million_star | The Sun In Your Heart

Title: The Sun In Your Heart

Author:

millionstar

Pairing: Merlin/Arthur

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: Smut, hints of angst, language.

Word Count: 2631

Summary: For

rocknvaughn's request on my pay-it-foward prompt meme: Sexy use of Merlin's magic. Thank you for the wonderful prompt, dear, I hope this satisfies, it turned into something a bit different than I'd anticipated. <3 Title taken from a lyric in this track. *grins*

Feedback: Always appreciated, but please just enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own this version of Merlin & Arthur, the BBC does. No profit is being made and this is fiction.

Beta/Support: As always, the lovely and wonderful

dolce_piccante. Special thanks to

k_nightfox for the assist as well!

"It's all been for you. All of it."

Merlin speaks so softly that Arthur has to strain to be able to process his words.

Arthur moves to where Merlin is standing, in front of the window overlooking the courtyard, and comes to a stop just behind him. The sun has set long ago and all the window holds is the reflection of snow that has collected on the castle turrets, although Arthur cannot help but notice the night sky is clear and full of stars. He makes to put his hand on Merlin's shoulder but pauses, then lets it fall again. He clears his throat, noticing now that Merlin's body is trembling, his lover's hands clenched into fists in a taut display of tension.

"Merlin, I-"

"You don't have to say it. I'll go."

Those two words instill a sudden panic in Arthur and he chooses that moment to act. He steps forward, and envelops Merlin from behind, the warlock's breath hitching in his throat at the sudden movement. It's a shaky breath that Arthur exhales against Merlin's neck, for all of this is new to him and if Merlin is nervous, it would be fair to say that Arthur is doubly so.

"No. Don't you dare," he mumbles, pressing a soft kiss to Merlin's earlobe. For all of this, for the shock of discovering that the person he loved the most had been holding a terribly massive secret from him, Arthur still loves Merlin more than his own life. He still wants him more than anything else. "You belong to me."

Finally, Merlin's hands cover Arthur's own where they rest against his stomach. He squeezes them and nods, a silent tear falling down his cheek. He's not sure what the tear is a result of, and he wonders if shedding it is a sign of weakness, but only for a moment. He and Arthur have been through too much with each other to let anything come between them, even his magic. The tear is not, he decides, born of fear, but merely a physical manifestation of the stress and the fear he has lived with for so long in keeping this most private thing from Arthur.

He wonders, now that it is no longer a secret, if things will still be the same between the two of them.

"I'm sorry."

Merlin can feel Arthur shaking his head in reply. "No. I don't want you to be sorry for anything. Ever. I mean that, Merlin. You've spent the last few years of your life using a precious and incredibly sacred gift to keep me safe. No apologies." He nuzzles Merlin's neck, Merlin positively melting into his touch.

Arthur means it, every word.

The shock of seeing Merlin using his magic in battle is one that he knows will stay with him for some time. How could it not? He wonders precisely when and how many times over the years Merlin has indeed saved his royal backside without his knowledge. It's true that he is full of questions but in this instance he is more concerned about Merlin. Their ride back to the castle was a strangely silent one, Merlin choosing to spend most of it with his eyes cast downward. Gwaine had attempted a couple of times to crack a joke in hopes Merlin would respond but Merlin remained quiet.

Upon reaching Camelot, Merlin had dismounted and mumbled something about Gaius, running off before Arthur could stop him. Arthur had looked incredulously at his knights, unsure of how to proceed.

"I don't know what to do."

In the end it was Leon who stepped forward. "Sire, we all know how you feel about Merlin. He needs you right now, go to him. Talk to him."

"I- I don't know what to say," Arthur admitted.

"Sire, Camelot's stance on magic is known throughout the land. He must be wondering what you are planning to do now that it's evident he has it."

"Planning to do?" Arthur's eyes widen in realization suddenly. "No, I would... never, no, not Merlin. He is safe. He..."

"Do you still love him?" Percival spoke up. Arthur turned to him, eyes wide.

"Of course I do. You all know that!"

"Then tell him so."

It took some effort to convince Merlin to come talk to him, but with Gaius' help, he managed it in the end. Now, as he holds Merlin in his chambers, he marvels at the men who stand with him, at how well they know him, and at how much they are truly a family.

Merlin finally turns in his arms, and Arthur immediately kisses away the evidence of the tear that had fallen earlier. A smile appears on Merlin's face, a soft one that still manages to look a little sad. He wraps his arms around Arthur's neck and holds on as though his life depends on it.

"I thought you would hate me," he admits, still trembling. "It's been a long six years."

"Hate you? Never, never ever. I could never."

Merlin pulls back, running his fingers through his thick, dark hair. He turns to the window again, Arthur following suit.

"I won't lie; I'm full of questions," Arthur comments, reaching for Merlin's hand, "but right now I just want you to be okay. To know that this changes nothing. To know that I love you more than anything."

In response Merlin kisses him softly and so sweetly that it reminds Arthur of the very first kiss they ever shared. As he looks at Merlin now, however, he's struck by just how much the two of them have changed over the years. Gone is the lanky, awkward boy of years past. Standing before him now is a young man with a certain grace that Arthur never knew he possessed. Merlin could have chosen any path in life with the gifts he was born with, but he chose to use them to protect Arthur; surely a decision like that is not made without a wisdom beyond the years of a teenage boy.

"Can we talk tomorrow?" Merlin asks, smoothing back the hair from Arthur's face, "I just want to hold you. I promise I'll tell you everything then."

"Can you do something for me?"

"Anything."

"Show me," Arthur whispers, his mouth molding perfectly to Merlin's jawline. "Show me what it's like."

"What?"

"Your magic."

Merlin blinks, staring at Arthur, completely shocked and unaware of how to proceed.

"I don't mean to lessen it. I just-"

"You're curious."

Arthur nods. "How can I not be? It's a part of you and I want to know everything."

Merlin turns back to the window, resuming his position in Arthur's arms. He raises his hand and whispers words in an unfamiliar language and before Arthur's eyes, a small circle of light manifests before him. More than that, though, the circle encases their reflection perfectly and it's when Merlin's eyes flash amber that Arthur's mouth falls open in shock. He turns Merlin around, his own eyes scanning the warlock's face.

"Do that again," he pleads, his voice peppered with wonder and awe. "So beautiful."

Merlin looks away for a beat, bashful, then meets Arthur's gaze again. More words are spoken and this time when Merlin's eyes glow Arthur positively loses himself in them. He is so enthralled with what he's seeing before him that it takes him a moment to realize what spell Merlin has just cast.

Until he feels a cool breeze against his thighs, that is. Arthur looks down.

"Merlin?"

"Yes?"

"Did you just magic my trousers away?"

"Yes."

Arthur grins, his eyes meeting Merlin's once more. Once again, Merlin turns away, almost as though this stripped-down, raw version of himself is something to be ashamed of. It intrigues Arthur.

"Why do you turn away?" he asks, cupping Merlin's cheek with one hand.

"I don't mean to. This is just new, I mean, with you. Being able to be so... free with my magic."

"Do you like it?" Arthur asks, genuinely curious.

"I do."

"I'm so glad. Now, are you gonna lose your clothes too or do I get the honor of removing them for you?' Arthur demands, pulling him close for another kiss. Merlin merely laughs and the two of them are undressing with an urgency like no other, clothes flying across the room until finally they're in each others arms again. Merlin practically jumps into Arthur's arms, and latches his mouth to Arthur's neck.

"Don't stop," Arthur breathes, urging Merlin on as he stumbles awkwardly toward the bed. Except suddenly, he's not stumbling, and they're in said bed, Merlin pressing Arthur down into royal bedclothes.

"How-"

"You said not to stop," Merlin whispers, his lips on Arthur's collarbone. Arthur is content to let Merlin's mouth perform its own kind of magic, so he presses his head back into the lush pillows, his hands in Merlin's hair. He feels and hears Merlin speaking against his skin, and suddenly the curtains around the bed are released from their restraints, trapping the two of them in their own private oasis.

"Feel that? See what you do to me?" Arthur groans, arching his back, pressing his growing erection against Merlin's own. The darkness envelops them both, heightening their other senses. Arthur feels like he could get lost in it, but he also misses not being able to see Merlin. "Wanna see you," he pleads.

Merlin pulls back and speaks an incantation. This time when his eyes light up they are mere inches from Arthur's, and Arthur commits the way they look in this moment to memory in the hopes he will never forget it. The light fades, but then they are bathed in something else completely.

The moonlight is clearly artificial and of Merlin's making, but that doesn't make it any less special than the real thing. In fact, Arthur reckons that it's better than the real thing, and when a firefly lands on Merlin's bare shoulder Arthur shivers in appreciation of the power his lover clearly holds. Arthur still feels the bedding beneath his body, but it's as though the bed has been transported to an open meadow on a summer's night. The light bathing them is just enough for them to be able to see each other in shadows.

In a word, it's perfect.

"You have such a heart, Arthur." Merlin presses his palm to the center of Arthur's chest, "such a heart." Warmth radiates from Merlin's fingertips, and they begin to glow a vivid yellow as Arthur's heart thunders beneath them. Reverently, Merlin drops a kiss to the center of Arthur's chest, but lets his hand travel up Arthur's body, the same heat being delivered to Arthur's upper chest; Arthur's body positively tingles with it.

He watches, sweat breaking out on his body, as Merlin kisses a path across his chest. He reaches the juncture of Arthur's arm and body, and licks the fine hair he encounters; Arthur biting his lip as Merlin nuzzles him gently.

"Mmm. It tickles when you do that."

"It also makes you hard as fuck," Merlin comments, pulling back with a mischievous smile. Arthur takes this moment to pounce, their mouths crashing together as he reverses their positions. They both cry out when their cocks meet, the friction sweet and yet nowhere near enough for both of them, instead a harbinger of things to come.

"Let me have you, Merlin, please let me have you," Arthur babbles, sitting back on his knees as he pulls Merlin into his lap roughly.

"Do it," Merlin begs.

"Let me-"

"Don't need it," Merlin stresses, "just do it, please just fucking do it." To hammer his point home, he hovers over Arthur's cock, and slams his body down onto it.

The first thing that registers in Arthur's mind is that Merlin must have used magic to open himself up, and it makes his cock twitch knowing that Merlin would use his magic in such a manner. He bucks up into Merlin's core, marveling at how wet and hot and pliant it is while still managing to envelope his cock so tightly. Merlin throws his head back as he rides Arthur, his arms looped around Arthur's neck tightly.

They are fused together so tightly that their stomachs take care of Merlin's cock, the two of them moving faster and faster, whispered words of lust morphing into heady moans filled with want.

"Mine," Arthur grunts, the bed beginning to rock with effort, "fucking mine."

Merlin's head falls forward and he looks into Arthur's eyes, cupping his face tenderly until his own eyes flash amber yet again. "Yours," he moans.

Arthur is about to reply when the fireflies milling around them multiply exponentially in number, and lightning strikes manifest above them in a pronounced storm of light and wonder like nothing he's ever seen. Arthur notices a shooting star out of the corner of his eye as he presses his lips to Merlin's in a deep kiss. Their bodies are slick with sweat and heavy with pleasure as they rock and rub and move against each other.

"Come on," Merlin hisses, "fuck me harder." His fingertips scrape against Arthur's nipples, and in response Arthur smacks Merlin's arse hard, Merlin crying out at the sensation. "Again," he demands with a gasp, moving even faster as his orgasm begins to build.

Arthur practically growls when his hand meets Merlin's backside for the second time. It's enough to make Merlin come, the warlock stiffening in Arthur's arms with a loud moan, his cock dousing both of their bellies as it empties in warm, thick spurts.

"Fuck, Merlin," Arthur pants, watching his lover come undone in his arms as he continues to buck up into his perfect heat. Merlin's fingernails are digging into Arthur's back as he lets his head fall forward onto Arthur's shoulder for a moment, panting. Arthur is unprepared when Merlin suddenly lifts himself off and pushes Arthur flat on his back, Arthur hitting the blankets with a thud.

Arthur is momentarily dazed until Merlin moves between his legs and practically swallows him whole, sucking him into a new and heated oblivion. Arthur groans, his hands tugging at Merlin's thick, sweat-soaked hair while he fucks Merlin's mouth roughly. He arches his back, his vision filled with the manifestation of Merlin's magic as it swirls around them.

When Arthur finally comes, it's with Merlin's name on his lips and his legs draped around Merlin's back .

If he reached out with one hand in an attempt to catch a stray, magical firefly as he came, well, that was just coincidence.

* * *

"I used to wonder, you know."

It's a few minutes later and they're still holding tightly onto each other, Arthur spooning Merlin, as is their nightly custom. Arthur's arms are tightly wound around Merlin's midsection, and their legs are tangled together beneath the bed sheets in a heap of sweat and skin. Arthur's lips keep pressing light kisses to Merlin's neck, Merlin sighing into his pillow.

"About what?"

Merlin shrugs, and when his one bare shoulder lifts slightly, Arthur bites it playfully, smiling when Merlin giggles.

"How you would react when you found out."

Arthur reflects on this, pressing his mouth to the nape of Merlin's neck again. "Are you pleased?"

Merlin turns in his arms, the two of them resting face-to-face. He nods. "Yes," he whispers.

"What made you say what you did earlier?"

Merlin yawns. "About what?"

"My heart, " Arthur murmurs, sleep pulling at his body ever so gently.

"I said it," Merlin presses his palm against Arthur's chest again, soft light emanating from beneath it, " because it's true. You're a good man, Arthur. There's sunlight and goodness in your heart. And it's all mine."

They fall asleep with matching smiles on their faces.