started writing my @merthurmicrofic prompt fill for ‘party’, had a breakdown, wrote 3k, bon appetit! enjoy this little excerpt as my entry:
~
Arthur’s arm, strong and secure, wraps around his shoulder, and Merlin is so, so grateful not to be left alone to face, what will most likely be, abject humiliation. “Who are you?” Arthur asks, cut-glass voice just slightly too sharp.
“Arthur,” Merlin hisses, admonishing, but Gwaine just smiles, unfazed as ever.
“Gwaine Orkney,” he says, and does not extend a hand for Arthur to shake. “And you are?”
“Arthur Pendragon,” Arthur drawls, somehow making each of the syllables sound expensive. He pauses a moment, leg pressing against Merlin’s side, then adds, “Merlin’s boyfriend.”
Fucking shit fuck shit, Merlin thinks, eyes going wide. He watches for any minuscule twitch, any tiny indication on Gwaine’s face that this information means something, anything, to him. Gwaine’s face, of course, remains perfectly schooled, eyes fixed on Arthur. “Oh, are you? I didn’t know Merlin was seeing anybody,” he says, his tone totally neutral and pleasant.
“Yes, well. He is. We are.” Arthur pulls Merlin in closer. “Aren’t we, honey?”
“Um,” Merlin says, blushing. Gwaine’s eyes dart to his face, and then he’s grinning.
“Good for you, Merlin!” he says, smirking. “Now if you love-birds would excuse me, I’m gonna go and join the party.”
Merlin waits for him to be swallowed up by the crowd before he turns to Arthur, mouth agape.
“What the fuck was that?”
~
read the full thing on AO3 here:
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
biggest of thank yous to @bakerharrystyles for betaing !! 🩷
