Archive of Our Own ^beta

Arthur inhaled audibly as the black-dyed leather clasped around his throat, not too tight, not too loose. His eyes were wide and glossed over, a hazy look of eagerness on his face. It was so pretty against his skin, and the gold accents along the upper and lower trim complimented him beautifully. He was breathtaking, and so, so patient.

So good.

Merlin whined beside him, shifting and squirming impatiently on his knees. Well, at least one of them was good.

“Patience,” Leon sighed, glancing at Merlin out of the corner of his eye. He ran his fingers lightly over the leather on Arthur’s neck as he pulled back and stood up. “You’ll get your turn.”

Merlin huffed. He sat on his knees and looked up at Leon with a pouting glare, head tilted back to expose his pale neck. He always had been the more difficult one of the pair. Leon wouldn’t change him for the world, though. Arthur and Merlin had been a package deal—one quiet, complacent and the other loud, bratty. They complimented each other perfectly, like they were made for each other.

Gently, Leon carded his fingers through Arthur’s hair, smiling at how he leaned into the touch.

“Such a good boy,” he murmured, brushing hair out of Arthur’s face. His eyelids fluttered and his lips pulled into a dopey smile at the praise, cheeks tinted with a soft flush. “Look at you…it looks so good. I’m going to do Merlin’s now—do you want to watch?”

Arthur’s eyes opened wide, and he nodded quickly.

“Use your words,” Leon ordered, tone firm but gentle. His fingers curled in his hair, and he tugged just barely—just enough for him to feel it. It worked wonders. His head tilted back, and his lips dropped open in a silent moan.

“Yes, sir,” Arthur gasped out, “yes—I want to watch. Please, can I watch?”

Leon’s heart fluttered at how easy he obeyed. “Of course, you can.”

When they’d first started dating, Arthur and Merlin brought up the subject of play—both uncharacteristically nervous and shy, as if Leon could ever deny them anything—he’d been nervous. He’d nearly wept when they wrapped their arms around him and whispered for him to take his time and think, when they’d told him it was okay—they didn’t have to do anything he wasn’t comfortable with.

That night, he’d spent hours and hours doing research after they went to bed, and the next day, instead of work, he found himself at a club. Like a blushing virgin, he awkwardly asked around for help, for advice.

That was where he met Gwaine.

“Look at our boys…” Leon gasped in surprise as strong arms wrapped around his waist from behind him. He turned around, carefully twisting in his partner’s hold, before smiling when his eyes met Gwaine’s. He was still wearing his work uniform, tie and all… How perfect. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

Leon hummed as he leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Gwaine’s lips. “No, you’re just in time to do Merlin,” he murmured. He paused a moment before adding in even more hushed tones, “he’s been very impatient, today, more so than usual.”

Gwaine was a good dom. An experienced one. When Leon went home the night he met Gwaine, after a few hours of talking to him about starting out in the scene, he confessed everything to Merlin and Arthur in a rush. They tried their first scene the next day, and after, Merlin and Arthur asked to meet Gwaine.

The rest was history.

“Let me take care of him,” Gwaine murmured.

Leon nodded and stepped out of his arms. He carefully unclasped the black-dyed leather collar from his belt and held it out to Gwaine. It was identical to Arthur’s, but with silver accents instead of gold. Merlin insisted it matched his complexion better when they picked them out.

Arthur had told him he spent too much time with Morgana. Leon silently agreed. 

Gwaine took the collar from him and held it up, tilting his head as he examined it. It was perfectly made—only the best quality for their subs. It wasn’t like they couldn’t afford it. The four of them combined probably had more money than even Uther. The petty part of Leon was unbelievably smug about that.

Seemingly satisfied, Gwaine grinned and turned towards Merlin. Merlin straightened up in an instant under his gaze, the picture of innocence. Sneaky bastard. Leon loved him. Leon stepped up beside Arthur, letting a hand rest gently on his hair, to watch their other partners.

A small shiver ran through him when Gwaine lifted a hand and loosened his tie as he came to stop in front of Merlin. God, he was…Leon curled his fingers in Arthur’s hair to ground himself. He watched the way Merlin’s eyes tracked the movement, before Gwaine slowly leaned over him and gripped his chin between his thumb and forefinger.

Gwaine tilted Merlin’s head back, forcing them to make eye contact. “Have you been a good boy, my love?”

No. “Yes, sir.”

Leon narrowed his eyes just barely at the blatant lie but said nothing. Merlin knew what lying meant. Merlin knew he would be punished.

Gwaine cocked an eyebrow. He pressed the pad of his thumb to Merlin’s bottom lip, forcing his mouth open but doing nothing more. Merlin, putting on a show, stayed perfectly still. It was like he’d become a new person. Leon knew the truth, though.

This was how he was.

He loved misbehaving for one dom, then playing innocent when the other looked over. He loved making them guess, and loved pushing his luck.

Leon loved it, too.

“So, you’ve been behaving well?” Gwaine pressed, voice low, “you’ve been patient and quiet while you waited your turn?”

“Yes, sir,” Merlin lied again, breathless already.

Gwaine hummed. He dropped his hand from Merlin’s face and stood up straight, instead choosing to re-examine the collar in his other hand. Then, he looked back at Merlin. “And if I asked Leon here, would he agree with you?”

Merlin didn’t reply.

Silence filled the room as Merlin and Gwaine stared at each other. There was a fight in Merlin’s eyes and it didn’t look like it was burning out soon. Gwaine reached back down and ran his fingers through Merlin’s hair. He rested his hand at the nap of his neck, curling his fingers in the little hairs there.

Merlin leaned back into the touch, a pleased look on his face at the affection. He was relaxed, calm. Unsuspecting.

That was when Gwaine pulled. Merlin’s eyes flew open with a sharp gasp as his head was tugged back. Gwaine towered over him, the picture of power, and narrowed his eyes.

“I believe I asked you a question,” he said, a tone to his voice that sent shivers through Leon as he watched the scene with wide eyes. Merlin always had liked it rougher… The scene stood still for a few moments, before Gwaine slowly untangled his fingers from Merlin’s hair and instead cupped his cheek, moving to kneel in front of him.

“I’m going to ask you one more time, and I want you to tell me the truth, now,” he murmured, using that soft but stern voice that always managed to break Merlin down. He was so good at this…so good with Merlin. Leon adored watching them. “Were you a good boy while I was at work?”

For a moment, Leon thought Merlin would lie again. He leaned into Gwaine’s touch, though, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, like he was debating what to do.

“No, sir,” Merlin whispered, finally. 

Gwaine clicked his tongue and shook his head. He dropped his hand from Merlin’s face with a sigh. “Do you want your collar?”

Merlin’s eyes lit up. “Yes, sir. Please. Please, I want it.”

“Will you behave?”

“I promise.”

Leon caught Gwaine’s eye and smiled, nodding. Gwaine nodded back with a wink and knelt back down in front of Merlin. Arthur and Leon both watched with wide eyes and eager anticipation as Gwaine carefully wrapped the leather around Merlin’s throat and clasped it on. The whimper that left Merlin’s lips was delightful.

Leon took a slow, deep breath to keep his composure, before dropping his hand from Arthur’s head and moving to kneel beside Merlin.

“I’m sorry I misbehaved,” Merlin said without prompting, turning to look at him with wide eyes. It was sweet. It wasn’t every day he got an apology out of his brat. Leon leaned in and cupped his cheek, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.

“You were excited,” he murmured, “but it’s okay. You’ll do better, I know you will.”

“I will,” Merlin swore.

Leon didn’t mention the lying. He would talk to Gwaine about it later—it was a special day. They could be lenient this time. He was just excited, and really Leon couldn’t blame him.

They’d been talking about this for months now, and it was finally here.

“Go on, I know you want to look at it,” Leon finally said as he and Gwaine stood up and stepped away. “You too, Arthur. Both of you. Go look and tell us what you think.”

Merlin and Arthur were on their feet in an instant. Leon bit back a smile as he watched them hurry to the mirror across the room and peer into it. He snaked an arm around Gwaine’s waist.

“They’re ours,” he sighed, leaning his head on Gwaine’s shoulder.

“They’ve always been,” Gwaine hummed in response, chuckling as Arthur trailed his fingers over Merlin’s collar almost reverently. “Now it’s just…official.”

“You know, apparently,” Leon started, clearing his throat, “for some…collaring is a form of engagement…”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gwaine look at him. His heart pounded behind his ribs hard and fast. “Leon, are you…?”

“No—no, we…not yet,” he conceded, “but maybe…”

“Later,” Gwaine finished for him, voice quiet, “we’ll talk later. When they’re…back.”

Leon hummed softly in agreement.

He placed a soft kiss to the side of Gwaine’s neck before slipping away from him and walking over to his lovers. He placed a hand at the back of each of their necks, feeling the collar beneath his palms and smiled at their reflections.

“Look at you…” he murmured, drawing their attention to him. “Do you like them?”

Merlin and Arthur nodded in unison, twin grins on their faces. Leon sighed in relief. It was perfect.

They were perfect…

Much later, that evening, hours after they’d been collared, Merlin and Arthur laid in bed—finally coming out of that floaty place Leon’s soft commands and Gwaine’s rough hands sent them into. Gwaine was laid next to Arthur, and Leon by Merlin. A tray of food covered their laps, full of sweet fruits and sandwiches and water and juice.

Leon wasn’t the best of cooks, but he loved feeding them after scenes. And after the ceremony they’d had today—which was so much more than just a scene, it was the start of a new chapter—he wanted nothing more than to just curl up with his partners and eat small foods.

“And it was okay?” Gwaine asked from the other side of the bed, looking over Arthur to Merlin. “I didn’t pull too hard?”

“Honestly, Gwaine, I deserved it,” Merlin snorted, “No…no, it was fine. You were fine. I just can’t believe…”

Leon watched with a smile as Merlin lifted a hand to feel the leather around his neck. He still had that same look of awe on his face as before. “It looks good on you. Both of you.”

“I told you the silver complimented my complexion,” Merlin huffed.

“For the love of God, Merlin, stop visiting my sister,” Arthur groaned at the reminder, flopping back against the pillows.

Leon leaned over and picked up a deep red strawberry before passing it to Gwaine and picking up another one. Merlin perked up at the action and opened his mouth before Leon had even finished picking up the second piece of fruit. Arthur, on the other hand, didn’t even notice until Gwaine was pressing the strawberry to his lips and instructing him to bite.

It was nice—it was calm.

Merlin flopped down on the pillows next to Arthur after swallowing the strawberry and curled against his side. Leon smiled as he watched. They were joined at the hip—always had been, always would be. Leon couldn’t believe he was lucky enough to have them both. Arthur murmured something he couldn’t hear to Gwaine before ducking down to place a gentle kiss on Merlin’s lips.

It was perfect.

Leon couldn’t imagine any way he could be happier…