"So, Lady Gertrude," Merlin started the comment casually, hoping that his voice didn't iactually/i sound as dejected as he heard it, "I've heard she's nice, and I saw her today, she's very pretty…. Everyone is saying she's terribly clever, really very clever…"

He looked up, caught Arthur's eye, looked back down to the boot he was polishing and blushed deeply.

"Which is good, because you'd want your wife to be clever, so you could have an actual conversation with her. And it's good that she's nice and that's good because…" He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. It didn't help that Arthur was looking at him like that, and walking slowly towards him.

"Because then maybe she'll be nice to me, and make sure you stop bullying me."

Merlin looked up as Arthur's hand cupped his cheek, his thumb tracing the trembling line of his lower lip.

"I'm not going to marry her, Merlin."

Merlin attempted a half smile, "Don't let your father hear you say that."

Arthur laughed and pulled him to his feet, wrapping his arms around him in a close embrace, "And I'm certainly not going to fall in love with her."

Merlin really did smile at that.

--

Merlin knew that he was driving Arthur crazy, and he loved it.

He was purposefully rubbing against him with every chance he got.

When Arthur called for him to pour him more wine took care to lean across the prince's body. Merlin's left hand stroking over his thigh, tantalisingly close to his groin, while he smoothly refilled his goblet.

He pretended that he couldn't hear the whimpering noises coming from Arthur. When he caught Lady Gertrude attempting to do the same he winked at her and whispered into the prince's ear, voice deep and husky, "When you're finished here, Sire, I'm going to fuck you so hard that she can hear you scream out my name. Even from the other side of the palace."

Merlin had to laugh at the expression on Lady Gertrude's face after Arthur made a noise that could only be described as aiguttural/imoan at that.

--

When Merlin did finally manage to get Arthur to escape from the feast to the retreat of his chamber he pushed him straight up against the wall and assaulted his mouth with kisses, moving to his ears he nipped at them and whispered hot words of sin against the skin of his neck.

Arthur moaned and pushed him off, stumbling towards the bed and beckoning for him to follow, both hastily stripping clothes. Arthur fell upon the bed and practically pulled Merlin on top of him, hands moving to curl around the manservant's cock and clutch his arse appreciatively.

Merlin chuckled and reached for the vial of oil, quickly slicking three of his fingers.

"Impatient?" He licked his lips and quirked an eyebrow as he slid two fingers smoothly into the prince, making him moan unintelligibly and buck his hips towards him.

Merlin bent down to press his lips to the head of Arthur's cock, tongue dipping into the slit and licking up the glistening drop of pre-come already there.

Arthur moaned louder as Merlin pressed a third finger inside him and twisted them, making his hips jolt off the bed and stars appear.

"Fuck… Merlin…" He gasped, pulling him closer for a kiss, "Please…"

Merlin just chuckled darkly again and withdrew his fingers from the prince, swiftly pushing his cock inside him before they could be missed.

He set a hard pace, wrapping Arthur's legs around his waist to thrust further inside him. He could tell that Arthur, writing and moaning uncontrollably beneath him, wouldn't be lasting long.

The prince reached to tug at his own cock, other hand wrapped around Merlin's neck, fingernails digging into the skin there. He cried out wordlessly, and then called Merlin's name, and then "Shit, so fucking close, Merlin!"

Merlin stilled inside him and grabbed the prince's hand, pulling it away from his cock and replacing it with his own, but not moving it.

"Say it."

"Oh God, Merlin, please. Don't." Arthur attempted to thrust into Merlin's hand, but the boy had him pinned well.

Merlin started moving the hand on Arthur's cock tantalizingly slowly, thrusting into him one. "Say it Arthur, we both know how this is going to end."

He started stroking the prince's cock a little harder, a little faster. Arthur was biting on his bottom lip and shaking his head, trying to stop the words from slipping out of his mouth.

Merlin started to thrust inside him again, picking up the same bruising pace, his hand on Arthur's cock matching each of his thrusts.

Arthur was crying out now, as Merlin had promised he would, and a wicked grin was spread across Merlin's face; he knew how close the prince was and bent down to growl into his ear.

"iSay it/i." He bit Arthur's neck and felt him shiver and contract around him as his orgasm hit.

His hands grasped at Merlin's back and he whispered, voice sounding choked and strained, "Merlin… I love you."

And Merlin came with that, pleasure and relief rushing through him. Relief that Arthur was his; that he wasn't going to leave him for a visiting noblewoman.

--

They both knew that Arthur would never, could never, speak those words unless Merlin made him. His pride, the lessons drilled into him, stopped him from saying it – to a servant, to a imale/i servant.

But that didn't make them any less real.

And he fought Merlin about them but, secretly, he longed to say them.

And Merlin knew all this and he presses a gently kiss to the prince's golden hair.

"I love you too."