Gwaine/Leon

Pairing
Pairing:	Gwaine/Leon
Alternative name(s):
Gender category:	slash
Fandom:	Merlin (TV series)
Canonical?:	No
Prevalence:	Small
Archives:
Other:
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Gwaine/Leon is a slash pairing in the BBC Merlin fandom. Their canon relationship is friendly but fairly minimal, with both of them part of Arthur's inner circle of Knights.

Common Tropes in Fanworks

Gwaine and Leon's fannish pairing often draws on the Opposites Attract trope. Leon was brought up in an aristocratic family in Camelot, and is quite proper and sensible. Gwaine is the illegitimate son of a knight, brought up by his mother; when we first meet him he is a rascal and a rebel. Arthur eventually knights Gwaine (and others) based on merit and personal loyalty, overturning Camelot's established practice of only knighting the legitimate sons of the upper classes.

Example Fanworks

Fanfic

There are currently 229 works on AO3 with the Gwaine/Leon (Merlin) relationship tag. Many of these include Gwaine/Leon as a secondary or minor pairing, with the main focus being on Merlin/Arthur.

• Good Enough by harlequin. It's such a lovely day that Gwaine insists Leon accompany him on a quest. For once, Leon lets himself be persuaded.
• Uncle Gwaine's Extremely Bad Day by Clea2011. Gwaine's life was a lot more fun before all his friends started settling down and, worse, reproducing.
• Rag Water, Bitters and Blue Ruin by leashy_bebes. Gwaine's drinking starts to spiral out of control taking over his life. Leon grew up with a alcoholic father and recognises the signs and intervenes.