Title: Someone New on Halloween
Fandom: Merlin
Category: Slash (Modern AU)
Characters: Percival/Gwaine, Guinevere, Elyan
Ratings/Warning: T (mild language/some sexual themes)
Word Count: 3,261
Summary: Percival loves his best friends, Elyan and Gwen, and he loves attending their annual Halloween party. However, he does not like the fact they try to set him up with a new man at the gathering every single year. Elyan and Gwen finally agree to stop meddling in Percival's (nonexistent) love life, but then a handsome stranger arrives at the party…
Fluff, romance, and a little heat. One-shot.
A/N – I love the Perwaine pairing, and since Halloween is closing in (as I write this), I thought it was the right time for a modern AU featuring Percival and Gwaine meeting at a Halloween party. In this tale, they are both American and living in New England, the home of all things wonderfully autumnal.
Someone New on Halloween
With his favorite Halloween tunes drifting from the kitchen speakers, Percival kneaded a thick mound of dough on the countertop. Baking was one of his cherished pastimes, especially when he knew his friends would enjoy the result of his labor.
Taking a quick break from his work, Percival glanced at the party invitation stuck to his fridge. Elyan and Gwen, his best friends from college, had invited him to their annual Halloween bash at their parents' cabin in the woods, through the word "cabin" failed to adequately describe the luxurious home. It was more of a classy chalet with sleek wooden floors, a gourmet kitchen, six massive bedrooms, and wraparound decks on both the lower and upper levels, offering a view of the pristine river below. Oh, and the twelve-person hot tub was nothing to sneeze at, either. Needless to say, he could not wait to attend tomorrow night.
Dusting his hands with more flour, Percival leaned down and worked the dough again, pondering how much he loved autumn in New England, with its crisp nights, dazzling displays of colorful leaves, and weekend pickup football games with his friends. At age twenty-four, he still grew excited about pumpkin picking and handing out candy to trick-or-treaters.
He did not, however, welcome the creepy aspects of the season. Ghosts and zombies kind of scared the crap out of him. What he also did not enjoy about Halloween was that Elyan and Gwen tried to set him up with someone at their party every. Single. Year. The two of them had been playing matchmaker since Percival turned eighteen. Before last year's bash, Percival told Gwen and Elyan that he would not attend their gathering if they tried to set him up again.
"Can't you leave a poor, single gay man alone?" he pleaded.
Grudgingly, they gave in and agreed to stop meddling in his love life.
Returning to his bread kneading, Percival smiled when he thought about what his friends' house would look like tomorrow. Elyan would prop fake headstones in the front yard, and inside, he would run his fog machine, which would make the fake cobwebs draped over the furniture appear almost real.
Gwen acted as chef for the night each year, and she went all out. Last year, the menu featured homemade pumpkin ciabatta rolls for the cold cuts, and she had spent all day carving orange peppers to look like little pumpkins before she stuffed them with rice and beans. There was always enough appetizers, lasagna, dips, and salad to feed a small army, and that was in addition to themed drink with names like Zombi-tini and Devil's Punch. And Percival would not turn down one of those glorious caramel apples rolled in chocolate chips. His mouth watered at the thought of sinking his teeth into that sweet goodness.
He and Gwen shared an inside joke that they were "pumpkin fiends," so Percival was happy to indulge her with one of her favorite snacks, pumpkin hummus. He had whipped up the appetizer earlier, and it chilled in the refrigerator, inside of a hollowed-out pumpkin, naturally. She'd be pleased with his warm loaves of homemade garlic bread, too. Putting it all together was no hardship, as he loved to cook and bake.
Besides, Gwen and Elyan were the best friends a man could ask for. Percival had come out as gay his freshman year of college, and he had been terrified, but Gwen and Elyan stood by his side, literally and figuratively. For the first two weeks after he made the announcement, they stuck by him every free moment, all but forcing him to join them for dinner each night at the dining commons, and finding reasons to study with him constantly.
"I will kick anyone's ass who messes with Percival!" Elyan announced one night at an off-campus party.
No one ever messed with Percival after that.
Percival set aside his bread dough to proof, washed up, then headed out to pick up something that might resemble a Halloween costume. Driving down the street, he wondered what to dress up as this year. If he tried to wear all black and cover himself in fake cobwebs for the second year in a row, Gwen might admonish him for lacking proper Halloween enthusiasm.
He parked his car at the thrift shop and strode inside, hoping the offerings would inspire him. When you were six-foot-four, you couldn't just saunter into Target and grab a costume that fit correctly. He poked around and found a long, red cape. Next to the clothing rack stood a bin filled with a haphazard mess of toys, in which Percival found a plastic sword. He rushed home with his purchases, and then he looked up a video on how to make a knight's helmet out of cardboard. As he cut, duct-taped, and applied silver paint, he got really into it.
"Sir Percival, Knight of Camelot. Such a funny thought." He chuckled as he put the finishing touches on the helmet.
XXXX
The following evening, dressed in his knight's "regalia," Percival showed up early for Gwen and Elyan's to help them set up for the party. When he walked inside, the welcome aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg met his nose, and flickering orange candles perched on tall pedestals bathed the foyer with gentle light. Classical Halloween music grew louder as Percival approached the kitchen in the back, and the aroma of roasted garlic and simmering tomato sauce made his mouth water.
Percival sneaked up on Gwen, who had dressed like a queen, complete with a plastic crown balanced on top of her curls.
"Boo!" Percival tapped her shoulder.
She jumped, then spun around. "Yay! You're here." She hugged him. "You look great. I love that helmet." Gwen peeked inside of the bag he carried. "Your famous garlic bread and pumpkin hummus? Too good."
Percival set aside his helmet and sword and helped Gwen remove heavy trays of baked pasta from the oven and replaced them with stuffed mushrooms and artichoke dip. Meanwhile, Elyan hung up the final decorative touches (fake bats) and turned on the smoke machine. Next, he loomed over his DVD collection.
"Percival, what do you think, The Addams Family or The Exorcist?"
Trying not to shudder, Percival approached. He would do just about anything to avoid watching gory horror movies playing on the 60-inch flat-screen TV with the volume cranked all night long.
"The Addams Family," Percival said quickly, as the doorbell rang. "Let me queue up the movies. Go ahead and answer the door."
Percival loaded the DVD changer with The Addams Family, E.T., Hocus Pocus, and Young Frankenstein. Those movies did not feature terrifying, possessed children spewing green vomit, nor hollow-eyed corpses clambering out of shallow graves, much to Percival's relief.
Before long, dozens of costumed revelers poured into the home, and the party started. Percival had a great time dancing around the kitchen with Gwen, whose plastic crown sat on her head crookedly. Percival decided to don his helmet again, since he'd put so much effort into making it. He appreciated the fact the visor worked, so he could flick it out of his face when hovering near the stove top. However, oddly, his sword had gone missing.
Just as Gwen and Percival removed a hot dip from the oven, a man Percival didn't recognize wandered in. He wore a leather jacket, a snug black T-shirt that clung to his muscular torso, and torn jeans. He'd slicked his hair back, and dark stubble peppered his jaw. The guy was sexy as hell and exactly Percival's type, though he would be straight, just like all the good ones were.
Percival had approached men precisely zero times in his life. He had a couple of boyfriends he'd met on dating sites, but they didn't last, because they were into having lots of boyfriends at once, and he wasn't.
Moving closer, the ruggedly handsome stranger removed his sunglasses and hung them on the front of his shirt. "You're a knight! How cool is that? Did you make that helmet?"
Percival's mouth went completely dry. And when had Gwen slipped out of the kitchen? "Yeah." So slick, Percival. A one-syllable answer?
After taking a steadying breath, Percival tried again. "Are you dressed as Dallas from The Outsiders?'
"Damn, no way! I can't believe you guessed." His dark brown eyes held humor and soulfulness. They were the kind you could get lost in. "I just finished my shift at the hospital, and this was all I could toss together. Good thing this jacket turned up in the hospital's lost and found closet. It's been sitting there for six months, so I decided to borrow it for the evening."
"It lends an air of authenticity. You did a great job."
"I tried." The corner of his mouth lifted as he gave a casual shrug. "I'm Gwaine, by the way." He extended his hand, and they shook. "I'm a nurse at the hospital, not a doctor like everyone assumes."
"I'm Percival, and I'm not straight, like everyone assumes so I get it." Why the hell had he blurted that out? Percival looked for an escape route before he had to pry his foot out of his mouth again.
Chuckling, Gwaine shook his head. "I know what this is. Gwen and Elyan are trying to set us up."
Wait, this gorgeous man was gay? "They didn't mention anything about you."
"They didn't say anything about you, either. Maybe it's just good luck we met. Wait, are you married, or do you have a boyfriend? If so, this night just got a million times worse."
"Nope. Single." Percival was proud of himself for producing a coherent response, one where he did not stutter or babble.
"Nice. Same here. Now, what do you think about taking off that helmet?"
Percival was still wearing it? Shit, he hadn't even realized. He tried to remove the helmet, but sweat made it stick to his skin, and he couldn't take it off without ruining all his hard work. His hands gripping the head covering, Percival bent and contorted, trying to preserve… a cardboard helmet. He might have just been the most ridiculous man alive.
"Want some help?" Gwaine asked with a good-natured laugh.
"Please."
Gwaine gave it a quick twist and a lift, and it came right off. "As a nurse, I'm always helping people out of things that are stuck on them. It's a specialty of mine. In fact, I keep bolt cutters behind the charge nurse's desk."
"I'm dying to hear what you've cut off people."
Percival and Gwaine stood in the kitchen, where Gwaine regaled Percival with hospital stories from the hilarious to the heartbreaking.
"I love my job and the stories that come along with it. What do you do?"
Percival hated this part, talking about being an actuary, because most people found it unbearably dull, but he loved it. Numbers were predictable, they did not lie, and they never let you down. Each day as an actuary posed new challenges, and he had the chance to travel a few days each month, which he enjoyed. But when he tried to explain what he did—modeling insurance reserves and completing financial projections—most people's eyes glazed with boredom.
"I'm an actuary."
"That's cool. Um, what is that, exactly?"
Percival laughed. "It's a lot of number crunching for insurance companies."
"Yeah, but how do you do that?"
"Do you really want to know?"
Gwaine nodded eagerly, which Percival found endearing.
"All right, but we'll need food first," Percival said.
After loading up plates, Percival and Gwaine sat down in the dimly lit dining room near the deck doors as party-chatter rose and fell around them. Percival offered a basic overview of statistical analysis and projects he'd worked on. Then he talked about the interesting places he'd traveled. Gwaine seemed genuinely interested and asked questions.
They shifted topics soon thereafter, moving on to music and movies. They talked over their lasagna, salad, and the garlic bread Percival had made.
"Your bread is so good." With an appreciative groan, Gwaine polished off the rest of his slice. "I feel bad I ran out of time and just brought wine."
"That's five bottles of the good stuff. It's nice of you."
Gwaine crossed to the kitchen and poured two glasses of dark red Burgundy. He returned and handed a glass off to Percival. They each took a sip and smiled in approval.
Steam billowing off the surface of the outdoor hot tub and rising into the night caught Percival's eye, and he turned to face it. It was so chilly out, no one had gone out onto the deck to brave the water yet.
Gwaine took a healthy sip of wine. "What the hell?" He tilted his head toward the tub. "I'm going in."
"Did you bring a swimsuit?"
"I'm wearing boxer briefs. Close enough. You coming?"
What did it matter if Percival stripped down to his underwear out on the deck? People all over the house wore skimpy costumes. Were boxer briefs all that different? He followed Gwaine outside and spotted a tall stack of fluffy towels resting on the bench next to the tub. Bless Gwen and Elyan for paying attention to their guests' comfort. A fierce wind blew, and Percival shuddered. Best to disrobe quickly and hop into the water.
Gwaine took Percival's wine glass and his own and placed them on a low table situated close to the tub. Lazily, Gwaine then peeled off his clothing, and Jesus, what a body that man had. Percival appreciated the narrow waist, broad shoulders, and the pure, chiseled muscle of Gwaine's chest and abdomen. Percival didn't want to get caught staring, so he turned his attention to divesting himself of his costume quickly, grateful he wore his best boxer briefs, not the faded, frayed ones he favored wearing on weekends.
Gwaine climbed up the steps into the hot tub, slid into the water up to his chin, and moaned. "Oh, yes."
Did he sound like that in bed? Christ, Percival, get a grip.
Elyan popped outside and frowned. "This is ridiculous." His face split into a wide grin. "It's ridiculous that your wine glasses are almost empty!" He topped them off and left the bottle behind.
"You are the best host," Gwaine called after Elyan.
Relaxing in their warm cocoon of bubbling water, Percival and Gwaine continued their conversation from the dining room. Gwaine told Percival he was a West-coast boy, looking for a taste of New England, and that his boyfriend had dumped him a month after they moved here, which had been almost half a year ago.
Percival and Gwaine kept talking until their fingers pruned and the wine bottle stood empty. Forget about his jaw-dropping good looks, Gwaine was fun and flirty and smart.
Closing his eyes, Gwaine leaned back and allowed his head to rest against the edge of the tub. "So that's my story. I'm a one-man kind of guy." He sounded dead serious for the first time all night.
Hallelujah, thought Percival. "Same here."
Adjusting his position in the tub, he tried not to shiver. During the past half hour, it had turned flat-out cold, and if he allowed more than his face to rise above the water, the frigid air made his skin hurt.
"Come closer." Gwaine flashed a sexy grin. "Then we'll be warmer."
Percival inched closer, until their knees touched.
"Not close enough," Gwaine teased.
"Any closer, I'll be on your lap."
"Now that's a good idea."
Was this happening? It was happening. Percival shifted onto Gwaine's lap. Every inch of Gwaine was rock solid, Percival observed.
"I'm gonna kiss you now," Gwaine said, "so unless you have any objection..."
"No objection," Percival answered quickly, his voice husky.
Their lips met in an explosive kiss, something deep, hungry, and unexpected. Their tongues stroked and tangled as Percival dug his fingers into Gwaine's biceps. Percival hadn't been kissed like that, in, well, ever. The heat of excitement rising in Percival's chest stirred long-repressed feelings of passion to life. It stirred other parts of him to life, too.
At that very inopportune moment, Arthur and Gwen splashed into the tub in their underwear. A "thing" had been brewing between them since freshman year of college. Were they finally going to act on it?
"Carry on, you two," Gwen chided.
"Thanks, but I'm ready to warm up in front of the fireplace." Gwaine glanced at Percival. "And you?"
The hot tub could no longer compete with the frosty winds whipping across the water's surface, and Percival's bones ached. "Absolutely."
Howling curses as cold air lashed their bodies, Percival and Gwaine wrapped towels around their waists, collected their costumes, and dashed indoors. Clad in nothing but damp boxer briefs and towels, they stood before the fireplace, arms out, turning in slow circles, waiting for the fire to warm them. The fairy and the vampire who sat on the couch and made out did not seem to care one bit about Percival and Gwaine, nor did the twenty other people milling around nearby, chatting and laughing.
"You know what?" Gwaine kept turning. "Gwen and Elyan set us up. I'm sure of it, but I can't bring myself to be annoyed right now."
Percival smiled. "Neither can I."
After a long pause, Gwaine asked, "I was wondering, would you like to go on a real date tomorrow night? With me, that is."
"Yeah, I would love that."
"There's a great Thai place down the street from my apartment. Do you like Thai?"
Percival would have eaten soggy lettuce to have the chance to spend more time with Gwaine, but he did enjoy Thai food. "I sure do."
After they dressed in separate bedrooms, they exchanged numbers.
"I might not be the best cook, but I am a master at choosing after-dinner wine," Gwaine said. "If you want, you can come over after we eat."
"That sounds good." It sounded great.
A couple of hours later, the party wound down, but Percival and Gwaine stayed to help clean up.
Percival wiped down a kitchen counter, cornering Gwen and Elyan as he did so. "I know you two set me up with Gwaine tonight."
The siblings pointed at one another.
"He did it!"
"She did it."
Percival laughed at their antics.
"I'm not complaining," Percival told his friends. "I wanted to thank you."
"Gwaine's a really good guy," Gwen glanced over her shoulder to make sure Gwaine was still outside on the deck collecting empty cups. "I met him at the flu shot clinic a month ago, and you know how much I hate shots. I was sobbing like a baby, holding up the whole line, but he was so nice and patient." She rested her hand on Percival's arm. "Only the best for my best friend."
"He's my best friend, too," Elyan said with a pout.
Percival wanted to ask Gwen how things were going with Arthur, but she and Elyan started in on such a sibling bicker-fest that Percival decided it was time to walk away.
After the last bit of tidying, Percival and Gwaine wandered out to their cars together, their breath turning into clouds of frost on the cold, clear evening. Gwaine went in for one last kiss, and Percival could not help but sigh when Gwaine's lips met his. The scrape of Gwaine's stubble and the strong arms surrounding Percival made his skin tingle and his heart skip a beat.
Gwaine pulled back slightly. "One more question." He threaded his fingers through Percival's. "You'll probably think this is the goofiest thing ever, but would you mind going pumpkin picking with me before dinner tomorrow night? It's something I do every year, deck out my place with way too many pumpkins."
"I'd love to. People say my pumpkin obsession is childish, but I can't get enough of the things."
Gwaine's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Tell me you love carving them."
"I do love carving them."
"Yes!" Gwaine held up his hands in a comical victory salute. "See you tomorrow."
They shared one last goodnight peck. Percival hated to say goodbye, but he reminded himself it wasn't really a goodbye. It was the start of something new and exciting.
THE END