#and then Freya too... i guess Lance is just the best friend who had more time to be a good friend XD

[mossmx]

voted Lancelot because he was the one that knew of Merlin's magic. All the others loved Merlin but a version of Merlin that was incomplete because of his secret.

Lancelot had the privilege to know the full package and love him all the more for it 🥺

Also knowing of Merlin's magic made it so that he could understand some of his struggles better and help him in meaningful ways when the other couldn't – not because they loved Merlin less, just because they didn't have the knowledge to be good friends about the situations.

We all know that Merlin is the best friend of many people, but... who do you think Merlin's best friend is ？I really want to know :）

[follow-your-fire]

In your tender hands

Rating: Explicit/NC-17

Pairing: Merlin/Arthur (Merlin)

Written for bottom Arthur fest 2020

@bottom-arthur

“You need to get that stick out of your ass. And you need to relax.”

Arthur bristles a little at the choice of words but holds himself back. “It’s a massage, not a holiday. How is that gonna relieve my stress?”

Freya gives him an incredulous look. “You’re an idiot. Have you never had a massage before?” she asks, and it’s obvious that the question is mostly rhetorical. Which is probably the main reason why her eyes grow twice their size at the lack of response. “Oh my God, Arthur! Seriously?!”

“You did what?” Arthur nearly spits out his coffee, glaring daggers at his assistant.

Freya only rolls her eyes at the dramatic response. “You heard me. I booked you in for one hour when you take your break.”

“You’ve got to be joking.” He rubs at his eyes in frustration. “How the hell am I supposed to squeeze a massage in? My break is one hour too, plus the commute, plus I want to have lunch.”

“You’re acting like I don’t know your schedule off the top of my head. How long have I been working for you?”

“Two years,” he replies automatically, taking a moment to appreciate the fact.

All in all, Freya is a wonderful assistant. Arthur knows she’s the only reason why he hasn’t had a mental breakdown yet. She’s punctual and diligent. Stubborn as hell and as ruthless as they come. It’s kind of a double-edged sword though. While she gets the job done - actually goes beyond her line of duty - she also takes great pleasure in bossing Arthur around. And of course, Arthur being the push-over he is, lets her get away with it.

So yeah, Freya is a godsent who saves Arthur from losing it on a daily basis. But she’s also the spawn of the Devil who loves to discover all the ways to drive him nuts.

“And four months,” she corrects. “So cut me some slack, Princess.”

Ignoring the jab - because really, Freya, it’s getting old - he comes back to his previous point of concern. “Then you should know that my schedule is fully packed today.”

“Not anymore,” she announces smugly, walking over to her desk to pick up the iPad before she returns to Arthur’s office. “I moved Masa to tomorrow at 11:15 and Cutforth to Friday at 2 pm, which gives you,” she does a quick count, “two hours and fifteen minutes for your break.” She closes the iPad, smiling victoriously. “Now, stop fretting and make sure you leave on time. I booked you for 12.:15. The commute is about fifteen minutes and you should be there at least five minutes in advance.” She grabs a pen and a post-it-note from his desk, scribbling quickly. “There,” she says, tearing the note off. “This is the address.”

“The enchanted cave,” he reads in disbelief. “Seriously?”

“Shut up, Arthur. Merlin is the best there is. He put me back together after I lost my parents. He’s usually fully booked weeks in advance. You’re lucky that he has a soft spot for me and let me squeeze you in.”

Arthur turns more solemn at the mention of Freya’s parent’s untimely passing. It doesn’t make him any less confused, though.

“Sounds more like a shrink to me than a masseur,” he thinks out loud.

“He might as well be,” she laughs, affection evident in her voice, which softens Arthur’s irritation somewhat. “You need to get that stick out of your ass. And you need to relax.”

Arthur bristles a little at the choice of words but holds himself back. “It’s a massage, not a holiday. How is that gonna relieve my stress?”

Freya gives him an incredulous look. “You’re an idiot. Have you never had a massage before?” she asks, and it’s obvious that the question is mostly rhetorical. Which is probably the main reason why her eyes grow twice their size at the lack of response. “Oh my God, Arthur! Seriously?!”

“I don’t have time for self-pampering,” he grumbles defensively.

“That’s exactly why you have to make the time!”

“That’s quite an oxymoron.”

“Shush.” She waves a hand dismissively. “Really, Arthur. You need to unwind.”

“I don’t-”

“Arthur,” she groans impatiently. “Go. Get. The. Massage. I’m gonna make sure you leave on time and I will check with Merlin that you actually turned up.”

“I think you’re confusing who’s the boss and who’s the subordinate here.”

“I think you’re full of shit and need to shut up and listen to someone smarter than you.” She turns on her heel and walks out of the office before Arthur has a chance to retort anything back. “Don’t be a prat, Arthur. For once in your life, do something nice for yourself.” And with that, she shuts the door behind her.

Arthur arrives at the place at 12:07, just in time to walk to the door as a woman walks out. He steps to the side, waiting for her to pass.

“Arthur?”

He snaps his head up from where he was blankly staring at the side-walk. “Oh. Hey, Mithian,” he greets when he recognizes one of his long-time friends.

“Don’t hey me and give me a proper hug hello,” she complains and doesn’t waste any time to rise on her tiptoes and wrap him in her arms. Arthur returns the hug with a smile on his face.

“How have you been?”

“I’ve been great but how have you been? I haven’t heard from you in ages,” she scolds him gently.

“Been busy.”

“Aren’t you always,” she scoffs, sympathetic. “Nice to see you’re finally doing something for yourself,” she says, getting a confused look. “You’re coming for a massage, right?”

“Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I am. My assistant made me.” Oh, shit. That shouldn’t have come out.

Predictably, Mithian bursts into giggles. “Figures.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know, Arthur. Someone needs to look out for you if you don’t,” she explains, her eyes soft and a wave of affection washes over Arthur as he remembers his uni years and their brief but lovely time together as a couple.

Now that he thinks of it, Freya reminds him of Mithian a lot. It occurs to him he’s attracted to a certain type of person. Not necessarily in a romantic sense but more in general.

His sister is like that too. All fiery and strong-willed, calling Arthur names on a good day, but when it comes to it, she’s a protective mother-hen.

So is his best friend. Lance is usually calm and collected but doesn’t hesitate to call Arthur on his bullshit, in the most loving way, though. So does Gwen. Those two really rub off on each other.

What is it with him attracting people into his life who spend most of their time scolding or mothering him? He needs to look into it later.

“I still don’t see how this is supposed to help.” He shrugs indifferently.

“Oh, you’ll see. Just wait for it.” And good grief, she winks at him. “I need to get going. Let me know how it went. You have my number, right?” Arthur nods. “Great. Also, it wouldn’t kill you to get in touch here and there, you know?”

Sighing guiltily, he humors her. “I will.”

“You’d better. Okay, gotta go. Enjoy yourself!” She blows him a kiss and takes off.

He very much doubts he’s gonna enjoy himself but if he’s lucky, maybe he’ll get to nap while the guy gets handsy with him. He could use an extra hour of sleep. God knows the five hours he’s come to consider his routine are not cutting it anymore.

He sighs in relief as he walks through the door to find a rather unassuming lobby. Given the name of the business, he expected the place to live up to its cringeiness but thankfully there are no tacky lights, no magical crystals scattered around, no candles in every corner, nor every surface. The only thing that can be considered a bit spiritual or whatever is the incense perched on the counter, right next to the business cards and leaflets. Thankfully, the scent is very subtle and doesn’t trigger a headache.

“Good afternoon! You must be Arthur,” says a voice to his left and Arthur nearly jumps out of his skin. He didn’t even notice anyone in the room with him.

As he looks over in the direction the voice came from, he finds a man, presumably his masseur - Mark, Matt? - standing in the door leading to what Arthur guesses is the massage room.

“Oh. Hey. Yeah, that would be me.” He turns to face the man, straightening his back. He must look out of place, clad in his suit, still wearing his tie.

The man approaches him with a smile. “I’m Merlin. It’s nice to meet you, finally. Freya talks about you quite a bit.”

Arthur reaches to grasp his hand when Merlin offers it, giving it a firm shake. “Don’t believe anything the little minx lets out of her mouth.” He attempts a joke, hoping his discomfort at being told his assistant talks about him is not too obvious.

He must succeed because Merlin is throwing his head back with a laugh. “She said you would say that,” he teases. “That’s alright. I like to make up my own mind.”

Arthur withdraws his hand and gives him a stiff smile. Outside of work, he has no idea how to make a decent conversation. Not upon the first meeting anyway.

Tilting his head inquiringly, Merlin asks, “You seem quite tense. Is everything alright?”

“It’s just... Look. I know you’re busy, Freya said so. And I appreciate you making time for me. But,” he huffs, knowing he’s gonna sound like a jerk no matter how he phrases it, “I don’t really care for massage much but Freya insisted. She can be fucking scary sometimes. Don’t tell her that though! And I just... I feel really out of place, okay?”

He expects to see Merlin’s expression sour, thinking Arthur is just a pompous douche. He wouldn’t even blame him. But, to his bewilderment, the man’s face is nothing but open, not a single trace of judgement.

“I won’t, I promise,” he says with humor. “If you don’t mind me asking - have you had a bad experience in the past?”

“More like no experience at all.”

For the first time, Merlin looks caught off guard. “You never had a massage?”

“No. I just never saw the point. And anyway, I don’t really have time to spare. The only reason I’m here is that Freya did some magic with my schedule and cleared it up enough to give me two hours off today.”

“Oh.” Merlin suddenly perks up. “In that case, I’d like to show you some of my magic, if you let me.”

Arthur’s brain short-circuits for a moment. Did he just hear what he thinks he did? Or is he so tired he started hallucinating? Plus, his dry spell of six months is probably not helping either.

“Um... I... magic?”

“Yeah, you know...” Merlin sweeps his hand over the lobby. “The enchanted cave? Seems fitting?”

“Oh.” Arthur chokes out. “Right. Right...”

“Oh God, I just realized how cheesy that sounds,” Merlin reflects with a hint of embarrassment. “Anyway, I should stop talking. You didn’t come here for a chat, after all.” He steps to the side, gesturing towards the massage room. “I’d just finished setting it up before you came in, so it’s all ready for you.”

Arthur gets the hint and with a deep breath, he makes his way to the room. Unlike the lobby, it’s bathed in a soft yellow light and.... yup, those are candles alright. No crystals, though.

Merlin is right on his heels. “I’ll let you undress in private, to your level of comfort.You can hang your clothes here, or you can just fold them and put them on this chair.” He gestures to the chair in the corner. “After that, lie down on the massage table, on your stomach, this way around. You see the sheet over there? That’s for you to cover yourself with. I’ll be back in a few minutes when you’re ready. Do you have any questions? Requests?”

So many questions. He goes with the most concerning one. “Yeah, um, when you say my level of comfort...” He cuts himself off. Thankfully, Merlin picks up on it.

“Whatever works for you, really. I can even massage you with your clothes on, although...” He gives Arthur a quick once-over, “I can’t imagine it would be comfortable for you.”

Yeah, no. Definitely not. And he has to go back to work after and he’s sure that showing up in a wrinkled suit would earn him a few judgmental looks.

“But really, it’s up to you. You can keep your clothes on, or just your underwear. If you’d prefer to be completely naked, that works too.”

Arthur hopes the dim lighting of the room conceals his blush. There’s no reason why a man of 32 years should blush at the thought of being naked.

“Okay.”

“Okay,” Merlin echoes with an encouraging smile. “Be back soon.”

Arthur releases a relieved breath when Merlin closes the door behind him. This whole thing is even more awkward than he expected. Merlin seems like an alright bloke, if a bit odd but Arthur supposes that comes with the job. He seems nice though, with all the reassurances and effort he put into making sure Arthur is comfortable.

He wonders how many male clients Merlin gets. So far, he knows that Freya and Mithian are swept away by him. Although it’s hard to tell if it’s because of his supposedly outstanding massage skills or his looks.

He groans internally and maybe even a bit out loud. Nope, don’t even go there. No hitting on your masseur. Yeah, that wouldn’t end well. Not with Merlin about to spend the next hour gliding his large hands over Arthur’s whole body.

A shiver runs down his spine and in an attempt to push his thoughts away, he begins undressing, starting with his tie. He hangs his jacket and shirt on the hanger by the door and the rest he puts on the chair, just as Merlin instructed. In no time, he’s standing there clad only in his underwear, debating whether to leave that on or not.

To hell with it. Merlin must have seen it all already.

He ends up ridding himself of his briefs too, face going aflame as he adds them to the pile on the chair and rushes to climb onto the table, settling on his stomach and doing his best to arrange the sheet Merlin provided for him so it covers him as much as possible.

A minute or two pass with him fidgeting in his position. Whether it’s from discomfort or nerves, he doesn’t know, but then Merlin is knocking gently on the door.

“Can I come in?”

“Y-yeah,” he calls hoarsely, grateful Merlin can’t see his face.

The door clicks open and Merlin walks into the room, speaking from somewhere to Arthur’s left. “You probably already figured but one hour allows for a full body massage. Is that alright with you? Or do you want me to forgo any areas? Or spend some more time on a specific one?”

Logically, Arthur knows these are all valid questions but they do nothing to help him relax. More like the opposite.

“Um, no, that’s... you can do whatever you want.”

“Alright. Any contraindications I should know about?”

“I’m not pregnant, if that’s what you’re asking.” Oh God, what did I just say? Stop trying to be funny, Arthur!

It draws a boisterous laugh from Merlin, easing some of Arthur’s tension. “Thanks for clarifying,” he says, catching his breath. “Any injuries?”

“No. I twisted my ankle playing football, but that was years ago.”

“Okay, good.” There is some rustling and thumping, then Merlin speaks again. “Do you care for any specific scent? I’ve got a variety of essential oils, energizing or calming. I have a special blend for stress relief if you’d be interested.”

Arthur winces a little at the fact he’s so easy to read. “Um... sure. But maybe not too much? I still need to go back to work after this.”

“Duly noted,” Merlin promises and busies himself with what Arthur assumes is mixing the oils or something.

Thankfully, he doesn’t take long, preventing Arthur from driving himself into a frenzy. He doesn’t know why he’s so flustered about all of this. So he never had a massage, so what? People do it all the time.

It’s just then that he notices that music is playing but it’s so soft it could almost escape his hearing. He focuses on listening in hopes of distracting himself.

“Okay, I’m all set. I’ll start with dry massage, working my way down from your shoulders. That alright with you?”

Yeah, he never had a massage but he’s pretty sure that asking for affirmation every two minutes isn’t how this usually works. It occurs to him that Merlin is doing this only for him.

He’s equal parts irritated and touched by it.

“Yeah.”

Gently, Merlin places his hands on his shoulders over the sheet. It’s just a simple touch, not even on his bare skin, but Arthur swears he can feel the heat of Merlin’s hands seeping into his own body and spreading throughout. He suppresses a sigh.

“I’ll start with medium pressure. Let me know if it’s too much or if you’d like me to go harder.”

Arthur hopes the whimper that makes it past his lips is not very audible. He clears his throat to cover it up.

Merlin doesn’t say anything. Instead, he presses his hands into the tense muscles of Arthur’s upper back, finding all the right spots from the get go.

A guttural groan escapes Arthur before he knows it.

“Too much?” Merlin asks, stilling his movement.

“N-no. No, it’s... it’s good. Just didn’t... expect it.”

“Good. Let me know if it changes.”

He stays on that area for a few minutes, lingering when he finds a sensitive spot, working out the kink. It’s a curious combination of pain-pleasure and Arthur is not sure if that’s what it’s supposed to feel like, but he knows it leaves him all pliant and floaty, so it’s probably alright.

Merlin makes his way down the spine, to his lower back, then goes back up and pays the same attention to his arms and hands.

He walks around the table and starts working on the legs.

Arthur releases a shuddering breath. He just had a leg-day in the gym yesterday and damn, can he feel it. Merlin’s touch is like a balm on his sore muscles and he exhales as pain gives way to relief.

It’s not long before Merlin comes back to the head of the table, hands grasping at the sheet.

“I’ll move onto the oil part now, yeah?”

“Okay.” At this point, Arthur will take anything. Why has he never done this before?

Merlin pulls the sheet down to his lower back, folding it over and leaving his back and arms exposed. The air of the room is not chilly by any means but Arthur shudders all the same.

There is a slick sound as Merlin covers his hands with oil before bringing them to Arthur’s shoulders again, spreading the oil over the whole expanse of his back and arms. Although the pressure is not as hard now, with the oil easing the way, Arthur finds this part even more intense, Merlin’s touch nearly searing without any barrier between them.

He glides his palms, fingers and forearms over Arthur’s back with long, confident strokes, then switches to short, firmer ones, alternating between the two.

Arthur’s vaguely aware he’s all but melting on the spot, feeling almost detached from his body despite every nerve ending being on fire.

At some point as Merlin rubs at the tense muscles of his neck, he slides his hands into Arthur’s hair, at the base of his skull, rubbing in circular motions.

This time, it’s definitely a whimper that Arthur lets out, blushing furiously.

“S-sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, Arthur,” Merlin instructs in a gentle voice. “You carry a lot of tension here. Plenty of people do but you even more so. Just let go.”

Against his better judgment, he does just that. As Merlin’s hands continue their ministrations, he lets out a series of little huffs and whimpers, unable to stop himself when he starts.

“That’s it. Just let go,” Merlin repeats and puts more force behind his touch, making Arthur’s noises grow in volume.

He both welcomes and mourns the loss when Merlin’s hands leave him in order to grab a hot towel and wipe the remaining layer of oil from his back before covering him with the sheet again.

“I’ll move to your legs now, okay?”

“Uh-huh.”

He’s surprised when Merlin touches his shoulder, prompting him to lift his head. “Since I’m finished with your back, you can have a pillow if you want. It might be more comfortable for you.”

Arthur doesn’t object in the slightest, taking the pillow Merlin’s holding and resting his right cheek on it, sliding his hands underneath. Yeah, much more comfortable.

“Thanks,” he mumbles almost sleepily and hears Merlin chuckle.

“You’re very welcome.”

Then, Merlin is exposing his left leg, tucking the sheet in the space between his legs and over his hip, revealing his left butt-cheek in the process. He doesn’t even have the strength to feel embarrassed.

Merlin doesn’t waste time before coating his hands with oil again and bringing them to Arthur’s leg. He starts with his feet, then moves to his calf, then thigh until he’s worked all the way to his bum.

Arthur nearly jack-knives from the table as Merlin’s thumb presses into the middle of his cheek.

“Sorry! Was it too much?”

Arthur presses his face into the pillow to hide his flush. “I... ugh... I just... didn’t expect... that.”

“Oh,” Merlin quips. “I can skip that part.”

Jesus, Arthur, stop being such a sissy. It’s just a massage. A professional massage.

“It’s fine. You just... surprised me.”

“Sorry about that,” he says genuinely and resumes the massage, albeit more tentative than before.

Now that the initial shock is over, Arthur begins to appreciate the attention Merlin’s paying to that particular part of his body. He never knew how tense he was in... well.... there.

He whines a little when Merlin presses his thumb into a tender spot.

“Shit. I would’ve thought that going to the gym four times a week would make up for sitting on my ass several hours every day,” he grumbles more to himself.

“I think you’re doing an excellent job at the gym,” Merlin replies with humor, then promptly freezes, Arthur following suit. “Oh God, I’m so sorry. That was... very inappropriate. I swear, I didn’t mean anything by it. Not that you don’t have a nice ass. I mean... oh shit,” he starts panicking, removing his hands from Arthur’s body. Funny enough, witnessing Merlin freak out makes Arthur strangely relaxed.

He responds with a huff. “Take it easy, Merlin. I appreciate the compliment. You can continue.”

“Are you... are you sure?” Merlin asks tentatively.

“I’m sure. You like my ass, so what? I’ve been working hard on it.”

Merlin laughs, a bit nervous, a bit relieved, and eventually listens, resuming the massage on the other leg, starting from his foot again.

Maybe the whole exchange should make everything weird but strangely enough, Arthur is even more relaxed than he was before. The realization that Merlin is only human, with no filter it seems, making it easier.

Merlin hesitates when he works his way up to Arthur’s bum again, but with no complaint in sight, he repeats what he did on the other leg.

When he’s done, he steps to the side of the table and lifts the sheet off of Arthur, holding it in front of himself like a screen. “Can you turn over, Arthur?”

Arthur gathers all his strength to prop on his forearms with the intention to do just that, but stills momentarily.

“Arthur?” Merlin questions when nothing happens.

“I... um....” Well, shit. How did I not notice I was sporting a semi?!

“What’s wrong?”

“I... might have a... situation,” he admits, face burning.

At first, Merlin is silent, then the realization dawns on him. “Oh. I see. That’s fine, Arthur. It happens more often than not,” he reassures but it doesn’t help much.

“But I... God, this is embarrassing,” he hides his face in his hands.

“I understand why you would think that, but I promise it’s alright. It doesn’t mean anything; it’s just a natural reaction.”

It takes some more prompting but eventually, Arthur flips onto his back and closes his eyes as Merlin drapes the sheet over him again, the outline of his half-hard dick painfully visible.

“I can fetch you a blanket if it makes you feel better?”

“If you don’t mind,” he squeezes out without opening his eyes, only doing so when Merlin hands him the blanket and he rushes to throw it over his lower half. “Thanks. Sorry about that.”

He dares a look at Merlin and finds him smiling in empathy. “Not at all. It’s no big deal, Arthur.” He reaches for a bottle of oil and puts his hands on Arthur’s arm. “Just lie back and relax.”

Arthur does his best to do just that while Merlin massages his arm and hand before switching to the other one.

By the time he’s finished with them, Arthur’s calmed down considerably and, thank fuck for that, the embarrassment was enough to have killed any interest his dick might have taken in the situation.

He expects Merlin to announce the massage has come to an end when he finishes wiping his arms with a hot towel, but to his surprise, Merlin slides a chair behind him, sitting himself down, hands coming to cradle Arthur’s head. Arthur lifts it automatically, assuming that’s what Merlin wants him to do.

“You just relax, Arthur. Don’t help me by holding your head up. I’ll manage.”

It’s not an easy thing to trust someone not to drop your head but Merlin is nothing but cautious as he maneuvers it around to get to the spot he’s aiming for and Arthur finds himself giving up control completely. Head massage doesn’t sound like anything special but to his bewilderment, it’s the most relaxing thing ever. At some point, he even starts dozing off. At least he thinks he does because he nearly jumps out of his skin when Merlin says his name.

“Arthur?”

“Yeah?” he snaps his eyes open, looking up at Merlin upside down, seeing the other man smiling fondly.

“Did you fall asleep?”

“N-no?” he stutters, cheeks growing pink.

“Of course,” Merlin says in the way that screams he doesn’t believe him but humors him anyway. “Well, I’m all done here. How are you feeling?”

“Weirdly disconnected from my body,” he says with a grunt, attempting to sit up. “Shit, I don’t know how I’ll get any work done for the rest of the day.”

“What time do you finish?”

“Officially? Around five. Actually? Seven. Sometimes eight.”

“God, that’s disgusting.”

“You have no idea.”

“Thankfully, I don’t,” he agrees. “I’ll let you get dressed. Meet me in the lobby when you’re ready, okay?”

“Okay.”

It’s with sloth speed that Arthur puts his clothes on. In the back of his mind, he’s aware of Merlin’s busy schedule and can only hope he’s not stalling.

He squints at the bright light of the lobby when he emerges from the massage room. When his eyes adjust, he spots Merlin walking towards him with a glass of water. “Here, have some water.”

“Thanks,” he accepts without objection, just because he’s barely standing. He doesn’t know what Merlin’s done to him but it feels like his body doesn’t even belong to him. He has no idea how he’s gonna drive back to work without driving himself into a street-lamp.

“How much do I owe you?” he asks when he’s chugged down the whole glass, reaching for his wallet.

“Oh. It’s already paid for. Freya used your credit card when she booked you in.”

Arthur blinks at him blankly. How dare Freya pay for something that Arthur hadn’t even agreed to yet?!

Yeah, as if she would ever take a no for an answer.

He sighs, pulling out a twenty pound bill regardless. “She would, wouldn’t she. That little shit,” he grumbles under his breath. “At least let me tip you,” he holds a hand with the bill to Merlin.

“Actually, she included the tip, too,” he says sheepishly, giving Arthur a crooked smile.

“Bloody hell,” he huffs indignantly, then takes a deep breath. “Whatever. Just take it.”

“But-”

“Merlin. Take. It. You’ve done a great job,” he insists, holding eye contact.

Merlin still hesitates at first but resigns eventually. “As long as you’re sure.”

“I am.”

“Okay. Thank you, Arthur,” he smiles appreciatively as he accepts the money. He bites his lip, seemingly in thought, then turns around and plucks one business card from the pile on the desk, grabs a pen and writes something down. “Here,” he turns to Arthur, holding the card to him. “If you ever feel like coming back for another massage.”

Arthur takes the card, noticing that Merlin wrote another number on in besides the one already printed. “Thanks but... I’m sure Freya has the number.”

“This is my personal number,” Merlin explains and Arthur’s brows shoot up in surprise. “I’m not always able to pick up the phone here but if you text me on my personal number, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can,” he says, rubbing at the back of his neck.

“Oh. Okay. Thanks, that’s very... um... I appreciate it.”

“No problem,” Merlin mumbles, fidgety. Arthur finds it both amusing and confusing.

“Well, I should get going. Thank you again.”

“Oh! Of course, don’t let me keep you,” he rushes to say. “See you next time?”

“Yeah.” As non-committal as he sounds, he finds he means it. Something’s telling him he’ll be back sooner or later. Probably sooner.

“Take care of yourself, Arthur,” Merlin calls as Arthur opens the door on his way out and his heart skips a beat at the genuine tone.

He turns around to give the man one last smile before the door shuts behind him.

“So? How was it?” Freya advances on him as soon as he comes back. He slumps into his chair, sitting upright when Freya places a box of takeout in front of him.

“Fine.” Freya is not impressed. “It was good, okay?” he adds, opening the box to reveal his all-time favorite pad thai and all but inhales the food.

“Told you,” she says smugly, ignoring Arthur’s glare. “Gonna go again?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, that’s convincing.”

“Shut it, Freya,” he shoots back. “I got his business card. I’ll give him a call when I feel like it.”

“I can do that for you.”

“Nope, thanks. I’m sure I can manage to make a phone-call myself, even without an intervention of my obnoxious assistant.”

Freya throws a balled-up napkin at him. “Ungrateful prat,” she retorts and stomps out of his office.

“I heard that!”

Arthur lasts exactly four days and two hours before giving in and taking Merlin up on his offer to text him on his personal number to book another appointment. He didn’t expect to snap so quickly but after waking up the next day after his massage, refreshed and chirpy, feeling as though he had a brand new body - who could blame him, really.

Hey, Merlin. It’s Arthur. I was wondering if you had a slot available this week?

There, simple and straight to the point. Freya said that Merlin is usually booked out weeks in advance but asking never hurt anybody.

His phone chimes with an incoming message about ten minutes later.

Hi, Arthur! Nice to hear from you again. :)

Sure thing. Did you have a specific day and time in mind?

Nope, he didn’t. He was willing to adjust his schedule just to squeeze in an hour.

Not really. Freya implied that you’re usually fully booked so I thought I’d leave that up to you.

She’s over-exaggerating ;) I can make time.

Oh, God, he’s one of those people. Emojis and shit.

Oh. Okay, then. Thursday work for you?

It does :) What time?

This is... unexpectedly easy. He should have never let Freya bullshit him. But that’s what she does. She’d do anything to get her way and make Arthur do whatever she wants. No Christmas bonus for her this year!

Is 6pm too late?

As a matter of fact, he never finishes before six. Hell, he never finishes before seven. But maybe his friends are right. Maybe he should make time for himself once in a while. It won’t kill him, will it?

Thought you didn’t finish work until ungodly hour :D

He’s already typing out a reply but Merlin beats him to it with another message.

And it’s not too late. I’ll write you down for 6, then ;)

Oh. That easy, huh?

Thank you, he sends first, then rushes to add an explanation. I can make an exception once in a while. He hesitates with the next part but decides to throw caution to the wind, just this time. It’s worth it.

He regrets it as soon as he hits send, but doesn’t get a chance to wallow in it for too long before Merlin’s reply comes.

Oh no, now there are expectations I need to live up to :O

Jk. Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself last time. See you Thursday ;)

Red to the tips of his ears, he types out a quick see you before pocketing his phone, busying himself with the remaining paperwork in hopes it will calm down his racing heart.

He’s not that lucky.

On Thursday, he wraps up his work just before 5:30, hoping it’s enough time to get through the traffic.

It is, as it turns out.Though he’s cutting it close, parking the car just two minutes before six.

“Sorry, I underestimated the traffic,” he rushes to apologize when he bursts through the door, finding Merlin lounging peacefully on the sofa, swiping through his phone.

As soon as Merlin lifts his eyes to meet Arthur’s, his whole face lights up with a wide smile. “Hey! No problem at all. You’re my last massage for today, so no rush.”

“Thanks but it’s already late. I don’t wanna keep you any more than needed.”

Merlin dismisses his worries with a wave of a hand. “Nonsense. It’s no trouble. Come on in,” he smiles encouragingly and Arthur dutifully follows him to the massage room. It looks exactly the same but Arthur feels much more at ease than last time, now that he’s familiar with it.

“Thank you again for finding time for me,” he says gratefully because it feels like he hasn’t said it enough.

It earns him an indulgent smile. “I was happy to do it. It’s no trouble, really,” Merlin repeats and Arthur takes the hint.

“Okay.”

“Okay,” he echoes. “You know the drill by now, right? I’ll be back in a few.”

“Sure. Thanks.”

Merlin nods his head in acknowledgement, leaving the room to give Arthur privacy.

Similarly to last time, Arthur hangs his suit and shirt and folds the rest of his clothes, laying face down on the table and covering himself with the sheet. As promised, Merlin knocks on the door a couple minutes later, entering when Arthur gives him a go-ahead.

“Any requests today?”

He suppresses the urge to crack an inappropriate joke. “Not really. Same as last time is good.”

“Alright,” says Merlin and he starts the massage exactly in the same way he did last time, humming appreciatively when he rubs at Arthur’s shoulders.

“You’re not nearly as tense as before. Both literally and figuratively,” he points out.

“Yeah,” Arthur agrees. “I felt really good when I woke up the next day. All loose and relaxed.” He clears his throat, cringing at his wording. “And I was just nervous because it was my first time, I guess. Now that I know the ropes, it’s easy to just...”

“Let go?” Merlin finishes for him and... is that smugness he hears?

“Y-yeah,” he replies, feeling silly all of sudden.

“I’m glad to hear that. Glad I could help.”

“Me too.”

They remain silent after that. While Merlin doesn’t do anything out of the ordinary - or rather, anything that would be different to last time - Arthur can sense a shift in the energy in the room. In Merlin. In himself. He might be imagining it but he would swear that Merlin’s hands... linger - which is kinda a stupid thing to say, this is a massage after all, touch is a crucial component here - but... yeah... that’s what it feels like.

Every touch of Merlin’s hands on his body feels amplified, Arthur nearly vibrating in response to... he has no idea what he’s responding to. He only knows it feels good.

It feels right.

When Merlin asks him to flip onto his back, he’s relieved to find that the humiliating experience from last time is not gonna be repeated - no awkward boners today, ladies and gentlemen!

He hisses through his teeth when Merlin presses into a tender spot of his arm.

Merlin’s immediately apologetic. “Sorry! I didn’t expect you to be so sensitive here.”

“ ‘s fine,” he mumbles drowsily. “I might have overdone it in the gym today.”

“When did you have time to go to the gym?”

“Before work. Around five.”

“God, that’s disgusting. Why would you do that?” Merlin sounds truly appalled which only amuses Arthur.

“I’m too tired by the time I finish work. At least this way, I get a bit of a boost in the morning.”

“I’m still not convinced.”

“Shut up, Merlin. Without the gym, I wouldn’t have the ass you like so much.”

He snaps his eyes open in panic and finds Merlin gaping at him in shock.

“I... I did not... ugh...”

“Oh my God, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to say that, I swear! I’m just really tired, basically falling asleep. I just talk shit when I’m like that.”

Forget the boner. This is the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to him.

Funnily enough, his stammering helps Merlin fight through his shock and now he’s more entertained than anything.

“No filter, huh? I can relate,” he brushes the whole thing off and resumes massaging over Arthur’s arm, softer this time and Arthur would moan appreciatively at the soothing effect the touch has on his sore muscles but given his previous faux pas, he doesn’t think it’s the right time for it.

Merlin works his way down to his hand, paying special attention to the spot at the base of his thumb that is always so stiff after spending hours and hours every day typing on his laptop.

A weird thing happens after that. Same as the last time, Merlin slides his fingers in between Arthur’s, squeezing and pulling until he hears a cracking sound of the joints. That is all well and good but instead of pulling away, he remains with their fingers interlaced. It almost feels... almost feels like they are holding hands.

Arthur opens his eyes again to give Merlin a questioning look but Merlin is staring at their joined hands instead, an expression on his face that Arthur can’t really decipher but if he were to guess, he would almost call it... longing.

Merlin must realize what he’s doing because his eyes widen as they lock onto Arthur’s, panicked and so blue.

“Sorry!” he blurts out, pulling away and ducking his head as he makes his way to the other side to repeat the process on the other hand.

Arthur feels the air around them grow thicker. He doesn’t know what happened exactly and doesn’t dare ask.

He can tell Merlin keeps himself in check as he finishes with his other side and it’s not long before he moves to the head massage.

After all of that, it’s really hard for Arthur to relax but he does his best as to not make things even more awkward.

He’s equally relieved and disappointed when Merlin’s hands disappear, signaling that their session has come to an end.

“I’ll meet you in the lobby when you’re ready, okay?” Merlin asks stiffly.

“Okay,” Arthur agrees, releasing a breath he didn’t know he’s been holding when Merlin shuts the door behind him.

Since he knows he doesn’t have to rush because he was the last client today, he takes his time putting the clothes on and mentally prepares himself for facing Merlin in a few moments.

It takes all of his courage to maintain eye contact when he leaves the room, coming to the desk where Merlin’s already waiting for him with a glass of water.

“Thanks.” He doesn’t finish the whole glass, his stomach too unsettled for that and pulls out his wallet.

“I know for sure Freya didn’t pay in advance since I booked the massage myself this time,” he comments in what he hopes is a light-hearted tone. It works because it draws a chuckle from Merlin.

“You’re not wrong,” he agrees, going quiet again but shaking himself off at Arthur’s expectant look. “Oh! Sorry, it’s seventy pounds.”

Arthur raises an eyebrow in surprise. While he wouldn’t know anything about the regular massage price, it doesn’t seem too much considering how popular Merlin is. According to Freya, anyway.

He plucks out two fifty dollar bills and hands them over. Merlin blinks at him in confusion. “Um... that’s a bit--”

“Just take it. You deserve it. You’re good and you went far and beyond to make time for me even at the late hour.”

“It was no tr--”

“Merlin, will you shut up and take the bloody money?” he nearly whines at the man’s stubbornness, relieved when Merlin eventually gives in.

“You’re so bossy,” he shakes his head almost fondly.

“Goes with the territory. I’m the CEO after all.”

“In that case, that was a lousy tip for a CEO.”

“I beg your pardon?!”

And just like that, the tension has disappeared and they are back to their easy banter.

“I’m just teasing,” Merlin reassures unnecessarily, a dopey smile still in place. “Let me know if you wanna do this again, yeah?” He sounds unsure, although why, Arthur has no idea.

“Actually, if you really don’t mind, could we make it a weekly thing?”

“Oh,” Merlin says with surprise. “Sure. Thursday again? Or do you want a different day?”

“Thursday is good. Six o’clock?”

“Yeah. Yeah, works for me.”

“Brilliant,” Arthur smiles back. “I’ll see you next week, then?”

“Looking forward to it.” The way Merlin’s face softens further shouldn’t make Arthur’s stomach do flip-flops but for some reason, it does.

Oh, no. Abort, abort!

“Yeah. See you,” he mumbles and all but runs to his car.

Arthur lets out a girly squeal when Freya slams a pile of papers onto his desk.

“Why haven’t you gone see Merlin again?” she asks accusingly and... wait, what?

“Excuse me?”

“I thought you liked the massage. That you felt better after. I thought you’d go back.”

Well, not that it’s any of her business but...

“I’ve been like four more times since,” he argues back, watching Freya’s furious expression turn confused.

“No, you haven’t. There’s no way you could have altered your schedule yourself without me noticing.”

Arthur rolls his eyes, annoyed that he, the fucking CEO, has to explain himself to his assistant. “Yes, I have. I’m going today, actually. I go every Thursday after work. Well, I finish early, so I can be there at six. Which, by the way, you could have done the first time around. I truly don’t understand why you’d rather mess with my appointments to get me a rushed massage on my break instead of simply booking one in the evening.”

If anything, Freya grows even more confused. “You’re lying.”

Arthur positively bristles at the insult. “I’m not!”

“You so are. Merlin doesn’t work evenings. And he doesn’t work weekends. His last bookings are for 4 o’clock. Hence why I had to book you for your break.”

He’s already preparing a come-back to defend himself when the words finally sink in. He snaps his mouth shut.

Then why... why did Merlin agree to Thursday evenings? That doesn’t make any sense.

“Are you sure you’ve got that right?” he asks instead because... because if it’s true, it puts many things into perspective.

Like the fact that Merlin literally beams every time Arthur shows up.

Or the fact that his touch seems to linger, seems to grow more and more intense with every visit. Like he’s enjoying touching Arthur.

At first, Arthur thought it was just his imagination, but upon checking the time when he got to his car only to find Merlin had extended the massage by at least ten or fifteen minutes, it was obvious that he wasn’t making it up.

Most importantly, it would explain why Merlin started texting Arthur randomly, usually on Fridays to ask how he was doing, if he felt alright and so on.

It would even explain why he would sometimes text on the weekend too.

It did not explain why Arthur indulged in the texting.

It did not explain why it was the highlight of his days.

“I’m sure,” Freya replies, confirming his growing suspicion. When he doesn’t react, she turns concerned. “Arthur?”

“Yeah?”

She hesitates. “You’re not lying.” A statement, not a question, but he still answers it.

“No.”

“Oh,” she breathes, out of words.

“Do you...” He clears his throat. “Do you know why Merlin would make an exception for me?”

The glint in her eyes suggests that she might have a good idea about that, but doesn’t say so. “I think you should ask Merlin that.”

Yeah. Yeah, he should.

He will.

“You seem very... serious today. What happened?”

“Why did you agree on 6pm Thursdays?” he asks directly before he loses the nerve.

“Huh?” Merlin blinks at him.

“Freya told me you don’t do evenings. Why would you let me impose on your time?” God, he feels so stupid.

“Oh,” says Merlin. “Well, first of all, you’re not imposing.”

“But-”

“Second, working for yourself has a lot of perks. Like that I can do with my time as I see fit.”

“So you decided to spend it on me.”

“More like spend it with you.”

Spend it with-- oh. Oh.

“What? Why?”

Unexpectedly, Merlin snorts. “You don’t know?”

No. No he doesn’t.

“No.”

“Oh, my, you’re a right dumbass.”

“Excuse you?!”

“Arthur,” Merlin says, apparently running out of patience. “I simply like you, okay? At first, I agreed because you seemed like you could use some relaxation. Quite a bit of it, really.”

Arthur bites his lip, hesitating with the next question. “And then?”

Merlin sighs, shoulders sagging almost in defeat. “And then I just liked seeing you.”

Arthur takes in a shaky breath, both startled and excited by the admission. “Why didn’t you just ask me out, then?”

Merlin laughs, but there’s very little humor in it. “That’s hardly professional, Arthur.”

“That’s what worried you?”

“Of course it did! It does! Jesus, Arthur, you have no idea,” he shakes his head, “no idea how much I have to hold myself back when I have my hands all over you.”

Arthur swallows audibly, noticing for the first time how dry his throat has gotten. Well, here goes nothing.

”What if... what if I don’t want you to hold back?”

Merlin stares at him with his mouth hanging open, his gaze roaming over Arthur’s face in search of something. Probably a confirmation.

“Arthur, that’s not--”

“It’s 6:02,” he blurts out.

“What?”

“It’s two minutes past six. You should have started with the massage by now.”

Initially, Merlin doesn’t respond, looking as though Arthur’s talking in a different language. When Arthur holds his eyes, hoping to prove his point, he resigns on any further arguments.

“Come on in then,” he instructs tiredly and Arthur follows him to the room. He’s shedding his jacket even before they get there. He hangs it and starts taking off his tie just as Merlin turns around to face him.

“Okay, I’ll let you--” He cuts himself off when Arthur pulls the tie over his head, throwing it on the chair and starts unbuttoning his shirt.

“Don’t bother,” he says, too pleased with himself when Merlin stays rooted to the spot, openly staring.

“Uh...” Is all he manages when Arthur gets rid of the shirt, exposing his chest (which - it’s not like Merlin’s never seen it before anyway) and begins working his belt and trousers open. Soon, he’s pulling them down together with his briefs, stepping out of his shoes in the meantime.

As he straightens up, completely naked, he takes a few seconds to appreciate the way Merlin looks at him, his jaw practically hitting the floor. Lips twisting into a smug smile, he turns to the table to climb on it, settling on his stomach as he does every time, except now he doesn’t bother covering himself up with a sheet.

“Whenever you’re ready,” he calls with barely concealed amusement when Merlin doesn’t move an inch.

“Uh... yeah. Yeah, let me just...” he stutters, reaching for the sheet.

“Leave it.”

“W-what?”

“No point.”

“But--”

“Merlin,” Arthur says darkly, “leave it.”

Thank fuck, Merlin actually listens and abandons the sheet in favor of grabbing a bottle of oil, pouring some in his hands with trembling fingers.

“Arthur...” he tries one more time, hesitant.

“Merlin,” Arthur returns. “Shut up.”

He hears Merlin exhale shakily and then, the familiar sensation of oil-slicked hands takes over all of his senses. He sighs in relief when the touch causes his body to go completely lax as it always does.

Merlin’s hands are unusually tentative, like he’s still not sure he’s got Arthur’s permission to touch him - like this - after what he admitted to him. It’s for that reason that Arthur starts making deliberate noises of pleasure, humming softly, or outright groaning and moaning when Merlin arrives to a particularly sensitive spot.

Above him, Merlin begins making noises of his own, but he sounds more pained than anything. Out of curiosity, Arthur turns his head to the side to peer at Merlin, just to be able to see what expression is on his face right now.

He doesn’t get that far because all of his attention is stolen by the very visible, very prominent bulge pressing against the front of Merlin’s trousers.

“Shit,” he utters before he can stop himself, feeling his dick twitch helplessly where it’s almost squashed between his body and the table.

Immediately, Merlin freezes on the spot, his breath hitching.

“I... Arthur...”

Arthur lets out another moan at witnessing Merlin’s obvious desire for him and returns his head to the previous position.

“You can do my legs now,” he says suggestively, but it sounds more like an order. For a moment, nothing happens. Merlin doesn’t withdraw his hands but he doesn’t move either. Arthur is about to impatiently prompt him to action but in the end, Merlin goes willingly, moving around the table until he’s standing at Arthur’s feet.

He covers his left leg with oil and proceeds to massage it from the foot up, almost as if nothing unusual is happening.

It’s not until he makes his way past the knee, to the hamstrings and inner thigh, that Arthur feels him falter, the pressure letting off and in a desperate attempt to urge Merlin on, he spreads his legs further apart.

Behind him, Merlin makes a choked off sound, his grip on Arthur’s thigh tightening.

“A-Arthur,” he says like a prayer and Arthur feels himself grow harder the lower Merlin’s voice drops.

“Go on,” he orders and this time, Merlin recovers faster, sparing barely a few seconds before he starts rubbing his thigh in circular motion, slowly working his way up, up, all the way to his ass - his very exposed ass.

“Arthur,” Merlin whispers, barely audible, but Arthur hears him all the same. He knows what he’s asking and in lieu of an answer, he digs his knees into the table to push his hip up and back, groaning when the movement provides friction to his now fully erect cock.

“Do it,” he says, squeezing his eyes shut. “Please.”

Merlin makes an indescribable sound and then his slick fingers are dipping tentatively between his cheeks, brushing against his entrance.

Arthur feels his pulse quicken, heat spreading throughout his whole body at the single touch.

“Gods, Arthur, the sounds you make...” Merlin praises, rubbing at his opening in tiny circles.

“Merlin,” he returns, attempting to spread his legs further apart. Merlin all but growls at the display and then he’s bending over to pepper kisses over Arthur’s naked shoulders, even as his fingers press against him more insistently.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous, Arthur,” he mumbles into his skin and Arthur trembles at the soft-spoken words.

“Fuck me,” he moans, hitching his hips up. “I want you to fuck me.”

“Shit, Arthur, you can’t just.... can’t just say stuff like that.”

“I wouldn’t have to if you’d just hurry up and get on with it,” he tries to sound irritated but it falls flat when a whine is torn out of his throat as Merlin enters him with one finger.

“Shit. Shit...”

“Payback,” Merlin laughs, kissing just behind his ear.

“Merlin, I swear to God...”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say,” he retorts with fondness and starts pumping the finger in and out.

Satisfied when Merlin actually listens, Arthur is able to relax again, offering himself to Merlin’s skilled hands.

He is nothing but gentle as he works Arthur open, adding more oil before a second finger joins the first, then a third one.

Under him, Arthur’s rolling his hips against the table, seeking as much friction as he can because Merlin’s taking too bloody long, checking on him every two fucking minutes. Just as he’s about to call him out, the fingers brush against his prostate, successfully stealing all the words out of his mouth, together with his breath.

“Fuck,” he grips at the edge of the table, struggling to breathe.

Merlin chuckles at his reaction. “You like that?” he asks smugly, totally unhelpful and unnecessary and hits that spot again.

“Would l-like it better if you f-finally got your dick in m-me,” he trips over his tongue, panting.

“Impatient,” Merlin clicks his tongue but before Arthur can tell him where he can stick it (pun intended), Merlin’s fingers leave him.

His breath hitches at the sudden emptiness and in hopes of speeding up the process, he gathers his strength to hitch himself up until he’s on all fours. He expects Merlin to climb up behind him but instead, there’s a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to twist to the side.

“Not like that,” Merlin explains, nudging him until he’s turned over completely, facing him. “I want to see you.”

Arthur wants to crack a joke, call Merlin sappy and whatnot, but he can only blush.

“Oh.”

“Can you sit on the edge?” Merlin instructs, helping him to get into position. He manages just fine by himself, sitting on the side of the table with his legs hanging off. He watches, mesmerized, as Merlin rids himself of his T-shirt and trousers in under ten seconds, feeling accomplished at seeing him so impatient himself even though he chastised Arthur for it only minutes ago.

“Eager, are we?” he teases, hearing the blood rush in his ears. Merlin gives him a dark look, clearly disapproving of his tone, and takes the final step until he’s standing between his open thighs, grabbing him by the hips and pulling forward.

The movement is so sudden that it sends Arthur flat onto his back, hips hanging off the table. Merlin nudges him to wrap his legs around him and braces himself against the edge with his hands.

“You’re such a bloody tease,” he chides with a shake of his head.

“Shut up, Mer-- fuuuck,” he nearly chokes as Merlin’s cock breaches him without a warning, sliding in fully with one push. “Shit.”

“Okay?” Merlin checks with a quake in his voice, proving he’s not as collected as he makes himself to be.

“Y-yeah. Just move already.”

Merlin chuckles. “So bossy.” Then proceeds to do just that. He pulls back almost completely before pushing back in, again, and one more time until he’s settling into a rhythm.

It takes Arthur a couple more minutes to catch his breath but when he does, he focuses on meeting Merlin halfway, although the position barely allows it.

“M-Merlin.”

Merlin snaps his hips almost violently at hearing his name tumble from Arthur’s lips in that tone and Arthur moans loudly when he drives directly into his prostate.

“Fuck! Fuck, Merlin. R-right there.”

“God, Arthur. It‘s so good. You’re so good.”

Arthur keens at the praise, urging Merlin to go faster.

Instead, Merlin halts all the movement, earning a desperate whine from Arthur. He chuckles at the reaction and leans forward to slide his hands underneath him to pull him up until he’s sitting up, their chests close enough to touch.

“Arthur,” he whispers in the space between them before there’s none because suddenly, Merlin’s crashing their lips together, unexpected and so good. He swallows the surprised sound from Arthur’s lips, licking into his mouth.

Arthur moans in agreement, wrapping him in his arms and deepening the kiss.

Merlin grabs him by the hips again and starts a new rhythm, his thrust shorter but harder.

Arthur whimpers against his lips, squeezing Merlin between his thighs. He gives up any effort to help Merlin out and decides to kiss the living hell out of him while Merlin plows his ass.

It works just fine and it’s not long before Merlin’s thrusts grow erratic and uncoordinated.

“A-Arthur,” he chokes out between kisses. “I’m gonna...”

Instead of replying, Arthur takes his lips in another kiss and clenches around his cock, drawing a hiss from him.

“Arthur!”

“Yeah, come on,” he encourages and clenches his ass again.

Merlin manages two, three, four more thrusts before he stills, buried to the hilt and spills himself inside Arthur. He presses his face into the crook of Arthur’s neck, panting against the sweaty skin while his hips continue their subtle grinding motion.

Arthur presses a kiss to his temple, sliding his fingers through the dark locks, marveling at the silkiness.

Merlin lifts his head to peer at him from under his lashes. His pupils are blown wide, overtaking all the blue of his irises. There’s a lovely flush to his cheeks and the way his fringe sticks to his sweaty forehead is almost endearing.

Arthur’s never seen him like this and he wants to appreciate the view but doesn’t get much time because then, Merlin is untangling his legs from around him and slides to his knees in front of Arthur. He gives him a little smirk before opening his mouth wide and swallowing his cock.

“Nngh!” Arthur yelps with surprise, throwing his head back in unexpected pleasure.

“Shit, Merlin.”

Merlin hums around his cock and starts sucking him in earnest. It feels so good he can’t even feel embarrassed when he feels Merlin’s come leaking out of him and to his shock, he also feels Merlin’s fingers slide into him again, hitting his prostate with deadly precision. “Merlin!”

It barely takes another half a minute before Arthur’s screaming himself hoarse as his orgasm overtakes him and he comes in Merlin’s mouth. Still, Merlin’s mouth doesn’t leave him, working him through his release instead until he’s whimpering from over-sensitivity and pulling at his hair to pry him off.

Merlin releases his cock with an obscene sound that echoes in the small room, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he stands up between Arthur’s open legs.

“Are you okay?” is the first thing he asks and Arthur can’t help but laugh.

“Are you for real?” Merlin just blinks at him. “We should have done that ages ago, instead of the massage.”

Merlin groans in annoyance. “That’s not the nature of my business, Arthur!”

His irritation only amuses Arthur further. “You could make an exception for me,” he teases, pulling Merlin closer and Merlin goes willingly, although the scowl is still on his face.

“That depends on how much you’ll tip me,” he shoots back.

“Oh, I’ll tip you all you want, Merlin.”

Merlin slaps the back of his head gently. “You’re incorrigible.”

“Hmm. But I think you like it,” he says smugly, pulling him into another kiss, letting out a moan when he tastes himself on his lips.

“You’re awfully confident for someone who just got fucked on a massage table.”

“You mean for someone who just talked his masseur into fucking him on a massage table.”

“I think manipulated is better-fitting.”

“Or seduced.”

Merlin scoffs. “You did not seduce me.”

“Oh, really?” he teases. “I’d say you gave it up pretty easy after seeing me in my birthday suit.”

“I did not!”

“You did, though.”

“Your mind is misleading you.”

“Whatever you say,” Arthur concludes dismissively, then gives Merlin a wicked grin. “Next time, you’re gonna lie down on this table and I’m gonna ride you.”

Unsursprisingly, Merlin all but chokes on thin air. “That... uh... sounds... agreeable.”

“I’ll say.”

“You’re so annoyingly confident.”

“Just because you make it so easy.”

“Arthur.”

“Merlin,” he huffs. “Shut up. And kiss me again.”

And for once, without a single protest, Merlin does just that.

OMFG, Merlin! You DIDN'T!

Huh?

Don't "huh" me! You know bloody well!

Apparently not.

You fucked my boss!

!!! JFC, I can't believe he told you! :O

I sent him your way so he got that stick out of his ass. Not for you to replace it with your dick!

He didn't. His limp did, jsyk.

He could have hurt his leg or something...

And he brought me coffee. He'd never brought me coffee before! I've never seen him in such a good mood!

Your welcome :-*

*You're

That's disgusting. I'm never getting a massage from you ever again!

Oh, well... it was worth it :-p

*Freya has left the chat*

[fishoutofcamelot]

Hi there! I hope you’re well. I just wanted to send a message to thank you for the elyan content 😍 he is my favourite knight but for some reason I never see much of him on tumblr! So it’s awesome to see him on your blog. I hope I didn’t bother you with this ask 🙈

I AM doing well, actually! And you didn’t bother me, asks will probably never bother me <3

I could go on for a million years about why no one makes content about Elyan - and sometimes forget he exists altogether - but I don’t wanna start drama so we’ll just. Not touch that topic with a 10-foot pole

BUT! Elyan IS a fantastic knight, and the fact that he is your favourite knight too is very iconic and sexy of you. Elyan fans/stans are the sexiest members of this fandom. That’s not even opinion, that’s just science

So! Here’s a list of Elyan headcanons, because he’s worth it:

Elyan is ace. Them’s the facts

He’s also gay but in that stage where he’s questioning if he might be bi. Unfortunately, he died before reaching an answer

I hate to talk about Hogwarts Houses in 2020, but he is one hell of a Hufflepuff. Elyan is his name and protecting his loved ones with life and limb is his game. It is very easy to earn his loyalty, and once you have he will ride straight through Hell for you

Elyan likes hoods. He wears hoods whenever he can (i mean c’mon, that outfit in season 3 was serving some killer looks)

He’s just a protective older brother to literally everyone in Camelot. Yes, even Gaius

Gwen, Elyan, Leon, and Merlin have family game night once every month. They all gather in their old house in the lower town to get drunk, play some dice games, and spend the whole night goofing off

Only a few people know about game night. Even fewer people have seen it with their own eyes. Arthur and Gwaine frequently try to sneak in to see game night for themselves, but somehow never succeed

Elyan loves swimming. They don’t get many chances for it, but whenever they do, Elyan is the best swimmer out of all the knights

He’s also like. Really good at sneaking up on people. Consistently rolls high on stealth checks

Out of everyone in the Round Table, Elyan is the most easily spooked. He hates it when they gather around the fire to tell ghost stories, bc he will NOT be able to sleep the rest of the night after that

Why do people think there’s no dynamic or chemistry between Elyan and Gwaine??? Those two had a SOLID friendship and I will not stand for this disrespect (also, Perelyan is good but Elyaine is godtier imo)

Elyan is bad at blacksmithing. Like really bad. No one even understands how that works, considering he spent his whole childhood training under his father. All the blacksmithing talent apparently went to Gwen somehow

He likes bugs. When he was a kid he would go out in the woods and collect beetles and stuff to stick in little terrarium jars. He’d even give them names and backstories and personalities. Sometimes he would sit under a tree and tell Gwen stories about all these adventures his bugs would go on when no one was looking

Leon HATED bugs, and got creeped out by them, which meant Elyan was legally obligated to harass him about it

Elyan doesn’t get much chance to catch bugs anymore, but he’s also the only member of the Round Table who can put up with spiders

Spider in the armory? Everyone is freaking out while Elyan just calmly picks it up and lets it outside - but not without lots of snark and eye-rolling, of course

The reason Elyan ran away from home was because his mother had died and he saw it as a personal failing. He felt that it was his fault she was dead, because he couldn’t protect her, and left Camelot because he couldn’t bear the shame of guilt

In the last few years of his time away from Camelot, Elyan fell in love and lived out an mlm cottagecore fantasy where he and his lover raised wyverns together. But when Morgause came to capture him, she killed his lover and burnt their wyvern farm to the ground

Elyan tries not to let his grief be known, though. Not just because he doesn’t want to burden Gwen with his pain, but also because his lover had magic and he could get arrested for having fallen in love with a sorcerer

Morgause had Elyan captive for a while before Gwen showed up. She even used the nathair on him in small increments; not long enough to kill him or damage him irreparably, but enough to make him suffer. It’s for this reason that Elyan was able to bounce back from being tortured by Morgana whereas Gwaine didn’t survive it, because Morgause had already microdosed him with that kind of pain two years ealier

Still traumatizing, though. Like. This boy is EXTREMELY traumatized, can someone please get him some therapy???

Moving back to Camelot with Gwen was simultaneously healing and harming. Healing, because  he visited his dad’s grave, rebuilt his relationship with Gwen, and his companionship with her, Merlin, and Leon helped him move on from the pain of his loss. But harming because of all the anti-magic prejudice that surrounded him, and every time someone said magic was evil it was like another dagger in his heart. That was his dead lover they were talking about and calling a monster. Someone who was kind and compassionate and funny, who didn’t have a lick of evil in them, who would have burned at the stake by Camelot’s laws

Elyan didn’t think about what it meant to be a knight of Camelot when he agreed to be knighted. But he was just so determined to fight and kill Morgause, the woman who had killed his lover and his wyverns and abducted him from his home, that he didn’t even think about it. He just wanted Morgause dead. It wasn’t until a few days later when he realized that being a knight of Camelot meant enforcing Camelot’s anti-magic laws, and this realization naturally caused him distress

Instead of abandoning his knighthood, Elyan found a compromise. He would support Arthur in everything, until magic got involved. If Arthur ever captured druids or put sorcerers to death, Elyan decided he would smuggle them out of the city. He would never actively kill or capture those with magic, and would sometimes even try to sabotage efforts in capturing harmless magic-users

Elyan knew full well what Dragoon was doing. He knew that Gwen and Arthur’s love was true and required no enchantment, meaning Dragoon had simply framed himself to get Gwen out of a jam. He appreciates Dragoon, and even though he supposedly killed Uther, Elyan can’t even fault him for that. Elyan wanted to kill Uther too

Merlin is the little brother Elyan always wanted, and Elyan is the older brother Merlin never had. They act so much like siblings it’s not even funny, and some people question if they were actually raised together 

He and Merlin like to team up and tease Gwen. They’ll walk behind her and chant stuff like “Gwen and Arthur sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G”. They’re like children, and it’s both very funny and very annoying

Gwen gets her revenge, of course. She always gets her revenge

They also team up to be like. Super protective of Gwen. The vetting process Arthur had to go through - between Elyan, Leon, AND Merlin - in order to date Gwen was ridiculous

Arthur: Merlin I’m literally your boss. Your friend. You've been my personal manservant for like six years now

Merlin: Yeah, which means I know exactly how much of a dick you are

After being possessed by the druid ghost, Elyan is a lot more in tune with the supernatural

Am I suggesting that Elyan can now see, talk to, and interact with ghosts, and even starts a little agency where he goes around helping them complete their unfinished business? Why yes, yes I am

When Gwen was banished, Elyan wanted to go with her. But she asked him to stay behind and keep an eye on Agravaine, as she suspected him of treachery, and to stop him from taking over Camelot should Agravaine make a move. And, well, Elyan has never been able to say no to his sister

Elyan and Merlin decided to try and find a way to prove Gwen’s innocence. There’s no way she was acting of her own accord, after all. There was some kind of enchantment at play, there had to be. Merlin doesn’t tell him about Shade!Lancelot directly, but does propose it as a theory regarding how Lancelot had come back from the dead. Elyan supports the theory 100%

About two months after the wedding, Merlin and Elyan locate the enchanted bracelet, and Gwen and Lancelot’s names are finally cleared

In Avalon, Elyan, Freya, and Lancelot spend the whole time watching/narrating the events of season 5 like sports commentators. They are all mutually exasperated at Merlin’s antics

When Arthur shows up in Avalon, the only reason Elyan doesn’t punch him in the face is because he’s too busy restraining Lance from doing the same

He does, however, give him a strong talking-to about how “all your magic and you still can’t save my life” is a horrible thing to say actually

Lancelot, however, is more upset about the “I guess I was wrong” speech

Gwaine shows up in Avalon like. SUPER traumatized. He died while being tortured by a nathair, died in a way that he perceived to be failure, and he’s kinda messed up because of that. Elyan, who has already had a few years to cope with nathair torture, is the one who helps Gwaine heal from his trauma

In the 21st century, Elyan gets reincarnated along with everyone else. His childhood is plagued with weird dreams, dreams that terrify him. Snakes and pain, wyverns and fire, all of it. He meets an old man who calls himself Merlin, who helps Elyan through the pain of remembering his past life. For once, Elyan gets to be taken care of instead of the other way around. For once, he is allowed to be vulnerable and weak and struggling. He doesn’t hide his tears. He gets the help he needs and works through his trauma

And one day, many years later, he is walking down the street when he sees someone who looks oddly familiar. The face of an old lover, perhaps

Thanks for the ask! <3

[guigz1-coldwar]

"'First' day" : New chapter for "Redemption in a Spirit in a Cold War" is out !

"'First' day"

Chapter Summary : Yirina is now officialy an MI6 agent working with Park and they both planning their moves for their new mission.....

To read it on AO3, click here !

Words : +3100

------------------------------------

I couldn't believe it with all my might but today.....I was given a new chance in my life, a new chance to be able to redeem myself further and all of that was thanks to Park herself, the one I'm loving so much right now. Now, I was no longer acting as an simple ex-Perseus agent, helping the CIA & the MI6 in their fight against Perseus like a free-lance mercenary but now, I was Yirina Grigoriev, an MI6 agent specialized in cryptography & on the Special Operations along with Park. I was now an full member of her Majesty's Secret Service......I never thought that would be happening but here were are....the KGB, Perseus and now.....the MI6.

When I left the meeting room, having met in person the two directors of the two british organizations and literally the Prime Minister herself, I was so relieved, so happy, so amazed by the events that I was feeling indebted with the MI6. If they gave me that chance, I have to give my best to not deceive them....to not deceive Park herself. I'm owing my entire life to her and she owes her life to me, it's time for me to do my best.

Once we were out, we returned back to her office where I could sit back on that chair and my body was still chilled by the news I just had in me. While Park was putting her box back in the drawer she found it, I looked outside, observing the view of the city.

"Thank you, Park." I breathed, lost in my thoughts. "Thank you for giving me an chance."

"You know that I had to do it." She affirmed, closing the drawer, looking at me with her left eye. "By giving you an job in the MI6, I'm protecting you from any attempts the CIA can do on you."

"They can try now, I'm waiting." I scoffed about it, putting my arm on the chair armrest.

"I'm pretty sure that Hudson would be so pissed off by hearing that." She exclaimed before she got sit back on her desk chair.  "Guy maybe want your head but he know that he will have the whole MI6 against him if he do a thing."

"So, everyone in here knows of my identity ?" I asked as I was looking a bit curious when miss Thatcher said that I had a troubled past.

"Well, for an part." She started, putting her arms on the desk. "It was better than we didn't mention the brainwashing part." She continued, having her eyes trying to look away.

"You had your reasons, I don't want to put an scare to those I will be working on with." I admitted, it's already for me difficult to deal with my past, I don't want to make it harder if everyone is knowing on my brainwashing. "I guess that now, you're my superior ?" I joked.

"Oh, Yiri...." She whispered as we both joined hands together on the desk. "We're on the same level and we're taking our decisions as a group." She looked at me, her eyes moved.

"You're looking so lovely." I said, focused on her eyes.

"And you too, I love your redhead hair...." She confessed, looking at it, even the part with my scar on it.

"My god, if there weren't that ban on people like us here, I would have jumped on you on that desk." I expressed, resisting the urge to really do it actually.

"Mmhm....seems a little bit cliché, darling." She smirked at me as we slowly start to get closer above the desk. "Cliché but sounding very exciting." She added before we share a kiss on the lips, my first as an MI6 agent.

"We are going to do this, aren't we ?" I asked her and she nodded at me after we broke the kiss.

"Pretty sure we're gonna do this." She affirmed before we decide to go back on our respectives seats, now trying to refocus back on the actual situation. "So at first, we need to return back to West-Berlin to get the remaining of our stuff at the safehouse."

"And once we got it, where do we install ourselves ?" I asked and she rolled her eyes, making me think and I know that the place was already chosen by her "We're staying at West-Berlin, right ?" She nodded, biting her lips.

"It will be in a MI6 safehouse that isn't some sort of warehouse with an dorm but more like an house with bedrooms....like in the New Orleans." She replied, reassuring me a little.....even if we had to return in that city. "It's sure that we ain't going to stay permanently there."

"Of course, if Stone do this moves somewhere else, we're moving..." I guessed, making me have hope about our mission. "About the team we will have ?" I questioned her

"I will call them once we're fully set in that new safehouse but we will be only 4." She responded and I was reassured, I don't want to have too many people around me in that safehouse. "It will be mainly 2 of my friends.....including Greta." She showed me the group picture of her desk "The other would be him." She pointed the man with a small beard, looking at the same age of ours.

"What's this name ?"

"Garrett Donovan, I'm sure that you will like him." She replied, winking at me.

"I can say that your friends can become mine, then." I suggested and she was happy to hear that.

"Excuse me ?" It was the voice of a man that knocked at the opened door of her office. By looking at him, he was an member of the MI5. "Miss Grigoriev ?" He asked for me.

"Yes ?"

"We learned that you had some skills in cryptography and we wanted you to have a look at this." He walked next to me to give me an piece of paper that was encrypted as hell.....but it was my code I created in Perseus. "We received this in the morning from our usual mysterious source."

"Do you have a pen and a empty paper ?" I said, causing Park to find me quickly what I needed before I decided to get myself to work on that message.

I took a deep breath at looking at the encrypted message and I launched myself. Thanks to my knowledge on cryptography and to the fact that this system was the one I created, I could be able to decrypt it in no time and during the decryption, I was feeling observed by Park and this man but it wasn't troubling me at all as I was focused on having this message fully readable for someone who don't know anything on cryptography.

"Done." I breathed as I was finally finished with that message, I took only 5 minutes to have it done.

"Wow, that's very fast." The man exclaimed, amazed by the time I took. "What does the message is saying ?" He asked me.

"Apparently, Stone has been seen in an Perseus warehouse.....in West-Berlin." I looked at Park, rolling my eyes at talking about another Perseus warehouse. "The message mentioned exactly what is this warehouse usefulness and where it is." I then looked at the man "Who is this R. ?"

"It's the initial our mysterious source is using." He replied.

"You said that this mysterious person is someone that came often, does this person is sending you willingly these messages ?" I asked him, mentioning what he said earlier, he nodded at me.

"Yes but we don't know why they're doing this." He was looking as someone trying to look in his mind but nothing could help him to clear his mind. "I can't help you with that."

"It's okay, you just gave us a perfect start." I told him with an smile.

"I'm glad to have helped." He then start to walk away before looking at us "Goodbye, ladies." He closed the door behind him, leaving us with Park.

"I'm already loving to work in the MI6." I confessed to her who make a discreet laugh to me.

"Told you !" She affirmed before taking her dial phone in hand, a secured one. "I'm going to ask for our safehouse to be ready." She winked at me. "It's time for your first day within the MI6."

After that, she picked up the phone to call her contact that will set up our safehouse in West-Berlin and honestly, I was quite nervous to return back to this city. I thought that we will just go there to take back the remaining stuff we left there and then, maybe fly back here with an new safehouse but now, with our new piece of intel we got thanks to this MI5 agent, our first mission is of course located in West-Berlin and again, it was an warehouse that we are going to strike, like in my first days one month ago....all over again.

Once Park was done with her call, I helped her packed up some things in a new bag, especially things about Stone and our recents moves against Perseus, and after that, we took our respectives bags and we decided to left Century House in her car to return back to the airport where we could take the same private plane before leaving London behind us to go back to West-Berlin.

During the flight, I wasn't going to take a rest since the travel will not last long, making us arrived in the german city in 2 hours at the middle of the afternoon. Instead, Park took with us some old messages about that mysterious R who started to sent the MI5 encrypted message a year ago in February 1983 and what Park told me about them, each time, it was always correct. This mysterious person inside Perseus group is helping the british secret services for a year now, explaining the success the MI5 & the MI6 had on these operations, explained by Park.

I was wondering of something : my system is still used by Perseus...so is Perseus has been able to train someone to take the lead after my supposed death...or one of my friends has took the lead...it's impossible, all of my friends wanted to flee Perseus, no one would have ever wanted to stay with that guy and it couldn't be Freya at all, she wasn't an expert on it and cryptography need a lot of training.

There weren't anything else for to see except for the message I have decrypted in Park's office, leading us to another Perseus warehouse and finally, we arrived in West-Berlin at 4 PM, landing at the Tempelholf Airport, the one I almost got breathless with Freya and saved Park. We didn't stay any longer in here before getting on our way to the E9 safehouse for the last time in my life, I really hope to be the last time.

"Last time, Yiri....Last time...." I whispered to myself once we were arrived at the safehouse as Park let me drive to get here, after I insisted to do it and she helped me with the direction.

"Woods & Mason must be there." Park exclaimed as we could see the garage door of the safehouse open with an car in front of it backwards, its trunk opened. "Come on, let's get inside." She added, closing the door of her side before we start to walk inside.

"Look who is there." It was Woods standing next to Adler's old desk, having finished to talk to a man before he moved to get to us. "How was London ?" He asked to both of us.

"Pretty good." I replied with an smile, shooking hands with him.

"Where's Mason & Sims ?" Park questioned him as she was looking around inside to find them.

"Mason is already settled in the safehouse we're having in Ukraine as Hudson told us that he had a lead for us." He shook hand with her. "Enough for all of us."

"Uhm....we need to tell you that we're not coming." Park said to him, making him confused at hearing this. "MI6 has given me the order to form a team to track Stone."

"Shit, I almost forgot about that guy." He breathed, thinkful.

"I'm taking Yirina along the way, away from the CIA." She then looked at me with an grin "Show him." I knew what she wanted me to show and I took my credentials in hand, showcasing it to him.

"Say hello to the MI6 agent Yirina Grigoriev !" I scoffed as he looked at me with wide eyes, surprised by that.

"Damnit...." He looked away for an second. "It's an big occasion you got here."

"All thanks to me." Park proclaimed, proud of herself as I was proud of her. "Should avoid Hudson to do something against her or he will have the whole MI6 against him."

"He already have pissed off some CIA guys like me..." He joked, making us laugh about it. "So, how things will happen ?" He questioned Park.

"Well, since your team will be focused on having Adler back and ours to neutralize Stone, we can cross intels with one another if for example, we found something on Adler." She explained to him who nodded. "By the way, do you have anything new on that lead Hudson told you ?"

"Said that the CIA was able to maybe track down an agent that was there in that mall, couldn't tell more." He replied, not sure of Hudson infos about it. "Guess you're staying here at West-Berlin ?" We nodded to him slowly. "At least, it's not here you're staying, we're abandoning the place once you got your things back."

"Yes and anyway, I hate that place....bring too many bad memories." I whispered before I looked over his shoulder to see Sims, sit at his old desk, not looking happy and Woods saw me.

"Sims is still mad over yesterday." Woods exclaimed to us, taking a quick glare on him. "Better to leave him quietly for the moment."

"Okay, we will get our things and we will be out of here." Park said before she start to walk to her old desk with me.

We started to take a look for the last time around the safehouse before we worked on getting Park's belongings in some boxes and put it into our car. In fact, we came only for her own belongings as I didn't have one when I came back here, it was her who gave me everything. During the multiples travel we had to do between her desk, the dorm for her clothes and the car, I was thinking about a lot of things that happened here...mostly bad things on me and the only good things I had was with Park & Lazar.

"Finished." I was putting the last box inside the car after spending more than 30 minutes to have everything in it, she did have a lot of things in her possession.

"I'm gonna talk about some details with Woods, you can stay in the car or take a last look inside if you want." Park exclaimed before she walked back inside to get to Woods as I closed the car trunk.

I didn't know what to do apart from staying near the car to do nothing so I decided to go back inside, the place was looking more empty now : the dashboard was no longer there anymore, the Dark Room was closed down and all the desk hads nothing on them. As Park was discussing with Woods, I could see Sims, still alone at his desk and even Woods told us to not talk to him, I decided to get to him.

"Sims ?" I said in a low voice, getting next to him, seeing him holding an old picture of him & Adler.

"I heard that you got promoted into the MI6, congratulations." He told me in a passive voice, not sounding happy I can say.

"Listen, I'm...."

"You what ?" He started, cutting me straight "You're sorry ?" He added, looking at me with an raised eyebrow

"Yes." I whispered suddenly ashamed to have maybe put him into that state.

"I can't believe that you let that agent go away and allowing Stitch to get his hands on Adler." He complained, the story about me letting Freya free was inadvertently told by Bulldozer after we came back at Fort Dix and now everyone was aware of it.

"Hey, it's not my fault that Adler has gone berseck against him." I spoke up, almost raising my voice but keeping it down, not wanting to get angry for real. "He should have evaluate the risk of it."

"And ?" He looked at me, almost angry.

"And what ? What do I need to tell you more, Sims ?" I asked him, confused. "Adler nearly got everyone killed."

"Maybe...." He pronounced, sounding like if Adler's life was suddenly more important "You could have save him but you didn't do a thing." He removed his eyes off me back to that picture he was holding in his hands. "You preferred instead to have a talk about your 'old best friend'." He said, mimicking like Bulldozer.

"She was not my old best friend...." I took a deep breath. "She was my old fiancee." At hearing this, he looked at me slowly, almost troubled at this but still keeping his anger towards me.

"Even with that, that doesn't change a thing : Adler is in Perseus hand." He affirmed at my face.

"Listen, we will save him, Sims." I admitted, not even believing that I was going to say that.

"Pfff...." He muttered "We both know that you don't give an fuck about Adler and what happened yesterday was a proof of it."

"For an part, you're right !" I raised my voice, finally getting my thoughts out. "I don't give an fuck about Adler like he did the same for me." I pointed to myself. "He treated me like shit and you did nothing to counter him." I sniffed as Sims nearly stand up from his chair to face me. "I'm doing the big part of the work but what I got is 'you could do better' or 'is this it ?' as a reward."

"Yirina." I could hear Park voice coming behind me, calling me out.

"You need to know that I'm not happy to have to go save Adler's ass but we have no choice so act like everyone will did : save your friend like I'm trying to do with my own !" I confessed to him before I looked around, holding back my tears as I didn't want to get angry with Sims, to look at Park.

"I'm finished with Woods, we can go now." She affirmed, gesturing at me to follow her outside.

"I'm coming." I told her before I gave a last look to Sims. "I'm trying to save my own life aswell as Adler's one, think about it." I finished with him, looking away from him as I got next to Park, holding my anger inside of me as I don't want to be angered now...

"Let's get out of here, this place is making me sick !"

[supercalvin]

breaking the rules but 5WR for the prompt thing? i was just thinking they went well together and you’d be able to do something crazy awesome with it :)

5. High School AU + W. Pretend Relationship + R. In Vino Veritas

There are no rules here, friend. You can do whatever you want, and I certainly love this combination of tropes+AU. Have I ever mentioned that High School AUs are a guilty pleasure of mine? Which is probably why this turned out so long. Omg why can’t I write 500 word ficlets anymore???

Prompts  (or any prompt)  + Ficlets

***

Lance had invited Merlin to this party, which was the only reason he was here.  It wasn’t that hed didn’t normally go to parties. He did. It’s just he usually hung around a different crowd. Will’s parties were smaller, usually no more than ten kids sitting around his living room, staying up too late, playing video games, and maybe baking some of Freya’s weed into badly made brownies.

Lance, on the other hand, was the type of person to get along with a lot of different people. So not only was he close friends with Merlin, but he also happened to be friends with people in the drama club, the student council, and the football team. To be fair, it was hard not to like Lance.

So Merlin didn’t usually go to crazy house parties filled with football and rugby players. He was beginning to wish he had made Will come with him, even though he knew Will would just complain the whole time. Merlin was chatting with Elyan, a bloke he knew from maths class, trying his best to not seem out of place. He sipped on his beer, and prayed Lance would come save him at some point.

“Hey, it’s Merlin!”

To say that Merlin was surprised when Arthur Pendragon flung an arm around his shoulder and smiled at him would be an understatement. To say that Merlin was surprised Arthur Pendragon knew his name and apparently was happy to see him, was an astronomical understatement.

“Hey,” Merlin smiled, trying his best to seem nonchalant. Arthur smelled strongly of cologne, and Merlin had to mentally remind his tipsy-brain that saying ‘you smell good’ would be supremely awkward.

“Lance said he invited you,” Arthur said, still smiling at him. “I’m glad you made it.”

Merlin shrugged, “Why not, I guess?”

“Arthur!” Someone from across the kitchen yelled, “Where are the towels?”

Arthur groaned, “Bunch of children. I’ll be back,” Arthur tussled Merlin’s hair, playfully.

“That was weird,” Merlin said.

“Was it?” Elyan asked, “Arthur’s just like that when he gets more than one beer in him.”

“Really? I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation with him. I didn’t know he knew who I was.”

Elyan tilted his head to the side. “Didn’t you have history with us last year? You know, with Mr. Garrah?”

Merlin thought back. Maybe he had. But he hadn’t spent much time with Arthur. To say the least, Arthur Pendragon was the Golden Boy oftheir school. He was certainly one of the most popular kids. He was a star footballer. Alright enough in his classes, from what Merlin could tell. Definitely was fit. God forbid if Merlin forgot how fit Arthur was. Merlin was bisexual and was very aware of the fact that in a few hours it would hit him that ArthurPendragon had just been pressed up against him.

But, Merlin reminded himself, he was the only out-and-proud kid at school. And no matter how much Merlin drooled over him; Arthur Pendragon was in a serious relationship with Gwen Smith. Merlin had known Gwen since his first year in Camelot. They had kissed during a Truth-or-Dare game at Will’s back in Year 9. He hadn’t spent much time with her lately, since their schedules didn’t line up, but he assumed if Gwen liked Arthur, then he must bealright.

The party continued for another hour or so, everyone loosening up as more beer was drunk. Merlin mingled with people he had never talked to before and if he was being honest he was having a great time. Merlin wasn’t drunk, per se, but he certainly wasn’t sober by the time Arthur crossed hispath again.

Merlin was sitting on a couch, and Arthur plopped himself down right next to Merlin.

“Hey, you like Triple Goddess, right?”

“Yeah, how’d you know that?” Merlin asked, not sure how Arthur would know his favorite band.

“You wear their concert shirts a lot.”

Merlin wasn’t sure how often he wore Triple Goddess shirts, but he wondered if it was too much if Arthur noticed them.

“I looked them up after I saw your shirt. They’re really nice to listen to while I study. They’re really low-key,” Arthur said.

“Yeah, I listen to them while I code,” Merlin said, wondering too late if it was too nerdy to mention that he liked to write his own computer programs. He tried to cover it quickly, “I haven’t listened to their new album yet. Haven’t the time.”

“I have it upstairs, if you want. Come on,” Arthur stood up and offered his hand. Merlin took it without much thought.

Upstairs was less crowded. Most of the doors were closed andwhen Arthur pulled out a key to open his bedroom door, Merlin figured that was how Arthur managed to keep things from getting out of hand. It didn’t click that Merlin would be alone with Arthur until the door closed behind him.

Arthur pulled out his laptop and popped open the album. The noise from the party was much more subdued in Arthur’s room, and the low sounds of piano and violin came through clearly. Merlin looked around the room as themusic played, unsurprised to see a football banner along with an action movie poster. The desk was scattered with books and the bed was a rumpled unmade mess. Arthur obviously hadn’t expected anyone here tonight. Merlin wondered if Gwen was at this party. He hadn’t seen her. Probably not, if Arthur was here with Merlin of all people.

“Isn’t the lead singer of Triple Goddess gay?”

Merlin chewed on his nail nervously wondering if this was a trick question. He tried to remember that Gwen was a cool person, and she wouldn’t date a homophobe. Hopefully.

“Yeah, she is…” Merlin said, “And the drummer is trans, actually.”

Arthur hummed. He was leaning against his desk, flipping around one of his books. He looked nervous, which was strange to Merlin.

The song changed and the beat was mellower.

“Is that, uh, why you got into the band?”

Merlin rubbed the back of his neck, “Actually, yeah, that’s how I found out about them. They have a music video with two guys, uh, you know, together.” Merlin shrugged. He hadn’t talked much about his sexuality with anyone besides Will or his mum. He wasn’t sure why Arthur was asking. Maybe he was just trying to make conversation with what little he knew about Merlin.

“Yeah, I saw that one.”

Merlin rocked back on his heels.

“So…” Merlin struggled to think of anything he knew about Arthur. But before Merlin could ask about football, and absolutely stick his foot in his mouth, Arthur beat him to it.

“I’m glad you came. To the party. I told Lance to inviteyou.”

“What? Why?”

“I, uh,” Arthur looked up, like there was going to be an answer on the ceiling. “Shit, Gwen said this was going to be easy.” He set down his book and stepped up close to Merlin. He cleared his throat.  “I think you’re fit. And smart. And I know we don’t really know each other, but I’ve never had a good reason to talk to you before.”

Merlin blinked at him.

He took several seconds to process all that.

“Sorry, what was the first one?”

Arthur smiled, “I think you’re fit.”

“B-but what about Gwen!” Merlin stuttered.

“Oh, right.” Arthur said, as if he had forgotten about his girlfriend. “I’m her beard. Or we are each other’s beards? Doesn’t matter. She’s dating my step-sister Morgana. We told our Dad that she’s dating me, so that when she stays over, she sleeps in Morgana’s room. It’s a nice set up.”

Merlin blinked a couple times.

“Uh. Merlin?”

“I think I’m going to need a moment,” Merlin held up a hand. “You’re gay?”

“Yeah,” Arthur shrugged and gestured to himself, as if that cleared that up.

“Holy shit, thank you Jesus,” Merlin said, before slapping a hand over his mouth.

Arthur laughed hard and Merlin smacked his shoulder when he wouldn’t stop.

“Fuck off, you know you’re fit! Don’t torture me.”

“You think I’m fit?” Arthur asked, seeming to be truly interested in the answer.

“Uh, yeah,” Merlin said, trying to suppress a nervous giggle.

Arthur smiled, and Merlin noticed that his teeth weren’t completely straight. There was something charming about him that had butterflies flutteringin Merlin’s stomach.

“So, uh, I’m not out to my Dad. But uh, would you like to, Idon’t know…We could see a film. Or you could come over and we could play some video games? Or something.”

Merlin smiled, “Yeah, I could do that.” Merlin stepped up closer to Arthur, suddenly feeling very brave. “How do you feel about snogging for a bit before going back down to the party?”

Arthur’s eyes widened, “Really?”

Merlin raised a brow.

“That wasn’t a ‘no.’” Arthur said quickly, “I’m just, uh… I’ve never kissed a boy.”

Merlin smiled, “Want to?”

Arthur nodded, “Yeah,” His eyes trailed down to Merlin’s lips. It didn’t take much movement to tilt his head to the side and pull Arthur into a kiss.

When they made it back down to the party, no one seemed to notice that their lips were red and chapped. Merlin had a bit of a bruise on his neck, but he would just cover it up with a scarf tomorrow.

***

Prompts (or any prompt)  + Ficlets

[cupcakezys]

*evil cackle* 21 Freylin

Thank you for the ask anon! Apologies that it took a while, I haven't had much free time to write recently. I hope you enjoy what I came up with though - I'll admit, it kind of ran away from me haha.

From this ask game thing.

It's also on AO3 if you prefer to read there. :)

21 - Kiss on a Dare.\

“Merlin, mate, you’re pining is worse than mine was.”

Merlin snorted, not looking at his friend. “No one could pine as hard as you pined for Percival.”

“Not true.” Gwaine denied. “Remember how useless Lance and Arthur used to be whenever Gwen so much as walked into the same room as them?”

Merlin hummed, not really paying attention. Gwaine sighed.

“At least they’ve stopped now she’s dating them.” Gwaine rolled over in the grass, landing half on Merlin and making him huff.

He still refused to look away from the where he could see Freya painting in the courtyard.

“You’ve got it bad.” Gwaine said, like Merlin didn’t already know. “Seriously mate, this is borderline creepy, and I can’t allow my best friend to become a creep.”

“I’m not creepy.” Merlin protested, finally turning to look at Gwaine.

“No, you’re just an idiot.” Arthur called, flopping down onto the grass beside them.

Gwaine pushed himself up, a massive grin stretched across his face, as the rest of their friends sat around them.

“Perce!” Gwaine threw himself at his boyfriend, draping dramatically across his lap. “Tell Merlin he needs to stop pining and just kiss Freya already.”

Percival cocked his head. “Isn’t that what he said to you?”

“Yes!” Gwaine waved his hands in the air, almost smacking Percival in the face. “And look how well that turned out for us!”

“Who’s Freya?” Leon asked.

“A girl in the year below us.” Lance said, wrapping an arm around Gwen’s shoulder. “She spends most of her time painting.”

Merlin sighed and grinned, a dreamy look on his face. “She’s really good.”

Arthur rolled his eyes, something made less impressive with his head in Gwen’s lap and her fingers running through his hair. “We know. She was asked to paint the courtyard.”

“By the principal.” Gwen added.

“And the principal doesn’t like anyone’s art.” Gwaine finished, rolling his own eyes.

Elyan turned to Gwen, eyebrows raised. “Do I want to know?”

Gwen chuckled. “Freya’s been all Merlin can talk about for weeks. I think we all know how amazing her art is.”

Merlin huffed, his cheeks red. “Shut up, all of you.”

Everyone laughed, and then Gwaine sat up, his eyes full of mischief. Merlin groaned. That look never meant anything good for Merlin, or anyone that wasn’t Gwaine.

“Let’s play truth or dare.”

Merlin immediately scrambled up in an attempt to run. Arthur, the bastard, was faster. He leapt up and grabbed Merlin around the middle, pulling them both back to the ground. Merlin glared at his so-called friends.

“I hate all of you.”

“Merlin.” Leon said, serious.

Merlin almost believed he was about to help him.

Almost.

“Truth or dare?”

Merlin pouted.

“He picks dare.” Gwen said.

Merlin turned to her in betrayal. “Gwen!”

“I dare you to kiss Freya!” Gwaine sang, and Merlin wondered how he’d never noticed his best friends were all assholes.

“That’s not how this works.” Merlin protested. “Gwen can’t pick for me!”

“Then you need to pick one.” Percival suggested.

Merlin crossed his arms, elbowing Arthur in the face as he did and not even pretending it was an accident. The prat didn’t even flinch.

“No.” Merlin said. “I’m not playing.”

Gwaine shook his head. “Sorry mate, but that’s not an option. Now, I dare you to go kiss your lady love.”

Merlin turned to Lancelot, his only true best friend and his last hope. “Lance, tell them they can’t make me do this.”

Lancelot looked from Merlin to everyone sitting with them, landing last on Gwen and having a silent conversation with her with his eyes. It was something they’d done a lot since they started dating, and something Arthur had been extremely jealous of until the three of them had all sat down and talked it all out. Merlin didn’t know the details, but it had ended in Gwen being showered in kisses from both her boyfriends, so he assumed it went well.

As Lancelot turned back to him with a sparkle in his eyes and a smile pulling at his lips, he suddenly wished the Earth would swallow him up to save him the trouble he knew was coming.

“You can’t back out of a truth or dare Merlin. It’s in the rules.” He said gravely.

Merlin glared. “Fuck all of you.”

Gwaine and Arthur laughed. Percival pulled Gwaine into his lap, hiding his grin in his hair. Elyan was shaking his head and laughing quietly to himself, but Merlin didn’t hear him stepping up to help him, so as far as he was concerned he was a traitor as well. Leon just shrugged when Merlin looked to him. Gwen and Lance were struggling to hide their own laughter.

Traitors, the lot of them.

“Fine!” Merlin yelled, shoving Arthur until he let him go. “I’ll do it!”

He stood up, arms by his side and fists clenched, and without another word marched towards the courtyard. Gwaine scrambled up after him, a slightly guilty expression on his face.

“You know you don’t have to do this. We’re all just mucking about.”

“I know.” Merlin said, but he was determined. Or stubborn, if you asked his mother. “But you’re right. I need to stop pining and just... tell her how I feel.”

Gwaine face split into a grin in an instant. “Well then, good luck mate.”

He stopped and jogged back to their circle of friends, and Merlin forced himself not to do the same. He had to do this – he really liked Freya, she had rapidly become one of his best friends in just under a month, and Merlin had liked her for at least half of that.

She saw him coming, as usual. She leaned back from the wall the was painting on, golden paint dripping off of the brush she was using, and waved. Merlin waved back, heart skipping a beat and pulse racing.

“Merlin!” Freya called, her voice soft even when she was yelling. “Come tell me what you think.”

Merlin looked at what she’d been painting – it was a pair of doves, startling white and beautifully detailed. The school motto was half painted around it, the cheesy words seeming elegant written in Freya’s careful hand.       

“It’s beautiful.” Merlin said honestly. Freya blushed, but a small smile pulled at her lips. Merlin counted it as a win. “Why doves?”

Freya leaned in close, smirking. “The principal requested them specifically.”

Merlin’s eyes widened. “No way.”

Freya giggled. “It’s true!”

Merlin shook his head in disbelief. “Can’t believe grouchy Mr Pendragon would ask for doves to be painted on his precious school building.”

“He’s not that bad.” Freya chastised. “Besides, isn’t Arthur your best friend?”

Merlin nodded. “Which is how I know just how grouchy he really is.” He glanced around, suddenly paranoid that Mr Pendragon would be standing right behind him. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

Freya smiled softly. “I won’t.”

The conversation trailed off awkwardly, in a way it never did when they were reading together in the library, or sitting out during sport and talking about whatever came to mind. Merlin swallowed, the sound so loud in his ears he was certain Freya had heard it. He’d never been so nervous in his life, not even when he’d spilled juice all over his mum’s new couch.

Then Freya glanced up at him through her eyelashes and smiled, and Merlin found himself leaning towards her before he could second guess himself.

The kiss was more a brief touch of lips than anything, a second where their lips were just barely touching, and then Merlin was pulling away, his mind catching up to him and making him flush bright red from embarrassment.

Freya’s eyes were wide, cheeks dusted pink, and her hands hovered over her mouth. She didn’t say anything, just stared at him, and Merlin though his heart might just beat out of his chest and start running.

“I was dared to.” He blurted, before he could think.

Freya’s smile dropped and hurt crept onto her face “Oh.”

Merlin winced and hurried to explain. “I didn’t mean it like that! I just- I mean- they dared me to, but only because they know how much I like you, and that I’d probably never tell you without a push. Not that they would have held me to the dare or anything, they were only teasing, and I only came over to shut them up really.”

He was blushing harder than he ever had before, he knew it, but at least the hurt marring Freya’s face was gone. He gave her a small smile and glanced down at his feet.

“What I mean to say is, I didn’t kiss you because of the dare.” He mumbled.

Freya bit her bottom lip. “You kissed me because you like me?”

Merlin looked up, into her eyes. “Yes.”

A beautiful smile grew on her face. “I like you too.”

Merlin blinked. “Really?”

Freya giggled and nodded. They both stared awkwardly at each for a moment before looking away, and Merlin ran a hand through his hair.

“Do you want to go out on Saturday?” He asked.

Freya nodded. “Yes. There’s a café on the corner of the main street-“

“I know it.” Merlin grinned. “Meet you there at twelve?”

“It’s a date.” Freya said, smiling shyly.

“It is.” Merlin agreed, and waved awkwardly as he backed away.

Freya waved back, making it marginally less awkward, and Merlin turned and all but skipped back to his friends. Gwaine slapped him on the back as he sat down, and everyone was grinning and staring at him expectedly.

“So, what happened?” Gwen asked finally.

Merlin grinned. “We’re going on a date this Saturday.”

Everyone immediately started asking a million questions, and Merlin grinned. He’d tell them, after a while. After all, they’d got to have their fun teasing him, and even if it all turned out amazing in the end, Merlin thought he was allowed some fun too.

-

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[tvdversefanfiction]

Canary Carnage

Chapter Five: Black, White and Red All Over

Warnings: I don’t own any of the rights, content or characters belonging to any of the DC content I use within the story along with not owning any rights, content or characters within The Vampire Diaries, Originals or Legacies.

18 Rating: Moderate/Graphic displays of violence, sexual innuendos, sexually charged scenes, SMUT, strong language and potentially triggering scenes.

Pairings: M/M, F/F, M/F.

Lucas Lance had found himself in quite the dilemma while stuck in France with the original hybrid Klaus Mikaelson who intended to kill the Red Canary before either of them returned to New Orleans as he believed his siblings were taking care of Lucas’ siblings, not realizing how truly complicated that situation had become.

Lucas found himself speeding through the woods within the small town located somewhere in France having just released Elijah Mikaelson from the Hollow’s hold as he plotted to get back to the plane and threaten his way back to New Orleans before he crashed into Klaus who vamp sped in front of him causing the Red Canary to fall to the ground.

Before Lucas could use his canary cry against the original hybrid he had been pulled back up to his feet only to be thrown across the woods hitting a tree with force knocking him unconscious before his body hit the ground once more as Klaus began walking towards him, ready to kill the Red Canary only to find his own neck snapped as Elijah appeared behind him before dropping Klaus’ unconscious body to the ground.

When Elijah Mikaelson had his memory erased and his life changed forever he was set free from a thousand years of losses, betrayals and pain and although he no longer had the hollow inside of him he was still compelled, still free and not even remotely interested into being thrown back into the Mikaelson madness so he did what any reasonable amnesiac immortal would do when his past came knocking and kidnapped his brother Klaus Mikaelson and his frenemy Lucas Lance.

Together the original hybrid and the Red Canary had just slaughtered Elijah Mikaelson’s customers, colleagues and even some friends and with him only remembering them he wanted to seek revenge on the two monsters who had ruined his normal life not remembering harming family would be the last thing he’d normally do.

Elsewhere in New Orleans, Laurel Lance had sought out refuge for her and her undead sister Sara within Lafayette Cemetery with the witches having been granted access to the witches’ safe haven by the recently re-crowned regent Davina Claire who had only recently returned to the city after years away and wasted no time in striking up an alliance with the Black Canary having been informed from her father figure Marcel Gerard of how much carnage they had been creating for the Mikaelson’s, Klaus especially.

She understood Sara’s wishes to protect Lucas and how that led to murdering Freya Mikaelson who had once doomed Davina for a similar reason so Davina wasn’t particularly cut up about Freya’s fate and although she still had some unfinished business with Kol she had no love loss for Klaus or Elijah and had enough of staying away from her home, ready to take New Orleans by force one way or another.

It was Davina who informed Laurel that for Sara to complete her transition into becoming a vampire Sara would have to drink blood within the next 24 hours or she would become dead permanently and not in the undead way.

The only problem being that Sara Lance didn’t want to become a vampire which meant Laurel had little time to either convince her little sister or lose her all over again.

“I know that this means a lot of change and I don’t fully understand vampirism on this Earth, but I’d rather have you undead than just plain old dead.” Laurel admitted to Sara as the two canaries sat on a wall within Lafayette Cemetery, alone for the first time that day after seeking out wonder witch Davina for protection.

“I wasn’t killed by a Mikaelson Laurel, I was killed by a member of my former organisation which means they’ve followed meaning I’ve put you and Lucas in danger when that’s the last thing I wanted.” Sara revealed to the Black Canary. “This organisation will stop at nothing to kill me and whoever I’m near at least this way I die on my own terms.”

“In case you haven’t noticed but both Lucas and I have been in danger since day one on this Earth and I’m in danger every day back home fighting the good fight you never put us in anymore danger than either of us are use to.” Laurel told her little sister, trying to make it clear their current predicament wasn’t her fault. “So, what if this organisation wants you and Olly dead, we will take them out just like we’ll take out the Mikaelson’s if we have too.”

“Oliver was there.” Sara announced as she remembered in that moment, the entire events hazy to her due to her current state. “I think they took him somewhere let’s hope they’ve not found a way out of this Earth.”

“We’ll find your man,” Laurel said while rolling her eyes, unamused by Sara’s worry for the Green Arrow even if she too worried for her ex. “Thankfully we don’t have to wait till sunlight to go hunting with that magic sun ring Davina gave you. You just have to take the blood then we’ll wait for Lucas and the three canaries will take down this organisation of yours.”

“Laurel you have no idea what your trying to get yourself into not to mention neither of us even know if Lucas is still alive!” Sara snapped at her older sister as she stood up. “Let’s face that facts here big sis Lucas is more than likely dead and I’m going to be dead by the end of today the best you could do is get the hell out this city and find someway back to your own Earth.”

“No, I refuse to give up hope on either of you!” Laurel argued as she stood up to face her younger sister. “I gave up on you thinking you were dead and yet here you are I’m not going to give up on you again and I refuse to believe our brother is dead until proven otherwise. I’m not losing anymore family now stop this suicidal shit and take some god damn blood before I force feed you some of my own!”

“I guess all us Lance kids have changed over the years.” Sara replied to the Black Canary before taking in a big sigh, realizing two canaries were better than one especially as she wasn’t exactly herself right now. “What do you suggest we do?”

“We have a witch who can locate this organisation of yours and who knows if we talk nice enough she may also help us kill every last one of them they maybe some top assassins but their still human and have nothing on two scream queens and a wonder witch.” Laurel answered, making Sara realize Earth Blood had privileges their Earth never had. “We’ll save Olly and then find out where Lucas is and then we’ll turn our attention to the Mikaelson’s once again.”

“It’s not a terrible plan I must admit but we should probably take more than one witch.” Sara suggested. “As for Oliver and Lucas I really do hope their alive Laurel, but I have the worst feeling about today and it’s not just because I’m now a bloodsucker.”

“We’ve got this little sister.” Laurel told the White Canary, while not fully believing her own hype.

Lucas Lance was no stranger to being kidnapped or tortured in fact it happened so often he had become quite the quick thinker when it came to having to escape from his kidnappers, especially considering he knew nobody was ever going to save him.

Sure, he had his alliances with the likes of Slade Wilson, The Joker, Harley Quinn and for a brief time Bane but none would ever risk themselves to come to their rescue although a few of those alliances had kidnapped him from time to time and so he had to learn how to save himself.

Although this was the first time he had been kidnapped by a vampire the original vampire Elijah Mikaelson who was quickly proving himself far from noble as Lucas awakened to find himself tied to a chair and gagged, unable to cry his way out of the situation while Klaus Mikaelson sat next to him tied up in ropes dipped in vervain a smell and poison Lucas was unfamiliar of.

“I figured it would only be a matter of time before somebody came to seek me out.” Elijah told them both as he walked into the bar’s front door. “I had hoped this day would never come but I heard the rumors of how dependent you were on me.”

“Actually, it was more you dependent on trying to fix all of us brother now release me already so we can return to New Orleans and restore your memories.” Klaus demanded while the Red Canary remained gagged.

“I don’t want my memories or my family back I quite like my life here or at least I did until you came in and slaughtered everybody I knew living up to your reputation in the process.” Elijah replied to his younger brother before turning to look at Lucas. “Although I have no idea what the bloody hell you are, but you do smell very sweet.”

“Trust me he’s more bitter than anything else.” Klaus scoffed while turning to look at Lucas, who was far from impressed by his little dig.

“Well you’ll have to forgive me the stench of blood has got me rather hungry.” Elijah apologised to Lucas as the noble original’s face turned full vampire mode before sinking his teeth into Lucas’ neck.

The taste of Lucas’ blood tasted better than any blood Elijah Mikaelson had tasted before and as he continued to drain the Red Canary of his blood he found himself feeling like he was in an almost euphoric state before suddenly he was hit by a sharp excruciating pain within his head forcing him backwards as he screamed out loud, alarming his brother Klaus in the process.

A half drained Lucas took this opportunity to break free his leg and kick Elijah causing them both to fall backwards to the ground in opposite directions with Lucas’ wooden chair breaking as Lucas hit the ground freeing him of his ropes and giving him his chance to escape.

“What the hell are you?” Elijah asked Lucas as the two of them quickly rose to their feet.

“I’ve always preferred show to tell.” Lucas answered before releasing a loud canary cry, using his sonic scream to send Elijah flying across the bar and once again hitting the bar floor as Lucas stopped his cry and began untying Klaus with one hand while holding his bleeding neck with his other hand.

“Why are you helping me? I just killed your sister.” Klaus wondered, confused by Lucas’ help as he noticed his amnesic brother Elijah rise back to his feet.

“Oh, please Klaus, when are you going to learn you can’t beat me?” Lucas whispered into the original hybrid’s ear before pulling the vervain soaked ropes off him.

As Klaus quickly rose to his feet clearly still somewhat injured from the vervain soaked ropes his brother Elijah had time him up in, Lucas super sped out of the bar and out of sight leaving the noble original and the original hybrid alone for the first time in over half a decade.

“Niklaus,” Elijah addressed his brother with a shocked expression on his face. “How can I suddenly remember everything?”

“Is this a trick Elijah? Because I will put a dagger in you without hesitation call me cranky, but I don’t take being held hostage by my brother very well.” Klaus asked Elijah, uncertain of whether to trust him.

“His blood,” Elijah realized as his fingers touched his lips. “It tasted unlike any other I’ve ever tasted before…I think his blood restored my memories.”

Davina Claire had been through a lot in New Orleans having being prepared as a sacrifice for her coven only to be saved by Marcel becoming his one witch army in the process before her newfound harvest power became too much for her and she gave into death for the first time.

She returned from the grave with a lot to prove after being so powerful but she quickly proved to all within New Orleans she was just as formidable taking on Klaus Mikaelson time and time again before falling for his brother Kol which is when things got really complicated for the wonder witch.

Kol Mikaelson while in the body of a witch died at the hands of his brother Finn leading to Davina going to extremes to bring him back just for the vengeful ancestors of New Orleans to weaponize Kol cursing him to kill the teen witch as she gave into death for the second time.

The Hollow did many evil acts upon her return but the one thing Inadu did right was bring Davina back and although she wanted to stay in her city she decided to leave for a while with her boyfriend Kol as they made a new life for themselves in San Francisco a life which was short lived for many reasons and within time they both returned to New Orleans just not together.

Davina was now older, wiser and more powerful than she once was taking her deaths as lessons while using her time in the ancestral plane to her advantage and although she would never be on side with her ruthless ancestors she knew it was time to become regent and take a hold of the city which is why the arrival of the canaries couldn’t have come at a better time for Davina Claire.

“So, this league of assassins sounds pretty deadly what exactly are they?” Davina asked the white canary as she, Sara and Laurel walked through the woods within the bayou of New Orleans. “Vampires? Witches? Siphoners? Travelers? Heretics?”

“They are assassins who have dedicated their entire life to the kill there is nothing more dangerous than a member of the league of assassins and no more dangerous assassin then Ra’s al Ghul.” Sara revealed to Davina and Laurel as they continued to walk through the woods. “Their no strangers to magic so I hope you’ve brought your best and even if you did, we’re unlikely to get out of this alive.”

“From what we’ve learned from you both is things work different on your Earth than it does on my Earth which has me believing so does the magic which means they won’t be ready for mine.” Davina replied to Sara, believing she had the upper hand in this situation.

“Plus, your part canary part vampire now so we’ve also got that going for us.” Laurel added as they reached a large seemingly abandoned building, knowing the league resided within the decaying building.

“That might not actually be a plus considering we have no idea what vampire blood will actually do to you.” Davina admitted to Sara. “In this world you’d become a vampire and that’s it but you’re not from this world so we will just have to monitor you over the next few days to see how it affects you.”

“That’s something you should’ve told me wonder witch.” Laurel snapped at Davina as the three women looked towards the building ready to fight.

“Let’s just get through this first!” Sara advised her sister as Davina began chanting in Croatian before Sara and Laurel began super speeding in the direction of the building, fully aware they may not win this battle.

Klaus Mikaelson depended on Elijah and Rebekah more than he would ever admit and that’s why when he disappointed with them, he tended to take it particularly badly i.e. daggering them and dumping them in coffins his excuse for Finn was simply because he was dull and nobody questioned when Kol was daggered.

Whether his siblings loved or loathed him they were always by his side and mostly under his control which was ideal for someone as controlling, manipulative and paranoid as Klaus Mikaelson but all that changed when he, Elijah, Rebekah and Kol found themselves possessed by the hollow and forced to separate for years but thanks to the arrival of the canaries Klaus was reunited with his entire family barring his eldest sibling Freya.

Klaus’ was beyond pleased to find Elijah back with him where he believed he belonged as the two sat opposite each other on the private plane which was mid-flight on its way back to New Orleans.

He couldn’t believe Lucas Lance managed to not only rid Elijah of the hollow but by the use of his own blood restored Elijah’s memories which is when his curiosity decided to take over his thirst for revenge as he began to wonder what else the canaries could do what their powers and their blood could do as he found himself excited to once again run into the Red Canary, happy to have not killed him after all.

“What I don’t understand is how these canaries can just scream the hollow right out of each of us like it was never there.” Elijah admitted, breaking his long silence since getting on the plane and adjusting to his newly returned memories. “I get this parallel universe has a different set of rules but what are their rules exactly.”

“Their pretty powerful creatures indeed but not immortal like us so let’s find out more about them before we kill them, I must admit his blood restoring your memories has definitely got my curiosity well and truly peaked.” Klaus replied to his older brother.

“You’re fond of this man, aren’t you? He reminds you of you before you found Hope.” Elijah suggested, knowing he was right. “Freya has fallen at his family’s hands and so we kill every one of them whether you are fond of the male canary or not dear brother.”

“Elijah I may be a father now but if anything, that makes me even more ruthless than before because I won’t allow any danger to harm Hope or her happiness whether this canary amuses me or not.” Klaus convinced Elijah before his phone began to ring to which he quickly answered. “This better be bloody good Kol!”

“Just once you could answer with a hello and pretend for a mere second you have some grip of becoming a gentleman Niklaus.” Kol said through the phone making Elijah smile with amusement at the sly dig being made at Klaus. “The White Canary isn’t dead she’s undead that bloody Lucas got vampire blood into his system somehow.”

“Well played Canary.” Klaus answered with a sinister smirk on his face, instantly hanging up on Kol and putting his phone back into his jacket pocket. “Maybe you will be an interesting match after all.”

“The question I am now asking is does a Canary maintain their cry after vampirism?” Elijah wondered, once again asking a question Klaus wished he asked first.

The Mikaelson siblings were now all back into the fold ready to take on the canaries together and avenge their sister Freya but as always with the original family of vampires nothing was ever going to be that simple especially with both Kol and Klaus finding themselves drawn to the Red Canary, the White Canary now being a vampire and the Black Canary forming a new friendship with Davina Claire.

Sara Lance knew the league of assassins had already killed her once but she chose to remain hopeful with the assistance of her sister Laurel and their new ally Davina knowing Ra’s al Ghul was leading this group of assassins instead it was her former lover and Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter Nyssa who just so happened to be the woman who murdered her.

Sara didn’t blame Nyssa for killing her knowing her father would have left her no choice knowing Nyssa played by the rules of the league of assassins more so than any other member but she also knew to win this fight she may have to kill Nyssa which had her wondering if she had it in her to kill a woman she once loved.

“Remind me never to piss off Davina Claire.” Laurel said to her sister after she and Sara sped into the abandoned building to find all the assassins including a kidnapped, bound and gagged Oliver Queen laid on the ground unconscious while Nyssa stood there waiting, making the Black Canary wonder. “Question is why isn’t she asleep too?”

“Magic tricks are less likely to work on the daughter of the demon.” Nyssa replied to Laurel as she began walking towards Sara and Laurel, turning her attention to the White Canary. “I thought I killed you I was just about to kill Oliver too once he told me how to get off this earth.”

“Yeah you killed me alright, but my brother decided to keep death knocking for another day.” Sara responded as she began walking towards Nyssa, leaving Laurel stood standing behind her. “We don’t have to do this you don’t have to follow your father’s rules forever.”

“You betrayed the league which means you betrayed me and therefore I’m not going anywhere until you are dead…unless of course you decide to return to us and I’ll convince my father to spare you and even Oliver after all you were his favorite recruits.” Nyssa suggested as she and Sara now stood face to face ready for battle.

“I’m not going back with you Nyssa I refuse to live that life any longer.” Sara made herself clear.

“Then you’re not going anywhere!” Nyssa stated before launching a punch in Sara’s direction, who instantly dodged the punch and kicked the demon’s daughter in the stomach before the two former lovers began a fight to the death.

Sara’s newfound vampire side had her fighting better than ever having double her previous strength in the process, that plus his vamp speed and even a trained assassin like Nyssa stood no chance as she eventually threw Nyssa to the ground leaving her opponent breathless while her sister Laurel looked on in amazement.

“I don’t want to kill the only person I’ve ever loved.” Sara shouted at Nyssa, shocking Laurel by the revelation. “But I won’t have you or your father coming between me or my family…not again.”

“You really did love me?” Nyssa asked with a soft smile appearing across her face as she slowly rose back to her feet.

“If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill you.” Sara admitted, accidentally slipping up and revealing she was still in love with the demon’s daughter.

“Well then I guess I’ve already killed you once no point killing you again.” Nyssa conceded as the former lovers shared a longing smile.

“What about Olly?” Laurel asked after super speeding over to stand next to her sister and in front of Nyssa. “I mean if it’s a case of either or then I’d obviously rather my sister but if I can get some kind of two for one deal that would be great.”

“Very well I’ll spare the Green Arrow too,” Nyssa laughed before giving Sara a warning. “You will both have to remain on this Earth, I’ll tell my father I killed you and Mr Queen on this Earth once me and my colleagues find a way back home that is.”

“When you say remain on this Earth are you saying she can’t ever return?” Laurel asked the demon’s daughter, knowing the answer while hoping for another.

“She means forever Laurel.” Sara answered her older sister. “Which means we have a family of originals to kill.”