I'm Gonna Take You There
It is mesmerising, the way the sun kisses her skin - all in display in a tiny bikini - and Merlin feels his mouth water at it. He had always known she was beautiful, but it hits him anew upon seeing her walking over the sand, barely touching it. The whiteness of her body is even more intense on the open light, and her hair looks darker in contrast. He cannot see her eyes under the dark glasses, and he hopes she doesn't notice him.
Hell, he hopes iArthur/i doesn't notice him staring.
It's almost too much when she starts to unlace her top. Merlin leans forward, pulling his knees towards his chest in an effort to hide his reaction to it. It is embarrassing, and undoubtedly he'd be mercilessly tease for it.
Morgana might look like an angel, that doesn't mean she's not a harpie.
Still, Merlin wants her anyway. He tries to be discreet as he observes her, laying down on the sun, breasts uncovered - and Jesus Christ, this should be forbidden. From her long neck; marked shoulderblades, down to the creamy skin, so round and soft, and pink nipples standing to attention with the breeze; lower to the belly where a dark spot marks her skin, near the hips that he follows wherever they go, the longest legs, clearly toned, the hidden parts that he could only imagine in the darkest parts of the night, and she's sin in sunglasses.
He can't take it anymore - he stands up, as fast as he can and runs to the water, hoping the cold will save him further embarrassment.
It is night, and Merlin is alone at the beach, mourning their departure. He misses the sea already, and a weekend doesn't seem enough time to spend by it; not after a lifetime living with the sound of it as a lullaby. Everyone else is in bed, so Merlin allows himself to just enjoy it - the silence, the sea, the stars looking down on him. He hates himself for not having the good sense of putting on his bathing suit before getting out of the house, but he was afraid he's wake Arthur up. He thinks of this as a private farewell to the place of his childhood; with his parents moving away, he didn't know if he'd ever be back.
There's no one else around, so Merlin just goes for it - clothes off, thrown on the sand, and he just dives into the water. He remembers he and Will doing it when they were in school, and for the first time in three years he can just smile at the memory, without the pain of loss tugging at his heart. He floats, willing everything else away as the tiny waves rocked him into a calm that nothing else could bring.
It's the sound of the waves crashing into something that makes him open his eyes and stand - and he can barely believe his eyes.
He had been sure that everyone was asleep when he left the house, but clearly he was wrong, because Morgana is here and she's walking into the sea. There is no way she didn't see him as he stood up, but she doesn't seem bothered by his presence, although he is far too distant to see her expression.
He can, however, see iher/i, naked as she was born.
Merlin had imagined there would be no bigger torture than watching her sunbathe topless, earlier, but clearly the gods hate him, because this is far, far worse.
Morgana had looked beautiful into the sunlight, but the moonlight makes her positively ethereal. It's almost as if she shone under it, all pale beauty in long limbs and round hips, just a dark patch marking the space between her legs and her dark hair flowing at the wind. Even a monk wouldn't be able to control his desires, and he hates her in that moment.
There's a particular smirk in her face when she reaches him.
"Sneaking away for some skinny dipping?"
"I didn't plan on it" he answered, all effort in not looking down, to where the waves were playing hide and seek with her breasts. "And there was no one here."
He couldn't take out the accusatory tone of his voice, but Morgana only laughed at it.
"Don't be so shy" she replies, smiling again. "You've got nothing to hide."
"Well, modesty and you aren't best friends, so you'd think that."
Morgana raises her eyebrow, as if she knew fully well how much he secretly loves it. It's unnerving, and makes him blush.
"It's so precious that you can still blush" she says, and stretches herself. Merlin hates how he can't stop his eyes from straying, moving down, and he forces them shut, and takes a step back to make sure that she won't notice his reaction to it.
When he opes them back up, she's smiling.
"Don't worry, Merlin" her voice is soft, low, seductive. "You can look - all you want."
He thinks she can hear him gulping.
"I don't want to" he says, closing his eyes again, hoping this moment just doesn't exist.
"Liar" she hisses, and her voice is far too close now.
She's almost touching him when his eyes open, her face close to his.
"Don't lie, Merlin - it's a bad habit" her hand comes up to rest on his cheek and he can taste the salt in her fingers. "And you're terrible at it."
He opens up his mouth to answer, but Morgana wants no argument from him - she just uses the opportunity to launch herself forward and kissing him.
Merlin had never imagined it - not really. Morgana kisses as she does everything else - fiercely. There's nothing to be done but kiss her back, pull her against him, ignoring the voice that says this is a stupid idea. Her nails graze on his neck, and her body is soft against him. When they break apart, Merlin's out of breath.
"Of course, I'd rather if you did more than looking" she says, smirk back in full force, and he isn't a man to back down from a challenge.
He doesn't bother with words, just pull her back to him, mouth against hers, hands on her hips. As his lips move towards her neck, he hears Morgana purr for a moment, before the raises herself, wrapping her legs around him. She couldn't ignore his hard-on now, and doesn't seem to want to either, grinding herself against it. Merlin thinks he might come from it alone, so he pulls her higher up in his body, leaning her down, rubbing his face in her shoulders, slowly moving down until he has her nipples in his mouth. She tastes like the sea, but the sounds she's producing make him frantic instead of the calm he usually relates to it. He brushes his underlip against it, before allowing his tongue to fully taste it, explore it, opening is mouth a bit more to suck it.
Her right hand is keeping him in place, but the left one is scratching his back, as she moans for more. He moves to he other breast, biting it lightly, and her gasp is the sound of winning. He could spend hours just doing this, worshipping them, but Morgana has other ideas, and doesn't hesitate in pushing his face away, kissing him again and sinking down on him, burying him straight inside.
Morgana might be made of sin, but right now, she's heaven.
"Morgana…" he says, because he knows he should, because he can't stop himself if she moves again, he can't control it. "Are you s…"
"Shh" her finger is against his lip, and her pupils are blown wide with desire. "Just kiss me."
He complies, and Morgana takes the lead, moving against him in circular moves. His hands are under her, supporting her, and he cannot think anymore, there's nothing but her arms and legs wrapped around him, her hips coming up and down, faster and faster, her ragged breath against his ear before she bites it, a low moan scarping his lips. It is everything he ever wanted, everything he wouldn't even dare to dream and more.
It doesn't last — he couldn't last, and she's already on the verge, shouting his name to the winds, her body growing tighter around his, and he's coming harder than he ever did, while she bites his neck.
He feels the loss of her heat as she moves away from him, but there's a smile in her face.
"This took a while" there is that teasing tone in her voice, but he doesn't mind. "If what it takes to make you notice me is coming to beach wearing nothing, we might need to come here more often."
And Merlin laughs, because it is ridiculous, because he couldn't ignore her if he wanted, because he's spent years trying to crush the feelings inside him.
"Somehow, I don't think we'll need to" he says, and there's nothing but happiness in her smile.
"No" she agrees, "maybe we won't."
As she captures her hand in his and intertwines their fingers, he knows that it is a promise of much, much more.