Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/1057853. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Underage Category: M/M Fandom: Merlin_(TV) Relationship: Merlin/Arthur_Pendragon_(Merlin) Character: Arthur_Pendragon_(Merlin), Leon_(Merlin), Merlin_(Merlin), Morgana_ (Merlin) Collections: Merlin_Holidays Stats: Published: 2013-12-14 Words: 4637 ****** A Sprinkling of Snow ****** by gwyllion Summary Merlin gets an unexpected surprise while babysitting for Leon and Morgana's girls. Notes A Sprinkling of Snow was written as a gift for Merlin Holidays 2013. Thanks to my special helpers G and L <3. To crimsonswirls, although I don’t know you personally, I feel as if I have met you through your LJ. It has been a pleasure and an honour to write this fic for someone as wonderful as you. Thanks so much for all the prompt notes that you left in your gift request. I tried to include as many of your likes as I could. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a magical Merlin holiday! “You can help yourself to whatever you’d like in the refrigerator,” Morgana said. Her black heels clicked as she walked across the tiled kitchen floor. She looked as festive as a Christmas tree with her dark green dress and jewellery that glittered like flickering holiday lights. “Thanks, I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Merlin said with a bright smile. Although it was his first time babysitting for Morgana and Leon’s kids, he had met them a few times when his mother took care of the girls and had brought them back to their house. “And you’ve checked your mobile to make sure you have both our numbers?” Leon asked as he straightened the ridiculous bow tie that clashed horribly with his ginger hair. “And the Poison Control Centre?” “Leon, Merlin’s sixteen! He knows what he’s doing—he’s been babysitting for Gwaine and Elena’s kids for years,” Morgana said. “Yes, I’ve both your numbers saved,” Merlin said, taking his mobile out of his pocket and tapping it to assure Leon. He knew how panicky parents could get around a new sitter. He couldn’t blame them really. He supposed he’d react the same way if he ever had kids of his own. “And my mum’s just a phone call away if I need help.” “It’s a pity Hunith is down with a migraine,” Leon said. “Although I don’t think these two will give you too much trouble.” Merlin looked up to see Maddi and Mairwen run into the kitchen. The blue-eyed girls surrounded Merlin, tugging on his hands and pleading with him. For some reason, children lit up whenever he was around. “Can we play Just Dance?” Mairwen, the youngest cried. “We want to dance now, Merlin! I can show you how to play it.” “We can play after mummy and daddy leave,” said the older Maddi. “Can we, Merlin? Please!” “Settle down Maddi,” Leon said with a laugh. “And Mairwen, I’m sure Merlin knows his way around an X-Box.” “Thanks for filling in for your mum,” Morgana said. “Leon would hate to miss his company’s Christmas party.” “It’s no problem at all,” Merlin said, tousling Mairwen’s curly hair. “Besides, I think the girls liked those magic tricks I did for them when my mum had them over our house at Halloween.” “Do magic tricks for us!” Maddi cried. “Can you do the one where you make a bunny come out of your hat?” Mairwen asked so politely that it pained Merlin to tell her that his pet rabbit, Kilgharrah, was home keeping his mum company tonight. “Maybe next time,” Leon interceded. “Mummy and I expect both of you to behave for Merlin tonight. When he tells you it’s bedtime, you need to obey him. And you’d better leave a few cookies in the jar for me when I get back home.” “We’ll behave for Merlin, won’t we, Maddi?” Mairwen said, running back into the living room. “We like it when he does tricks for us,” Maddi shouted, chasing after her sister. “The snow is already starting,” Morgana said as she gazed out the window. “We shouldn’t be too late, Merlin.” “Oh that reminds me,” Leon said. “I told your brother that he could pick up that old snowblower from the shed.” “The broken one? What does he want with it?” Morgana asked. “He has a friend who’s handy with fixing things. I told him we had no use for it anymore, since we got the new one last winter,” Leon said. “Well, I doubt he’ll show up tonight for it, despite the snow,” Morgana said. “He had plans with Gwen. That’s why he couldn’t sit for the girls.” “If he does stop by, Merlin can help him out. Would you Merlin?” Leon asked. “He might need help loading it into his truck.” “Sure,” Merlin said. “That’s no problem at all.” He had never met the beloved Uncle Arthur, who the girls gushed about when Hunith had brought them to the Emrys’ house while she babysat. He filed the information away in his mind and followed Morgana and Leon into the hallway. “We’d better get going,” Morgana said. “I hope the roads aren’t going to be too bad.” “Nothing I can’t handle,” Leon said, taking Morgana’s coat from the hall closet and holding it out so she could slide her arms through the sleeves. “Come and say goodbye, girls,” Morgana called to the youngsters. “Goodbye, Mummy! Goodbye Daddy! Have fun!” the girls shouted as they sent their parents off. Merlin closed the door behind the couple and brought the girls into the living room. A minute later, he heard Leon beep the horn as they drove off into the snowy night. “Okay, girls,” Merlin said, putting his hands on his knees and examining the X- Box. “Are you ready to dance?” By the light of the Christmas tree, Merlin and the girls danced around the living room. The girls urged Merlin to learn the steps in the game. But instead, he amused them by flailing his arms wildly, whipping his head back and forth so his dark hair fell down into his eyes, and snapping his fingers to the beat. The girls shouted at him gleefully, trying to correct his moves until all three dancers were exhausted. Panting and out of breath, they stopped to look out the large window onto the street. The falling snow outside and the soft glow of the lights on the Christmas tree put Merlin into the holiday spirit. As they all snacked on cookies and popcorn, Merlin noticed the festive stockings that hung above the fireplace. He asked the girls what they wanted from Santa. After the girls listed so many toys that Merlin doubted they would all fit in Santa’s sleigh, Mairwen climbed onto Merlin’s lap. “What do you want from Santa, Merlin?” Maddi asked. “Oh, I don’t know,” Merlin replied with a grin. “A new rabbit? Or a dance video game of my own? Or maybe I’ll just let him surprise me!” When the girls finished their snack, Merlin made them brush their teeth and get into their pyjamas. It was already time for bed, but he let them stay up to watch Frosty the Snowman, remembering how fond he was of his own babysitter, Gaius, who always let a young Merlin stay up past his bedtime. Before the programme ended, Merlin pried the X-Box controller from sleepy Mairwen’s hand and lifted her off the butter-soft leather sofa that decorated Leon and Morgana’s living room. Mairwen’s tiny body weighed almost nothing. Merlin carried her to her bed, whispering for Maddi to follow them and to be careful not to wake her sister. When he had both girls tucked in, Merlin returned to the kitchen to clean up the mess and put their dishes into the dishwasher. Through the kitchen window, Merlin watched the snow fall, leaving a thick coating of fluffy white on the deck and on the bare trees in the yard. Returning to the living room, Merlin flopped onto the sofa and picked up the remote control. Outside, the rumble of a snowplow shook the neighbourhood, sparks flying up from the blade as it scraped the road. He flipped through the channels, pausing for a moment to see the weather report, which only promised more snow. Finding nothing interesting to watch, he kicked off his trainers and lay back, retrieving his mobile from his jeans pocket. He sent a text to Hunith: Hope UR feelng btr. The response came immediately. Took nap. Btr now. Grls OK? Fine. Snow! If roads R bad, just sleep there & cm hm tmrw. OK, SYL ILU <3 Merlin stared at his mobile for a moment, listening to the sounds of the wintry suburban night. He was all but certain that the girls were fast asleep. The storm outside had intensified and the wind gusted against the cosy house. By the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree, he scrolled through the websites he had bookmarked on his mobile, looking for just the thing to warm him. He grinned when he remembered urging his mum to buy him the full data plan—just in case he had to use the phone to research something for homework, he assured her. When he turned sixteen, Hunith had removed the parental controls that the phone store had advised her to engage when she bought him the phone as a birthday gift. Finding the website he wanted, Merlin settled back and tapped play. The link to X-Tube opened and Merlin scrolled down to his favourite—a blond bloke sucking off another bloke whose dark mop of hair and skinny build reminded Merlin of himself, except the man on the video had tattoos. Merlin watched as the muscles of the blond’s back flexed and stretched as he put a lot of effort into his task. The tattooed version of Merlin moaned and writhed in pleasure beneath the blond’s ministrations. Merlin sunk further into the soft leather and stifled a moan of his own. Since long before he discovered Internet porn, he had let his fantasies run wild when touched himself. It seemed that his cock was always hard nowadays, and as soon as he had a chance, he tried to bring himself off. He wasn’t sure when he realized that the men in the videos turned him on more than any girl did. Ever since he played spin the bottle at Freya’s sweet sixteen party last summer, he knew his tastes were a little less ordinary. Merlin sucked on his bottom lip, flicking his tongue across it, tasting the salt from the popcorn. He slid his free hand over the front of his jumper, feeling his nipples harden when he toyed at each of them with a playful thumb. As the blond bloke took his fill of the tattooed Merlin, the real Merlin’s cock grew painfully hard. Listening to the quiet moans on his mobile, Merlin unsnapped the top button of his jeans. A loud gust of wind got Merlin’s attention. He looked toward the window and paused the movement of his fingers. Determining that the noise was only a branch tapping against the window, he listened until he was certain that the girls weren’t woken by the sound. Switching the mobile to his left hand, he lowered the zipper of his jeans with his right. His cock ached for the same promise of relief that the tattooed Merlin was enjoying, but Merlin felt quite sure that it would be a long time before he ever had a partner to share such activities with. He bent his knees and loosened his jeans around his waist. Slipping a hand inside, he reached down to cup his balls through his boxers, rolling them between his slim fingers. The blond bloke would probably be doing the same thing to the tattooed Merlin, he imagined, although the angle was wrong on his phone screen and Merlin couldn’t tell for sure. Merlin pretended that the video blond’s mouth was on his own cock, licking teasingly at the head as Merlin swiped a finger through the droplets of moisture that seeped from him. “Do you need help with that?” a man’s voice asked quietly, right next to Merlin’s ear. Merlin dropped his mobile and covered his cock with both hands, wrenching his back when he tried to simultaneously cross his legs, zip his fly shut, and sit up. “Who?! What?! Who are you?” Merlin blurted out. He flew off the sofa, his eyes darting around the room looking for something to use as a weapon. He dashed for the fireplace poker which he quickly grabbed and raised as if it were an axe. “I’m Arthur, Morgana’s brother. And I should be asking you the same thing,” Arthur said, lowering his hands from their surrender position and putting them in the pockets of his parka. Snowflakes clung to his hair, catching the light from the Christmas decorations and making his blond locks glow like a golden crown. “I’m Merlin,” Merlin said, his eyes filled with panic. He wasn’t sure whether he was more worried about threatening Morgana’s brother with a fireplace poker or jerking off to gay porn while a potential intruder could have broken into the house. Arthur didn’t look convinced. “I’m the babysitter,” Merlin said, trying to sound innocent. Arthur stepped forward until the poker, wielded by Merlin’s nervous hands, wavered in his face. “I thought my sister used an older woman as a sitter for the girls,” Arthur said. “Helen… Hermione… Hunith—that’s it.” “That’s my mother,” Merlin said, finally able to breathe. He didn’t take his eyes off Arthur. “She’s not that old,” he added, as if it made a difference. “My sister didn’t say you’d be here,” Arthur said without fear, his eyes roaming over Merlin’s body, lingering at his crotch. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around the shaking end of the poker. Merlin was keenly aware that his cock showed no sign of flagging, despite his having been scared out of his wits. He couldn’t believe he forgot that Morgana’s brother might drop by. He must have been so engrossed in seeking some relief for his cock that he hadn’t heard Arthur arrive. At the sound of Arthur’s calming voice, Merlin loosened his grip on the poker and allowed Arthur to take it out of his hands. “My mum stayed home with a headache, so Morgana and Leon asked me to watch the girls,” Merlin said, figuring he owed Arthur an explanation. He thought Arthur owed him an apology for barging in and scaring the shit out him, but he doubted one would be forthcoming. Arthur replaced the poker in the stand by the fireplace and turned his attention back to Merlin. “It looked to me like you were watching something else,” Arthur said with a wink. “You’re a complete arse, and a peeping—” Merlin started, only to see Arthur swoop down to snatch his mobile off the rug before Merlin could stop him. “Let’s see what you were watching here, Merlin,” Arthur said. Merlin dove for the mobile. “Give it back to me,” he said in a rushed whisper trying to keep himself from shouting and waking the girls. “I think I can guess what you were watching, judging by the state you were in when I came into the room,” Arthur said, his eyes fixed on Merlin’s crotch as he held the mobile out of Merlin’s reach. “Give it back to me now,” Merlin said, reaching for his phone. His body pressed fully against Arthur’s as he held the mobile high above his head. “And you’d better shut up if you don’t want the girls to wake up.” Arthur seemed to remember that the girls were asleep and he relented in his teasing. Merlin stood on tip-toe to grab the mobile from Arthur before he could hand it over of his own volition. As he did so, Merlin felt friction against his hardened cock as it prodded against Arthur’s thigh. Merlin quickly switched the mobile off and collapsed on the sofa. His heart hammered against his ribs and his mind raced as he considered what Arthur had seen. What would he do with this information? If he told Morgana, he’d never be asked to babysit again. Morgana probably wouldn’t let Hunith babysit again either. Hunith—mother of a pervert who would wank to porn while he was supposed to be responsible for little children! What if Arthur told Hunith? He obviously knew her, since he remembered her name. Merlin’s hands were clammy with sweat. His cock was still hard, his erection showing no sign of fading away to mind its own business. The sound of his heavy breaths drowned out the rattle of the wind against the house as the snow piled up outside. “You won’t tell anyone, will you?” Merlin finally mustered the courage to ask. Merlin tried to avoid watching Arthur’s arse as he turned toward the fire and stripped off his parka, now damp from the melted snow. Arthur seemed to be showing off as he leaned over to arrange the parka on an ottoman so it could dry. Arthur turned back to Merlin and walked toward him, a smug look on his prat face. He sat beside Merlin on the sofa. “Nothing to tell, Merlin,” Arthur said. “I stopped by to pick up an old snowblower that my brother-in-law said I could take, and I happened to meet the new babysitter. No need for me to tell them what he was doing with his cock—it’s probably nothing any babysitter hasn’t done before.” Something in Arthur’s tone made him seem a lot less scary to Merlin than he was initially. Merlin relaxed against the cushions of the sofa, his heartbeat returning a bit closer to normal. “I forgot they said you might come by,” Merlin said. “They said you couldn’t stay with the girls tonight because you were out with Gwen.” “Yes, well that didn’t turn out quite as I had planned,” Arthur said, stretching his legs and resting his feet on the coffee table. Merlin wasn’t sure what to say to fill the silence. It was exciting to sit next to Arthur with his cock half-hard. He couldn’t help but notice how fit Arthur was with his broad chest, brilliant blue eyes, and glorious golden hair. He looked nothing like Morgana. If he hadn’t known they were siblings, he never would have guessed. “The snow messes up people’s plans sometimes,” he said finally. “It was only supposed to be a sprinkling of snow,” Arthur said. “It seems like this is more than a sprinkle,” Merlin said, looking toward the window. The lights from the snowplow on the next street over flashed their orange beam across the pristine snow. “The roads were bad,” Arthur said, crossing his arms. “I’m lucky I got here when I did.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” Merlin asked. “Oh, I think you know what it means,” Arthur said, nudging Merlin with his elbow. Merlin couldn’t stop noticing how Arthur’s eyes twinkled in the firelight. Arthur’s presence beside him was warm, despite him recently coming in from the cold. Maybe the sight of Merlin wanking had warmed Arthur up from the inside, Merlin hope so. “You’re much prettier than your mum,” Arthur said, unfolding his arms and turning to face Merlin. “Stop taking the piss,” Merlin scoffed at him. Arthur said nothing, but leaned forward until Merlin had to close his eyes to keep himself from blurting out something stupid. He only opened them again when he felt Arthur’s fingers slide into his hair at the nape of his neck. Merlin tried to move further away so Arthur wouldn’t notice the blush that had blossomed in his cheeks, but he found he couldn’t move. When Arthur playfully tugged on the strands of Merlin’s hair that were caught between his fingers, Merlin knew there was no hope for escape. Abandoning the urge to flee, he decided to meet fire with fire of his own. “Mairwen and Maddi failed to mention that their favourite Uncle Arthur was a little bit gorgeous,” Merlin said. He stood his ground, waiting to see Arthur’s reaction. He didn’t have to wait long before Arthur slowly leaned forward and pressed his lips to Merlin’s. “I meant what I said before,” Arthur said, whispering against Merlin’s lips. Merlin suddenly felt like he was standing next to the fireplace, the heat rising to his face. “Hmmm?” Merlin asked, trying to make sense of what Arthur was saying, but too caught up in the feeling of having a real live boy to kiss him. Merlin pushed Arthur’s mouth open with his tongue and inhaled the heady scent of musky cologne, the popcorn that he had eaten earlier, and the taste of falling snow. This was better than anything he could have imagined—even better than the porn, because this was happening to Merlin, not some shadowy pixelated guy in a home video. “What do you mean?” Merlin asked between licks at Arthur’s lips, secretly hoping it meant what he thought it did. “That I could help you with that?” Arthur asked, breaking away. A spark of arousal coursed up Merlin’s spine when Arthur’s eyes drifted to his cock. He could hardly believe this was happening to him. A gorgeous boy—a man really—was kissing him breathless. And he wasn’t only kissing him. Arthur’s hands stroked against Merlin’s back, sliding up his jumper and pressing warm fingers against his pale skin. “If it’s all right with you,” Arthur said, meeting Merlin’s eyes. Merlin nodded and watched as Arthur moved, seemingly in slow motion. He cautiously pressed his palm against Merlin’s cock, which was every bit as hard as it had been when Arthur had entered the room. Merlin gasped. “Let’s see if I can help,” Arthur said, dipping his head lower to press kisses against Merlin’s neck while his fingers made quick work of Merlin’s fly. His hair felt soft against Merlin’s cheek and Merlin shivered. Merlin leaned back against the arm of the sofa to make more room for Arthur. “There we go,” Arthur said, tugging down Merlin’s jeans and freeing Merlin’s cock from his boxers. “Is this what was giving you so much trouble?” “Yes,” Merlin moaned, no longer in control of his voice. “Uncle Arthur knows what you were doing, when you were supposed to be watching the girls,” Arthur said teasingly. “You can’t hide it from me.” “Don’t,” Merlin whispered. Arthur raised his hand from Merlin’s cock and stopped touching him. “You don’t want me to touch you, Merlin?” he asked gently. “No,” Merlin breathed, grabbing Arthur’s hand and replacing it on his cock. “Don’t tease me about babysitting.” “Oh,” Arthur said, with a grin. “All right then.” Arthur reached behind him to grab a knitted blanket off the back of the sofa. Quirking an eyebrow at Merlin, he shifted his position so he could lean back. “Come on, you,” Arthur said, pulling slightly on Merlin’s shoulder so he lay half on top of Arthur. Merlin went along willingly, longing for the kisses to resume and for his cock to get some relief that for the first time wasn’t provided by his own hand. Arthur arranged their limbs while Merlin laughed at him as he tried to find a comfortable position. “Comfy?” Arthur asked when they finally settled. “Very,” Merlin said, letting himself enjoy the feel of Arthur’s body beneath him. Arthur shook the folds out of the knitted blanket and spread it wide between his arms before he threw it over Merlin’s back. Merlin felt like they were wrapped in a warm cocoon. “Now, where were we?” Arthur asked, slipping a hand up Merlin’s jumper and rubbing his palm across Merlin’s bare back. Merlin remembered exactly where they were. In the magical light of the Christmas tree with the snow falling outside, he kissed Arthur again, this time putting more finesse into it. He didn’t want Arthur to think he was an inexperienced virgin, although it seemed unlikely that he would be able to convince him of anything different. Merlin’s cock was just as hard as it had been earlier, only now, it had Arthur’s hardness to rub against if Merlin manoeuvred it just the right way. Merlin was thrilled to feel that Arthur was hard too. With Arthur’s hands squeezing his arse, and the heat of their bodies trapped beneath the blanket, Merlin had never been more aroused. Never in his wildest dreams had he believed that he’d have his own blond prince to play with. Together, they kissed and rutted against each other, only stopping occasionally to listen for Morgana and Leon’s return or to verify that the girls were still asleep. When Merlin was certain they were not at risk of being caught, he giggled into Arthur’s mouth. “I want to touch your cock,” he said, exploring between them with tentative fingers. “Go ahead, you can,” Arthur said between kisses, his voice rough with lust. They shifted positions so Merlin propped himself up on one elbow. He hovered over Arthur while he undid his zipper and shimmied his jeans down off his arse. “That’s better,” Merlin said, licking Arthur’s Adam’s apple. Merlin’s heart pounded as he reached between them to take hold of Arthur’s cock. He swiped his thumb across the sticky head and squeezed its length in his fist. With his hips undulating back and forth against Arthur, he felt sure that he was going to empty his balls. “I’m going to spill,” Merlin gasped. “Let me,” Arthur said, reaching between them. With just a few long tugs on his cock, Merlin shuddered and came in Arthur’s hand. Arthur held him close while he shook through his climax. Finally laughing and nudging at Arthur’s hand so he would release his grip on his cock, Merlin collapsed on top of Arthur. When his breathing had returned to normal, Merlin realized that Arthur hadn’t yet come. “I want you to come too,” Merlin said apologetically. He hoped Arthur would oblige his inexperience and help him to learn what Arthur liked best. “Here,” Arthur said, fumbling for his own cock. “Keep your thighs just like that for a second.” Merlin stayed still, his legs relaxed and boneless with the aftermath of his orgasm. “Let me try this,” Arthur said, and Merlin panicked for a second, worried that Arthur would want to fuck him without any preparation. Merlin had watched enough gay porn to know that was a bad idea. “Just relax,” Arthur said, resting his cock on Merlin’s thigh. “Okay, now close your legs around me.” Merlin did as he was asked, trapping Arthur’s cock between his thighs. “Does that feel okay to you?” Arthur asked. Merlin nodded. It felt nice to be so close to Arthur. Arthur surged forward and Merlin felt that Arthur’s cock was tightly immobilized. “Maybe I should loosen up a bit,” Merlin said. Arthur surged forward again and Merlin crossed his ankles, trying to create the right amount of friction for Arthur. That seemed to work as Arthur moaned long and low into his ear. “There you go, boy,” Merlin said. He surprised himself with the words he used as he urged Arthur on. “That’s it. Fuck me,” he whispered as Arthur went wild. Merlin could tell by the change in Arthur’s breathing that he couldn’t hold back. Arthur thrust forward one more time, shuddered, and stilled. Merlin stroked his palms over Arthur’s chest to his shoulders, whispering encouragement into his ear. Somewhere beneath his numbed thighs, Merlin felt the wetness of Arthur’s release blooming on his warm skin. He held Arthur until their breathing seemed to synchronize with each other’s. The faint glow of the Christmas lights twinkled in Arthur’s eyes. “Get off me, you lug,” Arthur said, nudging Merlin with his knee. “My sister will kill us if we ruin her sofa.” Merlin worked his way free and stood up to tuck his sticky cock away. He reached for Arthur’s hand and tugged him to his feet. After they cleaned up a bit in the bathroom and laughed about their luck that they didn’t make a mess on Morgana and Leon’s expensive furniture, they curled up on the sofa again. Later that night, when Leon and Morgana arrived home, they saw Arthur’s truck buried under a foot of snow in their driveway. Inside, Morgana found her brother and Merlin wrapped around each other on the sofa. She didn’t bother to wake them, but she covered them with the blanket she picked up off the floor. She looked at them fondly in the flickering lights before she unplugged the Christmas tree. They seemed to fit together perfectly. In the morning, Merlin could dig Arthur’s truck out of the driveway. Leon could sleep in. After all, he wasn’t Arthur’s goddamn manservant. Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!