Sleeptalking
Title: Sleeptalking
Summary: A series of one sided conversations that Arthur only has himself to blame for listening to
Rating: R
Genre: Romance ish,
Length: ~ 4000 words
Warnings: Very brief spoilers (seriously blink and you will miss them) for 2.07, 3.04 and 3.10.
This was originally written for merry_merthur as a gift for ot_mornmeril. So now reposting here, this is my first substantial piece of fanfiction and my first ever attempt at writing anything even remotely slash so critique is really, really welcome. beta-ed by the awesome angelbabe_cj, Thank you for all your help! Whislt I am here I will also promote the awesome gift that I recieved from renrenren3
To Be Trusted
Arthur couldn’t believe he hadn’t found out about it sooner. Merlin had been his manservant for years now. How had he not known? They had been in hundreds of situations before where this particular trait of Merlin’s could have surfaced. All of those times they had been off on patrols together, all those nights they had slept round the same campfire and even those handful of occasions like tonight when they had shared a room in inns. How had he never known that Merlin talked in his sleep before?
Although this was also the first time he had ever seen Merlin this utterly drunk before so perhaps there was some kind of correlation. He had of course seen the after affects and how badly they affected Merlin’s duties, like stopping decrepit sorcerers for example. Last time he and Merlin had actually started drinking in a bar had been the time they met Gwaine and well it wasn’t a surprise he had avoided bars for a while after that incident. But tonight it had been pouring down with rain, and he had been tired of Merlin’s constant unsubtle muttering about certain princes who dragged certain menservants out of the nice dry castle whilst it was raining. So as soon as he had seen the tavern he had dragged Merlin inside and shoved a tankard of warmed spiced mead into his hands just to shut him up.
The results of Merlin consuming large amounts of mead had so far been spectacular, so much so that Arthur had decided that he may make tavern trips with Merlin into a regular occurrence. After slurring his way through a number of interesting stories from his childhood in Ealdor, including a particularly memorable one involving Will, two pounds of butter and a rather unhappy pig, Merlin had made the foolish move of attempting to stand up. Arthur could have guessed that with Merlin’s natural level of clumsiness, alcohol could make things a bit tricky. But even he hadn’t been prepared for the sheer level of disaster that had followed. It put those jesters who had visited the court a few years ago to shame. The whole debacle had ended with Merlin landing in Arthur’s lap, Arthur hadn’t particularly minded this turn of events he had to admit but he couldn’t exactly let Merlin know that so he had tried to plaster disapproval on his face. He was laughing so hysterically at this point that it was a major challenge, still he appeared to have done something right as Merlin mumbled something along the lines of ,
“You look like Gaius.”
At that point Arthur had just decided to give in and carry Merlin up to the inn room and had placed him in one of the beds before settling in the other.
He had thought that the night of hilarity would have been over at that point but now Merlin had started providing him with this new and varied source of entertainment.
“Gaius is my lotion meant to smell like horse piss?” Arthur had been laughing hysterically at such gems for the last ten minutes. He had begun to wonder about the fact that Gaius ever let Merlin near his patients, as from the sounds of this conversation Merlin bought a level of incompetence to the art of medicine far beyond and above anything Arthur could have expected.
“What do you mean I have to taste it, it smells worse than Arthur’s socks after he’s been training all morning.” Arthur spluttered indignantly. Oh Merlin was going to see just how bad his socks could smell if he talked about them that way to other people.
Merlin had been quiet for a while and Arthur had begun to think that the entertainment for the night was over, when Merlin’s imaginary conversation seemed to take a more serious turn.
“I know, Gaius, but you know I need to be there to protect him. Considering his luck there is no way he could survive without my help.” Merlin sighed in his sleep.
“Yes Gaius I promise I will be careful. But you know it doesn’t matter to me what danger I get myself into to keep him safe.” Arthur lay there trying not to listen. Who was Merlin was talking about? Who was this “he” that Merlin seemed far too eager to protect? It had to be someone pretty pathetic if they needed Merlin of all people to look after them. Arthur had to wonder why Merlin seemed to care so much about someone that rubbish, maybe he just enjoyed having someone around who was a bigger idiot then him. He was surprised to find out uncomfortable hearing Merlin talk about someone else like that made him. He was beginning to hope that Merlin might mention this random person’s name, so he could see who could have stolen Merlin’s attention.
Unfortunately a few moments later Merlin rolled over and with that the talking stopped. Arthur never thought he could be so disappointed to hear Merlin fall silent. Arthur turned to look at the sleeping form of Merlin in the bed across the room, wanting to watch the rise and fall of the other man’s chest to reassure himself that the drunken idiot was in fact still breathing. He lay awake for far longer then he would ever admit to himself, watching Merlin and wondering who it was he had been talking about.
Over the next few weeks Arthur found the overheard words of Merlin’s surprisingly hard to get out of his head. He found himself watching Merlin even more closely than normal trying to work out who it was that Merlin could have been talking about. When they were having their horses saddled he watched the stable boys, trying to see if it was one of them. When he had heard Merlin warmly thanking one for simply doing his job he found himself snapping sharply at Merlin to hurry up. He made more frequent trips to Gaius’ than useful coming up with a range of what he hoped were believable excuses wanting to see if he could see anyone unusual hanging around their rooms. He even briefly started watching the way Merlin interacted with his knights when they all went out on patrol together. Until he realised how incredibly unlikely it was that any of them would need Merlin to be their protector.
When they were hunting together alone he simply watched Merlin. He looked closely for any changes in the other man’s demeanour. Trying to see if he could see any worry in the other’s features for the mysterious someone that Merlin must have left behind. He couldn’t see any signs of longing, or worry. Nothing at all to suggest that Merlin would want to be in the company of anyone other than Arthur. But still the conversation played itself again and again through Arthur’s mind. Until when he saw a sign for another tavern swinging in the breeze, he all too easily gave into the desire to suggest spending the night there. It was also distressingly easy to push aside his guilt at plying Merlin with large amounts of alcohol again when he saw Merlin’s surprised smile at Arthur again offering to buy him a drink. By the time he had got the drunken Merlin upstairs to their room he was caught in a deep suspense. Half desperate to hear Merlin talking in his sleep again and half hoping that he didn’t start talking so that he did not have to feel bad for eavesdropping on Merlin’s private thoughts yet again.
Eventually though what Arthur had been waiting for finally happened and Merlin started to mutter in his sleep again. At first all he seemed to be saying was gibberish, or at least words that Arthur had never heard before. It was hard to tell as at almost that exact moment the wind had suddenly picked up in intensity around the Inn.
“I won’t let you hurt him,” there it was again that protectiveness in Merlin’s voice that Arthur hadn’t heard since Merlin had been defending Gaius from Aredian.
“Yes I do choose to defend him; I can see why you wouldn’t understand that.” Arthur had to wonder who Merlin thought he was talking to.
“Because I believe in him, because of what he can grow into and because there is more to him then you could ever realise.”
“I highly doubt that.” Arthur thought to himself, and was surprised to hear Merlin respond with a laugh, but it wasn’t the laugh he had grown used to over the years, there was more experience and bitterness in that laugh than Arthur could ever have believed could exist in Merlin’s voice,
“Maybe you’re right, it does sound like I love him …” Arthur could almost swear he felt his heart stop beating as he heard those words, “but that’s not important. That’s not why this matters!”
Love, Merlin was in love. How could Merlin be in love and Arthur not have noticed? How could this be happening? Arthur didn’t want to hear this any more but Merlin was still talking.
“No he doesn’t know … perhaps he would, perhaps you’re right and I am letting my feelings delude me, but I have to believe that they’re not. I have to believe that my feelings are correct and that he wouldn’t kill me.”
“NO!” the word was out of his move before he even realised he had been thinking it.
“Arthur?” Merlin had turned to look at him one eye blearily open but it was clear he still wasn’t entirely awake. Arthur was still reeling from the last comment and the unbidden images and fears it had called up. He wanted nothing more then to go over to Merlin and shake him. Telling him how stupid he was being and to stay away from this man whoever he was. But already the part of him that had been taught to think strategy was kicking in and telling him that this would not be the best way to deal with the situation. So he forced himself to respond in a calm and collected manner,
“It was nothing Merlin go back to sleep.” Merlin seemed only too happy to oblige and quickly drifted back into a slumber, but the talking didn’t resume.
This time Arthur didn’t even care enough to feel ashamed that he lay the entire night awake. There was no way he could have ever slept the way his mind was whirling with these latest revelations. One minute he was tormenting himself with the mental image of Merlin with this mystery figure, laughing together or embracing with a look on Merlin’s face that Arthur could only dream of. But then the next minute the image of Merlin, injured or dead rose into his mind and the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach crystallised into cold dread. He still couldn’t understand it, how could Merlin be that protective of someone who from the sounds of it was violent and dangerous? He knew Merlin was an idiot, but still how could he be stupid enough to fall in love with someone who could possibly have any motivation to kill him? Of course Merlin seemed to believe that whoever it was wouldn’t and Merlin was surprisingly one of the best judges of character Arthur had ever known. But Merlin had sounded so unsure.
In the cold light of dawn Arthur realised that he needed to stop being self-pitying and work on finding a solution. He needed to get over the fact that the man he was only just realising was so important to him was in love with someone else and work out a way to keep him safe. The most obvious thing to do would probably have been to talk to Merlin, but something told Arthur his instinct to not question Merlin directly last night had been correct. Despite the constant chatter coming out of his mouth Arthur had always suspected Merlin was being relatively private about his personal life. Arthur had never really understood what it was that had upset him so much a few years back, even after he had actually made the effort to ask Merlin. But if Merlin had been keeping something this big from him then it was worse then he had ever realised. Arthur couldn’t trust that asking questions would lead to him actually being given any useful answers. It might even lead Merlin to wonder what had got Arthur curious, and Arthur was certain that if Merlin knew how Arthur had found out he would lose his so far key source of information.
Asking Gaius was of course another option. The first conversation he had overheard had been with an imaginary Gaius so it stood to reason that he might know who this person was. The thought of discussing Merlin’s love life with Gaius was not one he relished. There was also no guarantee that Gaius would actually tell him anything either unless he explained the danger he felt Merlin might be in. But he had to consider the fact that some of what he had heard Merlin saying in his sleep wasn’t anchored in reality. He didn’t want to worry the old man if it was nothing. But still he couldn’t risk the danger being a reality and do nothing either. It seemed the only solution was to try and make Merlin talk in his sleep again.
Since they were heading back to Camelot today there would be no easy option of just taking Merlin to a tavern to get him drunk again. As the day wore on and he arrived back at Camelot he tried to come up with some clever plan that he could put into action. Unfortunately nothing came to mind and by the evening he was so desperate he settled for the unsubtle plan of simply asking Merlin to attend him in his chambers that evening with a number of wineskins.
Merlin had placed them down on the table and then made as if to leave but Arthur had called him back, passing him a goblet full of wine.
“Arthur?” Merlin had been confused, hand hesitating not quite reaching for the cup.
“I have decided that it is simply appalling Merlin how unable you are to hold your alcohol. I will not be embarrassed by hearing about how Sir Kays’ or Sir Leon’s manservant can drink you under the table. We need to build up your tolerance so you don’t put me to shame.” Insulting him seemed to have done the trick as Merlin snatched the cup out of Arthur’s hand and took a large mouthful.
“I’m not that bad,” he said indignantly. “Besides,” he added with a smile Arthur knew all too well, “we can’t all have your stamina for alcohol. Not all of us have the ability to dampen it down with our incredibly overlarge egos.” Arthur had taken a large drink himself at that point to stop from smiling. So they had set about the rather enjoyable process of drinking Merlin into the half comatose state that was needed before he started talking. When Merlin had fallen asleep on the table Arthur had picked him up and carried him over to his bed, laying him down fully clothed on top of the bed sheets.
Arthur sat at the table, staring intently at the currently silently sleeping manservant in his bed. He really hoped that Merlin began talking and about something useful sometime soon. It was going to be a challenge in the morning trying to explain why he had put Merlin to sleep here rather than carrying him back to his own bed. It would be incredibly frustrating if he didn’t get any useful information. Particularly as he would have to find something else to do next time.
Finally Merlin said something; Arthur quickly moved closer kneeling just by the bed so he could be certain to hear what he was saying.
“Yes, yes, that’s it, right there.” If Arthur was in any doubt about what Merlin was dreaming about this time, it was quickly removed by the moans that followed that sentence.
“No don’t stop, faster, harder.” Merlin was demanding in a voice that made Arthur want to do anything to oblige it. The moans continued, Merlin making sounds that seemed to bypass his brain and go straight from his ears to his cock. Which, despite his instructions, was already beginning to get hard. He knew he had been encroaching on Merlin’s privacy before but this was defiantly overstepping the mark. He knew he shouldn’t be listening but he also knew that there was no way he could stop. He had enough control though to stay perfectly still resisting either reaching out to the writhing form on his bed or to his own still hardening cock. But he couldn’t stop his eyes from hungrily gazing at Merlin, devouring the sight of the way his face looked with such ecstasy on it even in his sleep.
“Love you,” Merlin bit out amongst the moans, so quietly Arthur was uncertain he had heard it. Well it was certain that Merlin was dreaming about the person that Arthur should be worrying about but at the moment all he could think about was the fantasy of Merlin making these noises for him.
“Yes there, like, that, perfect, yes, Arthur.” Arthur leaned forward, getting as close to Merlin as he dared. Had he really heard his name? There it was again long and drawn out, uttered in a breathless way that made heat pool in the bottom of Arthur’s stomach. He gripped the edge of the bed to stop himself falling over, fingers digging into the soft bed sheets. His mind whirled, there couldn’t be anyone else with his name could there, surely it must be him that Merlin was dreaming about.
“Sire.” the title was cried out with a passion and a devotion that was a far cry from the sarcastic tone Arthur had grown accustomed to.
It finally broke his control and certain that Merlin was dreaming about him now Arthur gave into himself and leant down to place his lips to Merlin’s. He raised his hand to Merlin’s face tracing along the line of his cheekbone as he saw Merlin’s eyelids flutter open. At first Merlin returned the kiss and he could almost feel his lips tingling as Merlin’s moved against them. But then Merlin seemed to realise that he was no longer dreaming and pulled back.
“Arthur?” the confusion was clear on his face as his eyes sought out Arthur’s.
“You were dreaming, and I’m pretty sure it was about me. You were quite loud.” Arthur tried to put the cockiness and the confidence that he had only just found in his voice as if it had been there all along. He smiled as he saw a deep blush creep up Merlin’s cheeks.
“Well if my dreams were disturbing you your highness, I am sorry-” but Arthur cut off the sarcastic apology by again pressing his mouth to Merlin’s. Deciding the best way to show Merlin how little he minded was with a kiss. Using his tongue to trace along the inside of Merlin’s lips chasing away all the doubts from them. Finally Merlin seemed to get the message and his tongue came up to meet Arthur’s own. Merlin’s hands had found their way to the back of his head and were pulling it down forcing a more desperate contact between their mouths.
Arthur responded by climbing onto the bed, trying not to lose contact with Merlin’s mouth as he positioned himself next to him. His hand that had been on Merlin’s face had moved almost of its own accord to Merlin’s neck and he was pulling Merlin to him, pushing theirs mouths together with as much intensity as Merlin. He ran his other hand down Merlin’s back, feeling the friction from the coarse fabric of the shirt against his hand. He pulled Merlin closer so their bodies were touching and he could feel Merlin’s erection pressing against his thigh. He pressed himself harder against Merlin and was rewarded with a gasp from Merlin as his own erection brushed Merlin’s hip.
“Arthur,” Merlin gasped, pulling back a moment so that his blue eyes came up to meet Arthur’s as if he was searching for something in his eyes. Arthur tried to put everything in his gaze, all of the lust, the desire, whatever it was that Merlin needed to see. Merlin must have found what he was looking for because with a sigh he dived for Arthur’s mouth again. His tongue clashing against Arthur’s even more desperately than before. His hands came down running along the sides of Arthur’s chest, plucking at his shirt trying to gain access.
Arthur decided that he was only to happy to oblige and sat up. Merlin murmured protests until he saw Arthur pull of his shirt. Arthur pulled Merlin up to a seated position as well, so he could reach down to pull off Merlin’s shirt. After all it was only fair. He laughed as the shirt got caught on Merlin’s ears, earning a frown from Merlin. Those ears were obviously demanding attention, so Arthur set about it. Gently nibbling the earlobes, and softly blowing air along them enjoying the gasps it elicited from Merlin.
As he did so he bought his hand to Merlin’s shoulders. Guiding him round so that when he pushed him down Merlin’s head landed on the pillows. Arthur straddled Merlin, positioning himself so he could feel Merlin cock against his through their trousers. He ran his hands down Merlin’s chest tracing the others man rib bones though his pale skin, enjoying the contrast between the tan of his hands and the smooth almost ethereal white of Merlin’s chest. He looked up to catch Merlin staring up at him. The bright blue eyes flicking appreciatively over his chest. Arthur leant down pressing his bare chest against Merlin, whilst he turned his attention to Merlin’s neck. Placing soft kisses, and exploring it with his tongue.
Merlin began to move beneath him, thrusting his hips so their cocks moved together. He began thrusting into Merlin’s hip feeling the delicious friction though his trousers. His lips became more frantic at Merlin’s neck sucking, kissing and licking in turns. He heard Merlin’s breath catching and Merlin began muttering his name as he had in his sleep. Drawing out the word “Arthur” for far longer than a word with two syllables should allow. Arthur groaned against Merlin’s neck. Merlin seemed frantic now, almost there surprisingly quickly but Arthur had to admit he was unlikely to be holding out much longer either. He sucked at Merlin’s neck, deep and hard in a way that he was sure would leave a mark in the morning. But he didn’t care. Especially as it caused Merlin to call out “sire” again in the same breathless way that had caused Arthur so much pleasure earlier. That was enough to tip him over the edge and he found himself shuddering in time with Merlin, looking up to watch Merlin’s face as he came.
He lay on top of Merlin for a while. Enjoying the feeling of Merlin’s heartbeat gradually slowing against his chest. Eventually though he realised they were both likely to fall back asleep like this, and when the fire died down they were bound to get cold. He rolled off Merlin and pulled them both under the covers, wrapping his arms around Merlin’s skinny frame. There was a lot he needed to talk to Merlin about, some mysteries he had to unravel about what exactly had been dreaming about those previous nights. But those conversations could wait to the morning. Right now all he cared about was giving into his tiredness, and enjoying the feeling of Merlin sleeping in his arms.
Summary: A series of one sided conversations that Arthur only has himself to blame for listening to
Rating: R
Genre: Romance ish,
Length: ~ 4000 words
Warnings: Very brief spoilers (seriously blink and you will miss them) for 2.07, 3.04 and 3.10.
This was originally written for merry_merthur as a gift for ot_mornmeril. So now reposting here, this is my first substantial piece of fanfiction and my first ever attempt at writing anything even remotely slash so critique is really, really welcome. beta-ed by the awesome angelbabe_cj, Thank you for all your help! Whislt I am here I will also promote the awesome gift that I recieved from renrenren3
To Be Trusted
Arthur couldn’t believe he hadn’t found out about it sooner. Merlin had been his manservant for years now. How had he not known? They had been in hundreds of situations before where this particular trait of Merlin’s could have surfaced. All of those times they had been off on patrols together, all those nights they had slept round the same campfire and even those handful of occasions like tonight when they had shared a room in inns. How had he never known that Merlin talked in his sleep before?
Although this was also the first time he had ever seen Merlin this utterly drunk before so perhaps there was some kind of correlation. He had of course seen the after affects and how badly they affected Merlin’s duties, like stopping decrepit sorcerers for example. Last time he and Merlin had actually started drinking in a bar had been the time they met Gwaine and well it wasn’t a surprise he had avoided bars for a while after that incident. But tonight it had been pouring down with rain, and he had been tired of Merlin’s constant unsubtle muttering about certain princes who dragged certain menservants out of the nice dry castle whilst it was raining. So as soon as he had seen the tavern he had dragged Merlin inside and shoved a tankard of warmed spiced mead into his hands just to shut him up.
The results of Merlin consuming large amounts of mead had so far been spectacular, so much so that Arthur had decided that he may make tavern trips with Merlin into a regular occurrence. After slurring his way through a number of interesting stories from his childhood in Ealdor, including a particularly memorable one involving Will, two pounds of butter and a rather unhappy pig, Merlin had made the foolish move of attempting to stand up. Arthur could have guessed that with Merlin’s natural level of clumsiness, alcohol could make things a bit tricky. But even he hadn’t been prepared for the sheer level of disaster that had followed. It put those jesters who had visited the court a few years ago to shame. The whole debacle had ended with Merlin landing in Arthur’s lap, Arthur hadn’t particularly minded this turn of events he had to admit but he couldn’t exactly let Merlin know that so he had tried to plaster disapproval on his face. He was laughing so hysterically at this point that it was a major challenge, still he appeared to have done something right as Merlin mumbled something along the lines of ,
“You look like Gaius.”
At that point Arthur had just decided to give in and carry Merlin up to the inn room and had placed him in one of the beds before settling in the other.
He had thought that the night of hilarity would have been over at that point but now Merlin had started providing him with this new and varied source of entertainment.
“Gaius is my lotion meant to smell like horse piss?” Arthur had been laughing hysterically at such gems for the last ten minutes. He had begun to wonder about the fact that Gaius ever let Merlin near his patients, as from the sounds of this conversation Merlin bought a level of incompetence to the art of medicine far beyond and above anything Arthur could have expected.
“What do you mean I have to taste it, it smells worse than Arthur’s socks after he’s been training all morning.” Arthur spluttered indignantly. Oh Merlin was going to see just how bad his socks could smell if he talked about them that way to other people.
Merlin had been quiet for a while and Arthur had begun to think that the entertainment for the night was over, when Merlin’s imaginary conversation seemed to take a more serious turn.
“I know, Gaius, but you know I need to be there to protect him. Considering his luck there is no way he could survive without my help.” Merlin sighed in his sleep.
“Yes Gaius I promise I will be careful. But you know it doesn’t matter to me what danger I get myself into to keep him safe.” Arthur lay there trying not to listen. Who was Merlin was talking about? Who was this “he” that Merlin seemed far too eager to protect? It had to be someone pretty pathetic if they needed Merlin of all people to look after them. Arthur had to wonder why Merlin seemed to care so much about someone that rubbish, maybe he just enjoyed having someone around who was a bigger idiot then him. He was surprised to find out uncomfortable hearing Merlin talk about someone else like that made him. He was beginning to hope that Merlin might mention this random person’s name, so he could see who could have stolen Merlin’s attention.
Unfortunately a few moments later Merlin rolled over and with that the talking stopped. Arthur never thought he could be so disappointed to hear Merlin fall silent. Arthur turned to look at the sleeping form of Merlin in the bed across the room, wanting to watch the rise and fall of the other man’s chest to reassure himself that the drunken idiot was in fact still breathing. He lay awake for far longer then he would ever admit to himself, watching Merlin and wondering who it was he had been talking about.
Over the next few weeks Arthur found the overheard words of Merlin’s surprisingly hard to get out of his head. He found himself watching Merlin even more closely than normal trying to work out who it was that Merlin could have been talking about. When they were having their horses saddled he watched the stable boys, trying to see if it was one of them. When he had heard Merlin warmly thanking one for simply doing his job he found himself snapping sharply at Merlin to hurry up. He made more frequent trips to Gaius’ than useful coming up with a range of what he hoped were believable excuses wanting to see if he could see anyone unusual hanging around their rooms. He even briefly started watching the way Merlin interacted with his knights when they all went out on patrol together. Until he realised how incredibly unlikely it was that any of them would need Merlin to be their protector.
When they were hunting together alone he simply watched Merlin. He looked closely for any changes in the other man’s demeanour. Trying to see if he could see any worry in the other’s features for the mysterious someone that Merlin must have left behind. He couldn’t see any signs of longing, or worry. Nothing at all to suggest that Merlin would want to be in the company of anyone other than Arthur. But still the conversation played itself again and again through Arthur’s mind. Until when he saw a sign for another tavern swinging in the breeze, he all too easily gave into the desire to suggest spending the night there. It was also distressingly easy to push aside his guilt at plying Merlin with large amounts of alcohol again when he saw Merlin’s surprised smile at Arthur again offering to buy him a drink. By the time he had got the drunken Merlin upstairs to their room he was caught in a deep suspense. Half desperate to hear Merlin talking in his sleep again and half hoping that he didn’t start talking so that he did not have to feel bad for eavesdropping on Merlin’s private thoughts yet again.
Eventually though what Arthur had been waiting for finally happened and Merlin started to mutter in his sleep again. At first all he seemed to be saying was gibberish, or at least words that Arthur had never heard before. It was hard to tell as at almost that exact moment the wind had suddenly picked up in intensity around the Inn.
“I won’t let you hurt him,” there it was again that protectiveness in Merlin’s voice that Arthur hadn’t heard since Merlin had been defending Gaius from Aredian.
“Yes I do choose to defend him; I can see why you wouldn’t understand that.” Arthur had to wonder who Merlin thought he was talking to.
“Because I believe in him, because of what he can grow into and because there is more to him then you could ever realise.”
“I highly doubt that.” Arthur thought to himself, and was surprised to hear Merlin respond with a laugh, but it wasn’t the laugh he had grown used to over the years, there was more experience and bitterness in that laugh than Arthur could ever have believed could exist in Merlin’s voice,
“Maybe you’re right, it does sound like I love him …” Arthur could almost swear he felt his heart stop beating as he heard those words, “but that’s not important. That’s not why this matters!”
Love, Merlin was in love. How could Merlin be in love and Arthur not have noticed? How could this be happening? Arthur didn’t want to hear this any more but Merlin was still talking.
“No he doesn’t know … perhaps he would, perhaps you’re right and I am letting my feelings delude me, but I have to believe that they’re not. I have to believe that my feelings are correct and that he wouldn’t kill me.”
“NO!” the word was out of his move before he even realised he had been thinking it.
“Arthur?” Merlin had turned to look at him one eye blearily open but it was clear he still wasn’t entirely awake. Arthur was still reeling from the last comment and the unbidden images and fears it had called up. He wanted nothing more then to go over to Merlin and shake him. Telling him how stupid he was being and to stay away from this man whoever he was. But already the part of him that had been taught to think strategy was kicking in and telling him that this would not be the best way to deal with the situation. So he forced himself to respond in a calm and collected manner,
“It was nothing Merlin go back to sleep.” Merlin seemed only too happy to oblige and quickly drifted back into a slumber, but the talking didn’t resume.
This time Arthur didn’t even care enough to feel ashamed that he lay the entire night awake. There was no way he could have ever slept the way his mind was whirling with these latest revelations. One minute he was tormenting himself with the mental image of Merlin with this mystery figure, laughing together or embracing with a look on Merlin’s face that Arthur could only dream of. But then the next minute the image of Merlin, injured or dead rose into his mind and the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach crystallised into cold dread. He still couldn’t understand it, how could Merlin be that protective of someone who from the sounds of it was violent and dangerous? He knew Merlin was an idiot, but still how could he be stupid enough to fall in love with someone who could possibly have any motivation to kill him? Of course Merlin seemed to believe that whoever it was wouldn’t and Merlin was surprisingly one of the best judges of character Arthur had ever known. But Merlin had sounded so unsure.
In the cold light of dawn Arthur realised that he needed to stop being self-pitying and work on finding a solution. He needed to get over the fact that the man he was only just realising was so important to him was in love with someone else and work out a way to keep him safe. The most obvious thing to do would probably have been to talk to Merlin, but something told Arthur his instinct to not question Merlin directly last night had been correct. Despite the constant chatter coming out of his mouth Arthur had always suspected Merlin was being relatively private about his personal life. Arthur had never really understood what it was that had upset him so much a few years back, even after he had actually made the effort to ask Merlin. But if Merlin had been keeping something this big from him then it was worse then he had ever realised. Arthur couldn’t trust that asking questions would lead to him actually being given any useful answers. It might even lead Merlin to wonder what had got Arthur curious, and Arthur was certain that if Merlin knew how Arthur had found out he would lose his so far key source of information.
Asking Gaius was of course another option. The first conversation he had overheard had been with an imaginary Gaius so it stood to reason that he might know who this person was. The thought of discussing Merlin’s love life with Gaius was not one he relished. There was also no guarantee that Gaius would actually tell him anything either unless he explained the danger he felt Merlin might be in. But he had to consider the fact that some of what he had heard Merlin saying in his sleep wasn’t anchored in reality. He didn’t want to worry the old man if it was nothing. But still he couldn’t risk the danger being a reality and do nothing either. It seemed the only solution was to try and make Merlin talk in his sleep again.
Since they were heading back to Camelot today there would be no easy option of just taking Merlin to a tavern to get him drunk again. As the day wore on and he arrived back at Camelot he tried to come up with some clever plan that he could put into action. Unfortunately nothing came to mind and by the evening he was so desperate he settled for the unsubtle plan of simply asking Merlin to attend him in his chambers that evening with a number of wineskins.
Merlin had placed them down on the table and then made as if to leave but Arthur had called him back, passing him a goblet full of wine.
“Arthur?” Merlin had been confused, hand hesitating not quite reaching for the cup.
“I have decided that it is simply appalling Merlin how unable you are to hold your alcohol. I will not be embarrassed by hearing about how Sir Kays’ or Sir Leon’s manservant can drink you under the table. We need to build up your tolerance so you don’t put me to shame.” Insulting him seemed to have done the trick as Merlin snatched the cup out of Arthur’s hand and took a large mouthful.
“I’m not that bad,” he said indignantly. “Besides,” he added with a smile Arthur knew all too well, “we can’t all have your stamina for alcohol. Not all of us have the ability to dampen it down with our incredibly overlarge egos.” Arthur had taken a large drink himself at that point to stop from smiling. So they had set about the rather enjoyable process of drinking Merlin into the half comatose state that was needed before he started talking. When Merlin had fallen asleep on the table Arthur had picked him up and carried him over to his bed, laying him down fully clothed on top of the bed sheets.
Arthur sat at the table, staring intently at the currently silently sleeping manservant in his bed. He really hoped that Merlin began talking and about something useful sometime soon. It was going to be a challenge in the morning trying to explain why he had put Merlin to sleep here rather than carrying him back to his own bed. It would be incredibly frustrating if he didn’t get any useful information. Particularly as he would have to find something else to do next time.
Finally Merlin said something; Arthur quickly moved closer kneeling just by the bed so he could be certain to hear what he was saying.
“Yes, yes, that’s it, right there.” If Arthur was in any doubt about what Merlin was dreaming about this time, it was quickly removed by the moans that followed that sentence.
“No don’t stop, faster, harder.” Merlin was demanding in a voice that made Arthur want to do anything to oblige it. The moans continued, Merlin making sounds that seemed to bypass his brain and go straight from his ears to his cock. Which, despite his instructions, was already beginning to get hard. He knew he had been encroaching on Merlin’s privacy before but this was defiantly overstepping the mark. He knew he shouldn’t be listening but he also knew that there was no way he could stop. He had enough control though to stay perfectly still resisting either reaching out to the writhing form on his bed or to his own still hardening cock. But he couldn’t stop his eyes from hungrily gazing at Merlin, devouring the sight of the way his face looked with such ecstasy on it even in his sleep.
“Love you,” Merlin bit out amongst the moans, so quietly Arthur was uncertain he had heard it. Well it was certain that Merlin was dreaming about the person that Arthur should be worrying about but at the moment all he could think about was the fantasy of Merlin making these noises for him.
“Yes there, like, that, perfect, yes, Arthur.” Arthur leaned forward, getting as close to Merlin as he dared. Had he really heard his name? There it was again long and drawn out, uttered in a breathless way that made heat pool in the bottom of Arthur’s stomach. He gripped the edge of the bed to stop himself falling over, fingers digging into the soft bed sheets. His mind whirled, there couldn’t be anyone else with his name could there, surely it must be him that Merlin was dreaming about.
“Sire.” the title was cried out with a passion and a devotion that was a far cry from the sarcastic tone Arthur had grown accustomed to.
It finally broke his control and certain that Merlin was dreaming about him now Arthur gave into himself and leant down to place his lips to Merlin’s. He raised his hand to Merlin’s face tracing along the line of his cheekbone as he saw Merlin’s eyelids flutter open. At first Merlin returned the kiss and he could almost feel his lips tingling as Merlin’s moved against them. But then Merlin seemed to realise that he was no longer dreaming and pulled back.
“Arthur?” the confusion was clear on his face as his eyes sought out Arthur’s.
“You were dreaming, and I’m pretty sure it was about me. You were quite loud.” Arthur tried to put the cockiness and the confidence that he had only just found in his voice as if it had been there all along. He smiled as he saw a deep blush creep up Merlin’s cheeks.
“Well if my dreams were disturbing you your highness, I am sorry-” but Arthur cut off the sarcastic apology by again pressing his mouth to Merlin’s. Deciding the best way to show Merlin how little he minded was with a kiss. Using his tongue to trace along the inside of Merlin’s lips chasing away all the doubts from them. Finally Merlin seemed to get the message and his tongue came up to meet Arthur’s own. Merlin’s hands had found their way to the back of his head and were pulling it down forcing a more desperate contact between their mouths.
Arthur responded by climbing onto the bed, trying not to lose contact with Merlin’s mouth as he positioned himself next to him. His hand that had been on Merlin’s face had moved almost of its own accord to Merlin’s neck and he was pulling Merlin to him, pushing theirs mouths together with as much intensity as Merlin. He ran his other hand down Merlin’s back, feeling the friction from the coarse fabric of the shirt against his hand. He pulled Merlin closer so their bodies were touching and he could feel Merlin’s erection pressing against his thigh. He pressed himself harder against Merlin and was rewarded with a gasp from Merlin as his own erection brushed Merlin’s hip.
“Arthur,” Merlin gasped, pulling back a moment so that his blue eyes came up to meet Arthur’s as if he was searching for something in his eyes. Arthur tried to put everything in his gaze, all of the lust, the desire, whatever it was that Merlin needed to see. Merlin must have found what he was looking for because with a sigh he dived for Arthur’s mouth again. His tongue clashing against Arthur’s even more desperately than before. His hands came down running along the sides of Arthur’s chest, plucking at his shirt trying to gain access.
Arthur decided that he was only to happy to oblige and sat up. Merlin murmured protests until he saw Arthur pull of his shirt. Arthur pulled Merlin up to a seated position as well, so he could reach down to pull off Merlin’s shirt. After all it was only fair. He laughed as the shirt got caught on Merlin’s ears, earning a frown from Merlin. Those ears were obviously demanding attention, so Arthur set about it. Gently nibbling the earlobes, and softly blowing air along them enjoying the gasps it elicited from Merlin.
As he did so he bought his hand to Merlin’s shoulders. Guiding him round so that when he pushed him down Merlin’s head landed on the pillows. Arthur straddled Merlin, positioning himself so he could feel Merlin cock against his through their trousers. He ran his hands down Merlin’s chest tracing the others man rib bones though his pale skin, enjoying the contrast between the tan of his hands and the smooth almost ethereal white of Merlin’s chest. He looked up to catch Merlin staring up at him. The bright blue eyes flicking appreciatively over his chest. Arthur leant down pressing his bare chest against Merlin, whilst he turned his attention to Merlin’s neck. Placing soft kisses, and exploring it with his tongue.
Merlin began to move beneath him, thrusting his hips so their cocks moved together. He began thrusting into Merlin’s hip feeling the delicious friction though his trousers. His lips became more frantic at Merlin’s neck sucking, kissing and licking in turns. He heard Merlin’s breath catching and Merlin began muttering his name as he had in his sleep. Drawing out the word “Arthur” for far longer than a word with two syllables should allow. Arthur groaned against Merlin’s neck. Merlin seemed frantic now, almost there surprisingly quickly but Arthur had to admit he was unlikely to be holding out much longer either. He sucked at Merlin’s neck, deep and hard in a way that he was sure would leave a mark in the morning. But he didn’t care. Especially as it caused Merlin to call out “sire” again in the same breathless way that had caused Arthur so much pleasure earlier. That was enough to tip him over the edge and he found himself shuddering in time with Merlin, looking up to watch Merlin’s face as he came.
He lay on top of Merlin for a while. Enjoying the feeling of Merlin’s heartbeat gradually slowing against his chest. Eventually though he realised they were both likely to fall back asleep like this, and when the fire died down they were bound to get cold. He rolled off Merlin and pulled them both under the covers, wrapping his arms around Merlin’s skinny frame. There was a lot he needed to talk to Merlin about, some mysteries he had to unravel about what exactly had been dreaming about those previous nights. But those conversations could wait to the morning. Right now all he cared about was giving into his tiredness, and enjoying the feeling of Merlin sleeping in his arms.