(no subject)
Title: When the Bough Breaks
Author: dragonflyMerri on AO3
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin, Lance/Merlin
Warnings: Infidelity
Rating: NC-17
Length: 40931
Summary: 17 year old Jamie and 16 year old Colin watch helplessly as their Pops falls in love with someone else. When the shit hits the fan, the brothers retreat to Aunt Morgana and Uncle Leon's while Arthur and Merlin fight to save their relationship and their family.
This is part of a series, which I originally read for some fluffy parenting!fic. (Warning, their kid's names get into a bit of RPF-y territory). This particular installment though, which I think can be read as a stand-alone, stood out to me because of the familial themes and how Arthur and Merlin and the kids deal with the fallout of Merlin's infidelity. What I liked about this story was that the author never made it easy for either of them - that even after they chose to stay together, there were months of fighting and sniping at each other, re-adjusting, and rebuilding trust, There were a couple of moments that I thought Merlin was being unfair in comparing his affair to Arthur's distance (note) because IMO it was active rather than passive, but other than that, both of them are flawed characters and they hurt each other, sometimes getting the kids involved as well. There were many teary moments for me!
Author: dragonflyMerri on AO3
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin, Lance/Merlin
Warnings: Infidelity
Rating: NC-17
Length: 40931
Summary: 17 year old Jamie and 16 year old Colin watch helplessly as their Pops falls in love with someone else. When the shit hits the fan, the brothers retreat to Aunt Morgana and Uncle Leon's while Arthur and Merlin fight to save their relationship and their family.
This is part of a series, which I originally read for some fluffy parenting!fic. (Warning, their kid's names get into a bit of RPF-y territory). This particular installment though, which I think can be read as a stand-alone, stood out to me because of the familial themes and how Arthur and Merlin and the kids deal with the fallout of Merlin's infidelity. What I liked about this story was that the author never made it easy for either of them - that even after they chose to stay together, there were months of fighting and sniping at each other, re-adjusting, and rebuilding trust, There were a couple of moments that I thought Merlin was being unfair in comparing his affair to Arthur's distance (note) because IMO it was active rather than passive, but other than that, both of them are flawed characters and they hurt each other, sometimes getting the kids involved as well. There were many teary moments for me!