Chapter Text
Merlin/Arthur - rain, soap, scar [prompt from emjayelle, original post HERE]
They ride back to the castle through the rain, silent except for an occasional grunt from Arthur as the horse’s jerky movements jostle the jagged wound in his thigh. It’s going to scar – even more so than it would have if he’d let Merlin treat it back in the forest, although Merlin can’t really blame him for feeling a little… mistrustful.
Still, he is not about to apologize for blasting the damn griffin with magical lightning, not when it saved Arthur’s life and his own – not that Arthur seems to be in a mood to care about that little detail.
Merlin entertains the idea of wiping Arthur’s memory of the whole sordid event; it would be easy, he thinks, as easy as washing the floors of Arthur’s chambers with hot soapy water, or straightening the dents in his armor with a whispered spell.
He almost does it, too, but then Arthur throws him a look, like he knows exactly what Merlin’s thinking, and Merlin sags in the saddle, defeated – he’d imagined this moment so many times, how Arthur would react, what he would say, and yet, somehow, he had never anticipated this awful silence.
Merlin/Arthur. Pet, milk, shopping. [prompt from Anonymous, original post HERE]
“What do you think about getting a… a pet?” Arthur asked out of the blue while they were grocery shopping. Arthur refused to go alone still, supposedly because it was servant’s work, but Merlin was convinced it was because Arthur was secretly scared of credit cards and, potentially, refrigerators.
“Hmm?” Merlin said in response, distracted by trying to pick out the carton of milk with the highest expiration date.
“I saw this creature on the telly, it had thick white and black fur, it seemed rather docile in fact, though it looked fierce – it would make a good mount with the right training, better than that tube you keep insisting on – and it could probably fit inside the flat as well, although getting it up the staircase may be a bit tricky-“
“Arthur,” Merlin interrupted, nearly dropping the milk as he realized what Arthur was suggesting, “we are not getting a panda for you to ride!”
Merlin/Arthur - jockstrap, kitten, cardigan [prompt from knownonsense, original post HERE]
It was their fifth date, and seeing as how the last four had been pretty disastrous Merlin was adamant that this time would be different - this time he was going to be sexy, and totally seduce Arthur by… well, he hadn’t really worked that part out, not completely, but by God he was going to do it!
The last four times had inevitably ended with Merlin making a fool of himself, spilling soup in his lap on the first date, sneezing in Arthur’s face on the second, getting too drunk in an attempt to calm his nerves and then ending up vomiting on Arthur’s shoes on the third, and on the fourth– well, he didn’t even want to think about the fourth date.
The point was, of course, that sex had definitely not happened before and this time it was sure as hell going to, because- well, because of Merlin’s well crafted seduction plan, obviously… which he technically hadn’t crafted, yet.
He was just finishing up getting dressed when Aithusa, his very cute but also very stupid new kitten, launched herself at Merlin’s torso, getting white hairs all over his tight-fitting cardigan and dark new trousers while looking extremely pleased with herself.
Merlin cursed and practically ripped his clothes off so he could change, leaving himself only in a jockstrap – which he was only wearing because he’d forgotten to do the laundry and it was better than going commando – when he heard a strangled gasp behind him.
He only had time to think fuck as he took in Arthur’s astonished face, and then Arthur was striding over and pulling him into hard kiss, his hands sliding down Merlin’s back to grip his naked ass.
Right, Merlin thought faintly, nudity. Nudity was always the best seduction plan – how had he not thought of it before?
Merthur - stop, dress, desk :D [prompt from nomical, original post HERE]
“Would you…” Arthur began uncertainly, “do you think you would… maybe, if you could… would you-“ he continued, his voice getting smaller and smaller with each word.
Merlin yawned and curled tighter into Arthur’s side, threw his leg over Arthur’s own as he said, “would you stop that and just tell me?”
“…Would you wear a dress for me, Merlin?” Arthur asked in barely a whisper.
Merlin pushed himself up on his forearms and looked at Arthur with his eyes narrowed into tight slits. “So you can make fun of me?” he asked suspiciously.
Except that wasn’t quite right, because Arthur looked absolutely terrified in the dim light of the desk lamp and Merlin laid back down, pulled him close as he smiled against the warm skin of Arthur’s chest, “well,” he said slowly, “I think that depends on the dress, doesn’t it.”
Merlin/Arthur - riding crop, harness, rein [prompt from Anonymous, original post HERE]
Merlin cursed as he urged the horse on with the riding crop, his hands tightening over the harness in an attempt to stay in the saddle – he was unused to riding, but with his magic bound, the dumb beast had been his only chance of escape.
The sounds of pursuit were loud behind him, a half dozen horses thundering through the underbrush with their riders shouting at him, or at each other – his blood was pounding too loudly in his ears for him to be sure.
The forest thinned ahead and Merlin felt a glimmer of hope that was abruptly and brutally crushed when he galloped past the tree line only to see the sharp edge of a cliff. He pulled back on the reins with a cry and the horse reared back with an angry whinny, throwing him out of the saddle to land painfully on his back.
He hadn’t even managed to get his breath back before the knights burst out of the forest to surround him, their golden prince leading the charge with a self-satisfied smirk, not a hair out of place as he said, “not such a powerful warlock now, are you, Emrys?”