A/N: I am so so so sorry I haven't posted anything new for a while guys! I've had the idea floating around in my head for a couple weeks, bu I just recently finished getting it all down and then having my beta read through it. This chapter, however is about 1200 words longer than any other one I've written, so I hope that helps make up for it. Once again, thanks for all the favorites and follows, and the reviews from Merthurfan1, dragonryder622, AnotherMerlinFan, HauntedApple, Aashna, sapere7, StrangerStories, Mabudachi-trio, AwsomestPersonAlive, .x, and BreathingFantasies. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: If you still think I might own Merlin, then you might be as oblivious as Arthur.
Chapter 8
The next month was surprisingly calm. The group had finally found it's own little routine after the first half of the semester finished. Almost every night Merlin, the knights, and the girls would go to Percy and Gwaine's apartment where either Percy or Lancelot would make them all dinner (they were surprisingly good cooks) and everyone would hang out watching TV or playing video games or just talking until late in the night. The only exception was on Thursday nights, when Merlin and Arthur would order pizza or Chinese takeout or something similar so they could stay at their place for tutoring. They had soon figured out that the only way the tutoring was going to work was if one person was tutored in private. Merlin had decided that the convenience of living together, and the fact that Arthur was absolutely terrible at actually doing his homework on time, meant that he was the one to get the private tutoring sessions. Everyone else met on Saturday afternoons to be tutored.
During one of the Thursday night sessions in mid-November, yells and groans of frustration could be heard emanating from Arthur and Merlin's flat.
"I give up! I can't do it!" Arthur threw his notebook at the wall, aggravated that he still was not understanding the concept. "Math is hard enough without throwing in all this Greek."
Merlin rubbed at his eyes. He and Arthur had been working on Physics homework for the past two hours, and they had barely gotten to the fourth one of about fifty. Dropping his hand to the table, Merlin looked back at the problem in Arthur's book which was sitting between them on the dining room table. "Arthur, I don't know how I can explain this in simpler terms. Do you want me to go step by step again?"
"No, Merlin," Arthur shot back, "what I want is not to have to take this bloody class! Or at least a break from just staring at these stupid papers and stupid notes and stupid books." Arthur moved to grab the book from the table (presumably to fling it across the room for the third time that night) but Merlin nabbed it and pulled it from harm's way first.
Merlin wracked his brain for some way to get Arthur to finish his homework when he remembered a conversation he had overheard between Elyan and Arthur just the day before about how Arthur hadn't been to a pub in almost three weeks and he wished he could find time to do so. Merlin looked at Arthur, who had his head in his hands. "Maybe you just need some incentive."
Arthur lifted his head slightly at this, arching one golden eyebrow in curiosity.
"What if I told you that if you finish up to number thirty by eleven o'clock, you and I will go to The Rising Sun and I'll buy the first round?" Merlin smirked slightly as he saw Arthur's eyes widen. The blonde nearly lunged at Merlin to get the book from him. Merlin glanced at the clock they had on the wall. Arthur still had two and a half hours to try to finish his problems, and Merlin was confident he would now that a trip to his favorite bar was a possibility.
Merlin was reading a book when Arthur dropped his pencil, just under two hours after Merlin had made his offer. The lanky man pulled Arthur's notebook to him to check his work, and he could feel the shock showing on his face as he saw that all of it was done correctly. Merlin's eyes narrowed as he lifted them to meet his suddenly ingenious roommate's dark blue orbs. "You were faking that you didn't get it, weren't you?"
Arthur's face became suspiciously innocent at Merlin's accusation. "Why would I possibly do that?"
"To aggravate me."
"Oh come on, Merlin. You really think I would fake stupidity for two hours just to mess with you?"
"You've done stranger things."
Arthur simply rolled his eyes and then nodded at his work "Did I do them right?"
Merlin's eyes flickered down to Arthur's work and then back to the blue eyes looking at him with hope. He sighed and answered, "Yes, you did them right. Go get ready and we'll go like I promised."
Arthur practically jumped out of his chair and ran to his room. Merlin stacked all the papers and books into a neat pile on the table then headed to his room to change for the bar as well. He reentered the living room ten minutes later to find that Arthur was still in his room, so Merlin plopped on the couch and turned on the telly, vaguely paying attention to the news playing on the screen.
After waiting another ten minutes, Merlin went and banged on Arthur's door. "What's taking you so long?" Merlin practically yelled through the door. "You were the one so gung-ho about going, and you're taking forever!"
"Unlike you, Merlin, I like to look presentable when I go out," came the muffled reply.
Merlin rolled his eyes. "Well hurry up or I'm leaving you."
"I'd like to see you try to get there without me. I'm the one who has a car, remember?"
Merlin sighed in defeat and resituated himself on the couch, prepared to wait on his roommate. He couldn't help feeling surprised he never guessed Arthur was gay before Morgana mentioned it. Arthur fussed over his appearance like a teenage girl.
Surprisingly, Arthur came out after only five more minutes. Merlin didn't think he looked all that much better looking than any other time, but then Merlin had been finding himself thinking Arthur was very fit almost three times a day, so he may not have been the best judge.
Twenty minutes later they found themselves sitting in a booth at the Rising Sun, both nursing a beer and awkwardly staring around at the rest of the patrons. They remained this way for a short time, then Merlin spoke up. "Nice weather we've been having."
Arthur looked at Merlin, his face a careful, clearly readable blank: I can't believe you really just started a conversation with a comment on the weather.
Merlin shrugged, refusing the blush building up around his ears. "Do you have a better topic to discuss? Because I'm clearly out of ideas."
Arthur stared at his beer for a few moments, then looked back up at the man across from him. "Have you seen the new Star Trek trailer?" The two stared at each other for a moment, then Merlin burst out laughing, drawing the attention of several people nearby.
"You look at me like I'm an idiot for asking about the weather," Merlin finally managed to get out, "then you ask me about a movie trailer?"
He descended into another fit of giggles as Arthur felt his face heating up and quickly leaned on one had to try to cover part of it up. "Well you said liked to watch old episodes of the original series with your step-brother, so I was just wondering! Never mind if you're just going to act like this." Screw it. Arthur threw back the last of his beer, hoping it would do something to downplay the furious red his face had gone.
As soon as Arthur stood, empty pint in hand and going for another, Merlin forced himself back under control. He had mentioned that he would watch old episodes of the classic series with Daegal, but that had been weeks ago while they were flipping channels one Wednesday night. Arthur hadn't even acknowledged that he had heard Merlin's comment, too busy staring at the TV and going through the shows.
Arthur returned with a new bottle and slid back into his spot across from Merlin, and immediately busied himself playing with the paper label wrapped around the beer. Merlin noticed that he was purposely avoiding Merlin's eyes. Eager to get past the awkwardness that had sprung up again, Merlin apologized. "Arthur, I'm sorry I laughed at you. I swear I didn't mean to, it was just out of surprise, I guess." Arthur still wasn't looking at him, so he tried again. "I'm sorry Arthur, I really am." Those blue eyes stayed trained on the bottle in front of them, so Merlin tried another approach. He took one of his hands and placed it over Arthur's frantically fussing fingers.
Merlin felt something static light up between them, quick and sudden, as soon as he'd touched Arthur. Both men's hands jerked back, only just far enough to stop the skin-to-skin contact, and Arthur's eyes finally darted up to meet those of his roommates.
They stared at each other for a moment, then they both glanced off in other directions. "I'm truly sorry if I offended you," Merlin started once again, his eyes glued to the table in front of him. "It was completely accidental."
"It's fine, Merlin." Merlin looked up at Arthur's response, and saw the knight looking at him with a small smile on his face. "I'm sure I've insulted you more on other occasions."
"Well that's for sure."
"I apologize for those, by the way."
"Thank you. I tried not to hold it against you too much after the soccer match. You are a prat, after all."
"Very funny, Merlin."
They'd been chatting easily for an hour before Arthur asked Merlin a surprising question. "You said at the party the other night that you were 'more than half' gay, but you call yourself bi. What did you mean by that, if you don't mind my asking?"
Merlin carefully considered how to phrase his answer before answering. "I mainly find myself attracted to men, but I have been in a relationship with a woman before."
"Most gay men have, Merlin. Hell, I even have. It's called a beard."
"I know, but this was different. I wasn't just trying to fight who I was. I truly cared about this girl, Freya. She was very special to me, like no other girl has ever been. She's the only girl who I've ever felt like that for, though, so I identify myself as mostly gay."
Arthur seemed to consider this as he rolled his nearly empty beer bottle between his fingers, his lips pursed. "That...makes sense."
"I'm glad I have your approval." Merlin glanced down at his watch. "Blimey, it's already almost one! What do you say we get one more drink then head home? After all, you still have homework to finish tomorrow. Well, today." Arthur nodded his head in agreement, so Merlin made his way to the bar through the crowd.
After he got the two bottles, Merlin turned to go back to the booth, but accidentally knocked into a man standing behind him. A large portion of both beers sloshed out and onto the man's shirt, which Merlin immediately started apologizing for profusely. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying close enough attention when I turned around. This is my fault. Here, let me get some napkins to clean this up."
As he turned to get the napkins, though, he felt a hand grip his upper arm painfully and forcefully spin him back to face the man he had spilled on. The man, Merlin now noticed, had dark brown, almost black, eyes, and unruly black hair that seemed to spill out of the ponytail that held it all behind his head. The man was also very large, and most definitely stronger than Merlin.
"What's your problem, mate?" the large man spat out. "Why can't you watch where you're going?"
"I'm terribly sorry, I just-" Merlin began again, but the man cut him off.
"I come here, trying to have a good time with my buddies, then some little nancy-boyhas to go and ruin it!"
"I'll pay to have your shirt cleaned if-"
The man started to laugh. "You're worried about getting my shirt cleaned? You should be a lot more worried about the beating you're about to get from me and my mates."
Just as the man gripped Merlin by his shirt collar and Merlin began to understand the meaning of true terror, Arthur came from out of nowhere to stand between the man and Merlin (well, as close to between as he could with the man holding Merlin). "Hey, my friend here apologized for spilling, and even offered to pay for your shirt. Why don't you just leave him alone?"
The man turned his gaze to focus on the new addition. "Oh, so nancy-boy has friends in high places. Well, Pendragon, just because he's got connections, doesn't mean he gets off scot-free."
Merlin felt himself being pulled by the man, but then Arthur intervened once more. "Look, just let my friend go, please? I'll even buy the next round for you and your friends."
The man seemed to consider this, then released Merlin. Arthur signalled to the bartender to give the group another round. The two flatmates began to walk away, when they heard from behind them, "Oi, Pendragon!"
Arthur turned back around, and the man's fist connected with his jaw, knocking Arthur to the floor. Merlin could hear the man and his friends laughing as he knelt to help Arthur off the ground.
"That's it!" The bartender signaled to the bouncer near the entrance. "Get these bastards out of here!"
Merlin grabbed Arthur under an elbow as the group of loud men were forcibly pushed out the door. "Are you alright?" he asked, helping Arthur to his feet.
Arthur glared back at him. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine. Because getting punched in the jaw doesn't hurt at all." He rolled his eyes, hand rubbing over his chin. "Honestly Merlin, I shouldn't even take you out in public."
Merlin smiled to himself, until Arthur's hand moved and the quickly purpling bruise on his jaw became visible. "We should get home." He then turned to the bartender and asked, "Can we have some ice to go?"
The man reached under the bar and produced a plastic cup filled to the brim with ice cubes and handed it to Merlin. "I hope this doesn't stop you guys from coming back."
"It would take more than a few assholes to stop us from coming here," Arthur replied with a grin, which made him wince. Merlin handed him the cup of ice and the two men left. As they approached Arthur's car, Arthur started to walk to the driver's side when he felt a hand pull on his elbow.
"Nuh-uh, you just got socked in the jaw. I'm driving."
"Just because I got hit doesn't mean I can't drive. I'm fine."
"You can't drive with both hands while you're icing your face. I'll drive."
Arthur glared at Merlin, but he handed over the keys and walked to the passenger door.
They quickly returned home and as they entered the apartment Arthur plopped down on the couch. Merlin came up next to him, awkwardly hovering near his shoulder. "Do you need some more ice?"
"Uh, sure, that would be great, thanks."
Merlin scurried off to the kitchen and grabbed some ice from the freezer, then put it in a plastic bag and wrapped the bag in a towel to keep it from dripping too much. He returned to the living room, where Arthur was getting off the couch. "Ah, ah, sit down, Arthur", he chided, gently pushing his flatmate back onto the sofa.
"I don't need to be fussed over, Merlin," Arthur snapped, pushing Merlin's hands away.
"Just stay still, you clod," Merlin snapped back, pushing him down a little harder. Arthur gave way with a huff, sprawling out across the cushions like a petulant child, and Merlin snorted. "If you can be this foul tempered, it's clearly not broken."
"Foul- I took a right hook for you!"
"Which is why I'm playing nurse," Merlin sniffed. He lowered himself to his knees, frowning down at the shadow the bruise set off against the side of Arthur's face. "Ham fists," he muttered, brushing his fingers down the side of Arthur's face.
Arthur flinched at the contact. "I'm fine," he said, before Merlin could ask again. "It's just... cold."
Ah. Merlin raised the makeshift ice-pack to his face, setting it down gingerly on top of Arthur's face. Arthur's eyes close like it's something instinctual, and Merlin's breath caught. Arthur was... well, he was hot, of course, but like this, face smooth and peaceful and half-asleep, he was downright dreamy, and-
And Merlin was an idiot, because they lived together, and that would be foolish. Merlin tended to try and avoid being foolish.
"How's that?" he asked, voice rougher than it should be. Arthur had a wrinkle right between his eyes where his pain had holed up. Merlin wanted to clear that away. He cleared his throat instead. "Not too cold?"
"No," Arthur hummed. He opened his eyes with a sweep of those awful eyelashes, and Merlin wanted to promise him that he wasn't staring, no, absolutely not, but then Arthur was staring at him, and they were ridiculously close, here, and would it really be so bad-
"Painkillers," Merlin said quickly, willing Arthur to blink first, because they might be getting closer. "I should get you... to kill the pain."
"I've had worse," Arthur murmured, his eyes flickering down to Merlin's mouth.
"That can't have been fun."
"I've never had such a caring nurse."
"You're welcome."
"Thank you."
"Thank you," Merlin corrected him, because it had been Merlin's own scrawny neck he'd saved back there. "Thank you," Merlin repeated, a little more solemnly because it was his fault, wasn't it, Arthur in pain and petulant and looking at him like that, his eyes stupidly, stunningly blue, and his lips twisted to the side in a self-satisfied smirk.
"You should rest," Merlin said thickly, moving to stand before Arthur could say something else that would make him stay, that would make him do something stupid. "I'm not helping anymore, really."
"Merlin-" Arthur's a moment too slow to catch his hand on the ice pack before he's walking towards his room, one last tingle on his fingers- an echo of half a touch from Arthur's hand, rushing to secure him in place.
Foolish, Merlin tells himself. "Tell me if you need anything else," he yells. Through his door. As soon as he's closed it.
