Title: Okay, Amazingly Fantastic
Author: bakarini
Genre: Slash
Word Count: 1,969
Rating: NC-17 (oooooh so NC-17)
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Summary: Things continue to not go quite right, until they do, and then all is well.
In Which: Arthur tries to apologize, and Merlin kind of laughs at him.
Beta: scifijunkie, WHO APOLOGIZES FOR THE SEVERE DELAY IN THE PORN
Prequel:
(1) Not All That Fantastic
(2) Maybe A Little Fantastic, But That Was It
(3) Scratch That, Not At All Fantastic
(4) Possibly Slightly Fantastic

Okay, Amazingly Fantastic

Merlin comes into his chambers late the next day, like every other day he's been Arthur's manservant, and Arthur is surprised at how the tightness in his chest and back suddenly loosens. He hadn't even realized he'd been so desperately afraid that Merlin just wouldn't show up; afraid that the previous night's misunderstanding had been the breaking point, and that Merlin walking out had been a silent and deft declaration of resignation.

They'd had fights before, sure, plenty of them. But none of them had quite felt like their argument last night, and none of them had left Arthur with the same aching hollowness that burrowed into his chest when he'd stood in the middle of his room for the next five minutes waiting, and Merlin never came back.

Apparently all his agonizing and worry (not that it had been a lot, because prince's weren't supposed to have trouble sleeping after arguments with manservants) had been for naught, because Merlin came stumbling in with breakfast like every other morning. Even if there was an awkward silence hanging in the air as he hung, just inside the door, as though debating if he should say anything or not.

Arthur watched patiently from his chair, already dressed - having long since gotten used to the fact that Merlin wasn't going to be the servant who helped him with that - and lounging back in the soft furs. Any other day he would have laughed at the way Merlin hovered there, fingers tapping the edge of the dish he held, feet fidgeting nervously. Today he was un-princely happy to see him.

Finally Merlin moved, slowly coming forward and placing the platter on the table in front of Arthur, drawing back instantly moving away to take care of the room he hadn't tended to the night before.

The thing in Arthur's gut simmered and slunk, and Arthur couldn't help but speak, stopping Merlin before he could get close to the first astray boot. "I'm sorry."

Stock still, half bent, Merlin slowly righted and turned. If his demanding voice and naked, lithe body weren't still burned into Arthur's eyes, he would have been surprised that his manservant looked anything else but cool and collected. So unlike the Merlin that Arthur thought he knew, and so very much like the Merlin that made Arthur's blood run hot and had him fucking his own hand every night for the past fortnight.

"What?"

Arthur wasn't quite sure if Merlin actually hadn't heard him, or just wanted to make him repeat it. He didn't really care. "I'm sorry. I didn't intentionally put you in the stocks yesterday, and..." He trailed off, because while he'd fully prepared himself for making this stupid apology that even he knew was rather necessary, he hadn't planned to really speak any further than those two words, and now he was in unchartered territory.

He was trying. Trying really very hard, to make sure and think about this whole thing. Trying to pick his way carefully, because he didn't want a repeat of last night. But instead he managed to come up with, "I don't know why you'd think I wouldn't care," said too low and too grave and too serious.

It made the room freeze, time stop. And slowly, it made Merlin's eyes fall to the ground as a soft flush once again began to crawl up his neck. How in God's name could this could be the same boy who demanded a senior knight fuck him into a wall, who had the presence and the power to make a knight kneel in front of him, hard and sweating and shuddering with need - Arthur couldn't even put it together.

"What?" And this time Merlin really did look surprised, and no small measure confused, flush frozen just bellow his ears.

Jaw clenched in frustration at his own stupidity, fingers curling into fists, Arthur did not think a prince was supposed to get so flustered over any conversation, much less one with his very own servant - but thinking that didn't seem to have all that much of an effect on what was actually happening, and he was stuck, facing a very confused Merlin, trying to figure out how to recover.

He ended up asking, "How did you even meet Baiwen anyway?" and promptly wanted to kick himself. Sure, it was what he wanted to know, but it wasn't what he should have said.

Suddenly Merlin's eyes were back on him, flickering sharply with a light that made Arthur worried he would once again be left alone in his room staring at a closed door. And then slow seconds passed and Merlin's lips curved into a small smile that Arthur thought he should be more offended than turned on by, but he really couldn't help himself at this point. His voice was low, almost too soft to hear, as he asked, "Are you jealous?" in a completely and utterly un-Merlin-like way. Instead it was the voice of the tawny naked boy who demanded harder and fuck me.

The rumbling heat in Arthur's chest that had reared its ugly head that first night of drunkenly spying on Merlin had been in irritable hibernation since last night when it was doused with the cold fear of possibly never seeing Merlin again, suddenly flared bright and hot, snarling and gnashing its teeth, and before Arthur knew what he was doing, he was on his feet and across the room, looming in front of Merlin, so close he could feel the other's heart beat.

Merlin's eyes widened in surprise, but the smile never wavered from his thin lips. He looked as though he'd won something, and it drove Arthur crazy. "I waited for you." A low snort of laughter breathed out, warm breath hitting Arthur in the face. "Baiwen filled the position just fine." His voice hard and defiant and strong.

Arthur's cock pulsed, hard and hot in his trousers as he grabbed Merlin's arm and dragged him forward, crushing their lips together, the heat in his chest exploding as Merlin made a soft noise, mouth opening in invitation. And Arthur accepted it gladly, his other hand grabbing Merlin's ass, grinding their hips together as his tongue slid into the wet warmth of Merlin's mouth. When Merlin had become hard, Arthur didn't have a single fucking clue, but as they pressed against each other, there was no mistaking.

Growling into the kiss, his hands descended on Merlin's trousers, sliding between their flush bodies to rip at the front of them until they were loose enough to shove down, sliding over Merlin's ass and freeing his erection. Precome slid a wet streak over Arthur's hands as he wrapped his fingers around Merlin's erection, breaking away from the kiss to look at Merlin's face as his head dropped back and he let out a loud noise of need.

Eyes half lidded, he stared at Arthur, and a second later he felt Merlin's fingers slide into his hair, grabbing roughly, pulling until his skull panged. He growled out, "Now," demanding and strong, and Arthur came with a gasp, hard and fast in his trousers, grinding up against Merlin's bare dick. Lips curving into a wide, amused grin, Merlin jerked on his hair again, drawing Arthur's unfocused attention back to his face. "Fuck me now."

Cock throbbing in anticipation, still hard despite the wet stain in his pants, Arthur gave a sharp nod and shoved Merlin back onto his bed, tearing at the front of his own breeches as Merlin kicked off his own trousers. Arthur watched as Merlin, naked from the waist down, laid back on the edge of the bed, erection pressing against his stomach, leaving a thick wet stain, and spread his legs, placing his feet on the baseboard just below the edge of the mattress.

Arthur bit his lip, moaning as Merlin stared at him through thick lashes, eyes sharp and demanding and refusing to wait. "As hard as you can," he ordered. And Arthur was between his legs, gripping Merlin's pale thighs, dick pulsing with anticipation, and he didn't hesitate. With a sharp jerk of his hips, he bucked forward, thrusting hard and fast, past the tight ring of muscle and burying himself to the hilt in one swift motion, and under him Merlin cried out, "Yes!" and then, "Again," low and growling, voice shaking.

He didn't need encouragement to pull back out, barely heard Merlin's sound of disappointment and confusion and loss when the head of his cock slid roughly from the tight heat, just to be rewarded with another shout of pleasure when he rammed back in. His muscles taut, eyes rolling back in his head as Merlin tensed around him, grip on slender muscled thighs so hard, Merlin would have bruises for another fortnight.

Sliding his hands down to Merlin's bony hips, he used his elbows to spread his knees even more as he once again pulled away and thrust in with a sharp snap of his hips. Another wordless shout from Merlin, followed by, "Again," and Arthur complied. Bucking, rough and hard into Merlin, who tensed and tightened with every thrust.

Beneath him Merlin shook and writhed, his entire body flushed and sweating, head thrown back, hands clenching the furs under him, his erection red and hard and shuddering with inattention, stomach smeared with precome. As heat coiled in Arthur's stomach, his hands tightened on Merlin's hips, staring down in transfixed fascination as one of Merlin's slender hands released the blankets under him and slid over his wet stomach, wrapping around his own cock, pumping with quick, rough, tight strokes.

"Not yet." And Merlin's voice was shockingly steady, even if his words were choked on gasping breaths.

He jerked himself off as Arthur drove into him, watching, ready to burst, and yet unable to come without permission from that hard, commanding voice. And he watched as Merlin's back arched off the bed, his eyes squeezing shut, his hand moving faster, loosing all rhythm. "Not yet," he gasped into the room as he twisted his wrist violently on an upstroke. "Not yet," as he came, over his hand and stomach and chest, shuddering as his muscles clamped down on Arthur, still thrusting, rough and to the hilt, into Merlin, his whole body strained and ready and desperate, his breath choked in his throat, curled over Merlin's tense and shivering form and slender fingers wrapped around a still mostly-hard erection.

Merlin looked down his cum covered chest and stomach, piercing Arthur's unwavering gaze, and demanded, "Now," as Arthur drove forward and came with a scream, watching Merlin's hand move hard and fast, bringing himself off a second time as Arthur's hips rocked against his ass, rocking deeper as he filled Merlin with hot wetness, feeling himself shoot off again as Merlin came over himself for the second time.

He was left, grasping onto Merlin's bony hips for dear life as he shook and shuddered, softening dick nestled deep in warm heat, watching Merlin slowly relax back onto the bed, muttering a low, "Bloody fuck," to himself.

Slowly he pulled away, unhooking his frozen grip on Merlin, soft cock sliding out smoothly, making a good attempt at twitching back to life as he watched wet seed drip out of Merlin, staining his blankets.

"Arthur."

He looked up at the shaky, thick voice to see Merlin staring at him. "You’re mine," he growled out, grabbing Merlin's knee as though to prove possession.

Merlin let out a heavy laugh. "Kiss me."

He was on the bed before Merlin finished the request, hand sliding around the back of Merlin's neck as he crushed their lips together in a fierce kiss, assured that the only person Merlin was going to be having voyeuristic sex with around Camelot now was himself.

:: END ::