It took approximately 37 minutes and 3 seconds for the boredom to finally overcome Arthur Pendragon. Clearing his throat, he gazed emotionlessly at the textbook that was in front of him [opened to page 47, as it had been for twenty minutes now], and as the words of the teacher echoed silently around in his brain, he picked up the black pen that lay in front of him. Arthur lifted his notebook and silently turned it to a new, blank page. He lifted the pen to his mouth and used his teeth to pull of the cap, spitting it into his hand.
He placed the tip of his pen to the paper and absentmindedly, he began to sketch out the shape of a face.
…..
Merlin licked his lips, staring at the equation on the page in front of him.
Alright, he thought, rubbing his hands together underneath the desk. If I think it through, it should… work. Ummm, squiggly line… bracket, letter f. Another bracket…
Merlin sighed outwardly, and ran a hand through his black hair. Looking around the room, he saw people scribbling the answers into their books, and he wished that he could be at least half as smart as them, but Maths just wasn't his thing. It never had been, and he doubted that it ever would be.
Glancing to the left, he saw the look of concentration on the blonde boy's face and, looking down, saw that he was no longer working on his Maths. Instead, he was busy sketching the face of a boy that was sat not too far away from him. To Merlin the drawing was perfect; he had every little detail right, the way the boy's hair flowed a certain way, the millions of freckles that were spread over his cheeks. Even the way his clothes creased, this boy had a talent.
Merlin grew uneasy as he felt himself being watched, and he realised that the pen had stopped moving. Lifting his head, he found himself staring into a pair of deep-blue eyes.
….
Arthur looked into the eyes of the raven-haired boy, a little irritated. Nobody was allowed to see his sketches, he wouldn't even show his own sister the drawings he had done of her. He quickly closed his notebook, and turned his head to the front of the class.
….
Merlin quickly glanced to the front of the class, and then to a spot on the desk, in front of Arthur. He opened his mouth to talk, and the promptly closed it again. Merlin lifted his eyes to look at him. He was almost ready to attempt to speak, when a bell echoed throughout the room. All around him, people pushed chairs away from desks, and sprinted out of the classroom and into the hallway. Merlin lifted his bag and got too his feet, moving Gwaine's chair out of the way to let himself past. Walking out into the hallway, Merlin was surprised to find it almost deserted.
