#im obsessed with these three i just wanna write 50 different fics where they hang out

[buildarocketboys]

Some Team Castle shenanigans for @mygangtome day 2024. Written in an hour on my lunch break, unedited, Allan, Marian and Guy go out to the tavern, semi-crackish

"Allan," Marian hisses from the end of the corridor. "You need to help me sneak out of the castle."

Allan sighs and rolls his eyes. "You know I can't do that, Marian. Giz banned the Nightwatchman."

Marian huffs. "I wasn't going to sneak out to be the Nightwatchman."

Allan eyes her dubiously.

"Well, all right, maybe I was. But I just want to get out! Take me to a tavern or something, I don't care! I just need to get out of this damn castle."

Allan raises his eyebrows. He doesn't think he's ever heard Marian swear before. "All right," he says, hands on hips. "But I'll have to ask Giz for his permission. And you never know, he might want to come too."

"I don't care," says Marian. "I'll go to the tavern with the Sheriff if it'll get me out of here for five minutes!"

"Fine, I'll ask him," says Allan. "No promises, mind." He looks at her sceptically. "Have you even been to a tavern before?"

"I can hold my wine, thank you very much," Marian says, which means no.

Allan smirks. "We'll see," he says.

Gisborne is horrified at first.

"A tavern? Lady Marian?"

Allan pleads her case pretty well, especially since he's not quite sure he believes it himself. He's not convinced that Marian won't run off to the forest or start giving alms to the poor the minute Guy's back is turned.

He can see Guy starting to waver.

"Very well," he says eventually. "Under one condition."

"Yeah?" says Allan. "What's that?"

"I will accompany Lady Marian to the...tavern," he says, as if the word is an unpleasant bite of food.

"Yeah, great," says Allan. "I might head down too."

Guy looks strained. "Allan, you don't have to-"

"Yeah, but I want to. What, are you gonna ban me from going down the pub?"

Guy bears his teeth at him. "I should do." He sighs. "Fine. You may come."

"Didn't actually need your permission, but thanks Giz," Allan chirps, then leaves before Guy starts throwing things at him.

The company isn't exactly diverting to start with. Guy buys the first round of drinks, looking suspiciously over his shoulder at Marian and Allan the whole time. He sets them on the table and they sit in silence.

"So, Gisborne," Allan says. "How's the leather working out for you? Look still in?"

Marian hides an undignified snort of laughter in her hands. Guy looks at her sharply before turning to Allan. "It's comfortable," he says.

Marian raises her eyebrows. "Is it?"

"Yes, actually," Guy says, drawing himself up in a dignified manner. "And protective. Much less cumbersome than actual armour, but it does the job."

Marian looks surprised. "Well, I never knew that."

"Me neither," says Allan.

They lapse back into silence.

By the second round of drinks, however, everyone starts to loosen up. Allan plonks them on the table.

"Cheers, Giz, Maz," Allan says, raising his tankard, and neither of them tell him off for the nickname.

"What should we call you?" Marian says. "Al? Az?"

She lets out a snort and Guy joins her in laughter, to all of their surprises. 

"I'm gonna use that from now on," he says, gesturing towards Allan.

He sets his tankard down. "I shouldn't drink anymore, the Sheriff wants me up at the crack of dawn tomorrow."

"C'mon, live a little, Giz," Allan says.

"Yes, Guy, you need to loosen up," Marian says, bursting into giggles for no apparent reason. Allan had known she'd be a total lightweight.

Guy rolls his eyes and sighs, then drains half the tankard in one. Allan cheers while Marian laughs in delight, attempting to copy him and spilling half the pint down her dress.

"Oh drat!" she says.

Guy shakes his head fondly and offers her a handkerchief.

"Thanks Guy."

By the third round, both Marian and Guy are well and truly drunk, and Allan's well on his way to tipsy.

"Sure you don't wanna go home already?" Marian teases Guy.

"Nah," he says, taking a big gulp and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Fuck the Sheriff."

Marian howls with laughter and Allan can't help but join her. People are starting to look in their direction, but Guy and Marian don't seem to notice.

"Fuck the Sheriff!" says Marian, raising her tankard and clinking it against Guy's, then Allan's. 

"To drinking!" says Allan.

"To ale!" says Guy.

"To friends," says Marian, catching them both in her little smile. Allan feels pleasantly numb, happy in the company of two people who have been enemies, allies and superiors to him, but who right now are friends.

"To friends," he repeats.

"To friends," Guy says. He's wearing an odd look on his face, one Allan can't quite read.

"On that note, I need to visit the privy," Marian says. "Where is it?"

"Outside." Allan gestures vaguely, noting the distasteful look on Marian's face as she gets up.

Once she's left, Gisborne rests a hand on his shoulder. Allan turns to him and is surprised to see his eyes filled with tears.

"Guy?" Allan asks tentatively.

"Allan," Guy says miserably. "Allan, what can I do to make her love me?"

Allan takes a deep breath. He should have known Gisborne would be a weepy drunk. "Well, she's your friend. That's a start, right?"

And then Guy is weeping into his chest. "Why won't she love me, Allan? I just want her to love me."

Allan pats the back of Guy's head awkwardly. "There, there," he says. Guy continues sobbing into his shoulder, but luckily doesn't say anything else.

"Allan, I can't walk straight," Marian says, tottering back to their table. Allan's almost surprised that she's come back - he'd half expected her to run off. 

Then she notices Guy weeping into Allan's shoulder. "Guy? What's wrong?"

Guy lets out another wracking sob and doesn't answer, which Allan is secretly grateful for. He came out for a relaxing night of drinking - the last thing he needs is for Marian and Guy to have it out here and now.

"He's just a bit drunk," Allan says, answering for him. "C'mon, help me get him back to the castle. We don't want the Sheriff to see him like this."

Marian nods, trying to look more sober than she is, and helps Allan get Guy up.

"Not the Sheriff, no, no, nooo," he moans. "Allan, you can't let the Sheriff see me like this, OK?"

"On it, boss," Allan says. Marian sniggers.

"Or Marian," Guy says. "She can't see me like this."

"Um," says Marian, her arm already around his shoulders.

"ALLAN!" Guy yells, giving him an earful about letting Marian near him in this state as they wrangle him out of the tavern.

"Jeez, a little gratitude would be nice," he says as Guy lapses into tears again.

They manage to make it back to the castle without being spotted. Marian helps Allan lay Guy down on the bed.

"Well," she says, looking awkward (and a lot more sober than she was half an hour ago). "Goodnight Allan."

"G'night Marian," Allan says.

"Goodnight, Guy," she calls, but Guy doesn't respond.

"Don't worry," Allan says confidently. "He'll have forgotten this by the morning."

"I hope so," says Marian. She smiles. "Thank you for arranging tonight," she says. "I had a good time."

Then she's gone. Allan is astonished. She really did just want to go out and spend time with them.

Maybe that'll be a comfort to Guy later, he thinks, as he helps the man undress and get into bed.

"Stay," Guy begs as Allan is about to head for the door. He pauses.

"Are- are you sure?" he says. "I don't want you to wake up tomorrow morning screaming like a little girl about me being in your bed."

Guy snorts, the tears apparently over for now. "It'd take a lot more for you to make me scream, Allan."

Allan wonders if he realises how dirty that sounds.

Guy sighs. "I need you to wake me up in time to meet with the Sheriff," he says. "So I need you to stay. That's all."

"That's all," Allan repeats.

"Yes." Guy eyes him narrowly, then pulls back the covers. "Get in."

Trying not to smirk, Allan gets into bed next to Guy. "You had better not throw up on me, Giz, that's all I'm saying. Otherwise, you and me are through."

Allan expects some kind of response to that, an elbow in the ribs at the very least. He twists round to look at Guy and realises he's fallen asleep, gently snoring, pressed up against Allan.

Allan sighs and resigns himself for a restless night.