Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/1591526.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Merlin_(TV)
  Relationship:
      Merlin/Arthur_Pendragon_(Merlin)
  Character:
      Merlin_(Merlin), Arthur_Pendragon_(Merlin), Uther_Pendragon_(Merlin),
      Hunith_(Merlin), Gaius_(Merlin)
  Additional Tags:
      Alpha/Beta/Omega_Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Knotting, Oral_Knotting, Snark,
      Canon_Divergence
  Series:
      Part 1 of Patient_Wolf
  Stats:
      Published: 2014-05-10 Words: 3275
****** A Gentlemen is but a Patient Wolf ******
by Jeanshard
Summary
     Written for the KMM Prompt:
     Hunith, a Beta, has always assumed that her snarky and independent
     son would develop into an Alpha like his absent (dead?) father.
     Instead while on a trip to a royal estate Merlin goes into heat and
     finds himself knotted by a handsome royal named Arthur. Everyone is
     appalled except for the two young men who are quite enjoying
     themselves.
Notes
     Aaaah I've loved this prompt for ages :) feel like a twit though, I
     didn't realize it was meant to be a modern au :/
     Also PS, sorry if it's scrappy I didn't have time to properly reread
     it...
     Hope you enjoy!
See the end of the work for more notes
Not for the first time, Merlin was lost to the world. Or as good as, really,
because Hunith had been searching for hours and couldn’t find him anywhere.
“Merlin!” She screamed, panicked and exasperated. Merlin was always doing this,
trailing off and coming back hours later. Usually it didn’t matter, she had
nothing for him to do. But today she would need his assistance at the Prince’s
ball, she had no hope of carrying all the food in by herself and there was no
way she could ask Gaius to help her. That was if she even *got* to Camelot, the
mule she had to pull the cart was as stubborn as her son, and only he could
make the old mare walk. “Merlin!”
“What?” She spun round to hear the grunt, and turned towards her son loping to
her- covered in mud and dust. She didn’t need to know.
“Where have you been?” She yelped, fluttering about and loading the cart again.
She didn’t bother wait for an answer, he didn’t want to give it and she didn’t
want to get it. “We’re going to be late to the Prince’s ball!”
Merlin froze, his mouth dropped open and his eyes bulged. For a second, she
hoped he’d realized the enormity of the Prince’s situation. The young alpha
royal was beginning his search for a bride, before the five year long courtship
of his omega. She hoped that soon Merlin would be ready to do the same, when
his alpha side developed more. Then, in the most deadpan voice she’d ever
heard, Merlin said:
“Do you think they’ll have to start without us?” Hunith didn’t say anything,
she hoped her glare would be enough. Judging by the eye roll of Merlin, she
doubted it was.
“Help me pack the cart!” She shrieked, launching a turnip at his head to get
him to focus.
“That’s a waste of the King’s turnip!” Merlin yelped, voice straining a few
octaves and sounding like a squire. Hunith tried not to laugh, it would only
encourage him. “That is treason to the King and could be punished with-”
A carrot to the eye put a stop to Merlin’s sentence. And possibly his vision,
but Hunith could care about that after the feast.
***
They hadn’t even been in Camelot five minutes before Merlin charged himself
into trouble. In fact, they’d barely even gotten through the *gate* before he’d
almost gotten himself sentenced to death or worse at the hands of the Prince.
Hunith was going to lose her *mind* at that boy.
He was so like his father, really, passionate and clever and so quick to boil
over, so eager to run to danger and act the hero. Hunith figured it must be an
alpha nature, so desperate to run over and protect every little creature.
Even so, there was no excuse for Merlin’s cheek.
When they had first entered the citadel, Merlin had spotted a large group of
alphas tormenting a younger boy. Everyone else turned a blind eye, including
Hunith- armoured men with blades in their bootlegs were not to be trifled with.
Everyone but Merlin, who chased off after them as though his life depended on
it, yipping and yelling at them to leave the poor boy alone.
Hunith hobbled on after him, her legs now worn and old, too old for her to keep
up with her firecracker son.
“- I could never be friends with such an ass.” Hunith’s heart dropped. That was
Merlin’s voice, quite clearly her son who must have some kind of death wish.
She couldn’t get to him, couldn’t pull him back, too many people had gathered
and there was no way of stopping him.
She heard the beginning of a scuffle, and she wanted to scream. She knew that
it was important for alphas to battle it out, reach their place in the
hierarchy, but Merlin was only fifteen and still so young-
“It’s a crime to raise a hand to your Prince, you know.” A voice taunted. Even
as a beta, Hunith had to note how demanding and authoritative the man sounded.
“Punishable by death.”
“I’d consider it more of a national service, really.” Hunith almost wept. The
Gods had only given her one child, but God the child they had given her.
“Rewarded by *letting go of my arm.*”
“Why would I do that?”
“Some semblance of decency?” Her son growled. She could hear a continuing
shuffle. Merlin was going to be sentenced to death under the command of the
Prince of Camelot.
“If I let you go I’d never get you in to a prince cell or the stocks.”
“You’ve got specific tastes, then.” Hunith’s heart dropped. She could not
believe her son had said that.
“Don’t tempt me.” The Crown Prince replied.
“Aren’t Prince’s supposed to be charming?” She could imagine Merlin’s face,
curled into a sneer.
“Aren’t peasants supposed to know their place?” The voice shot back. Then,
there was a collective gasp from the audience, punctured by a few squeals and a
large ‘thump’ as something hit the ground.
“I am *very* aware of my place, My lord.” Merlin smirked. It was not until
later that Hunith would learn the thumping sound had been the Prince, and his
pride, hitting the floor as the result of Merlin.
***
Merlin groaned, rolling around the harsh stones of Gaius’ floor. His back
ached, he’d had to walk alongside the old mule for miles and miles until he’d
reached Camelot, and his reward was cold porridge from his uncle and a cold
spot on the floor. Lovely.
But he hadn’t dared complain, not after the looks his mother had been sending
him all afternoon. Who knew she was such a fan of the monarchy? She hated their
own King Cendred enough.
Merlin sat up, stretching himself left and right, tasting sleep in his mouth
and rubbing dreams from his eyes. The bruises along his wrists twanged, and a
small part of Merlin grew soft at the feeling. He scowled, hating the lack of
understanding over his own reactions. The Prince looming over him had sent
something primal purring along his bones, under his skin and through his body.
Merlin stood up, creeping out of Gaius’ home with tiny, practiced steps. He
would find somewhere else to sleep. In Ealdor, he loved to spend his nights
roaming the country side and clambering through the trees. Now, though, he was
in a filthy city with a large number of people.
He decided to stick to the cold castle walls, hands scouring along the stones.
He began to notice something, a warm feeling inside his stomach, something
playing off his nose- a smell he had known in childhood, something he had
noticed earlier today. It was far stronger now, far easier to sense among
shading smells of night.
He began to feel hot, his skin began to prickle, he felt damp between his legs
but didn’t have time to check. The smell was getting so much stronger, so much
better, and he had to follow it.
He soon found himself inside a large bedroom. He took no time to ingest the
luxurious surroundings, instead deciding to follow the scent as far as
possible. He came to a large bed, swathed in the scent he had been chasing.
The thrumming in his head mellowed, and he buried himself under the blankets
and waited. He wasn’t sure for what.
***
Arthur slunk back into his room, heart thumping from fear in case he had been
spotted. It was rare the Prince would be so restless, and rarer still he would
leave his quarters at night. But he hadn’t been able to rest, hadn’t even been
able to think because of that *smell.* Whatever it was intoxicated him, and he
had spent the best part of his night rooting around all over the city to find
it.
Eventually, he managed to track the scent back to the physician’s chambers. He
had sat baying outside the windows, night lying on his skin as he whined and
begged. But all that happened was his father’s men began to chase him down the
alleyway, and he’d had to skitter off before they caught him. His father would
kill him if he’d been caught randomly howling in the streets of Camelot.
Now he was back in his chambers, and when he opened the door the *scent*
slammed straight back into him, so intense Arthur almost fell to the floor. He
noticed a large puddle of blankets in the middle of his bed, not how he had
left it at all. But his hunter’s instinct and any sense of fear was overtaken
by his desire for the smell.
He growled, and the jumbled collection of blankets squirmed. Arthur leapt
forwards, straddling the mass of duvet and inhaling. The goddam *scent* was
driving him wild, making his head spin, making his cock harden…
“Ouch!” The lump yelped. A raven head poked out from the folds of sheet and a
pale face emerged. Arthur didn’t take time to analyse the features, he buried
his face into the other boys neck and began to sniff. It was heavenly,
decadent, sinful and wonderful, so good Arthur would renounce the throne and
Camelot for just one more sniff. The body purred, a little, before it began to
squirm and shift.
“Hey!” Arthur pulled back, and realized who the figure was. The wild little
peasant boy Arthur had found himself lusting over earlier. He’d spotted the
plush lips and angular frame even through the boy’s impudence, and he’d wanted
him. Not as strongly as now, he hadn’t been able to smell how fucking
incredible the little omega was then. Arthur hadn’t even *known* the boy was an
omega then. “You’re the peasant from the streets!”
“You’re the prat from the streets!”
“I’m, I’m a Prince!” Arthur spluttered. His cock was still hard, but he was
getting irritant and confused too. Why couldn’t the little omega just mewl,
spread his legs and let Arthur bond him-
Oh wait. The choosing ball. The specific reason Arthur hadn’t propositioned the
omega in the streets earlier. His father would murder him if he picked a
peasant omega from the streets and not a beautiful, appropriate princess.
So Arthur could just mount him and let it go.
“Prince prat!” The omega, Arthur remembered he was called Merlin, hissed. Then
the Merlin leapt up and began to tug on Arthur’s breeches. “Completely pompous
git, lording around-”
“What are you doing?” Arthur gulped. From what he’d heard of omega’s they were
meek, submissive, they’d simply lay back and hope the alpha would take them.
Merlin wasn’t acting like that at all.
“Undressing you, clearly.” Merlin was shaking his head. He began to trail his
lips over Arthur’s neck, leaving purple bruises into the flesh. Arthur
shivered, entirely surprised. He’d only ever slept with a few betas, but even
then they had never been like this. Never managed to reduce Arthur to such
want. “God, even stupid, no idea why…”
“Undressing, are you…” Arthur paused. He had no idea why he was finding it so
hard to just, mate Merlin. He had never wanted something quite so much in his
life, never been so desperate to fuck. But Merlin was making Arthur’s tongue
swell and palms sweat. Merlin was something special. “Can, can I rut you?”
The omega looked up then, sea storm eyes peeking out from behind his black
fringe, and smirked.
“Why else would I be lying naked in your bed?”
Arthur swallowed his gulp along with a mouthful of Merlin’s flesh.
***
Hunith had no idea why she had been summoned to the middle of the King’s Court
in the morning.
Then, she had gone to tell Merlin they had to go and realized her son was
missing.
“Gaius!” She screamed. She was already anxious to be dragged in front of the
King, but now she was terrified. She ran through to find her old uncle hunched
by the door, eager to leave. “Gaius, I think Merlin might have killed Arthur.”
“Sorry?” Gaius spluttered. He began to laugh, then work himself into a cough.
“I, uh, highly doubt Merlin was able to kill the Prince. Even though he wanted
to.”
Hunith was about to object, but the door opened to reveal one of Uther’s guards
and she was dragged along to the castle.
She was far too anxious to notice the splendour and beauty of the castle’s
walls, she’d made herself too jittery and nervous. This had to be something to
do with Merlin, trouble was always to do with Merlin. He’d just need to get
mated to a nice omega who could ground him.
But he couldn’t very well get mated if he was sentenced to death by the King.
When Hunith eventually reached the hall, she was surprised to see it mostly
void of people. Even the guards stood outside the looming doors. In the hall
stood only her, Gaius, a red faced king and two smiling boys-
Merlin being one of them.
“My Liege, may I ask why we were called to this meeting?” Gaius asked, and
Uther let out a snarl.
“You were called to this ‘meeting,’ Gaius, because your guest here has… has… he
must have bewitched my son through some spell!”
It was then that Hunith looked over, and noticed how closely Merlin and the
Prince were stood together. Arthur was bending down, whispering into Merlin’s
ear as his hands began to slide along-
This was trouble even for Merlin.
Other than the two boys, the room was shocked and silent. Gaius’ eyebrows shot
so far up his head they were in danger of cutting his hairline. Uther was
shaking in his anger and his mouth was practically foaming. And Hunith was too
confused to feel much else. Because the red rimmed mark on Merlin’s neck was
one an alpha gave an omega, and that would mean Merlin was an omega and he had
to have been bonded. To the Prince of Camelot. Merlin was an omega and secretly
crept off and bonded with Prince Arthur. Her Merlin. Her Merlin was set to be
the omega of Camelot.
“Sorry?” She whispered. The two boys were curling closer towards each other, so
besotted they weren’t reacting to the thunderstorm around them. The
thunderstorm they had created.
“Your… son-” Uther spat the word like it was venomous. “- has obviously managed
to enchant my son.”
“Father.” Arthur looked up from his latch on Merlin’s ear and rolled his eyes.
“If you really believed Merlin was of any kind of magic his head would be on a
spike by now.” Hunith noticed Merlin stamp on Arthur’s foot. “Ouch! But
clearly-”
“Clearly nothing!” Uther shrieked. “I’ve heard enough of this, this soul
bonding nonsense!” The King was shaking. “We’ve arranged this Ball with the
Kingdoms for you to find an omega who is beneficial to the Kingdom-”
“Merlin’s beneficial to the Kingdom!” Arthur argued. Hunith was tempted to
disagree, Merlin wasn’t even good for himself. “You know that a Soul Bond is
something that shouldn’t be messed with by the actions of men-”
“We gathered the most important men and their omega’s here! All our allies and
even some enemies are here, Arthur!” Uther looked as though he was about to
explode. “They’ll all be going home having wasted their time!”
“In all fairness, most of them would have gone home having wasted their time
anyway.” Merlin chirped. Arthur jabbed Merlin with his elbow and Uther let out
a howl.
“That is not the point!” Hunith and Uther shouted in union. Merlin didn’t so
much as flinch. No wonder Hunith hadn’t known he was an omega.
“Arthur, you are going to go through the three day celebration anyway. You’ll
pick an omega, we’ll sign a treaty with their Kingdom-”
“I already have an omega!”
“You’ll pick a suitable one, then!” Uther was all but pleading now. Hunith
didn’t doubt that the King was usually dominating and overpowering, but right
now he looked as though he were about to drop dead. “Just get rid of him, or
just keep that one as a broodmare or-”
Arthur stepped forward, pushed Merlin behind him and let out a vicious roar, so
strong the King himself took a step back.
“No. Merlin is my omega.” Arthur bared his teeth. “Enough. We’re soul bonded
and mated. He’s mine.”
The King opened and closed his mouth, looking like a gasping trout. Hunith was
going to strangle her son. If the King suffocated to death because of Merlin
then Hunith would be mortified.
“But.” The King was jittering. He reminded Hunith of a wet, mewling kitten.
“We’ve been arranging these festivities since we found out you were an alpha.”
He looked at his son pleadingly. “The feast is made of all your favourites.
Tonight’s feast will cost more than a naval fleet.”
“Just think of all the money I’ve saved you.” Merlin said.
And the few members of the room gave him a glare so vicious it could carve
stone.
***
Merlin stretched his back on the covers, mewling for his alpha.
“Oh *now* you’re the perfect little omega.” Arthur laughed, rolling his eyes in
spite of his arousal. Merlin tended to have that effect on him.
“Well I’ve ensnared you with my wily ways now.” Merlin laughed.
“So you’ll be the perfect little darling omega?” The thought surprised Arthur,
he didn’t want it. No matter how much of a nightmare Merlin could be. “Preen
and follow me longingly-”
“Oh your far better at trotting after me then I ever would be following you.”
Arthur snuck a gentle bite on Merlin’s belly. “Ouch!”
“You’re lucky I don’t do more.” Arthur muttered, half joking. Merlin’s cheek
and impudence to the world at large had not gone away at all. Sometimes, Arthur
was afraid that Merlin would walk himself into a danger so deep Arthur wouldn’t
be able to protect him. But Merlin was oddly endearing too, and the people of
Camelot were already beginning to love him. “Properly get some manners into
you.”
Merlin laughed, then began to place kisses along Arthur’s stomach. He tugged
Arthur’s trousers down and began to kiss, lick and suck towards Arthur’s dick.
“Omegas with manners don’t do this.” Merlin whispered, trailing his tongue up
Arthur’s shaft. “Or this.” He flattened his tongue against the head of Arthur’s
cock. Then, he swallowed Arthur to the root and Arthur yelped in surprise.
Arthur’s knot began to swell, and Merlin’s fingers started massaging the knot.
Merlin grinned, and pulled himself of.
“Hey!”
“Arthur, I’m sure a darling omega would never fuck their mouth on your cock.”
Arthur dropped back, groaning. Merlin’s inappropriate mouth was the perfect
ally when they mated. And he was incredible creative, too, something Arthur
loved with every little part of him. “Mmm, no, your little Princess Omega
wouldn’t let you tie their mouth.” Arthur almost sobbed. The idea of Merlin’s
sinful mouth being caught around Arthur’s knot until it broke was almost too
much to bear. “Forced to keep your cock inside my throat, that’s not very
*mannerly* at all.”
Arthur was going to scream.
“It’s, it’s not too late to have you arrested-” Arthur rasped. It was clearly
the wrong tactic, because Merlin just leaned further away. He replaced his
touches to barely their trickles. “No, no Merlin *please* please keep going.”
Arthur was writing, sweat building on his back. Now Merlin had just *given* him
the idea of having the raven haired boy locked on his knot, it was all Arthur
could think about.
“Well.” Merlin was grinning. “Since you asked so nicely.”
End Notes
     Sorry about lack of updates, friends! Nothing is abandoned, I'm just
     so stressed about school and exams right now and I am procrastinating
     everything and uuugh
     Depending on the reaction to this piece, I would love to expand the
     series :) I have lots of ideas and really like the idea and stuff
     Kudos and (especially) comments make my day!
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