“Oh dear Christ. Shitshitshitshitshit,” Arthur muttered as he jumped out of his car to check on the man lying on the street. The bloke had come out of nowhere, and since it was arse o’clock in the morning, Arthur hadn’t quite been expecting pedestrians. He had slammed his foot on the brakes, but it had been too late to stop. He felt like the absolute worst human being as he ran to the man groaning on the ground, checking his vitals with hands that were shaking.

Up close, the man was something - ivory skin and dark hair, sharp features. The blood seeping from a cut on his temple glittered darkly in the moonlight, and a shadow of a bruise was forming on the man’s cheekbone from when he had fallen. Checking him over, Arthur didn’t feel any broken ribs, but the man was definitely going to be sore. It was impossible to tell if there were worse injuries than what Arthur could see. From his place on the ground the man giggled and then muttered,

“Will is a bastard, m’ never going to a pub with him ever ever never ever again.” He rubbed his eyes with the back of a hand which had tiny cuts all over it from falling. “Fuck, I feel like I got hit by a car…”

Arthur’s brow furrowed. “Sir, you were in an accident.”

“That would explain things,” the man said slowly, smacking his lips in contemplation. He squinted up at Arthur. “So you’re an angel then?”

“Uh,” Arthur said, nervously turning the ring on his forefinger. “Not quite. I’m the driver that hit you.”

“Of course this is the only way I could get hit on by a hot bloke,” the man said, curling himself into the fetal position as if he could escape the situation.

The man thought he was hot? Had he ever looked in the mirror? Arthur was sure that plenty of men would fight over this gorgeous creature in front of him. This gorgeous idiot that was apparently trying to sleep on the road from the looks of it.

“Up,” Arthur demanded, tugging carefully on one of the man’s arms. “I’m taking you to hospital.”

The man groggily acquiesced, and after a while Arthur was able to fit the lanky man into his car.

When they arrived at the desk and the attending nurse asked his relationship with the injured man, Merlin Emrys, Merlin immediately said, “boyfriend” and broke into a huge grin. Arthur went along with it so that he could follow Merlin as he was brought to his room, was put through a slew of tests, and finally was released with some pain meds and a cast on two fingers.

Arthur insisted on driving Merlin home. Merlin told Arthur he oughtn’t trust a man driving who had hit him in said vehicle, but he still got into the car with little complaint. As Arthur dropped him off at his flat, he passed Merlin his number, just in case he needed anything. Obviously. Merlin grinned, the light of it reaching his eyes. They were glazed with l– oh, with painkillers. Well then.

~ ~ ~

And that was the story of how Merlin and Arthur met. Merlin called Arthur over to help cook a meal, and ended up sitting at the worktop talking about this or that as Arthur followed Merlin’s directions to make chicken parmesan and spaghetti. Merlin told Arthur he couldn’t possibly cook with his broken fingers, and then after dinner Merlin moaned about how he had back pain from the accident, and would Arthur massage it. Then he insisted that Arthur find other ways to help him relax, and Arthur was more than happy to help. They barely left Merlin’s bed all weekend.

It was surprisingly simple; they worked so well together. After a couple months, they got a flat together and fell into a routine. Arthur would come home from a day at the office and make dinner just in time for Merlin to walk in from a meeting with his doctorate overseer, or from a run along the Thames, or from the flower shop with a couple small blooms that he would dramatically present Arthur with.

The sex was great, they understood each other, and when work or studying got to be too much it was nice to escape by watching episodes of Firefly while spooning on the sofa, while grinding together on the sofa, while fucking on the sofa before moving things into the bedroom. Of course they fought, and Arthur would throw himself into his work, and Merlin wouldn’t come home until the middle of the night, but those fights were rare. Eventually Arthur would make Merlin a full fry up and brew a cup of his favorite tea or Merlin would bring home roses and things went back to normal.

Their friends kept talking about how married they were, and one Sunday morning after a lazy lie in and a wakeup blowjob, Merlin asked Arthur to be his partner for life. Arthur said yes, and then they flew through marriage preparations. They had a lovely wedding which was perfect due to the help of the intimidating wedding planner duo Morgana and Gwen and a brilliant honeymoon where they rarely left their suite. Everything ran rather smooth.

~ ~ ~

Everything ran rather smoothly until a few months after their wedding. Merlin was feeling awful. The stress of his doctorate was really getting to him. He would snap at Arthur when he got home and was asked about his day. He was so anxious he felt nauseous, and could barely keep his food down. He just wanted to sleep and avoid the world, and there was nothing that could get him out of his slump.

It was Sunday afternoon, and they were headed to Uther’s for a family supper. Merlin was so far behind in his research that he took one of his engineering textbooks with him, ignoring Arthur’s concerned look.

The drive over was quiet; the only sounds were made by the car as it carried them to their destination. It was cold in the car, and Merlin moved to close the vent. The silence was unbearable, however, and so with a sigh he opened it again and rotated it so that it would stop blowing in his face. He folded his arms to retain as much body heat as he could and curled into the window, closing his eyes and trying to ignore the uneasiness in his belly.

They were the last to reach the estate and joined the others just in time for pre-dinner drinks. Hunith hugged Merlin and Arthur as Uther nodded from across the room. Morgana was too busy curled around Gwen to be concerned with greeting them, but Gaius rose from his chair with a grunt to give them both a hug. After he hugged Merlin he held him at arm’s length and took a good look at him.

“Why are you here, young man?” he asked, intimidating eyebrow raised in judgement.

“What?” Merlin asked, for once not knowing what had caused his uncle’s disappointment.

“You are obviously sick, you should not be out of the house. You’re pale and it looks like you may fall over at any moment.” Hunith rushed to join in the examination, and Merlin was led to the sofa, helpless to protest.

“I’m fine. Just stress from studying,” Merlin insisted as Gaius checked his temperature with the back of his hand, then went on to check Merlin’s eyes, pulse, and was going to check Merlin’s fingernails and hands until Merlin decided he had enough and hid them, crossing his arms. “Leave me alone,” he snapped. Gaius just tutted and muttered something about “mood swings” before continuing his examination. Merlin looked up for help from the rest of the room.

Morgana was smirking as she cuddled Gwen, who at least had the decency to look sympathetic. Uther had pulled Arthur to the side and they were probably discussing something business-related. Arthur was obviously trying to get away but had not had any success so far. Merlin was doomed. After continued prodding and continued protests, Gaius steps away, looking a bit pale himself.

After a moment his mouth spreads into a grin and he announces, “Congratulations, Merlin! You’re about to become a father!”

Suddenly there was silence. Everyone in the room turned their eyes to Merlin, who had a blank expression on his face.

“What?” Uther asked, crossing the room so he was standing next to Merlin. Then everyone started talking over each other and Merlin looked frantically for Arthur, who was frozen on the other end of the room, a tense spring. Gaius grabbed Merlin’s hand and made eye contact. “Go talk to him,” he mouthed. Merlin nodded, ducking between clamoring relatives to grab Arthur and push him out into the hallway.

~ ~ ~

After Merlin closed the door to the parlor the hall muffled most of the noise, and then it was just Merlin and Arthur. They just stared at each other for a few longs moments before Arthur gripped Merlin in a hug, and Merlin melted against him. Arthur moved back just enough to look into Merlin’s eyes.

“Are you okay?” he questioned quietly. Merlin huffed.

“Well it is quite a surprise.” Arthur nodded. He paused, unsure. Finally he asked, “How is this possible?”

“Em. That is a good question.” Merlin moved away from Arthur and leaned against the wall, then after a “fuck it” he slid down the wall until he was sitting on the ground. Arthur joined him. Eventually he started speaking.

“Well, I’m not quite sure how it is possible, but I have an idea. You know that my family is druid? Have been for as long as anyone can remember. Well, there’s a connection that we have with nature. We commune with the elements, talk to spirits, but it all is faint nudges of energy, and we can’t prove that what we do works.

Anyways, the druid history is mainly passed down through stories around the campfire, some knot work, things like that. I have heard of a few stories of men bearing children. They were said to have a lot of magic, or a really strong connection with nature. I didn’t think anything of it, I mean every religion has fantastical stories from the past, but that shit never happens in the present.

So…… Yeah. It sounds absolutely crazy, but that’s the only thing I can think of.”

Arthur absorbed the information, his face blank as he shifted through all the impossibilities that Merlin had just presented him with.

“Well, you would have to be a powerful wizard then for that to be possible, wouldn’t you, Merlin?” he joked weakly.

Merlin shifted a bit, then murmured, “Well, they did say I was powerful. Erm… When I came of age I did start to notice that my connection to nature increased. Where I used to feel the tiniest tingle of energy, it now felt like warmth underneath my skin, and when I communed with spirits I could sense vibrations in the air, like a sound just on the edge of hearing. It worried me, to be honest. I have been trying to avoid it ever since.”

“Well,” Arthur said after a while. “Obviously we need to get this confirmed at hospital, but. If it… Is… Indeed a child. And you’re, you know, knocked up –“

Here Merlin shoved him, exhaling a breathy chuckle. Arthur grinned.

“I mean do you want a child? Are we ready for something like that?”

Merlin started fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. “I did not really think about it, for obvious reasons. I mean I didn’t think that this was possible, but… Yes. I think I would like to have children. I mean it isn’t ideal timing. I’m still in school and you sometimes work late into the night. We haven’t had a chance to save up, either. Children are expensive.”

“My father would make sure any grandchild of his would be well cared for, you know that,” Arthur responded. “And may I remind you that I am his son. I’ve got plenty in savings.

I’ve always liked the thought of having a family, so if you want to have my child I would do everything in my power to be the best father I can be.”

Merlin turned to Arthur, cupping his face as he kissed him gently.

“I want to be a dad, too. Besides, we have been together for a while. What we have is special. Sure, a baby will be a big change, but we are ready for it.”

He gripped Arthur’s hand, and squeezed it. They sat there holding hands until they were ready to face the rest of the family.

~ ~ ~

Merlin was exhausted. He hobbled to the bathroom for a piss, grumbling as he rubbed his huge belly. The baby pushed on his bladder, and he tried to hobble more quickly in order to reach the toilet in time. He sighed in relief as he made it in time, trying to ignore the thought that he would probably do the exact same thing again within the half hour.

He made his way back to bed, laying down next to Arthur’s sprawled form. He tried to find a comfortable position, kicking the covers off his feet (too hot!) and curling the duvet so it almost covered his head (too cold!).
“Merlin, for the love of God please stop wiggling,” Arthur mumbled into his pillow.

“But I’m cold. And I’m hungry. And my back aches and—“

“Alright, alright,” Arthur sighed, turning over to face Merlin, wincing with bleary eyes. “What do you want?”

Merlin paused, thinking. Then, “I want cake.”

“Cake,” Arthur clarified drily. Then, “What kind of cake?”

“Carob cake,” Merlin decided.

With a heavy sigh, Arthur threw off the duvet cover and sat up. “Frosting?” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

“Buttercream?” Merlin asked hopefully.

“Buttercream.” Arthur stumbled into a pair of boxers and then left for the kitchen, bumping into the door frame on his way out.

~ ~ ~

When Merlin first held Caelia in his arms, he was in awe. She was so fragile, and her toes were so tiny. She had cried for several minute but she seemed to finally calm down, and Merlin watched with wonder as she clasped his thumb in one of her chubby hands. Arthur was grinning at him through tears. They had survived all the trials of pregnancy, and now they had a gorgeous little girl of their very own. Merlin couldn’t be happier.

Eventually the nurses let the rest of the family in and there was hugging and back thumping, beaming smiles and cooing. Uther insisted on holding his granddaughter first, and his face softened as he cradled her to his chest gently. After a few minutes it was time for Merlin to get some rest and for Caelia to be prepared for her journey home.

When the room was quiet again Arthur approached his tired husband. He didn’t say anything, just leaned over the hospital bed rails to kiss Merlin’s forehead, then moved lower to nuzzle his neck.
Merlin moaned, then shifted to make room for Arthur. He laid down next to Merlin, and clasped his hand, squeezing it as he finally took Merlin’s lower lip between his teeth, teasing him. They kissed lazily, the space between each kiss growing until Arthur let his head rest on Merlin’s chest, which rose and fell steadily, soothing him.

Sure, life with Caelia would be a big change, but they were ready for it.