Title: Sticky Sheets Part 5/?
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Rating: NC-17
Word count: 2000 approx for this part
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, they belong to the BBC. No profit is made by me *sob*
Summary: Time passes, people start to get suspicious. There is actual plot this time. Wow!

A/N: Sorry I was slow to update this time. This had started as PWP and it took me a while to decide where to take it next. I actually had to think up a story to string onto all the porn in the earlier chapters. I know where I'm going with it now though so hopefully it won't be so long before the next update.

I'm totally stoked at how many people have read and reviewed this little story. Thank you all so much for your comments and support!

The next couple of weeks passed by in a daze of hurried encounters and snatched moments together. Merlin was constantly on Arthur's mind and in his dreams. It was as if a dam had burst and he was being swept along by the power of his overwhelming desire for his manservant.

He didn't dare examine what was happening between them too closely. Going down that route would raise too many uncomfortable questions. He just knew that he needed Merlin, needed to touch him and taste him and claim him whenever they could manage to be alone together.

It was fortunate that as his servant, Merlin was often in Arthur's company when no one else was present. However they were nearly always rushing, fearful of being caught or found out. The fear of discovery lent a sense of urgency to their passion, and Arthur felt constantly breathless and was always left craving more. He was addicted to Merlin and could never get enough.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to hide his feelings from others. The urge to touch his servant was constant and he caught himself just in time on more than one occasion. He had to prevent his hand from running down Merlin's back to his arse, after an entirely acceptable manly back slap on the training field. A few days later, Merlin had leaned over him to fill his cup with wine, and Arthur had suppressed the overwhelming urge to kiss his cheek as the scent of Merlin's warm skin filled his nostrils.

Gwaine wasn't helping matters either. He wouldn't leave Merlin alone, treating him with casual familiarity. Laughing and touching and flashing that handsome self-satisfied grin at every opportunity. Even though Merlin had insisted that he didn't want Gwaine that way, Arthur was sceptical. Every other person in the castle who was attracted to men seemed to fancy the flash git, he found it hard to believe that Merlin didn't.

The Prince knew he hadn't been hiding his annoyance well from Gwaine either. The bastard always seemed to look over at Arthur appraisingly, just as his hand brushed Merlin's shoulder, or when Merlin laughed appreciatively at one of his childish jokes. The dark eyes glinted with amusement when Arthur gritted his jaw in response and tried not to glare.

"I know you hate it when he touches me," Merlin had said to him. "But what am I supposed to do? I can't stop him without making a big deal of it. I can hardly tell him to stop it just because you don't like it can I?"

Arthur had huffed in response. He hated it when Merlin was right. But then Merlin had distracted him with a speedy, but spectacular blow job in the darkest corner of the stables, and he had stopped worrying about Gwaine for a while.

It would just be so much easier, Arthur reflected moodily, if Merlin was a girl. Even though Uther would still disapprove of him having a relationship with a servant, if Merlin was a female servant it wouldn't really matter if people knew. If people knew, then Gwaine would keep his bloody hands to himself. Then Arthur wouldn't have to put up with watching him pawing the object of his affection and desire.

However, going public was really not an option. Arthur didn't like to think what Uther's reaction would be, if he found out that his son was shagging his manservant. That could only be disastrous. Arthur was expected to eventually marry a suitable girl of his father's choosing, who would benefit Camelot politically or financially. If word got out that the prince of Camelot was gay for his servant it was unlikely to help Uther in arranging an advantageous match. To say that he would be displeased would be putting it mildly, Arthur shuddered at the thought.

Arthur's favourite times were when Merlin crept back into his room when the castle was sleeping. He didn't dare risk it every night but was doing so increasingly often, at Arthur's request. They would sate themselves in each other, until they were sweaty and exhausted. But Merlin would always slip back to his room in Gaius's quarters in the early hours of the morning. Arthur longed for Merlin to remain curled around him in a tangle of limbs, but knew it wasn't possible. His bed always felt cold and lonely when he woke to find his servant gone.

Last night as he had pushed into Merlin's willing heat, Arthur had twisted the sheets in his hands and moaned, feeling like a drowning man as he lost himself in the warm body beneath him. The world around him ceased to exist as he ran his tongue over Merlin neck and bucked his hips, tasting and filling him. When they were together nothing else mattered. Merlin had arched and come beneath him. The shuddering gasps and cries of pleasure, and the tightening of Merlin's arse around his cock had pulled Arthur's release from him, leaving him empty and wrung out.

He had slumped wordlessly onto Merlin's chest, heedless of the sticky come between their bellies. Merlin had toyed with his hair, gently separating the strands as their sweat cooled and their breathing slowed. Arthur felt shattered, broken into pieces. Merlin was as essential to him as food or oxygen. He couldn't deny it any longer, but he had no idea what to do about it and it terrified him.

XOXOXOX

Since Merlin had arrived at Camelot, Gaius had developed a fatherly affection for the boy. He was obliging, quick to learn – although not always very good at following instructions. Moreover he was loyal, quick witted and had an appealing, dry sense of humour. Gaius enjoyed his company and was glad to have him as his assistant.

Gaius watched Merlin push his breakfast around the plate, for all the messing about with it, very little of it seemed to be being eaten. Gaius frowned. Merlin could nearly blow away in a breeze as it was. He couldn't afford to lose his appetite. The boy yawned and Gaius noticed the bluish shadows beneath his eyes that seemed to get darker with each passing day. His concern deepened, this couldn't continue.

He had first noticed Merlin's lack of appetite the week before. When challenged, the boy had dismissed his anxieties with a wave of his hand, claiming to be just a little under the weather. Gaius had let the subject drop, but had watched him more closely since.

There seemed to be some awkwardness between Prince Arthur and the boy. At first Gaius had assumed that they had fallen out again. They had a strange relationship, not typical of master and servant. They usually bickered like children on a regular basis, but it had always been clear to Gaius that they both enjoyed the verbal sparring, getting a kind of perverse pleasure in scoring points off each other. There was genuine affection there if you looked for it, and a powerful bond between them.

Over the last week or so there had been a change in the dynamic. Gaius wasn't sure if others were aware of it. He knew Merlin better than most, and was sensitive to his mercurial moods. The usual easy pattern of Merlin and Arthur's relationship had been disrupted somehow. The bickering was gone, replaced by an uneasy tension. He noticed each of them watching the other, but avoiding eye contact. Arthur seemed to be touching Merlin less than usual, almost deliberately keeping a physical distance between them.

It wasn't until Gaius heard Merlin creeping back into his room in the early hours of the morning a couple of days ago, that he had put the pieces of the puzzle together. Suddenly it all made perfect sense. But the knowledge didn't make Gaius any happier. Knowing what the cause of Merlin's distraction was, he was still powerless to help, and he feared it could only end badly for Merlin.

XOXOXOX

As another week passed rumours began to spread. It was hard to keep secrets in a close knit community such as Camelot, and Gaius wasn't the only one who was observant.

Arthur noticed that Gwaine finally started to leave Merlin alone, but his eyes still followed Arthur and watched every interaction between him and Merlin. Gwaine wasn't known for him discretion, after a drunken evening with some of other knights in the tavern, Arthur realised that the other knights seemed to be watching him and Merlin closely. He tried to behave normally but the tension made him snap at everyone.

The whispers began to spread like ripples in a pond. Maid servants eyed him knowingly, stable boys with alarm or undisguised interest, depending on their preference. Arthur felt a sense of impending doom begin to build. He said nothing to Merlin, not knowing how to reassure him, and Merlin didn't mention anything.

A few days later he finally received the summons he had been dreading, and went to meet his father in his private chambers. Uther's face was as grim as carved granite. He didn't waste time on pleasantries.

"It has come to my attention, Arthur, that certain rumours are circulating Camelot about the exact nature of your... relationship... with Merlin." He fixed Arthur with a penetrating stare. Arthur swallowed, and waited for him to continue.

"Arthur. I am asking you as your father, and as your King," he paused. "Is what they are saying true? Are you sexually involved with Merlin?"

Arthur felt his ears turn red. The embarrassment reminded him of the time that Gaius had told him the facts of life, only this was so much worse. He drew himself up and kept his eyes fixed on his father's as he replied.

"Yes Sire, it's true."

Uther inhaled sharply and his face flickered with surprise. Arthur realised that he genuinely hadn't believed the rumours. He felt a rush of shame, not because of his relationship with Merlin, but because he had put his father in such an embarrassing position.

"You realise that I cannot allow this to continue." It was a statement, not a question. "I forbid you to have any further contact with the boy. He will be removed immediately from your service."

Arthur felt cold dread pooling in his belly. He had been expecting to hear something of the sort, but having the words spoken aloud made him feel sudden terror at the loss. He didn't know what to say. Part of him wanted to plead with his father, to explain that Merlin mattered to him – mattered in a way that Arthur couldn't even name yet. But he knew that it would be pointless, so he set his jaw and forced his eyes to meet his father's steely gaze.

"Very well Sire. Will that be all?" his voice felt dry in his throat and sounded husky.

Uther waved a hand to dismiss him. Arthur turned on his heel and strode out, head held high. He walked through the corridors, resisting the urge to run, eyes stinging and an unfamiliar burning pain in his chest. It wasn't until he reached the privacy of his empty chambers that he realised his cheeks were wet.

End of Part 5

A/N: OMG! Look at me writing angsty stuff. Crikey.
Sorry to leave you all in the lurch but I thought I'd do a shortish update now as this story has been on hold for a while and this is a convenient point for a chapter break. Now I know how it's going to pan out, I hope I will be able to update more frequently again. There will be more happy fluff to come, fear not!
Reviews are always welcome and I will reply to them too.