One night stand (5/6)
Fic: One night stand
Chapter title: Make you banana pancakes
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Word Count: 800
Summary: A one night stand changes Arthur forever
Notes: OK, so this fic is now winding down L one reason for the delay, as a lot of you can probably sympathise with, is exams :-S the other reason is a very big overhaul of the last two chapters. I decided I was trying to resolve too many things, and it kept coming out all jumbled :-S so I am leaving one or two things from this fic unresolved, and I’ll be doing a sequal series this summer :-D which is good cos I’d miss my Irish!Merlin if I left it here ^_^ anyway so enjoy the penultimate chapter, hope it’s alright, I’m so tired I can’t really tell any more :-S as always any mistakes are my own and I would love if you could point them out to me J
The first time they had had sex, it was new, full of lust and urgency. The second time, it felt like coming home. They teased each other with fingers and mouths for what felt like hours, and every caress felt like I love you.
The first time, Arthur had spent the entire time with his face buried into Merlin’s neck. The second time when Arthur entered him, he looked straight into Merlin’s face, and held his gaze, watching in fascination as those eyes dilated, watching the slow flush creep up sharp cheekbones, and white teeth bite at already swollen lips, failing to prevent the small gasps and moans from escaping into the hot room.
They came within moments of each other, their names this time spilling from each others lips. The first time, Arthur had rolled away, leaving Merlin lying in the wet patch and falling asleep immediately. The second time they cleaned each other tenderly, before curling up together, whispers of I missed you, I love you, I need you, the only things filling the space in between them.
And the second time when Arthur woke up, he felt only love, affection and utter bliss at being able to wake his lover with sleepy kisses, teasing touches and jokes about his morning breath and his complete inability to speak coherently.
They both called in sick to work, and spent the morning cuddled up in bed. They fucked a second time, slow and lazy, each learning the others body, mapping it out with tongues and fingers and eyes. Arthur thought dimly that he could spend every morning like this for the rest of his life. The thought made him smile.
Merlin found the note he had first left Arthur when he was looking in his bedside table for more condoms. He pulled it out, crumpled and well read, and couldn’t help being oddly touched that he had kept it all this time. Arthur came up behind him, wrapping an arm about his waist and kissing his ear, before he saw what was in his hands.
Arthur,
It’s not worth making yourself unhappy trying to pretend
to be something-someone that you’re not, just to fulfil
other people’s expectations of you. Believe me, I learned
that lesson from experience. I hope you work it out too,
before it’s too late.
Merlin
“I wondered,” Arthur asked carefully, “what you meant by ‘you learned that lesson from experience?’”
Merlin sighed. “Oh. That. Well, I’m from Southern Ireland. I was brought up Catholic, my family’s Catholic, my friends are Catholic. Everyone I knew from my childhood was Catholic. And unfortunately for me, the Catholic Religion isn’t exactly very…supportive of homosexuality as a lifestyle choice.” Arthur pulled him until Merlin’s head lay on his chest, and carded his fingers through his hair soothingly. Merlin smiled sadly, curled up a little bit closer and continued. “I grew up hiding who I really was, and let me tell you, it gets to you after a while. I got sick of it, sick of the lies. I told my parents one evening after they tried to fix me up with a girl from our village. They went mental. Da told me to get out of the house.” Arthur tightened his arms around his lover, and Merlin squeezed his hand in thanks. His voice was tight as he continued, and the little shake to it told Arthur all he needed to know. “So, I left them a note, told them I was going to London. Seemed like the best place for me, no one knew me. So I started afresh. Found a job, found a flat.”
“Do you…” he nearly didn’t continue, unwilling to upset Merlin any more than he already was. “Do you ever regret it? Was it worth it?”
Merlin looked at him fiercely. “I have never once regretted telling the truth about who I am. I couldn’t have lived my life like that.” He looked down, mouth turned down at the corners. “Sometimes I regret how I told my parents. I wasn’t exactly…gentle with them. And running away without saying goodbye.” He took a deep breath, and met Arthur’s eyes, smiling. “But all the choices I’ve made in my life have led me here, so I can’t really regret anything. Arthur smiled back, kissing him and silently thanking whatever power watched over them for bringing Merlin back to him, for giving him the opportunity to be the family Merlin needed.
While Merlin was on the phone fending off questions from his obviously very concerned roommate, Arthur went downstairs, put the kettle on and picked up the newspaper that was lying on the mat. A picture on the front cover immediately caught his eye, of himself leaving the club last night with his arm wrapped possessively around Merlin’s shoulders. He flicked quickly to the relevant page inside. ‘Shock coming out of Arthur Pendragon!’ screamed the headline. He rolled his eyes.
'The prominent charity worker, and son of Mayor of London
Mr. Uther Pendragon was yesterday seen exiting a club with
an unknown young man. Eyewitnesses reported that the
couple were kissing in the corner of the room, before, leaving
at around 1.30am. Arthur was overheard referring to the young
man beside him as, ‘the man I love.’ It remains to be seen as
to the effect this will have on Uther Pendragon, who is running
for re-election in six months time…'
The article continued on in this vein for another several paragraphs, but it was at this point that Merlin burst into the kitchen.
“Arthur, don’t open the-” He paled seeing the article in Arthur’s hand. He looked at him, an expression on his face that reminded Arthur of a fox caught in a trap, awaiting the hounds. For a moment, Arthur was confused as to what was wrong.
“What?” Merlin looked up at him pleadingly. And suddenly Arthur understood. Despite what he had told him at the club last night, despite COMING OUT to his friends, and despite the night they had shared, Merlin was still worried that at any moment Arthur would change his mind, get scared and reject him again! As he looked into Merlin’s large, scared eyes, he felt simultaneously frustrated that Merlin hadn’t yet got the message, and enraged at everybody in this young mans life that had caused him to expect rejection. Especially himself.
He put down the paper with a low growl, and strode across the kitchen, pulling Merlin possessively into his embrace. As he had advanced Merlin had backed away, and for the first few seconds of the embrace he struggled in Arthur’s arms. Arthur just pulled him tighter, burying his face in Merlin’s neck, whispering murmured reassurances, “it’s okay, I’ve got you now, I’m not leaving, I love you,” until Merlin quietened in his arms, and returned the embrace, pulling him into himself as if he never wanted to be separate again. Their lips met in a kiss, Merlin almost attacking Arthur’s lips. Arthur kissed back softly, stroking Merlin’s cheek as the kiss became tender, soft. He felt like he was pouring everything he wanted to say into that one kiss. They broke apart, gasping slightly. Arthur rested his forehead against Merlin’s. “You know I meant it when I said I loved you.” He felt Merlin start to relax in his arms, and he carried on. “I want to be with you, only you, and I promise you that NOTHING will stop me from wanting that. Especially not some stupid article in the paper. I lost you once Merlin. I won’t…I can’t let it happen again.
“And you’re sure you’re alright with this?” Merlin asked disbelievingly, a brilliant smile on his face that made his eyes crinkle at the corners.
“Completely. What about you? I mean,” -he opened the curtains to reveal the inevitable paparazzi outside his house- “this is what you have to contend with now.”
Merlin smiled. “You’re worth the hassle. Besides, they’ll get bored of you eventually. You’re not that interesting you know.”
Arthur grinned devilishly. “C’mere and I’ll show you who’s interesting.”
Chapter 6