weatherfeatherTitle: Second Night
Rating: E
Pairing/s: Merlin/Arthur
Character/s: Merlin Emrys, Arthur Pendragon, Uther Pendragon, Morgana Pendragon
Summary: The second night of Merlin's life as an official resident of Camelot Mansion, they have a family dinner to welcome him. Morgana uses this opportunity to ask seemingly innocent questions, but her questions keep giving Merlin flashbacks to the previous night.
Warnings: manhandling
Word Count: 1,431
Prompt: #262 family dinner
Author's Notes:
1. Further Warning: One character runs away and hides from another as part of their foreplay. If this sort of thing bothers you, please do not read!
2. This work can be read as a standalone piece, but it is also a sequel to bunnysworld's drabble Stuck With Me from the Ham4Cam month a couple months ago. Read that first for more background, and because it's really cute. :)
3. Again, over on the word count. I couldn't find a natural place to break it into two. Apologies.
Merlin's hands are shaking just enough to make tying his tie impossible. He watches his own fumbling attempts in the full-length mirror next to the dressing room door.
Arthur pokes his head into the dressing room to see how Merlin is getting along and sees the state Merlin is in. He reaches around Merlin's shoulders from behind to help, and Merlin drops his arms and relaxes against Arthur's warm chest.
"Why are you nervous? You've been to dinner with my family plenty of times before," Arthur says as he undoes Merlin's messy knot of fabric.
"I don't know. This seems like a first time," Merlin answers. "It's only the second night I've officially lived in Camelot Mansion with you, and already they want to make me as uncomfortable as possible. I can't decide whose idea I think this was - Morgana's or Uther's."
"They just want to welcome you with a proper sit-down, Merlin," Arthur says. Arthur finishes off the tie with a sharp yank. "Stop being so paranoid."
Merlin holds Arthur there with him for a few long seconds.
Arthur murmurs, "Come, we'll be late," and marches Merlin out of the dressing room while still holding Merlin in his arms.
At the far end of the bedroom, Arthur lets Merlin go so they can walk to the dining room side by side.
Merlin grabs Arthur's hand as they walk and holds on too tightly.
In the dining room, the table is covered with a burgundy table cloth and laden with more silverware - made of actual silver, no doubt, - plates, and tiny hors d'oeuvres than four people will ever need.
Arthur pulls out the chair next to Uther and across from Morgana for Merlin, who sits as Arthur pushes the chair in gracefully.
Arthur sits next to him.
A closer glance at the plates lets Merlin see that they are a light gray with a thin burgundy lattice pattern around the outer rim and a wavy burgundy dragon flying around the inner edges.
"Father, where did you find these?" Arthur asks as he indicates his own place setting.
"Your mother found them on our honeymoon. Denmark, would you believe?" Uther replies.
"I would have thought there would be two dragons, in that case," Arthur replies.
Uther nods his agreement, then signals to the head server that the table is ready to begin.
"So Merlin, how was your first night as an official resident of the Mansion?" Morgana asks.
Merlin runs back across the lawn towards the house. He can hear Arthur chasing him, but he makes it up the patio steps and halfway to the open doors before he's caught. Arthur stops Merlin's flight with an arm around Merlin's waist. Merlin turns willingly in Arthur's arms to kiss him. As a distraction, it works perfectly: as soon as Arthur reaches up to run his fingers through Merlin's hair, Merlin runs off again. This time, he makes it through the doors before Arthur shouts after him.
"Perfectly pleasant, thank you, Morgana," Merlin replies.
"Oh? Did you manage to spread your things around to their appropriate places?" she asks.
Merlin hears Arthur close the doors to the patio. Then he hears, "Merlin! Get back here so I can bend you over my knee and spank you for your cheek!"
Merlin is already a room and a half away hiding behind a standing cabinet and a set of thick puddle drapes. He is trying not to laugh as he hears Arthur open doors in the other room.
If Arthur pays attention like Merlin thinks he will, he'll spot the trail of clothes Merlin left for him to follow.
"My clothes are in the closet and my toothbrush is on the counter, if that's what you're asking," Merlin replies politely.
Morgana's eyes seem to be assessing Merlin. She appears to come to the conclusion that she can make him feel more awkward by asking more questions.
Merlin is glad for the interruption of the soup being served.
Uther is the next to speak. He asks Arthur about the progress being made on a project at work. That conversation takes them through to the main course.
Merlin has a baby carrot halfway to his mouth when Morgana speaks again.
"I'm thinking of going out riding tomorrow," she says. "It's forecasted to be a lovely clear day, and I haven't been around the park in weeks. I know you'll be in the office, Arthur, even though it'll be Saturday morning, but you won't be, will you, Merlin? Will you join me?"
Merlin breathes as silently as possible. He doesn't move or even twitch.
He can't hear Arthur banging around anymore, and that means Arthur has found the trail.
Merlin left first a glove on a chair, then its mate in a doorway, then his coat on a table, and then his shirt just beyond another doorway. The shirt directs Arthur into the wrong room, so Merlin should have a long wait behind his curtain.
He is just wishing he'd sat down to hide when he is yanked to the side. Before he can think of a next move, his arm is bent behind his back and Arthur is using the leverage to force Merlin to the ground. Arthur follows him down and stays a hair's breadth away. Arthur's shirt brushes softly against Merlin's naked torso.
"I'd better hold on tight so you don't squirm away again," Arthur says into Merlin's ear.
Merlin shivers at the promise in Arthur's voice.
Arthur keeps that promise as he uses the upper hand he gained to bend Merlin forward onto his one free hand. He gets Merlin's trousers to drop to the floor, and then he lets go of Merlin's trapped arm in favor of reaching around to help Merlin to hardness.
"I want you inside me, Merlin," Arthur says.
Merlin, who was just thinking the same thing, says, "Please let me ride you, Arthur."
Arthur keeps up the motion of one hand while he brings the other back to caress Merlin's backside. His fingers prod thoughtfully at Merlin's hole.
Finally, he says, "Yes."
"Oh thank goodness. I'm too close already," Merlin replies.
Arthur removes his hands in a flash, and Merlin finds himself manhandled again. This time he is turned around and sat down on Arthur's legs.
Arthur leans back with his elbows propping him up against the floor. He raises an eyebrow to indicate that Merlin should get started.
"Imperious git," Merlin says, but he pulls Arthur's clothes off all the same.
When Arthur has added his fingers alongside Merlin's to help prepare Merlin, when Merlin has lowered himself onto Arthur and nearly lost his breath in the process, when Arthur has found his rhythm rolling his hips in spite of the hard floor beneath him, when Merlin is bouncing along on top of Arthur and making no effort to contain his noises, Arthur says, "You wouldn't have me any other way."
Merlin leans down to kiss Arthur, and the changed position hits him the right way. He spills his release between them.
Arthur holds Merlin against him and works his hips into Merlin to get as deep as possible. He finishes a minute later with Merlin still panting against his neck.
They lay there on the floor for several minutes with Arthur still inside Merlin and Merlin flopped bonelessly over Arthur's chest. They lay there until Arthur nudges Merlin in the side and says, "Bed."
Merlin grumbles a little, but they both manage to get up on shaky legs and make it to the bed an entire room away.
Merlin brings the carrot the rest of the way, chews, and swallows hard.
Morgana looks hopeful, and Merlin has yet to learn to resist her when she seems so earnest.
"I'd like that. When do you want to start out?" Merlin asks.
Arthur puts a sympathetic hand on Merlin's knee under the table. He squeezes once, then removes it.
"7:30. I thought we should get an early start so at least part of the ride will be cooled by the morning fog," Morgana says, and she smiles sweetly.
--
"She's not going to try to murder me under the fog cover and bury me somewhere on the grounds, is she?" Merlin asks when they're back in their room and in bed for the night.
Arthur rolls his head on the pillow to look at Merlin. "It's unlikely," he says through a yawn, "but keep your phone on you just in case I need to ping the location of your body later."
Merlin punches him in the arm.