implying I'm not a man,” Merlin asked. “Sire?” Which should have been enough to tell Arthur that Merlin was not exactly happy, right then.
“You fight like a girl,” Arthur said.
“You squeal like a girl,” Merlin said.
“Do not!”
Merlin smiled sweetly and reached for Arthur’s crotch.
“Oh, so you want to play now do y-AAAIIIIIIEEEEEE!” Arthur let out a squeal as Merlin squeezed. Hard.
“See! You do.”
“OK,” Arthur conceded in slightly strangled tones, “what did you want to talk about?”
Merlin suddenly went red.
“I...I don’t really know how to say it,” he stammered, “but ever since you found that...thing...under your bed you’ve been different.”
Arthur frowned. “Different, how? Merlin, it’s only been a few hours.”
“I know...but shackles?” He flushed red again. “It’s just...not you.”
“Well, I don’t know. I’ve never tried it.” Arthur said. Merlin’s eyebrows almost disappeared off his head and Arthur realised that this was probably not the best thing to say. “Look Merlin, people try all sorts of different things in bed and sometimes they like them and sometimes they don’t. And if they don’t, they just don’t do it again. I remember this one time when…”
“Oh god, please stop!” Merlin put his hands over his ears.
Arthur blinked at him. “What?”
“I really don’t need to hear the details of what you did with some random serving wench. Please.”
“All I’m saying is,” Arthur continued, “that it might be fun to try some other things. You enjoyed wearing the crown, didn't you?”
“Yes...” Merlin replied warily.
“Well, that was something new.”
Merlin considered this thoughtfully.
Arthur wondered how they’d got embroiled into this conversation in the first place, as the idea of shackles hadn’t been in his mind until they’d started talking about them. It was moments like this that he wished he was better with words and he could say exactly what it was that Merlin wanted to hear. Instead, he reached out and tilted Merlin’s face up until he could look him in the eye. “You over think things.”
Merlin smiled gently. “Possibly.”
“Come on,” Arthur said and jumped up, tugging Merlin to his feet. “Let’s go somewhere and have some fun. Want to play a trick on Morgana?”
And Merlin rewarded him with a large grin.
~
“ARTHUR, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!”
They ran, giggling, from the scene of the crime until Morgana’s outraged screeching had faded away.
“Oh!” Arthur laughed as he clung to Merlin for support. “I wish we’d been able to see the look on her face!”
“Well,” Merlin said a broad grin still firmly stretched across his face, “you’ll be able to see later. You’ve got to sit next to her at that banquet tonight.”
Suddenly Arthur didn’t find the situation quite so funny anymore. “Oh, god,” he whimpered mournfully. “It’s going to be like that time she laced my wine with a drug that made me sneeze for fourteen hours.”
Merlin sighed. That had not been a fun time. Arthur kept dropping things and of course he’d been the one to clean it up. “I guess it pays sometimes to think things through.”
Arthur gave a rueful smile. “Couldn’t we just say I was ill?”
“I don’t think anyone’s going to be fooled by that.”
Arthur looked panicked.
“You could apologise,” Merlin suggested.
“Never! Besides, she’d still get revenge even if I went down on bended knee.”
Merlin grinned at the thought. “She might be so worried you were proposing marriage that she’d forget to be angry.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Come on, you need to help me get dressed.”
They slipped easily into the usual routine as Merlin dressed Arthur in his feast clothes and, finally, with a small smile, placed his crown on top of his head.
“Don’t worry about Morgana,” he said kissing the tip of Arthur’s nose, “I’m serving you and I won’t let her within five miles of your food.”
Arthur smiled and relaxed. “Thank you, Merlin. I know I can trust you.”
Unfortunately, while Merlin could protect Arthur from having his food and wine drugged, he couldn’t protect him from the sheer amount of wine Arthur consumed at the feast.
“I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IIIIIIIS!” The prince sang loudly as they stumbled down the corridor, Arthur leaning heavily on Merlin for support. “I WANT YOU TO SHOW MEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
“Arthur,” Merlin chastised as he dragged the prince through the door to his chamber. “You need to be quiet. People are trying to sleep.”
“You can’t tell me what to do,” Arthur scoffed. “I’m your prince, and I demand more wine!”
Merlin’s mouth set into a thin line. “I don’t think that’s a wise idea.”
“Pffff,” huffed Arthur, digging the iPod out from underneath a pillow and flicking through the songs. “I want wine and if you won’t bring it to me I’ll find a servant who knows his place.”
Merlin turned away so Arthur couldn’t see the hurt in his eyes. “I’ll get some.”
When he returned, Arthur was sprawled on his bed, iPod clutched tightly in one hand, snoring loudly. Merlin resisted the urge to throw the wine all over the prince but decided to sleep in his own room that night.
~
Arthur woke with the distressing realisation that not only did he have the worst headache ever, but that apparently he’d also spent the night alone, and that at some point, he'd rolled over on top of the iPod. Thankfully, the device was still working properly. He was too tired and felt too ill to grasp the significance of Merlin’s absence and decided that he should just go back to sleep until his head felt vaguely normal.
Merlin entered the room quietly, as he always did when he knew Arthur was suffering, and started to clean the room.
“Merlin...”Arthur said in a dangerously low voice. “Where’s my tea? You always bring me tea in the morning.”
Merlin simply shrugged and continued to pick up Arthur’s discarded clothing. “I forgot?”
Arthur burrowed underneath the covers and stuck his head under the pillow. “Well, go away and don’t come back without it.” He was still feeling too ill to realise that, although Merlin might not always be the most competent of servants and was often late, he had never forgotten the tea before and, therefore, something must be up.
Merlin didn’t know how he managed to refrain from slamming the door on the way out. He sat in his room seething for at least ten minutes before making Arthur’s tea, and then spent a few more minutes deciding whether to accidentally slip one of Gaius’s tonics into the drink.
Finally, he decided that maybe accidentally spilling it on Arthur was the best idea, except for the fact that he would be the one who would end up cleaning it up.
He stalked back to Arthur’s room and shoved the cup at him with a grunted “here”.
Arthur slurped gratefully from the cup until he felt a little better. “I think I drank too much wine last night.” He ignored Merlin’s derisive snort. “You always make lovely tea, Merlin.”
Merlin was momentarily stunned. “Er…thanks?”
“Any chance of another?” Arthur waved the empty cup in Merlin’s general direction.
“Do you really think I have nothing better to do?” Merlin snapped.
“Actually, no,” Arthur replied. “You’re my manservant. It’s your job to get whatever I want.”
“Well, then I quit!”
The teasing smile on Arthur’s face faded when he realised this wasn’t a joke. “What? Merlin, you can’t quit.”
Merlin lowered his eyes so Arthur wouldn’t see the angry tears that threatened to spill. “I’m sorry Arthur, but I can and I just did.”
“No, really, there are laws. You’ve sworn fealty to me. You can only leave if I dismiss you, which I don’t.”
“So, you’re going to throw me in the dungeons then, are you?” Merlin asked with a humourless laugh. “Well, at least then you’ll get to experience shackles like you wanted.”
“Merlin!” Arthur was aghast and his head hurt. He felt like he’d missed a huge and vital part of the conversation. “I thought you were my friend! I…I like you Merlin, I thought you…” Even now he couldn’t say it. Merlin said nothing and Arthur couldn’t bear it. “Fine, then, just go.”
He was expecting Merlin to fight, argue, do something, but all he did was look at him with those sad eyes and walk out of the door.
He wanted to follow him, and to get down on his knees and beg forgiveness, but all he could do was lie in bed and wonder what had just happened. He slumped back against the pillows and onto the iPod. He looked at it for a few moments before pressing the earphones in his ears and scanning through to find something to cheer him up.
Instinctively, he put on a song he had only just found whilst randomly looking for songs he thought Merlin would like. ‘5 Years Time’, while he didn't understand all the words, made him think about where he and Merlin would be in the future. Except now, it didn’t seem they had a future. He sniffed and went back to the tearjerker songs.
Arthur had no idea how long he lay there listening to the same songs over and over again. The door opened and he looked up hopefully.
It was Gandalf. Arthur took out the earphones reluctantly.
“I need some more of those pamphlets!” The warlock was saying. “I left them in Dumbledore’s office and that Potter boy nicked them. Still in bed, I see. Where’s Merlin?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“He’s left me,” Arthur said trying to sound like he didn’t care, and failing miserably.
“Oh, bollocks.” Gandalf narrowed his eyes and looked almost as though he were going to strangle Arthur in his bed. “What did you do?”
“Me?” Arthur protested. “Nothing!”
“There must have been something. Any fool can see he loves you.”
That just made Arthur sniffle again. Gandalf sighed. “Anhora was right. This is harder than it looks. And if you ever tell him I said that, I’ll kill you. Destiny or not.” He wished Dumbledore were here. He was much better at this sort of thing. Delicacy had never been Gandalf’s strong point. “Have you told the boy how you feel about him?”
Arthur looked away.
Gandalf sighed again. “Right,” he snapped, “I don’t have time to coddle you so here’s what you’re going to do. Get dressed, find Merlin and tell him you love him. If you don’t...well, you don’t want to know what I’ll do.”
“He won’t see me.” Arthur said glumly. “He hates me.”
“Nonsense!” Gandalf said sternly.
“I don't know where he is.”
“Are you a hunter or not? You’ll find him.”
“Do you...do you think it’ll work?”
Gandalf almost wanted to hug the prince as a hopeful look appeared on his face. Almost. “Of course!” Gandalf assured him. “I’m a wizard, I know these things. Now, go.” He grabbed the pamphlets he had come for and left, deciding he really didn’t need to see the young prince dress himself. Besides, he had obtuse hobbits to attend to.
~
Despite Gandalf’s reassurances, Arthur wasn’t able to find Merlin, so he hid outside Gaius’s chambers and waited for the physician to leave before sneaking through and up the steps to wait in Merlin’s bedchamber.
Arthur waited. And waited. But it seemed that wherever Merlin was hiding, he didn’t plan to come back any time soon. Still, if there was one thing Arthur knew, it was how to be stubborn. He’d wait here for a week if he had to. He plugged the iPod earphones in and closed his eyes while he waited
When Merlin returned, exhausted and rather disheartened, from a long and fruitless conversation with the Dragon, he was not pleased to see Arthur lying on his bed still listening to that blasted contraption.
“Arthur.”
No response.
“ARTHUR!” He kicked the prince’s leg and smirked when Arthur almost fell off the bed in surprise.
“You can’t just walk in here whenever you feel like it, now. I don’t work for you any more.”
“No,” Arthur agreed. “But my father does own all of Camelot which includes your room.”
Merlin frowned and Arthur kicked himself for saying the wrong thing yet again. It occurred to him that Merlin might take this seriously and go back to Ealdor. Which would be awful. Terrible. Unthinkable. He should say something quickly.
Merlin looked like he was about to walk out.
“Wait, Merlin,” Arthur stuttered. “I’ve got something I need to tell you.” There was a stony silence. “Well, you see, it’s…it’s like this…” he licked his lips nervously. “It's been raining since you left me, Now I'm drowning in the flood, You see I've always been a fighter, But without you I give up.”
Merlin started at him for a moment, a frown crossing his face as he tried to work out what was happening. Finally, he sighed. “That’s from a song, isn’t it?”
“Well, yes, but…”
“No,” Merlin snapped. “I’m tired of this, Arthur. All you want to do is play with your new toy. You’re even using it to try and make up with me. Look, if you love it so much why don’t you just sleep with it as well. You clearly don’t need me.”
“I do need you! And I don’t love the iPod you idiot, I love you!” Arthur shouted.
Merlin blinked at him, the anger on his face extremely rapidly being replaced with shock and disbelief.
“What?” He finally whispered.
“I love you,” Arthur said, gently this time as he pressed a soft kiss to Merlin’s lips. “I’m sorry it took me this long to say it but when you left...it was like I had a hole in my chest.”
Merlin looked like he might cry.
“I will always love you,” Arthur said earnestly, “no matter what. And, yes, I might use words from songs but that doesn’t mean I love you any less. It’s just that I…I don’t think my words can ever be enough.”
“Shut up, Arthur,” said Merlin, and kissed him.
Arthur groaned. “Oh, God, Merlin! I’ve missed you so much!”
“I’ve only been gone a few hours,” Merlin pointed out between kisses.
“It felt like forever.”
They stumbled backwards and fell onto Merlin’s bed, hands groping and teasing at each other. Merlin’s hand slipped over Arthur’s and he pulled the iPod free. “You know, we could have some fun with this. If you’d be willing to share.”
“I want to share everything with you,” Arthur said and handed Merlin an earphone. He flicked through the menu until he was sure he was past ‘Sexyback’ - he wasn’t quite ready for another conversation on that song just yet - and then handed it to Merlin. “You choose.”
Merlin scrolled down a few songs and pressed play.
Arthur’s eyes widened and he grinned as ‘Let's Get It On’ started to play. He dipped his head down and slowly kissed Merlin, savouring each moment and relishing every second.
Merlin moaned and arched his back as Arthur's hands raked through his hair, but he was in no rush either, letting his fingers trail along Arthur’s arms and back as if committing every dip and curve to memory.
Arthur’s hand lowered from Merlin’s cheek, stroking gently as he stopped kissing and looked at him, really looked at him for possibly the first time since they met.
“Merlin...I...you’re amazing,” he breathed with wonder. “I can’t believe it took me this long to really appreciate it.”
“You’re not too bad yourself,” Merlin said with a cheeky grin. Then he laid his forehead against Arthur’s and just looked into his eyes. “I could stay here forever.”
“Mmm...” Arthur murmured in agreement. “I wish we could. I don’t think my father would be too happy, though.”
Merlin smiled and pressed a kiss to Arthur’s throat. “Let’s not think about him right now.”
Arthur shuddered. “You’re right,” he said, nibbling gently on Merlin’s earlobe, “you’re always right.”
“Maybe not always.” Merlin’s fingers resumed their gentle exploration of Arthur’s back.
The music was still pulsing in their ears as they slowly worked at removing each other’s clothes, letting fingers stroke flesh as their breath mixed between kisses.
“I love you,” Merlin whispered.
Arthur’s smile couldn’t have got any bigger. “I love you, too.”
This time, it was if they were touching each other for the first time. Tender, tentative, almost hesitant. As if the other were a dream that would evaporate if they thought too hard.
But no dream could ever evoke the sheer bliss that enveloped Arthur and Merlin in a connection that ran much deeper than the feather-light strokes they gave each other.
“We...we...” Arthur gasped as Merlin’s hands stroked his back. “We need...”
Merlin knew exactly what they needed and reached for the small jar of oil he kept beside his bed for these occasions.
“Roll over,” he told Arthur with a grin.
It was one command the prince didn't need repeating and he did as he was asked, getting tangled in earphone wires. With a frustrated groan, he cast the iPod to one side and then let out a gasp as Merlin’s slick finger entered him.
This was his Arthur, here, now, sweat slicked and panting and not caring what anyone else might think except the two of them. Merlin enjoyed each whimper and whisper that fell from Arthur’s lips, as his free hand traced burning hot patterns on the prince’s thigh.
“Do you want more?” Merlin asked, a gentle tease in his voice.
“Yes,” Arthur hissed. “More, Merlin. Please.”
Merlin was almost certain that this was the first time Arthur had ever used the word “please” in his life. It made him smile as he slipped a second finger into him
Arthur bit the pillow. Hard. He let out a muffled groan. Encouraged, Merlin flexed and scissored his fingers and pressed hot, wet kisses onto Arthur’s spine.
“Are you ready for me?” Merlin whispered, his hot breath burning Arthur’s ear. The prince let out another groan and nodded.
Merlin entered him slowly. He’d never been allowed to do this before, and while he knew what he was doing he wanted it to be perfect for Arthur
Arthur knew he was making some rather undignified, un-princely grunting noises but he didn’t care. He wanted to rock backwards, to feel Merlin buried deep within him. He wanted Merlin to move, to use him, to push him over the edge until his senses numbed and he collapsed in tingling heap. But all he could say was “please!”
Merlin grinned and leaned forward to nip at Arthur's earlobe. “Patience...”
“Nyargh!” Was the only strangled cry Arthur was capable of making as Merlin began to move on top of him, at the same time reaching around to stroke his throbbing cock. His hand and his body moved in perfect rhythm and Arthur wondered if it was possible to die from too much pleasure. His body burned with it. He was unable to do anything but moan as his body hurtled towards a pinnacle he wanted to reach and an ending he didn’t really want to arrive at.
He let out a strangled cry and collapsed onto the bed, Merlin falling limply on top of him. He was hot, sweaty and sticky but had never felt happier.
Merlin stirred after a few moments and pressed a kiss to his shoulder before sliding off and lying beside him.
“I think,” Arthur said with a lazy smile, “I’ll just stay here for the rest of the day.”
The last thing he saw as his eyes drifted shut was a contented smile from Merlin as he, too, drifted off to sleep
Under cover of darkness, as the outside temperatures plummeted to freezing, an overtly grumpy but secretly overjoyed Gandalf slipped into Merlin’s bedchamber and tucked warm blankets firmly around the young warlock who was entwined with the prince.
“Just like you two to catch your death of cold right now,” he muttered, but low enough so as not to awake the sleeping pair.
He took a moment to look at them, in particular the contented smiles on both of their faces.
“Oh, I can’t wait to tell Anhora about this. I told him it would be easy, and who needs Albus’s delicacy? Arthur would still be in his room if I’d been delicate about it.”
And he slipped from the room and left Merlin and Arthur to their sleep.
Meanwhile, in Middle Earth
“I ran into Gandalf a way down the road, Mr. Frodo. He asked me to give you these.”
“What on earth is it, Sam?”
“I don't rightly know. Seems to be a bunch of papers.”
Frodo took the papers from him and cut the ribbon that bound them. “Let me have a look at them.” His eyes widened. “Oh my!”
Sequel: The Epic Tale of Uther's Brush With Technology