Merlin was down on his stomach, his chin on his balled left fist, his other hovering over the chess board and his tongue sticking out of the corner of his pink lips. He heard nothing but his breathing as the thunder and lightning in the sky outside crashed into each other and exploded much like the cheerleaders at his school falling over themselves during one of the home games. He lifted a wooden game piece up, to the right, and then grinned as he made a very, very good move. It caused the other player, who sat cross legged in front of him on the other side of the game board to huff in annoyance. Merlin grinned as he silently celebrated his victory even if it was a small one.

"I'm going to win," he chided to Arthur as he sat up and leaned his thin arms to the celling and let his back pop.

No," Said Arthur taking his turn, "you are not. Face it Merlin, you always lose when it comes to you and me."

Merlin frowned at this statement because it was true in a sense. He always lost to Arthur, sadly as it were. Ever since they had become best friends in Primary school they had always been at contest over little things but in good fun, of course. Merlin took a long drink of his water, wiped his mouth, and pointed to Arthur, "I don't always lose in fact….how about me make a bet?"

Arthur stopped and looked at Merlin and let a smile come across his face as he stole Merlin's water and drunk the rest and ignored Merlin's shouts of protest. Merlin grabbed it back from him and held it in a tight grip and let his eyes tell Arthur that if he came near his water he would be killed. Arthur held up a hand in submission.

"So what kind of bet?" he asked, curiosity lit in his voice as he looked over his thin, big eared, lopsided, caring friend who more amused him and annoyed him then anything.

"Well I bet you that I could tell you who you are in love with," Merlin smirked at the other.

He had only to look at his friend over the past month or so to know who ever it was; it was deep and affected Arthur to where he was a fool of himself. Arthur of course wouldn't tell him who it was no matter what Merlin said or threatened and Merlin so wanted to know.

Arthur looked away to the window as if the weather was something so special then just a normal spring rain shower. "No I am not going to tell you and even if I did agree you could never guess it!"

"I bet I could, Arthur, in fact I could bet in three guesses I could guess the person," said Merlin and smiled at Arthur's raised eyebrow.

Arthur pointed at merlin and said with flourish, " You really want to know don't you? Well then, fine, I bet in three guess that you can't tell me who as captured my heart, or so you love to say."

"But if I do?" Merlin asked and took another turn at the game and watched Arthur make his move and then let his gaze swept over the black and white board to gather his knowledge for winging over Arthur.

"Then you can say that you finally beat me at something, but Merlin you won't be able to guess, and since I know I will win this stupid thing here's what will happen: You lose you tell me your big secret."

Merlin cocked his head and blinked, " I don't have a big secret, Arthur unlike you."

Merlin and Arthur knew everything about each other from Merlin hating to the dark to Arthur fearing spiders, to Arthur loving classical music while Merlin played rock sometimes at midnight in an old abandon building a few blocks away, and both knew that each other was, in fact, gay and liked men, and that was something they had both told each other when they became best friends, and each other was okay with it seeing they were both in the some boat.

"Ah, but you are hiding something, Merlin, I know it. So then?"

Merlin licked his lips, he knew what his big secret was of course but did he want to take a chance that Arthur might find out what it was, but then again he just had to know who Arthur was in love with because…..because….well that was part of secret now wasn't it?

He picked up his piece on the board and moved it, "Check mate, Arthur!"

Arthur scrawled and hit Merlin on the back of the head and the other boy laughed and they soon got into a wrestling match. This was going to be the first of many wins for Merlin Emrys where Arthur was involved, he could feel it.

Now, how to find out who had captured Arthur's heart?

I shall try and update soon. I am planning only 7-9 chapters for this little fic since I am still working on my bigger project Love in a Bowl full of Sand and just needed a story to de block `my writers block!

As always readers are the writers and the writers are just the messengers! Please leave a review!