He downs another drink, one he knows he cannot afford, but enjoys anyway. Gwaine has never been one to worry, and in all honesty, does not particularly care about money at all, as long as he doesn't get caught leaving the pub with an unpaid drink. So instead he focuses on the warmth as the alcohol travels down his throat slowly and he grins happily at the feeling.
It's similar to the feeling of not having a care in the world.
To Gwaine, drinking has been almost an escape from his life. Not in an addicting kind of way, he can part with the alcohol; he does not need it to function day to day. But its just nice to have, kind of like a friend, but a friend who is just there when you need them, not daring to linger more than you want it to.
Unless of course, he gets himself drunk. Which makes the alcohol sort of like an annoying friend who stays the night and makes your head feel absolutely ridiculous the following morning.
Gwaine can't help but laugh at his ridiculous thoughts.
But alcohol isn't his friend anymore, he thinks. He has friends or at least he thinks, hopes, he does. Even though he was once banned from the kingdom and seeing his friends most of the time, the reoccurrence of Merlin and Arthur was…settling. Most of the times they did meet, Arthur was in dire need or Merlin was trying to help him out. But it was still nice when both of them happened to stumble across him outside the realm of Camelot.
When Merlin dragged him along to help Arthur in a quest, it made Gwaine feel important. He did feel important, and remembering his new title, Sir Gwaine, he still does feel important. When he was knighted, he felt like he belonged and he loved that feeling. For such a long time he was wandering just about anywhere and everywhere, but now he has a place.
In fact, he could almost call Camelot home.
And for once in his life he feels like he has to stay.
There are many people in his life that he thinks, that he knows, he would not be able to turn his back on. There is Merlin, his best friend, the one person who tries his very best to be someone who you can trust, something Gwaine is very grateful for.
There is Arthur, the future King, his future King, another friend. He cannot leave the Prince behind it seems, even if he tries. They always end up being drawn back together. And it almost feels like staying and protecting Arthur's kingdom is his destiny.
And of course there is Guinevere, the most caring person he has ever met. The first girl in Camelot that he almost showed undying affection for. But Gwaine knows her heart lies with the Prince and he is more than willing to protect both herself and Arthur as a knight of Camelot.
Then there is Leon and Lancelot and Elyan and Percival, people who shared the experience of serving Arthur in Camelot's hour of need. His relationship with these four people is almost as important as his relationship with Merlin, Arthur and Guinevere.
Gwaine knocks back yet another glass of alcohol. He doesn't know exactly what it is or how big a role the drink will play in his drunkenness, but it still has the taste he loves. The warm feeling again arousing in his throat as he flashes a drunk smile at Merlin, the warlock joining him at the bar.
Gwaine doesn't know if it's the alcohol running through his system or his sudden reflecting mood, but he pulls Merlin into an awkward hug. The skinny warlock giggles at him and wraps his arms around Gwaine's waist before letting go and taking a swig of cider.
It is moments like these, moments that he spends with the most important people in his life, that Gwaine knows he will never leave Camelot.