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Arthur opens his eyes, squinting sleepily at his phone as vibration slowly shifts it across the bedside table. Grabbing it with a huff, he checks the time and caller ID. Nearly one in the morning and Merlin.
“Yeah,” he says instead of greeting upon answering the call. He realizes he must sound very grumpy, and who wouldn’t be after being woken up at such an hour of the night.
“Arthur,” Merlin’s voice comes across the line, somewhat shaky.
That’s all Arthur needs to properly wake up.
“Where are you? Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?”
Merlin’s heavy exhale does nothing to calm him down and Arthur climbs out of the bed, crossing the room towards his wardrobe and grabbing jeans, T-shirt and a hoodie in haste.
“I’ll come get you, okay? Just tell me where you are.”
“No!” Merlin replies, unusually loud. “No, I’m fine. I just… can we talk for a minute. Please.” His voice is quiet again, but still trembling noticeably.
“Okay, what do you want to talk about?” Arthur sits down on the bed and starts pulling on his jeans, hoping he’ll get Merlin to tell him where he is, and if not, he’ll just try his home.
“Anything. Just… god, this is…” Another heavy exhale.
“Are you at home? I’ll come over, okay?”
“No, no, please. You can’t. Please.” Arthur can tell he’s crying. “It wasn’t supposed to be this bad. They never told us it would feel like this.”
“What are you talking about?”
There’s only rustling of sheets and a few strangled sobs.
“I’m coming over now!”
“I’m going into heat. My first one.”
Arthur loses his grip on the belt he was just trying to fasten around his waist.
“I was told it would be mild and over quickly, but it’s not and it hurts and I thought… your voice might help a bit. To ground me.”
“Does it?” Arthur asks, heart beating fast. This must be some weird dream.
“I don’t know,” Merlin croaks and lets out another shuddery breath.
He’s trying to stop imagining his best friend writhing on the bed, flushed from arousal, but he’s failing. This is so wrong. He needs to help Merlin through this. And now he’s thinking about taking Merlin’s virginity. Great.
“I’m sorry. This was a mistake,” Merlin says, his voice small and breaking at the last word. “I’m going to hang up now.”
“No, no, wait,” Arthur stops him. “How about I try to read you something?” He stands up and heads towards his bookshelf, looking for something completely asexual.
“Please,” Merlin breathes out.
“I have Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy.”
“Yeah, okay.”
~x~
He’s been reading for a little over five minutes, fighting to keep his voice as even and calm as possible, when there came a small distressed sound from Merlin.
“Merlin?” he asks, putting the book aside.
“I can’t… I need… I’m sorry…”
There’s a loud shuffling as the phone is moved.
“What’s happening? Merlin? Merlin!” Arthur shouts.
And then he hears it. The choked off moan and a series of heavy exhales that can mean only one thing.
“Shit,” he mutters, pressing the heel of his palm against his now fully hard cock. He needs to remember everything he ever heard about heats. There must be something that he’s missing, something that can help.
“This isn’t working,” Merlin says after a while.
Why is Merlin in full blown heat?
“I shouldn’t have called.”
They’re only meant for mated pairs.
“You shouldn’t have to hear all this.”
They’re meant for people in love. Oh god, how could he be so dumb? It’s so obvious. Merlin has feelings for someone, feelings that he might be trying to suppress. But he can’t fool his own body.
“Are you in love?” Arthur blurts.
“Arthur…”
“That’s why it’s so intense. And they don’t know, do they?”
“Don’t…”
“Is it someone from school?”
“Please, Arthur, don’t make me say it.” It’s just a broken whisper, full of pain and longing, but then it clicks and Arthur can call himself an idiot once again, because really? Merlin called him, hoped his voice would help him through his heat, he came after listening to him reading, and whenever he says his name it sound like...
“It’s me, isn’t it?” he says, warmth blooming in his chest only to be replaced by an intense need to care for Merlin as he hears quiet sobs Merlin is no doubt trying to conceal from him.
“And all this time...” No, not right now. “I’ll be right there, okay? Just hold on.”
“Don’t pity me.”
“I love you, idiot. I have for years.”
~x~
Half an hour later, he’s buzzed through the front door of Merlin’s apartment building and runs up the one flight of stairs right in time to catch Merlin, wrapped in a soft blanket, into his arms as he sways dangerously in the doorway to the flat he shares with his mother.
The violent tremors running through Merlin’s body slowly subside as he clings to Arthur, not protesting when he lifts him up and carries him inside, locking the door behind them.
“Is your mom home?” Arthur asks, whispering.
“I asked her to leave when I felt the first signs of heat. She went to visit Gaius.”
“Does it hurt now?”
Merlin shakes his head and burrows his nose into Arthur’s shoulder.
“When was the last time you ate?”
“Not hungry.”
He deposits him on the bed with his back leaning against the headboard. Sitting down next to him, he takes in his flushed cheeks, the dried tear-tracks running down his face. It could have been avoided if they were honest about their feelings sooner. He leans in and places a kiss on Merlin’s lips, deepening it as Merlin sinks his hands into Arthur’s hair. He can’t ignore the dryness of Merlin’s lips though.
“I’m going to get you some water first, okay?” he says which only makes Merlin grip his forearm and refuse to let go. “I’ll be just a minute, I swear.” He caresses his cheek and Merlin leans into the touch, his eyes closing and fingers releasing his arm.
When he comes back with a glass of orange juice, Merlin is curled on his side, pressing a hand to his stomach.
“I wish I could do this properly, but there’s no time for that,” Arthur says, shrugging off his clothes while Merlin watches, the scent of heat intensifying. “I’ll take care of you,” he promises as he joins Merlin on the bed, pulls him back up into seated position in between his spread legs and retrieves the glass from the bedside table.
Merlin pushes it away trying to turn around in Arthur’s embrace, but Arthur holds him close, whispering into his ear, “just a few sips. Do it for me.”
Once he starts drinking, his body realizes what it needs, and he downs most of the juice in one go, protesting a bit when Arthur puts the rest aside, but only until Arthur kisses him behind his ear and continues down his neck.
“We don’t have to go all the way. Just my presence should help.”
“I want it all,” Merlin says and turns around, letting the blanket slide off his body and joining their lips once more. The kiss is tinged with desperation as Merlin presses closer, as if trying to meld his body with Arthur’s, his hips jerking as he seeks some friction. Arthur wraps his hand around his cock and teases him with slow strokes. Only it’s more than teasing for Merlin who shudders through his orgasm not a minute later, slumping against Arthur, breathing heavily. His cock stays hard though, as is usual during heat.
“Fuck me, please,” Merlin says, sending a shiver of excitement down Arthur’s spine.
He grabs a pillow from beside Arthur and shifts to the side, settling down on his front with the pillow under his hips, rocking against it a few times before Arthur stills him. He spreads his legs and kneels between them, parting Merlin’s cheeks further to drag his thumb through the wetness that already gathered there. Merlin’s hole constricts under his touch and he lets out a startled moan, his hips bucking into the pillow.
So sensitive and only Arthur’s to play with.
“I know you already said you wanted all, but I need to be sure. My knot will be much bigger than just my cock and I won’t be able to pull out once I’m locked inside. You need to tell me if you change your mind before it happens, okay?”
“Please, just fuck me,” Merlin pleads.
“What did I just ask you? Tell me.” He pets him from his neck to his buttocks and back.
“I’ll tell you if I want you to stop,” Merlin gasps, raising his arse higher in hopes of speeding the process.
“Good,” Arthur replies, circling Merlin’s opening, and sinks two fingers in without warning.
Merlin cries out, clenching around the intrusion and then relaxing with a sigh. Arthur moves in and out for a while, slipping third finger in alongside them. Merlin doesn’t seem to notice the difference, heat finally fully claiming him.
When Arthur takes Merlin’s virginity, covering his back with his whole body and waiting for his channel to relax, he whispers “I love you,” and “my sweet mate” into Merlin’s ear for the first time. He doesn’t claim him, no matter how much he wants. He needs to hear Merlin’s consent when he’s not trapped in a hormonal rush of heat.
He’s gentle as he moves, relishing each gasp and moan leaving Merlin’s lips. He can feel his orgasm building, murmuring, “I’m close,” into Merlin’s ear.
“Yeah, go on,” Merlin gasps out and lets Arthur pull him up, grinding down as Arthur pumps up into him, stilling a moment later as his come fills Merlin’s insides. His knot grows while he’s still coming, Merlin gripping his hand hard, breathing shallow.
“You need to relax,” he says when the haze of pleasure subsides a bit, stroking Merlin’s cock in time with tiny shifts of his knot inside him.
“Oh god,” Merlin moans, rocking hard against him, his stomach going tight right before he comes, his channel squeezing Arthur’s knot and forcing another orgasm out of him.
“Fuck,” Arthur swears, collapsing forward, burying Merlin under his weight. Thankfully, Merlin doesn’t complain about it and in fact seems to be quite content, falling asleep right after Arthur settles them on their sides and pulls a blanket over them both.
Closing his eyes, he allows himself to drift off too, glad that he forgot to switch his phone to silent mere few hours ago.