AN: Sequel to Whiskey's Effect. You should read that one first. I promise, worth your time :)
No, I didn't have a beta for Whiskey's Effect but I do for this one. Introducing the lovely kelseyliz95. Who is amazing by the way.
So warnings for future smut. It will come. (Pun intended. I do pun. Keep a vigilant eye, you'll see them.)
I have the pot lined out but I'm always open to requests so drop me a line or whatever.
And of course, enjoy.
Four days had passed since the night Merlin spent with Arthur.
The morning after was probably the most difficult for them. The talk they had kept playing over and over again in the back of both their minds.
Merlin found it obviously awkward to do his normal duties. Dressing the prince, feeding him, all normal things but after what had happened, it all started to change. Now when he accidentally brushed up against Arthur, instead of shoving it off and thinking nothing about it, it brought a blush to his face and his heart would skip a beat. Not to mention that with every move he made the ache from his bottom would remind him of their night. Every inch of that room would make him blush now. There really wasn't a part of it that they hadn't touched while exploring each other.
Arthur seemed perfectly calm. But it was only on the outside. Inside he was reacting to Merlin's touch just as much as Merlin was. He was a prince though. He knew how to reign in his feelings and cover any physical anomalies.
However, some moments were harder than others. Merlin had a tendency to bend over a lot. It wasn't something he had noticed before that morning. He found himself finding excuses for him to grab something off the floor just so he could spend a moment staring at that backside he had taken over the night before.
Little did Arthur know that Merlin had caught on. With every new ridiculous task that required bending down he'd see Arthur slowly move behind him or straighten his head back up right, just a bit too fast. That's when Merlin decided to have fun with it.
The next excuse Arthur made up was to have Merlin pick up a pillow he had just thrown at his servant's head. As casually as he could, but with a smirk on his face, Merlin bent over to grab the pillow but stayed down, slipping a hand behind him to straighten out his shirt, letting it slide down to his rear. He slid it down further, slowly, and rounded over to his thigh with a groan. To anyone else it would look like he was stretching but Merlin knew what that groan would do to Arthur. As he pushed up and turned around, hiding the smile on his face, he was met with a flustered Arthur, just as he expected, with a scowl on his own.
"So it's like that then is it?" He had his arms crossed and Merlin couldn't help but be distracted at the pout on his lips. He found they looked far too bitable to look away from. Unfortunately, he knew he couldn't do a thing about it. He was almost starting to wonder if the prince was doing that on purpose.
"Don't know what you're talking about." He decided to answer biting down on the smile that was forming. His heart jumped when he realized Arthur's attention was easily caught by the action and he too was now transfixed on the other boy's lips.
"Alright. But you asked for it."
That's when the dynamic changed from awkward blushes and desperation, to thinking of excuses for purposeful teasing and groping. It was much easier to deal with each other when they learned they could tease each other so simply.
Day two was fairly uneventful as Gaius needed Merlin's help that day and Arthur was able to take care of his own morning duties. It was good for them both, and they knew it. A day off from each other was just what they needed when their hormones were running so high.
Though that didn't stop them from thinking and daydreaming.
Gaius asked Merlin many times what was the matter but he just shrugged him off. Gaius was accepting, and he knew that, but even this was a bit much to ask him to understand. So, Merlin just kept his thoughts to himself and suppressed the images as best he could.
Arthur even found himself distracted. During the afternoon training, he found his mind wondering and thinking about the bath that he so desperately wanted. The image of a bath very soon led to the image of Merlin rubbing him down, his hands sweeping over his back, down his chest, down beneath the water, down, down, down…. and before he knew it, one of the knights had him pinned to the ground with a sword. Needless to say, it got him frustrated.
Day three started off innocently enough. Merlin walked into Arthur's bedroom to wake him and found him in his usual unpleasant state. For some reason, Merlin found Arthur's whining to be more than irritating that morning and knew how he was going to fight back.
Merlin waited as Arthur finished his breakfast, keeping his sarcastic comments to himself, and started to gather his clothes for the day. It was yet another day starting with training. A short day, not worthy of Merlin needing to worry about giving the prince a bath later and dealing with that awkward scenario. After all, Arthur couldn't overwork his men too much.
Arthur finished his food and walked towards where Merlin was waiting for him with all his clothes. He would have asked about the smirk on Merlin's face if he thought he could handle it, but it was hard enough to control himself without looking at Merlin directly. He only had his tights as a barrier between him and the boy, and he didn't want to have any blood rush to embarrassing places all because he couldn't help but look at Merlin's lips when he talked. Not that he couldn't look away from them when they smirked if he wanted to. Instead he stared at the wall and waited for Merlin to throw him his first shirt.
Merlin didn't throw it to him though. No, he had other plans for this morning. Instead, he walked up in front of Arthur, closing the short distance and invading his personal space, slipping the shirt in between them. He only let himself stare at the yellowing bruises he made on the shirtless man's skin for a moment before staring him in the eye.
Arthur tried to hide the immediate reaction his body had to the close proximity but Merlin noticed the jump and the hitch in breathing. He simply smiled up at him innocently and held out the red shirt so that the back of his fingers brushed against the other man's tight stomach muscles. There was nothing Arthur could do to hide the twitch his body did at the touch.
Arthur wrapped his hand between them, purposefully close to his own body, looking down at Merlin, confused. He was sure he was up to something but he wasn't quite sure what yet. When he grabbed at the shirt and started to pull it away he felt his hand get pulled back. Merlin hadn't let go. Arthur met his gaze and felt his heart jump at the cheeky grin he gave him before Merlin took a step back and walked back over to the rest of the clothes.
Arthur shook his head and grinned as he pulled the shirt over his head. Merlin wanted to play it this way, he would be sure to reciprocate.
Merlin turned back to Arthur with the prince's trousers in his hand. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do yet because Arthur put these on himself, but he was sure it would involve some sort of fixing in the crotch region. He mimicked what he did before, standing far too close with only enough room for his own hand to fit between them. Only this time, Arthur didn't move to grab them. Instead he wordlessly nodded and pointedly looked at Merlin then down to the trousers in hand and back at his face.
Merlin bit down his smirk as he bent down to the floor and sat on his ankles, ignoring the hard ground fighting his knee caps. He looked up at the man above him with the most innocent face he could muster.
Arthur caught the eyes of the boy on his knees in front of him and had to swallow to suppress the moan threatening to vocalize itself. A heat started to radiate through him and he felt the blood start to rush down and away from his brain. The compromising position of his servant sent his imagination into overdrive. He lifted one leg at a time and watched as Merlin slipped them into the trousers, never taking his eyes off the man above him.
The only moment Merlin closed his eyes was to hide the golden glow of them as he mentally sent magical warmth to his hands. While keeping his position on the floor, he ran the article up Arthur's legs and made sure to keep as much contact as he could. He could see Arthur suck in a breath as the heat in his hands ran up his leg and over his thighs to his hips. Keeping up the innocence in his face, he moved his hands over to the middle of his hips to tie him off. With that he lifted himself off his heels and raised his body so his head was level with what he was doing with his hands. Arthur had to look up at the ceiling for a moment while he tied the tie before looking down at him again. Merlin let one hand drop and the other slide down, purposefully grazing over the bump that had started to form in Arthur's tights. He heard Arthur gasp out loud at the touch of his warmed hands and then, without another word, he stood and walked back to the other clothes, making sure to take the spell off his hands as he did so.
Arthur watched Merlin turn around and spared a glance down at himself. He should have more control over himself but with Merlin it just didn't seem possible. He stared down at the erection forming in his trousers and silently cursed. Merlin was good.
As Merlin turned back around though, he couldn't help but check on the other boy's state. He too seemed flushed and, with a quick glance at his groin, Arthur could see he was just as turned on by what he was doing to Arthur as Arthur was by what he was doing. He smirked at his servant who was still trying to play innocent.
Now it was Arthur's turn. He stepped forward into Merlin's space and grinned at the shocked reaction from the other boy. He obediently held out his arms so that Merlin would place the chain mail over him. Before Merlin could continue with his next idea Arthur moved his head forward.
"Merlin," His voice came out huskier than he expected, but it didn't matter due to the effect it had on the other boy. "You have something on your face."
"What?" Merlin lifted a hand to the right side of his face pawing at his cheek.
"No, not there," A teasing tone came out in his voice and he smiled as Merlin switched sides. "Here," Arthur reached forward and gripped Merlin's face on both sides. His eyes opened wide at the touch and shock of the sudden movement. Arthur then swept a thumb over one of Merlin's raised cheekbones, removing the imaginary spot. Over and over again he moved his thumb, slowly leaning forward so his face was within an inch of Merlin's. "Oh it is a tricky spot." He had to hold back a giggle in his throat as he felt the heat in Merlin's cheeks raise to a blush.
Merlin knew exactly what Arthur was doing. There was no spot there. It was just an excuse to bring their faces closer together. He knew that if he leaned forward slightly, he could probably grab Arthur's lips with his own and claim them again. But they weren't allowed to do that. They were only allowed to make the other person want it. He couldn't help gasping out loud when Arthur's eyes turned to meet his own, the intensity of the close proximity making it hard to look away.
"It's gone." Arthur grinned as he slid a hand back into Merlin's hair and pulled slightly as he stood and leaned away. Another small gasp had escaped Merlin's throat from the unexpected movement. The blood that was already rushing to his groin seemed to pick up pace and now he was growing an erection that was battling the size of the prince's. Not that you could see it anymore due to the long chainmail.
"Thanks." Merlin meant for it to come out sarcastic but his breath seemed to hitch in his throat again. Instead he grabbed the belt that held Arthur's sword and thought up another delicious idea.
He moved forward and wrapped his arms around Arthur, as was expected by them both. It was necessary. What wasn't necessary was Merlin leaning in so close that his hips met against Arthur's, causing them both to gasp out loud as the two erections bumped into each other. Merlin stayed lined up against Arthur's body as he took a few more moments than needed to line up both ends of the belt. With a quick smirk to himself he bucked up his hips into Arthur's and pulled back before he could do anything more. It was gratifying for the small moan that escaped the prince's lips but also not so gratifying when he heard one escape his own.
"That was on purpose Merlin." Arthur spoke through his teeth trying to get back control of his breathing. Somehow it sounded as though he had run all the way across Camelot and back again. All due to this boy's touches and hip thrusts.
"I don't know what you mean, Sire." He added the title for the first time in days just to give it the extra kick he needed to send Arthur over the edge. He wanted to laugh out loud at the look Arthur was giving him. It was full of frustration, lust, and desire. Whether that desire was to jump Merlin right there or to beat up Merlin for making him want to, he couldn't be sure. Instead of asking, he handed Arthur the rest of his gear, including his boots, and let him finish off himself.
Arthur didn't take his eyes off Merlin as he finished dressing himself. He was trying to think of a way to get back at him but chores just didn't seem to cut it this time. No, he needed something more. He could touch him, drive him close to the brink and then leave him dangling, but that would be too obvious. He needed to do something else.
"You know perfectly well what I mean." Merlin just smiled at him. There really was no use in denying it. "You are not allowed to touch me like that. In fact, you are not to touch me at all today. If you do, not only will I have you be cleaning my armor but the armor of every man that trains today."
Merlin internally frowned at the idea. On a normal day he would touch Arthur but it seemed like Arthur was up to something. No matter what, he wasn't going to end up cleaning all that armor though. It should be easy to avoid contact. "Fine."
Arthur started for the door as he gathered his things knowing Merlin would follow him. He would be coming with him today. "Oh, and Merlin," He turned to face the boy at the door making him jump from the proximity. He had to in order not to touch him.
"Yes Arthur?"
"You're going to want to," Arthur growled out suggestively as he turned from Merlin and strode down the corridor.
Merlin's mouth opened slightly at the tone Arthur used. The blood that had slowly started to flow back through his system quickly found its way back to his groin, making for an awkward walk to the field. He shook his head and followed though, careful to stay a few steps away in case Arthur surprised him by turning again. He wasn't going to touch him. He was sure of it.
Arthur kept to his word that day. The entire day of training, Merlin found himself fixed on Arthur. Everything he did was meant to drive him mad and bother him more and more.
The first thing Arthur did was stretches, right in front of Merlin with full view of every flexing muscle. That was found especially true when he bent down to stretch the back of his legs. Merlin found himself fixed on Arthur's arse just like he had been to Merlin. Already Merlin could see what the day would be like.
In one of the fights Arthur participated in, he hooked onto a man and brought his body in front of him. His arm was hooked around the other man's neck, his helmet thrown aside, leaving the bare flesh of the other man's neck open near Arthur's mouth. Arthur caught Merlin's gaze, playfully bit the air near the other man's neck and winked before he threw him aside and picked up the fight again.
The rest of the fighting went on similarly. Merlin caught himself finding excuses to hold things in front of his body in order to hide where the blood had decided to permanently stay as he watched Arthur take down man after man. With each pin came another wink towards Merlin and another flutter in his stomach. He was just hoping no other knight was catching on to what he was doing.
Training ended and Merlin sighed with relief. All he had to do was help Arthur undress, without touching him, and he could go do his other chores. It would be hard though. He found it impossible not to look at the muscular blonde and imagine what he would do to him every second if he could. The thought of getting to undress him made it all the more hard to remind himself that he couldn't undress him all the way.
When everyone else left for the day, and it was just the two of them, Arthur sent Merlin to fetch him some water. When Merlin came back he found Arthur had shoved off every bit of clothes from his torso up, leaving his bare chest glistening from the sweat of his work out. Merlin audibly swallowed before tripping as he walked over and handed him the water, being extra careful that his hand didn't touch his. He was sure with even a simple touch like finger to finger, he would lose it.
Arthur looked Merlin over with a grin on his face. His plan was working just as he thought it would. Making Merlin watch him and being suggestive the entire time earned him one tuned on boy. He wanted to laugh as Merlin casually crossed his hands in front of his body to hide his half-hard cock. It's not like Arthur hadn't seen it already. But the move still made his own twitch in response. Now for the rest of his plan on torturing the poor boy. He moved closer to Merlin, glad to see him lean away. He was afraid to touch him. That was good. It also meant he was intimidated by Arthur's naked chest. That was also good.
"After you do your chores you can go home."
"Thank you," Merlin was confused by Arthur's words but was still grateful for the night off. Arthur stepped closer again cutting off the space between them. Merlin didn't step back but leaned further back afraid Arthur would touch him. He wasn't going to lose this test of wills.
"When you go home after this and you're alone in your bed, you are going to be thinking of me, like this." Arthur's voice had dropped three octaves as he met Merlin's eyes. His face grew serious and he could see the astonishment in Merlin's eyes at his seductive tone. "You're going to wonder what you could be doing to me if I gave you the chance. You'll be thinking of all the things I would do to you back." He raised a finger and brushed it against the bottom of Merlin's jaw, smirking at the chill that ran across his body. "And you'll get so hot just by the thought of me. And you'll want to touch yourself. But you can't Merlin. I'll know if you do. And I'm not allowing you to. It's your punishment, for this morning. You get to think of me and all I did for you today out on the field but you don't get to touch me and you don't get to touch yourself. Understood?"
Merlin was trembling under the gaze Arthur was giving him. He had to swallow and clear his throat before he spoke, unsure of his own voice. "And if I do?"
Arthur smiled at the shakiness of Merlin's voice. "Merlin. You are my manservant. If you don't do as I say, punishments will be in order. Now go, take my armor and finish your chores. I'll see you in the morning." With another wink, he left Merlin standing, gaping at him as he walked away. The double meaning of 'see you in the morning' had obviously come across. A small smile slipped across his face before he downed the rest of his water. He didn't know when it got to be so hot.