fic: Of Ghosts and Gooseberries

Title: Of Ghosts and Gooseberries
Author: Harlequin
Universe: Merlin
Characters featured: Arthur, Leon, Merlin
Category, Word count: Short story; 2048 words
Rating: PG13
Summary: Arthur is rather surprised when Leon visits him late one night in order to read him poetry.

Notes: A humble offering for my dear friend Cello on her birthday … with apologies that the story didn’t turn out quite as Leon or I wished! (My sister suggests I write a sequel for you, for your next birthday.)

Set immediately following ep 503 The Death Song of Uther Pendragon, and humbly borrowing Poem #31 by Sappho.

Just in case it’s not clear, the word “gooseberry” in this context is an informal British usage: “a third person in the company of two people, especially lovers, who would prefer to be alone, e.g. ‘they didn’t want me playing gooseberry on their first date’.”

Link to fic on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16139786