Words: 3235

Thank you all so much for the reviews/follows/favorites! I've been so busy lately, I've barely been able to get to a computer, but my inbox was flooded with reviews :) I'm going to post this chapter and part two now, and then only a couple chapters left!

Maybe it was just bad timing that a mere three days after Alfred and Arthur started getting along again, Arthur went into heat.

It had only been a few months since Arthur met Alfred; a few months since his last heat, his failed conception, and his near execution. He was supposed to have a heat twice per year.

"Calm down, Arthur," Afonso said as Arthur paced his room, ignoring the makeshift nest in the corner. "This is fairly common. Your own heats have always been fairly irregular, after all."

"Shut up," Arthur said, voice laced with anxiety. He could feel it starting; in a few hours, he would be virtually helpless to control his own body. "I'm not ready. Give me something to stop it."

"We've had this conversation before. You know I can't do that."

"You have to!" he demanded, glaring at the doctor. "I'm not supposed to get it for three more months! This can't be healthy."

"Healthy or not, this is how it is," Afonso said sympathetically.

"Give me medicine. Heat suppressants, or something." Arthur had taken heat suppressants before becoming Queen, but the Queen wasn't allowed to take them. The Queen was meant to have heats and bear children.

"You know I can't do that. And even if I did, it wouldn't do anything. Your heat is starting, Arthur. There's nothing that's going to stop it."

"Shut UP! What sort of doctor are you!? You have to do something," Arthur pleaded. Afonso sighed, thinking.

"I can give you pheromone blockers," he said finally. "It should reduce the strength of the urges." The doctor knew one of Arthur's biggest problems with his heats was the loss of control.

"And what good will that do me when I'm- I can't do this," Arthur said abruptly. "Don't tell Alfred."

"What? Don't tell him what?"

"Don't tell him I'm going into heat," Arthur said. Afonso looked at him like he was crazy. "Just tell everyone I'm sick."

"Arthur… he's your mate. He's the King. Someone's going to tell him."

"Make something up then! Lie!" Arthur did not want to have sex, and he most certainly did not want to have sex with Alfred. He liked Alfred. He didn't want to ruin whatever it was they had. And if they were going to have sex, he didn't want it to be because he was a heat-reduced mess and Alfred was a horny alpha.

"This wouldn't be so hard if you had just mated with him on your wedding night," Afonso said. Arthur froze in his tracks. He knew the situation had been suspicious, but nobody had mentioned it to him. How had Afonso found out?

"You were both dressed and the sheets were clean," Afonso explained with a hint of amusement. "Did you really expect the maids to buy it?"

"How did you find out?" Arthur demanded. "Did the maids tell you?"

"Of course they did," the doctor said dismissively. "I'm your doctor. It's important for me to know." Arthur blushed in embarrassment. He honestly didn't see why Afonso would need to know that much detail about his sex life.

"Which means, you and the King haven't mated yet," he said with exasperation. "You knew that you would have to this eventually, Arthur."

"Yes, but not now," Arthur defended. "Not this soon. I'm not supposed to be going into heat yet!"

"I'm sorry," Afonso said sincerely. "Have you talked with the King about this yet?"

"Of course not!" Arthur snapped. "I was supposed to have more time!"

"You should talk to him now, then. Before your heat starts."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Absolutely not. Besides, there's nothing left to say."

"I have pheromone blockers for omegas and alphas. If you both take them…" Arthur knew what the doctor was hinting at. You might be able to get out of it. The Queen knew better than to get his hopes up.

"It won't matter," he said, defeated. "He won't take them. Why would he?"

"He might, if you explain the situation." Logically, Arthur knew he should talk it out with Alfred. Alfred was not Henry. Alfred might listen to him. On the other hand, Arthur was filled with fear and panic that no amount of rationalization was going to fix.

"I'm… going to get ready," Arthur said, conceding. "You are dismissed."

Afonso nodded, knowing he wasn't going to get a thank you. He made a show of setting both bottles of pheromone blockers on the bedside table before nodding and walking out the door.

Dr. Afonso waited a few hours before he felt he could not delay it any longer. He found the King, eating some snacks and arguing with Yao over some finances.

"King Alfred, Jack Yao," he greeted, bowing slightly. "Can I have a word with you?" The King seemed surprised, but Yao was used to such interruptions from the doctor by now.

"Yeah, sure, what's up?" the King asked, gesturing towards a chair. Afonso sat down.

"It's about the Queen." He hurried to continue at Alfred's somewhat panicked expression. "He's going into heat."

"What!?" Yao demanded angrily. "He was just in heat! And he didn't give me any warning! I'll have to reschedule so many meetings," he said, exasperated.

"What? Wait… like, now?" Alfred asked, still looking a bit panicked.

"Yes," Afonso confirmed. "Your Majesty, I would like to take you to the Queen's chambers now, if possible." He knew Arthur would be uncomfortable, and the King was the only one that could do anything about it at the moment.

"His chambers? Wait-"

"Go, go," Yao said tiredly, waving Alfred off. "I've got this under control. He really likes to make my life difficult, I know it…"

"Your Majesty?" Afonso was alarmed to see the King had paled and seemed dazed.

"Uh. Yeah," he said shakily, standing up. "Right. Okay."

Afonso and the King walked in silence for a few minutes down the long corridors towards the chambers. Eventually, the doctor broke the silence.

"King Alfred, may I ask you a somewhat… personal question?" he asked uncertainly.

"Huh?" Alfred broke out of his thoughts, looking at Afonso with confusion. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Have you ever mated with an omega in heat before?"

Alfred blushed and shook his head before saying, "Uh, no. I haven't."

Afonso nodded. "Have you ever been around an omega in heat before?"

"Just my brother, Mattie."

Afonso nodded again, thinking about what to say. "I feel I should warn you then, Your Highness. Omegas in heat smell very differently than omegas not in heat, as I'm sure you know. But unrelated omegas also smell very differently than omegas that are related to you. The scent might be a bit… overwhelming."

Alfred swallowed nervously. "What should… is he okay? How is he?" he asked.

"The Queen is… well, to be frank, Arthur is not taking it very well. It's nothing personal," he said at Alfred's expression. "He just hasn't had the best experiences with this in the past," he said carefully. "Do you understand?"

Alfred swallowed again, anxiety rolling off him in waves. "Yeah, I…" He looked at the doctor as if searching for answers. "What do you think I should do? To make it easier?"

Afonso felt something inside of him loosen in relief. At least the King seemed to care. "The room is fully stocked with everything he might need. The best advice I can give you is just… listen to him. He's very stressed at the moment. Communication will be very important." The pair slowed to a stop as they reached the Queen's chambers. Alfred was staring at the door as though it were about to attack him.

"Oh and, one last thing, Your Highness," Afonso said, voice taking on an urgent edge. "I gave Arthur some pheromone blockers. He also has some for alphas. If the scent gets too overwhelming…"

Alfred blinked in surprise, and then nodded slowly. "They should last 4 to 6 hours. Take as needed," Afonso said professionally, bowing at the King.

"Thank you," Alfred said politely before turning to open the door.

The first thing Alfred noticed when he walked into the dimly lit room was the scent. It smelled like Arthur, but a thousand times stronger, and mixed with something else entirely.

Alfred had been the one to care for his brother during his heats. This smell was entirely different. Matthew hadn't smelled bad, really, but it hadn't been… attractive. The pheromones Matthew gave off during heat provoked instinctual feelings of protectiveness; a sort of big brother feeling taken to the extreme. But Arthur smelled amazing. Alfred wanted to bury himself in that scent and never let go. He felt lightheaded, lost in this dark room with the heat and scents and-

"Fuck off, Alfred," came a warning voice.

Alfred blinked hazily, staring down at the mess of blankets he recognized as a nest. He couldn't see Arthur, but he deduced the Queen was hiding somewhere within the quivering pile.

"Arthur?" he rasped. Huh. That was weird. When did his voice get raspy?

"I said fuck off," Arthur hissed, head popping out from the pile to glare daggers at Alfred. Alfred blinked at him owlishly for a few seconds, swaying slightly. Oh god he's beautiful, he thought.

"Uh… are you… Do you need anything?" he asked dumbly. He already knew that Arthur was attractive, albeit a bit unconventionally, but at the moment he looked like the most beautiful person Alfred had ever seen in his life.

"No," Arthur said sharply. "I don't. Fuck off."

Oh god he's probably naked under there, Alfred thought , a thrill of electricity running through him. He barely heard Arthur's words. He could barely hear his own thoughts.

"Yeah, uh… You smell really good, Artie," he said. Then he blinked, eyes focusing, as the sharp scent of fear spiked the air. Arthur was scared? For some reason, that made his heart hurt.

"Alfred. Go. Away," Arthur said loudly and clearly.

"Go…?" Alfred struggled to think, a burning craving igniting his skin. Arthur was scared? The scent might be overwhelming. Arthur, wrapped in warmth in the nest of blankets… Listen to him. Communication is important. He needed… Alfred needed… Arthur needed… Pheromone blockers. If the scent gets overwhelming.

"Arthur?" He hated how he sounded, like a lost puppy.

"Go away Alfred. Go sit in the corner or something."

"But you're…"

"Alfred. Go away."

Go away? I don't want to. He felt like he was forgetting something important. "The doctor," he said, finally remembering. He struggled to get the words out in a way that made sense. "Said something about… pheromone blockers?"

"What?" Arthur asked, stunned.

"Do you want to have sex?" Alfred asked suddenly, because he didn't really think he could come up with a better way to say it. "I want to have sex. You smell really good," he added.

"No, I do not want to have sex." Another spike of fear, and Arthur was reaching for something, an arm appearing from the pile. The scent wafted from the blankets, consuming Alfred. Mine mine, I want you, now now now-

"Here, take these." Still rooted to his spot standing next to the nest, Alfred took a bottle of pills. Mine, need, now, more more, NOW-

"Take a pill, Alfred." Take the pill and I'll be happy. Alfred very much wanted to make Arthur happy. A shaking hand unscrewed the lid of the bottle, pills rattling within. He shook one out, popped it in his mouth. It was a chewing kind, tasted like mint.

"Now go sit over there, Alfred," Arthur said, pointing towards the wall.

"But-"

"Now."

But there's not here you're here I want you so bad. Alfred didn't understand. Could Arthur not smell it? Couldn't he feel it, the urgent burning need?

"Alfred, please, go away." There was a plea in his voice, a desperation, and Alfred felt he would do anything to get Arthur what he wanted. Go away. He wants you to go away.

Numbly, Alfred went over to where Arthur had been pointing. Knees shaking, he slid to the ground. The wonderful scent, the frantic need, was fading fast. Slowly, slowly, his head cleared.

Arthur muffled a whine, as he pushed the toy further up himself, burying it in him. Heats were never this bad before I was mated, he thought bitterly.

He was trying to be quiet, trying to keep the moans and whimpers and shuffling blankets as quiet as possible, trying not to move so much. Alfred was sitting in the corner of the room, doing god knows what.

Arthur hadn't taken his pheromone blockers until Alfred took his. He hadn't expected the scent to be so overpowering. Since he'd been mated before and Alfred was still fully clothed, he'd been able to keep himself in check a bit better than Alfred had. Still, it had been hard, torn between the primal desire raging inside him and the paralyzing fear consuming him.

Fear had won out. Arthur wanted nothing more than for Alfred to leave, so that he could deal with his painful, miserable heat by himself. But he and Alfred were locked in the room together and there was nothing they could do about it.

He calmed slightly as the wave subsided, resting for a moment.

"Do you need anything?" Alfred asked quietly. It was obvious the blockers had kicked in; he now spoke calmly, almost sheepishly, fully aware of his surrounding again.

"No," Arthur said breathlessly, trying not to pant. "Just… stay over there. I should be done in a week."

"You want me to stay over here for the whole week?" Alfred asked incredulously.

"N-No. Do what you want. Just stay away from me," he said, wrapping himself securely in his blankets.

"…Okay. Do you need something to drink? Some water? Are you hungry?" Arthur blushed. Alphas were meant to provide such things during mated heats, of course, and there were maids ready to take Alfred's orders at any time during this ordeal, but still. Arthur wasn't used to being coddled. He wasn't so sure he liked it.

"I'm fine," he said. He had a few bottles of water by his nest already, and he didn't feel very hungry at the moment. Arthur wasn't sure what he would have said if he was hungry or thirsty.

"Okay," Alfred said. They sat in silence for a few more seconds. "Well, if you need anything, I'll be over here," he said, lying down and facing the wall.

Arthur could tell that he was disappointed. He didn't smell angry at all, though, so Arthur couldn't tell what he was upset about. Was he disappointed that they hadn't had sex, or that Arthur had pushed him away so forcefully? Arthur tried to think about it, tried to figure out what to do, but he was exhausted. Warm in his nest, Arthur drifted off to sleep.

Arthur awoke groggily from a dreamless sleep. He looked at the clock; it was the middle of the night, 5 hours after his heat started. For a few minutes he did nothing, simply breathing in the comfort of his nest. There was no urgent desire at the moment, but a wave could happen at any time.

Sighing, he looked over at Alfred. The King was still lying down, facing the wall and apparently sleeping. Alfred shivered; while the room wasn't exactly cold, it couldn't be comfortable sleeping on the floor without a blanket.

Arthur watched him for a few moments. He really was a pitiful sight. Sighing, the Queen grabbed a blanket from his nest and moved toward Alfred, who was only a few feet away. He draped the blanket over him.

"I'm not doing this for you," he assured the sleeping King. "It would just be inconvenient for me if you got sick while I was like this."

Alfred didn't wake, but he did stir, pulling the blanket around his arms and burying his face in it. He inhaled deeply, relaxing visibly. Arthur could smell lust as it began to exude from him. How often are we supposed to take those pheromone blockers again? he thought with a vague sense of worry. Now that he thought about it, Alfred was beginning to smell pretty good again.

Grabbing his bottle, Arthur read the instructions. Take 1 pill every 4-6 hours as needed. He frowned, checking Alfred's bottle; it had the same directions. I should wake him up, he thought, glancing once more at the King. Alfred was now sleeping peacefully, apparently comfortable.

He sighed. I'm tired of worrying. Finally, he took a pill from his bottle and chewed it, placing Alfred's bottle next to him. Hopefully he would be awake when Alfred woke up, and he could remind him to take a pill. Otherwise… Alfred hadn't seemed too out of control earlier, so hopefully it would be fine.

Laying once more in the safety of his nest, Arthur stared at the ceiling. He wasn't tired, but he didn't feel like doing much else either. He looked back over at Alfred, who was still snoozing.

I'm going to have to mate him eventually, he thought. Unless he's willing to take these pheromone blockers and sit in a corner every time I'm like this for the rest of our lives. It suddenly occurred to Arthur that Alfred very well might do that, for a while at least.

Arthur huffed in frustration. He didn't understand Alfred at all. Do you need something to drink? Some water? Are you hungry? What kind of alpha was he? They hadn't even mated yet and he was already taking care of him. Some part of Arthur's mind reminded him that Alfred had an omega twin. Did that have something to do with it? Was it the environment Alfred grew up in, or did he accidentally get some of his brother's omega traits?

Did it matter?

Arthur had finally come to term with his feelings for Alfred in the last few days, after the end of their fight. What had been growing since that day in the kitchen, when Alfred not only ate Arthur's food but complimented it, was now being acknowledged. Arthur liked Alfred. A lot. In what he thought might be a love sort of way, but he didn't have much reference to compare his feelings to.

What Arthur didn't know was what Alfred thought. Oh, he had suspicions; no matter how desperately lonely he got, there had to be some other reason for Alfred to put up with Arthur. And he knew Alfred didn't particularly care about gardens or appreciate the art of embroidery or any of that. So why did he join Arthur, ask about his activities, day after day for weeks on end? That was going far beyond mere politeness or kindness.

Alfred was a decent human being. He respected Arthur, valued his opinions, honoured his wishes; that in itself was more kindness than Arthur could remember ever experiencing before. But he did more than that. He acted like he actually cared about Arthur, as a person. It was almost as if he liked Arthur for who he was. It was utterly ridiculous, in Arthur's opinion.

Still… maybe this won't be so bad, he thought, rolling on his side. Sleep was beginning to claim him once more. Tomorrow… just to get it over with… it won't be so bad, this time…

He drifted off to sleep again.

A/N: Pre-heat hormone changes (a sort of pre-PMS) played some role in Arthur's irritability when he lashed out at Alfred a couple chapters ago, but for the most part it was just built-up stress and sleep deprivation from the nightmares. Arthur's hormone changes also triggered some rut behavior in Alfred (although nobody realized it was a rut), which contributed to Alfred's behavior with Ivan. (Although most of it was just that he really doesn't like Ivan for some reason).

Also, there will be smut next chapter! Finally!