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It's been three months since Merlin had last dared say no to Arthur. His master had never permitted it to him when it was about certain duties, and while Merlin had suspected it was something not let without penalty, he'd never thought it would be of that nature.
Thinking about it, it had suddenly become clearly obvious: the penalty for denial was denial, and Merlin knew that no matter how hard it was for Arthur as well, he had to maintain his position in their relationship. Sentence had been said: six months deprived of the climax.
His whole body had been aching under Arthur's gentle yet cruel strokes, knowing that absolution was three more months to go.