Arthur was now entirely certain he'd lost what was left of his mind.
“Nice flat,” the man – Merlin, Arthur reminded himself, what a bloody ridiculous name – said, nodding as he turned slowly with his hands in his pockets.
“Thanks,” Arthur muttered. Arthur's flat was a luxuriously appointed three thousand square feet of conspicuous consumption, with an unparalleled view of the Thames. No one had ever called it 'nice'. “Would you, erm, care for a drink?”
Merlin looked at him consideringly. “No, thanks.”
Arthur met his gaze, trying not to let any of the panic he was feeling show in his eyes. Five days ago Gwen had broken up with him, yesterday he'd actually cleaned himself up, put some clothes on and ventured outside, and tonight he had gone to a gay bar, picked up a casual shag and brought him home. He'd never brought home a 'him' for a casual shag in his life. In fact, the last time he'd done anything remotely sexual with another man, he'd been sixteen and trading boarding-school handjobs with his footy mate.
Yeah. Clearly he'd gone round the twist.
“Look,” Merlin said, hooking a thumb over his shoulder, “why don't I just catch the Tube home, alright?”
Arthur blinked. “What? Why?”
Merlin shrugged, the move accentuating the shoulders that had caught Arthur's attention in the first place. “It's pretty clear you're not into this. I don't know what's changed exactly since you were humping my leg on the dance floor an hour ago, but obviously you're having second thoughts –”
“I didn't realise you were a psychoanalyst,” Arthur snapped. He regretted it immediately afterwards, but he wasn't about to apologise.
Merlin's only reaction to this was to raise his eyebrows. “I'm not,” he said softly. “I've just been where you are.”
“Oh, yes? And where's that?”
Merlin took a step toward him, then another, closing the distance between them. “Feeling like crap and thinking an anonymous fuck'll solve all my problems,” he murmured.
Arthur opened his mouth to protest, then closed it.
Merlin nodded tightly. “Right. So I'll just be –”
“Wait.” Arthur's hand moved of its own accord to encircle Merlin's wrist. Merlin looked down at the place where they were connected, then his gaze rose to Arthur's face.
“Christ, you're the most beautiful man I've ever seen,” Merlin whispered, and for a moment Arthur could only stare back at him, nonplussed. Gwen had always accused him of acting like a man who knew he was gorgeous, but he'd honestly never thought so. He knew he was attractive enough, but there were days when he looked in the mirror and all he saw were his crooked teeth and the circles under his eyes from too many late nights at the office. Really, he simply didn't have time to contemplate it one way or the other, but for some reason hearing this total stranger praise his beauty made him feel oddly warm inside.
“Arthur,” Merlin said softly, bringing Arthur back to the matter at hand. Merlin's eyes were very blue, and his hand was on Arthur's chest, and suddenly Arthur didn't want to think any longer.
“I haven't changed my mind,” Arthur gritted, tugging on Merlin's wrist to pull him closer. Merlin's chest bumped against his own, and they stared at one another for a few breathless moments. And then, as though by mutual consent, they both lunged for one another, Merlin tangling his hands in Arthur's hair while Arthur hauled Merlin in by his belt loops.
“Fuck,” Merlin growled in between kisses, “where's the – bedroom in this – bloody barn?”
“It's a bit of a walk,” Arthur drawled, “think you can manage it?”
Merlin's grin was a wicked curl against Arthur's mouth. “What if I couldn't? Would you carry me?”
That sounded like a challenge. And Arthur hadn't gotten where he was by turning down challenges.
He smiled his best predator's smile at Merlin. Merlin's eyes widened.
“Ar-THURRR!” Merlin yelled, as Arthur bent down, planted his shoulder in Merlin's gut, and slung him neatly over his back like a sack of potatoes. “Bloody hell, Arthur, put me down!” Merlin exclaimed, wriggling in Arthur's grasp.
“You asked for it,” Arthur said, striding toward his bedroom. Merlin swore under his breath, but stopped moving about.
“You're a nutter,” Merlin said, “but this is giving me a lovely view of your spectacular arse.” He pinched Arthur's left cheek as if to emphasise his point.
Arthur smacked Merlin lightly on his arse in retaliation, startling a yelp out of him. “Nearly there,” he said, finally reaching the bed and flipping Merlin neatly onto it. Merlin bounced once, then came up on his elbows.
“Wow,” Merlin breathed as Arthur looked down at him. “That was kind of brilliant.”
“I can do better,” Arthur murmured, leaning down and splaying a hand over the bulge in Merlin's jeans. Merlin moaned and his hips bucked gratifyingly, and then he was dragging Arthur down for another kiss, and another.
“Yeah, c'mon,” Merlin said, when Arthur crawled onto the bed, his legs straddling Merlin's hips. Arthur began unbuttoning his own shirt, but Merlin's hands came up, halting him.
“Let me, yeah?” Merlin husked. Arthur swallowed at the hungry look in Merlin's eyes, then nodded. Merlin's fingertips grazed Arthur's skin as he worked, and it was all Arthur could do to keep from groaning.
Arthur shrugged his own shirt off his shoulders, then went to work on Merlin's, and soon they were both naked to the waist. Merlin's hands were strong and sure on his chest, mapping new territory, and Arthur’s hands did the same. Arthur leaned down to kiss and to lick, taking his time in blazing a trail down Merlin's neck to his collarbone, then mouthing his way southward again. Merlin's shoulders curled up off the bed when Arthur sucked on his nipples; he proceeded to exploit this weakness shamelessly, like the ruthless businessman he was.
“Fuck, Arthur,” Merlin groaned, fingers scrabbling at Arthur's trouser button. After a moment's hesitation, Arthur stood and took care of his own trousers while Merlin watched with heavy-lidded eyes. He glanced down at Merlin, then looked away again, appalled by his own reaction. Christ, this virtual stranger made him feel almost – bashful.
Merlin rose up off the bed, slid his arms round Arthur’s back and kissed him again, more gently than before, as though he’d sensed the change in Arthur’s mood. Arthur responded by reaching for the zip on Merlin's jeans and kissing him back hard, shoving his tongue into Merlin's mouth. Merlin grunted but met him on equal terms, stroking his own tongue alongside Arthur's until Arthur shuddered.
He tumbled Merlin back onto the bed, naked this time, and groaned when Merlin undulated beneath him in a sinuous motion that should have been anatomically impossible. The man was all elbows and knees and lean muscle covered by moon-pale skin, and obviously he was – oh, Christ – a master contortionist. Then Merlin's foot hooked over the small of Arthur's back, drawing him down and bringing their cocks together, and Arthur added possibly double-jointed to Merlin's list of sterling qualities.
He wasn't sure how it had happened – Merlin was a shade taller, but Arthur had to have two stone on him – but suddenly Arthur was on his back, with Merlin grinning down at him in a way that made the previous delicious pressure on his prick seem like a vague tickle. “Want to make you feel good,” Merlin murmured. “Will you let me?”
To his abject horror, Arthur could feel his cheeks flushing. No one, not even Gwen, had ever spoken to him like that. Personally, he'd always thought it his job to do the asking, to orchestrate and organize the give-and-take of pleasure, the same way he managed his company; he'd always believed he preferred it that way. But now, the thrill of not knowing exactly what this other man had in mind, of explicitly giving consent to let someone give him pleasure, had him more aroused than he'd been in – God, he was ashamed to say he didn't remember.
Merlin seemed to sense his trepidation, because he stroked Arthur's cheek and kissed him softly, then pulled back to look directly into his eyes. “I'll stop whenever you ask me to,” he murmured. “Promise.”
And truly, there was no reason why a promise from a man Arthur had met less than three hours ago should mean anything, yet he still felt himself relaxing at Merlin's words, at his soothing touch. He swallowed, then nodded. “Go ahead,” he said gruffly.
Merlin's grin nearly split his skinny head in half, and then he began kissing his way down Arthur's chest, pausing at the traditional erogenous zones, but also paying homage to shoulders and ribs and the insides of elbows. By the time Merlin was breathing hot and heavy over his cock, it was all Arthur could do to keep from shivering uncontrollably.
Arthur was both dreading and anticipating the imminent blow job, because he had an alarming suspicion that he would go off like a fifteen-year-old virgin the instant Merlin touched him. However, nothing happened, and after a few moments Arthur lifted his head and cleared his throat to get Merlin's attention. “Erm,” he began, schooling his voice to reveal as little as possible of the desperation he was currently feeling, “I don't mean to be nosy, but – you were actually planning to do something with that, right?”
The corner of Merlin's mouth lifted. “Getting a bit impatient, are we?” he teased – Christ, Arthur was going to explode in a cascade of messy bits if Merlin didn't finish him soon and the bastard was teasing.
“I was, actually,” Merlin continued lazily, as though he had all the time in the world, “but I think I have a better idea.” He stroked Arthur's hip with two fingers, and even that contact was enough to make Arthur grit his teeth. “Turn over?”
Arthur was so far gone that it took him a couple of seconds to process the question, and then his arousal backed down several notches as the panic hit him. “Look, I don't –”
Merlin's fingers continued their gentle stroking. “Arthur, no, it's okay,” he murmured. “I was thinking about something else.”
Arthur was torn between outrage at the thought that Merlin was being protective of his delicate sensibilities and surprise that he was curious about what Merlin had in store.
Merlin shook his head. “It's alright, we can just stay like this,” he said, starting to lower his head.
“No,” Arthur said, and Merlin's head snapped up again, “no, it's fine,” and Merlin nodded and sat up to allow Arthur room to roll over. Arthur's cheeks were flaming and he had to deliberately slow his breathing so as not to sound as though he were wheezing and Christ, he truly had gone completely mad.
His legs may have been trembling ever so slightly as Merlin spread them carefully in order to fit between them, and he pillowed his head on his arms, fighting the desire to leap right off the bed.
“Shhhh, it's alright,” Merlin soothed, his hands stroking lightly over Arthur's thighs. “It's alright, Arthur, you can stop me anytime you like.”
Arthur blew out the breath he didn't realise he'd been holding and hoped it sounded like impatience. Merlin's hands slowly inched their way upward, pressure increasing until the touch was firm, confident, and then his thumbs traced the crease where Arthur's legs met his arse.
Arthur shivered, and Merlin halted immediately. “Okay?”
“I'll let you know if it isn't,” Arthur said.
“Good to know,” Merlin returned, clear amusement in his tone, right before Arthur felt a touch high on his left arse cheek.
He was confused at first, for Merlin's hands hadn't moved from their earlier position, but then he felt the unmistakable sensation of a tongue dragging over skin and realised with a start that that was Merlin's mouth.
“Oh, God,” Arthur groaned, shaking for an entirely different reason as his flagging erection took a renewed interest in the proceedings. Merlin hummed his assent and continued kissing and licking Arthur's arse, taking his time, letting Arthur accustom himself to the sensations. And when Arthur was hard and breathless, his toes curled up toward the soles of his feet, he heard himself demand more in a rough, low voice he barely recognised as his own.
Obligingly, one of Merlin's hands shifted, and Arthur felt a fingertip trail slowly down his cleft.
Arthur panted into the pillow. “More,” he growled.
Merlin's other hand joined the first, and together they spread Arthur open.
“Fuck, please,” Arthur gusted. He was vaguely appalled at being reduced to a pathetic, begging creature, but that thought was soon lost to the irrational, all-consuming need to have Merlin's mouth on him. Thankfully, Merlin didn't laugh or gloat or tease, merely lowered his head and breathed hotly over Arthur's hole.
Arthur tried to brace himself, but it was useless. Although he would hardly call himself inexperienced, he'd never had anyone do this to him before, and so he was unprepared for the force of sheer, visceral lust that slammed into him and shook him to his bones. His hips jerked, but Merlin's hands held him firm, and then God, God, he was right there and pressing closer. Arthur groaned, his own cock hardening even further as he felt the first brush of Merlin's lips. It was easily the most intimate kiss he'd ever received, and somehow the fact that Merlin was a stranger made no difference – he was as shaken and moved as he would have been with a lover.
Taking Arthur's groan as permission, Merlin continued, using his thumbs to hold him open as he worked. Soon Arthur was gripping the bed with both hands, certain that if he let go he'd float up to the ceiling. Merlin was relentless, taking him higher and higher with every kiss and lick, and the pleasure was almost too much to stand. And then, just when he was sure he couldn't last another second without reaching a hand under his body to finish himself off, he felt Merlin's tongue press inside him.
“Oh my God,” Arthur gasped, fingers digging into the mattress to the point of pain. Merlin's response was to pull back, then thrust in again, deeper this time. He fucked Arthur with his tongue relentlessly as Arthur clenched his jaw against the scream that was clawing at his throat, and then Merlin plunged in one last time and hummed and that was as much as any human being could bear: Arthur came with a cry, hips grinding against the sheets as the orgasm slammed into him.
He lay drained and boneless afterward, every coherent thought gone from his head. He had a vague notion that he'd forgotten something, but he had no idea what it was.
Then the mattress shifted and Merlin flopped beside him. Oh, yes. With some effort, Arthur managed to coordinate his limbs sufficiently to roll to his side. “Here, I can –” he began, reaching down to see to Merlin's pleasure. However, when he touched Merlin's cock, he noticed it was limp. Well, he supposed it couldn't have exactly been fun for him, doing that to someone.
“You – here, I can, erm –” Arthur said awkwardly, and was surprised when Merlin laughed.
Merlin's hand encircled Arthur's wrist gently. “Arthur, don't worry. I already did.”
Arthur blinked at him. “Oh,” he said stupidly, gobsmacked that Merlin had been so aroused by doing that to him. And then it occurred to him that both of Merlin's hands had been otherwise engaged during the last few minutes. “Wait, do you have a third arm you're hiding somewhere?”
Merlin frowned at him for a moment, then smiled. “Oh, no. I rubbed off on the sheets, like you did.” He propped himself up and peered down at the bottom of the bed. “Erm, yeah, that sounds a little – sorry, they're probably expensive, right?”
“Don't worry about it,” Arthur said magnanimously. “It's not like I didn't know there were going to be bodily fluids involved.”
Merlin chuckled, then flopped back on the bed. There was a not entirely uncomfortable silence for a few moments as the two of them stared up at the ceiling, and Arthur briefly considered asking Merlin to stay.
Then he told himself not to be an idiot.
But Merlin showed no immediate signs of leaving, so Arthur attempted conversation. “You – you like that, then?”
“Yeah,” Merlin said. “Not usually quite that much, though.”
“Oh,” Arthur said again, because really, what could you say to someone who'd just told you they'd especially enjoyed eating your arse?
“Right, well,” Merlin said, sitting up, “I suppose that's that, then.”
“Wait!” Arthur said, wincing at his volume. Merlin stared at him as he sat up, and Arthur heard himself blather, "That is, I mean – I didn't eat very much tonight, and I thought we could clean up and I could order in some sushi.” He clamped his mouth shut and shrugged, but it was fairly obvious that any claims to nonchalance were now null and void. He knew he sounded pathetic, and he had no idea why he didn't want to let Merlin go, but the thought of never seeing him again was suddenly unthinkable.
Merlin was watching him carefully, and Arthur met that dark blue gaze levelly. “Make it a curry and I'm in,” Merlin said, his mouth curving.
Arthur pretended to consider it. “Fair enough. Do you want the shower first?”
Merlin leaned in. “I'm guessing this barn has a shower big enough for two, yeah?”
Arthur smiled. “Six, actually.”
“Two's enough for me,” Merlin said, his gaze searching Arthur's face.
Arthur hesitated for a moment, then cupped Merlin's cheek and swept his thumb over Merlin's lower lip. “Me, too.”
End