fifty-fifty.dreamwidth.orgTitle: The Hangover
Rating: Explicit
Pairing/s: Merlin/Arthur
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur
Summary: Roommates Merlin and Arthur decide to celebrate 2020 New Year’s Eve together, after all, they can’t go anywhere else, can they? Arthur wakes up on New Year’s Day, but why isn’t he in his own bed?
Warnings: None
Word Count: 1000
Prompt: #440 - Hangover
Author's Notes: I couldn’t resist the temptation of writing a coronavirus lockdown Merthur fic for this prompt. Happy New Year and stay safe, everyone! ♥
Arthur opens his eyes, trying to focus on his bleary surroundings. He hisses as a sharp pain shoots through his head and instantly closes them.
Jesus Christ. He must have had a hell of a night.
As he moves, his stomach lurches, protesting against his movement. What the hell had he been drinking last night? He frowns, scrunching his brow trying to recall what happened. He can’t remember much of anything.
The last thing he really remembers is getting a takeaway with Merlin along with a couple of beers to ring in the new year. No parties or big celebrations this year. Thanks, tier 4.
Still, as reluctant as Arthur is to admit it, there are worse people he could’ve been locked down with during a global pandemic than Merlin.
They’ve spent the best part of the year stuck in their flat together, since both of them are able to work from home. Arthur runs Pendragon publishing, and Merlin works as an independent illustrator.
After it became clear that they would be working from home for more than a few weeks, they decided to convert the spare room into an office. So they share space there, too.
It’s like being in a relationship at times, living together like this. But without the sex. Arthur has been learning to navigate differences of opinions and how to resolve conflicts, something he’d never really taken the time to learn in previous relationships. And he’s been discovering things about Merlin that he’d never have found out if they hadn’t been stuck together almost 24/7.
After their curries and beer, Arthur remembers something about a bottle of tequila that Merlin’s been saving for a special occasion. And both of them deciding that if making it through 2020 wasn’t worthy of celebration, then nothing was. Some kind of New Year’s Eve countdown was on the TV... After that, everything is blank.
Arthur slowly cracks his eyes open again. This… is not his room...
It’s Merlin’s.
Why is he in Merlin’s room? Sleeping in Merlin’s bed.
His phone alarm rings and Arthur reaches out to turn it off. He grimaces as his hand lands on something cold and slimy. He pushes it aside to turn off the phone. Then he glances over and sees a used condom discarded there.
Arthur’s confusion deepens.
Did he pull last night? How did he manage that? Did they break lockdown rules and let others into their flat?
The questions make his head hurt more than it already does.
Beside him there’s a snuffling noise and he can see a hint of short, dark hair peeking out from under the duvet.
He jumps as a hand slides down his chest, over his abs and further still. He lets out a little yelp as the hand wraps around his dick. Then he catches a glimpse of Merlin with a wicked grin before he disappears under the covers and a hot, wet mouth engulfs the head of his cock.
“Oh God!” he cries out.
It’s been so long since he’s had a blowjob, and Merlin really knows what he’s doing.
A few images flash through his mind of pressing Merlin into the couch and heated kisses.
Merlin’s tongue swirls around his cock as he sucks and Arthur’s hands find their way into his hair. It’s soft and silken as it slips through his fingers.
It’s strange. It should feel wrong. Merlin’s under the covers giving him a blowjob, and yet—it doesn’t. It feels right somehow. It’s as though a missing piece is slotting in to complete a puzzle he hadn’t even realised he was working on.
As Merlin bobs his head, taking him deeper, Arthur’s hit with another memory of murmuring words of affection against Merlin’s skin, plastering kisses along his neck and chest and fuck—
He’s the one who started this.
He kissed Merlin first.
He’s the one who led them to the bedroom, who undressed Merlin, who sucked Merlin’s cock.
Shit.
Well, he must have done an okay job of it, because he can’t recall Merlin complaining. But then again, he can’t even really remember much of anything.
Oh fuck.
The condom.
Did they..?
It would have to have been them, wouldn’t it? He can’t imagine they’d have let anyone into their flat under current circumstances. They must have.
Arthur groans and presses his fingertips against his eyes.
He didn’t even realise Merlin liked him that way. Merlin certainly hasn’t made any advances towards Arthur. And Arthur’s never felt weird about living with him as an openly gay man, which is a bit of a miracle given the father Arthur grew up with. Things were normal.
And yet...
Sure, Arthur’s had a few thoughts about what it might be like to be with a guy, and Merlin is rather attractive...
He finds himself pushing his hands into Merlin’s hair again and bucking into the wet heat of his mouth. God, Merlin’s amazing at this. A wave of jealousy floods through him as he realises it’s probably because of all the other cocks Merlin’s sucked before his and he grips Merlin’s hair a little tighter.
Merlin groans. The way it reverberates down his cock almost pushes Arthur over the edge. A hand tightens around the base and Arthur whines as Merlin pulls away. His head pops out from under the duvet and Merlin grins at Arthur, his lips a shiny red.
“Not just yet,” Merlin tells him.
Then Merlin kisses him.
Arthur freezes.
If he kisses back then this will be a deliberate choice. He won’t be able to pretend he didn’t know what he was doing.
Merlin stops and starts moving away, his face a frown.
“Arthur… is this… is this okay? You’re not—”
Arthur wraps a hand around the back of Merlin’s neck and draws him in with a long, deep kiss.
When they finally part, both breathless, Arthur gives his reply:“Yeah,” he breathes having experienced his epiphany. “Yeah, it is.”
