Chapter Text
Days confined in Camelot often made a knight’s chest ache for adventure, though once beyond her stifling walls, adventure was rare to come for older knights. The summer days were inviting, luring some of Camelot’s finest out into its tender embrace.
While others took to relaxing and enjoying the easy day, free of court and cost, Kay found himself goaded into a sparring match with his brother’s “first man and last”. Bedivere’s charm did nothing more than climb under Kay’s skin. Everything the beta did carried that sickly-sweet, “can do no wrong” stain, even his insistence that the seneschal might take the day and brush up on his skills. We don’t want to see you get rusty, Kay.
A generous offer, sure, but nothing short of a direct jab at the omega’s pride. He wasn’t rusty. He had other duties to fulfill that pulled more of his attention than the knighthood did. The younger knights could run off and do the quests, he had important… things to do around the castle. Right. He couldn’t pull any such things to mind to fend off Bedivere’s offer, but he was sure that there was something he was falling behind on every moment he was out here. He supposed that he could make Bedivere explain just why the task fell behind, since this was his idea and all.
Heavy footsteps brought him to a clearing just out of the castle’s clawing reach, one filled only with the sound of the day slowing into a blissfully easy afternoon. Of course, that sound would be interrupted before long with the sounds of the two knights’ spar, but Kay couldn’t wish to be anywhere else for a moment. There wasn’t the constant low-grade drone of that day’s gossip slipping between the staff, or the inane questions of squires, or the interruptions of the other members of the Round Table. For a moment, this one, Kay could just be a man alone with his thoughts. That could not stand.
Like a sound, he caught as one blond moustache curled into a cheshire grin behind him, leaving his peace interrupted. “Y’know I hate when you do that shite, Dinadan.” His tone was flat with displeasure, his eyes opening just in time to catch the lithe alpha flickering into his peripheral. “Why’re you even here?”
“Well, that’s no way to greet a friend. And two, I heard you were finally coaxed out of the kitchen for once. Had to see it to believe it, my dear Kay.” That lilting tone was about as infuriating as the “charming” smirk of Bedivere. How could these two men possibly be considered his peers? Bedivere was closer to Arthur in age than himself, but Dinadan was only shy of him a year or so. And yet these were two of the King’s most insufferable knights. At least the younger knights tended to give him plenty of room, or didn’t feel so comfortable bothering him like this.
“‘Coaxed’? ‘M not a fuckin’ animal.” Is that what they are saying? Or is that simply Dinadan’s choice of words? Kay couldn’t be bothered to get bogged into the details. “That all? See if I’m out and about?” Dinadan’s moustache almost seemed to curl more. Instantly, Kay regretted leaving any opening in the discussion. The grin widened, proving only further that the older man ought to learn to fix his face around certain company.
Before Dinadan’s gleeful pressing could get the better of either of them, the blond was cut off by a call from the edge of the clearing. “Dinadan! When I said you could come, I had wrongfully assumed you would be helping me.” Kay barely caught his lips from pulling back into a snarl. He shouldn’t have been surprised by the concept that there would be an audience, as Bedivere was a showman afterall. The dark-haired knight stepped into the clearing, three training swords tucked under his arm. “Could’ve toted your own-” He paused, finally now having seen Kay, a warm smile blooming across his lips. “Oh! Wonderful, you’re already here. Thought I was going to have to go back, and bring you here myself.”
“I’m more than able t’be here on my own.” The beta hardly blinked at the sharp tone, brushing it off like it was nothing more than dust on his boots. “Why’s he here? Wanting to show off?” Dinadan raised his hands in surrender as the thumb was jut in his direction, only to earn a laugh from the third man.
“I would never want to turn you into a spectacle, Kay! Not even for the biggest gossip in Camelot. He wanted to know where I was going with some training swords and dashed off ahead.” His bemused tone trailed after him easily as he set the swords aside. “Besides, he needs this as much as you do.” Dinadan tried to feign offense, but it melted easily into bright laughter with Bedivere’s own. The sound washed easily over Kay, only adding more warmth to the heat of the early afternoon. The strawberry blond took a slow breath, his eyes closed tight for a moment. The others would likely assume this to be a sign of disapproval, rather than the knight trying to calm his senses so they could be sorted later. He did not have time for this today.
Bedivere was meticulous in his handling of the session, running the two knights through drills they had done for more than a decade. As the afternoon’s heat peaked, the dark-haired beta finally set to letting them spar. Dinadan, ever the avoidant creature, half-begged to be allowed to watch them at first–though Kay was nearly certain that Dinadan had no real intention of actually taking part against either of them. He was all smiles as he lounged in the shade to watch them. Bedivere had obliged him, just as everyone else did.
“He asked t’be here, Bedivere. Why don’t we let him take a swing?” Kay cast a pointed look to the blond, though received no indication that the roles would switch as he stretched out while sitting at the base of the tree.
Bedivere grinned and shook his head. “No, we’ll get to him in a moment. I’ve plenty of time in the day to ensure both of you prove yourselves.” Kay frowned sharply, hoping that the new rush of pink at the idea of proof did not show around his anger at the beta’s willingness to let the inaction stand. “Besides, I planned this for you, and not him. He just decided to come along to watch.” He mused, lifting the training blade, motioning to Kay lazily. Anger brewed more heat within the seneschal, not sitting as well as it should have. He did not have time for this.
“Fine, fuck it. You n’ me, one round.” Bedievere’s grin grew wider, like he’d finally caught the canary. He pointed sharply at the smug knight, his attitude only adding fuel to the fire. “Then y’get Dinadan and we’re back in for dinner, got it?”
“Clear as anything, friend.” Bedivere relented, raising his arm as to swear an oath. “One round each.” With a nod, both knights raised their wooden swords, springing to action at Dinadan’s word. Kay moved quickly to close the distance, showing off his preference for overwhelming force rather than finesse. The sharp crack of wood-on-wood brought with it the rich scent of clove as the beta sidestepped past Kay’s shoulder with the parry. The weighty two-handed blow carried the bulky omega forward, his gaze shot back to catch Bedivere’s small smirk. A heavy breath brought with it another side-swipe, caught in a crisp parry. Inches away now, Kay couldn’t ignore the way the younger knight filled his senses–the flexible hold of the hilt, the thick spiced scent only exacerbated by the warmth of the day, and the frustratingly smug expression. Bedivere forced an opening as Kay’s weapon’s bite gave against his own, pressing his shoulder to Kay’s ribs while shoving the wooden blade wide to disarm him. Kay’s grip tightened with the further arm, though the other arced over the dark-haired beta and trapped him flat up against his chest. Bedivere let out a disgruntled huff, attempting to bring his hand between them only for the bulky knight to keep that arm extended in his grapple. He squirmed against Kay, trying to make any space, but the strawberry-blond kept him held firm.
“Nice move- You just wait-” Bedivere’s words didn’t sink in as the woody scent that clung to him pulled Kay’s attention, and tightening his hold further. Panting breaths did little to quench the growing warmth blooming across the omega’s skin. He caught that his opponent said more, but the words didn’t make it past the fog brewing in his mind. Shit. The warm scents of the witch-knight were soon accompanied by something sweet, something floral.
“Kay, he’s letting you take the match. Let him up.” Dinadan’s touch felt too much, not enough. Kay dropped Bedivere out of the hold and stepped back, barely able to keep from outright jumping back. He had to get out of here before he showed too much of a reaction to their proximity. He worried that his fellow knights may already know what’s happening. His pride would never withstand it if either saw him in heat.
“Forgot about somethin’. I should go.” His words came out crisp, the usual bite absent in his urgency. The fiery knight turned quick and left in what he could only hope looked like a huff, blotting out the calls of the two knights behind him. He wished for a moment he couldn’t smell what lingered of Bedivere’s exertion on his tunic and Dinadan’s touch lingering on his skin.
—
Bedivere spent the remainder of the day trying to figure out what he’d done so wrong that Kay had left like he did. He had a few suspicions, especially with some of the sweeter notes joining his friend’s otherwise woodsy smell, but he couldn’t bank on that assumption. It wasn’t until Kay didn’t make an appearance for dinner that he decided to confer with the gossiping knight.
Dinadan had seemingly made himself just as unavailable as Kay had–not showing his face for part of the afternoon and not attending dinner–though this behavior was far from surprising. The blond alpha could be hard to find when he was sniffing around for information on his own. It took nearly an hour after dinner to find the older knight, who had taken up post inside of Bedivere’s room.
“Ah, just the man I was looking for! I was wondering when you’d show up.” Dinadan’s smile bloomed from ear to ear, curling the ends of his moustache. “I suppose, though, you might have been looking for me just as much as I was looking for you. Am I right?” Bedivere closed the door behind him and stood between it and his friend.
“I was, but it seems you chose to hide in here. What were you looking for me about?” He didn’t want to play stupid, he assumed they were both looking for the same answers but he knew that the alpha was not always so keen on being outshone for his deductions. Dinadan leans this way and that on the edge of the bed, playing like he was weighing a hard choice.
“I heard that Kay has not only hidden himself away in his room all day since we last saw him, but he requested that he is unbothered unless for absolute emergencies. I asked around and found out this is not the first time he’s done such a thing, but it’s fuzzy on the last occurrence. Believe me, I asked everyone. Rumors are already flying out of the kitchens. Strange, isn’t it?” A question that needed no answer. Kay was the seneschal, ran the kitchen like a knight-commander, and was never absent for being sick. “But we know, don’t we? Why he’s not to be bothered?” Bedivere shook his head, frowning a bit.
“We don’t know shit for sure. It’s possible that Kay simply felt embarrassed and took something personally. His pride matters a lot to-”
“Do not play stupid, good Sir. We both smelled it, did we not?” Dinadan’s playful nature gave way to that insightful voyeur who knew the business of damn near everyone in Camelot. He did not come here to play games with the witch-knight.
“Sure, there was something there, but honestly what business is it of ours? Not like he invited us to nest with him for it. He’s down for a couple of days and’ll be back barking orders in the kitchen like he was never gone. What are you implying we are to do about it?” Perhaps Bedivere had overplayed his hand with the gossiping knight. The whimsical curling grin came back, spelling out the error clear as day between them both.
“I never said we ought to help him, nor that it was fully our business. But it is so very good to see that you and I are of a similar mind on this.” Dinadan hopped off the bed, a spring in his step that only fit a dog with a bone. “We could sniff around, so to speak, and see if our theory is correct. If it isn’t? Well, I’ll tell you some rumors that would absolutely make your day all the better.”
This piqued the beta’s interest as there was usually nothing he could want to hear from the blond knight, but to be so sure as to stake being wrong on it? He had to know. “What’s it about? A sample to see if this is worth my time.” Dinadan tilted his head and beamed, bright as the sun.
“I’ll tell you something juicy about Arthur.”