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Arthur glanced over at his consort and Camelot's Court Sorcerer as he stood giving a report to the council about the latest magical threats to the kingdom.
Merlin always was, and always would be a strange one. He somehow managed to be both elegant yet clumsy at the same time, and both blunt yet diplomatic. He was knowledgeable and confident, but shied away from acknowledgement and praise. Arthur had to all but threaten him to take up the role of Court Sorcerer when he legalised magic.
He had always been a perplexing mystery. But he was Arthur's perplexing mystery.
A perplexing mystery that Arthur had seen far too little of lately, having only recently returned from a trip to the Northern Isles himself, which had come swiftly on the heels of Merlin having spent a month away in Ealdor nursing his mother.
Neither matter could be helped, and as rulers of Camelot, they sometimes had to divide and conquer. Even though Arthur loathed to ever be apart.
He had missed his husband.
Merlin had moved on now from the magical threats to the kingdom and was speaking enthusiastically about the new influx of magical recruits and some kind of magical spell he was attempting to interpret.
Arthur tried to signal to him with his eyes to wrap things up so that they could at least snatch a few moments together before their next meeting, but Merlin was far too gone with his explanation; waving his hands around, his eyes glistening with delight.
It was a beautiful sight to behold, but Arthur would prefer that he behold it with his husband preferably in his lap.
After another five minutes, Merlin finally started to wind down and finished his report. He sat down rather abruptly, as he was want to do.
Arthur saw his opportunity to get his husband to himself and so got to his feet.
He thanked Merlin, and everyone else who had contributed, for their reports and called the meeting to a close, to reconvene a few days later to follow up on a few actions.
The council started to get to their feet and make their way out of the hall, as Arthur stood waiting as patiently as he could for them to leave.
Merlin went to follow them, evidently still thinking about his spell work and Arthur hastened after him. Grasping at his sleeve as he exited the hall.
“And where do you think you're going?” Arthur asked him
“Oh, sorry,” said Merlin, his cheeks dimpling with a smile.
“I've barely seen you since you returned, and as your king, I will have you to myself for a while.”
“Possessive prat,” grinned Merlin, nudging his elbow affectionately.
Arthur started to make a beeline down the corridor towards a set of stairs that would take them up to the second floor and towards their chambers. He had needs to satisfy.
It was rather a long corridor, fraught with opportunities to be interrupted, but it was the most direct route.
Sir Leon called to them, but Arthur waved him off, telling him they'd speak later.
One of the kitchen maids asked him about food to be served at the feast that night.
“Merlin's favourites, if you please, Ginny,” Arthur said with as much patience as he could muster for the young maid.
They weren't far from the staircase when he heard Lady de Burgh descending them.
He glanced around, looking for an escape route.
If Lady de Burgh accosted them then they'd be stuck for ages.
Arthur grabbed Merlin by the wrist and opened the closest door, pulling Merlin in with him. He pulled it closed quickly behind them.
“Arthur, what the—”
Arthur placed a hand over his mouth.
“Shh!” he hissed.
Arthur listened carefully as the sound of Lady de Burgh and her maid’s footsteps passed the door and started to fade as they went down the corridor.
He removed his hand.
“It's been so long, I just wanted to spend some uninterrupted time with you? Is that so wrong?’ he asked.
“No,” said Merlin, looking around with a bemused smile. “But you might have had the foresight to have chosen a better room.”
Arthur glanced around them.
It was more of a cupboard than a room, with a shelf along one side filled with dusty jars, the other side was bare.
“Well,” he said briskly, trying to hide his embarrassment. “Foresight is more your department.”
“Well, despite your lack of it, I guess you have me to yourself now.”
“Yes, I do,” Arthur grinned.
Sure, it wasn't the most ideal or romantic of locations, and definitely not a room worthy of a king. But he'd rather be tucked away with Merlin in the tiniest of spaces, than in an entire kingdom without him.
Plus, it was highly unlikely that anyone would disturb them here. So perhaps not such a bad location after all.
He smiled and pulled Merlin close to him, enjoying the heat of Merlin's body through his thin shirt.
He held his hand there, at the small of Merlin's back as he kissed him, slowly, tenderly. Trying to communicate how much he'd missed him.
Merlin responded in kind, melting into Arthur's touch, as though returning to him.
Arthur pressed him up against the wall as they continued to kiss, his hand slipping under the hem of Merlin's shirt to touch his skin.
That first touch was heavenly. It was something Arthur had been craving for the past few weeks, and now he could sate it.
“Missed you,” Merlin muttered into the kiss.
“Not more than I missed you,” Arthur argued.
Arthur was sure that this was true.
Merlin would probably have been fine living his whole life without ever knowing Arthur existed. But Arthur had needed Merlin in his life as much as he needed air.
He wouldn't be the man he was today without the insolent young man who had stumbled into his life, unafraid of challenging him to become a better person.
Arthur pressed Merlin harder against the wall, almost lifting him off his feet.
Merlin let himself be lifted, wrapping his legs around Arthur's waist.
Dear God…
Arthur had meant to wait until they got back to their chambers, but the memories that flooded back to him from Merlin's legs wrapped around him… all those late nights… lazy mornings… trysts in the woods…
“I need to—” he began. “Let's—”
“Yes, yes,” agreed Merlin.
His cock that was pressing against Arthur's belly was clearly in total agreement.
“Okay,” Arthur agreed, he tugged at the laces of Merlin's breeches until the feeling of the material suddenly disappeared in his fingers.
His own clothing also inextricably vanished from his body.
His husband laughed, his golden eyes slowly fading.
Normally he had words with Merlin when he used magic on him without warning. But Arthur couldn't find any objections to having Merlin suddenly naked in his arms.
“Fuck,” he groaned, pressing his forehead against Merlin's.
“That's the idea,” Merlin said, wrapping his arms around Arthur's neck.
Arthur loved that he was strong enough to do this. It kept him motivated when times were tough and he had to push through pains and aches or injuries to train and keep himself fighting fit.
He hitched Merlin further up the wall, using it as leverage to free up his right hand, then Arthur reached between them and grasped Merlin's cock, starting to stroke it.
“Do you think you can…”
“Ah, I'm— yeah,” replied Merlin, his eyes glowing golden.
Arthur found it hard to control himself. He often did with Merlin. Especially when he did magic. But when he did magic to prepare himself for Arthur? Well… Arthur didn't think he could be blamed for his lack of composure.
He gave Merlin's cock and few more strokes before he flicked his thumb over the head exactly how Merlin liked it.
As Merlin gasped and squirmed, Arthur couldn't help but feel smug.
Merlin might be the most powerful wizard to ever walk the earth, but it was Arthur who got to take him apart like this. Who knew him so intimately. Who knew exactly how to play him like a finely tuned lute.
As he let go of Merlin's cock, Merlin made a disappointed sound.
Arthur surged forward to kiss him.
“Hush,” he said. “You know I'll take care of you.”
He shifted his stance again, so that he could reach beneath Merlin, he cupped the cheek of his arse with a groan. Before he could continue he had to reach down and give his own cock a quick stroke. Then he positioned it at the entrance of Merlin's hole.
They didn't normally rush like this. Normally Arthur took his time preparing Merlin, even if Merlin had already done so himself. Arthur loved wringing out all-sorts of noises from him with his fingers or his tongue until Merlin was crying out, begging for his cock.
He'd have to save that for tonight.
Right now, they were on borrowed time. It wouldn't be long before they were missed and people would come looking for them.
So Arthur wasn't going to squander the opportunity for a quickie. Even if it was up against a wall in a storage cupboard.
Once he was lined up, his arm straining from the effort of holding up Merlin, he slowly started to lower Merlin down onto him.
He was warm and slick, ready to take all of Arthur.
Merlin gasped, tilting back his head as Arthur entered him, his arms tightening around Arthur's neck.
“Okay?” Arthur asked, with great effort, pausing for a moment.
Merlin nodded.
“Yeah, I'm— that's—”
Arthur continued as slowly as his arm, beginning to treble even harder from the strain, would allow until Merlin was fully seated.
“Good?” he asked.
Merlin wriggled a little and Arthur felt his cock throb, buried deep inside him. He wouldn't last long.
“Yeah, I'm good,” Merlin confirmed.
“Thank the Gods,” Arthur gritted out, as he started to thrust.
The cupboard became a space of gasps and moans and bitten off cries.
Between the wall and Merlin clinging on to him, Arthur was able to keep his promise as he snaked a hand between their bodies and grasped Merlin's cock again.
Gods he loved how Merlin felt in his hand almost as much as he loved how he felt on his cock.
As Arthur continued to thrust his hips and pump his hand, Merlin whined from the back of his throat.
A surefire sign that he was almost there.
“Fuck, Arthur,” he gasped, his eyes wild and his fingers digging almost painfully into Arthur's shoulders.
Arthur shifted his angle a little knowing he could do better, wanting to make Merlin come before he did. He knew he wouldn't last much longer himself.
Merlin cried out.
“Ah, yeah, yeah. Right there,” he said, trying to move with Arthur and speed things up.
Arthur did his best to oblige, fucking harder and faster. His hand stripped Merlin's cock as fast as he could.
Merlin loved it a little rough.
“Ah, ah,” Merlin cried, his head thrown back against the wall. “Fuck, Arthur. Fuck, I'm— I’m—”
Merlin shuddered in Arthur's arms. Coming hot and fast on Arthur's chest.
He clenched hard around Arthur, his hole fluttering as Arthur followed, coming so hard his vision went white around the edges and he almost dropped his husband. His orgasm rushed through him, his hips still stuttering; once, twice, three times until he stilled, deep inside Merlin as he finished.
“Fuck,” he whispered, pressing his forehead, glistening from his efforts, against Merlin's.
Merlin hummed contentedly, slumped in Arthur's arms, where they stayed that way for a few moments, their hearts hammering pressed together, until Merlin started to move.
Arthur let out a hiss as his cock slipped out and he slowly helped to lower Merlin to the ground.
He felt worn out and shaky all over. It had been a while since they had fucked like that and Merlin never got any lighter, despite his slight appearance.
They both held each other, taking a moment just for them, as they caught their breath.
“I love you,” Arthur said, nuzzling Merlin's nose.
Merlin laughed, “Love you too.”
“I guess we ought to think about…” Arthur began, looking around the cupboard. “Merlin… where are our clothes?”
“Um, oops?”