A/N The one where Gwaine tries to be sneaky and fails, Leon doesn't have the time or patience for bullshit, and Lancelot is wisely trying to stay out of their obvious issues.

One thing that Lancelot hadn't expected when he joined Camelot's army was the sheer amount of gossip that took place.

That was a behavior he'd expect more from the maids but alas, he had been well and truly instructed on how knights and nobles seemed to spend their free time. And by god, did they like to talk. About everyone and everything. He did his best to stay out of it, personally. News from the grapevine tended to be unreliable and he preferred to judge people based on character.

That being said, it was hard not to pick up on some things and Leon had been the topic of quiet conversation for a few weeks now.

Because something was wrong with Leon.

Granted, no one had explicitly come out and said it quite like that (no one had proved themselves to be stupid enough to broadcast that opinion yet and risk it coming back to bite them all in the ass with extended and likely miserable training drills) but Leon's… odd behavior was fairly obvious to anyone who was willing to pay attention.

And by obvious, Lancelot actually meant that getting hit in the face with a rock couldn't have been more obvious.

It was impossible to ignore and a literally painful to watch.

His last excursion in Camelot prior to becoming a knight had been brief and a good chunk of it had been spent in the dungeons, but nevertheless, Lancelot couldn't help but privately wish he had more of a frame of reference to work off of when it came to this man's personality.

There was just no way that this type of erratic behavior could possibly be normal. Leon was the First Knight of Camelot. The captain of the King's guard. Literally Arthur's right hand man in battle. Before the battle of Camelot, where they retook the citadel from Morgana, Lancelot's first and early impression of Leon was that he had a level head on his shoulders. He was calm and quick-thinking, loyal, and had remarkable courage, among other things.

In short, he displayed all the qualities that were required of his position in the castle.

After the battle, there had been too much going on for anyone to really get to know each other well, especially since Lancelot himself spent a few weeks in the infirmary, recovering from his injuries… but after a couple of weeks and things had started to quiet down and go back to normal, Lancelot couldn't help but think that Leon seemed just a tad unhinged the more he interacted with the man.

Unhinged. Crazy. Loose screws. Had the mood swings of a teenage girl, that sort of thing.

None of it seemed terribly… knightly.

But judging by the surprised staring-but-definitely-not-staring of the other knights, they weren't accustomed to this type of behavior from him either. Thankfully, most of the chatter going around was concern for his well-being. Leon had earned the respect of these men and it warmed Lancelot somewhat to know that they cared enough to be concerned for him. He was as well - Leon was someone that he looked up to and admired. And no one became the First Knight of Camelot and Arthur's right-hand man by displaying this kind of erratic behavior every time something was wrong.

The only person in the whole army who seemed to be taking it all in stride was Gwaine.

Gwaine was wherever Leon was nowadays, which could have been odd, but Lancelot was willing to concede that stranger things had happened in the world then two men becoming good friends. It also wasn't terribly surprising, because Gwaine was chaos and shenanigans incarnate and seemed to be attracted to that type of energy in people. And Leon was all chaotic energy right now.

Being a part of a rag-tag team of outcasts, facing insurmountable odds, and successfully retaking a kingdom together had a tendency to make those involved fast friends. And as off-putting as it might have otherwise been in some situation prior to meeting his new comrades and friends, Lancelot couldn't really bring himself to decline an invitation to go drinking one evening when Gwaine made the offer after practice. They may have been complete opposites but in truth, it sounded like fun.

"Excellent!" Gwaine clapped his hands, rubbing them together with some enthusiasm. "I've been wanting to get to know you a little better, Lancey. It feels like we haven't had much time to talk, you know?"

"It's Lancelot." He responded drily.

There was a short pause.

"Kill-joy."

"Not a kill-joy. I'm just morally opposed to stupid nicknames."

Gwaine paused, rolling his eyes and looking upwards at the sky as if asking it for patience. "Why am I not surprised?"

Lancelot shot him a smug grin and bent over to pick up his stuff. "Where are we going for drinks, then?"

The dark haired knight slapped him on the shoulder with good humor. "The Rising-Sun." He declared happily. "I've spent the last few weeks scouting out the different taverns in Camelot in my down time and after much study and comparison, I've determined the Rising Sun to be the best in the city."

Lancelot seriously doubted any of that was a lie. He raised a hand and bid farewell to a few other men and then together he and Gwaine made their way back to the castle barracks.

"I'll concede to your expert opinion."

Gwaine nodded sagely. "Quite right, my friend. I am a connoisseur, and I know my trade."

"Is it just you and I tonight?"

"Leon too." Was the quick reply. "I think a night out will do him some good. He needs to relax a little."

Lancelot tilted his head, unable to do anything except agree to that. He hadn't seen the man in the last two days, but prior to that, he'd been assisting in training some new recruits and as was custom, they had been gathered on the training grounds and had spent a few minutes before starting to talk amongst themselves, bragging about their skill or family-name and other such things that youth are prone to do. One particularly brash young man had been overheard declaring premature victory over any future sorcerer who tried usurp the king or prince-regent.

According to him, spotting a sorcerer was child's play and as long as he was a knight, Camelot would never fear another attack from magic again.

At that point, Leon turned around and without hesitation, threw a knife directly at him so that it stuck in the ground a hairsbreadth away from the young man's boot, causing him to jump back in alarm and screech like a chipmunk. In a lethal tone, Leon then proceeded to tell him and everyone else present that that kind of arrogance and stupidity was not welcome in his army and if they all wanted to stay for longer than five minutes before being sent home to their family estates in shame, then they all better learn to shut up and do it quickly.

So yeah.

Lancelot could agree that Leon needed a night off to relax.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached the barracks and since they shared different rooms, they were about to split off in order to wash-up and change.

"Is Leon meeting us at the tavern?"

Gwaine hesitated. "Ah. Well, no." He said, scratching the back of his neck. "Truth be told, I thought the invitation might be better received if it came from you. I've been around him a lot lately. He might be tired of my company at this point. Hard to say, I think I'm a delight to be around, but there's a better chance he'll say yes if you invite him."

Lancelot blinked, confused and feeling slightly suspicious all of a sudden. He hadn't gotten the sense that this was anything except a night out between friends but now he wasn't certain. However, when Gwaine's expression remained open and optimistic, Lancelot felt himself relax and after a moment, he shrugged, allowing his suspicions to fade. "I can grab him on my way over. We can just meet outside in the next twenty minutes and then walk over, if you want?"

His fellow knight flashed him a bright smile. "Sounds good to me."

They parted ways and Lancelot was able to wash the sweat and stink off himself before throwing on some fresh clothes and heading for the officers section of the barracks. Leon had his own private rooms, something that was earned through rank and ones length of service in the army. They weren't what anyone would call luxury, not in comparison to the royal rooms in the castle, but they were still spacious, well furnished, and most of all private.

He approached Leon's door, noting that there was noticeable candlelight shining through the cracks under the door and then knocked loudly, but politely.

After a moment, he heard Leon call, "Enter." With a tone that sounded not unlike wearied dismay.

Pushing the door open, Lancelot poked his head in and then stepped inside.

Leon was at his desk, surrounded by papers. His room, which was well-lit, was something of a disaster. Most of the floor was covered in clothes and various pieces of weaponry, and his bed was unmade. Lancelot couldn't help but privately wonder if this was normal for the normally immaculate knight or if a maid just hadn't been by in a few days.

"Oh, Lancelot." Leon almost looked relieved to see him, sitting up and setting some papers aside. "Sorry, I thought you were… someone else. What can I do for you?"

Lancelot shook his head, not thinking too hard on who that someone else might be. "Nothing. Just wanted to know if you'd like to go out for a drink tonight at the Rising Sun?"

Leon blinked and glanced out his window to take note of the sun's position in the sky. It was dusk now, the sunset outside a bright array of orange, yellow, and pink. "I didn't realize the time." He remarked, surprised. He blew out a breath, running a hand through his hair. Judging by the state of it, he'd done that a lot today. He looked up at Lancelot and gave him a grim smile. "Don't ever become the first knight of Camelot." He warned lightly. "The paperwork is a bitch."

Lancelot laughed freely. "I can only imagine. So, what do you say? You up for a night out?"

Leon pushed his chair back and stood up, stretching tight muscles. "Why the hell not? I need to get out of these rooms for a bit." He asked, reaching for his sword which was leaning against the side of his desk.

"Do you have a lot of work left?" Lancelot gestured to the paperwork on his desk.

"Not really. I'll turn it in tomorrow afternoon."

"So, you're willing to get drunk then or should I chaperone?" He teased, causing the blonde knight to bark a laugh as he buckled his sword sheath.

"I'd like to get drunk, personally." Leon admitted freely. "Who all is coming tonight? Anyone else?"

Lancelot shook his head. "No. Just us and Gwaine. This was his idea."

Leon froze. "Hang on. Gwaine put you up to this?" He clarified cautiously.

Sensing a change in atmosphere, Lancelot nodded hesitantly, thinking back to his original suspicions about being the one to ask Leon to come and deciding that his instincts were right the first time. This was definitely a ruse for something else.

The other knight frowned, his brow furrowing in thought. He glanced down at his desk for a moment, his lips moving silently as he started counting something off on his fingers. After a moment, he looked up again.

"What day is it?" He demanded, his tone suddenly sharp. The change in attitude was startling.

"Um. Tuesday, I think."

Leon's eyes widened and his expression quickly became incensed. He aggressively sheathed his sword in his belt and then rounded the table just to point a finger in his face. "No." He said firmly, jabbing his finger at Lancelot again and making him go cross-eyed. "No. You tell Gwaine that I absolutely refuse to go out with you and him, to a tavern, on a damn Tuesday. I will not do it and that bastard is not going to trick me into this. Do I make myself clear?"

Oh god. This was just supposed to be a night out getting drinks. What the hell was Gwaine dragging him in to ?He made a mental note to say no the next time he was invited out for a drink.

Lancelot raised his hands peacefully and took a small step back. "Crystal clear, Sir."

The blonde knight shook his head in what could only be called pure disgust and ran a hand through his hair again in agitation. "Goddammit." He swore fiercely to himself. "Un-fucking-believable. Just one goddammed day is all that I want, is that too much to ask? For the love of God, I just want one day."

Lancelot took a few more steps towards the exit as Leon kept muttering to himself, suddenly feeling that the time to leave had been before he'd walked in the door. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "I'm just… going to go tell him that Tuesdays don't work for you."

"Or Thursday's, for that matter." Was the instant reply.

He nodded sagely, like the aversion to that day as well made perfect sense.

"Or Thursdays." He agreed calmly.

Lancelot had almost made it to the door when Leon spoke again, turning on him faster than a snake could strike.

"Tell Gwaine that if he tries to do this again, I will find a body of water and drown him in it."

Even his own unending politeness couldn't think of an appropriate response to that. He was aware of his mouth hanging open slightly as he tried to process the threat and he quickly snapped it shut and did the only thing he could think of.

He gave Leon a double thumbs up, excused himself as politely as he could and left, shutting the door firmly behind him. He didn't waste time in dallying for a second and quickly decided to leave the general vicinity in order to avoid anymore of whatever the hell that had been. He'd barely turned the first corner before bumping smack into Gwaine who'd apparently been lurking nearby.

It was additional proof (not that Lancelot needed anymore at this point) that Gwaine was up to something.

It took him a moment to calm his heartbeat and when he did, Gwaine gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder.

"So, what'd he say?" He asked eagerly. "Is he coming?"

Lancelot stared at the long haired knight in complete disbelief, wondering what on God's green earth the man had done to the First Knight of Camelot in the four months since they'd been knighted in order to get a reaction like that.

Knowing what he knew of Gwaine, he probably didn't actually want to know and in order to protect his own sanity, he made a pledge to avoid asking. But for the first time, he thought back to recent weeks and wondered how much of Leon's recent… instability and irritability was due to Gwaine hanging around him almost constantly instead of some mental breakdown after a battle like many had been assuming. He silently said a prayer on Leon's behalf, hoping that he'd recover from whichever trauma it actually was quickly and that he wouldn't take it out on any of them during training tomorrow.

Given the intensity of his reaction, he thought the chances of that not happening were incredibly low.

Finally, Lancelot just shook his head. "He said Tuesdays don't work for him."

Gwaine made a face.

"What about –"

"He also said no to Thursdays."

"Damn it." The man actually stomped his foot a little. Gwaine bit his thumbnail, chewing on it for a moment with a serious expression on his face. "Son of a bitch." He finally groused, glaring at the floor in obvious disappointment. "I'd hoped he forgotten by now."

Lancelot didn't have any idea what Gwaine was referring to, but he clapped the man on the shoulder anyways, guiding him away from the door. "I don't think so. And between you and me... you should probably leave him alone for a while. Especially if you happen to be next to any large bodies of water."

A/N Treason Tuesday will never happen so long as Leon has something to say about it. XD

Sorry for a long wait. I haven't really had a lot of ideas for this but I've been sitting on this one for a while and decided to finally finish it. I haven't t really had a lot of ideas for this but I've been sitting on this one for a while and decided to finally finish it.

Timeline: You Know What They Say, Stolen Justice, Damage Control, Treason Tuesday, Shenanigans, Decisions