AN: Very hastily written Christmas present for my very own Arthur. Unbeta-ed. Apologies for any mistakes.
Camelot's Midwinter celebrations are a mash-up of different traditions from various peoples and time periods.
Penname change: formerly Bevin Brighteyes, now actions-we-remember. Sorry for the confusion!
The week-long series of feasts and gatherings known as Midwinter was an enjoyable, if somewhat demanding, tradition in Camelot. Arthur laughed and drank along with his knights at the dinners; clapped for the pantomimes and bards, and accepted the gifts presented to him with the good grace of the king he was. It was good to see his people smiling amidst the hard times of winter, and Arthur could feel the carefree vibe of the evening seeping under his own skin.
This year, however, Arthur's favourite part of the holiday wasn't part of the festivities at all.
It was late, and Arthur and Merlin had only just made it back to Arthur's chambers. Tonight had been yet another feast, the last before the all-night Midwinter vigil which ended the holiday, and they were both tired. Merlin yawned widely as he poked at the fire to try and warm the chilly air, while Arthur stripped down to his smalls and slipped on his warmest nightclothes.
"Are you going to fall asleep on me, Merlin?" Arthur asked teasingly, grinning when another yawn answered him.
"I'm tired," Merlin said defensively, rubbing his hands over his arms for warmth, "and it's cold."
Arthur shook his head. "Idiot," he said, grabbing the heaviest blanket from his bed and dragging it to the floor. He settled on the rug, back against his bed and feet stretched near the fire, and opened his arms for Merlin. "Come here."
Merlin obeyed, dropping down to Arthur's side and nuzzling into his warmth. Arthur hissed when he slid his hands up into his tunic.
"God, Merlin, your hands are freezing."
"Told you," Merlin replied unrepentantly, burying his hands further into Arthur's shirt and tickling his ribs with icy fingers. Arthur let out a decidedly non-kingly yelp.
"Stop that, Merlin, you useless…thing," he spluttered, extracting Merlin's hands from his tunic firmly but gently. "Honestly, you're as bad as a child."
"Prat," was Merlin's response, and Arthur huffed out a laugh as he draped the blanket around Merlin's shoulders, tucking him in firmly and wrapping an arm around Merlin's narrow waist.
"There," he said, as Merlin settled against his chest, their legs already tangled beneath the blanket. "Feeling better?"
"Much," Merlin assured him, and Arthur allowed a fond smile to tug at his lips. His fingertips traced aimless patterns in Merlin's hip, drawing sleepy, contented noises from his lover.
"This is nice," Merlin said a little while later, stretching like a cat. Arthur hummed in agreement. "Why don't we skip the vigil tomorrow and just stay here?"
Arthur let himself entertain the idea, just for a moment. Him and Merlin wrapped up in each other, Merlin pale-skinned and cheerful as he lounged on Arthur's bed, whispering stories of past Midwinters into Arthur's ear, laughing breathlessly when Arthur tackled him into the pillows, the rest of Camelot somewhere far away, where they couldn't see Merlin's perfect smile or tousled hair or worn-out yawns as he curled against Arthur's side. Just the thought alone made Arthur's heart thump.
"You know we can't," he reminded Merlin (and himself) unhappily, drawing an apologetic line across Merlin's back.
"I know," Merlin sighed. "I really do. It's just a nice thought."
"It is," Arthur agreed, hearing the disappointment Merlin tried to hide and his own mirroring regret. "But as least we have this."
"Yeah," Merlin breathed softly, and Arthur could feel his smile against his chest. He reached to tug Merlin into a kiss, drawing a thumb across Merlin's cheek. Merlin's skin was now pleasantly warmed from the fire and Arthur couldn't stop touching it, brushing over Merlin's neck and collarbone and dipping under his neckerchief.
"I have something for you," Arthur mumbled against Merlin's lips. He felt Merlin freeze, and pull away, kiss-swollen mouth frowning.
"Arthur, I told you—"
"Not to bother with Midwinter gifts, because I have enough on my plate, or whatever. I know." He lifted a hand and brushed Merlin's fringe aside, shrugging. "I wanted to get you something, anyway."
Merlin fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable, and blurted, "But I haven't got anything for you."
Arthur laughed. "Merlin, I'm the bloody king of Camelot. I don't need anything. Besides," he added, "I've given you a gift every year. I see no reason to stop just because I am king."
Merlin opened his mouth, but Arthur kissed his protest away.
"I wanted to do this, Merlin. Stop being an idiot for a minute, alright?"
Merlin rolled his eyes, but nodded. "Fine," he relented, and Arthur beamed.
"Wait here, I'll get it."
He slipped out of the blankets, wincing at the sudden cold and ignoring Merlin's mumbled "stubborn cabbagehead". He fetched the small parcel from his nightstand and returned to their makeshift seat, pulling the blankets around himself before looking at Merlin again.
"Happy Midwinter, Merlin," he said, offering the shoddily wrapped present with a smile. Merlin glared pointedly at him before accepting the parcel, but Arthur just laughed, settling back to watch Merlin unwrap his gift. Merlin's eyebrows rose when the paper fell away, revealing a bracelet made of twisted leather, very similar to his old one, except for the metal plate tied to the middle. A pretty design of leaves had been engraved into the plate, twisting around each other like they'd been caught in a wind.
"Oh," Merlin said softly, staring at it. "It's—you got me a bracelet."
Arthur nodded. "I wanted to get you something no one would question you having. And I know how upset you were when your other one broke." He paused, and added, "Do you like it?"
Instead of answering, Merlin extended his hand, baring his wrist to Arthur's gaze.
"Help me put it on?" he asked, wearing a little half-smile.
Arthur reached for the bracelet, cradling Merlin's thin wrist in his hand as he slid the band over his fingers and tightened it around his wrist. Acting on impulse, he ducked his head and pressed a quick kiss to Merlin's pulse-point before he allowed Merlin's arm to fall into his own lap. He heard Merlin's breath catch just briefly, and smirked, just a bit.
"Thank you," Merlin murmured, tracing the leather with one spindly finger. Arthur nodded.
"You're welcome. It's not much, but—"
"It's fine, Arthur," Merlin interrupted, leaning in for a proper kiss. Arthur kissed back, enjoying the familiar give of Merlin's mouth. He made a surprised noise when Merlin nipped gently at his lips, sliding his hands into Arthur's hair to keep their faces close. Arthur felt the cool touch of the metal plate on Merlin's bracelet graze his cheek and he turned to kiss Merlin's wrist again.
"I like seeing you wear something I bought for you," he admitted against the sensitive skin there, gaze flicking up to watch Merlin's face. He felt as well as saw Merlin's shiver as his lips traveled up Merlin's arm, across his chest, up to Merlin's own lips, where he paused for just a moment—long enough to hear Merlin's breathing waver, and then he kissed him, hard. Merlin responded with gusto, tugging on Arthur's hair and licking his way into Arthur's mouth. The kiss quickly became more and more heated and Arthur could feel his cock taking a definite interest, particularly when Merlin let out a throaty moan as Arthur untied his neckerchief and sucked a kiss into the hollow of his throat.
Arthur didn't protest as Merlin shifted, letting the blanket fall completely away as he straddled Arthur's hips, kissing a wet line up Arthur's jaw.
"Tell me what you want for Midwinter," Merlin murmured lowly into Arthur's ear. Arthur frowned, distracted by Merlin's fingers dancing along his trousers.
"I told you I don't—"
"Tell me what you want, Arthur," Merlin whispered, rolling their hips rather pointedly together, and Arthur's breath hitched as he understood.
"Oh God," he groaned, gripping Merlin's hips possessively as Merlin continued to bite and suck under his jaw, not hard enough to leave marks, but enough to drive Arthur mad. "I want—you. To ride me," he finally bit out, hardly even hearing what he was saying. Merlin pulled away, cocking his head at Arthur in a considering manner.
For a moment, Arthur was terrified that Merlin was going to say no. He was already opening his mouth to backtrack, eager to just get on with things, in any manner, but then Merlin smiled.
"I think I'd like that," he said, nodding, and then they were exchanging open-mouthed kisses as Merlin picked at the laces to Arthur's trousers. He moaned when the fabric dragged over his hard length, then again when Merlin's erection pressed against his, dragging pre-come over his lower stomach as the two of them kisses furiously, chests pressed together and mouths working feverishly.
When they'd both succeeded in getting their trousers out of the way, Arthur pressed his fingers against Merlin's lips. Merlin sucked them into his mouth, swiping them over generously with his tongue and watching Arthur's face as he did it. He released them with an obscene lick of his lips when they were suitably wet, shifting his weight to his knees to allow Arthur better access to his hole. Arthur slipped the first finger inside as Merlin knotted his hands in his hair, hissing slightly at the intrusion. Merlin's neck and chest were at Arthur's eye-level, so he leaned forward to lick the skin there, growling when Merlin's shirt got in the way.
"Get it off," he rumbled, and Merlin hurried to comply, gasping when the chilly air hit his skin. He gasped again when Arthur flicked a nipple with his tongue, distracting Merlin with his teeth while he slipped a second finger inside him. Merlin pushed back against his fingers a bit desperately, making strained noises in the back of his throat that went straight to Arthur's cock. He scissored his fingers inside Merlin, loving the way Merlin's chest heaved under his mouth.
"Arthur, just—" Merlin gasped, tugging almost painfully on Arthur's hair, but the end of his sentence was lost in a groan as Arthur added a third finger. Arthur could feel Merlin's heart racing beneath his lips as he teased his nipples, and he allowed himself one moment of smugness at being able to do this to Merlin before he released Merlin's nipple.
"You ready?" he asked in a low voice, rubbing Merlin's thigh with a free hand. His manservant nodded fervently.
"Yeah, yeah, I am" he breathed, and he kissed Arthur breathless as the king's fingers slid out of him and went to rest on his hips. Arthur helped Merlin move so that his hole was aligned with Arthur's cock, and then the head was pushing inside and Merlin gritted his teeth at the invasion. Arthur's grip was tight on his hips, but he let Merlin take the lead, easing Arthur's cock inside him until he was fully seated. They'd done this only a few times before, so Merlin gave an experimental roll of his hips when he was ready, their matching groans filling the room, and then Merlin started moving in earnest, already breathing heavily.
Arthur had to force himself not to turn things around and fuck Merlin into the floor as he watched the other man move on his cock. The fire behind him cast half-shadows over his face, but Arthur could see his red cheeks and lips, opened and gasping, his eyes squeezed shut. His wiry muscles flexed with every movement, and Arthur couldn't resist reaching down to grip his heaving thighs and encouraging him on with a moan of, "Yes, Merlin, come on."
"Arthur," Merlin moaned, shoving Arthur's shirt up carelessly to trace Arthur's abdomen. His fingertips moved higher and higher still, until he was forced to tug the shirt off completely, bending to suck a kiss against Arthur's collar. Arthur shook his head.
"No. I want…to see you," he breathed, voice rough. "God, Merlin, you look so fucking beautiful."
Merlin whimpered, driving down on Arthur's cock and making Arthur groan in response, fingers digging into Merlin's thighs.
"Merlin," he rasped, "yeah, like that." He lifted one hand to Merlin's nipple, pinching and toying with it to draw filthy gasps from his lover. "I could watch you like this all day."
"Fuck," Merlin managed to say, dragging Arthur closer. Their mouths sought each other out, but their kisses were open-mouthed and sloppy. Arthur loved it. He could feel Merlin quivering as he fucked himself on Arthur's cock and moaned, "Mmm, Arthur," against his mouth. Merlin's hands travelled to Arthur's shoulders for better leverage, flexing with the rise and fall of his body.
Arthur's hips gave an involuntary buck, and Merlin's entire body bowed.
"Yes, yes, yes," he panted, thumb swiping over Arthur's throat. "Arthur, I—need you to—"
Arthur didn't wait to hear the end of the sentence. He met Merlin's thrusts with his own, basking in the sounds of Merlin's throaty gasps. Merlin's breathing turned into full-on heaving pants, and he attacked Arthur's lips vigorously in return, mouthing things like, "Don't stop," and "Oh God, yeah." Arthur was dimly aware of his own voice saying something back, but he was too focused on what Merlin was doing to try to pay attention.
I love you. You're amazing. So good, Merlin—yes.
Merlin thrust back onto Arthur's cock one last time, and Arthur's orgasm slammed into him forcefully. His hand on Merlin's cock stuttered to a stop as Merlin rode him through his climax, not stopping until Arthur went loose-limbed, and then he crushed his lips to Arthur's desperately.
"Fuck, Arthur, finish me off," he pleaded, fingers joining Arthur's around his cock, jerking once, twice before Arthur got the hint and joined in. Merlin cried out in relief, breathing hotly into Arthur's ear and coming all over Arthur's belly with a scream muffled by Arthur's neck.
Arthur didn't want to move. He had a sneaking suspicion that all of his limbs had turned to jelly, and standing would only result in tragedy. Merlin seemed to be thinking along the same lines, draped over Arthur's chest as he was. Eventually, though, it got too uncomfortable to stay where they were, and they were forced to shift.
Predictably, they didn't get very far. Merlin lifted just enough for Arthur's cock to slip out before he promptly collapsed against Arthur's side, groaning. Arthur lifted his arm to allow Merlin to curl around him.
"I don't think my legs work anymore," Merlin said conversationally. "I actually think you broke me." Arthur laughed at that, stretching his own legs. Merlin watched him through heavy-lidded eyes. "Then again, I think it might have been worth it."
Arthur chuckled again, moving in to claim a lazy kiss.
"Did you like your present?" Merlin asked sleepily, tracing Arthur's arm in the dim light. Arthur grinned.
"Very much. I can't wait to see what you get me next year."
Merlin hummed, wincing a little as he stretched. "I'm glad. I spent a lot of time on it."
Arthur laughed. "Is that so?" Merlin nodded solemnly.
"Yes. Hours and hours."
"Well. I'd say your work definitely paid off," Arthur assured him. Merlin smiled, a sleepy, happy grin.
"Anything for my king."