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During Ena’s pregnancy, Arthur did not have a single craving. Although he had periods when he preferred eating sweet things or cold or sour, Arthur did never experience the sudden urge to eat something specific.
So far, Arthur’s second pregnancy was still craving-free nearly twenty weeks into it. Until one day, while waiting for Ena to leave school, Arthur suddenly wanted wood. Wood, of all things. And not for the smell of new wood furniture or its texture, but to taste it. Arthur was craving wood, and that desire did not disappear that day. Or the next. Or the next afterwards. If anything, it became stronger. So much that once Arthur had to take a sniff of everything with wood he found at home. But it was useless. That unique smell had long disappeared.
Unable to get rid of that insane need, Arthur went to a carpentry store and spent nearly twenty minutes there, enthralled with the so-yearned scent. Not happy with that, Arthur left with a couple of wood blocks, and as soon as he arrived home, he took one and sucked it. Arthur had stopped trying to rationalise such a weird thing to do and simply enjoyed the taste.
But during his following medical check-up, Arthur decided to share it with his doctor. He was a little wary she would look at him as if he was crazy, not to mention Merlin’s reaction. But Arthur trusted her. She had always been very understanding.
By the end of their visit, with Merlin visibly relaxing once the doctor, with a bright smile, declared everything was as good as they could wish, Arthur interrupted her to ask why he was having this strange need of sucking wood. (Arthur did not use that exact word. One thing was sucking wood, and another entirely admitting it out loud.)
But his doctor did not seem surprised at all. She nodded as if it was the most common occurrence in the world. “Well, you’re a little low on iron levels. Nothing to worry about,” she added, already too late. Merlin had practically jumped from his chair.
“Shouldn’t he take some supplement? What about food? Are you eating enough?” And before Arthur could even blink, Merlin went on. “Should we establish some schedule for analytics to keep an eye on that?”
“Merlin, stop,” Arthur hissed when it was clear Merlin would not shut up until someone made him to. The doctor was smiling, by then used to Merlin’s worries and anxieties.
“Not at all,” she answered, unfazed by Arthur’s scowl and Merlin’s distrust. “As I was saying, there’s nothing to worry about. You’ll have to take some supplements along the way, that’s for sure. But not yet. Sorry.” She added when Arthur’s scowl deepened. He hated all the supplements, vitamins, and assorted pills he had to take during Ena’s pregnancy. As good as things were looking, it was not enough to rid Arthur of them.
Arthur should have known what was coming after that. That confession only piqued Merlin’s worries, if that was even possible. During the drive back home, Merlin kept glancing at Arthur, not saying a word, but with an expression Arthur knew all too well. “What?” Arthur snapped once they reached Merlin’s mother’s house, where Ena was staying.
Maybe, had Merlin looked a little bit ashamed for being caught staring, Arthur would have felt guilty for his reaction. But Merlin seemed unrepentant. Apparently, Merlin’s over-protectiveness and Arthur’s irritation were directly proportional. “What kind of wood?” Merlin finally asked after two heartbeats.
“Really, that’s what you’re…”
“Because it might be dangerous,” Merlin interrupted, or most likely, he was not even listening to Arthur. “With all the splinters and products they use and…”
“It was untreated. It had no products, okay? And it was just twice. I couldn’t help it!” Arthur could not help but shout. They were still inside the car, Arthur staring ahead and sawing nothing, embarrassed and angry, all at once.
“Okay,” Merlin said softly. Like all the times Arthur lost his temper, he felt the guilt at once. But, though he could understand Merlin’s stance, what irked Arthur was that no matter how hard Merlin tried (and Arthur knew without a doubt Merlin truly did), his husband could not even grasp what Arthur was going through.
“Sorry,” Arthur said after unbuckling his belt and as he left the car. But Ena interrupted any further conversation by opening the front door and shouting, “What did you bring me?” as she jumped up and down.
Things went a little better after that. Arthur, partly preoccupied with Merlin’s words (he had not stopped to think about the splinters, too engrossed in the so delicious smell of new wood), threw the blocks he had bought away and, in a couple of days, all thoughts of wood had been forgotten.
But one evening, while Ena was drawing with her shiny new markers, Arthur caught a whiff of them. “What are you doing, sweetie?” Arthur sat on the floor beside his daughter, and confirmed that the enticing smell he had perceived was, indeed, Ena’s markers.
“A school for dogs and cats,” she answered after finishing a four-legged figure. Maybe a dog. Or a cat. Arthur hummed and inhaled before Ena clapped the marker shut. He reached for one from the box, when said box moved just out of his reach. Ena was utterly oblivious to that, and when Arthur raised his head, he found Merlin looking at him. Though Merlin’s eyes were his usual blue instead of the golden they turned whenever Merlin performed magic, Arthur knew it had to be him. Ena was still incapable of such a display.
“What?” said Arthur, rising from the floor and sitting on the sofa once again. “Lots of all people like that smell,” Arthur mumbled when Merlin kept on staring at him. “I’m not going to eat them. I’m not an idiot.”
“Good to know,” said Merlin under his breath and promptly grunted when Arthur’s elbow impacted his sternum.
Arthur decided to ignore Merlin. It was so outlandish, Arthur had to admit it. One thing was wood (with its evoking scent), and another was markers. Besides, Ena had an interesting (and detailed) story to tell about her dogs and cats. And Merlin had started to rub his back. All was well.