Day 12: Making Out

Rating: T

A/N: I'm rubbish at writing this kind of stuff but I tried my best. Enjoy :)


Arthur Pendragon has never been an easy man to predict. Even after all these years of being by his side, I'm almost always one step behind him. I've learned to be constantly on the lookout for opportunities he might take to do something stupid, but never could I have been prepared for what he did today.

It happened when we were in his chambers this morning; he was sat at his desk sorting through paperwork (he's done little else with his time these past few days) and I was in the middle of changing the sheets on his bed. The room was silent but for the rustling of parchment and linen. My hands moved of their own accord and my brain had switched itself off, so naturally I jumped two feet in the air when Arthur banged his fist down on the table.

"Why do you have to do this, Merlin?"

The question took me completely by surprise and I had no idea what to say. He was staring at me with a half-wild glint in his eyes; his movements were jerky as he got to his feet, as though he was fighting some internal battle as he made his way towards me. I backed up against the wall, concerned and a little terrified by his expression. He didn't stop advancing until his face was close enough to mine for me to count the shades of blue and silver in his eyes. He raised his arms and planted his hands on the wall either side of my head, effectively trapping me.

"Arthur." I tried without success to keep my voice steady. My senses were overwhelmed by his closeness and my body had begun to react beyond my control. "What are you doing?"

He didn't reply. His eyes swept over my body, moving slowly as though he was appreciating every square inch of me separately and in turn. My skin itched where his gaze lingered. I turned my head away then stood as still as stone.

With deliberately slow movements, he leaned in to nose at my cheek, breathing deeply against my skin. He crowded right into the contours of my body until it was flush with his and I could feel his heart racing next to mine. Some part of me rebelled against the invasion of my personal space, but then I reminded myself that this was Arthur, the man I had known for years and whose mere presence made my knees feel weak. I could smell the soap and sweat on his skin, and something else beneath that, something purely masculine and distinctly Arthur.

I slid my arms around his waist, feeling my muscles shed themselves of tension as I held him against me. He sucked in a breath and my skin erupted in goosebumps at the simple, desperate sound. One of his hands found its way to my neck and the pads of his fingers passed softly over the tendons there. The heat between our bodies was suddenly explosive and finally, finally, Arthur Pendragon kissed me.

The kisses started off light and tentative, and I started to think he was teasing me on purpose. My hands wandered up his back to thread in his hair, and I gave a little tug on the strands to reprimand him. I jumped a little when his teeth nipped sharply at my lip, effectively reminding me who was in charge. But a second later he was pushing my lips apart with his and kissing me like his life depended upon it. I clung to him in shock as my legs threatened to give out; he wrapped one long arm right around my waist and crushed me to him, allowing each brush of his lips to tell more of the story.

Through his kisses Arthur told me about how months and years of friendship - for friends we were, even if he didn't like to admit it - had slowly evolved into something more, something he couldn't avoid no matter how hard he'd tried. All the hours he'd spent silently longing, how difficult it had been to hide his feelings in fear that I wouldn't return them. Never had I undergone such an onslaught of emotion as I did when Arthur kissed me for the first time, and when we were forced to either break apart or pass out, I was barely surprised to feel moisture on my cheeks.

Arthur gently brushed the tears away with the pad of his thumb, cradling my face like I was a precious china bowl. "Did I hurt you?" he whispered.

I could only shake my head and tighten the clammy grip I had on his shirt. The touch of his lips was delicate this time, full of care and love. I sighed when he pulled away, but he kept his forehead pressed lightly against mine.

I opened my eyes to find myself looking right into Arthur's. His pupils were blown wide, leaving only a sliver of blue visible. I didn't need to look to know that mine were exactly the same.

"So where does this leave us?" I asked.

Arthur closed his eyes, ducking down to press his nose against my neck. "Don't ruin it," he whined.

"But -"

"Merlin." He raised his head, fixing me with one of his stern glares. Its usual effect was completely spoiled by his dilated pupils. "It has taken me months to build up the courage to even kiss you, and would like to continue to do so for at least another two hours. But I can't do that if you insist on using your mouth to ask questions that don't need to be answered yet. Understand?"

I nodded meekly, then smirked. "Are you going to be able to just stick to kissing me for two whole hours?"

He answered that question with a growl, then grabbed hold of my wrist and tugged me swiftly towards the bed.