Author: LadyFromPoland

Disclaimer: I don't own "Merlin". It is a TV show which belongs to BBC.

Warning: SLASH

English is not my mother language.

I'm so, so sorry! I should have updated the story at least a week ago but I was very busy last few weeks. I hope you'll forgive me. As my apology, I wrote an extra long chapter. Enjoy!

Engagement of an idiot

Chapter 8

"New habit"

This was the day that Merlin and Arthur were waiting for. They were both nervous as hell, though none of them admitted it out loud. They were friends and other people would find it strange if they didn't feel quite comfortable in each other's company.

Rowena came to Merlin's chamber, wanting to help him choose something appropriate to wear for the party. She didn't listen to her fiancé's reassurances that he was capable of making such decision himself.

"This colour suits you, Merlin," she said, handing him a brand new shirt.

"It's too fancy," the warlock protested.

"It is not! I want you to look decent and that shirt will do the job," Rowena said firmly.

"I'd rather put on this blue tunic," Merlin told her, grabbing his old blue piece of garment.

The woman shook her head to show her disapproval. "You're a very important person in the kingdom. You can't keep going around wearing such clothes."

"People should judge me by my actions, not by the state of my clothes," Merlin said. "Besides it's my stag party and I want to feel comfortable during it. I'm sure Arthur won't mind."

Rowena felt that she wasn't able to convince him and that it was better to withdraw now than to keep the pointless argument. "Fine," she said a little bit angrily. "It's your day," she added softer after a while.

Merlin smiled at her and Rowena made herself smile back. "I think I'll let you get ready on your own," she said.

The warlock nodded, barely hiding his smile of relief.

"Have fun," Rowena said, kissing him on the cheek. "And don't let me down."

There was something strange about her last request. Merlin didn't understand it but he chose to ask no questions. He knew that he would never fully understand his future wife. They were not two sides of the same coin.

oOoOo

Arthur glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He was glad that he had let Andrew go earlier. At least his servant didn't have to watch him like this. It'd be too embarrassing.

"You're acting like a girl," Arthur murmured to himself and it was true. He loved calling Merlin a girl but now he started to behave much worse than his friend.

To distract himself, Arthur glazed around the room to check if everything was on its placed. When for the tenth time this evening he convinced himself that it was, he sighed in relief. He needed this evening to be perfect. Merlin deserved at least such a small effort for all the years of their friendship.

Arthur started pacing around the room. Merlin was not late yet but the king wanted to stop waiting. It was killing him slowly. Many stupid thoughts crossed his mind and he wanted them to stop coming back. To distract himself more, he started recalling the first time when he and Merlin had met and the following days. The past seemed to be unreal. Arthur could not believe that there were times when he'd been such an arrogant and thoughtless prat. Luckily, everything had been changing since the day his and Merlin's paths crossed. Merlin was the one who made him a person that he was now and he was so grateful to his friend that the words could not express it.

Arthur sighed with longing. Merlin would never find out how dear he was to his king and Arthur would never kiss the one that he wanted. He would never taste Merlin's lips and feel warlock's smile under his own lips.

The king shook his head. Those thoughts led to nothing but sadness and it was the last thing that he wanted to feel right now. Arthur was going to enjoy the evening as much as he could.

He opened the window and breathed in the rainy air. It was cooling and relaxing and it made him feel much better.

Someone knocked on the door and before Arthur could answer, the door creaked and was pushed open.

oOoOo

Merlin put on the clothes that he wanted and he finally felt comfortable. Looking at his own reflection, Merlin thought that he was looking almost like years before, when he'd been very young and unsure of himself. The truth was that the naïve and inexperienced boy was still somewhere inside him.

Merlin was as much curious about the party as afraid of it. So many unexpected things would happen in such a short amount of time. He would make so many mistakes and even only one of them was able to ruin everything and cross out the future of Camelot that was about to unfold.

"It's just me and Arthur, two old friends," the warlock kept on repeating to himself. However it didn't help.

Merlin left his rooms and walked slowly towards Arthur's chamber. The way never seemed so long.

It was probably just his imagination but those few people that he passed in the corridors seemed to be watching him in a disturbing way. Although Merlin did nothing wrong, he couldn't help feeling guilty. The poor warlock started to wonder if it all was going to let go some day. He feared that such strange feelings would keep him company forever. It'd be something impossible to bear.

Finally Merlin reached Arthur's door. He didn't move for a while, trying to hear Arthur but all what he could hear in the moment was beating of his own heart.

For a few seconds he wanted to run away. He couldn't stand the thought that it was in some sense his and Arthur's goodbye. However he couldn't do it. The desire to spend some time with Arthur was stronger than anything else.

Merlin sighed silently and then knocked on the door. He didn't wait for "enter" or "come in" and simply pushed the door open. The old Merlin hadn't known the manners and he wanted to be his old self just one last time.

oOoOo

Their eyes met and the world suddenly whirled around them. It was the world that they shared, not being fully aware of that.

Arthur smiled at his friend and said, "Merlin, you're late."

"Just a little bit. I need to keep tradition," the warlock answered, smiling in the adorable way. He crossed the room, reducing the distance between them.

The king chuckled. "I didn't know that you are so keen on the traditions."

"I'm only keen on those which concern you," Merlin said, making them both laugh.

It felt so good to be close to each other and to forget about everything out of the room.

"Do you want some wine?" Arthur asked suddenly.

"Sure." Merlin turned towards the table to pour the chalices for both of them but Arthur stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"I'll do it," the blonde said quietly.

"You want to serve me a chalice of wine?" Merlin asked in disbelief.

Arthur nodded, keeping his hand on his friend's arm. "You're my guest, Merlin," the king said smoothly.

Merlin was truly bewildered but he liked it. Arthur led him to the furs in front of the fireplace and asked him to sit down on them. Then the king walked back to the table to take the chalices and the jug of wine. He filled one chalice with wine and brought it to Merlin. Then he was about to come back for the second chalice and the jug but Merlin made those things drift in the air towards them.

"You always called me clumsy," the warlock said, "but I was able to take two chalices and a jug at once."

"I underestimated you," Arthur said a little bit mockingly. "You were indeed a good servant."

"Can I hear a sarcasm in your voice?" Merlin asked, raising his eyebrow almost in the same way that Gaius used to.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the king muttered. "Let's make a toast for our friendship," he suggested, raising his chalice.

"For friendship," Merlin repeated and took a sip of delicious liquid.

Arthur watched his friend with amazement, not being able to stop thinking how perfect he was. Merlin was close to him and it seemed so easy to touch him and to feel the softness of his skin. However Arthur kept his hands to himself, adoring the warlock at the distance.

"These furs are very soft," Merlin said suddenly. "I've never seen them before. Where did you get them from?"

"Andrew brought them here," Arthur mumbled. "You need to ask him. More wine?"

"I'll deal with it," Merlin said and his eyes turned gold. His magic made the jug fly again and it filled their chalices. Moreover, the trays with food drifted towards them as well.

"Your magic is useful sometimes," the blonde admitted.

"Sometimes?" Merlin shook his head. "You mean that saving your life is not useful? Fine! I won't bend over backwards next time."

"You will," Arthur whispered. "It's not easy to be my primary saviour but you wouldn't have it any other way. Your life would be boring."

Merlin sighed soundly. "True," he mumbled after a while.

Suddenly Arthur grabbed and apple and said to Merlin, "bite it."

"What?" The warlock blinked a few times in confusion.

"Bite it," Arthur repeated softly.

"Why?" Merlin asked.

"Because you need to eat more," the blonde said. "You're so skinny. I'm pretty sure that there are some strange rumours about it. People may think that you're not fed properly in the castle and that's all because of me."

Merlin wondered if they had really drunk that much. Normally Arthur would not talk about such nonsense. Nonetheless, it was cute in a very strange way.

"Open your mouth, Merlin," Arthur asked him. "I want to feed you."

The dark haired man did as he was told and the king seemed to be very content. "It's such a surprise that you can be obedient," he said.

Merlin took a small bite, chewed the piece of apple and swallowed it. He didn't say anything and simply took another bite. It felt so good to be taken care of.

"You're such a good boy sometimes," Arthur whispered when Merlin ate the whole apple.

Merlin's cheeks flushed a rosy shade of pink. The way Arthur said 'boy' was surprising and a little bit frightening. However he found it pleasant to hear.

"Talk to me," Arthur encouraged his friend. "You're always such a chatterbox."

"Eating and talking at the same time is a lack of manners," Merlin pointed out.

"I won't tell anybody," the blonde promised.

"You're my king and I should behave." The warlock took a deep sip of wine to hide his sad expression.

"Merlin," Arthur moaned. "For goodness' sake! Can't you forget that I'm the bloody king?" He turned his gaze towards the fireplace, not wanting Merlin to see his disappointment.

However Merlin could sense it. He didn't need to look at Arthur to know that he was a bit frustrated. "I'm sorry," the warlock said softly, touching his friend's shoulder.

"Sometimes I fear that I'm just the king for you," Arthur admitted suddenly.

This confession broke Merlin's heart. "You know it's not true," the warlock whispered. "You must know that."

Arthur nodded slightly. "I know," he confirmed sadly. "And I'm sorry for this comment. It should be a merry party."

"Don't be sorry," Merlin told him. "I'm happy that I finally can spend some time with you. Anything else doesn't matter."

Arthur turned his head to look Merlin in the eye. It would be so easy to lean down and kiss him but he couldn't do that.

"Are you okay?" the warlock asked him worryingly.

"Absolutely," Arthur answered. "Let's have another chalice of wine."

At some point they stopped counting the chalices that they drank. It didn't really matter. Although the alcohol made them behave braver than usual, they weren't much intoxicated. They were completely aware of what they were doing, though they started to find some normal things hilarious.

Arthur loved this feeling. He didn't have to behave like a king for these few hours. His touch could linger on Merlin's long arms and he could laugh at some truly silly things and nobody cared. Arthur almost forgot that in some way he was about to lose Merlin. For these last precious moments Merlin belonged to him and him only.

"Get off my lap," Arthur said to Merlin who found out that Arthur's body could be used as a quite comfortable pillow. His body, however, was giving an entirely different message than the words that he was saying. Arthur's hand's stroked Merlin's soft hair, keeping the younger man on his lap.

"Give me an apple," Merlin asked.

"You can take it yourself with magic," Arthur said, continuing on stroking his hair.

"It's more fun when you serve me," the warlock said, grinning.

Arthur chuckled at the ideas which crossed his mind. He thought about the other ways he could serve his friend. He wished he would make them all come true.

The king sighed inwardly and took the last apple off of the tray. Once again he started feeding Merlin and the intimacy of the act made them both shiver. Arthur even took one bite for himself, wanting to deepen their intimate moment.

When he realised that it all could end badly, he straightened up and then stood up quickly.

"What's happened?" Merlin asked worryingly.

"I... well..." He started stuttering, not being able to provide the reasonable explanation. "I almost forgot!" he gasped finally.

"You forgot about what?" Merlin kept on asking, making himself stand up as well. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Arthur assured him rapidly. "I just forgot about the surprise."

Merlin swallowed hard. He realised that he forgot about it too. "What is it?" he asked.

"Follow me," the king said and walked towards the night table. He opened one of the drawers and pulled a rolled parchment out of it.

Merlin watched his every move very carefully. He could see that Arthur was unsure and nervous and he wanted him to feel better.

"Arthur?" the warlock said softly.

"Take a seat, Merlin," Arthur asked him, pointing out the edge of his bed.

Merlin came closer and after a few moments of hesitation, he sat down next to Arthur.

"What is it?" he asked even softer than before.

"It's a gift," Arthur said slowly. "I should give it to you on your wedding day but then I thought that there's no sense in waiting." He smiled sadly and added, "read it."

Merlin took the parchment and unrolled it slowly. Then he took a deep breath and started reading it carefully. Every word made his eyes go wider and wider. Finally, he lifted his gaze to look at Arthur. "Is it...?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Arthur said. "The piece of land that you've found so beautiful belongs to you."

"Is it really the place where we've been?" Merlin asked once again to be sure.

"Yes, it's the very same place," Arthur confirmed, smiling lovingly.

Merlin dropped the parchment and it gracefully landed on the floor. However, none of them noticed it because in the moment it happened, Merlin's arms wrapped around Arthur. It was the tightest embrace that they had ever experienced and Arthur knew that he didn't want to let Merlin go. He wanted him to stay just like that forever.

"Thank you," Merlin whispered to Arthur's ear. "Thank you for everything... Thank you for being my friend... thank you, thank you..."

It wasn't about the present but about the remembrance.

At this moment, Merlin knew only one thing. He would never take Rowena to this place. The piece of land was his and Arthur's. It was their place and he would always think about it that way.

Arthur couldn't help breathing in Merlin's scent and caressing his back with his hands. He dreamt about such moment many times but he had never expected it to happen in real life.

He could feel that Merlin was a little bit tense. He started massaging him more intensively. It felt a natural thing to do and his friend didn't seem to mind it.

"Arthur," Merlin whispered, moving backwards to look him in the eyes. However Arthur's strong arms prevented him from moving too far away and their bodies still clung to each other.

Arthur didn't stop stroking Merlin's back. He looked deep into warlock's eyes, touching him tenderly.

He knew that he should stop himself but all the efforts ended up in failure. Arthur wanted to blame alcohol but he felt surprisingly sober.

"Arthur," Merlin repeated his name. There was something pleading and asking in his voice.

For a while they didn't move at all. Arthur stopped massaging Merlin's muscles and they both stopped breathing. Time seemed to be nothing. The world seemed not to exist. They wanted to stay like this forever.

It was hard to tell who made the move first but it didn't matter. They leant towards each other, hardly breathing, and then their lips met in sweet a union.

Arthur's arms moved, pulling Merlin closer and closer. It was such a wonderful feeling to finally touch him this way and not to be rejected. Merlin parted his lips for him so he could finally explore and taste his inside. Now he knew that he was never going to let Merlin go.

None of them wanted to pull apart but they needed to breathe. The separation lasted only a few seconds. When they took a deep breath, they clung to each other once again.

Arthur almost literally devoured Merlin's mouth but the warlock didn't care. It was something that he had been waiting for such a long time and he finally got it. There was no words to express the the way he felt now.

Merlin didn't think about the consequences of what they were doing. They didn't matter at all. Arthur was the only one who mattered now and he was kissing him passionately, not caring about the future as well.

Finally Arthur's hands managed to slide under Merlin's tunic. The king needed to feel his friend's bare skin under his fingertips. He needed to examine it and worship its softness. It all felt like the right thing to do.

Arthur's fingers seemed cold against Merlin's hot skin but the warlock enjoyed the feeling of coolness. Thanks to it, he still could think quite clearly.

"There's too many clothes," Arthur mumbled, pulling apart. "Way too many."

Merlin agreed with him silently because he was not able to speak any sense. Arthur, wanting to coming back to kissing as soon as possible, grabbed Merlin's tunic and pulled it off quickly. When he finished, Merlin grasped Arthur's open neck shirt and unbuttoned it as fast as his clumsy nature let him. After that he was only able to kick his boots off before Arthur pushed him on the silk sheets and leant down to continue what he had started before.

"That's better," the king moaned, groping Merlin's chest.

His skin was smooth and pale and purely beautiful. Arthur kissed it adoringly and passionately. He teased Merlin and he knew that Merlin loved it.

"Arthur," the warlock moaned pleadingly. "Arthur!"

Arthur lifted his head up to look at Merlin's face and laughed delightfully. He was truly happy.

Then Merlin pulled him closer, kissing his king hungrily. They started rolling on the bed. Once Merlin was on the top, once Arthur. Their legs were tangled together and their hands were roaming each other's bodies. It was almost perfect.

Almost.

Arthur had never been so hard. He could also feel the hardness of Merlin's prick and he wanted to feel it between his fingers. He wanted to stroke it and taste it and do so much more. However he feared that it all would be too much. Scaring Merlin was the last thing that he intended to do.

Arthur kept on kissing Merlin until their bodies were wet with sweat. Then he pulled away to take a few breaths and to consider taking the next step.

Merlin lay underneath him, breathing soundly. His eyes were half closed and his lips were parted a little bit. Despite the overwhelming tiredness, he wanted more.

They watched each other, gasping for air. It was hard to tell how long it took them to break the silence but Merlin was the one who did it.

"More," he whispered timidly.

Arthur could not refuse. Being encouraged by Merlin's words, he slid his hand under warlock's trousers.

Merlin threw his belt away and slowly pulled his trousers down, giving Arthur the better access to his cock. Not thinking too much, Merlin started removing the last piece of Arthur's garment. The blonde stopped examining the other man's cock to get rid of his trousers completely. After a while they both were naked and hypnotised by the beauty of their bodies.

When they clung to each other again, their actions became more mutual. Not only Merlin responded to Arthur's touches, but he also started to tease the other man. They moved very slowly, not wanting to end it too quickly. Arthur was going to learn every inch of Merlin's skin by heart before the end of the night. It was an ambitious plan but he wasn't going to stop until he succeeded.

Arthur frantically licked Merlin's ears, neck and nipples. His hands slid down between his and Merlin's groins, trying to grasp their cocks in his hand. It was not easy but trying was pleasurable enough to do it for its sake.

Seeing Arthur's ineffective efforts, Merlin wrapped his slim legs around his waist. This little change made their pricks grind together. The new angle was perfect. Almost magical.

But they still craved for more. Although it was not possible, they wanted to catch up with years of pretending and months of hiding. They wondered how they managed to keep their hands away from each other for so long. At that moment it really seemed impossible.

The rain was pattering against the window but none of them could hear that. Probably they wouldn't hear people screaming behind their doors. There were only two things that they could actually hear – gasping for air and beating of their hearts.

Their sweet love making seemed to last and last and never end. Their first time was plain and simple. Arthur wanted to do to Merlin all the things that he had been fantasying about but they had to wait. Kissing and rubbing and stroking were good enough and there was no need for adding anything. After all they had plenty of time and they didn't need to rush things.

Arthur was close to completion and he felt that Merlin was too. It was a miracle that he was able to prevent his orgasm for such a long time at the first place.

Merlin's hand was wrapped around Arthur's cock and Arthur's around Merlin's. They were jerking each other off at the same rhythm and with their eyes locked. There was nothing to hide or to be ashamed of. They were exposed enough to easily forget about shyness and uncertainty.

"Arthur... Arthur..." Merlin panted weakly. He was defeated. He needed to give up and let himself cum.

"Merlin..." Arthur moaned, hastening the movements of his hand.

After a few seconds Merlin was coming all over Arthur's hand. The king could watch his beautiful facial expression. His eyes were closed tight and his head was thrown backwards. Arthur knew that they were doing nothing wrong. He knew that they had right to be happy.

Merlin was too much overwhelmed by his climax to stroke Arthur properly. The king, however, didn't mind. He grasped his stiff penis and brought himself to completion with two strong strokes. His come landed shamelessly on Merlin's chest and Arthur even more shamelessly laughed.

He lay down on the bed and watched Merlin. His friend was very slowly coming back to his sense. When Merlin finally became quite conscious, Arthur threw his arm on his chest and pulled him closer. They kissed chastely and smiled at each other. They both were very tired but Merlin was the first who started drifting away into sleep. Arthur hugged him tighter and began to caress his back slowly. Merlin who was half-asleep purred silently what made Arthur shiver. It was intimate but on a different level. However Arthur was keen on going through all the levels with Merlin by his side. It didn't matter how long it was going to take. He truly believed that since that night on, everything would be better and that there was no power that would take Merlin away from him. Merlin was his and he was Merlin's. Neither Rowena, nor any other woman, was able to break the bond that they just strengthened.

Arthur could feel that he was alive. He closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep, breathing in Merlin's sweet scent. Just before drifting away, he smiled, thinking that it was going to become their habit.

Did you like it? I hope so! ^^

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