Archive of Our Own

When Merlin and Gwaine first moved in together, Gwaine was elated to discover his friend's penchant for lacy lingerie. At the time, Merlin had enjoyed feeling safe enough to prance about from time to time in his prettiest pieces (and Gwaine hadn't minded the view.)

Then came Val. Gwaine hadn't liked him from the start, but Val earned his loathing that awful night when Merlin's romantic plans turned to tears and humiliation. Gwaine helped kick Val out, but the next day he found Merlin's beautiful silk and lace treasures wadded up in the bin. And now Gwaine’s stupid big mouth had triggered Merlin's flight back to shame and secrecy.

Gwaine looked up as if waiting for Arthur to punch him. Instead, the blond smiled. 

"Stop moping. I have a plan."

"A...plan?"

Arthur slid his mobile over to Gwaine, whose eyes and smile grew wide.

"La Perla. I'm thinking blue silk for Merlin. My beautiful boyfriend deserves nothing but the best."  Arthur pointed at another image and Gwaine nodded appreciatively. "But how do you fancy me in this?"

Later that night, their flat's thin walls revealed just how successful Arthur's plan was. After more than an hour, Gwaine finally gave up on sleep. He peeked into the tiny pink shopping bag, pushed aside the tissue paper, and grinned. 

Somewhere across town, Percy's phone buzzed. 

All in all, it was a very good night for lace, lingerie, and love.