Tactile
Title: Tactile
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Wordcount: ~2000
Summary: Arthur discovers Merlin's secret spanking kink.
Warnings: Spanking.
A/N: Originally posted as The One Where Merlin Really Likes Spanking over at eloquent_toast 's First Time fest for the prompt 'first time spanking'. Beta'd by maybelater__.
Though he’d always deny it if anyone asked, of course, Arthur quite liked touching Merlin.
Not in that way, obviously. It was all perfectly innocent - a bit of rough and tumble from time to time, the occasional manly handshake, a fortifying hand to the shoulder... it was all perfectly harmless.
It wasn’t even for himself. For all Merlin’s hands were pleasantly warm and rough and his hair was delightfully rufflable, what Arthur most enjoyed was the reaction it got. Merlin liked being touched. It made him all happy and smiley for the rest of the day, and when Arthur got the right spots - the inside of his wrist, the back of his neck - his eyes would go all soft and shivery, and sometimes his voice would get shaky. Arthur was very pleased the day he discovered that all he had to do to make Merlin be quiet was touch him just behind the ears. Merlin was sensitive.
But no, there was nothing sexual about it. It was just another way for Arthur to assert his supreme power. So naturally he had to keep finding new ways to touch Merlin without it looking dirty. And catalogue all his various responses for future reference.
He discovered his absolute favourite one day when they were about to leave his rooms to head down to the council chambers (or Arthur was heading to the council chambers, Merlin was going more in the direction of the laundry room). It was a sunny sort of day, so Arthur was in a good mood as he finished off his instructions to Merlin.
“You can do my best bed sheets as well while you’re at it,” he said. “Remember to be careful with the bed spread.”
“Yes, sire,” said Merlin, wrapping his arms more tightly around his bundle of dirty clothes.
“And don’t put my white tunics in with my cloak again,” said Arthur.
“Oh, come on, I haven’t done that in ages!” Merlin said, rolling his eyes. “Do you really not trust me?”
“Not particularly, no,” said Arthur. “And don’t dawdle; I need everything dry for tomorrow night. Oh, and pay special attention to my third-best breeches, they’ve got grass-stains all down the front.”
“Oh? How’d you manage that?” said Merlin, with a grin that was entirely too cheeky. He sobered up when Arthur gave him a stern look and said, “Will that be all, sire?”
Arthur considered this. Bed sheets, cloak, third-best breeches. That had been it. “Yes. Hurry up, now!”
Then - without even thinking about it, really - Arthur gave Merlin’s bum a little slap to direct him towards the door. It was gentle and it can’t even really have hurt, so Merlin’s reaction was quite uncalled for.
He let out a little squeak and jumped back, almost dropping his laundry all over the floor, then said, “Why’d you do that! Don’t do that! Why would you do that?” He took a deep breath and then went on before Arthur could reply. “You can’t just go around slapping people on the arse, you know! That’s - that’s not a good thing! For you to do! People don’t like it when you do that! Or, well, some people do, I guess, but I… I’m not one of those people! Stop looking at me like I’m one of those people! Stop looking at me!”
His face was all flushed, and he was breathing quickly, and for a moment Arthur assumed he was angry, but no, that wasn’t it. “I’m… sorry?” he said slowly. He held up his hands. “Your arse is safe from me. I won’t do it again.” Merlin stood and stared at him. Arthur waved him towards the door. “The laundry, Mer¬lin?”
“Oh! Right. Yes. Laundry.” Merlin swallowed - Arthur could see his throat working - then backed towards the door, as if he were trying to keep his buttocks as far away from Arthur as possible.
That had certainly been interesting, Arthur thought to himself on his way down to the council chambers. He might have to experiment further.
-
It took Arthur another couple of days to work up the nerve to touch Merlin’s arse again, but when he did, the results were glorious.
He waited till Merlin was standing with his back to him clearing away the papers Arthur had left strewn across his desk, then snuck up behind him and slapped his arse again.
Merlin’s breath hitched with a shock little gasp, and Arthur just had to do it again, to hear that sound again. He gave Merlin another smack, and this time Merlin actually honest-to-god moaned, eyes fluttering closed.
A moment later he twisted round and said, “Will you please stop doing that?”
“No?” said Arthur.
“Oh, god,” said Merlin. “It’s going to be the ear thing all over again, isn’t it?” He must have noticed that Arthur was still eyeing up his bum, because he turned all the way around, back to the desk, and said, “Because I’d really rather you didn’t keep doing that.”
Arthur leaned in. Merlin tried to back away again, and almost toppled over the desk. “You like it.”
Merlin flushed red. “No, I don’t!”
Arthur reached around and took hold of Merlin’s arse in both hands, squeezing gently, then a little harder. Merlin moaned again and then covered his mouth with the back of his hand. “I mean it, Arthur, it’s not funny.”
“I’m not trying to be funny,” said Arthur. “Who said anything about funny? This is… intriguing.”
“…Intriguing?” said Merlin, wary.
Arthur spanked him yet again, and Merlin let out the same bitten-off moan, limbs jerking slightly. “Did anyone ever tell you that you make the most gorgeous noises?”
“No?” said Merlin.
“Well, you do,” said Arthur. He slid his hands up Merlin’s sides - god, he wanted to touch every inch of him, just to see what other noises he would make - then cupped his face and kissed him hard. Merlin flailed a little at first, shocked, and maybe unsure what to do with his arms, then rested a hand on Arthur’s shoulder and kissed him back.
“Um?” he said when they pulled apart.
“God, I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” said Arthur. Because he had, now that he thought about it.
“Me too,” Merlin said. His shoulders were heaving and his eyes were bright and, oh god, he started to smile.
Arthur helped Merlin off with his jacket and his scarf, and Merlin helped Arthur off with his boots, and things escalated until Arthur was sitting mostly clothed on the bed, propped up against the pillows, Merlin kneeling naked next to him, biting his lip.
“Don’t look so embarrassed,” said Arthur. “Come on.”
Merlin shifted a little, then draped himself across Arthur’s lap, arse right over his crotch. He was hard already, oh god, and Arthur was half-hard himself. He stared down at Merlin, at the long, pale lines of him, traced the dip of his spine with his fingers, listening to the happy sounds that fell from Merlin’s lips and fetched his gloves from where he’d left them on the pillow.
He put them on nice and slow, making sure Merlin could hear the leather rustling, then stroked Merlin’s arse, ran his fingers down his crack, and said, “You ready?”
“Think so,” said Merlin. “Oh, god. Not too hard, yeah?”
“It’s okay,” said Arthur, soothing. “I’ll be gentle.” He brought his hand down firmly on Merlin’s arse, relishing the sharp slap of leather against skin. Merlin’s neck jolted up as he gasped, and Arthur gave him a moment or two to adjust, feeling Merlin squirm in his lap, then did it again.
Slap. A short, sharp moan. Slap. A whimper. Slap. Merlin’s toes were curling. His prick was leaking already, Arthur could feel it seeping into his breeches. Slap.
“Oh, my,” he said. “You really like it, don’t you?”
“Mm,” said Merlin. “Harder?”
Arthur hesitated, considering this, then brought his hand down as hard as he could. Slap. Merlin cried out and bucked up against him. Slap. Arthur switched to the other side, to balance things out - Merlin had stark red handprints all down one buttock already, he marked so beautifully. Slap. Merlin was near-writhing in his lap now, Arthur had to rest his other hand on his lower back to keep him still, hold him down firmly. Merlin duly went limp, panting as he submitted. Arthur spanked him again, and again, and then paused, staring down at his handiwork.
He stripped the gloves off, and ran his bare hand across Merlin’s arse. It felt burning hot, soft and streaked red and white, and Merlin was shaking all over, letting out lovely little breathy moans as Arthur found the most tender spots and pressed down.
After a minute or so, he pushed himself up on his elbows, rubbed at his face, and said, “Keep going? Please?”
Slap. Merlin let out a sound that wasn’t quite a sob. Slap. He was gripping the bed sheets, knuckles almost white. Slap. His breath was coming in short, sharp pants, and he was moving again, rutting up against Arthur’s thigh, and Arthur didn’t want to stop him this time. He held back for a moment, until Merlin was stifling little sounds of frustrated pleasure, then brought his hand down hard, once, twice, three times.
Merlin scrabbled at the bed sheets, ah- ah- oh god Arthur Arthur, wriggling frantically in Arthur’s lap, and Arthur could only sit back and watch. He could feel Merlin spurting against his leg, and his breeches would be a mess, but he didn’t care because he’d just made Merlin come just by spanking him. Merlin went limp and gasping, slack all over.
Arthur petted his arse a little more, soothing. “You okay?”
Merlin drew in a shaky breath. “Fuck.”
“More or less, yeah,” said Arthur. He laughed. He couldn’t help it. Merlin was smiling up against the bed sheets.
“M’sorry,” he said after a moment. “Did I - all over you?”
“A bit, yeah,” said Arthur. He ran his hand up and down Merlin’s back. His palm was tingling and a bit sore, and Merlin’s skin was soft and soothing. “I don’t mind. You were amazing.” He explored Merlin a little more, found a sensitive spot beneath his ribs, and rubbed at it thoughtfully while Merlin squirmed, gasping. “So is there anything else you like? Because you can tell me, I don’t mind.”
“I don’t know,” said Merlin. He pushed himself up gingerly and rubbed at his own arse. “I just - I dunno. My brain. Is soup.”
Arthur laughed and ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead. “You’re so - Merlin.”
“Well, I guess,” said Merlin. He was looking anxiously at the mess he’d made of Arthur’s breeches, then - and Arthur could tell the exact moment his attention switched - at Arthur’s erection, straining against the laces. “Do you want me to - you know? Help you out?”
“I’m alright for now,” said Arthur. He wrapped his arm around Merlin’s waist. “Though I expect you to reciprocate adequately later.”
“Is this going to be an official duty now, then?” said Merlin.
“Well, obviously,” said Arthur. “I’ve found something you’re actually good at, I can’t waste this.” Merlin snuggled up against the pillows next to him.
“I’m not sure if that was a compliment,” he said, twisting around so his sore little bum wouldn’t rub against the sheets. “I don’t want to move. Don’t make me move?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” said Arthur. He disentangled himself gently, left Merlin curled up on his own on the bed, and went to change into fresh breeches. By the time he came back Merlin was already asleep, face buried in the pillows.
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Wordcount: ~2000
Summary: Arthur discovers Merlin's secret spanking kink.
Warnings: Spanking.
A/N: Originally posted as The One Where Merlin Really Likes Spanking over at eloquent_toast 's First Time fest for the prompt 'first time spanking'. Beta'd by maybelater__.
Though he’d always deny it if anyone asked, of course, Arthur quite liked touching Merlin.
Not in that way, obviously. It was all perfectly innocent - a bit of rough and tumble from time to time, the occasional manly handshake, a fortifying hand to the shoulder... it was all perfectly harmless.
It wasn’t even for himself. For all Merlin’s hands were pleasantly warm and rough and his hair was delightfully rufflable, what Arthur most enjoyed was the reaction it got. Merlin liked being touched. It made him all happy and smiley for the rest of the day, and when Arthur got the right spots - the inside of his wrist, the back of his neck - his eyes would go all soft and shivery, and sometimes his voice would get shaky. Arthur was very pleased the day he discovered that all he had to do to make Merlin be quiet was touch him just behind the ears. Merlin was sensitive.
But no, there was nothing sexual about it. It was just another way for Arthur to assert his supreme power. So naturally he had to keep finding new ways to touch Merlin without it looking dirty. And catalogue all his various responses for future reference.
He discovered his absolute favourite one day when they were about to leave his rooms to head down to the council chambers (or Arthur was heading to the council chambers, Merlin was going more in the direction of the laundry room). It was a sunny sort of day, so Arthur was in a good mood as he finished off his instructions to Merlin.
“You can do my best bed sheets as well while you’re at it,” he said. “Remember to be careful with the bed spread.”
“Yes, sire,” said Merlin, wrapping his arms more tightly around his bundle of dirty clothes.
“And don’t put my white tunics in with my cloak again,” said Arthur.
“Oh, come on, I haven’t done that in ages!” Merlin said, rolling his eyes. “Do you really not trust me?”
“Not particularly, no,” said Arthur. “And don’t dawdle; I need everything dry for tomorrow night. Oh, and pay special attention to my third-best breeches, they’ve got grass-stains all down the front.”
“Oh? How’d you manage that?” said Merlin, with a grin that was entirely too cheeky. He sobered up when Arthur gave him a stern look and said, “Will that be all, sire?”
Arthur considered this. Bed sheets, cloak, third-best breeches. That had been it. “Yes. Hurry up, now!”
Then - without even thinking about it, really - Arthur gave Merlin’s bum a little slap to direct him towards the door. It was gentle and it can’t even really have hurt, so Merlin’s reaction was quite uncalled for.
He let out a little squeak and jumped back, almost dropping his laundry all over the floor, then said, “Why’d you do that! Don’t do that! Why would you do that?” He took a deep breath and then went on before Arthur could reply. “You can’t just go around slapping people on the arse, you know! That’s - that’s not a good thing! For you to do! People don’t like it when you do that! Or, well, some people do, I guess, but I… I’m not one of those people! Stop looking at me like I’m one of those people! Stop looking at me!”
His face was all flushed, and he was breathing quickly, and for a moment Arthur assumed he was angry, but no, that wasn’t it. “I’m… sorry?” he said slowly. He held up his hands. “Your arse is safe from me. I won’t do it again.” Merlin stood and stared at him. Arthur waved him towards the door. “The laundry, Mer¬lin?”
“Oh! Right. Yes. Laundry.” Merlin swallowed - Arthur could see his throat working - then backed towards the door, as if he were trying to keep his buttocks as far away from Arthur as possible.
That had certainly been interesting, Arthur thought to himself on his way down to the council chambers. He might have to experiment further.
-
It took Arthur another couple of days to work up the nerve to touch Merlin’s arse again, but when he did, the results were glorious.
He waited till Merlin was standing with his back to him clearing away the papers Arthur had left strewn across his desk, then snuck up behind him and slapped his arse again.
Merlin’s breath hitched with a shock little gasp, and Arthur just had to do it again, to hear that sound again. He gave Merlin another smack, and this time Merlin actually honest-to-god moaned, eyes fluttering closed.
A moment later he twisted round and said, “Will you please stop doing that?”
“No?” said Arthur.
“Oh, god,” said Merlin. “It’s going to be the ear thing all over again, isn’t it?” He must have noticed that Arthur was still eyeing up his bum, because he turned all the way around, back to the desk, and said, “Because I’d really rather you didn’t keep doing that.”
Arthur leaned in. Merlin tried to back away again, and almost toppled over the desk. “You like it.”
Merlin flushed red. “No, I don’t!”
Arthur reached around and took hold of Merlin’s arse in both hands, squeezing gently, then a little harder. Merlin moaned again and then covered his mouth with the back of his hand. “I mean it, Arthur, it’s not funny.”
“I’m not trying to be funny,” said Arthur. “Who said anything about funny? This is… intriguing.”
“…Intriguing?” said Merlin, wary.
Arthur spanked him yet again, and Merlin let out the same bitten-off moan, limbs jerking slightly. “Did anyone ever tell you that you make the most gorgeous noises?”
“No?” said Merlin.
“Well, you do,” said Arthur. He slid his hands up Merlin’s sides - god, he wanted to touch every inch of him, just to see what other noises he would make - then cupped his face and kissed him hard. Merlin flailed a little at first, shocked, and maybe unsure what to do with his arms, then rested a hand on Arthur’s shoulder and kissed him back.
“Um?” he said when they pulled apart.
“God, I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” said Arthur. Because he had, now that he thought about it.
“Me too,” Merlin said. His shoulders were heaving and his eyes were bright and, oh god, he started to smile.
Arthur helped Merlin off with his jacket and his scarf, and Merlin helped Arthur off with his boots, and things escalated until Arthur was sitting mostly clothed on the bed, propped up against the pillows, Merlin kneeling naked next to him, biting his lip.
“Don’t look so embarrassed,” said Arthur. “Come on.”
Merlin shifted a little, then draped himself across Arthur’s lap, arse right over his crotch. He was hard already, oh god, and Arthur was half-hard himself. He stared down at Merlin, at the long, pale lines of him, traced the dip of his spine with his fingers, listening to the happy sounds that fell from Merlin’s lips and fetched his gloves from where he’d left them on the pillow.
He put them on nice and slow, making sure Merlin could hear the leather rustling, then stroked Merlin’s arse, ran his fingers down his crack, and said, “You ready?”
“Think so,” said Merlin. “Oh, god. Not too hard, yeah?”
“It’s okay,” said Arthur, soothing. “I’ll be gentle.” He brought his hand down firmly on Merlin’s arse, relishing the sharp slap of leather against skin. Merlin’s neck jolted up as he gasped, and Arthur gave him a moment or two to adjust, feeling Merlin squirm in his lap, then did it again.
Slap. A short, sharp moan. Slap. A whimper. Slap. Merlin’s toes were curling. His prick was leaking already, Arthur could feel it seeping into his breeches. Slap.
“Oh, my,” he said. “You really like it, don’t you?”
“Mm,” said Merlin. “Harder?”
Arthur hesitated, considering this, then brought his hand down as hard as he could. Slap. Merlin cried out and bucked up against him. Slap. Arthur switched to the other side, to balance things out - Merlin had stark red handprints all down one buttock already, he marked so beautifully. Slap. Merlin was near-writhing in his lap now, Arthur had to rest his other hand on his lower back to keep him still, hold him down firmly. Merlin duly went limp, panting as he submitted. Arthur spanked him again, and again, and then paused, staring down at his handiwork.
He stripped the gloves off, and ran his bare hand across Merlin’s arse. It felt burning hot, soft and streaked red and white, and Merlin was shaking all over, letting out lovely little breathy moans as Arthur found the most tender spots and pressed down.
After a minute or so, he pushed himself up on his elbows, rubbed at his face, and said, “Keep going? Please?”
Slap. Merlin let out a sound that wasn’t quite a sob. Slap. He was gripping the bed sheets, knuckles almost white. Slap. His breath was coming in short, sharp pants, and he was moving again, rutting up against Arthur’s thigh, and Arthur didn’t want to stop him this time. He held back for a moment, until Merlin was stifling little sounds of frustrated pleasure, then brought his hand down hard, once, twice, three times.
Merlin scrabbled at the bed sheets, ah- ah- oh god Arthur Arthur, wriggling frantically in Arthur’s lap, and Arthur could only sit back and watch. He could feel Merlin spurting against his leg, and his breeches would be a mess, but he didn’t care because he’d just made Merlin come just by spanking him. Merlin went limp and gasping, slack all over.
Arthur petted his arse a little more, soothing. “You okay?”
Merlin drew in a shaky breath. “Fuck.”
“More or less, yeah,” said Arthur. He laughed. He couldn’t help it. Merlin was smiling up against the bed sheets.
“M’sorry,” he said after a moment. “Did I - all over you?”
“A bit, yeah,” said Arthur. He ran his hand up and down Merlin’s back. His palm was tingling and a bit sore, and Merlin’s skin was soft and soothing. “I don’t mind. You were amazing.” He explored Merlin a little more, found a sensitive spot beneath his ribs, and rubbed at it thoughtfully while Merlin squirmed, gasping. “So is there anything else you like? Because you can tell me, I don’t mind.”
“I don’t know,” said Merlin. He pushed himself up gingerly and rubbed at his own arse. “I just - I dunno. My brain. Is soup.”
Arthur laughed and ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead. “You’re so - Merlin.”
“Well, I guess,” said Merlin. He was looking anxiously at the mess he’d made of Arthur’s breeches, then - and Arthur could tell the exact moment his attention switched - at Arthur’s erection, straining against the laces. “Do you want me to - you know? Help you out?”
“I’m alright for now,” said Arthur. He wrapped his arm around Merlin’s waist. “Though I expect you to reciprocate adequately later.”
“Is this going to be an official duty now, then?” said Merlin.
“Well, obviously,” said Arthur. “I’ve found something you’re actually good at, I can’t waste this.” Merlin snuggled up against the pillows next to him.
“I’m not sure if that was a compliment,” he said, twisting around so his sore little bum wouldn’t rub against the sheets. “I don’t want to move. Don’t make me move?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” said Arthur. He disentangled himself gently, left Merlin curled up on his own on the bed, and went to change into fresh breeches. By the time he came back Merlin was already asleep, face buried in the pillows.