Fic: "Smudging Lines"

[cyus]

Title: Smudging Lines
Pairing: Merlin/Gwaine
Rating: R
Length: 4400 words
Summary: They steal a few warm moments in a small room.
Notes: Beta'd by misswinterhill, set post-series 3, originally posted on kinkme_merlin here.

They hadn't put much stock in repairing more than the worst of the damages before winter, and even before the first snow the late-autumn wind was already slinking through the corridors as sly draft or hard, sudden bursts when a door opened somewhere unseen. The murmured dissent that whispered through the corridors and the first rumours of rebellion wore them to the bone with every new day of rationed food and work shifts. When Arthur had taken to taking charge, Merlin had taken to watching Arthur when he wasn't looking, watched the lines in his face harden, skin turn pale and the shadows under his eyes grow darker.

"If I had time for that, Merlin, I'd make sure to take care of it," he'd bellowed in Merlin's general direction earlier that morning and Merlin had backed out of Arthur's chambers, jaw set, and disappeared to the abandoned part of the castle where blocks of stone still buried wood and tapestries underneath them. He had to climb over and duck under stray wooden beams, step around puddles of water where the rain had found its way in to get to the outer walls. The rooms would never keep the heat with snow blanketing Camelot if they didn't seal off part of the structures.

Merlin heaved a sigh as he stood before the stretch of wall he'd been working on the day before. He wriggled his fingers, bit back a yawn and wished he didn't already feel like wanting to curl up in a warm and sunny spot, enjoy the heat sinking into his skin, the taste of summer on his tongue when the sun hadn't even crept all the way south behind the clouds. It was tempting to stay in the warm dream, stretch on grass, and when Merlin opened his eyes, soft sunlight was glowing in the palm of his hand and he stared at it for a moment and only then shook it out. None of them had time for childish indulgences. He concentrated on one of the blocks of stone. Hand outstretched he looked at the wall and back at the stone, spell on his lips to-

"You'll catch your death here."

Merlin twisted around, gestured with his hand. The movement drew faintest orange glow in an arc in front of him and left Gwaine standing at the other side of the room behind a fog of light. "Me? No! No, nothing, I... ah..." he trailed off and hid his hand behind himself, willing his stupid magic to cooperate for once.

"Ah." Gwaine dragged his cloak behind him as he stepped closer, sword in its sheath bouncing against his thigh. He raised an eyebrow at the wall and Merlin.

Merlin opened his mouth, shut it again and nodded at the cloak instead in his masterful attempt of diverting attention, trusting the question to come across with his eyes alone.

"Leon made us wear them when we went down to the lower village. I..." Gwaine held the cloak up with the gash all the way through the middle. He laughed. "... he told me to get it mended." Gwaine sat on one of the blocks, leaned back on his elbows, cloak draped over his thigh. "Somehow he didn't believe me when I said that the sword had accidentally sliced its way through all that fine fabric and how much of a pity that was and how I mourn this loss."

Merlin couldn't help the chuckle. "You're an idiot," he said, couldn't help the smile either when Gwaine just shrugged and laughed again. The magic still tingled in Merlin's palm and up his arm.

Gwaine looked at the chaos of destruction around them, the split marble and stones, the decorative fabrics beginning to get mouldly underneath it all, then back at Merlin. "You keep coming out here," Gwaine said.

Wind blew through the castle with a low whine, brushed through Gwaine's hair and curled under Merlin's clothes. Merlin wrapped his arms around himself, hands tucked into his pits and shrugged in reply to Gwaine's question.

"Come here," Gwaine said.

Merlin gave the wall behind him another glance, then stepped forward and moved to stand between Gwaine's spread thighs. Gwaine's fingers laced behind Merlin's knees, and Merlin gave an involuntary chuckle as he dropped his hand and picked at the cloth across Gwaine's shoulder (Gwaine, who refused to get decked out in chainmail much to Leon's consternation).

"Got you," Gwaine said with a smile, looking up at Merlin.

Gwaine was warm, with his fingers rubbing up and down the back of Merlin's thighs and his breath dampening warmth through Merlin's shirt. Merlin traced his fingers up the side of Gwaine's neck and into his hair, twirling strands of it around his finger, brushing it off Gwaine's forehead.

"He's no right to wear you down." Gwaine slid his hands up and over Merlin's arse, rubbing slow circles into the small of Merlin's back.

"He..." Merlin began, then broke off because there was no way to explain destiny. And there was no way to explain that ache in his chest of needing to be good for Arthur and wanting Arthur to be good for everyone else, eventually, and that he couldn't not. "He's not," Merlin said. Gwaine frowned, opened his mouth to say something cutting no doubt about Arthur and his posturing. "He's not," Merlin replied again. "It's not... I can't not..." He pushed at Gwaine's shoulder to step away but Gwaine held him tight in the circle of his arms.

"You shouldn't," Gwaine said, and Merlin shrugged because they'd had this conversation and Gwaine thought him delusional when Merlin only felt his heart bursting with love when he watched Arthur sign the treaties with steady hand, when he took a bath in the evening and fell asleep, when he looked at Merlin in the darkest hours of the night telling him his fears for Camelot in a broken voice and fell asleep curled around his pillow, looking for comfort. "At least this, you shouldn't be out here. Who knows what could happen."

"You're worried," Merlin said, laughter bubbling in his chest. He let a strand of Gwaine's hair uncurl from around his finger and smoothed his hair out, exhaling slowly.

Gwaine only quirked a smile at him in reply and pulled him closer, pressing his lips to Merlin's lower stomach. "You're freezing," he mumbled, voice muffled by the cloth. He reached blindly for one of Merlin's hands and took it between both of his, rubbing at Merlin's cold skin. Gwaine's fingers played over residual magic and Merlin's hips jerked, just a bit, just enough to make Gwaine glance up, giving a huff of surprise.

"He won't miss you for the day?" Gwaine asked, rubbing his thumb in a long line from Merlin's knuckles to his wrist.

"I meant to..." Merlin nodded at the wall.

Gwaine looked at Merlin's bare hands, the lack of tools and said nothing. "It can wait."

"It can't. Winter's coming and it-"

"I don't want to be the one finding you here, struck dead because something collapsed. Again." Gwaine pulled at Merlin's tunic, dragging the fabric tight over his back, and Merlin looked down at him. "I don't want to be the one having to tell Arthur, either," Gwaine said, and Merlin ducked his head. "So, I ask again, he won't miss you for the day?"

"And Leon, he won't-"

"I am to get my cloak mended," Gwaine said, good-naturedly as he stood, nearly tipping Merlin off balance, but catching him around the waist, standing pressed closed. "He won't need you until dusk," Gwaine said, voice low and serious, and Merlin couldn't find any words to counter that, not when he was this cold and Gwaine was this full of promises.

Merlin closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to Gwaine's, Gwaine's knuckles digging into his ribs with his fingers still curled into the cloth of Merlin's tunic. The warmth of Gwaine's body bled through the layers of clothing and Merlin could imagine staying there, just staying in that moment and that feeling, pressed closed. He rubbed his fingers up Gwaine's thigh and settled his hand on Gwaine's hip.

"Here?" Merlin asked, lips still close enough to Gwaine's to brush across them.

Gwaine scoffed, kissed Merlin again and dragged him forward by his tunic, making sure Merlin was moving before he let go. "My rooms are perfectly acceptable," Gwaine said as he climbed over a heap of stone and wood, waiting for Merlin to catch up. "They have a bed, for one, unlike this miserable place."

Merlin glanced to one of the outer walls still standing but teetering enough to look like it would collapse with the next big storm. Camelot had been magnificent when he'd first arrived, and it broke his heart to see it torn down like this, abandoned, but the wind picked up, making Merlin shiver, and the promise of soft linen and warmth made him stumble after Gwaine. He could make up any time lost during the night, Arthur would only have him assist until the turn of day, at the longest.

They ducked through the corridors, and Gwaine pulled him into an alcove when a group of knights passed, muffling his laughter against Merlin's neck and then his lips as he held Merlin tight, warm breath coming in short bursts over Merlin's skin, slinking down his body to his crotch and making Merlin push against Gwaine's thigh.

"You'll get us brought before Arthur for defiling the castle," Merlin muttered against Gwaine's jaw when the knights stopped just to the right of the alcove and talked rationing and the coming winter. Gwaine's chuckles rumbled in his chest and Merlin nipped at his jaw, trying to get him to stay quiet and only partially succeeding. "Lunatic," Merlin muttered against his lips before sliding his hand into Gwaine's hair, fingers playing through the strands as he kissed him again, mouthing at Gwaine's lower lip until Gwaine's fingers tightened on his hip.

"This isn't a bed," Gwaine said. "Though if you're happy to stay here, I'm happy to-"

Merlin cut him off with another quick kiss, noses bumping when he pulled away, then made his way down the corridor, walking ahead of Gwaine scrambling after him, catching up to him, pressing his hand to the nape of Merlin's neck for a few steps, thumb rubbing at his hairline before he dropped his hand and smiled brightly in response to Merlin's half-formed 'oh' of disappointment.

Gwaine's room was small, utilitarian and much tidier than Merlin ever remembered his own being. He closed the door behind them, shut out the bustle of people in the castle, the busy rummaging as Camelot went about its ways for another day. The light that came in through the window was dim, the small fireplace cold but Gwaine knelt down and brought a few timbers to spark with orange light. Merlin's magic tingled in his palm but he let Gwaine do the honours, just waited, leaning against the door. Gwaine's bed was mussed-up and if Merlin tried hard he'd imagine it still sleep-warm from this morning.

Gwaine walked over to Merlin, fire behind him, and threw his cloak over one of the chairs before stepping up close to Merlin, crowding him against the door.

"Got me," Merlin said, smiling, in echo of Gwaine earlier.

Gwaine raised his hand and smudged two lines under Merlin's eyes with his thumb, then cradled his jaw and kissed him on the corners of his lips, the side of his nose, his brow. "You need to take better care of yourself," he said.

"So do you, accidental gashes to your clothes," Merlin quipped back, but let Gwaine turn his head just so to kiss the words from his mouth. Merlin inched out his tongue, tracing it over Gwaine's lips, and pushed his crotch up to Gwaine's when Gwaine brushed the tip of his tongue over Merlin's, wet and warm, and Merlin sucked the very tip between his lips before he dragged his to play over Gwaine's.

One hand in Gwaine's hair, Merlin settled the other on Gwaine's waist, fingers trying to find a way around the fabric to Gwaine's skin, he pushed his tongue into Gwaine's mouth, drew it along the side of Gwaine's and couldn't help the laugh when Gwaine's lips closed on his tongue, trapping it and he pulled free with a chuckle, another kiss and suck to Gwaine's upper lip.

Merlin pulled his hand from Gwaine's hair, pulling at the strands sticking out in disarray with a chuckle and settled his hand on Gwaine's waist, keeping him close. He wound his leg around Gwaine's and pushed his hips forward as he leaned in for another kiss, slurping it wet to the side of Gwaine's mouth until Gwaine's hand on his chin directed him around to kiss him with all tongue and all lips, hand on the door next to Merlin's head, and Merlin rising to his toes and sinking down to his heels again in the slowest rub up Gwaine's body.

Gwaine pulled away, stole another kiss, then grasped the bottom of his tunic and pulled it over his head, dropping it by their feet. Voices passed by outside the door, just behind Merlin, and he couldn't take his eyes off Gwaine, fingertips smoothing up from his waist to Gwaine's chest, thumbs tracing the line of muscles and chest and nipples. He dragged his knuckles down again, rubbed them around Gwaine's belly button and the soft curve of his stomach, the trail of hair leading lower.

"You're warm," Merlin said and bent his head down to press a kiss to Gwaine's clavicle, a second to the swell of his chest, one hand smoothing along Gwaine's ribs, the other sliding around to the small of Gwaine's back, fingertips teasing at the band holding up Gwaine's trousers. Gwaine tipped Merlin's head up again and kissed him, fully, then pulled Merlin forward and away from the door and closer to the fire by the band around his waist until they reached the bed.

"Will be warmer in there," Gwaine said as he toyed with Merlin's clothes, then bent down quickly to toe off his boots and push down his trousers.

Merlin shoved the pang of guilt that this was the middle of the day far down, drowning it in the warmth of Gwaine's gaze, and the trailing touches of his fingers as he pushed up Merlin's tunic even before Merlin had quite undone the band, fingers finding naked skin and moving up his sides to his arm pits, tickling before Merlin could quite stop him. Merlin laughed, squirmed away and it made some of the cold melt in his chest when Gwaine held him by his clothes and pulled him in closer again. They pushed Merlin's tunic off him together, Gwaine's lips finding Merlin's stomach, then nipples, his tongue tracing a wet path up his breastbone that made Merlin shiver, his nipples tighten.

Gwaine moved back on the bed and pulled Merlin with him with fingers around Merlin's waist and one wrist, lacing their fingers then to brush across Merlin's palm when Merlin landed on top of him on the bed, looking down at him, and couldn't resist catching Gwaine's lips with his own again, pushing his tongue into Gwaine's mouth and his crotch down against Gwaine's hip. Merlin dragged his lips along the line of Gwaine's jaw and to his ear, brushing away the hair to press a kiss just there, making Gwaine chuckle against his throat and nip a kiss of his own.

Gwaine's hands were on Merlin's back, brushing all the way from the small of his back to his shoulder blades, fingertips following the line of bone, the line of the movement when Merlin stretched, and moved over the bumps down Merlin's spine and lower, hand cradling Merlin's arse and pushing him down just as Gwaine moved his hips up. The fire began to warm the room. Gwaine pressed his mouth to Merlin's throat, sucking skin between lips and teeth and letting go, sucking bites, Merlin was sure, that Arthur wouldn't see under the neckerchief, that no one would see except Merlin when he was washing in the morning and Gwaine when he looked at him just so.

Merlin pushed himself up on his elbow, half slid off Gwaine and splayed his hand over Gwaine's chest, the slightest crinkle of hair under his palm and the steady beat of Gwaine's heart. Gwaine moved one hand over his head, the other to dangle between slightly spread thighs and watched Merlin. Merlin pushed at Gwaine's face, trying to get him to look elsewhere, but Gwaine didn't budge. "Idiot," Merlin mumbled and then just ignored Gwaine in favour of his chest, the flex of muscles when Gwaine shifted. Merlin leaned down and sucked a nipple into his mouth, then stretched out his tongue and played around it. He blew on it, watched it pucker up, and gave it a small suck again, shivering when Gwaine's fingers curled into his hair.

Gwaine shifted underneath Merlin's attention, legs splaying more and hand moving to his crotch as he pushed against that, idly rubbing himself through the trousers. He dropped his head back to the bed and Merlin kissed the underside of his chin, kissed down his throat over scratchy beard and stumble, and moved his hand in slow strokes over Gwaine's chest.

Merlin didn't need to watch to know his palm glowed with the colour of warm sunlight as it tickled over Gwaine'd ribs and down his sides, but he looked up anyway and relished the play of warmth over exposed skin, the tickle of Gwaine's finger along his back as far as he could reach and rubbing over the bump he found, back and forth. Merlin pressed his crotch to the jut of Gwaine's hip, arousal curling with subtle flow of magic through him.

"Let me," Gwaine said, voice rough and low, and he reached across and tugged at the front of Merlin's trousers.

Merlin turned and kissed Gwaine instead, trapping Gwaine's hand under his body as he sucked kisses to Gwaine's lips and curled his tongue around Gwaine's, playing and tasting and taking and having just those moments. Gwaine dragged his hand out, moved it to Merlin's back and wriggled his fingers into Merlin's trousers there until he was cupping his arse.

"No fair," Merlin said between kisses. "I had you all tied down."

Gwaine's laugh overshadowed Merlin's chuckle and with the rub of Gwaine's thumb to the top of Merlin's cheek, Merlin slid his hand to the front of Gwaine's trousers, undid the laces and moved his hand inside. The heat was ten times that of Gwaine's chest, damp and warm and soft past the curly hair, half hard cock fitting into Merlin's palm.

"Sneak," Gwaine said after he'd let go of Merlin's lower lip and reached up awkwardly to smudge his thumb over it.

Merlin shrugged with a grin and tightened his fingers a little, unable to help the moan spilling from his lips when Gwaine's fingers squeezed his arse and Merlin ground his hips into the bed, breath catching with the sweet friction.

Merlin knelt up and Gwaine slipped his hand from Merlin's trousers, watched him when Merlin shimmied out of his trousers nearly fell flat on his face and Merlin smacked Gwaine when he laughed, when he distracted Merlin with fingertips seeking out his ticklish spots. Merlin finally had the trousers to his ankles and toed off his boots until they landed with a low thump on the floor, and then Gwaine's hand just steadied him kneeling up in the middle of the bed.

Gwaine sat up, near cross-legged and kissed a spot just to the side of Merlin's nipple, then reached out and fitted his palm around Merlin's cock, just holding it in his hand and Merlin reached out for Gwaine's shoulder and his hand, steadying himself. Gwaine kissed his chest again, sucking on a patch of skin, then moved his thumb down from the base of Merlin's cock and up again, head bent down, hair obscuring most of Merlin's view.

Merlin brushed Gwaine's hair back, shivered when strands played over his stomach. His cock was half-hard in Gwaine's grip and Gwaine slipped his fingers off, pulled at the foreskin a bit, then tightened his grip as he pushed it up Merlin's shaft, thumb tracing a slow line along the rim of the exposed head.

"Tease," Merlin said as he pushed his cock harder at Gwaine, then quietened down again when Gwaine let go and watched the foreskin slip down again before he pushed it up once more, jerking Merlin slowly. Merlin swayed into the touch, then steadied himself enough to push at Gwaine's shoulder to make him lie back down. Merlin undid the laces on Gwaine's trousers, and pushed them off his hip, then settled down on top of Gwaine again, crotch to crotch, not bothering to push Gwaine's trousers any lower than his knees.

"You're smiling," Gwaine said as he drew his thumb over Merlin's lips before pulling Merlin's head down lower for a kiss, tongue and Merlin let him have that and the smile and the slow grind of his hips to Gwaine's.

"Always am," Merlin gave back between kisses, between bringing his hand between their bodies and brushing fingers through Gwaine's pubic hair to his cock until it lay hot in his hand, skin loose as he pushed it back, and forth again, making him push his crotch down into his own hand and Gwaine's wriggling between their bodies.

He caught Gwaine's eyes and Gwaine calling the lie and Merlin kissed it away with a brush of his lips to Gwaine's eyelids and a hand to Gwaine's face and tracing Gwaine's eyelashes when he blinked his eyes open again and twisted his head from the touch. The fire crackled in the fireplace when a log fell over and burst into hundreds of orange sparks and Merlin pressed his lips to Gwaine's, teasing his tongue around Gwaine's lips until Gwaine's fingers curled around Merlin's neck and kept him there with lips to lips.

Gwaine's cock twitched in Merlin's hand, harder when Merlin drew his thumb up it underside to the tip, pushing the foreskin down enough to rub his thumb around the soft head, precome sticking to his skin, then pulling the foreskin all the way back to rub at the tip of Gwaine's cock through it. Merlin pulled away from Gwaine's mouth and kissed his way down the neck past the thick hair and to his shoulder, strong and round, and down his arm to suckle at the skin at the inside of his elbow and lower still until he rested his cheek on Gwaine's hip, watched his fingers on Gwaine's cock.

The head of Gwaine's cock was peeking deep pink from the folds of skin and Merlin rubbed his thumb over his as he slowly slid the skin back, enjoyed the movements of Gwaine's hips under his cheek. He was close enough to smell the musk of sex and Gwaine and sweat and turned his face just enough to press a kiss to the junction of Gwaine's thigh and torso.

"I think about this sometimes," Merlin said, not sure where the words were spilling from only that the fire and the warmth and the sheets and Gwaine right there filled him up with this ball of undefinable something. It felt a little like magic. "When I'm sitting with Arthur and he's, I don't know, going on about the conflicts or the rations or just ranting at the weather." Merlin tightened his grip a little, little finger playing about the head of Gwaine's cock. "He's got his father and the knights and everyone else, but then he screams in the middle of the night, waking from a bad dream, and he is sweaty and frantic and there's no one. And then he's got me but he..." Merlin trailed off.

Gwaine's fingers stroked along Merlin's shoulder blades and he relaxed into the touch, curled up in it, him with his magic and his silly dreams of standing side by side with Arthur returning Albion to greatness and peace and unity. He fell silent for a while, just touching Gwaine, rubbing over the skin sliding smoothly over his cock, pulling at his pubic hair until Gwaine smacked at his shoulder and blowing on Gwaine's cock, then sucking on the exposed head .

"He's got you," Gwaine said. "And you him." He was looking down at Merlin as Merlin was looking up with his fingers curled around his own cock and his mouth on Gwaine's, sucking softly. "And I've got you," he added with a smile, a brush of his knuckles down Merlin's cheek.

"I know," Merlin said, spit-wet against Gwaine's cock. He pushed the foreskin all the way back and sucked at the head, pushed his mouth down on it, then pulled off. "And Arthur's got you, too," he said, warily, caging because he didn't know, not really, even if he was certain but Gwaine only nodded his assent, played his fingertips over Merlin's cheeks and his lips, then pulled him up by his armpits until Merlin could kiss him, could roam his fingers aglow and tingling and drawing magic between them over Gwaine's skin.

The room was warm now, and it was easy to forget the castle falling apart outside when he had this sometimes. Gwaine's fingers closed around Merlin's cock, just holding him and Merlin pushed into the grip, shallowly, just watching Gwaine's eyes.

"I'm... it's good, yes? I'm doing good?" Merlin asked, lips brushing over Gwaine's as he talked. It clenched in his chest the way not many things did anymore. He'd faced monsters, human and otherwise alike, and nothing much could scare him anymore, but this did because there was only him for Arthur and there was only him.

"You're amazing," Gwaine replied, eyes open and all there for him, and Merlin made a sound back and Gwaine just kissed his reply to Merlin's jaw.

Merlin traced his eyebrows and his lips, played everything he had over Gwaine's skin with dry fingertips and damp lips. From the corner of his eyes Merlin could see the sunlight glow in the palm of his hand blend with the warmth of the fire, making this enough for them for now for this while the world outside the room was trying to stand on shaky feet.

"You're amazing," Gwaine repeated, and Merlin's heart wanted to burst with love.

Comments

[lolafeist.livejournal.com]

Foreskin! Totally not seen enough in this fandom.

I love the introduction to this story and the slow momentum into the sex. I love the ease of their relationship, and I know writing Merlin isn't your favorite but I think you write him well!

I love that you managed to cram a really meaningful, sweet dialogue into a cock sucking scene with pubic hair pulling to boot and GOD, I love this. Your porn is really refreshing, if that makes sense.

[cyus.livejournal.com]

I have to say I was all pleased when the pubic-hair-and-foreskin fest happened because yeah, so not enough of that.

This is me trying to write M/Gwa and of course I can't avoid putting Arthur in. I thought I'd failed at the M/Gwa a bit there but the prompter on KMM liked it, and ... yeah, hey, glad you enjoyed it and glad it worked with the build-up and the slowness and just have slow, happy sex without any pressure or even great intent of getting off.

Refreshing, cool, glad to hear. And thanks for commenting.

[winterstorrm.livejournal.com]

This was exactly what I needed to warm me up on this cold afternoon.

Thank you!

[cyus.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the comment, glad you enjoyed it, and yay, warmth :D

[mulder200.livejournal.com]

Mm. This was a really nice interlude and a lovely bit of comfort for Merlin and Gwaine.

[cyus.livejournal.com]

Cheers, appreciate it. I do like the two of them together but I'm apparently incapable of excluding Arthur entirely from my fics ;) Glad you enjoyed it.

[archaeologist-d.livejournal.com]

Oh, loved the slow rise of emotion in this. I feel badly for Gwaine since Merlin's main focus is Arthur but at least Gwaine is getting something of Merlin. Good job.

[cyus.livejournal.com]

I was actually unsure whether to post this in reply to the original prompt on the kinkmeme because I didn't know how the OP would feel about Arthur being quite prominently included in Merlin's emotional life. Turns out she didn't mind it, so I'm happy with that, but I know what you're saying. I like the dynamics between the three of them being not that clearcut and being not clearly about OTP here or there, but that's probably just my personal preference. Glad you still enjoyed it, despite feeling badly for Gwaine.

[cyus.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! Honestly, I love the M/Gwa on the backdrop of Arthur being there and being important and With Arthur it's all love and duty, and with Gwaine it's love and comfort. -- I'd so sign that. That's what I see in them. Glad you enjoyed those softer emotional tones. I did try to write something that wasn't all crudeness and edges for a change :D

Thanks for the comment, really appreciate it.

[chicaintcheap.livejournal.com]

Warm and hot and just plain gorgeous writing. Protective!Gwaine is my favorite.

[cyus.livejournal.com]

Cheers, man. Whooo for hot. I do enjoy guys just playing with and enjoying each other and glad to hear Gwaine worked for you. Appreciate the comments, thanks.

[(Anonymous)]

Very nice. I love how straightforward Gwaine is. Warm and comforting, a bit bossy, but at the same time he knows/understands exactly where the limits are and respects it--Merlin's feelings for Arthur.

[cyus.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much! I'm intrigued by the combination of the different characters and their dynamics and loves, so yeah, I think whenever I write Merlin/Gwaine, I have to also write Merlin/Arthur and to a certain extent Arthur/Gwaine because Arthur is just so much part of what Merlin is about in many way. So yeah, glad you enjoyed Gwaine like that. He's a great characters. And thanks for the comment

[alba17.livejournal.com]

This is wonderful. I love the way you brought magic into it and Merlin's insecurities, Gwaine's reassurances, and the relaxed playing around. Lovely. The way you managed Merlin's feelings about Arthur was perfect.

[cyus.livejournal.com]

As I said above, I was unsure about Arthur's prominent role in this because a lot of Merlin/Gwaine peeps don't like him too much (anymore), so I'm happy to hear that that worked for you. It's hard to imagine Merlin without Arthur, to be honest (and I like Arthur too much to be capable of not mentioning him). Oh and yeah, the magic, I loved writing it. I tried to make things all sweet and gentle for a change, so I'm glad that worked. :) Thanks.

[eldee.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness, this was just gorgeous. Wonderful style and descriptions and dialogue, and a beautiful post-season 3 interlude. I quite liked that Arthur was featured so prominently because he is such a large part of Merlin's life, his duty and destiny. But I also loved how you showed Gwaine knew that and understood it but is there for Merlin and cares for him deeply. I really liked the comment above that said -- With Arthur it's all love and duty, and with Gwaine it's love and comfort -- because, in my opinion, that is how M/Gwa works best in canon and you wrote that perfectly here.

Wonderful!

[cyus.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I loved that comment too because it does sum it up in one line. When I set out to write the fic I meant to make it all about Merlin and Gwaine and then I just couldn't keep Arthur outside of it because he is that big a part of Merlin's life's choices and thoughts and decisions and at the same time I didn't want to write Gwaine as the convenient fuckbuddy when Arthur's pissing about... No idea if that quite worked, but it's a cool dynamic, between the three of them and I'm always curious to read how other people handle that in their fic. Glad you liked it :)

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

UNF!!! Absolutely delish.

oops! and I wanted to add just how much I appreciated how you played Arthur in this fic. So very important to Merlin and yet that's okay, and is there, and acknowledged without taking away from his feelings for Gwaine. Nice.

[cyus.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much! As I said in comments above, I couldn't not write Arthur into a fic that has Merlin, not necessarily because I believe in OTPs or some such, but because sexual or not, Arthur is important to Merlin and it'd be weird not to have him show up. OTOH, I didn't want to make Gwaine look like the replacement while Arthur gets his shit together, so - well - I hope it succeeded in that. Thanks for the comment (and the rec), I appreciate it.

[planejane.livejournal.com]

The detail! I really liked that - the unhurried pace - that they really did have the day. It set the mood perfectly - all those stifled emotions bubbling just below the surface, yet so much need and such sweet tenderness.

I think it was apt and in character that Arthur was there, never far from Merlin's thoughts. It might seem like this is a complicated dynamic, but in a way it feels quite straightforward to me: Merlin needs someone like Gwaine to re-energise, to let himself go a bit, so that he can be there for Arthur. Maybe Arthur would see it differently!

So funny about the foreskins. I mean, I didn't think it was something that needed any more attention than any other part of the male anatomy. Until I remnded myself that it's almost unheard of for US men to have one. My hairdresser didn't have her son circumcised and it caused a family uproar! which is maybe why there was a fest? It seems there's a mystique about it it certain parts?

[cyus.livejournal.com]

LOL, I actually wrote for the foreskin fest :P. I miss it in fic because they're uh.. awesome and fun to play with? But I suppose that, yeah, in certain parts their non-existence might make them exotic to readers, for me it's more that foreskins are the norm and when I write detailed enough sex it'd be weird not to mention some foreskin play. That said, I don't usually go into as much detail as I did here, but the prompt called for it.

I agree about the dynamic and I think it works when everyone's on the same page. I always think that Gwaine's quite happy not to have to commit to more than a few cool nights and days with someone he appreciates and likes. Not every sex-filled affair has to be epic, necessarily romantic or longterm to be enjoyable.

But yeah, thanks for the comment, appreciate it, and it's easily the most tender and hopefully vaguely sweet-erotic thing I've written. I usually end up more towards the crude when I write sex, LOL.

Thanks for the comment.

Smudging Lines

[joan-waterhouse.livejournal.com]

I love how calm and reassuring this is. Gwaine is such a strong character.

Re: Smudging Lines

[cyus.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much. Gwaine's difficult to write in terms of slotting him into the Arthur and Merlin dynamics without giving either of the three the short stick, but glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the comment.

[sheswatching.livejournal.com]

Aww, this was sweet. Took me all evening to read what with running around the house, but I feel like it kind of fit with the fic, y'know - this leisurely pace they had, away from everything. That was lovely. I also enjoyed you bringing Arthur into it (obviously lol) but then just liked the two of them - Merlin and Gwaine - together.

[kattale.livejournal.com]

This one - another instant favourite. I'm going through a phase right now - maybe some S3 frustration, I don't know - where I enjoy the bitter-sweetness of Merlin with any of the knights, getting the support or comfort or appreciation or - well, just the time - that Arthur just doesn't have to give him at this point in the series arc. Probably came out of Lancelot's "bravest of us all" dialogue. This just unfolded so gently, yet was a lot hotter than I expected after reading the prompt that inspired it.