fic | Arrangements

[mrs-leary.livejournal.com]

Title: Arrangements
Author: Mrs Leary
Artist: the awesome yue_ix ♥
Betas: the amazing asifidletyou and reveuse2 ♥ (remaining infelicities are my own)

Rating: NC17
Universe: Merlin RPS
Characters: various combinations of Richard/Colin/Bradley
Word count: 16042

Warnings: This fic contains senior sex, consensual voyeurism, and threesomes.
♦ Also, as those familiar with the play Edward II (or the history on which it’s based) will know, it’s a tragedy and both main characters die. We don’t however, dwell upon any of the scenes in great detail, whether happy or sad.

Summary: Richard and Colin are ‘friends with benefits’; when Colin attempts to renegotiate their arrangement, Richard resists making it into anything more than what it is. And he seems to be justified in his wariness. As Richard directs Colin and Bradley in a production of Edward II, it becomes clear that the two young men are in love. Richard refuses to stand in their way, but now Colin is the one reluctant to change the existing arrangements.

Author's notes: Written for the Merlin RPF Big Bang Challenge 2011 merlinbb_rpf organised by the wonderful moonilicious. ♥
♦ The story was inspired, of course, by Colin’s real life trip to Sheffield to see The Pride on Richard’s 75th birthday… ♥
♦ The quotes are from Marlowe’s Edward II, except for Let me explain about the theatre business… which is from the movie Shakespeare in Love by Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman.
♦ Dedicated with love to yue_ix who came looking for a rare pair to illustrate ♥ and to asifidletyou who is about the most thoughtful and generous person I know. ♥

Artist's notes: Thank you to littlewolfstar for the beta and handholding. mrs_leary, doing this with you was like a dream. ♥

Disclaimer: This flight of fancy has nothing at all to do with the actual Richard Wilson, Colin Morgan or Bradley James. The story is purely imaginary, and is not intended to cause offence.

Read it and see the awesome art here and here on LJ.