Chapter Text
Merlin wove his way to the bar. He was grinning hard enough that his cheeks were beginning to hurt. His hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat and his shirt wasn’t better. Behind him the dance floor heaved with people still caught up in the thump of the bass echoing from the speakers. He would still be out there himself, losing himself in a tangle of limbs with the countless handsome men vying for each other’s attention, except that he was starting to get light headed. He’d lost track of the number of songs between breaks from the floor.
The bar was packed, and he had to elbow his way in to get a spot. It earned him more than one glare from the patrons who were there to make cow eyes at Gwaine. Merlin couldn’t blame them. Gwaine could be covered in horse shit and vomit, and his charisma would still carry him through. It was, however, irritating. Merlin had known Gwaine long enough to be immune to his charms (mostly), and he didn’t appreciate the crowd of people preventing him from getting his friends and family discount (free drinks). A drink was sloshed onto his shirt as he forced himself into the throng. It felt good in the moment, cooling his overheated skin, but he knew that it would regret it later when it dried and his shirt became sticky and gross. Finally at the counter itself, he leaned across and raised his hand in a rude gesture at Gwaine. It was the best way to catch his attention.
Sure enough, Gwaine caught the movement out of the corner of his eye, turned, and spotted Merlin. He smiled affectionately, visibly chuckled, made the rude gesture back, and held up his finger to let Merlin know he’d be there in a second. Merlin braced his elbows against the bar top, giving himself a moment to catch his breath. Gwaine made his way over and slid over a glass full of a clear drink with ice. Merlin took a sip of it and made a face. He hated sparkling water.
“No alcohol!” he shouted to Gwaine over the music and raised his glass to clarify his complaint.
“Hit your max!” Gwaine called back, “I’m not dragging your drunk arse back to the flat!”
Merlin wished he had a come back for that. He didn’t. Famously, he was the friend who couldn’t handle his alcohol. He had a worse alcohol tolerance than Gwen, and she was half his height.
Gwaine clapped him warmly on the shoulder with another of those affectionate grins, then slipped away to deal with other customers begging for drinks.
Merlin slipped away from the bar. He had no desire to be elbowed the way he’d elbowed others. Not yet ready to return to dancing, he found a standing table not far from the bar and set up shop there. He sipped his drink and contemplated the dance floor. The crowd had thinned a bit since he’d taken a break, but that was to be expected. Gwaine knew the DJ well and said that the DJ intentionally played a couple of less danceable songs in a row to force people to take a break. That didn’t mean that there weren’t plenty of options for Merlin to consider for his next dance partner. He was just contemplating going after the man with the ridiculous mustache and leather harness, when a movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention. The club was packed, there should be no reason that a movement should catch his attention in the storm of movement around him, except it wasn’t a type of movement he was used to seeing. It was too stiff and contained for a club atmosphere.
He turned his head, and his eyes landed on a blonde man near the bar. While everyone around was loose limbed from drinking and dancing, he stood with his chin up, feet hip width apart, and relaxed back in his stance. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his jeans as he waited, likely for a spot to open up so he could order his drink. It was a different kind of confidence than the kind usually seen at a gay club, where confidence tended to display itself with a certain dramatic flair. Merlin was not above enjoying or participating in that dramatic flair, but that didn’t mean the man at the bar wasn’t intriguing in his difference. Merlin would have pegged him as a straight man who wandered into a gay club on accident, except for the fact that he didn’t seem at all perplexed by the rainbows (or the spray painted activist slogans on the walls). Blondie also didn’t react when two men, stumbling off the floor in the direction of the loo if their snogging was any indication, bumped up into him. He removed one hand from his pocket, turned one of them by their shoulder and gave the pair a nudge in the correct direction, and resumed his place in the crowd. He could have been a straight man who was comfortable among the gays, or he was gay and just wasn’t into being flamboyant.
Either way, Merlin figured he didn’t have anything to lose.
He downed the last of his water, made another face about it, and made his way over to blondie.
Up close, he was even better looking than Merlin had thought from far away. He was of a height and age with Merlin, and had a strong jaw and nose that vaguely reminded Merlin of the Greek statues he’d studied in his classical art classes in uni. His shoulders were broad and the material of his maroon t-shirt stretched across them enticingly. Merlin’s eyes dipped down and he flushed a little. Blondie’s chest was well muscled. (Merlin had a thing for chests, sue him.)
He nudged blondie to get his attention. Blondie made a face to himself, like he was annoyed for being bumped into again before getting his drink. When Merlin didn’t move, blondie turned his head and blinked in surprise when he realized that Merlin was standing close intentionally. Merlin smiled.
“What are you drinking?” Merlin shouted over the music.
Blondie shifted uncomfortably and shouted back, “I wasn’t looking for some to buy me a drink tonight!”
“I know the bartender! I can get his attention for you!”
Blondie tilted his head curiously, then shouted his drink order into Merlin’s ear. Merlin gave Blondie a thumbs up to indicate that he heard and repeated the process of getting to the bar. He hip checked someone in a mesh shirt and vinyl shorts, who stopped and considered Merlin thoughtfully. If Merlin hadn’t been on a mission, he might have passed a song or two with mesh shirt, but he was too focused on Blondie. He shook his head. Mesh shirt pouted and slunk off to go find someone else to snap him up, and Merlin squeezed his way into the empty space. He made the gesture at Gwaine again. This time Gwaine made an aggravated face at him, and shoved one of the trainees over to deal with Merlin’s nonsense.
“Merlin, right?” the trainee asked, his name tag read Deagal.
Merlin nodded, shouted Blondie’s drink order, and pointed over his shoulder to indicate who he was talking about. Daegal pulled together the drink order, slowly and clumsily, then set it on the counter. Figuring that Blondie wouldn’t appreciate Merlin touching his drink if he hadn’t wanted to have anyone pay for him, Merlin turned around. He scanned the crowd for Blondie, waved his hand to get his attention, and then gestured for him to come get his drink. Blondie forced himself through the gap Merlin had made by flailing his arms around, and set his card on the counter to pay. Merlin waved it off.
“I drink free!” he explained, “Friends and family!”
Blondie smiled in amusement and surprise. It was crooked, pulling up one side of his face and making him appear boyish. It was a nice smile. He raised his glass in a toast and took a sip.
“Want to dance?” Merlin asked.
“Let me drink this first!” Blondie shouted, “I’ll meet you out there!”
It didn’t seem like a brush off, but even if it had been Merlin was mature enough to not be offended. Figuring Blondie would either meet him out there, or would be conveniently distracted by other dance partners, Merlin nodded, said, “Meet you out there!” and went back to the floor. The water and the break had done enough to clear his swimming head. He threw himself back into the dancing once more, letting his veins fill with the beat of the bass. He could feel it echoing in his chest like a second heartbeat. He wasn’t alone for more than a few seconds when someone joined him. It wasn’t blondie, which was a bit disappointing, but dancing was more fun with someone else so he went along with it. There wasn’t a spark, and when the bloke leaned in, clearly expecting a kiss for his troubles, Merlin dodged it less than gracefully, and patted the man awkwardly on the shoulder.
“Artfully done.” A sarcastic voice said in his ear.
Merlin startled and he whipped around only to find himself face to face with Blondie. Well, that was alright then.
“Still up for a dance?” Merlin asked, grinning.
Blondie smiled back, and stepped closer, placing his hands on Merlin’s waist. Merlin tossed his arms around Blondie’s neck and stepped close. He was maybe a quarter of an inch taller than Blondie, which meant he had to bend his knees a bit to bring them level, but it was a sustainable bend. Blondie was not a great dancer. He stayed on the beat and moved in a way that made Merlin think Blondie was more suited for sports than dancing, but it didn’t much matter. His chest was pressed close to Merlin’s, they were breathing in rhythm with each other, and his blue eyes were glittering with enjoyment. That was more than enough to make up for any stiffness in his movements. Merlin was loose enough for both of them.
The song changed to something darker, with a grinding beat. Merlin expected Blondie to move away, maybe thank him for the free drink. Instead, Blondie raised a challenging eyebrow at Merlin and squeezed his waist with more intention. That was perfectly fine with Merlin. He drew Blondie closer so that their foreheads were touching and there was no escaping each other. Every exhalation from Blondie tickled Merlin’s cheek. Blondie smiled that crooked smile again, clearly pleased.
He was better at grinding than he was at dancing. The smaller movements suited the tight coil of his muscles, and Merlin was the one left playing catch up. Sweat was beading down Merlin’s back, but the combined forces of the entire British military couldn’t drag him away. He would happily die of dehydration here. He shifted his head, so his mouth was next to Blondie’s ear.
“Can I kiss you?” he asked.
Blondie seemed surprised Merlin asked, but after a moment of hesitation, he shrugged as if to say ‘fuck it’ and pressed his lips to Merlin’s. It wasn’t the most brilliant earth-shattering kiss Merlin had ever experienced, but there was something there, something that drew him in. He let his mouth fall open against Blondie’s and Blondie took the cue to deepen the kiss. They’d long since lost track of the beat, and were standing almost perfectly still in the middle of the dance floor, hips shifting together in a way that prioritized the thrill of sensation rather than artistry of the beat. Merlin slid one of his hands up to tangle in the slightly sweaty hair at the nape of Blondie’s neck, and Blondie made a noise into Merlin’s mouth. Intrigued, Merlin tugged lightly and that drew a groan that was audible even over the beat in their ears, and Blondie clutched Merlin closer reflexively. Blondie drew back, pupils blown wide. He too shifted so he could speak directly into Merlin’s ear.
“Want to get out of here?” he asked.
“God yes.” Merlin answered.
That he said yes also seemed to surprise Blondie, but they dragged themselves apart. Blondie moved to exit the club, and Merlin followed. He stopped by the bar just long enough to retrieve his jacket and let Gwaine know he was leaving. Gwaine only half heard him, buried as he was under the sudden influx of people the bouncer had let in. Merlin kissed him on the cheek and headed out. Blondie was already outside, leaning against the wall, hands buried deep in his pockets. His head snapped up when he saw Merlin, and something in his features relaxed as Merlin approached.
His ears were still ringing from the noise inside, and it felt like they had been stuffed with cotton. The echo of the bass had left an absence where it used to reside in his chest.
“I’m Merlin.” Merlin said and held his hand out, feeling a bit silly about introducing himself after having had Blondie’s tongue in his mouth.
Thankfully, Blondie took the awkwardness in stride, and shook Merlin’s hand, “Arthur.”
Now that they were out of the club, Merlin could hear that Arthur sounded like he belonged on the radio. His consonants were crisp, and his vowels clear without any twang. That just wasn’t fair. One man shouldn’t be able to hit two of Merlin’s kinks at once: first Arthur’s chest now this.
“Do you live nearby?” Arthur asked.
“Ten minutes by bus.” Merlin admitted, “Are you closer?”
“Ten minutes by car.” Arthur answered, “I only had the one drink, and it was mostly mixer. Up to you.”
Merlin considered Arthur carefully. His eyes weren’t glazed, he wasn’t slurring, and the alcohol content really hadn’t been that high. Plus, a car ride seemed infinitely less awkward than trying to hide his arousal on public transit.
“Swear you’re good to drive?” Merlin asked cautiously.
“I wouldn’t have offered otherwise.”
“We’ll take your car.”
Arthur nodded and fished his keys from his jeans pocket and said, “I parked over here.”
‘Over here’ turned out to be a block away in the residential area behind the club. Arthur might have found the only free and available parking spot in all of London.
Before Merlin got in the car, he paused and took a picture of the license plate. He sent that off to Gwaine and when he turned back around, Arthur had paused. He was watching Merlin intently with his head cocked. Merlin’s heart caught in his throat. For a split second he thought Arthur was angry with him, he’d had weirder things set off hook ups before.
“Need a photo of me too?” Arthur asked mildly.
“Errr…” Merlin said uncertainly, “If you don’t mind. My flatmate worries.”
Arthur shrugged, unbothered, “I think its smart. I’m not a serial killer, but I could have been.”
“That’s not exactly a comforting statement.” Merlin said, laughing, “You could just be a very convincing serial killer.”
“Oh just take a picture would you?” Arthur said, trying to hide his laughter under a heavily put upon sigh.
Merlin took a picture of Arthur and sent that off to Gwaine too. He circled around and climbed into the passenger seat as Arthur slid into the driver’s side. Arthur waited until both their seatbelts were buckled before he started his car. This late at night, there wasn’t much residential traffic, and Arthur was able to zigzag his way through the neighborhood mostly unbothered. He had to stop a couple of times to let other cars by on the cross street. Silence was thick and awkward. Desperate to recapture some of the spark from the club, or at least prevent it from extinguishing by the time they got to Arthur’s place, Merlin leaned forward and turned on the radio.
“Financial reports indicate the Camelot Industries…”
“News radio?” Merlin asked Arthur, “Don’t most people just read the news on their mobile?”
“I drive around a lot for work.” Arthur said defensively and then smacked Merlin’s hand away when he went to turn the channel knob, “Stop it. You’ll mess up the presets.”
“You have presets? Are you actually sixty years old?”
“Oh for the love of… if you really can’t sit in silence for the next five minutes it takes to get to my flat, there’s an aux cord somewhere in the footwell on your side.”
“It’s fine.”
“Merlin…”
“It’s fine, Arthur, really. There’s nothing that turns me on more than reports on the stock market.”
“You know,” Arthur said conversationally, “it’s a good thing you’re cute because you are, otherwise, incredibly strange.”
“Good strange, I hope.” Merlin said, taking the friendly insult for what it was.
Arthur glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, and a small, soft smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, “I suppose we’ll find out.”
True to his word, they pulled up in front of a split level, Victorian conversion roughly five minutes later. He managed to squeeze his car into a parking spot that Merlin never would have been able to navigate. As Arthur turned off the ignition, Merlin dropped a pin to Gwaine. Then both he and Arthur unbuckled their seatbelts and climbed out. Arthur led the way up the steps to the front door and let them into his hall. In the lowlight of the hallway light, Merlin got his first proper, non-shadowed look at Arthur. He was still handsome, but now when Arthur flashed him a slightly nervous smile, Merlin got enjoy the fact that Arthur’s front teeth were slightly crooked too. It lent him an adorable edge that his public school accent and athletic frame didn’t provide.
“I’m upstairs, if you haven’t changed your mind.” Arthur said, rocking on his heels.
“I haven’t.” Merlin promised, smiling softly, “Lead the way.”
He followed Arthur up the stairs to his flat.
Given Arthur’s accent, he’d expected the flat to be entirely modernized. He’d pictured fancy chrome appliances and a sofa that was artfully designed and crafted, but horrid to sit on. Instead, the inside of Arthur’s flat resembled Merlin’s. The sofa in the living room didn’t match the arm chair, and neither of them matched the coffee table or the book case that the television was sitting on. All of it was a bit scuffed around the edges, like it had been used extensively before Arthur picked it up. (Merlin wasn’t judging, he’d rescued more than one piece of furniture from the alleys around his flat.) Merlin hung his jacket on a hook by the front door that he recognized as coming from ikea. Arthur’s kitchen was slightly battered than his sitting room, but the appliances weren’t expensive and new. His refrigerator was the same model as the one in Merlin’s flat, likely the cheapest option that all landlords provided to their tenants. His oven door had a few knicks and dents in the door. The only things that were new were the pots and pans stacked up on one end of the counter and the electric kettle.
Unexpected as it was, the lack of expensive materials relaxed Merlin. He didn’t feel quite so out of place the same way he did the other times he’d let a posh boy take him home.
“We have the same fridge.” Merlin remarked.
Arthur looked at his fridge like it had materialized from the ether, “Landlord chic.” He joked.
Merlin snorted a small laugh, and it made Arthur smile.
“Want a water or anything?” Arthur asked, “I’d offer you takeaway, but it’s all a few days old by now. I think I might have a package of biscuits that hasn’t gone stale yet.”
“It’s alright, Gwaine made sure I ate a bunch of pretzels before he served me?”
“Gwaine?”
“Club’s bartender, my flatmate.”
“Ah, the friend from the friends and family discount.”
“That’s him.” Merlin agreed.
He drummed his fingers lightly on his thigh, waiting for Arthur to say something. It had been his call to invite Merlin back, and Merlin was taking his cues from Arthur. Only Arthur seemed to be waiting too. He was shifting on the balls of his feet, gazing at Merlin’s face then realizing what he was doing, and glancing away again.
Arthur was nervous.
“Hey,” Merlin said softly, gently, “I still haven’t changed my mind. I still think you’re gorgeous, and I’d really like another kiss if you haven’t changed your mind either.”
“That obvious?” Arthur asked, shoulders creeping towards his ears self-consciously.
“Why are you so nervous? You’ve done this before.” Merlin said, and a thought occurred to him, “You have done this before, right?”
“What? Invited a stranger home from a club, or had sex with a man?”
“Both.”
“I’ve done both.” Arthur assured him, “Just not very often. Work keeps me busy, and I don’t get the chance to go to bars or clubs very often. Let alone date or bring people home. I’m rusty.”
“Well, consider me rust remover.”
“That sounded a lot cleverer in your head, didn’t it?”
“Do you want to stand here and discuss my lack of brain to mouth filter, or do you want to kiss me hard enough that my lack of filter doesn’t matter?”
Arthur let out a bark of laughter, face splitting into that endearing, boyish grin, and he finally approached Merlin. Merlin met him half way, hands landing on Arthur’s shoulders and drawing him close. Arthur’s fingers dug into Merlin’s hips, holding him tight against Arthur’s body. Their mouths came together. Like in the club, the angle was a bit off, and it lacked the thrill that usually accompanied kissing someone you were helplessly attracted to. Then Arthur shifted his head, just a fraction, and everything felt into place. The kiss suddenly felt excellent. A thrill charged down Merlin’s back and tingled in his toes. Remembering how Arthur reacted to it in the club, Merlin slid his hands into Arthur’s hair and tugged lightly. Arthur groaned loudly and pulled back.
“That’s not playing fair.” He mumbled, pressing a kiss to Merlin’s collarbone where his shirt had shifted to bare the skin, “I don’t know what you like yet.”
“Take your top off and find out.” Merlin challenged.
“I’ll take off mine if you take off yours.”
Reluctantly, Merlin untangled himself from Arthur long enough to whip his shirt off over his head. He could feel it muss his hair horribly as it went, but hopefully it gave him an artfully disheveled look, rather than mad scientist like it usually did.
Arthur watched, eyes wide with visible awe. Another rush of adrenaline filled Merlin’s veins at that look, feeling powerful.
“Your turn.” Merlin reminded him.
Arthur gave Merlin’s hips one last squeeze, then let go. He took half a step back to give himself enough room, and pulled his shirt off over his head too.
“Fuck.” Merlin breathed, “Your tits.”
The t shirt had not done Arthur’s frame justice. His shoulders were broad, and his core, while narrow, was obviously thick with muscle, and enough fat to keep him from looking dehydrated or emaciated. His pectorals, which had looked thick and impressive through the shirt, were even better bared. They were not show muscle, they didn’t have that strange square shape that some gym rats developed, but were still thick. Whatever work out regimen Arthur kept, Merlin was thankful for it. Arthur had walked straight out of the footie magazines Merlin kept stashed under his bed as a teenager.
Arthur preened under Merlin’s compliment and grinned, nerves fading away in the wake of cockiness. He spread his arms wide, making the muscles play under his skin.
“Now who’s not playing fair?” Merlin complained.
“Care to level the playing field?”
Trousers and pants were lost in a rush of eagerness. Arthur finished first and proceeded to distract Merlin with kisses to his throat and shoulders while he hopped on one foot, trying to kick free of his jeans. He stepped on the leg of the jeans already trailing on the floor, and tripped himself. Arthur caught him around the waist before he could topple to the floor and hid his laughter in the skin of Merlin’s upper back. Merlin kicked free and flipped Arthur off for laughing at him. Arthur remained unchastised, and tugged Merlin back into the circle of his arms for another kiss. They ground together, breaths hitching. Merlin hoisted one leg over Arthur’s hip to better the angle, draw them closer together. Arthur took that as his cue to show his strength. He slid one hand under Merlin’s already bent leg, then slid the other one down and tapped at the crease where Merlin’s thigh met his arse. Merlin hitched that leg up too, and Arthur hoisted him easily, both hands coming to support Merlin where he clung to Arthur’s front.
“Shit.” Merlin cursed, pulling back with a nip to Arthur’s lower lip, “Bedroom. Please bedroom.”
Arthur kissed Merlin again, then mumbled, “Hold tight.”
Considering he was carrying a full grown man, Arthur moved with surprising ease into the hallway that led off from the kitchen. He temporarily released one of Merlin’s legs to fumble with he door knob, then they stumbled inside into the darkened bedroom. Merlin was too busy sucking bruises into Arthur’s chest to pay attention to the details of the room, until Arthur dumped him somewhat unceremoniously onto the bed.
A lamp clicked on a moment later, and Merlin was treated with the view of Arthur’s profile as he dug through the drawer in his bedside table. His face crinkled up in dismay, then slackened with relief. He turned, and held two silver packets triumphantly aloft between his fingers.
“Thank god.” Merlin said, and dragged Arthur onto the bed.
Arthur pressed him into the sheets, and Merlin relished in the weight for a while. He wrapped an arm around Arthur’s shoulders, and they traded sloppy kisses back and forth for a minute or two, too caught up in the rush of everything to consider doing more than griding into each other however it felt good. When Merlin grew bored, he shoved lightly at Arthur’s shoulders. Obligingly, Arthur flopped to the side on his back. Merlin threw a leg over Arthur’s thighs and straddled them. He remained risen on his knees, taking another moment to admire Arthur’s frame and the flush that had bloomed on his cheeks, then he dove down, returning to sucking kisses into Arthur’s chest. Arthur groaned, tangling his fingers in Merlin’s hair so tight Merlin could feel the strain of the strands on his scalp. The sting felt good, energizing.
He turned his head to the side, continuing to press kisses to Arthur’s chest while he fumbled with the wrapper on the condom. He got it open, and almost dropped the entire mess onto Arthur’s bed. At the last second he managed to drop the wrapping without dropping the condom itself. He gripped Arthur’s cock, drawing an audible hitch in breath from Arthur, and was able to roll the condom on by feel. It was clumsy, and definitely not sexy, but neither of them seemed willing to let Merlin stop tending to Arthur’s chest long enough to do it by sight. Curiously, Merlin took one of Arthur’s nipples into his mouth and sucked. Arthur swore and his hand tightened even further in Merlin’s hair. Merlin hummed, pleased with himself to have taken the cues correctly. He lost himself in alternating between sucking and biting at the muscles of Arthur’s chest, and doing the same to his nipples. They’d both stopped making coherent statements ages ago, and were reduced to grunts and the occasional curse, or ‘yeah’.
Merlin pulled back and pressed kisses down the length of Arthur’s body. He spent time sucking a deep bruise into the skin of Artur’s hip and released with an audible pop. Then he took Arthur’s cock into his mouth. Arthur’s hips bucked instinctively, but Merlin had expected it and backed off enough that Arthur didn’t choke him. He slid back down, taking as much of Arthur as he could. It was warm and heavy in Merlin’s mouth, and while the taste of the condom wasn’t pleasant, it was still worth it to feel the way his lips stretched and the way Arthur’s hips flexed under his hands. He’d never been successful at suppressing his gag reflex, so he didn’t try to deep throat, but that didn’t seem to matter to Arthur. He rocked in rhythm with Merlin’s mouth, moaning out his appreciation every time Merlin got the angle or pressure just right.
Something about someone as athletic as Arthur going pliant and cooperative under Merlin’s hands, made Merlin lightheaded with lust. He couldn’t describe the thrill he felt, just that it was an addictive power burning just underneath his skin.
Arthur came with a sharp cry, and Merlin flopped to the side to catch his breath. A look at Arthur showed he was doing the same. He had his forearm thrown up over his eyes, and his chest was heaving with exertion. The bruises stood out sharply against his skin.
“Just give me a second,” Arthur mumbled breathlessly, “just a second and I’ll…” he gestured vaguely in Merlin’s direction with his free hand.
“Take your time.” Merlin said, meaning it.
He had no intention of rushing this. The worst part of hook ups, in his opinion, was the race to the end. It wasn’t that he wanted to spend more time with the random men he sometimes slept with, but he missed the intimacy that came with getting to linger in a moment with another person. And he and Arthur had gotten along, had traded playful insults the way friends might. Arthur had admitted to being nervous and rusty. Merlin was alright with letting a moment linger between the two of them, even if it turned out just to be tonight.
“Still alive down there?” Arthur asked after a couple of minutes, sounding less breathless than before.
“Still alive.” Merlin confirmed.
“Come here.” Arthur said, flopping his free hand against the bed again.
Merlin shifted to his knees, groaning at the effort of moving after his muscles had had some time to cool.
“And you said I was sixty.” Arthur teased, propping himself on his elbow so he could pull Merlin in for another kiss.
He traced Merlin’s back from his shoulder, down over his arse, down the back of his thigh to the crease of his knee, and clasped a strong hand around it. With a gentle tug, he encouraged Merlin to straddle his chest. Merlin went willingly, then blinked muzzily down at Arthur, trying to figure out what he was suggesting, but his brain was still too high on hormones to put two and two together. Arthur rolled his eyes, half fond, half exasperated.
“I want you to fuck my tits.” He said, like Merlin was missing the obvious.
That crisp accent rolling smoothly over dirty talk reignited the banked arousal in Merlin’s gut. He let out a choked out moan and bent down to press a kiss to Arthur’s mouth. It landed half on his lower lip and half on his chin, but it made Arthur’s hand tighten on the back of Merlin’s knee regardless.
Merlin braced his hands on the pillow on either side of Arthur’s head, and shifted his weight onto his knees. His cock brushed obscenely over Arthur’s chest, and shuddering groan tore its way out of his throat. Arthur dropped his free hand to the back of Merlin’s other thigh, heavy and warm. It had the unintended, but welcome effect of pressing Arthur’s pecs closer together, creating a shallow channel for Merlin’s cock. That was all the encouragement that Merlin needed. His hips snapped forward, dragging his cock along the firm mound of Arthur’s muscle. Merlin fucked with abandon, chasing the sparks of pleasure building into a furnace in his groin.
“Close.” He grunted out, “Don’t wanna… your face…”
Arthur rolled his head to the side, keeping his face out of the way, and said, “I want you to cum on my tits.”
It wasn’t particularly clever dirty talk, but that didn’t matter in moments like this. Merlin groaned as his orgasm swept over him, warm and toe-curling.
The come down was slightly awkward. The sight of Arthur’s chest splattered with his cum was almost enough to send Merlin tumbling over the edge again, but he still had to unsaddle himself from Arthur’s chest. He raised his left leg, wobbling slightly as his muscles protested at being used when they would rather be postcoital jelly, and couldn’t flop without elbowing Arthur in the face. He shuffled down the bed, aware of Arthur’s eyes on him the whole time. Then finally was able to collapse when his head was level with Arthur’s.
“It’s a wonder you were at the club and not in A&E.” Arthur said, but his smile softened his words into something affectionate and complimentary rather than insulting.
“A one night stand did have to take me to A&E once.” Merlin admitted.
“Why?”
“I turned out to be allergic to the processing agent in the juice he gave me. We never made it to the bedroom.”
Arthur let out that laugh again, bright and a little rude sounding. It made something warm curl in Merlin’s chest. He was pleased to have made Arthur laugh.
“Stay.” Arthur said, placing a friendly hand on Merlin’s shoulder, “You can sneak out tomorrow morning when the busses start running again if you want to avoid the morning after, but I don’t want you to walk home in the dark.”
“You could always give me a lift.”
“I could, but frankly, I’d rather not get out of bed.”
“You should at least consider showering.”
Arthur waved an imperious hand through the air, dismissing Merlin’s concerns, “Consider it an incentive for you to not sneak out tomorrow morning. We still have one condom, and you can put it to good use while I’m still dirty.”
“Demanding.” Merlin teased, but settled in alongside Arthur.
Arthur hummed in agreement, eyes already closed, “I’ve been told I’m quite spoiled. Shush now, so I can go to sleep.”
Merlin shook his head exasperatedly, but settled in alongside Arthur. If he was honest, he didn’t want to slink back out into the cool night air right now either. Not when he had a gorgeous man content to share a bed with him for the time being.
Just as he was settling into a doze, he felt Arthur shift behind him. Arthur’s arm, heavy and warm came to drape across Merlin’s side. Normally, if a hook up tried to snuggle him after, Merlin would have run screaming for the hills, but it was different with Arthur. He’d already hoped that maybe, come morning, he could ask Arthur on a date. He was happy to have Arthur pressed along his back to chase away the chill.
*
A ringtone ripped Merlin from his sleep.
Behind him, Arthur groaned loudly and rolled away, fumbling for something in the dark. He found it, a bright light beamed onto the ceiling, and the ringtone stopped.
“Pendragon.” He grumbled into his mobile.
There was a pause.
“It’s not even five!” Arthur protested, “It can wait until eight.”
Another pause as the person on the other end of the call responded.
“When is our work ever time sensitive?”
Pause.
“Bloody fine!” Arthur snapped, “I’ll be there as soon as I can!”
His mobile landed on the bed with a thud.
Tentatively, Merlin rolled over and propped himself up on his elbow, “Everything alright?”
Arthur sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, and said, “It’s work. They’re calling me in, and I have to go. Sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
“I can give you a lift home on my way in.” Arthur offered regretfully as he hopped out of bed.
“It’s alright.” Merlin swore, “I can take a cab.”
Arthur paused in the process of reaching for a pair of trousers draped over the back of his desk chair, “Are you sure?”
Merlin nodded.
“At least let me pay for the fare. It’s the least I can do for chasing you out before sunrise.”
“I can take care of myself.”
Arthur looked like he wanted to argue further, but instead he picked up his mobile and unlocked it. He tossed it to Merlin who managed to catch it thanks to dumb luck.
“Put your number in there. Text me when you get home safe, alright? You can block my number after, but for my own sanity, text me first.”
Merlin programmed his number into Arthur’s mobile as Arthur tugged on his jeans and ran to the bathroom to clean the cum off his chest. He sent himself a text so he would have Arthur’s number, then went in search of his own clothes. He found his pants under Arthur’s bed, and his jeans and shirt in the doorway between the kitchen and the hall leading to the bedroom. As he was cramming his left foot into his boot, Arthur emerged from the bedroom.
He'd run some water through his hair in an attempt to make it look less like he’d been fucking not an hour ago. Rather than a soft t shirt, he was wearing a crisp button up tucked into a pair of slacks. He had a backpack slung over one shoulder, and was glancing frantically around his sitting room.
“Lose something?” Merlin asked as he got his boot on.
“Jacket.” Arthur answered, tossing aside sofa cushions in his search.
Merlin spotted a jacket hung on the back of the armchair, and held it aloft, “This one?”
“Thank you.” Arthur said gratefully and whisked it out of Merlin’s hands.
Something slipped from the pocket and hit the floor with a soft slap.
“Can you pass that to me?” Arthur asked.
Merlin bent down and picked up what resembled a thin leather wallet. Upon closer inspection, it was an ID fold, but not just an ID fold. It held a plastic ID card with Arthur’s name, but on the other side was the logo for the crown.
“Is this a warrant card?” he asked.
“Yes.” Arthur snatched it out of Merlin’s hand and slipped it into his jacket pocket.
“You’re police?”
“Generally why one carries a warrant card, yes.” Arthur answered, unbothered, “I’ve got to go.”
Merlin took the hint and made his way to the door. He shrugged into his own jacket and stepped out as Arthur locked the door behind them. They made their way down the stairs in a rush. Once on the sidewalk outside, Arthur paused with his hand on the driver’s side door.
“Are you sure you don’t want a ride?” he asked.
“I’m sure.” Merlin said faintly.
Arthur nodded, doubled back to press a quick kiss to the corner of Merlin’s lips, and slipped into his car, leaving Merlin on the sidewalk to contemplate what he’d just done. He’d slept with a cop.
His friends were going to kill him.