Title: Merlin's little secret (Um pequeno segredo)

Author: Matthew Black Potter Malfoy

Translator/Beta: Amy Lupin

Beta: Lexi

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Modern day AU, crossdressing, dirty talk, mention of female body parts, porn with plot

Pairing: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon or Merthur or "Two sides of the same coin" or "Poetry", "Forever Love", "Always! " (there are just so many possible definitions for them, I could spend the rest of my day on it).

Summary: Arthur gets home early from work and finds Merlin, Gwen and Morgana in an unusual situation.

Disclaimer: if the series were mine, Merthur would be even more canon than it already is! T.T

A.N.: this fic is basically a PWP, even though Amy said it isn't as plotless as it was meant to be (PWP meaning "Porn Without Plot" for those who aren't familiar with it). Anyway, I just wanted to imagine they sharing a bed and being naughty.

T.N.: this story was originally written in portuguese by my friend, Matt, who was kind enough to let me (try to) translate it. I never wrote anything in english before and it's not my first language, therefore I apologize in advance for the grammar and spelling mistakes there (surely) might be. Please let me know if there is something (grossly) wrong and I promise to fix it.

Enjoy it!

Arthur was stressed out. It had been a very tiresome day. He was stuck all day in the meeting room with his father and Agravaine, in order to find solutions to a particularly difficult case his father's law office insisted on accepting.

Even though the young Pendragon had shown his complete disagreement about defending the case, his father insisted on him taking it up. Which was why Arthur was returning home earlier that day, he couldn't bear another second in the office.

He got home and lazily walked to the kitchen, hopping that Merlin had left some frozen food in the refrigerator – it wasn't like Arthur could cook, anyway.

Arthur took his time to acknowledge his feelings for Merlin.

They met when Merlin entered the University of Camelot. In the beginning, they didn't get along very well. Merlin believed Arthur was a supercilious narrow-minded playboy, whilst Arthur thought he was an idiot.

Despite this, they became friends. Even though Arthur still couldn't understand how that even happened. He supposed it was a consequence of Merlin's friendship with his sister, Morgana. The two of them shared an indescribable affinity since the first day of class and Arthur still found himself envious of their bond, time and again.

When Arthur entered law school, he started dating Gwen, his sister's best friend. At that time, they had created a gang that called themselves the 'knights of the round table', and they always hung out together. However, Merlin started to consistently avoid their gatherings, under the excuse that he needed to study.

It took a long time for Arthur to realize Merlin was dodging group nights only when Arthur himself was amongst them. But, once he finally did, he couldn't stop himself from asking the dark-haired boy what was going on. He could remember as if it was yesterday the way Merlin screamed at him, calling him prat, clotpole and many others names the younger boy held only for insulting him.

"What is your problem?" Arthur inquired, genuinely puzzled with Merlin's reaction.

"My problem is that I'm in love with a despicable prat, who can't even understand it and leave me alone!" he lost his temper before realizing he said it out loud.

Few times had Arthur been shocked in his entire life. And that moment was definitely the most shocking of them all.

Obviously, things didn't work out like in the movies. Quite the contrary. They ended up drifting away from each other after that and became very good in avoiding coming across one another, even though they still managed to remain part of the same circle of friends.

Ignoring the attraction he didn't even realize he felt towards Merlin, on the other hand, soon became impractical. It wasn't like Arthur didn't known beforehand that his ex-friend was gay – although Merlin had never really said it -, everybody knew and no one had ever made him feel uncomfortable about it. Yet, until that very confession, Arthur never really caught himself thinking about another man that way.

Maybe because of that, his relationship with Gwen didn't last more than four months, when both came to the conclusion that they worked out far better as friends.

Arthur thought, after all that, Merlin would go back to appreciating his company, but the very first time they met, the tension was so palpable that both of them spent the whole night trying not to look at each other, even though they failed.

It took almost a year until Arthur finally acted upon the situation. At that time, he already accepted the fact that he had feelings for Merlin, more than those of friendship, but he was afraid he had definitely ruined his chances.

When Merlin was accepted to a medical school, Gaius held a great party for his nephew, who was following in his career. Arthur was invited, as were all the 'round table' pals, but he couldn't stop thinking he wasn't welcome by Merlin. For that reason, he spent the night in a corner, getting drunker by the minute whilst glaring at the pale faced boy with the most incredible blue eyes and alluring ears, who was unconcernedly drinking and having fun.

At some point, Arthur was holding on to the edge of the table he was sitting by himself, struggling not to lash out on Leon's neck for making Merlin laugh at something he was saying when Gwaine dropped himself on the chair right beside him, exhaling his whiskey impregnated breath all around.

"Princess, do us all a favor and go take what's rightfully yours!" Gwaine said before downing the contents of his glass in one go.

"What on earth are you..."

"Oh, Arthur! Don't be naive. Everybody knows you two are in love with each other. Only both of you are too proud to admit it."

"I don't know..." Arthur started to say, but was stopped by the scream from the man by his side.

"Merlin!"

Merlin looked their way in clear confusion, but soon started to head towards them, followed closely by Leon.

"What the hell are you doing?" Arthur hissed.

"Just leave it to me, buddy" Gwaine winked in his direction. "Merlin, you won't believe this! Arthur just made some poetry in your honor, my sweet little boy."

Arthur growled an indignant "Gwaine!" between his teeth, while Leon asked "Poetry?" with an arched eyebrow and a hint of a smile. Meanwhile, Merlin seemed genuinely intrigued.

"Leon!" Gwaine pulled the blond-haired man by the arm. "Take a look at those two beautiful ladies at the bar" he kept going, pointing at the direction of the bar counter. "I've spent the last hour looking for a way to approach one of them. Come with me and I'll let you choose the one you like the most."

When the two of them left, Merlin and Arthur were stuck by an awkward silence.

"So..." it was Merlin who first spoke. "Since when haveyou liked poetry?"

"You still pay attention to the nonsense that comes from Gwaine's mouth, Merlin?" Arthur rolled his eyes.

"You didn't make some poetry for me, then?" the dark-haired sounded disappointed.

"No" Arthur admitted, sloping his shoulders in defeat and cursing himself for being completely incapable of composing a poem for Merlin right then and there.

Merlin shrugged. "One cannot have it all, apparently."

The black-haired had already turned to leave when Arthur got up. He didn't exactly know if it was the influence of alcohol, Gwaine's words or the clear disappointment in Merlin's eyes that gave him courage to do it. But the next thing he remembers is his lips over Merlin's, one of his hands in Merlin's waist and the other tangled in his dark hair.

"There's something about you, Merlin. I can't quite put my finger on it…" his voice sounded hoarse and sexy.

They kissed again, but was interrupted by Morgana and Gwen's shrieks of "Halleluiah!" while all the other 'knights' rushed to pat their congratulations on Arthur's shoulder.

Almost ten years had passed since then and Arthur knew that their relationship wasn't all sunshine and roses. Uther took more than three years to accept the fact that his son was dating another man and the both of them kept fighting for the silliest reasons, whether it wasjealousy or whose turn was it to hold the remote control.

Still, that seemingly dysfunctional relationship, where Arthur was always bossing around and Merlin was always his sassy self, ended up working out and it had been two years since they decided to move in together.

Arthur was digressing about his relationship with his boyfriend, thinking if he should take the next step and finally show Merlin the pair of engagement rings he bought more than a year ago, when he heard a noise upstairs.

He hastened to the living room, where he kept his baseball bat in one of the cabinets and started to climb the stairs. Whoever the intruder was, they were going to regret having ever coming into his house. When he reached the upper floor, he could distinguish the voices coming from his bedroom.

Merlin was talking to Morgana.

"Stop, Morgana!" Merlin groaned. "It's hurting!"

"Don't be such a girl, Merlin" his sister sniggered mockingly. "I do it practically every day."

Arthur wondered what Merlin was possibly doing. His boyfriend had shifts in the hospital on thursday evenings. How could he be here, in their room, with Morgana?

"There's no way it's gonna fit, Morgana!" Merlin squeaked.

"Hold your breath, Merlin" Gwen's voice said from within the room. "It's almost all in."

The mental images brought by those words weren't exactly pleasant. He didn't want to even imagine Merlin doing such a thing with anybody besides him. Let alone with his sister and his ex-girlfriend. He opened the door ready to explode in rage. But nothing could have ever prepared him for the sight right in front of him.

Merlin stood in the middle of the room whilst Gwen and Morgana tried to squeeze his rib cage inside the corset of a red dress. He wore a wig the same tone of his hair and... was that makeup on his face?

Arthur simply could not prevent his jaw from dropping.

"Arthur!" Merlin screamed, trying to hide his face in his hands and running to the bathroom.

Arthur froze, his dry mouth hanging open, staring at the spot Merlin occupied just seconds before.

"Arthur, what are you doing here?" Morgana asked accusingly.

"This is my house, Morgana!" he huffed, recovering from the shock. "What are the two of you doing here?"

"Well... we were... humm... it's..." Gwen stuttered.

"Merlin called us for a fashion consultation" Morgana answered, lifting her chin as if defying her brother to argue with her. Apparently she wasn't shaken by the flagrant.

"Whatever" Arthur said, leaving the door unobstructed. "Can you leave now? Merlin and I have some talking to do."

"Arthur, don't be too hard on him" Morgana reached out to grab his arms. "He was just curious. It's perfectly normal. You have nothing to..."

"What the fuck are you talking about, Morgana?" Arthur frowned. "I just want to talk to him."

"Oh! Ok, then..." she said, failing to hide her surprise. "Come on, Gwen" she finished, leaving the room.

"Be gentle to him, Arthur" Gwen warned. "You know how sensitive he is."

"Jesus! You talk like I'm some kind of ignorant troll!"

Gwen smiled before leaning in to kiss Arthur's cheek.

"See ya!" she bade farewell, leaving after Morgana.

Arthur hurried to the bathroom, afraid that his boyfriend might have already taken off the outfit and makeup, and stopped at the door, facing it for a moment.

"Merlin?" he called as smoothly as possible.

To no answer, however.

"Merlin!" he called again, more vigorously.

Again, his words were followed by silence only. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. Then he leaned in to listen through it and heard sobbing from the inside.

"Merlin, if you don't talk to me, I will to break this door open!" he said, trying to sound as kind as he could, even though he was demanding something.

"No" Merlin's shriek came almost immediately.

"Then open the door so we can talk, Merlin."

"Go away, Arthur" Merlin answered, between sobs. "I don't want you to see me like this."

Arthur bared his teeth, annoyed by his boyfriend's attitude.

"You don't want me to see you like this, but don't mind my sister and my ex-girlfriend watching you" he snorted.

"They're my friends!" Merlin said blatantly and Arthur could bet he was rolling his eyes inside the bathroom. "What does one thing have to do with the other?"

Not even Arthur would've known how to explain what he meant, he just knew he didn't want anyone else to see Merlin like that. It was like he just discovered Merlin's secret and didn't want his boyfriend to share that with anybody besides him.

"Merlin, if you don't open this door right now so we can talk face to face, I'm going to bring it down" Arthur sentenced.

Again, Merlin kept silent.

"I'm going count to three" Arthur threatened, even though he didn't really intend to keep his word. "One... two..."

There was a click at the lock that meant Merlin had just unlocked it.

Arthur waited a fell moments before opening it and entering the bathroom. Merlin sat at the edge of the bathtub, his eyes were red and he was wiping his tears with the back of his hand. Despite this, his makeup was miraculously intact.

Arthur swallowed dryly, licking his lips and took a deep breath. Seeing Merlin right in front of him, dressed like that and seeming so helpless, made his body spontaneously react. He drew near his boyfriend, reaching for a hand towel, and knelt down in front of him.

"I don't want you to leave me" Merlin's voice sounded weak and the only thing Arthur wanted to do in that moment was hold him close.

Well, maybe it wasn't exactly the only thing.

"Don't be silly, Merlin" he said, delicately wiping off the tear traces from his face. "I would have to be very dumb to leave you. Nobody can sound as sexy as you while insulting me."

And the thing was he wasn't even being sarcastic. Sometimes Arthur acted childishly just so his boyfriend could vent out as much insults as he wanted.

"Prat!" Merlin said, smiling.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Arthur asked after making sure he was calmer.

"I don't know" Merlin shrugged. "I think I always wished to. And when your sister discovered my... uhh... interest in the matter, she simply insisted in helping me to do something about it."

"And how long has she known, exactly?" Arthur tried his best not to sound overly jealous.

"About three months" Merlin shrugged again.

"Three months!" Arthur got up quickly. "You've been dressing like this for three months, now? Why haven't you told me anything?"

Merlin looked up, facing him, and Arthur suddenly felt powerless before that gaze.

"I was scared you would hate it. Feel disgusted. I didn't know what I would do if you left me."

Arthur noticed the tears filling up his eyes and wished to spank himself for his own inability to be patient with the whole situation.

"Look, Merlin" he started, thrusting one hand through his hair. "I admit I'venever thought about anything like this. But, even if I didn't like it, I would have said so. Even so, I would never have left you. I love you."

Merlin lowered his head muttering a soft "I love you too" and then they both fell silent. Arthur twisted the hand towel in his hand without a clue how to react, his trousers were already so tight it hurt.

"Wait" Merlin said, his eyes widening. "You said if you didn'tlike ? Does that mean you like it?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Have you seen yourself in the mirror?" he said, sarcastically. "Of course I like it! You're a hottie!"

Merlin turned away, blushing.

"You don't have to say it only to indulge me."

Arthur reached out, pulling Merlin by the arms and attaching their bodies by the hips. He looked Merlin deep in the eyes.

"Baby, I'm bisexual, have you forgotten?" he said, sweetly. "It's like having two in one. My naughty boy and my sweet little girl. I'm mostcertainly the luckiest guy in the world."

"Are you sure?" Merlin said insecurely.

Arthur pressed his hips harder into Merlin's to make sure he noted his evident arousal.

"You still doubt it?"

Merlin flushed even more, hiding his face in the crook of Arthur's neck.

"Can we go to bed now?" Arthur whispered hoarsely against Merlin's ear. "I want to unwrap my present."

Merlin faced him, biting his lower lip and Arthur had to refrain himself from ripping up the red dress right then and there before ravishing him. He took Merlin in his arms, making him yelp in surprise.

"You should be wearing white on our honeymoon, darling" Arthur said whilst scratching Merlin's neck with his teeth.

"I will be the day you put a ring on my finger" Merlin smiled and Arthur was grateful to notice he was relaxing.

Only when he laid Merlin on the bed and stepped aside to look at him, did he spend some time to really acknowledge every detail. The strapped long dress had an opening at the right side, which allowed him to see Merlin's thigh. Arthur smiled upon noticing the black stockings he was wearing beneath, the color contrasting with the whiteness of his bare arms. The skin of his collar bones also showed up and the dress was so tight at the chest, it gave the impression Merlin had small breasts. The makeup was simple and discreet, except for the red lipstick, which was becoming less and less visible, since Merlin couldn't stop biting them in clear uneasiness.

Arthur leaned over Merlin, holding his jaw and making him release the bruised lip. "I want to take off your lipstick with my mouth, Merlin" he growled, harshly attaching his lips to his boyfriend's.

Arthur snarled amidst the kiss, noticing the totally new way Merlin was giving himself over. This was what he loved the most about Merlin. Sometimes, Arthur thought he could live one thousand years beside Merlin and he still would find a way to surprise him. Arthur moved his lips away to look deeply into the eyes of the younger man. His lips were slightly swollen by the aggressiveness of the kiss and his prominent cheekbones – that Arthur loved so dearly – were flushed. He started nibbling Merlin's neck, alternating with kisses and flicks of his tongue, sucking and scratching the milky-white pristine skin.

"Oh, baby, you have no idea of what you do to me when you look at me like this. You look so sexy and innocent" Arthur purred to his neck rubbing his crotch against the cloth of the dress.

It didn't take long for Arthur to notice the not too subtle lump swelling under the silk.

"What's this, my sweet girl?" he arched an eyebrow in feigned curiosity, staring at the bulge.

"Oh, Arthur! Stop that!" Merlin said huskily, hiding his face behind his hands.

"I think I'll have to find out myself" Arthur said lickinghis own lips.

He pushed his hand underneath Merlin's dress, caressing his inner thigh, sliding his fingers over the stocking, making him sigh. When his hand finally reached his destination, he couldn't stop himself from gasping.

"Jesus, Merlin!" he almost choked. "Are you wearing panties?"

"What do you think, you prat?"

"Oh, god, thank you!" Arthur said, lifting up his face in gratitude.

The blond-haired knelt on the mattress, between Merlin's thighs, spreading them out with one hand while the other slowly lifted up the dress. Merlin raised up his upper body, so that Arthur could slip it off entirely.

I should have asked him to get up and undress for me, he thought when he realized Merlin wasn't wearing only panties, but the whole set of lingerie. The stockings ended slightly above the middle of his thighs and were held in place by lacy garter belts. The see-through knickers barely covered up his shaft and that was enough to leave Arthur all the more turned on, even if it didn't seemed possible. The strapless brawas made of the same material as the panties and revealed more than it hid.

"You are sopretty, my angel" he whispered in Merlin's ear before gently kissing his red lips and started to descend a wet trail across his collarbone. When he reached the bra, he appreciated the fact that Merlin chose to wear a front fastening one, since it had been years and he didn't want to deal with that kind of thing. He didn't waste time in unfastening, all the while playing with his nipples, pinching and rubbing them lightly. Merlin moaned, trying to pull Arthur closer, but the blond-haired wanted to see his boyfriend squirming under him.

"Your tits are lovely, like those of a teenage girl. So tiny and rosy" Arthur said in his most seductive tone.

Merlin didn't say anything, averting Arthur's gaze.

"Let me know if I'm overstepping, ok?" Arthur asked, suddenly unsure.

"No" Merlin answered in a barely audible whisper. "I like it."

Arthur bit his lip, leaning forward to suck one of his nipples. The whimper that came out of Merlin's mouth was so delightful he could spend hours playing with them just to hear it again and again.

"Arthur..."

"Yes?" Arthur inquired, never diverting from his task.

"Touch me" Merlin asked.

"I'll do so much better than that, sweetheart" he lifted Merlin's body, positioning him higher on the bed before crouching between his legs. He wanted to make the most of that moment, so he started by licking Merlin's penis through the already damp knickers.

"You're so wet" he said hoarsely. "Is it all for me, baby?"

"I didn't know you were that kinky" Merlin stated between moans.

"I think you unleashed the animal inside me, Merlin" he snarled.

Arthur pulled Merlin's cock free, keeping his balls inside the panties and enveloped his shaft in one go.

"Oh, Arthur!"

Arthur sucked up vigorously. He licked the length from the head to the base, scratched the glans lightly with his teeth whilst rubbing his own groin on one of Merlin's legs.

"Arthur, stop!" Merlin warned, but the blond-haired carried on licking and sucking. "Oh, fuck ! He screamed when he came inside Arthur's mouth.

Arthur kept on sucking until Merlin had spilled the last drop.

"I told you to stop" Merlin sulked. "I wanted you inside me."

"That's how I do it with girls, my dear" Arthur uttered, his eyes darkened by lust. "First, I make them come with my mouth, and then I make them come on my dick."

He stepped off of the bed for a moment, kicking his shoes off as he took off his shirt. Then he pulled out his belt and unfastened his pants, removing it alongside his underwear and socks. Merlin didn't even have the time to appreciate the view, since Arthur hadbarely gotten rid of his clothes before he had climbed on to thebed again, attacking Merlin's neck with nips and licks.

"Let me suck you off first" Merlin asked.

"I don't think I can handle you sucking me now, Merlin. I almost came just by watching you."

Merlin pouted, but Arthur was determined to give his boyfriend all the pleasure he could possibly take and he knew Merlin wanted Arthur to enter him. He turned Merlin around, making him face the mattress and expose his back. Then he moved the knickers to the side while spreading his arse cheeks wide open and unceremoniously thrust his own tongue inside his hole.

"Arthur..." Merlin moaned.

Arthur kept on licking at the ring of muscles, lightly nibbling the wrinkles before pushing a finger inside, reckoning that giving Merlin pleasure was the most pleasant thing he hadever done, since he could easily come with the delightful sounds the dark-haired man made if only he touched himself in that very moment. He worked on Merlin's entrance until he felt it was stretched enough to take him painlessly.

"Arthur" Merlin called menacingly. "If you don't fuck me now, I'll end up coming again and you'll have to take care of yourself."

Arthur sniggered before the demanding tone of the statement. He held his boyfriend's body and rolled them around, so that Merlin was straddling him. "If you're gonna be bossing me around, I think it's better for you to be on top" he smiled naughtily. "But first I want you to tell me, Merlin. Where do you want me to put my dick?"

"Where do you think, you prat?"

"I want to hear you say it."

"Oh, god" Merlin took a deep breath.

Arthur wriggled his hips rubbing his erection on Merlin's arse, all the while holding him by the arms.

"I want you to put it up my ass, Arthur" Merlin said, hiding his face in Arthur's chest and thrusting his arse up.

"Are you sure, my sweet girl?" Arthur whispered teasingly.

"Of course I am!"

"Wouldn't you prefer if I stick my dick in your pussy, Merlin?" he purred, rubbing his index finger on Merlin's entrance.

The dark-haired man stared at him, wide-eyed, and for a moment Arthur thought he crossed the line. Although, when Merlin moaned, thrusting his arse even higher, Arthur realized he had actually got it right.

"I'm gonna fuck your little pussy now, my love" Arthur muttered softly, while positioning his penis at Merlin's entrance.

However, Merlin was too eager to wait and abruptly lowered himself, enveloping Arthur's whole shaft in one go.

"SHIT!" Arthur screamed, holding Merlin in place. He had to resort to all the self-control he could muster not to come on the spot. Merlin was so hot and sticky inside, he wouldn't be surprised if he couldn't hold on.

"Did you come already?" Merlin asked trying not to sound frustrated, but Arthur could still hear it in his voice.

"No" Arthur assured him, only then realizing he had shut his eyes so tight they were starting to hurt.

When he opened them, Arthur was blessed with the sight of Merlin on top of him, dressed in only panties and stockings, and he thanked heavens he hadn't come yet. He sat down, holding his boyfriend close and sucked on one of his nipples.

"You can start moving, if you want" he granted, pulling Merlin's wig out and throwing it aside so that he could bury his fingers through Merlin's hair when he finished.

Merlin started to move, pressing his inner muscles around Arthur's cock. Arthur loved when he did that. He could squeeze him like no one before. Merlin moved up and down, moaning all the while, and Arthur took turns sucking his nipples and his neck.

Usually, Arthur lasted longer, but the circumstances were so exciting and new for him that soon he was pumping Merlin's cock with his hands, speaking nonsense like "Your pussy is so hot and wet, baby", "I love hearing you moan on my dick, sweetheart" and "Is it good to know you are my woman, love?"

Merlin only moaned and said "yes" to everything. Arthur could feel Merlin's accelerated heartbeats through the pulsation on his cock. As soon as he knew he was going to come, Arthur increased the speed of his hand.

"I'm gonna make a baby inside of you, Merlin" Arthur growled before taking his boyfriend's lips, emptying himself inside of him. He took a brief moment to recovering his breathing faculties, and then started moving again until Merlin shot his release over their chests.

Arthur collapsed on the mattress, bringing Merlin down with him. They both breathed hard, their bodies stuck with sweat and Merlin's come. Merlin started to laugh in his chest, making him raise an eyebrow.

"I'm gonna make a baby inside of you ?" Merlin said, trying to hold back the laughter.

"I'm sorry" Arthur apologized, embarrassed. "I think I got carried away."

"It's not that" Merlin said, bringing his hands up Arthur's chest so that he could lean his chin on them. "It was sexy, in the heat of the moment. But I just realized we never really spoke about it".

Arthur arched his eyebrow again, noticing that Merlin's reaction before wasn't out of mockery, but apprehension.

"Well, I know you never wanted kids, that's why I never said anything about it. But you already know my opinion on the matter" Arthur shrugged, suddenly incapable of looking his boyfriend in the eyes.

Merlin got up flinching in discomfort when Arthur's penis came out of him.

"It's not that I don't want kids, I just don't think I would be a good dad. Not everyone is a natural like you, Arthur."

Arthur knew deep inside that he was going to be a good dad, if given the chance. He always loved children and since Gwen and Lancelot had their first kid, three years ago, he wondered how to approach the subject with Merlin.

"I'm sure you would be an excellent dad, Merlin" he said, dragging the discarded dress from the side of the bed to wipe out the mess off his and Merlin's chest. "Any kid would be lucky to have you in their life."

"You're only saying it because you're my boyfriend" Merlin rolled his eyes. "Besides that, you know how hard it is to adopt? We aren't even married and..."

Merlin stopped talking, noticing Arthur had raised himself up and walked to the dresser, opening up a drawer and going through its contents.

"What are you doing?" Merlin inquired curiously.

"Wait a minute" came Arthur's reaction, holding one hand up.

Intrigued, Merlin watched while Arthur moved back to bed, keeping one hand behind his back, clearly hiding something.

"If your only concern is about us not been married" he said, although uncertain about the timing. Yet, there was no going back now. He brought his arm forward, showing Merlin the opened box, where two shinning white gold rings lied. "It's not really a problem. 'Cause I would be the happiest man in the world if you married me."

Merlin's jaw dropped and his eyes almost popped out. He stood there, gaping at Arthur, who was still on his knees at the foot of the bed, without knowing how to react.

"Say something, Merlin!" Arthur said, growing tenser by the minute. He didn't expect Merlin to take so long to reply to what seemed so right.

"You really think this is the best moment to propose?" Merlin stared at him, astonished.

"I love you. I know you love me. We just learned more about each other, something we never even imagined could work out for us both. We made love. I don't think there will ever be a better moment" Arthur tried to convince himself even more than Merlin.

"You're not proposing only because you want to adopt a child, then?" Merlin squirmed, uncomfortable.

"Christ, Merlin!" Arthur huffed, getting up and sitting at the edge of the bed, since his knees were starting to protest. "What kind of person keeps an engagement ring hidden inside a sock just so they can corner their boyfriend in a situation such as this?" he rolled his eyes. "I bought these rings fourteen months ago and since then I've been waiting for the perfect moment to propose. Why do you have to ruin everything whenever I try to be romantic?"

"I'm just not used to it" Merlin tried to appease him.

Arthur stared at him for a moment before pulling his own ring and putting it in his own right hand.

"With kids or without kids. I'm entering this commitment with you" he said, looking deep into Merlin's ridiculously blue eyes, while holding his right hand. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Merlin whispered, nodding in agreement.

Arthur slid the ring on to his finger, only then realizing he couldrefer to him as his fiancé from now on and that was all it took to warm his heart.

Merlin grabbed Arthur by the neck and sealed his lips with a tender kiss. But the tenderness didn't last long. Soon they were grabbing and grasping one another in a way that was far from timid, Arthur sprawled above Merlin, their erections springing to life again and Arthur's hands all over Merlin's arse.

"Don't you even think I won't demand you to dress up like a virgin bride on our honeymoon!" Arthur teased.

Merlin smiled widely. All Arthur could think about was that he should set the wedding fornext week.

-THE END-