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Until he came to Camelot, Merlin hadn't really thought much of girls or women. They were just people; friends, mothers, daughters, aunties, grandmothers.
He didn't really have much of a reason to think of them.
He had figured out some years ago that he wasn't like the other boys of the village. Not just because of his magic, but because of his other secret; that he was attracted to the other boys.
He kept this as quiet as he did his magic, pushing down all of those feelings and just getting on with it.
He felt like he'd been done over twice when he found out that not only did Camelot have a ban on magic, but men having relations with men was also a punishable offence.
So he continued to keep quiet. He tried to blend in with the other male servants, but more often than not found himself closer with the women of the castle.
They were sweet and funny and always doted on him. They also wore such gorgeous dresses in much fancier and brighter colours than the women of Ealdor did. Camelot was a wealthier place and it showed.
The female servants took great pride in their work for their mistresses and often got their old dresses which they transformed into garments for themselves with fine silk and chiffon, as well as intricate needlework.
It was a point of pride to display your talent on your dresses and Merlin's closest friend Gwen was one of the best at it.
Merlin adored the daisies and flowers that often adorned her corsets worn over more plainer clothes.
She deserved to shine.
Being so close to the female servants Merlin helped them out with their chores and they helped him with his.
One day as he was on his way to the laundry room with some of Arthur's clothes, Catherine rushed up to him.
“Oh, Merlin! Please, please can you help me wash Lady Josephine's dress? I spilled wine on it when I was clearing up, she'll be so cross with me if she finds out! Joanie told me you made such a nice job of Lady Elaine's dress the other week...”
“Sure,” said Merlin from over the top of his pile of clothes. “Pop it on top and I'll get it out for you.”
“Thanks, Merlin! You're a lifesaver!”
His secret, of course, was magic. But no one else needed to know that, and he ended up gaining a reputation for being able to rid clothing of even the largest, most difficult stains.
Soon Merlin found himself with lots of dresses from various noble women to wash, he always seemed to have one or two in his room from occasions when he couldn't remember who had given them to him.
He liked to sit in his rooms sometimes, feeling the fine materials with his fingers and wondering how they might feel against his skin.
His wonderings about it grew stronger the longer this whole thing went on.
When he had had the same dress in his chambers for over a month and still couldn't find the owner, he had to consider it abandoned. He thought about passing it on to one of the serving girls, but… well, perhaps this was his chance to give one a try.
He bided his time, waiting until Gaius was called away to a nearby village to tend to a sweating sickness that was threatening to spread through the kingdom.
It was late in the evening and he'd already served Arthur his evening meal and tidied his chambers before returning to his own cold empty chambers.
He instantly summoned a fire in the grate and settled down to eat the leftovers of Arthur's dinner with a few slices of bread, eyeing the door to his room as he ate.
This was probably the best chance he was going to have for a long time; the old physician didn't leave the citadel very often these days and he didn’t dare try it on with someone so close by.
Once he had finished Merlin washed his hands in the basin of water and headed up the stairs to his room.
He glanced around the physicians chambers before he closed the door, though he wasn't sure why. He just couldn't help but feel paranoid. He'd got so used to hiding his magic and his preferences. But a dress was physical and not something that could be easily hidden or explained away at quick notice.
Merlin closed the door behind him and then looked at the dress which was hanging in the corner.
He stripped down to his small clothes and then padded over barefoot to the dress. He pulled it down and ran his fingers over the fine silk then clutched it to his chest, rubbing it up and down. It was the softest, smoothest thing he'd ever felt. A shiver of delight danced down his spine. He couldn't wait to get it on.
Merlin turned the dress around and undid the buttons. He might have to use his magic to fasten it when he had it on.
Then he stepped into it and pulled it up, pushing his arms into the sleeves and up onto his shoulders.
He closed his eyes.
The material was cool against his heated skin, like an icy spring in summer.
He made his way over to the mirror, a recent acquisition of Gaius's who had given it to Merlin having had no use for it as an old man unashamed of his age. It hung on the wall at head height, but from a distance Merlin could get a view of his entire self.
As the dress swished around his legs Merlin wondered why men were denying themselves the joy of this.
He twisted around so he could see the back of his dress and used a push of magic to button it up. As the dress drew tight around his ribs he smoothed his hands up and down.
This was gorgeous.
He swished the skirt around admiring how it looked and felt.
Then he stopped and stared. He looked beautiful, but not feminine. He still felt like a man, despite the dress. It was just… pretty. And what was the problem with that? He was having trouble understanding what the problem was with wearing it and why men didn’t want to look nice, instead they were subjecting themselves to scratchy woven breeches that were so restrictive with movements sometimes.
Sure, you might not want something that went all the way to the floor like this, but hitched up a bit for everyday wear, it would be amazing.
Obviously it wouldn't work on the battlefield. Unless you were intending to confuse the enemy.
But otherwise Merlin couldn't see the issue.
He continued swishing the dress until it brushed against his cock. Merlin groaned at the sensation.
Fuck it. He had all night and the whole of the chambers to himself.
He hitched up the dress and tugged at the strings of his small clothes and then kicked them off, shivering as the silk instantly made contact with his cock. It filled rapidly and tented the front of the dress obscenely.
The sight of that turned Merlin on even more than the feel of it.
He used his hands to mold the material around the shape of his cock.
Fuck.
Then he started to stroke.
Gods that felt good. Why had he held back from doing this for so long? He'd been denying himself the most amazing thing he'd ever felt.
He leaned his free hand against the wall as he continued to work his cock.
It wasn't going to take him long, and once he was done he’d magic away the stain—the real reason he was so good at getting out stubborn stains—and no one would be any the wiser.
After this he was going to take the dress into his bed at night once everyone was asleep so that he could hump against it and get himself off hands free.
He was an idiot not to have done this sooner.
Merlin twisted his wrist, wrapping more of the silk around his cock as he moved it in a loose grip. It didn't need to be tight as the silk moved and glided between his hand and his cock.
His toes started to curl as he felt an unbearable heat pooling in his groin.
Merlin lifted his eyes to watch his reflection as he wanked himself off and that was the final straw. He came with a grunt, his knees buckling as he came and came into the smooth silk.
He closed his eyes and stroked himself through his orgasm, feeling blissful. He stood there panting enjoying the afterglow, his body positively humming.
A sound at the door made him open his eyes. And in the reflection behind him he saw a surprised, yet amused Arthur.
“Well, well, well,” he said. “So that's why you're always stealing dresses.”
Merlin turned and Arthur sauntered out of the room. He went to run after Arthur, desperate to explain things away.
He tripped over his skirt as he tried to run and almost fell down the stairs.
Maybe that's why men weren't wearing them.
“Arthur, wait!” he called out. “I can explain!”
Arthur kept on walking with his back turned.
“No need, Merlin. Every man has his needs, and who am I to judge?” He turned around to face Merlin, eyeing him approvingly. “I'll expect to see you bright and early tomorrow morning though. And, uh, Merlin… bring the dress.”