Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or any of the characters.
'Oh Arthur, I wish I could tell you about my dream,' Merlin thought, an expression of dreamy wistfulness all over his face as he made his way to Arthur's room to report for duty that morning. He couldn't keep the smile off his face remembering the dream – Arthur's lips, so softly over his, moving again and again, like a repeated affirmation of a bittersweet love for him. 'It's the biggest cliché really,' Merlin's thoughts continued on, as he unconsciously emitted a sigh so loud that two handmaidens passing by turned to stare at him, though he didn't notice. 'The servant boy in love with the prince he's serving. Completely ridiculous.'
At this point he arrived at Arthur's door, and was shaken out of his reverie. "Come in," Arthur called. Instantly wiping the goofy smile off his face, well, to some extent anyway, Merlin switched to a more professional mode and entered the room. He was met by the sight of gorgeous blonde Arthur...scowling.
"Ah, good morning Arthur," Merlin began politely.
"Yeah, whatever. What's so great about it?" He sounded like a spoilt prince, and Merlin struggled to suppress a smile at that thought. The dream was far from his mind now, he was back in reality, but at least he could be near Arthur, even if only as a servant.
"Well," he smiled boyishly, stepping over to Arthur. "I guess someone got up on the wrong side of their royal bed!"
"Very funny Merlin," Arthur muttered dryly. But his face had twisted into a smile against its own will, and seeing that made Merlin's heart soar.
"So why are you in such a bad mood?" Merlin continued. He was in a playful mood today. "Not allowed to play with the crown?"
"I...I had a bad dream," Arthur said in a low voice. The words startled Merlin out of his game, made him think of his own dream. But he quickly shook it out of his head. There was no way that Arthur's dream could be anything like his...
"Anyway, it's none of your business, servant! Here is your first errand – go fetch me an orange from the market! I'm hungry!"
Merlin was silent as he nodded and left the room with the coins Arthur dropped into his hand. 'Today started out so good...why did it have to come to this?'
It was the first time Arthur had called him by such a common name. It had always made Merlin so happy to hear Arthur say his name, almost like he owned it. Merlin knew it had been silly of him to feel like that, but he couldn't help it. Pushing it from his mind for the time being he made his way back through the crowds to the palace, wondering if there was any way to snap Arthur out of his bad mood.
Back at the palace, Arthur meanwhile was recalling his own dream, his anger growing as the images flashed through his head, to such a point that he slammed his hand down on the wooden table. "Damnit! Damnit, why...Why? Why do I have to...?" He trailed off, with a small brief laugh, shaking his head. 'It was just a dream, it doesn't mean anything,' he told himself silently. But inside, he knew that was a lie. 'If it was just a dream, why do I feel this way?' That was the tiny voice deep in his heart.
It had annoyed him all morning too. Arthur didn't like to feel out of control. And then of course Merlin had had to come in, all happy, and...Silly. And...Beautiful. It wasn't the first time Arthur had lashed out at someone. But before it had never bothered him so much. Now there was this knowing inside him, making him feel even worse.
He raised his head as Merlin entered, orange in hand. Tension lowered onto the room as Arthur awkwardly took the orange. He hadn't even wanted one, just needed an excuse to be alone with his thoughts, but it smelled zesty and inviting, so he began unpeeling it.
"You know," he began, to break the silence, "you never told me why you were in such a good mood this morning."
"Oh, no reason," Merlin shrugged from where he was stood behind him. Arthur smiled a little as he licked the zest off his fingers – he could hear Merlin's shock that Arthur had actually noticed his mood. 'I'm not always the selfish prince you think I am,' he thought to himself.
"Do you want some?"
"Oh...thanks," Merlin replied, the awkwardness returning once again as he stepped over to where Arthur was. Their hands brushed and electricity crackled through the air. Arthur hesitated, and then didn't move his hand away, it twitched to stroke over Merlin's, and Merlin's sharp intake of breath broke out into the silence.
"I dreamt about you, Merlin," Arthur said, his eyes cast down, but Merlin could see his mouth – he was smiling.
"What?"
"I...I know this probably isn't what you want hear," Arthur began, making eye contact at last, and what Merlin felt from his gaze sent fire down his spine. "But I...Well, ever since you came, I've been so happy, and –" He broke off to stand up, his chair falling over backwards behind him. "I think I'm in love with you, Merlin."
There was a silence of their breathing and Merlin couldn't speak, couldn't see anything around him in the room. He was failing to process Arthur's words, as Arthur's voice cut into his incomprehension.
"Merlin? Say something?"
"I love you too." He'd said it too quietly. "I love you too!"
"Y-You do?" Arthur was trying to restrain himself from smiling too prematurely but his face wouldn't cooperate.
"Yeah, yeah I do," Merlin was smiling too now, twice the fool he'd been before, as Arthur was pulling him closer, and both were giddy without oxygen – they couldn't breathe seeing each other's faces, knowing they were about to kiss for the first time.
Merlin thought that dream had been heaven. Arthur quickly proved it wasn't. Coming alive in each other's arms they sought to reaffirm that love over and over. Arthur's sweet zesty breath mingled hotly with his and Merlin pulled the boy into a tighter embrace. Breaking off for air, both were a little flushed.
"Well, ahem," Arthur dropped his hands; somehow forcing himself to break away from the paradise he had savoured so for the past minute.
"What are you doing?" Merlin asked, hurt all over his face, and Arthur inwardly winced.
"Merlin, I...I don't know if this is a good idea. I mean, I...I'm expected to..."
The words "do as my father says...provide heirs...marry a queen" were all close to his tongue, but none came out. Merlin however, didn't see any of these, instead took it differently.
"Oh, I see how it is." His voice took on a colder tone that Arthur had never heard before. "You're ashamed to be seen with me, aren't you? A prince and a servant boy – imagine what King Uther would have to say about that!"
"You're wrong!"
Grabbing Merlin by his cotton clothing, Arthur pushed his up hard against the stone wall. Merlin barely had time to get his breath back before Arthur had shoved his leg between Merlin's legs, his mouth mashing down hard on Merlin's lower lip. Merlin opened his mouth to take Arthur in, his pulse going haywire for a totally different reason this time, all the blood was rushing downwards to where Arthur's leg was grinding softly against him, rubbing him with just the right pressure, the kind that made his body ache for more...
"Arthur," he breathed at the very moment Arthur briefly broke off their bruising kiss.
"I know," Arthur breathed in his ear, the tone was the very level of deep yearning Merlin felt.
"But, but won't someone come in?" Merlin glanced over at the door as Arthur's hand took his, leading him over to the bed. His level of arousal made it difficult to walk easily and he was glad to be sat on the bed, even more breathless as Arthur's hands roamed to his clothes.
"I love you, Merlin," Arthur breathed, somehow sounding so much more vulnerable than he had before.
"I love you too," Merlin said, as Arthur kissed his neck with a sweet tenderness Merlin didn't even know Arthur had had in him.
"I'll be gentle, I promise," Arthur murmured as they began to discard more and more items of clothing onto the floor, Arthur's royal clothing mixing with Merlin's peasant clothes. Suddenly both were naked and Merlin felt flushed and vulnerable and too skinny under Arthur's masculine build lowering down onto him.
"You look beautiful," Arthur breathed, and Merlin let out a short soundless gasp at the sudden contact of all of his skin with Arthur's. And Arthur's hands were all over his body in a way that was making Merlin weak with desire as they shifted to a completely horizontal position.
"I'm going to..." Arthur breathed, and Merlin understood as Arthur's fingers deftly moved down to circle his opening softly, repeating the action over and over until he could gently press a finger inside. With a sharp intake of breath Merlin was shaking all over.
"Arthur," he whimpered softly.
"Can I...Merlin?"
With a quick impatient nod Merlin grasped Arthur's arm for support as Arthur guided himself to Merlin, penetrating him as slowly as possible, lowering himself down until they were skin to skin, in tight embrace.
"Is it...too tight?" Arthur breathed intimately in his ear.
"No," Merlin panted a little, still recovering breath. "It's okay."
With the gentle, caring smile down at him, Arthur sweetly brushed a piece of hair out of Merlin's eyes, holding him closely, a little afraid that if he didn't, the world might take this wonderful boy away from him.