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Arthur awoke to sunlight and the smell of meat. He stayed in bed anyways. He liked to see how far Merlin would go to get him up in the morning.
A few moments passed without Merlin’s too cheerful morning greeting and Arthur peeked to see if Merlin was tricking him.
Instead of Merlin he found a chambermaid silently picking up his clothes. Arthur sat up immediately.
“Where’s Merlin?” Arthur demanded, causing the girl to start.
“I—I’m sorry, sire?”
“Where. Is. Merlin?” Arthur practically growled.
“He asked me to attend to you for the next few days, said he wouldn’t be able to,” the girl quickly explained.
“Why?”
“He wouldn’t say, sire.”
And that’s how Arthur ended up storming through the castle, barefoot and shirtless, to the physician’s quarters. He slammed the door open without bothering to knock, and found that Gaius was out. He stomped inside but once the door slammed closed behind him, he froze.
Arthur sniffed the air, and then sniffed it again. He inhaled deeply another time before his mind finally accepted that the air smelled like an omega in heat. Arthur wanted to assume that someone had been in to see Gaius during their heat, or something.
He knew that wasn’t right though. Because the air smelled a bit like Merlin. But that didn’t make sense either. Arthur strode across the room and pulled open Merlin’s door to investigate.
Arthur had been trained to fight since birth, had been taught strategy, to stop and think before acting. It was ingrained in him until he didn’t have to actively think about focusing and he just did it. It had been years since Arthur had just done something blindly and without thought, since he had charged into a battle headfirst without a plan.
Arthur should have stopped, should have come to the conclusion that Merlin was one of the few male omegas and should have left him to his heat.
Arthur didn’t do any of that. He just stood there and watched as Merlin lay in the narrow thing he called a bed, flushed and sweating from head to toe. Arthur watched as Merlin pushed a glass cock in and out of his dripping hole, one of the ones that unmated omegas used to get themselves through their heats. Merlin’s moans tried to fill the small room, but it was no competition for the heavy scent of Merlin’s body begging for an alpha’s knot.
Before Arthur’s brain started functioning again and made him realize that he should be leaving, his body started reacting to the assault on the senses that was Merlin. Merlin’s nostrils flared when he scented an alpha’s arousal, and immediately his hand stilled and his eyes flew to stare at Arthur. Merlin’s eyes shone a bright gold, but instead of interpreting that as ‘sorcerer’ or ‘threat’, Arthur found himself wanting even more.
Merlin’s heavy lidded eyes didn’t leave Arthur’s as he slowly started working the glass cock in and out of his hole once more. Arthur found himself hypnotized by the sight and smell of Merlin in heat, yet he remained at the door, frozen.
At least, until Merlin moaned his name. Then Arthur found himself stepping forward and taking the glass cock in his own hand.
“Is this okay?” Arthur’s voice was gentle, and it was mostly his awe that kept him from snapping, though if he would flee or act on his desires, he wasn’t sure.
“Arthur,” Merlin gasped once more. “I need.” Merlin was trying to communicate something with his eyes, and if Arthur had even the slightest bit of higher brain functions actually functioning, he probably could have figured out what it was.
“What do you need?” Arthur’s voice was rough as rocks.
Merlin threw his head back, his body arched up as he grinded down on the glass cock in Arthur’s hand, the hand that once held it grabbed at Arthur, and suddenly Merlin met Arthur’s eyes and managed one word.
“You.”
Arthur was stunned. Yes, he wanted, but Merlin was in heat and didn’t know what he really wanted. Arthur couldn’t take advantage of him like that, no matter how badly he wished to comply to his wishes.
“Merlin, you don’t mean that. You’re in heat and I’m an alpha.” Arthur struggled with his words. Hell, Arthur struggled to breathe. All he wanted was Merlin. But he couldn’t just mount Merlin. If he were honest with himself, it was because he wanted to be more than just a cock to Merlin, more than just an alpha. He wanted Merlin to want Arthur.
Arthur probably should have been surprised at the realization, but even if he could have spared the energy (which he really couldn’t, he was focused on Merlin), he wouldn’t have been. He knew it was true. In fact, he’d known it for a long time. He just didn’t let himself think about it.
Merlin let out a very frustrated noise and gave Arthur a look that said they’d have words about this, which confused Arthur. before he was completely distracted by Merlin slamming himself down on the cock and stroking his own in time. Arthur wanted to touch, wanted to jerk Merlin off, but he knew that if he actually touched Merlin’s skin he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back.
Merlin’s other hand twisted in the sheet, Merlin’s moans grew louder as he came closer to his climax. Arthur changed the angle of the glass cock inside him and Merlin threw his head back and collapsed as he came all over his already sticky skin. Merlin immediately collapsed in full body tremors and he called for Arthur once more. Arthur dropped the dripping toy on the floor but stayed still, uncertain of what Merlin was asking for. Then Merlin used what little energy he had to order Arthur to hold him.
Arthur immediately complied, though the only way for both of them to fit in the small bed was for Arthur to lift Merlin up and pull him onto the larger man’s chest. Arthur held Merlin through his tremors, muttering nonsense in an attempt to comfort the drowsy omega. A few moments passed before Merlin came down from his high. Arthur knew that without a mate, Merlin would only have a few moments of coherency.
“Thanks,” Merlin managed.
“Anytime—I mean, it’s not a problem.”
Merlin just snorted his disbelief.
“What?”
“Arthur, you didn’t even touch me.”
“I--,”
“No, I get it. I’m your manservant; you don’t need to be here.” Merlin was pulling away from Arthur. “Just, thanks, I guess.” Merlin wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“I didn’t touch you because I wouldn’t be able to stop myself.”
“I wasn’t planning on asking you to stop yourself.”
“Merlin, I can’t just take advantage of you like that!”
“You weren’t taking advantage!”
“Your whole body was telling you that you needed a knot, you weren’t in control.”
“I wasn’t—my—Arthur!” Merlin let out a frustrated noise. “My body wasn’t screaming for any knot,” he finally met Arthur’s eyes.
“My body was screaming for you.”
“Merlin,” Arthur exhaled, eyes wide.
“I want you, Arthur. Not an alpha, not the prince, I want you.”
Arthur just stares, speechless, as Merlin shifts and straddles him, his arousal making itself known already. Damn heats don’t allow for refractory periods. Arthur’s own desire was standing at attention, had been since he smelled the omega. Merlin smirked and whispered a word that made his eyes spark and Arthur’s clothes disappear. Arthur gasped at feel of Merlin’s skin on his. Merlin’s hole was growing wetter, and before he was completely wrapped up in his heat once more, he bent down and whispered in Arthur’s ear.
“Take me.”
Arthur’s will snapped and he lifted Merlin once more, only this time to lay him on the bed, face first. Arthur slide two fingers easily into Merlin’s ready hole, and used the wetness to slick his own hard cock. Then, Arthur lined himself up, and in one smooth movement slid completely inside of Merlin.
Arthur cried Merlin’s name as his dick was overwhelmed with wet and tight. There was nothing he could do but push himself into Merlin over and over, finding the angle that made him scream the loudest. Arthur’s fingers held Merlin’s narrows hips in a bruising grip as he pounded into him. Arthur leaned forward until his chest was flat against Merlin’s back and sucked bruises into the side of his neck.
A string of words fell from Merlin’s mouth as he fucked himself back onto Arthur’s already brutal cock: curses, praises, demands, reprimands, etc. He was telling Arthur something about what an arse he was, or maybe it was what he’d do if he even thought about stopping when Arthur’s knot made itself known. His not kgrew and Merlin’s words were reduced to nonsensical screams. Or was that Arthur?
Arthur couldn’t stop thinking of how perfect Merlin felt wrapped around him, how he never wanted to stop pounding into Merlin, how fucking gorgeous Merlin was as he sweat and screamed beneath Arthur. Wait, was he thinking that or saying that? Did it even matter?
Arthur never wanted this to end, but too soon Arthur felt his balls tightening. He reached around to Merlin’s dick, and as the reached their release and that too much, too good feeling washed over them and reduced them to shaky puddles of sweat and come, Arthur felt something else, too. He wasn’t sure how to describe it, but he immediately recognized it for what it was. Merlin was his mate, and they’d just bonded.
Merlin turned, sweaty and sticky in Arthur’s arms, and a laugh bubbled from his lips. Arthur found himself smiling wider than he had in years, and pulled Merlin even closer to share lazy kisses with his mate.