Archive of Our Own

“You like it when I say you’re doing it good, right?” Merlin said suddenly, while he drank from his goblet of wine.

“Uh?” Arthur looked up from his nearly finished plate to find his younger lover lounging on his chair and looking wickedly down at him.

They were having dinner, just like every other night, and the question took Arthur completely by surprise.

“That I’m doing good, what?”

“Me, of course.”

Arthur nearly choked on his food. He coughed while Merlin chuckled, and although he appreciated Merlin’s magic gently patting his back, he glared at the warlock for putting him in this situation in the first place.

“What exactly are you trying to imply, Merlin?” Arthur arched an eyebrow and cleaned his hands on a napkin.

It wasn’t only that he was a great strategist. It was that he and the young warlock had been lovers for almost a year now, he had been Merlin’s first—and last—and he knew most of Merlin’s tactics, especially those that made those amazing blue eyes twinkle like that.

“Nothing!” Merlin nearly shouted, faking innocence. It was so false that it made Arthur laugh out loud. “I just want to get to know my Lord better.”

“Oh, Gods. Your Lord? Now I know you mean trouble,” Arthur snorted.

Merlin tried to hide his mischief—and his wonderful smile—behind the rim of his goblet, unsuccessfully so.

“Humour me,” Merlin admitted, finally. “When I tell you you’re doing so good, you blush. You like it.”

“I don’t blush, Merlin.” Arthur laughed, uncomfortable. “Maidens blush. I merely heat up.”

“But you like it,” Merlin insisted.

“Well, yes,” Arthur finally admitted, drinking from his own goblet. “I like to be praised for my performance. Don’t say you don’t. When I tell you how prettily you take me, you enjoy it too.”

“So,” Merlin continued, looking at him through thick eyelashes. “If I were to stroke your ego more firmly while we were in bed, you’d get even more aroused, right?”

Arthur swallowed and moved in his chair with an intent to get his suddenly very interested cock more comfortable. His skin felt too hot, despite the room being only lukewarm.

“Stroke it, how?” He questioned.

“If I were to call you handsome, or if I were to tell you how good you fuck me. If I were to call you good boy when you’re sucking me?”

Those words, and the way Merlin looked at him coyly through his eyelashes, provoked a wave of arousal so strong in Arthur that he needed to take a deep, calming breath. The heat in his face and the way it moved down to his chest was surely visible. He had started sweating.

Merlin smiled like a hunter who had cornered his prey. Even though the young man had seduced him many nights, Arthur had never seen him succeeding so quickly.

“You… Could try, yes,” Arthur said when he found his voice.

“I shall, then,” Merlin grinned like the cat who got the cream.

“May I know what prompted you to ask this question?” Arthur asked, looking suspiciously at his lover.

“Oh,” Merlin opened his eyes and looked as innocent as possible. Arthur had to wonder how he lived for as long as he did hiding his magic in Ealdor, or how he truly thought he would spend one single night in bed with his King pretending to be anything other than what he was: a little sassy minx with whom Arthur fell in love almost instantly.

“Just. I’ve been thinking,” Merlin said, mysteriously.

“Poor darling. Hurt much?” Arthur teased.

Merlin glared at him and threw a chunk of bread in his direction with his magic. Arthur ducked expertly and laughed.

“I’ve realised that you…” Merlin said, voice low and sensual. “You thicken when I say certain things. And you look very handsome with the blush of excitement high on your face.”

“And you obviously like the result.”

“The results are… pleasant.” When Merlin smiled like that, the dimples on his cheeks were more pronounced.

Arthur laughed. Merlin looked incredible when he was aroused, too, Arthur wasn’t going to deny it. And whereas Arthur hardened, Merlin tightened around him when said the right things as well. But it was alright that Merlin was asking now. Arthur wanted to know more.

“And,” Arthur stood up from his chair and moved towards his lover. “Care to tell me what can I do to make you thicken in return?”

Merlin giggled. It was the sort of laugh of someone who wanted to speak but didn’t know how to express himself.

“I know you like to resist my orders,” Arthur said, helpfully, leaning closer to Merlin and caressing his ear with his lips as he talked with clear intent. “Even though you obey them so nicely.”

Arthur was so close that he could feel the full-body shiver that his words provoked in Merlin.

“You love me resisting you,” Merlin said, anyway.

Arthur couldn’t help sinking his teeth into the tender skin of Merlin’s neck, provoking a somewhat pained gasp. He licked the spot in apology and Merlin leaned his head to the other side, giving him more room.

“Biting me and scratching me with your beard are things that I know you like, Arthur.” Merlin’s voice was hoarse. “I know you get off by looking at the marks of possession on my skin.”

“And you enjoy it?” Arthur questioned.

“Yes,” Merlin panted, eyes bright with desire. “I also love touching myself watching you doing the same, and you know it.” Merlin laughed. Annoyingly, he pushed Arthur away to stand up from his chair. “But I want to know more.”

“More like what?” Arthur watched the warlock move towards the bed with suspicious eyes.

“I’d like to know if you’d want me to be inside you.” Merlin’s eyes were shy but expectant. 

“Why this sudden curiosity, Merlin?”

“I’d like to feel you around me. Just once.” The warlock blushed and lowered his eyes to his hands. 

“Is that all?” Arthur asked, tone conciliatory, hoping that Merlin could talk freely because Arthur didn’t know Merlin could be hesitant about something he wished.

Merlin seemed to consider his words for a moment.

“It’s just that… You are older than me, more experienced and I…” He looked directly into Arthur’s eyes as if looking for offence. Arthur tried to hide that the pang of hearing how he was, indeed, more advanced in age and background than his lover had hurt as it always did. Merlin sighed, gathering courage. “I can’t help but think that you’re married, that you’ve been with other men and then you got stuck with little, naïve me and—”

“I am with who I want to be, Merlin,” Arthur said, seriously, getting closer and touching Merlin’s hot cheek. “Naïve and beautiful, I love you. I’m not stuck. And you’re certainly not little.”

Merlin beamed, eyes bright with sudden joy at his words.

“Would you tell me more things you’d like to do?” Merlin asked, his hand grabbing Arthur’s waist and pulling him closer.

“To you?” Arthur choked a laugh. He decided to play it rough and see how far he could go. “Sometimes I’d like to spank you.”

The hand on his waist tightened a little.

“Really?” Merlin’s body tensed and his eyes opened wide in surprise. “When? Why?”

“When you’re being especially disobedient in bed,” Arthur said, his voice slightly hoarse. “It gets me so aroused I’d like to see your precious bum marked red by my hand.”

The thought of it made Arthur’s skin tingle sensually, even though he wasn’t sure if Merlin’s sudden tension was because his suggestion was being well received or not.

“Have you done it before?” Merlin asked, surprising Arthur both with the question and with the sudden jealous tone behind it.

“Yes,” Arthur answered sincerely. “When done properly it’s very satisfying for both parts. And Gwen likes to have something to think about other than how boring Council is. I’m sure Lancelot learned quickly how our Queen prefers being distracted.”

Arthur grinned mischievously at Merlin’s face when he realised why sometimes Gwen was so fidgety in her seat.

There was a moment of silence in which Arthur slowly caressed Merlin’s neck while the warlock mulled this new information over. Arthur was sure the fact of having his arse spanked wasn’t something that Merlin had ever thought about, which meant that there were other things he had.

“What things would you like to try, Merlin?” Arthur asked, voice gentle.

“Well.” The heat of Merlin’s blush reached his neck, warming Arthur’s hand. It was delicious. “I’ve been thinking how it’d feel to be bound.”

“To the bed or yourself?” Arthur asked, a ball of heat burning low in his stomach at the instant possibilities his mind came up with.

Merlin opened his mouth, but only air escaped.

“You didn’t think that far?” Arthur laughed warmly.

“I thought about the possibility of tying myself with my magic so that there was no option to escape,” Merlin confessed, chuckling shyly. “But where to, no, I didn’t.”

Thoughts of Merlin spread and helpless, tied to the posts of the bed, made Arthur's half-hard cock fill completely in his breeches. He was so close to his lover that he was sure Merlin could feel him on the skin of his thigh. He didn’t mind.

“Would you like to try that?” Arthur asked, throat dry with excitement.

“I… yes,” Merlin answered, looking directly into his eyes with pupils blown with his own arousal.

“We can make a list of the things we’d like to try if you wish,” Arthur said. “Tying, spanking, you taking me…”

“Really?” Merlin’s fingers, which had found their way into Arthur’s tunic, tightened their grip on his skin and the contact made Arthur gasp.

“We can try them all,” Arthur promised, “and even include more things on the list as we think of more things to try. We can repeat those things we like, and make sure we don’t with those we find we are averse to. Would you like that?”

“Yes,” Merlin gasped. “But, does that mean that I’d get to spank you and tie you as well?”

“Once you’ve learned to do it, if you want to, of course,” Arthur agreed.

Arthur had to kiss Merlin’s wicked smile. Especially when the warlock said: “I want to start now.”

“With what?”

If it were Arthur’s preference, he would like to spank Merlin for putting him in these kinds of situations. But as it was, he decided it was better to let his young lover decide. Just this once.

“I would like to be tied up, Arthur,” Merlin said, excitedly.

“With your magic or with ropes?” Arthur said, confidently. He was happy to realise that the shyness had gone from his lover.

Merlin considered it for a moment. “I think my magic would do for now. This way if I feel uncomfortable, it’ll release me.”

“Good thinking,” Arthur agreed. “There’s a code for this sort of thing, that we’d have to discuss. Words that are used to say to stop. But for now, if you want me to stop, just tell me and I will, all right?”

“Yes.” Merlin nodded.

Arthur kissed him softly on the lips, lingering but not allowing the kiss to get any deeper despite his lover trying to get his tongue into Arthur’s mouth. When Merlin started pushing Arthur’s tunic up his torso, Arthur pushed him away.

“Strip,” he ordered.

Merlin did, looking naughtily at him while he did so as if he was considering disobeying any moment now.

“How about you? Am I the only one who’s going to get naked and cold?” Merlin teased.

“I’m not above testing spanking today, Merlin. Don’t push it,” Arthur said, seriously. A traitorous half-smile appeared on his face, though.

“Now what?” Merlin said when he was completely nude.

In the year since they had known each other Merlin had grown muscle, and had turned from a lithe, beautiful youth, into a handsome, fit man, who made Arthur’s mouth water in desire and his whole body heat up from arousal.

“Kneel,” Arthur ordered now. “Hands at your back.”

Merlin did without taking his eyes from Arthur’s. They still held challenge; that was something Merlin had never lost, and that Arthur adored. He made such a wonderful picture, naked, defiant and knelt at Arthur’s feet!

The room wasn’t as warm as it should be, and Merlin’s round, dark nipples were hard already, begging to be bitten. His chest moved with his aroused breathing. His thick, long cock stood proud and hard from the juncture of his bent legs. Merlin’s skin broke in goosebumps at Arthur’s hot look.

“Command your magic to tie you up. Hands and ankles. Tight enough so that you can’t move. And I will be the one to decide when it can release you.”

He enjoyed the fact that Merlin was obeying silently, too curious and aroused to say anything, and he made a mental note to add Silent Merlin to the list of things he wanted to try. Although he wasn’t sure he was going to like not having Merlin able to moan his name when he came.

Merlin’s eyes glowed gold with magic and so did the bindings that appeared around his wrists and ankles, as Arthur had commanded.

“You’re such a good boy when you want to.” Smiling, Arthur caressed his warlock’s cheek.

Merlin leaned into the touch, eyes fluttering closed. He blushed softly at the praise. It seemed like he, too, liked it every now and then. Although they both knew that Merlin got off quicker and more strongly by being called ‘little minx’, or told that he was greedy. Merlin enjoyed being treated rougher, and Arthur loved delivering.

“Test your bonds. See how much you like being restrained,” Arthur suggested.

While Merlin moved his shoulders trying to release his hands, Arthur unlaced his trousers and got his hand inside. He took himself in hand and stroked slowly, hearing Merlin grunt and look defenceless—even if he was anything but.

“I can’t move,” Merlin said eventually, looking at Arthur. 

“And is it good?” Arthur asked, his thumb stroking his gland slowly.

“Gods, yes,” Merlin gasped. “I feel…”

“At my mercy,” Arthur finished for him when it was obvious Merlin couldn’t find the words.

“Yes.” Merlin breathed out. He looked up at Arthur, eyes awed and bright with excitement. “My magic would only release me when you want it to.”

Arthur smirked. He loved Merlin’s magic nearly as much as it loved him in return. It protected him from every danger and stroked him from the inside out when he and Merlin made love. It was an active participant in his relationship with the warlock.

As Arthur got as close as possible to Merlin, with his free hand he caressed the warlock’s head.

“You’re so beautiful like this, Merlin,” Arthur said, finally lowering his pants and freeing his cock.

Merlin licked his lips and nearly had to crisscross his eyes to look at Arthur’s hard shaft because it was so close to his face. Suddenly, Arthur yanked at a fistful of hair, making Merlin gasp and open his mouth wide.

“This is what is going to happen,” he said, breathless with lust. “I’m going to fuck your mouth and you are going to take it. You’re going to feel the bindings impeding you from touching me or yourself. The more you resist, the deeper I’ll go and the more I’ll enjoy it.”

“Fuck.” Merlin’s breathing was shallow with excitement and there wasn’t any blue in his eyes. What colour remained was stormy gold because he was losing control.

“What was that?” Arthur pulled on Merlin’s hair only slightly. Enough to make him focus. “I want to hear you saying it.”

“Yes, Sire. I want your cock in my mouth,” Merlin panted.

Arthur pushed his leaking cock into Merlin’s mouth without another warning. Merlin whined and curled his tongue around it to taste him, and Arthur wanted to dive into his throat and fuck his lover raw, but he had the presence of mind to him to give him a few moments of going slow to accommodate him first.

Merlin moved his hands and his feet, pulling at his bonds without them giving away. Merlin’s cock was hard and red, leaking precome at the tip. 

The whimpers mixed with moans as Arthur thrust himself and pulled at Merlin’s hair to guide him along his hardness until the warlock’s nose was buried in Arthur’s pubic hair.

“You’re so good at this,” Arthur said, leaving Merlin’s mouth open and empty so that he could pant for a moment. 

Merlin panted, eyes watery and bright with lust, mouth open and chin full of spit. The blush of arousal was so strong that it went down his chest, almost to the middle.

“So beautiful,” Arthur mused. He pushed his cock back into Merlin’s waiting, warm mouth. “I think I want to come down your throat today.” 

Merlin could only make an approving grunt, his lips wrapped around Arthur’s cock. His spit slicked Arthur’s movements and allowed him to go deeper. The warlock swallowed around him and Arthur groaned as he felt his climax building so quickly he didn’t have time to warn his lover other than fisting his hair roughly.

When the fire in his gut was so great Arthur couldn’t hold it anymore, he didn’t close his eyes. He thrust his hips once, twice, and the look in Merlin’s eyes—challenging him to gag him with his cock—was all it took. The flames of his orgasm blinded him for a second but he blinked quickly, not wanting to lose a moment.

“Ah, yes,” he grunted, watching Merlin swallowing around him. “Take my load. Just like this. You like it, don’t you?”

Merlin made an affirmative noise and greedily sucked his cock clean, prolonging Arthur’s pleasure. He was moving his shoulders, desperately trying to break his bonds free to touch.

Arthur roughly pulled himself out of Merlin and kissed him deeply, chasing his own tang. Merlin gave as good as he got, groaning into the kiss, trying to lift himself from the floor in an attempt to find friction but finding no leverage.

“Once you’re not in need of climax, we’ll talk about adding things like denying you to come for a whole day, or putting a blindfold on you,” Arthur said in a low, sensual voice while he knelt in front of Merlin.

“And why not now?” Merlin gasped at the feeling of Arthur’s beard on the tender skin of his neck, leaving the red marks of burn everywhere.

“Because now you’ll agree to anything so that I allow you to come,” Arthur smirked. “And I want you sincerely wanting things.”

“Please, Arthur,” Merlin whined when Arthur’s hands skimmed over his surely painfully hard erection. His shoulders tensed again, as once more he pulled on his bound hands. “Please touch me.”

Arthur finally took Merlin in hand at the same time they kissed filthily. Merlin moaned into his mouth and pressed himself closer, finally surrendering his intent to free himself from the magical ropes to the pleasure Arthur was giving him.

Eventually, Merlin's lips simply rested on Arthur’s, their breaths mingling in the middle, and Arthur’s strokes sped up on the hard flesh until Merlin cried out his name. His body became rigid in Arthur’s embrace and his magic pulsed once, warming the air around them. Merlin’s load slapped Arthur’s hand and his own stomach.

“Release yourself,” Arthur ordered quietly.

Merlin’s bindings disappeared and, with a satisfied sigh, his body slumped against Arthur’s.

“I’m not sure what made it better,” Merlin said, his voice sounding tired and a little distant. “The fact that I was completely at your mercy, that you could stop touching me and I could do nothing, or that you wanted to add more naughty things to that list.”

“Probably both,” Arthur answered.

Merlin’s peaceful smile rested on Arthur’s neck. It was late, Arthur should take them to bed but he didn’t want to break the moment—just the two of them hugging on the floor, in post-orgasmic bliss, touching and resting, discovering things about themselves and the other.

“We can talk about anything you want, Merlin,” Arthur caressed his lover’s naked skin with reverence. “It’s good that we talk about this, that we try new things out. It’ll make our lovemaking better.”

“Thank you for doing all this for me, my love,” Merlin said, lifting his head and looking deeply into Arthur’s eyes.

“I’d take the moon down for you if I could, Merlin,” Arthur confessed.

Merlin’s mischievous smile spread slowly. Merlin’s magic warmed Arthur’s skin, making itself known.

And Arthur knew he only had to ask how many pieces he wanted.

THE END.