Arthur knocked. He did knockâand then had come what he thought must be an affirmative noise, the kind of noise that suggested he could come in.
When he opens the door to find Lancelot kneeling amongst Gwenâs bunched-up skirts, one of her bare thighs draped over his shoulder and her face in the clear throes of ecstasy, he rapidly and sickeningly realises he had been, in fact, completely wrong.
âOh God!â Arthur blurts loudly, as Gwen screams, eyes flying open, and Lancelot jerks awkwardly in surpriseâmaking Gwen lose her balance, and sending the two of them toppling to the floor in a pile of limbs, half-undone clothing, and a hideously obvious tenting in Lancelotâs trousers.
Arthur slams the door and power walks in a blind haze all the way back to his chambers.
âOh, hey,â Merlin says, not even bothering to pretend heâs not lazing on Arthurâs bed, ankles crossed and eyes closed as he uses his magic to do all his chores. Arthurâs clothing is folding itself in midair, alongside his floating armour, and a floating rag.
For once, he doesnât flinch at the fresh reminder of the years of lies, which he only very recently became party to. In fact, itâs Merlinâs magic he desperately needs right now.
âCan you erase memories?â he demands, storming over to the bed as his skin itches with wave after wave of embarrassment. âAnd get your boots off my bed, for Godâs sake Merlin.â
Never mind that exactly no part of Merlin should be on his bed. Arthur doesnât have the mental space right now to pretend to himself he doesnât like seeing him there; would like him there inâŚother capacities. In fact, thinking about that is good. Itâs a distraction. If he thinks about getting his mouth on Merlinâs cock (which normally, naturally, he never does) then he canât think about Lancelotâs mouth onâ
Merlin cracks an eye open, face going pinched as he glares up at him. âArthur, Iâm not going to make you forget about my magic, even if it does make you, yâknow, weirdââ
âNo, not that,â Arthur says impatiently, and Merlin relaxes back into Arthurâs pillows. âItâsâsomething else.â Then he adds belatedly: âAnd Iâm not weird about it.â
ââŚRight.â Now Merlin seems to be paying better attention, and his mouth pulls into a slowâand not at all attractiveâgrin. âWhatâs happened? Why are you as red as a robin?â
âNothing,â Arthur snaps, face growing hotter. âI just need you to make me forget the last hour.â
âIf you donât tell me, I wonât do it.â
Arthur scowls at him. Merlin stares back, mouth lifted in an unsubtle challenge.
âFine,â Arthur snaps, pinching the bridge of his nose as Merlin smirks. âIâI walked in onââ
His throat works uselessly. He canât do it, he canât say it. His skin tries to lift from his body.
Merlinâs brows are lifting now, his face bright with glee as he sits up. âWhat did you see? Who did you see??â
Arthur, groaning, gives up and face-plants into the bedcovers. He feels Merlin flop onto his back beside him and his stomach flips, not unpleasantly.
âShall I guess?â Merlin muses, voice too close for Arthurâs sanity. He can hear Merlinâs grin without looking. âYou walked in on⌠Gwaine?â
âNo.â Arthurâs groan is muffled in the bedding.
âWell,â Merlin says, and thereâs a note in his voice Arthur recognises, the one he uses when heâs about to be a completely insufferableââI donât know, I wouldnât mind seeingââ
âIf you finish that sentence,â Arthur says, rolling onto his side to glare at Merlin, âI will throw you off the top of the north tower.â
Merlin dimples at him, and Arthur tries not to stare at his lips. âWas it Gwen?â
Arthur looks away. Doesnât say anything.
âOh, no,â Merlin breathes, beginning to laugh. âGwen and Lancelot?â
Arthur rolls over again, and tries to suffocate himself in the bed linens. âKill me. Morgana can take my place on the throne.â
âWhat were they doing?â Merlin keeps laughing, and pushes Arthur over onto his back. âWere they fucking like rabbits?â
âDid you see all their bits?â
âStop laughing! I can never unsee it!â Arthur moans, covering his flaming face with his hands. âMake yourself useful and make me forget.â
Merlin, dimpling again, pulls his hands away. Arthur forgets how to breathe, concentrating too keenly on the warm press of Merlinâs fingers around his wrist.
âEven if I could, I wouldnât. Messing around in your brain sounds like a bad idea, even to me, and I know just how much your brain could probably do with some help.â
Arthur makes a face at him. âSo youâre just going to leave me to suffer? Typical. You are, as usual, utterly useless.â
âWellâŚâ Merlin says slowly, and Arthur tries not to let his breath catch at the low murmur of it, tickling his ear, making the hair stand up on his arms. âI could help.â
âHow?â Arthur asks, not at all breathlessly.
Merlin leans in, eyes fixed on his. âThat depends. How would you like to be distracted?â
The moment draws out between them, tense as a bow, until finallyâ
Arthur surges up, and Merlin meets him halfway, and suddenly, blissfully, Arthur forgets everything.
Kneel @merthurmicrofic {879 words}