Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/190016.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Merlin_-_Fandom
  Relationship:
      Arthur/Merlin
  Character:
      Merlin, Arthur
  Stats:
      Published: 2011-01-24 Words: 4380
****** Truth or Dare ******
by i_know_its_0ver
Summary
     High School!AU: Gwaine and Merlin are best friends. They've been
     playing a constant game of Truth and Dare for three terms now. So
     when Gwaine finds out that Merlin has a crush on Arthur it's only
     natural that he dares Merlin to wank in Arthur's bed.
Notes
     Originally written for a post at a comment fest. Warnings for
     explicit sexual content and underage.
Gwaine slid into his customary seat beside Merlin in the canteen.
“Truth or dare?” he asked without so much as a ‘hello.’ Merlin just grinned and
rolled his eyes. This was a game they had been playing all school year. He
couldn’t remember how it had started, but he thought Gwen probably had
something to do with it. Gwaine had taken a shine to it, and they were now
involved in one long, extended game that never really ended.
“Truth,” Merlin replied, because he always chose truth, without fail. Merlin
wasn’t daring like Gwaine, who always chose ‘dare’ and more often than not
ended up in detention for doing something above and beyond what Merlin had
commanded.
Gwaine had obviously anticipated this answer, and had a question already
prepared. “What sex position would you most like to try with Arthur?”
Merlin groaned. He had expected something along those lines. Ever since Gwaine
had uncovered his not-so-well hidden crush on Arthur Pendragon, jock
extraordinaire and prince of the damn school, he never stopped teasing him
about it. He had already suspected Merlin’s feelings (Merlin had never really
understood the concept of ‘subtle,’ after all), but it was the damn game that
had finally gotten Merlin to admit to it. And now Gwaine used the game to
torture Merlin, his crude mind coming up with ever more provocative questions.
The truth is, Merlin had a ready answer for almost all of them. He had already
considered them, some in great detail, during the lonely nights alone in his
bed with just his left hand and imagination for company. But admitting that to
Gwaine would only make things a thousand times worse. So he pretended to be
deeply offended, then dragged his feet about answering.
“God, Gwaine, I don’t know! Who thinks about that kind of stuff?” He tried to
hide his blush by taking a swig of his juice.
“I spend plenty of time considering how I’d like to take your mum.”
Merlin nearly choked on his orange juice, causing Gwaine to laugh raucously and
smack him on the back. Gwaine loved to make jokes about everyone’s mother, but
he found it particularly hilarious with Merlin because he actually knew Hunith
quite well. Mrs. Emrys was like a second mother to Gwaine, who spent most of
his afternoons over their house. To Merlin, this made his jokes even more
appalling. And Merlin’s horror only fueled Gwaine’s amusement.
“Come on, mate, answer the question.” He prodded Merlin in the ribs with an
elbow and waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Merlin sighed, giving in. It wasn’t worth drawing this out today. “Fine, I
don’t know, doggie style I guess?” The truth was much more detailed: in his
fantasies Arthur fucked him from behind, pushed up against a wall, desperate
and rough and needy. But Gwaine absolutely did not need to know any of that.
Gwaine crowed with laughter, slapping him on the shoulder in that manly way
that Merlin could never get the hang of. “A fine choice, my friend,” Gwaine
replied. He would actually know from experience, after all, while Merlin had
only his fantasies. Damn Gwaine and his smooth way with the ladies, Merlin
thought bitterly for the millionth time since they hit puberty. How had he
turned out so suave and handsome, while Merlin was gangly and awkward? Fate
just wasn’t fair.
“All right, all right, your turn,” Merlin said, mostly to distract Gwaine from
any further discussion of his pathetic fantasy sex life. “Truth or dare?”
Gwaine, predictably, chose dare. Merlin had also thought about this in advance,
and he’d come up with quite a good one during first period chemistry. “All
right: steal Mr. Percy’s toupee. And there have to be witnesses, or it doesn’t
count!”
Gwaine rubbed his hands together and grinned like a madman. “Been wanting to do
that for a while, actually,” he confessed and Merlin could only laugh. He had
guessed as much.
Gwaine jumped up. “Well, wish me luck.” And with that he disappeared, off to
create mischief and undoubtedly get himself landed in detention for another
week. Merlin almost felt guilty, but Gwaine deserved a little payback for his
constant teasing. Merlin set off to find Gwen and tell her all about it. She
would undoubtedly role her eyes and chide them like a mother hen, then laugh
her ass off. He really loved Gwen. What would he do without one thoroughly sane
friend?
**************
He didn’t see Gwaine again until the next evening, after dinner. Gwaine lived
just down the street, and he always let himself into Merlin’s house, waving to
Hunith as he passed by on his way to Merlin’s room. There were no formalities
with Gwaine.
“How did it go?” Merlin asked as Gwaine flopped down dramatically on his bed,
landing across Merlin’s lap
“Spectacular,” Gwaine gushed, going on to imitate Mr. Percy’s outraged
expression and describing the merry chase he had led him on all over the east
wing. Merlin laughed till tears streamed from his eyes. Gwaine was great with
stories.
“It was a good dare, mate, I’ll give you that. Well worth the two weeks of
detention.” Merlin cringed at that. He had known Gwaine would get in trouble,
but he hadn’t expected it to be so harsh. He really did feel guilty now.
“Sorry, I didn’t think he would come down on you so hard,” he said, carding his
fingers through Gwaine’s thick hair, as was his habit. Gwaine was a bit like a
puppy, Merlin always thought, and like a puppy he liked to be petted. Merlin
was happy to oblige.
“Ah, no worries. But you do owe me for this.” Gwaine sat up abruptly, looking
at Merlin with his most mischievous grin. “For this one, you own me a dare in
return. No getting away with just a truth this time. It’s time to man up, pull
your weight.”
Merlin knew he was right, that it wasn’t really fair for Gwaine to constantly
entertain him with his antics while he played it safe. Then again, Gwaine would
probably do these things even without the stupid game as an excuse. Still,
maybe it was time to be daring, to take a risk. It might even be fun.
“Alright, then. Dare.” He sat up straight and tried to look manly and brave,
ready to face whatever challenge was laid before him. Gwaine grinned wider than
ever. It looked almost maniacal, which made Merlin nervous. Whatever Gwaine had
in mind, it was something big.
“I dare you to wank in Arthur Pendragon’s bed.” He looked so pleased with
himself, but Merlin could only gape. He had obviously heard that wrong.
“Sorry, what did you say?” Merlin tried to keep his expression neutral, not
giving away the steadily rising panic constricting his throat.
“Oh come on, it makes perfect sense! You’re hopelessly in love with Arthur,
right? This will help you get over it, or at least get some of that pent-up
frustration out. Have a good wank in his bed, live out your fantasies. It will
be good for you, healthy, even.”
Merlin still wasn’t hearing this right, he couldn’t be. “I am not hopelessly in
love!” he protested, focusing on the only detail he could comprehend properly.
Because the rest was just too ridiculous to respond to. He was joking, surely.
“Come on, you’ve been pining over him since middle school! I’m telling you,
this will be good for you.” Merlin could only continue to gape as the details
of what Gwaine was suggesting began to fall into place.
“That’s impossible. How the hell am I going to get into his room? I’m not about
to break the law for some stupid prank.”
Gwaine leaned in conspiratorially. “No problem there. I ran it by Morgana, and
she’s willing to help us out. She said something about stupid boys and getting
it over with. But I think she secretly fancies me.” He flipped his hair over
his shoulder the way he did when he wanted to emphasize his masculine charm.
Many a girl had fallen for that hair toss. But Merlin wouldn’t be distracted.
“Morgana? You told Morgana about me—about my—oh God.” Merlin buried his face in
his hands. Morgana, the half sister of the object of his apparently no-longer-
secret desires. Morgana, who had a reputation for being conniving and shrewd.
She knew his secret. He may as well give up and transfer schools right now.
Maybe even leave the country. Would that be enough?
“Look, mate, a dare’s a dare. You can’t back out now, you’re bound by your
honor as a man. Tomorrow afternoon Arthur will be at football practice, and
Morgana will let us in. We’re doing this, no matter what you say. You owe me,
after all.”
At that moment Merlin wished he had never met Gwaine.
****************
Merlin barely slept that night. All he could focus on was how his life as he
knew it was about to come crashing down in a burning wreck. However this turned
out, it couldn’t be good. Sure, he had entertained fantasies about something
like this (he had the sneaking suspicion that he may have admitted as much to
Gwaine once during the game). But actually doing it was terrifying and creepy
and just wrong. This was overstepping so many lines, into creepy stalker
territory.
He tried to avoid Gwaine the next day at school, hoping he might forget all
about it, or realize it was stupid, or admit he had only been kidding after
all. But Gwaine found him after first period, sneaking up from behind and
throwing an arm around his shoulder.
“You ready for the big event?” Merlin only groaned and desperately wished for
the earth to open up and swallow him right then.
He tried to sneak away after school, to get home before Gwaine could find him.
If he could just make it to his house he might be safe. There was so way Gwaine
could drag him away with his mother there, not if he screamed bloody murder.
But Gwaine accosted him before he could even get past the school gates.“The
time has come! Today you become a man!” he announced entirely too loudly, and
Merlin tried to ignore the stares from curious classmates as Gwaine led him to
his car with a firm grip on his arm.
Merlin sat silently in the passenger seat, sending Gwaine his strongest death
glare, hoping he might take the hint, or better yet, drop dead. But Gwaine just
continued to smile. How could he claim to be Merlin’s best friend? The man was
obviously a two-faced liar, a sadist who took pleasure in other people’s
humiliation. How had he managed to fool Merlin for 16 years?
The car pulled up to a very large house on a secluded lot, in the posh part of
town that Merlin had only driven by on his way to other, more plebian, places.
This world was so different from his own small row house and tiny front garden.
He knew Arthur’s family was rich, that they came from different worlds. But
here was the irrefutable proof.
Gwaine had to drag him from the car, prying Merlin’s fingers from the door
handle one by one. He kept a grip on him as he rang the doorbell, as if he
expected Merlin to make a run for it. Which wouldn’t be a bad idea if Gwaine
weren’t way more athletic than Merlin and able to run him down in a matter of
seconds. Merlin wanted to preserve the last shreds of his dignity, at least.
Morgana opened the door, looking them over with a critical gaze. Gwaine
grinned, but Merlin was ready to throw up on his shoes. “Well, come in.
Arthur’s room is at the end of the second floor hallway, on the right. He’ll be
at practice till 5, so I suggest you be gone before then.” She looked bored,
like she didn’t care what sick antics they were up to. What a sister.
But as she turned away Merlin could have sworn she flashed him a smirk that was
as full of mischief as Gwaine’s own patented grins. But then they rounded a
corner and his mind turned back to the reality before him.
Gwaine pulled him down the hall, his feet tripping over each other, legs
refusing to work properly. Suddenly they were in front of a door, and Gwaine
was opening it, pushing him inside, and closing it again behind him. Merlin had
to concentrate on not falling flat on his face.
He looked around the room which now served as his makeshift prison. The room
was large, with long west-facing windows which let in the afternoon light. The
walls were a light blue, matching the bed spread.
The room was plain, and there was disappointingly little in the room that
really indicated Arthur. The walls were bare, no traces of the usual posters
and knickknacks and clutter. There were some clothes strewn about the floor,
mostly sports uniforms and dirty socks. And there were a few framed photos on
top of the bureau.
Merlin walked over to examine them more closely. One was of Arthur and Morgana
as children, pulling each other’s hair and pouting. Not much had changed since
then, and the thought made him chuckle. Another was of a beautiful woman Merlin
had never seen before. She must have been related to Arthur, because she shared
his light blond hair and clear blue eyes.
Other pictures showed Arthur and his footy mates holding a trophy or goofing
around. Merlin recognized some of them from school, though he had never really
spoken to them. Arthur looked happy in those photos, in a way Merlin couldn’t
remember seeing before. At school he was usually so reserved and aloof. That
stoicism was part of his allure, really. But Merlin wanted to see these other
expression too, the lopsided smile and mirthful eyes, directed at him. Of
course it was a stupid dream. Arthur didn’t even know who he was.
It reminded Merlin of just how out of place he was here, and he decided to put
an end to his and leave before it got worse. Who cared what Gwaine would say.
Merlin wasn’t sure he would ever speak to him again anyway.
But then he looked over at the bed. Like the floor, it was messy, with the
sheets pulled back and pooled down the end in a messy pile. This was where
Arthur slept. Merlin felt drawn to it, pulled by some compulsion he couldn’t
name. Fine, then, he would just feel it a little, have a seat for a moment.
Purely for the sake of curiosity. Then he would leave.
The sheets were cold, of course. He didn’t know why that disappointed him so
much. He sat down with a sigh, feeling worn out by the burden of his worries
and embarrassment and the unbearable weight of the desire that pooled in his
belly now, even though he willed it away with all his might.
He shifted about on the bed and the movement released a subtle waft of
fragrance. It was…oh God, it was Arthur’s scent, emanating from the sheets. The
sheets where he slept, probably naked or nearly so, his skin gliding against
the soft cotton. The bed where he probably touched himself, in the middle of
the night, when no one would hear, sweat and musk mingling and soaking into the
sheets…
Oh no. Merlin’s mind was swiftly betraying him, drifting into territory that
was strictly off limits. His traitorous body was following suit, his cock
already half hard just thinking about Arthur alone in that bed.
He had scoffed at Gwaine’s dare as ridiculous, but now his body at least seemed
to think it was a brilliant idea. He was in Arthur’s bed. When would he ever
have an opportunity like this again? Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to go with it, just
a little, live out this fantasy so he could finally let it go, like Gwaine had
said. Gwaine’s words were suddenly starting to seem more and more reasonable,
which probably should have set off warning bells.
Merlin allowed himself to recline on the bed, his head resting on the pillows.
Arthur’s pillows. They smelled of shampoo, a light mix of mint and citrus. What
Arthur’s hair would smell like.
That thought was enough to make Merlin fully erect. Now there was no way he
could suppress it. It would be better to just take care of it quickly and get
it over with so he could go home and then block this from his memory forever.
He reached down with eager fingers, unbuttoning his fly and sliding his pants
down carefully, just past his hips. His freed cock stood stiff and thick,
throbbing with the need for attention.
It was different from any of the times he had touched himself before. Each
feeling was more intense, almost overwhelming. His fantasies were more vivid,
aided now by the images and scents surrounding him
He imagined Arthur with him in the bed, kissing him, touching him, tangling
together in those sheets, covering them in sweat. He imagined pleasuring Arthur
there in his bed, Arthur trying to keep quiet so as not to get caught. He
imagined taking Arthur’s cock in his mouth, how it would feel, how it would
taste. And then Arthur entering him with deep, slow thrusts. They were things
he had imagined before, but now they almost felt real, like this bed had
somehow cast a spell that made his thoughts come to life.
He tried to keep his pace slow and lazy, but it was impossible. With his senses
overwhelmed like this he wasn’t going to last long and he knew it. He tried to
make the most of it, to make every second count.
He was close, so close, imagining Arthur coming deep inside of him, moaning his
name. He panted Arthur’s name in response, letting it tumble from his lips in
needy gasps. He was so close, so close—
And then the door opened.
Merlin’s eyes shot open, his body frozen. He expected to see Gwaine, come to
check in on him, make sure he was following through with the dare.
But in the doorway stood Arthur, mouth gaping, cheeks flushed.
Oh shit.
Merlin’s brain refused to function correctly, to take in what was actually
happening. He should have been apologizing, or getting the hell out of there as
quickly as possible. Instead the only thing he could think to say was, “Morgana
said you’d be at practice.”
And then he wished the ground really would open up and swallow him, or maybe
that he would have a heart attack and die instantly. Because he had just
admitted, indirectly at least, that he was a giant pervert and possibly also a
stalker.
Arthur seemed as startled by that response as Merlin himself.
“I don’t see why, since she knows I was taking today off.” He said it almost
conversationally, like they were having a chat over a cup of tea, not like he’d
just walked in on Merlin getting off in his bed. It made the situation feel
even more surreal.
“Oh.” It was all Merlin’s addled brain could come up with. Morgana had known
Arthur would be coming home…had Gwaine known too? It didn’t matter. He was
going to kill them both. As soon as he came up with somewhere to hide the
bodies.
“Well, ah,” Arthur cleared his throat and Merlin realized he was still frozen
mid-stroke, fully exposed. He scrambled to sit up, covering his lap with one of
the pillows. Arthur’s pillows. Shit.
Arthur made a small noise that sounded almost like a groan, and Merlin finally
looked at him. Arthur’s hands were gripping the door frame so tightly his
knuckles had gone white. His eyes were staring directly at Merlin’s pillow-
covered crotch, and there was an undeniable bulge in his trousers.
Oh buggering hell, Merlin was hard again too. Fate really wasn’t cutting him
any breaks today.
Arthur noticed Merlin’s gaze and shifted uncomfortably, letting go of the door
frame and moving further into the room. He looked Merlin over, taking in the
whole scene. Merlin sat tense, waiting for Arthur to punch him or yell at him
or something to break this unbearable tension.
What he finally said caught Merlin completely off guard.
“Well, Morgana certainly is, uh, unorthodox, but she does know how to get
things done.”
Merlin’s brow furrowed in confusion. He had no idea what the hell that meant.
If it meant that Morgana was a genius at making him look like a complete ass,
then yes, he couldn’t agree more.
Arthur took another step forward, eyes finding Merlin’s and examining them
intently. He apparently noticed Merlin’s confusion, because he continued his
explanation.
“The last time she got me drunk I apparently admitted to a few…fantasies. I was
hoping she would forget, but…” he trailed off, taking another step toward the
bed until he was only inches away, legs brushing against Merlin’s knees.
Apparently that was supposed to clear things up, but Merlin was still
hopelessly confused. But now Arthur was standing inches away and it no longer
seemed to matter what Morgana had or hadn’t done.
Before he could think about it any further Arthur was leaning down, noses
rubbing against one another, and Merlin had to angle his head up to look at
him. Arthur took this as an invitation to capture his mouth in a searing kiss.
And then Merlin stopped thinking altogether.
The kiss was needy and insistent, Arthur quickly sliding his tongue past
Merlin’s lips to explore his mouth. Merlin struggled to keep up, to remember
how to breathe amidst such intense sensory overload. His brain was still trying
to process what was happening, but his body was ahead of the game, taking
control and moving instinctively. He met Arthur’s tongue with his own, timidly
at first, then gaining confidence as he mimicked Arthur’s actions.
Arthur placed one hand along the side of Merlin’s neck and the other on his
shoulder, slowly easing him back until they were lying on the bed, the full
length of their bodies pressed together. Arthur pressed his weight down,
rolling his hips until their cocks ground together through the fabric of
Arthur’s trousers. The friction made them both groan. But it wasn’t enough.
Merlin was starting to feel desperate. He had been so close earlier and hadn’t
finished, and now the need for release was almost painful.
He reached between them to push his jeans further down his hips and out of the
way, then undid Arthur’s trousers, fumbling with the zipper. Arthur didn’t help
matters, distracting him by sprinkling kisses over Merlin’s exposed throat.
Finally Merlin had the infernal fabric out of the way and reached down, taking
both of their cocks in his palm, trying the stretch his fingers as far around
them as possible. Arthur groaned as the motion brought them into direct contact
with each other. The slide of hard, hot skin was delicious, but the one hand
wasn’t enough, didn’t give enough friction. Merlin made a frustrated noise,
which sounded suspiciously close to a whimper. Arthur chuckled and kissed him
playfully before bringing his own hand to join Merlin’s, helping to encircle
them completely.
They established a steady rhythm, rocking their hips up and down in time to the
slide of their fists. The double feeling of skin against skin was overwhelming,
and Merlin wondered why he had never thought of this before, in all of his
years spent fantasizing. Arthur must be some kind of sex genius, he decided.
Merlin was the one to increase the rhythm, because he needed to come, now.
Arthur obligingly followed suit, tightening the pressure of their hands and
picking up speed. Merlin’s breath was coming in gasps now, and he was so close,
so damn close.
And then Arthur’s breath was at his ear and he was groaning so deliciously and
Merlin finally came undone, shouting Arthur’s name the way he always did in his
fantasies, the way he had never dared to do alone in his bed. Arthur groaned,
kissing his one more time, open mouthed and clumsy, before he was coming too,
in a groan that sounded suspiciously like Merlin’s name.
They took a moment to recover and get their breathing back under control.
Arthur rolled himself over slightly so he wouldn’t crush Merlin, but didn’t
move away from him, still keeping their legs entwined and an arm thrown over
Merlin’s chest.
Merlin was trying to remember what it was like to think coherently, in words
other than ‘yes’ and ‘fuck’ and ‘more.’ It was a difficult undertaking.
Arthur seemed to come around first. “I guess Morgana was right after all,” he
said, while carding his fingers through Merlin’s hair and watching his face
intently. It felt so nice that Merlin almost forgot to pay attention to his
words. But then it sunk in.
“You said that before too. What is going on? I don’t know anything about
Morgana or any plans. Gwaine was the one who dared me to—to…” he couldn’t quite
bring himself to say the words, because even though things had turned out
brilliantly, he was still monumentally embarrassed at being caught, well…
Arthur considered this, fingers now exploring Merlin’s cheek bones and sliding
along his jaw. “I guess they must have been working together, then.” Merlin
frowned to convey that he still had no idea what Arthur was going on about.
Arthur leaned forward to kiss the corner of his downturned mouth.
“Today is my birthday. And Morgana promised she’d get me the thing I wanted
most.” And Merlin couldn’t stifle a laugh at how ridiculous they had all been.
All the denial and planning and conniving, all to get them to this one utterly
perfect moment. There was probably a much simpler way to go about it, but right
now he could forgive all the absurdity.
He might even find it in his heart to forgive Gwaine, who may actually turn out
to be something of a genius, and was certainly the best friend he had ever had.
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