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holymultiplefandomsbatman · 2 years

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Drunken Love || Modern Merthur AU

Merlin x Arthur, Gwen x Morgana

Summary: It's Christmas and Merlin is throwing his annual Christmas party.

Arthur is in love with Merlin, Morgana can't stop teasing her brother, Gwen has had enough of the pining, and Lancelot is just done with their nonsense.

What could go wrong?

Words: 2.8k

Warnings: fluff, drinking, idiots in love, mutual pining, truth or dare, cursing

Read on AO3

“That’s the eggnog talking. I’m cutting you off.”

Arthur protests loudly when Merlin takes the glass out of his hand. The only thing he did was say that Merlin looks really cute with his red Santa hat.

What's the problem? It's true after all.

Also, he's not drunk!

"Let him drink, Merlin!" Morgana calls from her place on the couch next to Gwen. They're wearing matching Christmas sweaters. Arthur would usually find it cheesy but right now he thinks it's adorable.

"No. He's had enough!"

Merlin empties the eggnog glass himself and Arthur can't help but watch his Adam's apple bob.

Maybe he is drunk. That would explain why he can't keep his eyes off his best friend.

"I'm too sober for this..."

Lancelot next to him shakes his head and grabs the eggnog bottle that Arthur was about to drink out of. He empties it with one big gulp.

"Can't stand all the eye-fucking, huh?" Morgana asks and the grin that spreads across her face is a mix of amused and downright evil.

Sometimes, Arthur is legitimately scared of his sister.

"Who's eye-fucking?"

Gwen giggles as she buries her face in Morgana's shoulder, mumbling something about men being stupid.

"You and Merlin."

Lance has somehow found another bottle of eggnog that he's now pouring himself. Arthur tries to grab it but the bastard is quick and his own intoxicated brain too slow.

"We're not eye-fucking." he says, feeling like he needs to defend himself.

"Bullshit. You guys have been dancing around each other for ages. It's time you do something about it!"

Lance puts the bottle out of his reach while he talks. Bastard.

"That's not even true!"

Arthur's attempts at convincing his friends only earn him laughter, except for Merlin who has disappeared. Maybe he's in the kitchen to get food.

He could also help him defend their honor against these idiots...

"We're friends, okay? That's it!"

Morgana just shakes her head and rolls her eyes. With a sigh she stands up and leaves, maybe to find Merlin. Arthur doesn't know and he also doesn't care much right now.

Lance lets his forehead collide with the table. He mumbles something incoherent and Arthur is pretty sure he's cursing all of them.

"We're not eye-fucking!"

He says it again as if it can change anything. It doesn't help either that his words are slightly slurred.

Gwen smiles at him from the couch. Her hair is slightly messy by now, a few strands have slipped out of her updo. She looks cute. His sister is a lucky girl.

"Sure you're not." Morgana re-enters the room with Merlin trailing behind her, a strange look on his face. He doesn't look at Arthur as he sits down beside him again.

Weird...

"Let's just end this, okay? It's all a back and forth thing anyway." Merlin suggests. There's an edge to his voice.

"Alright, the host has spoken! Let's play a game!” Morgana says, a wide grin on her lips. She always has that expression when she's planning something.

That's not good...

Lance makes an annoyed sound and raises an eyebrow. "What kind of game?"

Morgana's grin is definitely evil now. She looks at Arthur and then at Merlin next to him.

"We're playing Truth Or Dare."

Fuck.

Lance's head collides with the table again. He seems just as annoyed as Arthur feels.

Morgana grabs the empty bottle from the table and motions for all of them to sit on the carpet. She leans back against the couch and pulls Gwen closer.

Arthur rolls his eyes and stands up shakily. He stumbles over to his friends, dropping down on the carpet next to Morgana with a low thud.

Okay, maybe he really is drunk...

Merlin sits down next to Gwen and leaves an empty space between them.

Ouch.

Lance comes over with his glass full of eggnog, looking back and forth between the two of them for a moment before he rolls his eyes and takes his place across from Morgana and Gwen.

"Let's go!" Gwen grins. Arthur isn't sure if she likes the game so much or just sees an opportunity to mess with her friends.

Probably both, now that he thinks about it. His sister has a bad influence on her.

Gwen places the bottle in the middle of their circle and spins it. When it finally stops, the bottle points at Lance.

"Truth or dare?"

Lance sighs. "Truth."

"Out of all of us here, is there someone you think is hot?"

Lance takes a big sip of his eggnog before he answers.

"Yes. You and Merlin."

Merlin turns almost as red as the hat he's wearing. Arthur grits his teeth.

Morgana laughs, her eyes fixed on her brother. "I think you've made Arthur angry..."

Lance just shrugs. He looks at Arthur sitting next to him and shrugs.

"Then maybe our princess should get a move on."

Arthur's eyebrows rise to the sky. Lance is usually the one person to calm them all down when they get like this. Apparently this time he's just over it.

It might also be the fact that he's drunk.

"Bastard."

Lance laughs, a full-on laugh that fills the room. "I'm just saying... maybe you should get your act together, man."

He spins the bottle. It lands on Morgana who grins at him. She's having too much fun with this...

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare. I'm not a coward."

She looks right at Arthur when she says it. It's a challenge and he might be drunk enough to accept it.

Lance thinks for a moment. It's not a surprise, Morgana likes challenges. There's hardly anything that gets under her skin.

"Show us that tattoo you have."

Arthur looks at his sister in surprise. He doesn't even know about that. How did he miss it?

Morgana stands up and raises her green Christmas sweater. On her right side, right over her ribs, is the tattoo, letters in black ink that spread over her skin.

"Freedom," Arthur reads out loud. It looks impressive. He hasn't taken his sister as a person who would get herself tattooed.

Apparently he was wrong.

Morgana lowers her sweater again and smiles. "I got it after I was arrested and thrown into jail. All because I stood up for myself and the people who matter to me..."

Gwen smiles at her and laces their fingers together after she has sat down again.

Arthur knows the story. Morgana has fought for equality and the rights of LGBTQ+ people her whole life. Her relationship with Gwen has only fueled her fire. His sister is an activist, a fighter for freedom at heart and he's proud of her for it.

Sometimes he wishes he could be as strong as her.

Morgana takes the bottle and spins it. It lands on Arthur.

Oh god...

Her eyebrows rise as she looks at him with a challenging grin.

"Truth or dare?"

Arthur has never been someone to back down from a challenge.

"Dare."

Morgana smiles, satisfied. Arthur's heart is beating heavily in his chest as he waits for her to decide.

"You have a tattoo, don't you? Show it to us."

Relief washes over him. Thank God she has spared him this time.

Arthur pulls his red shirt over his head with a shrug and turns around.

Someone gasps but he can't tell who it is.

"A dragon," Gwen whispers.

On Arthur's back is a dragon, tattooed in black ink. It spreads over his skin with extended wings and an open mouth. The eyes are the only part of the tattoo that isn't black, piercing dots of ruby red that catch the viewer's gaze instantly.

Arthur puts his shirt back on and turns back towards his friends. His eyes almost accidentally settle on Merlin. His best friend's face is flushed and he swallows before looking back at Arthur.

Strange.

Arthur spins the bottle with a certain excitement. He's almost disappointed when it points to Gwen.

"Truth or dare, Gwen?"

She looks him right in the eye and shrugs.

"I don't really care. Truth, I guess."

"Have you ever had a crush on anyone of us before Morgana?"

Gwen looks down at her hands in contemplation before she answers, "I did have a crush on Lance once – and I thought Merlin was cute."

Merlin almost spits out his eggnog.

"What?"

Gwen grins. "You're good-looking, Merlin. Time to realize it."

"Does everyone in here have a crush on me or what?"

"Nope," Morgana shakes her head, "it's nothing personal, I'm just not into men. You're cute though."

Merlin looks over at Arthur as if he expects him to say something as well.

Arthur's face burns under the intense gaze and he turns away. He can't deny it anymore, not when his friends have called him out on it all evening. Why should he be ashamed of it, anyway?

Merlin stares at his hands after a moment of silence. There is a blush on his face as well.

He looks really cute when he's embarrassed...

Gwen clears her throat and disrupts the awkward silence between them. She spins the bottle.

It lands on Merlin.

Arthur's heart leaps into his throat as he watches Gwen’s smile.

"Truth or dare, Merlin?"

Merlin gulps. He looks at the bottle, then up at Gwen and back at the bottle. He seems really conflicted.

Lance turns to him. "Don't let them get to you,” he says in a calm, supportive voice, “do whatever you want, man."

It seems to help. Merlin gives a shrug that Arthur reads as whatever and looks into Gwen's brown eyes.

"Dare."

Morgana whistles through her teeth and grins. "Ooh, he's brave. Nice!”

Gwen looks at her girlfriend and rolls her eyes. She elbows her lightly into the stomach before turning back to Merlin.

"I'm not evil - unlike certain other people here. You told me you recently got a tattoo, didn't you? Show it to me."

Arthur lets out breath of relief.

Merlin smiles thankfully and pulls up his left sleeve. Imprinted on his light skin is a tree.

"Yggdrasil." Merlin explains, "it's a symbol in Norse mythology."

Arthur stares at it. He didn't take Merlin as a person to get a tattoo, either. Apparently he doesn't know his friends as well as he thought.

The tattoo looks interesting. He doesn't know much about Norse mythology but he'd like to find out more now. Maybe Merlin can tell him about it.

"Why did you get it?"

Merlin looks at him in surprise.

"I'm interested in mythology, Norse mythology especially. Yggdrasil is a very important symbol, it's kind of holy. I like it."

He chuckles awkwardly, his cheeks turning red.

"That's about it. Why did you get yours?"

Arthur has to smile. He loves hearing Merlin laugh, it's one of his favorite sounds.

"The dragon is a symbol of strength. I got it to remind myself that I've been through a lot and that I keep fighting no matter what."

Merlin nods.

"Wouldn't a phoenix have been better? Rising from the ashes like you do, still alive and fighting?"

Arthur tilts his head. He hasn't thought about that. "Maybe. I'll think about it. Maybe I'll get a phoenix tattooed in honor of you."

He winks at his best friend and watches him look away in embarrassment. It's cute.

Merlin grabs the bottle as if to escape the situation and spins it. It lands on Lance.

"Truth or dare?"

Lance looks at him expectantly. "Dare."

"Do a handstand for thirty seconds."

Gwen giggles. "He's drunk. That'll be fun."

Lance shrugs and stands up. After a bit of difficulty, he somehow manages to hold the handstand for about forty seconds. Everyone applauds him.

"Nice, man," Arthur grins as he sits down again.

Lance spins the bottle without a comment. It lands on Morgana.

"You again, huh?"

She grins. "I guess."

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

Lance thinks for a moment.

"Who was your first kiss?"

"A guy in the neighborhood. I was seven, he was ten."

Gwen starts to laugh.

"It probably wasn't good, huh?"

Morgana shrugs. "I can't remember. Probably not."

She kisses her girlfriend on the cheek and then spins the bottle herself. It lands on Merlin.

"Truth or dare?"

Merlin looks over at Arthur for a split second, then he takes a deep breath.

His eyes meet Morgana's.

"Dare."

There's surprise on everyone's faces for a second before Lance starts to laugh.

"Didn't take you for someone like that, Merlin. Okay."

Morgana raises an eyebrow, grinning wickedly. "Kiss Arthur."

Arthur's jaw drops.

Merlin looks at him for a moment but then stands up and walks over to him. His heart beats faster with each step.

Merlin's hands are soft as he cups Arthur's face in his hands.

Arthur is still frozen in shock. A blush stains both their cheeks.

Their lips meet for a second, barely enough to count as a kiss, but it sends a spark through Arthur's whole body. He fights the urge to grab Merlin and pull him back in for an actual kiss.

Merlin sits back down in his spot and absentmindedly licks his lips.

Arthur can't take his eyes off him.

"Merlin?"

Gwen nudges him and Merlin seems to remember where he is.

He spins the bottle. It points to Arthur.

Cheers erupt among their friends.

They look at each other for a moment. Goosebumps are spreading over Arthur's skin.

"Truth or dare, Arthur?"

The way Merlin says his name makes him shiver. He hopes that nobody notices it.

"Truth."

He won't force them into something awkward.

"Coward!" Morgana shouts but Arthur ignores her.

Merlin stays silent for a moment, contemplating his options.

"Ask whatever you want," Arthur says, trying to stop his friend from worrying.

"Do you have a crush on me?" Merlin wants to know.

He looks Arthur right in the eye while he says it. Blue meets blue and suddenly it feels like the air is sucked out of the room.

Arthur gulps. "Yes."

The room falls silent. It's the most uncomfortable silence he believes he has ever experienced.

Arthur spins the bottle to distract himself.

"Truth or dare, Gwen?"

Gwen looks at the clock at the walk and then back at him.

"I think it's time we leave. We have people coming over tomorrow and I could use some sleep."

Morgana nods and pulls her girlfriend up with her. "We really should go."

Gwen hugs everyone goodbye. When she pulls Arthur into her arms, she whispers into his ear.

"Go for it! I know you're scared but Merlin likes you too, believe me."

Arthur can only stare at her as she winks at him and leaves hand in hand with Morgana.

Lance excuses himself soon after as well. He mumbles something about football practice tomorrow but it's Christmas and they all know it's a lie.

Only Merlin and Arthur are left. They sit down on the couch and somehow strike up a conversation. It's not awkward – except that there is tension in the air, just like there always is when they're together.

Arthur listens to Merlin’s rambling about Norse mythology and smiles to himself. "Wait, hold up! Fenris didn't kill the dude because he was raised by him – and then the dude let him bite his hand off? That's a damn powerful relationship."

Merlin smiles. His hand absentmindedly runs over his arm where the tattoo is hidden beneath his sleeve.

"Yeah, it is."

He pauses and looks at Arthur.

"Tyr and Fenris had a deep connection. They trusted one another with their lives. It's a powerful story."

They fall silent again. Arthur's thoughts are spiraling as he looks at his best friend.

Is he brave enough?

Merlin raises his head and meets his eyes. There's a small smile on his lips, his red Santa hat is almost slipping off his head – and really, how is Arthur supposed to stay away when he looks so damn cute?

When he leans in, Melin's eyes grow wide.

"Please don't be mad at me," Arthur whispers as he carefully places his hand on Merlin's cheek.

But Merlin doesn't pull back or yell at him or anything like that. He just smiles and bridges the gap, pressing his lips against Arthur's.

It's an actual kiss this time and the feeling of Merlin's lips on his is enough to make Arthur's head spin. He pulls his friend closer, so close that there's barely room to breathe.

When they break the kiss, Merlin grins at him.

"You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that."

Arthur's eyes almost fall out of his head.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think you felt the same. You're always acting like a prat, you know?"

"I'm always nice, screw you!"

Merlin laughs and shoves him. "Yeah, sure."

Instead of answering, Arthur just pulls him in for another kiss.

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