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Title: Away on Business (2/2)
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
elirwen
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Genre: mpreg, hurt/comfort, modern!AU
Word Count: ~1800 (both chapters)
Rating: PG
Warnings: mpreg
Summary: Arthur left for an urgent business trip, leaving seven months pregnant Merlin in Gwaine's care. Three days later, Merlin gets a call that sends him into a panic attack.
Read @ ao3
Chapter 2: Arthur's POV
Arthur’s bored out of his mind. He hoped to be on a plane home already, but his flight has been delayed so he’s been sitting in this terribly uncomfortable airport chair for more than two hours already.
He’d surf the net or play games on his phone if he could, but he forgot to pack his charger when he was leaving in a rush three days ago. It was a small miracle that the battery lasted so long before it succumbed to complete depletion some four hours ago.
He was lucky to sort things out at the branch office so fast. He might even get home before midnight if the delay will be only the three hours as he was told at the information desk. Closing his eyes, he imagines Merlin’s surprised face when he’d show up early, presenting Merlin with a bouquet of flowers. He’d pull Merlin in for a thorough kiss, swept him of his feet and carried him into their bedroom where he’d turn him into a boneless bumbling mess.
He still has a thoroughly sappy smile on his face when his plane is finally announced as ready for boarding.
~x~
Stumbling into his flat at around ten in the evening, he’s surprised to find it mostly dark with Gwaine walking out of the guest room dressed only in his sleep pants.
“Oh, hi, I thought you’d be watching a movie or something,” Arthur says with a smile.
Gwaine’s expression is indecipherable and Arthur’s about to ask if everything’s alright when Gwaine speaks.
“Is this some kind of a sick joke? He was terrified, Arthur. How could you?”
“What?” Arthur asks.
It doesn’t make sense. Merlin knew Arthur would be coming back tomorrow. There was no reason for him to be worried.
“You could have at least called. He believed you dead,” Gwaine shouts.
“What?” Arthur repeats. “Why? Is he okay?”
“You don’t know? The damn hotel you were staying in is now a pile of debris,” Gwaine says, his tone still biting, but he’s no longer yelling.
Arthur feels a bit lightheaded when he realizes how lucky he was.
“I had no idea,” he says.
The door to their bedroom opens, revealing sleepy looking Merlin. He takes a breath to say something, but his eyes land on Arthur at the same time, and he freezes. Arthur doesn’t waste any more time. He takes the few steps that are separating him from Merlin and envelopes him in his arms.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I’d never put you through something like this,” he mumbles into Merlin’s ear.
Merlin’s shaking hands are moving over his body, making sure Arthur is whole and uninjured.
“Am I dreaming?” Merlin asks when his hands finally settle, one on Arthur’s neck, the other tangled in his shirt.
“I’m here. It’s real,” Arthur says.
“I thought I’d lost you,” Merlin whispers.
Arthur presses a kiss to Merlin’s cheek, to Merlin’s lips. They stay like that for a while, Merlin leaning into Arthur, tears coming and going in waves as Merlin deals with the past fear and recent relief, and Arthur kissing each patch of skin he can reach.
“I wanted to surprise you,” Arthur says. “I had it all planned. I brought you flowers.”
He doesn’t pull away entirely, just enough to bring the flowers into the line of Merlin’s vision. Two of the tulips are hanging down, broken from being gripped so tight and pressed to Merlin’s back, but the rest remains unscathed.
“They’re beautiful,” Merlin says, slight wobble still in his voice.
He yawns and rests his head on Arthur’s shoulder. Arthur startles a bit when Gwaine touches his hand, taking the flowers from him. He forgot Gwaine was still there.
“You should go to bed,” Gwaine says.
Arthur lets go of the flowers and offers Gwaine a tired smile.
“Thank you for being here for him.”
“No problem,” Gwaine says. “I’ll be in the guest room if you need anything.”
“Thanks,” Arthur says again and turns back to Merlin.
~x~
Merlin doesn’t let him change into his pyjamas, unwilling to let go of him even for a second. He helps Arthur unbutton his shirt and pull off his trousers, but once Arthur’s stripped to his boxer briefs only, he pulls him down on the bed, throwing a blanket over them both, and presses himself to Arthur’s front with Arthur’s hand firmly clasped in his, resting them both over the bump of his seventh month belly.
“I’m not letting you go on any other business trip, no matter how important it is,” Merlin says when Arthur wriggles his hand free and starts caressing Merlin’s belly. “Not until I can go with you to make sure you’re safe.”
“That would be quite some time. You can’t travel with an infant.”
“You’d better get used to video conferences then,” Merlin says.
“Not everything can be done over a skype call.”
“Arthur Pendragon, I will chain you to this very bed if I have to.”
“Mmmm, kinky…” Arthur says, nuzzling Merlin’s hair.
“Arthur, I’m serious. I thought I’d never see you again.”
“Sorry,” Arthur says, finding Merlin’s hand again and twining their fingers together. “I won’t go on any other business trip until your magic recovers from the pregnancy and our baby is old enough to travel with us.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Merlin turns around and pulls a pillow from somewhere behind him, stuffing it under his belly, and half drapes himself over Arthur. He wriggles around for a little longer, settling in the most comfortable position.
“I’m not a pillow, you know?” Arthur says, smiling.
“Who told you that? They totally lied. Your main purpose in life is to be my pillow,” Merlin mumbles.
“Of course it is,” Arthur says, kissing Merlin on the tip of his nose. “My last pillowlord.”
Author:
elirwenPairing: Merlin/Arthur
Genre: mpreg, hurt/comfort, modern!AU
Word Count: ~1800 (both chapters)
Rating: PG
Warnings: mpreg
Summary: Arthur left for an urgent business trip, leaving seven months pregnant Merlin in Gwaine's care. Three days later, Merlin gets a call that sends him into a panic attack.
Read @ ao3
Chapter 2: Arthur's POV
Arthur’s bored out of his mind. He hoped to be on a plane home already, but his flight has been delayed so he’s been sitting in this terribly uncomfortable airport chair for more than two hours already.
He’d surf the net or play games on his phone if he could, but he forgot to pack his charger when he was leaving in a rush three days ago. It was a small miracle that the battery lasted so long before it succumbed to complete depletion some four hours ago.
He was lucky to sort things out at the branch office so fast. He might even get home before midnight if the delay will be only the three hours as he was told at the information desk. Closing his eyes, he imagines Merlin’s surprised face when he’d show up early, presenting Merlin with a bouquet of flowers. He’d pull Merlin in for a thorough kiss, swept him of his feet and carried him into their bedroom where he’d turn him into a boneless bumbling mess.
He still has a thoroughly sappy smile on his face when his plane is finally announced as ready for boarding.
~x~
Stumbling into his flat at around ten in the evening, he’s surprised to find it mostly dark with Gwaine walking out of the guest room dressed only in his sleep pants.
“Oh, hi, I thought you’d be watching a movie or something,” Arthur says with a smile.
Gwaine’s expression is indecipherable and Arthur’s about to ask if everything’s alright when Gwaine speaks.
“Is this some kind of a sick joke? He was terrified, Arthur. How could you?”
“What?” Arthur asks.
It doesn’t make sense. Merlin knew Arthur would be coming back tomorrow. There was no reason for him to be worried.
“You could have at least called. He believed you dead,” Gwaine shouts.
“What?” Arthur repeats. “Why? Is he okay?”
“You don’t know? The damn hotel you were staying in is now a pile of debris,” Gwaine says, his tone still biting, but he’s no longer yelling.
Arthur feels a bit lightheaded when he realizes how lucky he was.
“I had no idea,” he says.
The door to their bedroom opens, revealing sleepy looking Merlin. He takes a breath to say something, but his eyes land on Arthur at the same time, and he freezes. Arthur doesn’t waste any more time. He takes the few steps that are separating him from Merlin and envelopes him in his arms.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I’d never put you through something like this,” he mumbles into Merlin’s ear.
Merlin’s shaking hands are moving over his body, making sure Arthur is whole and uninjured.
“Am I dreaming?” Merlin asks when his hands finally settle, one on Arthur’s neck, the other tangled in his shirt.
“I’m here. It’s real,” Arthur says.
“I thought I’d lost you,” Merlin whispers.
Arthur presses a kiss to Merlin’s cheek, to Merlin’s lips. They stay like that for a while, Merlin leaning into Arthur, tears coming and going in waves as Merlin deals with the past fear and recent relief, and Arthur kissing each patch of skin he can reach.
“I wanted to surprise you,” Arthur says. “I had it all planned. I brought you flowers.”
He doesn’t pull away entirely, just enough to bring the flowers into the line of Merlin’s vision. Two of the tulips are hanging down, broken from being gripped so tight and pressed to Merlin’s back, but the rest remains unscathed.
“They’re beautiful,” Merlin says, slight wobble still in his voice.
He yawns and rests his head on Arthur’s shoulder. Arthur startles a bit when Gwaine touches his hand, taking the flowers from him. He forgot Gwaine was still there.
“You should go to bed,” Gwaine says.
Arthur lets go of the flowers and offers Gwaine a tired smile.
“Thank you for being here for him.”
“No problem,” Gwaine says. “I’ll be in the guest room if you need anything.”
“Thanks,” Arthur says again and turns back to Merlin.
~x~
Merlin doesn’t let him change into his pyjamas, unwilling to let go of him even for a second. He helps Arthur unbutton his shirt and pull off his trousers, but once Arthur’s stripped to his boxer briefs only, he pulls him down on the bed, throwing a blanket over them both, and presses himself to Arthur’s front with Arthur’s hand firmly clasped in his, resting them both over the bump of his seventh month belly.
“I’m not letting you go on any other business trip, no matter how important it is,” Merlin says when Arthur wriggles his hand free and starts caressing Merlin’s belly. “Not until I can go with you to make sure you’re safe.”
“That would be quite some time. You can’t travel with an infant.”
“You’d better get used to video conferences then,” Merlin says.
“Not everything can be done over a skype call.”
“Arthur Pendragon, I will chain you to this very bed if I have to.”
“Mmmm, kinky…” Arthur says, nuzzling Merlin’s hair.
“Arthur, I’m serious. I thought I’d never see you again.”
“Sorry,” Arthur says, finding Merlin’s hand again and twining their fingers together. “I won’t go on any other business trip until your magic recovers from the pregnancy and our baby is old enough to travel with us.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Merlin turns around and pulls a pillow from somewhere behind him, stuffing it under his belly, and half drapes himself over Arthur. He wriggles around for a little longer, settling in the most comfortable position.
“I’m not a pillow, you know?” Arthur says, smiling.
“Who told you that? They totally lied. Your main purpose in life is to be my pillow,” Merlin mumbles.
“Of course it is,” Arthur says, kissing Merlin on the tip of his nose. “My last pillowlord.”
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