Three Times a Pattern

Content warnings: inebriation, implied alcoholic side character/s, implied drunk sex (could be perceived as dubious consent due to inebriation)

Merlin had, this once, actually been to the tavern. For once, he wasn't out on some big adventure, hindering an assassination attempt or saving Camelot's fate. Instead, he'd had a quiet night, one where Arthur for once hadn't given him a ton of extra chores. Thus, he'd chosen to visit the tavern.

He'd bumped into some of the knights once there. Gwaine, naturally, along with Percival, Ethan and Leon. Lancelot was out somewhere with Guinevere if the other knights' gossip were to be believed.

They invited Merlin to drink alongside them, something that for most servants would've been more than a privilege. For Merlin it didn't come as a surprise. Despite feeling the distance between them, he saw the knights as his friends. They had been on enough life-threatening adventures together to build a certain bond; despite Merlin being nothing more than a peasant.

That some of the knights had once been like him probably helped. Gwaine certainly didn't seem to have anything against him, as he practically leaned on Merlin a few tankards into the evening. Elyan looked on amused, while Percival seemed somewhat bothered by how loud his friend had gotten from all the alcohol.

"Another round!" Gwaine shouted as he slammed his empty tankard down on the wooden table.

"Gwaine! You're almost falling over in your seat already," Percival complained.

"Only almost?" Gwaine asked with a pout, making Elyan chuckle.

Merlin smiled at the commotion. He too had had a bit of mead and the alcohol lightened up his body and mind.

He glanced around the tavern, seeing variously drunk patrons around the dimly lit room. He turned back to the knights and caught Leon's eyes for a moment. Just for a second. Leon sat at the far end of the table, opposite Merlin, in a poorly lit corner. It made him easy to look past, so Merlin hadn't noticed his intense stare until then. As soon as their eyes met Leon quickly averted his eyes.

But that moment Leon had looked at him… He hadn't been smiling. He'd looked tense and somewhat troubled. A panicked feeling grew inside Merlin. Had Leon noticed something? Did he suspect Merlin of something?

He always felt that his relationship towards Leon was somewhat odd. If he could even call it a relationship. He knew Leon cared for Arthur. Sometimes he felt like he was the only one looking out for Arthur as much as Merlin.

All the same, Leon had been a knight long before Arthur became king. He'd always been part of another world. While he acted relaxed with the other knights, despite their past, he never seemed to have opened up to Merlin the same way.

Perhaps it was because of his standing as a servant, but it could just as well be because of their differences beyond that. Merlin didn't know much about Leon except that he was an honourable knight.

Merlin was shaken out of his worries as Percival laughed at something that Elyan had said. From the way Leon was once again focused on the conversation, he didn't seem ready to arrest Merlin right at this moment. He decided to put his worries aside for the night and let himself have a free night. Thus, he didn't decline Gwaine's challenge for a drinking contest.

Somehow Gwaine kept up well despite being several tankards further into the night than Merlin. Or Merlin was just something of a lightweight.

Leon declined Gwaine's first few challenges but eventually joined in on the fun. The mead seemingly helped him relax further.

Merlin couldn't help but wonder how Gwaine was still conscious after the amount he put away. Eventually, Percival got enough and dragged Gwaine with him out of the tavern. Which they all, in their various drunken states, found hilarious.

Merlin decided to down the last of his mead before heading back to the castle. Elyan excused himself after drinking his last few drops. Somehow he managed to look composed as he stood up and left.

That was until he tripped over the door frame on the way out, breaking his previous composition. Merlin and Leon laughed at the knights' stumble.

It took Merlin a while in his intoxicated state to notice that only he and Leon remained of their company. He looked back at Leon, seeing his face flushed red and his eyes somewhat clouded. He couldn't have looked much better himself. He imagined the tips of his ears were as red as the Camelot capes by now. Merlin finished his drink and made to stand up.

Only to almost topple over immediately. Leon stood up too, as he tried to help straighten Merlin. Which lead to them looking like two unsteady poles trying to lean against each other. Merlin burst into giggles from the whole ordeal. When he glanced up at Leon he found a soft smile on his face.

"I'll help you get back," Leon slurred. Merlin only nodded in answer as he tried to get the world to stop spinning for a moment.

They stumbled together on their way back towards the castle. It was dark, which made the whole thing much harder. The stars above were pretty though, but when Merlin tried to look at them he almost fell over.

He was quite sure he did end up falling into a haystack somewhere along the way, though he wasn't sure. He thought he vaguely remembered seeing Leon leaning over him in fits of giggles while holding out a hand towards him.

They somehow got inside the castle. Into a hallway. At least it was a little bit warmer and brighter inside. But they were still far from Gaius and Merlin's quarters.

Merlin had to stop on the way, leaning against a wall, as he tried to gain his bearings. Leon did the same beside him. Somehow they still managed to fall over as they continued. Merlin managed to land on something soft. It took him a moment to realise it was because Leon was under him. Once he did, it set off another bout of giggling.

Then he realised how close they were. Faces only inches apart. He could see small flecks of green in Leon's eyes this close. He could see how his eyelashes had a golden brown tint to match his hair. And- He looked quite pretty in the candlelit corridor. A few freckles stood out against his flushed face and his lips looked soft…

Merlin woke up to light shining on his face and an ache splitting his head in two. He groaned, letting himself lay in self-pity for a moment. Eyes closed against the horrible light. It was cruel of the sun to be up so early.

Then he groaned again, louder this time. If the sun was up, he probably should have been too. He might even be late. Arthur was definitely going to kill him. Bloody tavern.

Then he tried to move, eyes still closed against the light, but there was a weight pinning him down. He wondered if something had fallen over him as he slept or if his body was just that weak after a night of heavy drinking. His bed had never felt better and he hated the thought that he'd have to get up and leave it.

Merlin peered one eye open, before closing it quickly again at the bright light. He breathed deeply a few times—his chest feeling heavy—as he tried to will himself into opening his eyes, preparing for the pain it'd bring.

Just as he'd worked up the courage to open his eyes, he felt something move—something in his bed.

His eyes flew open, ignoring the lightning of pain going through his brain because of the panic. What he saw wasn't the usual stones in the ceiling in his bedroom. Instead, he stared at the inside of a canopy. Even odder, it wasn't a familiar canopy. It wasn't the same colour as Arthur's.

He wiggled. The bed felt softer, not because of his hangover, but because it wasn't his bed. The softness of the sheets wasn't anything like his usual ones.

He only got that far in his thought process until he heard a groan next to him. A deep, grumpy, groan. The weight over his chest increased, and he realised it felt like an arm squeezing him.

Merlin turned his head and, to his surprise, saw a familiar face next to him. Blue eyes blinking awake. Tousled blond hair and beard and-

Merlin sat up quickly—the movement throwing off the arm that had been resting over his chest. He saw Leon's eyes widen before he sprung towards the other side of the bed only a moment later.

They sat awkwardly staring at each other. Eyes wide, mouths gaping open and closing, just to open again. Not a sound coming out.

"Merlin," Leon eventually got out. Then he furrowed his brows. "What are you doing in my bed?"

Merlin looked away, his eyes trailing over the room. It was certainly a knight's room. He could see that now after it had been pointed out. Leon's room.

"I have no idea."

Then he realised, as he looked around, that a familiar shirt and neckerchief lay on the floor. His shirt and neckerchief. Then his eyes widened even further. Because he realised that he wasn't sure he was wearing… much at all, actually, underneath the sheets.

"Erm. Do you- Are you wearing anything under that?" Merlin asked awkwardly, nodding towards Leon's sheet-covered lap. It took a moment, but Leon's horrified look was answer enough for Merlin. He felt his own breath catch.

"You don't think we-" Leon started to say, but cut himself off. Merlin closed his eyes trying to gather his mind.

Instead, pictures—memories—flashed before him. Leon's soft lips against his, moving slowly and intimately. Stumbling the last of the way through the castle towards Leon's room. Leon's touch over his bare torso. Warm, almost burning.

After that it was hazy. Merlin didn't know if he should've counted it as a blessing or a curse.

"Forget I asked," Leon muttered, looking anywhere but at Merlin.

At least Merlin didn't have to confirm it.

"Right," Merlin said, swallowing thickly. He doubted the nausea he felt was merely from the alcohol he'd drunk the evening before. "I- I have to go. I'm probably already late. I- Arthur will kill me."

If possible, Leon looked even more horrified for a moment. Then he coughed into his hand, turning away again. "Right. Of course."

Leon firmly kept his eyes averted as Merlin got out of bed and hastily got dressed. Thankfully his pants were by the bed, which made dressing a whole lot easier. He found his boots and jacket, thankfully. For a moment he'd had the intense fear that he'd find them out in the hallway, based on the few memories from the previous night.

"Right," Merlin said again, once he was decent, looking at Leon. He hadn't moved an inch from his spot on the bed. It felt quite odd to see him sitting there under the sheets, naked chest visible. One hand holding onto the sheet as if he was afraid it'd run away from him if he didn't keep a hold of it. "I really do have to leave."

Leon nodded. "We- I- We don't have to-"

"No, no," Merlin cut in, feeling his throat grow thick. "We can just forget the whole thing. If that's okay with you. I mean. That's fine with me."

"Right, I was just about to say- It's probably for the better," Leon said. They both stuttered awkwardly together. Merlin had rarely seen Leon so disoriented.

Somehow they agreed to act like it never happened. Both wanted to put the whole ordeal behind them. Merlin was quite sure they had an unspoken rule that they weren't to tell anyone else what had happened.

He rushed from Leon's room. The hangover was still making itself known. The shock of the morning helped distract him from it somewhat, though he found that the nausea hadn't lessened one bit. Based on how high the sun had climbed he realised he didn't have any spare time to run by his quarters. He would've asked Gaius for something to ease the hangover, but he had to pick up Arthur's breakfast.

He headed straight for the kitchen, picking up the king's tray before hurrying on towards Arthur's chambers. He paused once he arrived outside Arthur's door to compose himself before entering.

"Merlin, where the bloody hell have you been?!" Arthur exclaimed as Merlin entered.

"Sorry, sire," Merlin said as he hastily put down the tray on Arthur's table.

"You know, since I'm king now, I really thought you'd try harder to be. On. Time. "

Arthur was grumpy this morning Merlin concluded. On a normal day, he would've quipped back, but given the headache and—quite frankly—the shock he'd woken up to, he stayed rather quiet as he helped Arthur get ready.

Arthur scrunched his nose as Merlin got closer to him. He sniffed once. Twice. Merlin froze.

"Were you at the tavern last night?" Arthur asked. Merlin relaxed somewhat. "You smell awful, Merlin. I can't have my servant running around smelling like the inside of an old mead barrel."

"Sorry, sire," Merlin said before turning to prepare Arthur's breakfast. Not that there was much to prepare, but it gave him a reason to distance himself from Arthur. That was until Arthur followed after him. He passed Merlin's back closely, before taking a seat at the table.

"We have to prepare for the council today," Arthur said. "Bring me the scrolls from the bedside table."

Merlin did so, then waited patiently as Arthur read through them while eating his breakfast. Normally Merlin would have longed for one of the buns on his plate, but today the thought of them made his stomach churn. He tried to focus whenever Arthur commented on something out loud but found it hard to stay focused.

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked. He let the scroll he'd been reading fall to the table as he looked at Merlin as if he was a mystery.

"Well, yes. Why wouldn't I be?" Merlin asked.

"You're unusually quiet," Arthur said. "You didn't fall and hit your head or something last night?"

"Not from what I can remember, sire."

Merlin wasn't sure actually. He could've very likely hit his head several times the previous night. Most of his memories were unclear at best. Arthur stared at him for another moment, before looking back at his scroll with a huff.

"Very well."

Authors Notes:

Thank you for reading! Don't feel shy leaving a comment about what you liked if you feel like it!

I originally started posting this on AO3 but wanted to start cross-posting it. If future chapters would come to include more intimate scenes those will be removed/fade-to-black here because of site rules.

It's okay to point out typos and such.