Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/416347.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Merlin_(TV)
  Relationship:
      Merlin/Arthur_Pendragon
  Character:
      Merlin_(Merlin), Arthur_Pendragon, Gwaine_(Merlin), Gaius_(Merlin),
      Morgana_(Merlin), Elyan_(Merlin)
  Additional Tags:
      Alternate_Universe_-_High_School, Coming_Out, Frottage, Underage_Sex
  Collections:
      High_School_Merlin_2012
  Stats:
      Published: 2012-05-30 Words: 15677
****** The Detention King of Avalon High ******
by Magnolia822
Summary
     There’s a new kid at school, and he’s not Merlin Emrys’ type at
     all—until he turns out to be much more than Merlin ever expected.
     American HS AU.
Notes
     This prompt (“they meet in detention . . .”) sparked a lot of ideas!
     Hope it’s along the lines of what the OP was hoping for. Thank you so
     much to my betas ArcadianMaggie and AsyaAna.
     The characters depicted herein belong to Shine and BBC. I make no
     profit from this endeavor.
 
“Do you know why you’re here, Mr. Emrys?” The principal leaned forward on his
desk, steepling his fingers, the look on his face so serious Merlin almost
laughed. But laughing would earn him more detention, and he already had enough
to look forward to for what he’d done today.
“Yeah. Listening to music in class.”
“Your teacher tells me you were singing.”
Merlin shrugged. “Only a little.” 
Principal Tauren frowned and looked down at the note Merlin’s pre-calc teacher
had sent along when she’d kicked him out of class. “Drumming on the desk?”
“Sorry,” Merlin said, but even he knew he sounded completely insincere.
“You’re aware music devices aren’t allowed during class time.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“And yet you persist in conducting yourself in a manner which disregards school
policy. Not a very productive start to your senior year.”
Merlin shrugged again, rolled his eyes. “It’s not that big a deal.” He’d only
turned on his iPhone after he’d finished the lame in-class busy work, which had
taken him all of five minutes. And so what if he’d gotten a little carried
away? What did it matter? In fact, as Merlin had argued to Mrs. Afanc, Merlin
found himself able to concentrate even more readily when he had some music
on—Pantera, Metallica, Sabbath, Maiden. All that shit kept him focused, but she
had to go and act like he was setting desks on fire.
“I beg to differ, Mr. Emrys. You’re a distraction to the other students. I’m
afraid I’ll have to send a note home to your father.”
Yeah, he’d figured as much, but little did Principal Dickface know that Balinor
wouldn’t care. His father barely noticed Merlin anymore, and on top of that he
traveled so much Merlin could probably steal any letter out of the mail,
anyway. Sticking his earbuds back in, Merlin stood up and slung his bag over
his shoulder. He was already late for English, the only class he could stand in
this shithole school, but Mr. Gaius was cool; he’d probably let it slide, first
week and all.
“Oh, and Mr. Emrys?”
Merlin turned around.
“Keep this behavior up and you’ll be earning more than detention. Capice?”
“Got it, Principal.”
Merlin turned up the volume on his phone, air-drumming his way down the hall
and ignoring the uncomfortable stares he got from other students. It didn’t
bother Merlin; he had his own group of friends. The kids at school were
hypocrites anyway, especially the jocks. They wouldn’t look at him in public,
but he had sucked off half of the football team behind the bleachers at one
point or another.
All day long I think of things but nothing seems to satisfy
Think I’ll lose my mind if I don’t find something to pacify
Can you help me . . . o-occu-py my brain?
One more year and then he’d be out of here. He couldn’t fucking wait.
 
                               ›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
 
Later that day, Merlin got to the detention room a few minutes after the final
bell. He smirked at the usual suspects filling the seats. Percy and Elyan had
gotten in a fight at lunchtime when Elyan found out Percy had spent the summer
hooking up with his sister Gwen, so it was no surprise they were here. And it
wouldn’t be a Wednesday at Avalon High without Gwaine getting detention. 
“Fancy seeing you here,” Elyan piped up.
“Yeah, big fuckin’ surprise, right?” Merlin answered.
“Hey, how’s it goin’, man?” Gwaine grinned, holding up his hand.
“Can’t complain,” Merlin replied, slapping it and sitting down at the desk next
to him, thrusting his legs out in front. He gave the others a nod.
“What’re you in for today, Emrys?” Gwaine asked.
Merlin held up his iPhone, carefully coiling the cord before stowing it his
bag.
“Ahh. You are a man dedicated to his music.” Gwaine nodded and leaned back in
his chair, tipping it dangerously.
Merlin shrugged. “I’m dedicated to not being bored as shit. What about you?”
“Flipped off Mr. Alvarr.”
Merlin gave his friend a disbelieving look. Alvarr was one of the most hated
teachers; he had the temper of a Rottweiler, and the rumor was he had a thing
for little boys.
“Good for you, dude.”
Just then a tap on his shoulder made Merlin turn his head. It was Morgana, his
best friend, Avalon’s resident Goth chick, and the only girl he’d ever fucked.
It hadn’t been bad, really, but Merlin had ultimately decided he’d much rather
suck a cock than a pussy. Vag was too wet and confusing—but dick got him off
like no one’s business. Anyway, he’d been pretty positive he was gay after that
little experiment.
Morgana gave him a wide, catlike smile and leaned forward. “You check out the
new kid?"
“Who?” Merlin looked to where Morgana was not-so-secretly pointing, and it was
only then that he noticed an unfamiliar kid in the corner. He was blond,
dressed in light-colored jeans and a blue shirt—every single button done up to
the collar. He wasn’t looking at anyone, staring instead at his hands on his
desk, head down so Merlin couldn’t see his face. Didn’t seem like the kind of
kid you’d find in detention.
“Name’s Arthur Pendragon,” Morgana whispered. “Just moved here from
California.”
“Oh yeah?” Merlin asked, bored. Just then the kid’s head snapped up and he
looked right at them, eyes widening. He’d bee pretty hot if he did something
about the awful clothes and stupid haircut. Merlin raised his eyebrows in
challenge—he certainly wasn’t going to be the one to look away first—and the
kid dropped his gaze.
“He’s in my physics class first period. The word is his family is loaded, but
he’s a little weird—”
“How so?” Merlin asked, his interest perking up.
Just then the door opened and Mr. Gaius walked in, giving them a wave and
walking to the front of the room. Even though he was probably pushing seventy,
he still had long hair, probably left over from his hippie days. He dressed in
dashikis, and the students of Avalon generally agreed he was the best teacher
in the school, if a bit spacey sometimes.
“Hellooo delinquents,” he joked. “One hour of quiet and then we’ll all be on
our merry way. Try to do something productive with your time.”
He cocked his head when he saw Merlin, and Merlin blushed in spite of himself.
The junior English and senior AP teacher, Gaius didn’t approve of Merlin’s
antics. In fact, he was the only one who knew Merlin’s secret talent, he called
it. Whatever. So Merlin could write pretty well, and yeah, he liked doing it.
That didn’t mean he was like gifted or anything. He certainly wasn’t going to
share the things he wrote with anyone.
“Tell you later,” Morgana whispered, sliding back into her chair. Her statement
made Merlin remember the kid in the corner. Arthur from California. Weird?
Except for his clothes he seemed pretty normal—boring by the look of it. 
While the rest of the students got out their homework or doodled on notepads,
Merlin’s gaze wandered to the side of the room where Arthur sat. He was hunched
over a book, hair falling in his face. Whatever he was reading seemed to
engross his attention; he didn’t appear to feel Merlin watching him. The
clothes he was wearing were lame but expensive, not that Merlin cared about any
of that shit. Every once in a while he ran his hand through his hair, brushing
it out of eyes, which never strayed from the page. He looked tightly wound and
closed in on himself, and from the way he was biting his bottom lip, he had
reached a tense part in his book. It kinda annoyed Merlin that he couldn’t see
the cover.
“Ahem. Mr. Emrys, perhaps you could find something to do other than stare?” 
Merlin’s eyes snapped toward the front of the room, but not before Arthur had
noticed Merlin looking at him. Angered at being called out and at Gaius’s
bemused expression, Merlin tucked his head, digging through his bag to find his
math homework. For the rest of the hour he didn’t so much as glance up.
Later, Merlin was quiet as he walked home with Gwaine and Morgana, waiting for
one or the both of them to call him out for staring at Arthur. When that didn’t
happen he relaxed, fishing out a cigarette and lighting it, inhaling the
relaxing smoke into his lungs.
“You got one of those for me, man?” Gwaine asked.
“Moocher,” Merlin said, throwing him another. “I think you owe me about a
hundred.”
“I’ll getcha back.”
“Yeah, right.”
They’d lived in the same neighborhood, a middle class suburb not far from
Avalon High, all their lives. Merlin regarded the ugly ranch-style houses and
the well-manicured lawns sullenly, pulling another drag off his cig. His father
didn’t approve of the habit, but Balinor wouldn’t be home for another day, so
it didn’t matter if he smelled like smoke.
“So, like I was telling you before about that kid Arthur,” Morgana said,
squeezing Merlin’s arm to get his attention. He turned his head and smirked
down at her.
“Yeah?”
“He’s a junior but he’s taking senior classes. He’s like a billionaire or
something, and he’s always late to Physics.”
Merlin poked her in the ribs. “Sounds like you’ve got a crush, Morg.”
“No way, dude. Not my type.”
“Yeah,” Gwaine said with a snort. “He’s straight.”
Morgana punched Gwaine in the arm. “Shut up, you.”
“So what the fuck is he doing here, then, if he’s so rich?” Merlin asked,
interrupting them. Didn’t make sense for a kid whose family could afford
private school to come to Avalon.
“Dunno. He doesn’t talk toanyone.”
“Probably got kicked out of prep school for drugs or something,” Gwaine
offered.
“Drugs, Gwaine?” Merlin shook his head. It didn’t add up. “I’ll bet my life
that kid has never gotten high. And anyway, that’s why you getsent to prep
school, moron.”
“You never know,” Gwaine said with a shrug. “Can’t judge a book by its cover,
can you?”
Merlin snorted, thinking about how true . . . and how utterly false . . . that
cliché was.
 
                               ›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
 
The following Monday, Merlin walked into Gaius’s class blasting Danzig; they’d
had to read the first act of Macbethover the weekend, which, Merlin had
decided, was a pretty metal play as far as Shakespeare was concerned. Better
than Romeo and Juliet, which they’d read the year before. Fucking overrated, if
you asked Merlin.
Mother, tell your children not to walk my way,
Tell your children not to—
That’s when he stopped dead in his tracks—Arthur, the kid from detention, was
sitting at Merlin’s usual desk. What the hell was he doing in AP English? Then
Merlin remembered what Morgana had said about Arthur being smart, taking senior
classes. His clothes were even worse than before—khakis Merlin wouldn’t be
caught dead in and a fucking sweater vest. The definition of preppy, only
somehow worse.
Arthur looked up at Merlin through blond fringe.
“Hi,” he said. 
“Uh,” Merlin said, pulling the buds out of his ears, flustered. “That’s my
seat.”
Arthur looked around and Merlin followed his gaze; there were empty desks
everywhere, his expression seemed to point out, so why did Merlin care where
Arthur sat?
“There’s room for all,” came a voice from behind. Gaius was at the front of the
room writing something on the board, but he’d seemed to notice their
interaction. “Just find another chair, Mr. Emrys. And put the i-thingy away.”
Merlin quickly gathered his wits and sat the next row over as the final few
students entered and settled in. He knew he was being childish, but for some
reason Arthur’s taking his seat bothered him, like he was being displaced or
something. If Arthur thought anything about the exchange, he didn’t show it. He
kept his gaze locked on the front of the room.
“I’d like to introduce you all to a new student who’ll be joining us for the
rest of the year. This is Arthur Pendragon from San Diego,” Gaius said once the
bell had rung. “Arthur, would you tell us a little about yourself? Hobbies,
movies you like?” 
Arthur cleared his throat. When he spoke his voice was deep, but it trembled
with nerves. “I don’t have many hobbies. Reading, I guess. I like the Beatles.”
“Ah, excellent, excellent,” Gaius said, beaming, then added a “I am the walrus,
goo goo g’joob!” for good measure. Some kids in the class snickered and Arthur
flushed, obviously not used to Gauis’s random and terrible singing. By the end
of the year, he would be. “And what did you think of Macbeth?”
“It’s not my favorite Shakespeare, but I enjoyed reading it this time around.”
This time around?Was this kid for real? A couple other students tittered. “Very
good, very good,” Gaius said. “I hope you will find our students welcoming.” He
turned a disapproving look on the room designed to silence the laughers. “May I
ask which of the Bard’s plays is your favorite?”
“I’d have to say . . . probably Romeo and Juliet.”
Merlin snorted. He couldn’t help himself, earning a glare from Gaius and a red
face from Arthur.
“Mr. Emrys.”
“Sorry. I just really don’t like that play.Romeo's an idiot who falls in love
with the first girl he sees and Juilet's no prize herself." He couldn't
remember why else he hadn't liked it. He shrugged and looked at Arthur. "People
say it's a tragedy, but I wanted to laugh at the end. I mean, comeon, really?
Now,Macbeth is a tragedy. It's so much better.”
“I agree that Macbethis a better play, formally speaking,” Arthur said, his
tone quiet but firm. “But Mr. Gaius asked which was my favorite.”
“I guess there’s no accounting for taste,” Merlin replied.
He had no idea why he was reacting this way, why it mattered if this preppy
rich kid liked a crappy play. But he felt uneasy, riled when Arthur turned his
blue eyes on him and said in an enigmatic voice, “No, I guess not.” 
 
                               ›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
 
Soon Arthur and Merlin’s in-class rivalry had become the stuff of legend,
Avalon High legend, at least.
They disagreed over everything; even when Merlin shared Arthur’s view he made a
point to play Devil’s Advocate. It was fun to unnerve Arthur—he turned the most
gratifying shade of pink, but as the days passed he gained a sort of
confidence, his voice losing its nervous tremble. Now he’d meet Merlin head on
in challenge, so victory was never assured. Gaius seemed to vacillate between
irritation and amusement, but in general, as long as they stayed relatively
respectful during their debates, he let them argue it out.
Merlin started noticing things about Arthur, like how he walked as though he
was always lost, head in the clouds. He dressed like he was colorblind and
seemed to have an eternal supply of horrible sweaters, never wearing the same
one more than once. He didn’t have any friends and seemed shy of most people.
But he was snarky too, which would come out sometimes when they argued in
class. Merlin had a feeling there was a lot more to Arthur’s personality than
he was comfortable showing in public.
Sometimes Merlin’d turn his head (they’d taken to sitting next to each other
most days) and notice Arthur turn quickly away, like he didn’t want to be
caught. Merlin didn’t know how to feel about it. Arthur was not his type—at
all. They had zero in common. It didn’t make any sense, yet still Merlin found
himself looking forward to English every day. 
“So, when are you gonna bone that new kid, Merlin?” Gwaine asked one day as
they were all walking home.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Merlin replied, his voice casual.
“Oh come off it, man. Elyan said, and this is a direct quote, ‘you could cut
the sexual tension with a knife’ in that English class of yours.”
Merlin flushed in spite of himself. “Elyan’s full of shit.”
“Is Arthur even gay?” Morgana asked.
“Dunno,” Merlin said, mind buzzing with half-remembered glances.
“You should go for it, dude. I bet he’s wild under all that uptight, shy boy
routine.”
“Sounds like you’re the interested one, Gwaine,” Merlin said.
“I bet he has a huge dick,” Morgana piped in. 
Merlin turned, eyes widening. “Oh my God, Merlin, you should see your face
right now,” Morgana said with a laugh. “But I’m serious. The quiet ones are
always packing.”
“I’ll have you know mine is huge, and I talk a lot.” Gwaine slung his arm
around Morgana’s shoulder.
“I guess three inches is considered big in some countries,” Morgana shot back.
Merlin rolled his eyes at them; they’d been flirting like this for the past
year and he didn’t understand why they wouldn’t just fuck already.
“I don’t know why you’re even thinking about Arthur’s dick,” Merlin said.
“A little jealous, are we?” Gwaine said, miming a blowjob, tongue in cheek.
“Want that monster cock for yourself?”
By now they’d reached their point of divergence. Merlin shoved his hands in his
pockets and considered his friends with a scowl.
“No way. I’m not fucking jealous. You’re insane.”
“Methinks the lady doth protest—”
“Shut up, Gwaine. I’ll see you two losers tomorrow,” Merlin said, pushing down
all the images that had appeared in his stupid, traitor brain.
But the next morning during Merlin’s shower jerk-off, Arthur’s face popped into
his mind just as he was about to come. Those blue eyes, fuck. He came hard,
dick emptying into the drain as he imagined what it would be like for Arthur to
suck him off with those red lips.
He shook his head to clear it of the fantasy and a grabbed a towel, muttering
to himself. Stupid Gwaine and his stupid suggestions. There was no way that was
ever happening.
Merlin forgot about the whole thing until someone ran smack into him between
first and second period.
“Hey, what the fu—” Merlin started to say, turning round to see who’d hit his
arm and nearly knocked his iPhone out of his hand. It was Arthur, dressed in
another hideous sweater.
“Sorry,” he said, looking down at his shoes.
“Did you do that on purpose?” Merlin asked.
“No.”
“Well, you should really watch where you’re going, you know?” He wasn’t sure
why he was so testy, but it probably had something to do with the fact that
he’d just jerked off to Arthur’s face and now the dude was standing in front of
him, lips all chapped and smelling like he’d just come in from the cold, which
made no sense since school had been in session for a couple of hours.  Merlin
pulled out his earbuds and hung them around his neck.
Arthur’s brows creased. “You weren’t.” 
He couldn’t stop thinking about the random shower fantasy now, not when Arthur
was biting at his bottom lip. “Where are you off to in such a hurry, then?” he
asked instead, willing himself not to pop a boner in the middle of the damn
hall.
“Nowhere. Just class. I missed my first one.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. I overslept.” Merlin wanted to ask a slew of questions, like why hadn’t
his folks woken him up, but it wasn’t really any of his business.
“Hmm,” Merlin said. Somehow they’d started walking and Arthur fell into step
next to him. “So . . .” he said as they started back down the hall. “You’re
from California.”
“Yeah,” Arthur said. His face reddened a bit, and Merlin wondered what the fuck
was wrong with him that he thought it was cute.
“I can tell.”
“What do you mean, you can tell?” Arthur cocked his head, his eyebrows knitting
together.
“You’re blond. You kinda look like a movie star, tan and all that.”
Arthur’s blush intensified. “I do not.”
“Well, maybe not with those clothes,” Merlin said, gesturing.
Arthur’s brow furrowed. “There’s nothing wrong with my clothes."
“If you say so, dude.”
“Says the guy who wears the same thing every day. What is that, anyway? A dog
collar?”
Merlin’s hand automatically drifted to his neck. He fingered the leather there,
the metal studs smooth under his fingertips. Balinor had thrown a fit when he’d
first started wearing it, but his mother . . . his mother hadn’t minded.
“Kinda,” he said, throat tightening. 
“You’re strange.”
“I hope so. Not being strange is so boring.”
“I guess.”
 “This is me,” Merlin said as they reached his class. “I guess I’ll catch you
later.”
“All right,” Arthur said. And then he smiled. It wasn’t a huge smile, just a
hint on one corner of his mouth like he was the fucking Mona Lisa, all
enigmatic and shit. No one who wasn’t Gwaine or Morgana ever smiled at him,
except maybe Gaius when Merlin wrote something he thought was good. It made him
feel strange. They weren’t friends; they didn’t even really like each other.
Right?
 
                               ›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
 
That afternoon, Merlin was back in detention courtesy of being caught smoking
on school grounds. Not surprisingly, given his missed class, Arthur was there
as well. He looked up when Merlin entered and gave a curt nod before dropping
his head, eyes back on his book. Instead of sitting on the opposite end of the
room, Merlin took a seat one row over, dropping down into his chair and pulling
out his notebook.
Today it was only the two of them, and the teacher in charge was someone Merlin
didn’t know—a young chick, maybe a substitute. She seemed nervous, rustling
papers at the front of the room, not looking at them. That was fine by Merlin.
“What are you reading?” he whispered.
Arthur bit his lip and lifted his head, glancing to the front of the room
nervously before showing Merlin the cover.
On the Road.Merlin nodded, impressed before he could stop himself.
Arthur quirked one brow, mouthed something that seemed like, Oh, his highness
approves?
So as not to give too much away, Merlin wrinkled his nose. “It’s all right, I
guess.”
“No talking,” the teacher said, and that was that. Arthur went back to reading
his book and Merlin doodled in the margins of a blank page, growing bored as
the hour drew on.
He yawned dramatically and stretched, lifting his arms overhead. He cracked his
knuckles and settled back down, only to find Arthur staring at him, his blue
eyes wide. And not only was Arthur staring, he was watching the place where
Merlin’s shirt had lifted as he’d stretched.
Howinteresting.
Arthur looked away, a faint blush coloring his cheeks, and suddenly detention
was much less dull. An experiment was in order.
Merlin cleared his throat and leaned back in the chair, splaying out his legs.
When he didn’t get any response from Arthur or the teacher, he let his head
loll back and shut his eyes, chasing the tiny circles that danced under his
closed lids. For good measure, he rubbed his stomach, lifting his shirt and
scratching his happy trail, letting the skin peek through. When he opened his
eyes again and looked at Arthur, his face was a furious shade of red. The page
he was reading must have very interesting indeed: he hadn’t turned it in over
five minutes.
As soon as the hour was over, Arthur grabbed his bag and bolted out of the
classroom like his ass was on fire. Merlin could only conclude that the hasty
departure was explainable by one of two options:
A. Merlin made Arthur uncomfortable.
B. Merlin gave Arthur a boner.
He was suddenly consumed with the desire to find out which it was, when he was
hit by the realization that maybe it was both. 
 
                               ›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
 
“Another goddamn detention?” His dad was standing in the kitchen holding an
envelope. Shit. Merlin had forgotten all about the note from school after he’d
confiscated it. Merlin huffed, throwing his bag to the floor.
“I see you’ve been snooping in my room.”
“My house, my rules. And I got a call from Principal Tauren wondering why I
hadn’t responded.”
Shit.Merlin scrubbed his face over his hands and sighed.
“I’m taking away that iPhone, Merlin. This has got to stop.”
“What do you care, anyway, Balinor?” Merlin shot back, knowing the use of his
father's first name would get a rise. It was so like his dad to be absent for
days, weeks at a time and then waltz back into his life pretending to give two
shits.
“I care because I’m your father and I love you. And don’t speak to me like
that.”
“That’s a joke,” he grumbled under his breath, grabbing his bag and turning on
his heel.
“What did you just say to me?”
Merlin whirled back around. “I said that’s a fucking joke. Ever since Mom died
all you care about is yourself. You haven’t even been here. So what the fuck
does it matter if I get detention? What does it even matter if I go to school?”
His father’s face fell, went pale. “I know I haven’t been around as much . . .
work has been . . .”
“Right,” Merlin said. “Always work. Fuck it.” He stormed to his room and
slammed the door, fighting against the angry tears. Instead, he put on
Megadeath, turning his speakers loud, and let the drums soothe the ache that
had been left by his mother’s death. It had been almost two years since they’d
gotten the call about the car accident that had taken her life. Fucking drunk
driver, head-on collision on her way home from work.
His mom had been the parent who really understood him. They’d been close. She
didn’t care if he dressed the way he did, or what music he liked, or that he
was gay. She just wanted him to be happy. And he was. They were all fucking
happy until some drunken asshole decided to get in his car and take it all
away.
School the rest of the week was a joke. Merlin ditched two days and then
skipped detention, which resulted in another one on top of it all. By Friday
he’d earned himself a pull-aside by Gaius after English.
“What’s going on with you this week, Merlin?” His eyes were concerned. Merlin
swallowed and evaded the gaze.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I’ve gotten used to you being pretty vocal in class and this week
nothing. And the absences. Skipping detention? Is there anything you need to
talk about?”
Merlin sighed. “I’m fine. Just some stuff with my dad, is all.”
“If you’d like to talk to someone . . .”
“Really,” Merlin said, keeping his voice even. “I’m cool.”
“I’ll see you after school today, though, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be there.”
Merlin slunk into detention a few minutes late. He didn’t recognize anyone in
the room, except for Gaius, of course.
“Late, Mr. Emrys, you know what this means?”
“Another detention?”
“How about an extra five minutes?”
“Cool. Sorry,” he said, giving Gaius a thumbs up. Just then the door opened and
Arthur entered. When he saw Merlin, he raised his hand in an awkward wave. They
hadn’t spoken in almost a week, and Merlin had been so lost in his own head
he’d forgotten about the incident in detention, how Arthur had run out of the
room so quickly. But now it all came rushing back, along with realization he’d
kind of missedArthur.
He watched as Arthur made his way toward the back of the class, taking a seat
nearby. Gaius gave him a look. “Mr. Pendragon . . .”
“Sorry I’m late, Sir,” Arthur said. “It won’t happen again.”
“Yes, well, it’s good to see you and Mr. Emrys seem to have something in common
after all,” Gaius said wryly.
The urge to turn and see if Arthur was watching him was like an itch, but
Merlin resisted. He rubbed at his neck, working out some of the kinks, rolling
his shoulders, not quite sure what he was doing. What he wanted to prove.
It would be fucking nice to get off, though, that was for sure. And he couldn’t
really deny that under those stupid clothes Arthur was a pretty hot guy. Maybe
he even did have a big dick, which would be a bonus.
And so he stretched again, letting his shirt lift up, took the chance and
looked back.
Arthur’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed deeply, then glanced away,
shifting uncomfortably in his seat. There was no misinterpreting that look, not
this time. Merlin licked his lips.
“May I go to the bathroom?” Arthur asked, not looking at Merlin as Gaius
assented. He rose, hurrying out of the classroom.
Five minutes passed, then ten.
“Do you want me to go find him?” Merlin asked, heart picking up speed at the
thought of confronting Arthur, not sure what he expected. It was exciting.
Gaius nodded. “Fine. But don’t you get lost, too,” he said, giving Merlin a
pointed stare as he left the room. “And hurry back.”
The hallways were deserted and silent; it was almost eerie, this time of day in
school. This is what it’ll be like after the zombie apocalypse, Merlin thought
as he jogged down the hall. Maybe Arthur was sick, or hell, maybe he was
jerking off.
He didn’t waste any time, pushing open the door to the first floor bathroom.
Arthur was standing in front of the sinks, water running. He looked over his
shoulder, mouth dropping open as Merlin approached.
“You left in a hurry,” Merlin said, smirking. Arthur shut off the water and
straightened up. Shoulders back, he looked much taller, and Merlin realized
they were just about the same height. His initial surprised expression had
become guarded, but he didn’t turn fully around. Upon closer inspection, Merlin
noticed why. He had a tent going in his khakis, and he was doing his best to
hide it.  
“Yeah, well.”
“So I’ve been sent to find you.” Merlin took another step forward. “See if you
were okay.”
“Are you?” Merlin asked.
“Is this some kind of game for you?” Arthur’s voice had gone soft, his eyes
unsure, half-lidded.
“What do you mean?” Now there were mere inches between them, and Merlin
wondered if it was a game or something else entirely. 
“What are you doing, anyway?” Arthur asked.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Merlin stuck out his hand, gently touched
Arthur’s hip. Arthur shuddered.
“But I’m not . . .”
Arthur bit his lip again, eyes darting to Merlin’s mouth, and that one slip
gave Merlin the confidence he needed to act. He took Arthur by the
shoulders—strong, broader than they seemed under the stupid plaid sweater—and
turned him around. Arthur’s breath hitched as Merlin leaned forward, pressing
Arthur into the sinks and taking his mouth in a kiss that left no question of
what he wanted. It was awkward at first because Arthur was frozen, and so
Merlin angled his head, drew back and brushed his lips against Arthur’s,
sliding his hands up Arthur’s shoulders to his scalp, waiting.
He didn’t wait long. Arthur made a surprised sound and pressed his lips back
against Merlin’s tentatively, breath exhaling in shakes. Merlin teased his
tongue along the chapped bottom lip Arthur liked to worry, and then took it
between his own lips, sucking until Arthur opened his mouth to let him in.
Their mouths moved together, the kiss quickly changing into something needful
and messy. What Arthur lacked in skill he made up for with eagerness, making
little grunting noises as their tongues slid against each other, gasping when
Merlin nudged his thigh in-between Arthur’s legs. Merlin licked into Arthur’s
mouth, thought fuck yeahwhen Arthur began a slow grind against him.
Fuck, Arthur was big, and Merlin’s own dick was hard and straining against
Arthur’s hip as they kissed and kissed, hands in each other’s hair, the time
and the fact that anyone could walk in on them at any moment adding a thrill of
danger.  
“Fuck, you’re hard,” Merlin said, reaching down to squeeze Arthur’s cock
through his pants. It was heavy and hot even through the layers of fabric and
Merlin wanted nothing more than to get his mouth on it. The other boy’s eyes
went wide, mouth raw from being kissed.
“W-we can’t . . .” Arthur said, eyes darting to the door.
Merlin realized, some rationality returning, that he was right, but nor could
Arthur go back to detention with his dick sticking out like he was an actor on
the set of some porno. He kept squeezing Arthur’s cock, and Arthur’s lids
fluttered shut.
“I’ve never . . . with a . . . or . . .” Arthur started before trailing off,
his face flushed now from embarrassment, not arousal.
“I kinda figured.” The words had slipped out of his mouth before he could stop
them.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Arthur asked, stilling Merlin’s hand.
“Nothing,” Merlin said, trying to figure out how to get back on track, “I
didn’t mean anything bad by it.”
“Yeah, right.” Arthur had managed to disentangle himself from Merlin and
stepped away. “I know what you and your friends probably think of me. This
isn’t . . . I can’t do this.” 
“Arthur, wait—”
But Arthur had already turned and gone, leaving Merlin with a raging hard-on,
cursing his own stupid cock-blocking mouth.
 
                               ›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
                                        
By Monday, Merlin still didn’t have a handle on what had happened between him
and Arthur in the bathroom on Friday. When he’d got back to detention, the
other boy wouldn’t even look at him, and he’d disappeared before Merlin had the
chance to explain.
Not that Merlin really knew how to explain. He hadn’t really thought anything
would happen between them, and when it had, he hadn’t thought beyond the
moment. And then Arthur had made vague comments about never having done
anything before and Merlin had interpreted it as his embarrassment over his
inexperience and stuck his foot in his mouth. But as the weekend wore on and he
replayed the scene a million times, he wondered if perhaps there was more to
Arthur’s discomfort than anything Merlin had said—that maybe he wasn’t into
guys. Or didn’t want to be into guys, given what he’d said before Merlin had
kissed him. “But I’m not . . .”
He’d heard those words before, mostly from half-straight boys he’d gotten with
who’d been surprised by their own responsiveness. There had been no denying,
though, that Arthur was attracted to him. So maybe he had just been embarrassed
about what Merlin said. Or not. Fucking hell, it made Merlin’s head hurt,
thinking it over. Why did he even care? It was just an awkward kiss in
bathroom, not true love or anything. So, yeah, Merlin had liked it, and the
memory had also served as jerk-off material several times over when it wasn’t
being confusing. He should probably just forget it. Forget that hard cock
pressing against him, the surprised, greedy sounds Arthur made as they kissed.
Yeah. He should just forget it.
It turned out Merlin didn’t even have a reason to worry. Arthur wasn’t in
school that day, or the next. On Wednesday, Merlin sat in English with his eyes
fixed on the door, but Arthur never showed.
“What are you so mopey about?” Morgana asked after school on Wednesday. They
were in her bedroom lounging around and listening to music, some chick band
Morgana liked.
“I’m not mopey.” He certainly wasn’t moping about a certain blond-haired,
uptight, rich kid.
“You are. You’re mopey. You look like you could use a bj.” Morgana sat up on
her bed and looked down at the floor where Merlin was sprawled, hands behind
his head.
“You offering?”
“Maybe.”
Merlin snorted, shook his head. Even though her voice had a joking edge,
sometimes he still worried that she liked him.
“You should offer Gwaine,” he said.
“No way. He doesn’t like me like that.”
Rolling over on his side, Merlin gave her his best scrutinizing stare. “You two
are perfect for each other. Both in denial.”
“Oh shut up.” He grabbed the pillow that was launched at his head and
repurposed it, lying back down and sighing in exaggerated comfort.
“I’m just saying you guys would be good together.”
“Ugh, but Gwaine? He’s like my best friend.”
“Gee thanks."
“I mean other than you, obviously.” Morgana started picking at her nails, a
habit that drove Merlin crazy; she always did it when she was nervous, leaving
tiny black flecks of nail polish in her wake. “What are you suddenly, like a
matchmaker or something?”
“Fuck it, just forget I said anything.”
“Oh Merlin, you’re so moody.” She looked down at him, black hair falling over
her face, which made her look kinda hot and evil. But the smile she gave him
was sad. “Is it about your mom? The anniversary’s coming up, right?”
“Sunday.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.”
“You okay?”
“I’m fine,” Merlin said. He’d gotten so used to lying, he hardly even knew when
he was doing it anymore.
 
                               ›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
                                        
When Merlin walked into class the next day and saw Arthur sitting in his usual
seat, all blond and chewing on the end of his pen, he was filled with so many
contradictory urges he didn’t know how to sort them. Irritation. Definitely
lust. Relief?
“Where’ve you been?” he asked, a little bitterness creeping into his tone as he
sat down beside Arthur. The rest of the students were chattering, not paying
them any attention.
“Out sick.” Arthur glanced at him, then quickly away, a telltale blush
spreading on his cheeks. Clearly he was a crap liar.
“Oh, really?” Arthur didn’t look like he’d been sick; he looked healthy as a
fucking horse. Dammit, he looked good, which was supremely annoying.
“Yeah.” Then Arthur turned, his blue eyes serious. “What do you care, anyway?”
“I don’t,” Merlin said angrily, digging in his bag just for something to do.
“Then why are you asking?” Arthur shot back.
Merlin raised his head and met Arthur’s challenging stare. It was intense, so
much different from the shy kid Merlin had gotten used to over the past couple
months. And fuck if it didn’t cause a stirring in Merlin’s pants.
Before he had the chance to answer, Gaius walked in and called them to order,
and Merlin was grateful for the distraction, even though he could hardly focus
on a word that was said. He kept quiet, occasionally stealing a glance at
Arthur, who looked just as ill at ease as Merlin. That was something, at least.
By the time the bell rang, Merlin was a lethal cocktail of angry and turned on,
certain he wanted to kiss Arthur again, but also sure it would be a bad idea.
One thing was certain, though; he had to get Arthur alone.
They spilled out into the hall, entering the throng of students changing
classes, and Merlin lost sight of Arthur for a minute until he spied his blond
head moving in the opposite direction. Not wasting a moment to think, Merlin
took off after him through the thinning crowd.
“Arthur,” he said, once the kid was within earshot. “Wait a fucking second.”
Arthur turned around, and Merlin expected to see shock, nervousness, anything
but the hard glare he received.
“What?”
“I need to talk to you for a minute.”
Then Arthur did look hesitant, glancing around them, then back to Merlin. He
bit his lip, and Merlin reached out, took his arm and dragged him into an empty
classroom. The light was off, the shades drawn, and all of a sudden Merlin
realized they were alone in a relatively dark room. Whatever he’d been planning
to say vanished, lost in the rhythm of Arthur’s quiet breathing, in the
proximity of their bodies.
“So,” Arthur said, “what did you—”
“Just shut up,” Merlin replied. He leaned forward just as Arthur did, and their
mouths mashed together in a kiss that was all tongue and teeth. Merlin was weak
with the relief that he didn’t seem to be alone in this because Arthur was
fierce, his lips just as hard and demanding. It was better this time, even with
the weird tension of whatever was unspoken between them.
Merlin drew away and kissed Arthur’s neck, sucking deeply into the skin there,
feeling a moan vibrate under his tongue. Hands were in his hair, and then
Arthur’s hips arched and met his. They were both hard, and Merlin rubbed into
it, walked Arthur back until they met the firmness of the wall. It was even
better then, and Merlin dragged his mouth back to Arthur’s, nipped that full
bottom lip and sighed when Arthur’s tongue licked against his in an open-
mouthed kiss.
He let himself touch Arthur, his chest, his arms, felt answering strokes on his
back as Arthur pulled him closer. Merlin was painfully hard now, needing to
come and not caring that they were in a fucking biology lab. The sounds Arthur
was making were even better than he remembered, and his skin was salty where
Merlin drew bruises, marking it as he humped into the crease of Arthur’s hip.
His cock chafed against the inside of his pants, but Merlin couldn’t stop. He
was so close.
“Oh . . . I’m gonna . . .” Arthur said, head falling back against the wall, his
own pelvis grinding with the same furious need.
“Fucking yesss.” Merlin brought their mouths back together as his orgasm
overtook him, pulsing sticky in his jeans, and Arthur was still moving, clawing
at Merlin’s back, kissing his lips swollen. He grunted and stilled and Merlin
watched his mouth drop open, eyes closed, and it was the hottest thing Merlin
had ever seen, watching innocent, rich-boy Arthur come, debauched in a fucking
high school classroom.
They stayed pressed up against each other until the wetness in Merlin’s pants
started growing cool and uncomfortable, and awkward silence descended once
more.
“Shit, I’m going to be so late,” Arthur said, voice more tired than worried. It
was the first time Merlin had ever heard Arthur swear. He laughed.
“Yeah. Well you might wanna make a trip to the bathroom first,” Merlin said,
adjusting himself.
Even in the dim light of the classroom, Merlin could see Arthur blush.
“You’re not gonna tell anyone about this are you?” Arthur asked.
“Nah,” Merlin said, though he suspected he’d left some pretty significant marks
on Arthur’s neck. He tried to ignore the fact that Arthur’s words made him feel
like shit. “It was just a hook-up. A one-time thing. No worries.”
“Good. Yeah,” Arthur said, and Merlin swallowed away the lump in his throat at
the ease of his agreement.
“I gotta go,” Merlin said, walking to the door. A hand on his arm stopped him,
tugged him back, and his heart gave a lurch.
“Merlin—”
“What?”
Arthur’s face fell. “Nothing. Never mind.”
 
                               ›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
                                        
“You gave me . . . hickeys,” Arthur said, lowering his voice to hiss the last
word in a whisper. He was standing by Merlin’s locker early on Friday morning
wearing a button down shirt, the collar popped. Even so, Merlin could detect a
hint of a purplish bruise peeking from underneath, just shaded by Arthur’s
angular jaw. It gave him a secret thrill he’d put it there.
“Yeah, so?"
“Yeah, so my mother saw.”
“Sorry, man.”
“You don’t understand . . . I can’t . . .”
“No, I think I get it. Just tell her it was some chick or something. Whatever.
She’ll probably be pleased as punch her son isn’t a homo after all.” He slammed
his locker shut and started walking away, but Arthur was following him,
striding along quickly to keep up.
“You did it on purpose."
“You didn’t seem to mind at the time. In fact, I’d say you liked it.” Merlin
smirked at the blush that colored Arthur’s cheeks. He was fucking right.
“Don’t talk so loudly.”
Merlin’s smirk faded, and he looked straight ahead. The last thing he needed
was to get caught in the mess of Arthur’s denial; he wasn’t about to feel
ashamed about who he was. “You’re the one who brought it up.”
As they walked together in silence toward their respective homerooms, Merlin’s
couldn’t help being aware of Arthur, how he smelled all freshly showered, his
blond hair still wet.  He was wearing jeans today and they were way too short,
perfect for a waiting for a flood, Pendragon?  Merlin kept his mouth shut,
almost disappointed when they arrived at his class.
“I got detention yesterday for being late.”
“Me too,” Merlin said.
What Arthur said next was uttered so softly, Merlin wasn’t sure he’d heard
right. “It was worth it.”
 
                               ›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
                                        
They didn’t talk in English, but Arthur’s words replayed over and over in
Merlin’s head. As class let out, Arthur caught Merlin’s gaze and held it before
he left, no doubt not wanting to be late again. It was confusing, to say the
least. The night before Merlin had himself firmly convinced this thing with
Arthur was just a one-time deal, just to get his rocks off and get the kid out
of his head—and certainly Arthur didn’t seem to want more. But what had
happened that morning had him all disturbed again, anticipating detention like
it was a goddamn holiday. 
When he finally got there, the room was filled with familiar faces. Elyan and
Gwaine were sitting together and beckoned for him to join them when Merlin
noticed Arthur at the back. He couldn’t go sit with him, not with his friends
watching, and he didn’t dare look either.
“Dude,” Gwaine whispered over to him after Merlin sat. “You check out
Pendragon’s neck?”
“What? No.” Even though Gwaine was whispering, the room was quiet enough for
anyone to hear, and Merlin wanted to fucking kill him.
“Looks like he got hoovered,” Elyan added. “Shit, bro, I didn’t know the kid
had it in him.”
Merlin remained silent as the other two traded a couple more comments and
laughed. If he told them to shut up they’d wonder why, and if he joined in
Arthur might hear and think he was an asshole. The best strategy was definitely
to pretend like he didn’t give two shits.
“So,” Elyan said to Merlin, “you two are buds and all. How’d he get so lucky?
Who’s the chick?”
“Or maybe it was it a dude?” Gwaine added.
Merlin glared at him, but was saved from answering by the overseeing teacher
entering and taking a seat, instructing them all to be quiet. Merlin was pissed
off at Gwaine and Elyan, but it was his own fault, really. He’d wanted to mark
Arthur and now the whole school had probably noticed, which was the last thing
Arthur had wanted. 
Once people had settled into their work, Merlin chanced a glance at Arthur, who
was frowning with his face in his book. He felt horrible.
“Hey, Merl,” Gwaine said after detention was over. “We’re headed over to
Odyssey, wanna come?”
Gwaine’s older brother Lance had a comic book store downtown, and they often
went after school to hang out in the back room, play games, read shit for free.
Any other day he’d have gone, but today Merlin’s attention was focused on
Arthur, who was walking down the hall in the other direction.
“Nah, man. I gotta get home. Work to do.”
“It’s Friday.”
Of course Gwaine would pick today to be observant. “Yeah, but I got this lab
report, you know, and it’s gonna take forever. Gotta get a head start.”
One of Gwaine’s eyebrows shot up skeptically, but he shrugged. “All right,
then. Call you tomorrow?”
“Sounds good.”
“Yeah, check you later, Merlin.”  Elyan slapped him on the shoulder and he
watched his two friends walk away and round the corner before he headed after
Arthur. He was already out the front door and halfway down the school steps
when Merlin spotted him, hands thrust in his pockets.
“Arthur,” he called, “wait up!”
He must have been heard, he was loud enough, but Arthur didn’t turn around,
forcing Merlin to run to catch up. What was going on that he was always running
after this kid?
“Hey,” he said, reaching out and touching Arthur’s arm. “I’m sorry. Those guys
don’t mean any harm. They’re just joking around.”
 “Yeah. At my expense,” Arthur said, voice edged with bitterness. “It’s all so
funny to you.”
“No. It’s not. It’s really not.”
“Whatever. It doesn’t even matter.” He seemed so defeated; Merlin cursed
himself for not telling off Gwaine and Elyan when he had the chance. Whatever
was going on with Arthur, he was freaked out about this whole situation, and
Merlin should have known better. There’d been a time when he’d gotten crap at
school for being gay, but he’d learned to ignore the insults and comments of
ignorant losers, and now most people left him alone. If they talked behind his
back, it was mostly because of the way he dressed or how often he got in
trouble. He didn’t care.
The most important thing is for you to be true to yourself, his mother had once
told him when he’d come home one day crying over some dumb jock calling him a
faggot in gym. It hadn’t really helped then, but he believed it now.
“It does. Look, I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. I would have, you know, but I
was afraid they’d get suspicious and you said you didn’t want anyone to know,
so . . .”
“I guess.” Arthur still wouldn’t look at him. Then he sighed.
“Where you going now?” Merlin asked.
“Home.”
“Why don’t you come over? My dad’s away.” That got Arthur’s attention. He
turned, regarded Merlin cautiously, and Merlin was caught in that blue-eyed
stare, aware of the lingering implications of an empty house. It didn’t have to
be like that, though Merlin wouldn’t mind a little more action.
“What about your mom?”
“Um. My mom’s dead.”
Arthur’s eyes widened with surprise, and Merlin could see the familiar play of
emotions behind his features as he tried to conjure something to say, some
expression of sympathy. Merlin didn’t want that.
“You don’t have to say anything,” Merlin said quickly, wanting to change the
subject. “It’s . . . it’s . . . people don’t really know what to say and I’d
rather not have the pity.”
Arthur was quiet for a moment. “I don’t pity you. But I am sorry to hear about
your mom.”

“So you wanna come over?” Merlin asked again, not sure what the fuck he was
doing, just that he didn’t want Arthur to go. 
“Um. Okay. I’ll have to call my mother first.”
“Right. Great.”
Merlin hung a few paces back while Arthur pulled out his phone and called his
mother. He tried not to listen to the conversation, but winced all the same at
the tone Arthur used to convince his mother that yeshe had a new friend from
school. He thought about lighting a cigarette, but Arthur didn’t smoke and if
anything happened, well, he didn’t want to get ahead of himself, but he didn’t
want to smell, either.
“So where do you live?”
“Over this way. Come on.”
As they walked, they stuck to relatively innocent conversation—what work they
had in classes, what teachers they liked or didn’t. It was the most they’d ever
talked, and Merlin found they had more in common, at least personality-wise,
than he’d suspected before. Arthur was a good student but seemed bored by his
course work, which was why he’d enrolled in senior classes. It had apparently
been Gaius’s idea for him to switch from junior to AP English, and he planned
to start college courses the next year. He wanted to know where Merlin was
applying, sounded interested when Merlin explained about the programs he was
considering. And apparently there was no real mystery to why he was always late
for school. He liked to stay up late and often overslept.
Where they really disagreed was music.
“I can’t believe you like the fucking Dave Matthews Band.” Merlin guffawed,
slapping his knee, and Arthur scowled. “Oh God. You're like a mom.”
“There’s nothing wrong with Dave. It’s actual music, not like the crap you
listen to.” Arthur gestured at the tee Merlin was wearing, just visible in-
between the open flaps of his leather jacket.
“Whoa. Whoaaa. Are you calling Metallica crap?” He shoved at Arthur, but Arthur
managed to dart away.
“Yeah. Maybe I am."
“Oh, you are sodead. Metallica is poetry. Serious old school, classic metal.
Have you ever listened to the lyrics?”
“How can you even hear lyrics? It’s all noise.”
“I think I’m going to have to kill you.”
They’d reached Merlin’s house, and he pulled out his keys, jiggling the lock
while Arthur stood behind him.
“I’m really not scared.”
“You should be. That’s it,” Merlin said, opening the door with a flourish.
“Musical education time.”
“Oh great,” Arthur said, his voice dripping sarcasm. “I can’t wait for this.”
They went up to Merlin’s room and dropped their bags on the floor, and it was
only then Merlin realized they were standing alone in his fucking room, and
there was a bed, and why would he even spare a moment for Arthur’s musical
education when he could be giving Arthur his first blow job? The other boy was
looking around, biting his lip as he regarded the posters on Merlin’s wall,
shifting from one foot to the other. He seemed nervous now.
“You really like the color black, don’t you?” Arthur observed.
“Black’s not a color. It’s the absence of color. The void.”
Arthur rolled his eyes. “How profound.”
He was studying an Iron Maiden poster with a look of distaste, so Merlin moved
a little closer. “So, what do you want to do?” he asked, quirking his brow.
Arthur flushed and looked away, the bravado of seconds before vanishing. “Um .
. .”
“I know what I wanna do.” Merlin took a chance and reached out to touch
Arthur’s waist.
“I’m starting to think you have a one track mind.”
“Yeah, so? Don’t you?” He stepped forward in challenge. Arthur’s eyes focused
on Merlin’s mouth, so he pressed his advantage and let his tongue dart out to
wet his lips.
“Yeah,” Arthur admitted, his hands drifting to Merlin’s belt loops, thumbs
hooking through and pulling him close enough to kiss. Neither of them seemed
inclined to admit they’d agreed this wouldn’t happen again, and that was okay
with Merlin. He let Arthur make the first move, keeping still as Arthur skimmed
his nose along Merlin’s, hot breath on his face just before their lips met.
They stood there for some time, just kissing until they wanted closer, and
Merlin started pulling Arthur toward the bed, pushing him down and straddling
him.
Arthur’s mouth was open, his shirt riding up, and Merlin moved to kiss the bare
skin—a faint golden color and warm as the sun. The fuzzy hair around Arthur’s
navel tickled Merlin’s nose and he pushed the shirt higher, unveiling more
flesh until he found what he was looking for—Arthur’s perfect nipples. He
licked first one, than the other until Arthur was panting, hands in his hair,
hips straining.
“Just tell me if you want to stop,” Merlin said, hand paused on Arthur’s fly.
He was so fucking horny himself, but his own satisfaction could wait; he wanted
to see Arthur more than anything.
“Don’t stop. Please.”
Merlin’s blood rushed with the heady thought he was the first to do this, to
touch Arthur this way, and he wanted it to be good.
“What do you want?”
Arthur went bright red, his eyes closing. “Everything,” he whispered.
“Are you sure?”
In answer, Arthur squeezed Merlin’s hand where it rested on his cock, and
that’s all the urging Merlin needed. He turned his attention to the somewhat
delicate task of getting Arthur’s jeans off without catching his erection in
the zipper.
It was so worth it.
With his jeans and boxers down to his knees, Arthur’s cock jutted past his
navel, thick, pink, and uncut, and below, two perfect balls, drawn up and
covered with a dark blond hair. The whole package was perfection. “Holy shit,”
Merlin said before he could stop himself.
“Uh.”  Arthur’s face flushed. “Is that a good thing?”
“That . . .” Merlin slid his fingers around the base, getting a sense of the
girth. “Is a very. Very. Good thing. Jesus.” Arthur had to be nine inches, at
least, and Merlin had never seen a cock that big in real life. His own dick was
just over seven, and he’d never had any complaints before, but Arthur was a
monster. Morgana was right, Merlin thought, stopping the giggle before it
escaped his lips and embarrassed Arthur. There was no way in hell he’d be able
to get the entire thing in his mouth, but damned if he wasn’t going to try.
“Oh,” Arthur said, drawing out the sound when Merlin leaned down and nuzzled
into his crotch, breathing the dark, musky smell. He kissed all around the
coarse hair, licked the sensitive divot between the cock and the sack, and
Arthur’s breath hitched.
“Wait a second. I think we need some tunes. Sorry, I don’t have any Dave
Matthews.”
“It doesn’t matter. Whatever.” Arthur’s voice was strained, and Merlin gave his
leg a squeeze. 
Merlin got up and selected a playlist he’d made for just such occasions. The
first song was Metallica, a lighter song but still one of Merlin’s favorites.
He smiled as the first guitar strains of “Nothing Else Matters” filled the
room. Maybe Arthur would even like it.
When he turned back from his computer, Arthur had fully removed his jeans, and
he was holding himself, whether out of nerves or horniness didn’t matter. It
was hot.
“Let me do that,” Merlin said, kneeling in between Arthur’s parted thighs.
The erection was thick enough that Merlin’s fingers barely closed around it,
and he allowed himself a brief moment of jealousy before licking a stripe up
the prominent vein. How in the world a guy with a cock like this was a virgin
was beyond him. It was a crime against nature to keep such a treasure hidden.
Arthur’s cock was messy and leaking at the slit, and Merlin licked at it,
pressing back the foreskin and sliding his tongue around over the glans,
gathering the bitter fluid on his tongue to slick the way back down. He kept at
it like that for a bit, holding Arthur still with one hand, gently squeezing
the base of his cock while he tongued the shaft, only sometimes stopping to
suck the head into his mouth, knowing if he spent too much time there Arthur
would lose it. His prick was dark red now, so full Merlin could feel it kick in
his hand with every pulse.
“Please,” Arthur said, hands fisting at his sides. Merlin nodded and resumed
his task with a bit more vigor, stroking Arthur’s cock, now slick with saliva
and precome, taking it further into his mouth on each pass. The other boy was
holding back, biting his lip, ass clenching as Merlin took him deeper, nearly
gagged with only half inside. Fucking hell. His eyes watered and he pulled
back, wiped his mouth.
“Sorry,” Arthur said. 
“It’s okay.” Merlin rubbed his own cock through his jeans with his free hand to
relieve some of the pressure as he bent down again over Arthur’s erection and
gave the slit a lick. He was going to come in his pants just from having Arthur
in his mouth, and that was something that had never happened to him before. The
room was filled with the squelching sound of his lips around Arthur’s wet cock
and little grunts and whimpers coming from Arthur, who clearly wanted to fuck
his mouth but didn’t know if he could. It was all so hot, and Merlin imagined
himself in a different position, taking Arthur’s cock from behind, feeling it
split him wide open. He worked Arthur like he couldn’t get enough, wanted to
taste wanted . . . wanted . . .
Arthur grunted, tried to pull Merlin off, but Merlin shook his head, let Arthur
paint the back of his throat while Merlin blew his load from the taste of
Arthur’s come.
“Oh . . . oh . . .” Arthur murmured, shuddering through aftershocks as Merlin
gave his prick a few more licks, then moved up the bed and collapsed next to
Arthur, still fully clothed. He had the urge to keep touching, but knew Arthur
was too sensitive. And what was wrong with him anyway; he’d just gotten off so
why was he wondering how long it would take them to get hard again? Apparently
he was a slut for Arthur’s cock.
Arthur turned and looked at him, unsure. “Are you . . ?”  His hand drifted down
to Merlin’s softening erection.
“I’m good,” Merlin said. “But I really need to stop coming in my pants.”
For some reason this had them both laughing like idiots, arms around each
other. Arthur kissed him with tongue, and then pulled back with a shocked
expression.
“Yeah, it’s a little weird to taste yourself. You kinda get used to it.”
“You seem to have a lot of experience.”
“Not thatmuch,” Merlin said, feeling a bit awkward. Guys either liked that or
hated it, and he wasn’t sure if it would matter to Arthur. It wasn’t like they
were boyfriends or anything, so he shouldn’t be ashamed.
“It’s okay if you have,” Arthur said.
“Yeah, I know.”
They lay silently for a few minutes until Merlin excused himself to change; by
the time he got back, Arthur was fully clothed and sitting on the bed.
“So,” Merlin said, sitting next to him.
“So. I guess I should probably get going.”
“All right.”
“I liked that song,” Arthur said, pulling on one of his shoes.
“Which one?”
“The first one. The slower one. You know, during . . .”
“That was Metallica.”
“It was?”
Merlin grinned and leapt off the bed. He looked around his desk and grabbed a
blank CD, sliding it into the drive to burn Arthur a copy of the Black Album.
When it was finished, he tossed it to Arthur, who had surprisingly good
reflexes.
“Have a listen. Who knows, you might like it.”
“Yeah. Maybe I will. Thanks.” Arthur smiled, pausing by the door, and for a
second Merlin considered asking him to stay for a while longer, until Arthur
said, “See you, Merlin.”
“I’ll see you later, Arthur.”
 
                               ›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
 
Waiting for Monday sucked, especially since Merlin really did have a shitty lab
report to work on and Balinor had come home early from his business trip for
the two of them to spend time together on the anniversary. Neither of them
talked about it. Instead, they spent Sunday fishing out at the lake house his
parents had built when they were just married. House was an overstatement; it
was more like a shack, and Merlin had made every protest he could think of not
to go (it’s fucking freezing, Balinor, it’s November). He’d finally given in
when his father had promised to let him use the car again. And he’d actually
ended up having a not-so-terrible time.
Still, Merlin couldn’t stop thinking about Arthur, wondering what he was doing
over the weekend, whether he liked the CD Merlin had given him, if he’d want to
do what they’d done again. He was being a pretty big girl, he knew, but he
really couldn’t help it. There was something about Arthur—not just his cock,
though that was undeniably awesome. So if Merlin’s heart beat a little more
quickly as he made his way to English on Monday, and if his palms got a bit
slick as he turned the door handle, and if his stomach clenched up tight when
Arthur saw him and smiled, well, that was okay. No one else had to know, not
even Arthur.
“Hey,” Merlin said, sliding into his seat.
“Hi,” Arthur said. He was still smiling, just the corner of his mouth upturned.
“Did you have a good weekend?”
“Yeah. Um. I mean, it was a little boring, but not bad. You?”
Merlin rolled his eyes. “Went fishing with my dad.”
Arthur snorted.
“What?”
“You. Fishing. I just can’t see it.”
“I can fish, I’ll have you know. I even caught one.” It was only a partial lie;
Merlin had caught a trout, but it had been too small to eat and he’d thrown it
back.
Arthur was still laughing. “Dressed like that?”
Merlin glanced down, took in his black jeans, combat boots, chains. “Of course
not.”
“You mean you have regular clothes?”
Merlin glanced at Arthur’s hideous plaid/khaki combo. “Do you?” 
That question, meant as a joke, erased the smile from Arthur’s face, and Merlin
felt it like a punch in the gut.
“Hey, I was just kidding.”
Arthur grinned again. “I know.”
Merlin had the strange urge to go over and fucking kiss him right then, but
they were in public and Gaius was calling them into order. It would have to
wait.
“So, ladies and gents, we’ll be working on group projects for the next couple
of weeks. Each of you will work with a partner and pick a play to give an in-
class presentation on . . .”
Gaius kept talking, but all Merlin could think about was how awesome it would
be to have a legitimate excuse to make out with Arthur after school.
“ . . . so now you’ve a few minutes to select the person you’d like . . .”
“Merl! Hey Merls!”
When he turned around, he saw Elyan gesticulating wildly from a couple rows
over. The rest of the class was already starting to pair up. “You wanna work
together?”
Merlin waited a beat, hesitating, then shook his head. He pointed over his
shoulder. “Sorry,” he mouthed.
Instead of protesting, Elyan just shrugged and turned to a girl on the other
side of him, and Merlin turned back to Arthur. He was staring at the front of
the class, shoulders hunching.
“Arthur,” Merlin said. “You wanna be my partner?”
Arthur turned to him and nodded, but he didn’t seem excited at the prospect. It
made Merlin’s stupid heart sink. He was clearly an idiot. It wasn’t like he
thought they were going out or anything, but he’d assumed Arthur would want to
be his partner and didn’t understand what the fuck was going on. While the rest
of the students made plans to meet outside of class, Arthur and Merlin just sat
there, not looking at each other. By the end of the period, Merlin was pissed.
He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, wanting to escape quickly.
He didn’t get far, though, before Arthur was on his heels.
“What do you want?” Merlin snapped.
“You’re mad at me.”
“Aren’t you the goddamn genius?”
Merlin turned around when Arthur touched him; he pulled his arm back. “I’m
sorry,” Arthur said. “That you have to be my partner. I know you’d probably
rather work with your friend Elyan."
All of a sudden, it hit him. Merlin laughed. “You idiot, you think I asked you
because I have to?”
Arthur’s expression changed from contrite to confused. “Uh . . . yeah? Because
you feel sorry for me.”
“That’s total bullshit.”
“It is?”
Sometimes Arthur Pendragon was the densest person on the fucking planet.
“Yeah, it is. I wanted to work with you . . .” Merlin trailed off. By now they
were attracting a few interested stares, and so Merlin motioned with his head,
urging Arthur to follow him to the same classroom where they’d hooked up that
second time. The memory of that day came rushing back, distracting him. Now
wasn’t the time for that, though.
“What I was trying to say,” Merlin continued, looking Arthur in the eye, “was
that I wanted to work with you. Because . . . it would be cool to, you know,
maybe see you outside of school.”
“It would?”
“God, why do you always get down on yourself like that? Yeah, Arthur,” Merlin
said, advancing on him. “I’d like to suck your cock again, and you could even
suck mine, and we could work on this stupid project and maybe we could even be
friends. That is, unless you don’t want to and I’m just wasting my time.”
Somehow during his little diatribe Arthur had started smiling again. He stepped
forward, and before Merlin knew what was happening he was being kissed, held by
Arthur’s surprisingly strong arms. He must secretly work out, Merlin thought,
because he didn’t get those defined muscles from reading. It confirmed Merlin’s
suspicion that everyone from California was toned and hot, even the dorks.
Everything that they’d been discussing forgotten, Merlin kissed him back,
wishing Arthur would just shove him up against the wall and take what he
wanted.
When they finally pulled away, swollen-mouthed and panting, Merlin smirked.
“So is that a yes?” he asked.
“Yeah, it’s a fucking yes.” Arthur whispered the swear, but it was a start.
“Okay. Just one test. Did you listen to the CD I gave you?”
“Yes.”
“And did you like it?”
Arthur raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t hate it.”
“That’s good enough for me.”
 
                               ›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
 
Things were different after that, but in a good way. During school hours,
Merlin and Arthur were only friends—at least until no one was looking. When
they had a moment between classes, they’d sneak into an empty room, meet in the
janitor’s closet, sometimes even outside behind the bleachers during lunch. It
was strange with Arthur. Usually once Merlin had hooked up with someone, he’d
quickly lose interest, but no matter how many times they kissed, no matter how
many times they got off with their hands down each others’ pants or with their
cocks in each others’ mouths, Merlin couldn’t seem to stop wanting him. It was
fucking scary as hell.
Arthur even started hanging out with Merlin and his friends. The first time he
came along with them to Odyssey after school had been awkward. For some reason
Merlin had finally given into Morgana’s prodding and told her—in the very
vaguest terms—she’d been right about Arthur, and so she spent the entire time
ogling his crotch. Merlin had to poke her several times to get her to stop,
because there was no way she was getting her grubby, black-polished paws on his
man, thank you very much. And had she ever heard of subtlety?
Though Arthur’d been quiet and a little nervous that day, soon he relaxed, and
Arthur and Gwaine even became friends. They hung out when Merlin wasn’t around,
which at first kind of pissed him off, but Gwaine was completely straight so he
figured he didn’t have to worry, and Arthur seemed to like spending time with
Merlin more, so it was all good. To give them credit, both Gwaine and Morgana
did a good job keeping their mouths shut in school about the other, private
side of Merlin and Arthur’s relationship. It didn’t much bother Merlin that
what he had with Arthur was kind of a secret, but they’d never really talked
about it. He figured Arthur would bring it up when he was ready.
Dating Arthur had added benefits. Merlin couldn’t be bothered to act out when
the prospect of hanging out with Arthur was far more appealing, and so he did
his best to stay out of detention. Arthur stopped oversleeping, Merlin
suspected, for the same reason.
Then there was the English project. The first time Merlin met Arthur’s mom,
Ygraine, was the weekend following the assignment. He went over to Arthur’s
fucking huge house—the guy had an indoor pool, for God’s sake, and a bedroom
that could fit three of Merlin’s—and was greeted at the door by a tall, slim
blonde woman with Arthur’s blue eyes. She gave him a sincere smile and welcomed
him without even glancing at his collar or his chains.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Merlin. Arthur’s told me so much about you.”
“Oh really?” Merlin turned to Arthur, whose face had gone a shade of tomato.
“Mom,” Arthur said.
“Oh, he gets so embarrassed,” she said, smiling fondly at her son. “Go on now,
boys. You help yourself to anything if you get hungry. Make sure you feed him,
Arthur.”
“Okay, Mom.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Pendragon.”
“Please, call me Ygraine.” Merlin had a feeling he was really going to like
Arthur’s mom.
“That’s a beautiful name,” he told her, and she blushed prettily as Arthur.
“Oh, but Arthur, you didn’t tell me he was so charming.”
Arthur rolled his eyes and stomped upstairs, leaving Merlin behind.
“Seriously, Arthur, your mom is a MILF. If I wasn’t gay, I’d totally bone her,”
Merlin teased once they were alone in Arthur’s room.
“I hate you so much,” Arthur said, tackling him to the floor. “You have no
idea.”
From the erection poking into his side, Merlin thought he hadsome idea.
That afternoon Arthur went down on Merlin for the first time. It was messy and
definitely not the best blowjob Merlin had ever gotten, but it was also
fuckawesome because it was Arthur, and he really did give it the old college
try. Later, Merlin spread Arthur out on his giant bed—king sized, of course—and
returned the favor, sucking him off slowly while he pressed a finger inside and
Arthur writhed on his hand, eyes rolling back in his head when he came.
Arthur liked to leave marks, too, but he left them in secret places, biting
into the flesh behind Merlin’s thigh and sucking there with sharp teeth,
leaving bruises near his nipples and in the narrow space on his neck usually
covered by his leather collar.
He learned how to touch Merlin, how to lick Merlin’s hole and massage his balls
when they gathered up tight before he came. They’d done everything but the very
final act, though they both knew it was only a question of when.
And while the physical stuff was awesome, it was more then that—even though
they were opposites in so many ways, somehow they just worked. Merlin could
tell Arthur all sorts of stupid personal shit and Arthur never laughed, never
judged him. It seemed unbelievable they’d once been antagonists. 
Months passed. Merlin applied to colleges and got accepted at Penn State, which
was only an hour away; the dilemma was he’d also gotten into Chicago, his top
choice. Even though Merlin’s grades weren’t perfect—they’d slipped after his
mom died—apparently his application letter had been good enough to get him in.
But Arthur was here, and Merlin didn’t want have to drive thirteen hours or fly
every time he wanted to see him (which was all the fucking time, really, who
was he kidding). On top of that, Dr. Kilgharrah, the head of the Penn English
program, was a colleague of Gaius’s, and supposedly chill. When Gaius told him
they’d gone to Woodstock together, with a fond, faraway look in his eyes,
Merlin had horrible visions of the two of them doing acid or ‘shrooms and
running around naked in the mud.
He’d written his application letter about Arthur—well, not directly—but Arthur
was there in every detail, in the new optimism he had about college and life.
Maybe he sounded like a Hallmark greeting card, but it was true, so fuck it. Of
course he never let Arthur read the thing, even though he’d been there while he
wrote, glancing over his shoulder like the nosey, endearing bastard he was.
Merlin had written other things about Arthur, too, but none of those pieces
were fit for human eyes, either. At least not yet. Maybe someday.
The day after Merlin received the acceptance to Penn was a Saturday. He sat on
his front steps listening to music and waiting for Arthur, who’d spent the
break visiting with his father in California and was due back that morning.
They hadn’t spoken much over spring vacation, and Merlin had missed him. From
the very little Arthur had spoken about his father, Uther, Merlin knew they had
a tense relationship. He suspected there was a lot he didn’t know, but he
understood the need to keep some things private. Still, Arthur hadn’t been
overly excited for the California trip, and Merlin had worried often throughout
the week, wondering if he was okay.
Arthur was supposed to be by at two, but when two-thirty came and he still
wasn’t there, Merlin called his cell.
“Where are you?” he asked when Arthur answered.
“Sorry, yeah. I’m running late. I’ll be there in a few.”
“Okay. But hurry,” Merlin said, heart picking up speed at the sound of Arthur’s
voice. He’d clearly grown a vagina where Pendragon was concerned. “I . . . have
something to tell you.”
“Yeah?” Arthur sounded nervous.
“It’s nothing bad. It’s good. I’ll see you in a minute.”
Arthur was later than a few minutes, but by now Merlin understood his problem
with punctuality. When he pulled up in his mom’s Beemer, Merlin stood up and
went to the street to greet him.
Arthur gave him a hesitant smile and waved. “Hey,” he said.
“Hey yourself.” Merlin knew Arthur wasn’t completely comfortable with public
affection, so he waited until they were inside to press Arthur against the wall
and kiss the hell out of him. Arthur’s lips were soft and his mouth tasted like
stale coffee and sleep, but Merlin didn’t care. He licked into it, feeling
calmer almost instantly, that is, until Merlin realized Arthur wasn’t really
kissing him back. He pulled away, frowning.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Arthur said. “Just tired. Long flight.”
“Mmm, all right.”
They got some drinks from the kitchen and went up to Merlin’s room.
“So did you have a good break?” Merlin asked, wondering why Arthur was being so
strange, why he was sitting a couple feet away and not pressed right up against
him like he usually was.
“It was okay. You?”
“Um, it was good.” He used the opportunity to pull out the letter he’d been
dying to show Arthur and tossed it over.
“Got into Penn State. I’m gonna accept.”
Instead of looking thrilled that he’d be close by, Arthur frowned at the
letter.
“I thought you wanted to go to Chicago?”
“Yeah, well. Penn has a good program, too. And it’s, you know, closer.”
Arthur was still staring at the print, reading it over. “But you got into
Chicago. It was your top choice.”
“I know,” Merlin said, snatching the letter up. “But I changed my mind.”
“Is it because of me?” Arthur asked softly.
Merlin swallowed, not sure why his heart was hammering and he had the sudden
urge to vomit.
“Yeah, well, you’re my . . .”
“I’m your what?”
“My boyfriend.” As soon as he said the word out loud, Merlin regretted it. He’d
thought it a thousand times but they’d never said it; he’d just assumed, and
now Arthur was staring at him, face pale.
“I can’t be that. I can’t, Merlin.” His voice sounded dead, merely a whisper.
“What do you mean?”
“This . . . I can’t . . . because . . . fuck, I’m not supposed to be gay,
dammit.” He stood and started pacing the room.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Merlin leapt up too, his heart in his
throat. Something was very wrong, and it was starting to feel like this was a
breakup and that was just not possible.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“What? Me and you? Being gay? It’s not a fucking choice!” Merlin had the strong
desire to add you were pretty sure you loved my cock in your mouth last week,
but couldn’t get the words out, panicked at the way Arthur was edging closer to
the door each second.
“I don’t know, maybe it is. I don’t know.” He was tugging at his hair, eyes
looking like tears weren’t far off.
Rage like he’d never known rose in Merlin’s chest, seeing Arthur this way, not
understanding what could have happened in the past week to change things
between them.
“This is about your father, isn’t it?” he demanded, standing up and insinuating
himself between Arthur and the door. He wasn’t going to let Arthur escape, not
until he got answers that made sense. Not even then.
Arthur stopped moving, looked down at his feet.
“It is, isn’t it,” Merlin said, trying not to raise his voice, though his heart
was racing. “What happened in California?”
When Arthur finally did raise his head, Merlin saw the anguish there.
“I never told you,” Arthur said. “Why I moved here in the first place. My dad .
. . we got in a bad fight. He found some stuff on my computer. Some . . .”
“Porn?” Merlin ventured.
Arthur nodded, flushed. “It was kinda . . . a lot.”
“Okay. Uh, dudes?”
“Yeah.”
“Well he shouldn’t have been snooping around in your shit,” Merlin said, unable
to help his indignation.
“There were some magazines, too. I . . .” Arthur pushed past him and threw
himself down on the bed, curling up into a ball.
No longer concerned Arthur was a flight risk, Merlin went and sat down nearby,
afraid to touch him.  
“God, it was so embarrassing, though. I wanted to die.”
“You’re a teenager, so the fuck whatif you have porn? You should see all the
porn I have. Some freaky shit, too.” He waggled his eyebrows to lighten the
mood.
Arthur rewarded him with a half-hearted smirk.
“But itis a big deal. It was. To him, I mean. He said I could choose not to be
gay, if I tried. Told my mother. Anyway, it was too weird living with him so I
came here. We hardly even talked ‘til last week.”
“So what did he say to make you all crazy?”
Arthur regarded him with a neutral expression. “There are studies that have
been done. They say you can go to therapy and get fixed.”
“You have to know that’s complete and utter bullshit!” The rage that had been
brought to a simmer bubbled up again, and Merlin thought he really might punch
something. Maybe Arthur. But Arthur was still talking, not responding to
Merlin’s outburst.
“Maybe. I don’t know.”
“Oh God, Arthur, you know that’s all crazy conservative propaganda. You’re not
stupid.” He could work with this; Arthur was a rational person, not a religious
freak. This Merlin could handle. But he wasn’t prepared for the next words out
of Arthur’s mouth.
“He said if I was strong enough I could overcome it. If I was man enough,”
Arthur said, his voice barely audible. He was pale and looked about as sick as
Merlin felt. “He set me up with a girl. One of his friends’ daughters. So I . .
. I went out with her.
Merlin dug his fingers into his thighs, hard enough to bruise.  
“I . . . I kissed her.” Arthur’s face flushed with shame and he looked down at
his hands. The stab of jealousy and betrayal knocked the breath out of Merlin.
He turned away.
“Oh yeah,” Merlin said, unable to hide the bitterness in his tone, “And how’d
that work for you?”
“It didn’t. It was a horrible mistake that lasted about a second. I could only
think about you the whole time.” Arthur looked like he’d just killed a puppy,
but it didn’t do much to make Merlin feel better.
Merlin sighed, decided right then he’d have to deal with that shit later. Right
now he needed Arthur to know something.
“You are who you are, gay, straight, bi, whatever. It’s not something that
needs to be fixed, and it doesn’t mean you’re not a man. That’s just fucked up.
I mean, do you really believe that you could be cured?” It was difficult to
hold back his anger, his disbelief.
“I don’t know.”
“When did you know you were gay?”
Arthur shrugged. “Since as long as I can remember.”
“Yeah, me too. Do you think there’s something wrong with me? Do you think I
need to be cured?”
Arthur bit his lip. “No. Fuck, I know what you’re saying is right. You’re . . .
you’re perfect.”
“Yeah. Well I think you’re pretty fucking perfect, too, except for the whole
kissing some stupid girl.”
“I’m so sorry,” Arthur said, hanging his head.
“I don’t want to break up with you.” Merlin couldn’t stop himself from
pleading, hoping he was getting through the bullshit Arthur’s father had
planted in his brain. “You mean too much to me and I just . . . I care about
you. Okay? And I know you feel the same. Unless, of course, you don’t.”  The
last words hung in the air between them. Merlin held his breath.
“Merlin,” Arthur said, his voice soft. “That’s so stupid.” He reached for
Merlin’s hand, and Merlin exhaled with relief when their fingers threaded
together.
He hated that Arthur felt ashamed, that his father had done such a number on
him. Merlin took a chance and leaned forward, pressing his lips to Arthur’s.
Arthur responded immediately, bringing his other hand up to cup Merlin’s cheek.
Merlin kissed him again. “Don’t tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold.”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
“So,” Merlin started, needing reassurance despite the fact it proved he was a
complete and total loser. “Are we okay?”
“Yeah. We’re okay. I . . . didn’t really want to break up with you. I . . .”
“You what?” Merlin’s heart picked up a bit, thrumming against his ribcage, and
oh God when had he fallen in love with Arthur?
“I’m glad you’re going to Penn. I didn’t want you to go to Chicago.”
“Good,” Merlin said, leaning forward and kissing him again. “I didn’t either.”
“Chicago sucks.”
“Big time,” Merlin agreed. “And you know what else sucks?” He grinned
lasciviously.
“One track mind,” Arthur joked, but he was already lying down, pulling Merlin
on top of him, and pressing hot kisses against his neck.
“Where you’re concerned, I’m afraid so.”
 
                               ›››››››››‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
                                        
They didn’t go to the prom because Merlin insisted proms were lame. Instead
they ate pizza and watched zombie movies at Morgana’s house with her and
Gwaine—finally, for fuck’s sake, those two had gotten together—and Arthur and
Merlin were an official couple, a disgusting couple (complained Morgana) who
couldn’t keep their hands to themselves.
Arthur was a horror buff, and so was Merlin, and they cuddled on one end of the
couch like idiots in love, Merlin picking all the pepperoni off Arthur’s slices
when he wasn’t watching and getting tickled for it. It had been a severe blow
to his pride, the day Arthur figured out Merlin’s sides were ticklish.
Thankfully, Arthur’s feet were just as sensitive, so Merlin always had a
perfect way to get him back. Except that Arthur kickedwhen he was being
tickled, and mostly it wasn’t worth the sore balls.
By the end of the second movie, Gwaine and Morgana were sucking face and
groping each other, so Merlin and Arthur took the opportunity to get the hell
out of there before they either lost their dinner or it became some sort of
weird foursome. And in any case, Merlin had other plans.
“So,” Merlin said once they were outside. “Are you coming over?”
His dad was out of town and, cliché as it was, it was prom night, after all.
“Definitely yes,” Arthur said, looping his arm around Merlin’s waist as they
walked. Sometimes Merlin missed Arthur’s old preppy clothes. He hadn’t exactly
developed a keen sense of style, but he’d started wearing jeans that fit him
and shirts that showed off his fine upper body. Merlin joked he wasn’t going to
let Arthur dress like that once he moved for college, but Arthur had promised
him he didn’t need to worry. He had no plans on dating anyone else because
Merlin was his boyfriend and so he shouldn’t be so jealous. Penn State was only
an hour away, after all. Merlin said he would leave his collar behind on
Arthur’s neck just in case anyone needed a reminder.
Just thinking about leaving, about not being able to touch Arthur every day
when he wanted to, had Merlin furiously horny. He scrabbled at Arthur’s belt
once they were upstairs, palming his half-hard erection through his jeans,
impatient.
“That feels good,” Arthur said, kissing him, his own hands roving around to
squeeze Merlin’s ass.
Being naked with Arthur was all kinds of awesome. They fit together in so many
ways, Arthur’s broad chest against his back, legs entwined, or lying face to
face, kissing and grinding until they both came. Tonight, though, was
different, and they both knew it; Arthur had avoided the beer Morgana had
offered, wanting to stay level headed, but Merlin had had a couple to relax.
He’d only been fucked once before, but he wanted to do it with Arthur, had
dreamed about that thick cock moving inside of him.
They made out for a while on Merlin’s bed, fueled by awkward anticipation and
nerves, until Merlin wriggled his hips, impatient.
“How should we do this?” Arthur asked, kneeling on the bed, cock in hand. He
was stroking, watching as Merlin poured lube on his fingers to open himself up.
They’d done that often enough, stretching him with three or four digits,
sometimes using the dildo Merlin kept under his bed in his box o’porn.
“It’ll be better the first time if it’s from behind.”
“Right,” Arthur said, touching Merlin’s balls with his free hand, using one
finger to tease the pucker between his legs.
Merlin squirmed into it, adding his own finger alongside Arthur’s.
“I want to see you, though,” Arthur said.
“We will. Next time.” Despite Merlin’s outward bravado, Arthur’s cock was
daunting, and no doubt about it, it would hurt like a motherfucker. He didn’t
want Arthur to see his face or else he’d never go through with it.
“Okay,” Arthur said. “We should probably get . . .”
“Condom,” Merlin said, grabbing one out from under his pillow.
“Aren’t you the prepared one?”
Merlin laughed, hoarse with desire as Arthur curled one, then two fingers
inside, taking over while Merlin stroked himself to full hardness. He wanted to
be close to coming when Arthur finally pushed inside.
“You’re so hot,” Arthur said, leaning down to kiss him, still fingering. “Tell
me when you’re ready.”
Merlin closed his eyes as the sensations wash over him. His muscles felt
loosened, relaxed from the beer. He pressed back against Arthur’s hand and
rolled his hips, greedy for something larger.
“Now,” Merlin said, letting out a shaky exhale against Arthur’s lips.
“I’ll go slow. If I hurt you just stop me, okay?”
“I’ll be fine, Mom.” Merlin rolled his eyes, but all the same he was internally
grateful for Arthur’s care.
He rolled over, placing a pillow under his hips, rutting into it while Arthur
moved into place behind him, the sound of foil tearing both exhilarating and
terrifying. Merlin willed himself to breathe deeply as Arthur massaged his ass
with one hand, spreading him wide. And then he felt it, the blunt head of
Arthur’s erection pushing against his hole. He tensed momentarily as it pressed
inside. It stung, and Merlin squeezed his eyes shut.
“Oh . . . ohhh,” Arthur breathed out. “You’re so tight.”
“I’m not tight. You’re just fucking huge,” Merlin retorted, a nervous laugh
bubbling out of his mouth.
Arthur seemed to feel him tense. He rubbed Merlin’s back, leaned forward and
kissed his face.
“Do you want me to stop?”
“No. Just do it.”
Arthur leaned forward on his elbows and slipped further inside. The burn and
stretch intensified, and Merlin grit his teeth, pushing to open himself up.
Arthur was breathing heavily.
“Okay?”
“Yeah. More.”
With a couple more pushes, Merlin was breached, body pinned to the mattress;
he’d never felt so completely opened and full. And it hurt, but Arthur stayed
still as a fucking saint, panting in Merlin’s ear that it was so good, so good.
Gradually, the pain lessened and Merlin felt his erection returning, stimulated
by the way Arthur was groaning at his back, trying not to move despite how hard
he was inside him. Inside him.
“I’m okay.” Merlin said. “More.”
It started slow with dragging strokes that stung a bit but then felt amazing,
pushing against the right spot. Arthur stayed pressed along Merlin’s back
working just his hips, which allowed Merlin to hump into the mattress with each
stroke, feeling like his orgasm was being fucked out of him, that Arthur was
taking care of him in a strange way. He urged him on, running one hand down to
grab at Arthur’s thigh as Arthur rained snuffling kisses on whatever skin he
could reach.
“Shit,” Arthur said. “I’m really close.”
“It’s okay,” Merlin said, because he was, too.
“Ah, shit.” Arthur swore, plunging deep, and then Merlin felt the pulse of
Arthur’s cock as he came.
He gathered Merlin up in his arms, still inside of him, and rolled them to the
side, and then Arthur and Merlin were both working his cock and he was shooting
warm and wet onto the mattress and everywhere, making some kind of inhuman
noise he’d probably regret later. 
Still trembling with aftershocks, Merlin winced as Arthur pulled himself free,
left sore and vacant.
“I’m sorry I didn’t last.”
“Um . . . that was awesome so shut up,” Merlin said.
“Okay.” Arthur kissed him again, a slow, soppy kiss that made Merlin’s toes
curl and his heart hammer.
He didn’t even have it in him to curse himself for going soft in the head.
“Can you stay the night?” he asked after they’d cleaned up and found their way
under the covers, naked and tangled together.
“Yeah,” Arthur said. “And just think; when you’re away next year I’ll come for
the whole weekend.”
“You better. And Philly has some pretty awesome death metal bands, so we’ll
have plenty of concerts to see.”
“Oh I can hardly wait,” Arthur teased. He was still a fucking Dave Matthews
fan, and there was nothing Merlin could do about it.
But that was okay. He wouldn’t have Arthur any other way.
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