Title: Fanboys and Idol Stars (4/?)
Rating: M
Warnings/Spoilers: The rating is going up to M from this chapter but that's all.
Summary: AU. Merlin is a fanboy, currently idolising over his old friend Lancelot. Arthur is another idol. When they meet at a CD signing they're bound to conflict but do they really hate each other as much as they claim? Merlin/Arthur.

Chapter Summary: Gwen and Morgana dress Merlin up and put make up on him, they go clubbing and Arthur and Merlin grind on the dancefloor to Nickelback.

Chapter Four: A Night Out

Surprises are difficult little things; some people hate them and insist on knowing everything while others prefer to not know what's going to happen. You have to be aware whether people prefer to know what's going on or not.

Another difficulty is planning a surprise, some people spend long periods of time trying to secretly organise or find out about something just to surprise people. Of course some people wreck surprises, they accidentally tell the person who it's supposed to be a surprise for or they work it out. That always tends to be an annoyance for those who work hard for the surprise.

The worst kind of surprise is those that absolutely shouldn't happen.

Well, that was what Merlin thought and he liked to think he had experience on that front.

*****

After what felt like weeks Friday finally came and found Merlin being dropped off around Gwen's by his mother, dressed simply in an old shirt and jeans. He didn't expect they'd be going anywhere special even if Lancelot was a celebrity now, he'd never been keen on anything too ostentatious so he hadn't bothered changing after school. When Gwen answered the front door though her look of annoyance told Merlin that she didn't agree with him,

"I knew getting you to come early would be for the best. Come in, it's a good job I brought you some new clothes," she replied with a sigh. The dark haired boy's eyes widened slightly,

"Gwen! You didn't need to buy me anything?! You need that money for your own things, you're not rich," he exclaimed. Gwen looked slightly sheepish,

"Yes...well...I just wanted to make it up to you for giving Arthur your number...and you're my best friend and you need to look good," she mumbled. The teenage boy shook his head then as he followed the girl in. Honestly, Gwen sometimes cared about people too much,

"Well okay then. I guess the least I can do is wear whatever you brought me," he responded with a small chuckle and a grin. He got a grin back in return as the dark skinned girl led the boy back to her room. It was the same as normal, painted a nice sunny yellow with a small bed and a clean floor. There was a pile of teddies in the corner by the window and a few on the bed sitting next to an outfit on the sheets. Gwen hurried over to the bed and held the shirt up. It was light blue in colour which wasn't bad but Merlin felt himself grimacing when he read the text,

"You're joking, right?" he half-asked. He knew Gwen wouldn't pull a joke like that though so when she shook her head and turned the shirt around to inspect the front herself he just sighed. She'd thought it was a nice t-shirt, the colour would help bring out Merlin's eyes and it wasn't like the text was that insulting. Well, she hadn't thought it was but she could see why Merlin wouldn't be too impressed by the fact it had SLUT written in bold across the chest.

"It's not that bad, I highly doubt anyone will care. I mean...girls will probably think it's cool...not that you want to impress girls but...errr...this bass player in a band used to wear a shirt that said slut and it didn't cause him any problems?" Once again Merlin sighed, he knew Gwen had only been trying to help and she was getting quite flustered over it. Plus she had brought it for him so before he could change his mind, he pulled his plain black t-shirt over his head and reached for the new shirt. He looked at the label and noticed it was his size but when he pulled it on it hugged him unlike the slightly loose shirts he usually chose to wear. Next a pair of black skinny jeans came his way and the teenage boy simply sighed again and pulled off his trousers as Gwen turned away, managing to tug the stiff jeans up his skinny legs with relative ease up to his hips. He knew Gwen would moan if he pulled them any higher but they'd be a little uncomfortable if he wore them on his waist anyway.

"Okay. I'm ready," he informed his female friend and she turned around and made a noise of approval. She pointed to the mirror and Merlin went to quickly check himself out. He didn't look bad but it wasn't something he'd usually choose himself. It was a little alternative if he was honest, not that had anything against the way emo or scene kids dressed but it just wasn't usually him. He preferred to cover up slightly and wear things like neckerchiefs. Gwen was appraising him carefully,

"You really do look good dressed like that. Ever thought of becoming scene?" she asked teasingly and Merlin rolled his eyes, tugging at the bottom of the shirt lightly. It was as he looked at himself again that he realised she'd dressed him similarly to go to the signing. Those clothes had been his own though, the blue skinnies had brought for him by his mum but the blue shirt had been a little looser and a favourite of his. He turned around to comment to Gwen about it when he spotted what Gwen was doing. His eyes widened and he stepped sidewards, trying to sneak towards the door while she wasn't looking. He was not going that far. He had his masculinity dammit! Gwen looked up though before he could even think about getting the hell out of there. She had an eye-liner stick in one hand and was grinning at him,

"Come on Merlin. It'll look good and hey, you might pull dressed like that," she commented as she took a large step towards him. Usually Gwen was the kindest girl Merlin knew but she could be scary when she wanted too. He was about to step backwards before sprinting when he walked back into someone. He turned his head to see Morgana, what was she doing there? He didn't have time to ask though as the raven haired beauty had grabbed him by the arms and started leading him towards the bed.

He wasn't getting out of this one.

*****

When Lancelot drove up to Gwen's house the last thing he expected to see was to see Arthur's sister talking with Gwen and Merlin looking...very...different. It was just, he was wearing clothes that fitted him properly and even hugged his body. It really showed how skinny the guy was and-oh god, was he wearing make-up?! Lancelot attempted to stifle his laughter as Merlin climbed into the back with a scowl. He smiled good naturedly at his younger friend in greeting and just got a half smile in return as Merlin slumped back into his seat and did his seatbelt up.

"Don't even ask. Your girlfriend just seems to think that I'm a doll for her to dress up," Merlin grumbled. Lancelot's cheeks reddened slightly at the idea of Gwen being his girlfriend. Oh, how he wished that would work but it just wouldn't be fair on her. Gwen deserved a proper boyfriend and he would just be too busy to give her the attention she deserved at all times. Lancelot sighed heavily, dropping his head back against his seat with a small thump. The door opposite opened and Gwen got in, beaming at Lancelot,

"Thanks for inviting us Lance," she greeted as she leaned over to peck him on the cheek, leaning back to point out the raven haired girl as she climbed in the back next to Merlin, "and this is Morgana." Lance nodded knowingly and turned to smile at Morgana,

"I know. Arthur's sister right?" he said and got a nod in response.

"Step-sister actually but it's nice to know you remember me from our brief meeting before."

The car lapsed into silence then as Lancelot started the car and headed down the road towards the club district of the city. It took a few minutes before Merlin's eyes widened in realisation and the exclamation of "That prat's your brother!" slipped out. Morgana simply raised an eyebrow up at him, "so you really have met," she commented before her face cracked into a wide grin.

"Thank god you're not like all those others who suck up and fawn all over him. Finally someone else who sees sense," Morgana said, slinging a bare arm over the boy's shoulder, her many bangles clinking together as she did so. Merlin studied the girl hugging him then and found himself scowling slightly again. Morgana wasn't dressed all funny like he was, she was wearing a decent dusky pink camisole with light blue flowers printed on it and dark blue jeans. He let his gaze move onto Gwen in her dark blue knee length halter neck dress with a lighter blue bust which was decorated with a few dark blue buttons. The two looked lovely and he just looked like...like some chirpy teenager rocker. Morgana brought Merlin's attention back to her with a small poke and he made a small "hmm" noise in response. Morgana raised a delicate eyebrow again-she could almost rival Gaius with those-and sighed slightly,

"I said that you do realise Arthur's going to be there tonight don't you?" she asked again and once again Merlin's eyes widened dramatically. The prat was going to be there? Oh no, he was going to get himself in so much shit. He'd probably only end up fighting with him again and there was going to be alcohol and oh no, the night could not go well. Merlin groaned and dropped his head into his hands. Was everyone against him or something? He was going to have to go hide in the toilets or get himself drunk stupid or something along those lines. He heard Gwen turn around slightly and felt a pat on his head.

"It's going to be fine. Morgana's already threatened him to be nice to you," he heard her say. Merlin looked up from his hands and looked between his two female friends before he relaxed back again with a sigh.

"You're right. It's going to be fine. I'm not going to let that prat get to me. I'll just ignore him."

If only Merlin knew how difficult that would be.

*****

Eventually they arrived at the club, a sign outside indicated that since it was Friday it was pop-punk/punk rock night. Merlin looked up at the club and down the line, it wasn't the type of place he'd usually go for a drink. Not that he was complaining, it didn't look like it was going to be too expensive for a club and the music wouldn't be terrible compared to some of the club's Will had dragged him into on past weekends. The thrum of the music could be heard from inside every time the door was opened to let someone in and it had a good beat. Rather then lining up though, Lancelot led them straight to the door and with a quick word with the bouncer about paying extra to get in early and meeting Arthur inside, the bouncer let them in without a complaint. Merlin shouldn't have been surprised, Lance was a celebrity now after all, he probably just walked into clubs all the time.

The group entered the club quickly, the heat of the room quickly obvious as Lancelot led them to a table where Arthur sat waiting for them, a bottle of beer in front of him. They all quickly peeled off their coats as the song changed to one Merlin knew. Made Up Stories by Go:Audio he thought it was, how ironic that it was about catching someone cheating in a club. The dark haired boy was drawn out of his thoughts by a pair of eyes roaming over him and Merlin jolted back to attention to see Arthur studying him as he stood up. The blond raised an eyebrow at the text on his shirt and Merlin found himself blushing as the other male stepped forwards with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Well your shirt is certainly making an unexpected statement about you," Arthur commented before he turned around to greet the others and ask them what drinks they wanted. Merlin's jaw dropped, his face flushing redder and it took a few moments before he spluttered, "I am not a slut!" Arthur simply ignored his statement with a smirk until he'd found out what the others wanted to drink,

"I never said you were. Drink?" he responded. Merlin found himself scowling at the other male before he simply stalked past him with a, "I can get my own thanks." Arthur soon followed the other his eyes dropping downwards on the other's arse approvingly and Morgana found herself glaring at her brother from her seat as Gwen groaned next to her.

"Tonight is not going to go well," they both muttered.

Merlin knew that Arthur had followed him to the bar and he was a little pissed about it. The prat was already being rude to him and yet he expected Merlin to act civil. Not everyone just accepted his taunts without argument, not everyone was a butt kissing suck up. He scowled at that thought and as soon as he reached the bar, he reeled around to glare at the slightly smaller blond, drawing himself to his full height.

"Are you always such a prat or do I just get special treatment," he shouted, trying to be heard over the music, it was louder by the bar then at the tables and he didn't want Arthur to miss a word.

"As I don't see you insulting Gwen or Morgana or even Lancelot." Arthur scoffed slightly in response, moving closer to the dark haired boy so they could hear each other without screaming.

"Don't feel special. I treat everyone this way, you're just a lot more entertaining then the others," he responded with a smirk. That cocky smirk just annoyed Merlin all the more and he turned around, heading to the bar and ordering a shot, flashing a fake ID when asked. He downed the shot and ordered a beer, feeling slightly better with the alcohol in his system.

"Am I that bad?" Arthur asked as he joined the dark haired boy at the bar. Merlin just glared at his beer as he started to sip at it and Arthur sighed.

"Well then...I guess I'm sorry. Let's try not and ruin the others night."

The dark haired teenager turned to study the blond with a hint of surprise, Arthur Pendragon was apologising to him? After having been such a dick over the phone and in real life. Merlin had to admit he was shocked but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If Arthur was going to try and he would too.

"Fine then," he responded. Arthur smiled at him, actually smiled at him before he called the bar maid over and ordered the rest of their friends drinks. Before Arthur went to go drop the drinks off he looked Merlin up and down again,

"You look good by the way," he commented before he sauntered off. Merlin just stared.

*****

One bottle of beer later and Merlin was already slightly tipsy, well okay maybe more then slightly but he still had some sense. One more bottle of beer and another shot later and he was gone. He was rambling on to Gwen about some internet thing and nodding his head to the music and Arthur just watched the younger male with amusement as he chatted on about everything and nothing.

The two had been getting on pretty well since their truce at the bar and Arthur was finding that Merlin could be quite fun, especially under the influence. Admittedly Arthur may have been watching him a little more carefully then most people would consider normal and Morgana had glared at him several times already. All Arthur had done in response was shrug, he wasn't doing anything wrong. Not yet anyway.

That seemed deemed to change though with Merlin's inebriated state and the DJ's choice in music. As the opening to a familiar song started Merlin practically squealed in delight as he recognised it and as the vocals started he begun to sing along. It wasn't one of his or Lancelot's songs but it still caused Arthur to freeze as he listened to Merlin's-bad-drunken singing. It wasn't because of that though, it was that Merlin who just looked so innocent even with his hair tousled and his shirt crawling up his stomach every time he stretched too much was singing along with such a dirty song. That he knew the lyrics was a surprise enough and as he came to the chorus Arthur had to shift about slightly as he stared at the younger boy writhing around in his seat as he sung,

"S is for the simple need,
E is for the ecstasy,
X is just to mark the spot,
'Cause that's the one you really want"

Arthur found himself gulping slightly as Merlin turned to him and grinned at him as the boy leaned over and said,

"I'm gonna go dance," before he promptly climbed over the blond's lap and started towards the dancefloor. Arthur watched the other male leave before he downed the rest of the beer. He couldn't understand why he followed the other male out there himself, he must have been slightly tipsy himself but he knew he could usually hold his alcohol a lot better. Merlin was certainly attractive but he was sure he wouldn't usually act like this and he knew for certain that Merlin wouldn't. So when he found himself on the dancefloor, standing behind Merlin grinding up against him before the other turned around and wrapped his arms around Arthur's neck, pulling them both close as they danced amongst the many people surrounding them. Arthur found himself leaning forwards and singing the chorus quietly into the other's ear, his voice slightly husky and a small groan escaped Merlin as he pressed his half-hard dick against Arthur's thigh, his own leg rubbing against Arthur's own erection. The song was over far to quickly for Arthur's liking but he didn't want things to end yet. Merlin released Arthur and the blond immediately grabbed the dark haired teenager's hand and started to lead him towards the men's toilets but Morgana was waiting for them when they got off the dancefloor.

Arthur had to admit he hadn't ever been more afraid of his step-sister then at that moment as she glared at him, shooting Merlin a worried look before she gently pulled Merlin's hand out of Arthur's and took it herself. She started to lead Merlin back to their table with a glare back at Arthur and he almost missed Merlin's moan of,

"But I wanna stay with Arthur." The singer growled quietly to himself before he followed them back to the table. Morgana had just ruined his evening. He simply grabbed his coat, muttered a gruff goodbye to the others, shot Merlin a yearning look before rolling his eyes at the dark haired boy's stupid grin in response. With that he left the club, calling for his driver as he leaned up against the wall of the club, shutting his eyes against the cold air.

It looked like he would be dreaming about Merlin and his god damn arse that night.

___________

Ha ha and that people is about as close to smut as I'm likely to get.

Ummm I hope you enjoyed and I would love it if someone could edit a picture of Merlin/Colin in the outfit I put him in. I would seriously love you FOREVER!

Please review!