Day...something of the 100 Day Word Challenge! I should have posted this a while ago, but my laptop was being stupid and I couldn't bring myself to write it. However, I forced myself to and here I am! XD

The word for today is 'poor'. Even though this one-shot sort of strayed from the idea of the word 'poor', I think it was alright...ish.

I swapped it for good old bromance. XD

Can you blame me? It's hard to resist the power of the friendship between Arthur and Merlin! XD

Enjoy!

Merlin Emrys wasn't very thrilled to find out that his mother had invited Arthur Pendragon, his dorm mate, to stay at their house over the weekend.

Merlin glared out of the cab's window with great ferocity—it was his fault for mentioning that Arthur would be all alone over the weekend because his oh-so-important father, Uther Pendragon, had to change plans at the last second.

Of course, Merlin's mother, Hunith, being the kind and caring woman she is, automatically invited Arthur to stay over the weekend.

Merlin was less than happy with this arrangement.

"Mother, he's a pain in the arse!" Merlin hissed into his phone on the morning that he found out about the plans. "You know how much I hate him!"

"Who knows? It'll be fun! And don't call him a pain in the arse, sweetie, you've only known each other for about a month." Merlin's mother replied patiently.

"One and a half months," Merlin had corrected through gritted teeth but in the end, he couldn't change his mother's mind.

And now, Merlin and Arthur were sitting silently together in the same cab. The cabbie didn't bother making any conversation with the two boys, which Merlin was grateful for. He didn't feel like talking to Arthur at the moment, and he had the feeling that the arse was just as reluctant and annoyed as he was.

Though the house was only thirty minutes away from Camelot Private Academy for Young Boys, (Merlin hated the school's name—sounded too stuck-up for his own taste,) the cab ride seemed to drag on for hours and hours.

Merlin could hear Arthur texting on his phone and he couldn't help but to roll his eyes.

Honestly, only girls texted constantly, Merlin thought, disgusted.

Or maybe he just doesn't want to talk.

Merlin considered that concept for a minute and smiled bitterly. He shouldn't have been surprised, of course. Ever since the two boys met each other at school, Arthur seemed to be fixed on making Merlin's experience at the academy a living hell.

And no, Merlin was not exaggerating.

The cab finally reached the driveway of Merlin's house and he watched as his mother came walking out from the porch. She waved cheerfully and Merlin managed a halfhearted smile.

He reached into his wallet and handed the cabbie some money while Arthur got out of the cab. He was still on his phone.

Merlin rolled his eyes but mumbled a small thanks to the cabbie before walking out himself. He walked around the cab and pulled open the trunk. Arthur quietly took his own bag and only gave Merlin a small nod before Merlin took his own luggage.

As soon as the cab drove out of the driveway, Merlin and Arthur walked up the porch to be greeted by Hunith.

"Merlin!" She said cheerfully, enveloping him in a hug. Merlin hugged her back—even though he was still rather annoyed with her, he couldn't stay that angry for long.

"And you must be Arthur." Hunith said warmly, extending a hand to Arthur.

Merlin watched as his dorm mate shook the hand with a smile. "Thank you for having me, Ms. Emrys," he said.

"It's really nothing," Merlin's mother replied graciously. "Why don't you two go in first? I just need to collect some things from the garden—I'll be back in a minute."

After giving a kiss on Merlin's cheek and another smile to Arthur, Hunith walked down the porch and disappeared around the house.

Merlin sighed and opened the door. He held it out and gestured inside. "You should go in first," he muttered.

Arthur's smile faded immediately and he simply nodded. "Yeah, whatever." He mumbled.

With that said, Arthur walked inside and Merlin headed in after him. He closed the door with a sharp snap and turned around only to bump into Arthur's back.

Merlin winced. "What'd you stop for?" He grumbled and walked ahead of Arthur. He was about to head down the hall to his bedroom when he realized that Arthur was still standing in front of the door.

When the young teenager turned around, Arthur was staring with a strange, almost uncomfortable expression on his face as he looked up and down the house's interior.

Merlin felt his face burn and suddenly became aware of the chipping, peeling wallpaper and paint on the walls and the worn, faded floor. The fact that the house only had one floor seemed to stand out even more to Merlin.

Of course. He should have known—Arthur came from a wealthy family and he probably lived in a house that was well…fancier than this.

As he continued to watch Arthur stare up and down the house, something in Merlin snapped.

"What, forgot that I was poor? Sorry that we can't all afford nice, big palaces like you." Merlin said bitterly to Arthur's still-surprised face.

His dorm mate blinked and shook his head. "I never said that." He said.

"Yeah, well," Merlin muttered. "I bet you were thinking it!"

All signs of shyness vanished and Arthur straightened himself, looking taller and bolder. "Oh, so you're a mind-reader now?" He asked loudly.

"And if I am?" Merlin asked, mirroring his harsh tone. "You can leave right now if you can't bear to stay in some stupid, old house like this!"

Arthur opened his mouth to yell back but the door suddenly opened and Hunith walked in, carrying a bowl of fruits from the garden. Her smile faded when she looked at Merlin's expression.

Merlin hastily looked down at the ground. "We were…just…"

"Acting." Arthur suddenly said to Merlin's surprise. "We're…practicing lines for a play that we're both in."

Hunith smiled, relieved, and said, "Well, that's good to hear. You two are great actors, then."

Merlin was about to smile back when he noticed the look in Hunith's eyes. Though she was still smiling, her eyes were sad and disappointed.

Merlin felt guilt slowly creep in and quickly stood forward to make up for it.

"I'll show you my room," he murmured to Arthur, taking his bag and making his way to the hall. He was fuming inside, but he didn't want to have his mother think poorly of the situation.

Merlin pushed open the door to his bedroom, and placed Arthur's bag on his bed.

"Where's yours?" Arthur asked casually, sitting down.

"Your bag is on it." Merlin replied coldly. Before Arthur could answer, he went on, "Just sleep there, yeah? I'm not in the mood for another argument."

Arthur crossed his arms and glared at Merlin. "I wasn't going to fight," he said.

"Good." Merlin replied tiredly and walked out of the room. He made his way into the kitchen, where Hunith was quietly preparing for dinner.

"I'm sorry." He said, leaning against the doorframe. "I know that you know that Arthur and I really weren't just acting."

Hunith sighed and turned to Merlin. "I accept your apology, Merlin, but…" She gestured at the hall. "Try and be nice to Arthur, will you? I know how much you dislike him, but who knows, he might just need a friend."

Merlin snorted. "Mother, he's one of the most popular kids in school. He has his little group of friends following him around just about everywhere."

Hunith smiled sadly. "Just because he's surrounded by people doesn't mean that they're really his friends. He might be lonely."

"He's impossible. He was bullying one of the kids in the halls because apparently, the kid cheeked him." Merlin said angrily. "And then he started to get on my case because I told him to quit it." He threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

"And just my luck, he turned out to be my dorm mate and ever since then, he's been bugging me and acting like a royal prat." Merlin finished.

"You told me that Arthur came from a well-known family, Merlin," Hunith said gently. "He's probably under a lot of pressure."

Merlin harrumphed. "You're just standing up for him because you're too nice."

"Being too nice is better than being too mean." Hunith replied serenely. "Now, go and tell Arthur that dinner will be ready in a couple of minutes."

Merlin sighed. "Fine." He said shortly and headed back out to the hall. He walked into his room and found Arthur rummaging through his bookshelf.

Merlin was about to yell at him to take his hands off when Arthur turned and lifted an eyebrow. "You read the Harry Potter series?" He asked.

Merlin blinked and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yeah." He said shortly. "Why?"

Arthur shrugged. "I read them, that's all." He muttered.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "You read? You never read books when we were in school."

Arthur snorted and sat down on the bed. "Yeah, because they're all mostly history books. Who wants to read about the boring Dark Ages or knights or kings and queens?" He asked incredulously.

Merlin shrugged. "I think it's cool." He replied coolly.

Arthur smirked. "Knew you'd say that," he said carelessly. "I prefer to live the moment."

Merlin lifted an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "But you're named after King Arthur in the Arthurian Legends, right? And your dad's name is Uther, like King Arthur's father…"

"And I have a sister named Morgana, yes, and she's a real bitch." Arthur said, rolling his eyes. "Ha, ha, ha, very funny. But really, it isn't. It's stupid. You should know—your name is Merlin, like the batty, doggery old man."

Merlin and Arthur were best friends in the Arthurian Legends, Merlin couldn't help but to think but quickly shoved that the thought away. The idea of Merlin possibly becoming friends with Arthur was beginning to sicken his stomach.

He was about to announce dinner when Arthur suddenly sat up. "If you're so poor, how'd you get into Camelot's Academy? It's not exactly cheap." He said bluntly.

Merlin felt his lips part in shock. Did he just ask that?

Arthur looked up at Merlin and his cheeks turned into an odd, pink color. "No, I didn't mean to sound rude, I just—"

If Arthur's previous comment hadn't shocked Merlin enough, this one certainly did. Arthur was (sort of) apologizing…?

"It's fine." Merlin muttered, sitting down on the extra bed. "I got to Camelot's through a scholarship. I was lucky."

Arthur lifted his eyebrows. "Oh." He said. "I wouldn't have guessed. You know, since you act like an idiot most of the time."

"Well, you act like a pompous prat! Oh, wait, you are one!"

Those words popped out of Merlin's mouth before he could stop himself.

Arthur blinked and asked, "A what?"

"A prat." Merlin mumbled. "It's in the dictionary. Look it up."

For a minute, Arthur was quiet.

Suddenly, he was laughing.

And laughing.

And laughing.

Merlin blinked in confusion. "What's so funny?" He asked.

Arthur grinned and looked up, still laughing. "It's just…" He gasped for breath, "no one says that anymore and you…" He collapsed into laughter again.

When he finally stopped, Arthur smiled—a real one, this time,—and said, "There's something about you, Merlin. And I can't really put my finger on it…"

Merlin managed a small smile. "I'm the idiot." He joked weakly and Arthur chuckled lightly under his breath.

Hunith poked her head in the door and smiled. "I thought I heard laughter in here," she said. "What's so funny?"

Merlin turned to his mother and said in a very, very flat voice, "Arthur's a prat and I'm an idiot."

He heard Arthur snort and within seconds, the boys were rolling on the ground, laughing with tears in their eyes.

Hunith watched them, confused, and smiled. She was glad that the two had finally gotten along, even though it was over a rather silly joke.

A/N: I think I accidentally made things go too fast in this one-shot. I mean, suddenly, Arthur and Merlin are yelling at each other and then the next minute, they're laughing over some dumb joke.

But I think the bromance makes up for it.

I think.

That's for you guys to decide! Leave a review, please! Constructive criticism is AWESOME, but flames are NOT. I will automatically delete them because they're pointless.