Work Text:
Coloured Underwear
by Moonbeam
It was a Tuesday and Arthur had received an impressive surprise blow job as soon as he walked through the door. He alternated clutching at Merlin's head in silent exaltation and berating him for not being able to wait before he had his mouth stretched wide around Arthur.
Later, after Merlin grinned up at him with come on the corner of his mouth, eyes locked on Arthur's as he caught it with his thumb and licked it off. After Arthur had taken his coat off and stepped into the rest of the apartment, Arthur had his opportunity to take Merlin apart and he took his time. He slapped Merlin's hands away and slowly peeled his clothes off. That was the first time their orgasms hadn't together, weren't a mad rush for more, now, everything. Arthur smirked when he saw the bright – seriously Merlin your jocks are going to blind me, yellow material through Merlin’s open fly.
Her hadn't thought about them again after he'd hurled them at the wizard hat on Merlin’s chest of drawers and beamed at his perfect aim. Then he started noticing: blue and red, purple and green, lilac and maroon, lime and orange. Merlin had a never ending supply of painfully bright underwear.
It took Arthur even longer to see the pattern.
That Merlin always held Arthur a little tighter if he was wearing green. He would tease Arthur and take his time, longer than his time really, when he was wearing lilac. Orange seemed to be on days when the corners of Merlin's mouth were little downwards hooks.
They had been together for over a year, moved into Arthur’s apartment because Merlin was always there anyway, and Arthur hated it when Merlin went back to 'his own place'. When Arthur noticed the first few patterns he began to watch for more.
If Merlin was tired he would wear maroon. When he was angry at Arthur he would wear lime. If he had a big presentation at work or something important; like their anniversary his underwear was always purple. Arthur was willing to bet that Merlin had been wearing purple on their first date but he'd never seen them. When Merlin was missing his mum he'd wear red and Arthur knew to make Hunith's self-saucing pudding and plan a weekend to go up to Ealdor. Blue seemed to be reserved for days when Merlin was simply...content. Arthur would have to keep investigating those days.
Arthur didn't think Merlin owned black underwear until the anniversary of Will’s death when Merlin wore all black. Down to the underwear Arthur could see as they laid on the couch with Merlin curled into Arthur's body. When Merlin met...and lost, his father the black clothes came out again. Arthur never wanted to see them, ever again.
One night, when Arthur was a little more than drunk he told Merlin about the system. Merlin just rolled his eyes but he made sure to wear the purple underwear when he proposed to Arthur.
The End