I'm going to murder him Merlin thought angrily as he crashed through the crowd still laughing. His skin was red and itching from the hours of being covered in tape. Gwen was standing near the back of the crowd, the only person not giggling. Grabbing his arm and dragging him out into the courtyard before he could follow Arthur.

"Come on, I'll buy you a cup of tea" Merlin walked along next to her silently, fingers itching at his sticky skin.

"Merlin!" Merlin stopped looking over to where Lance was jogging towards them. "You okay? I just heard some girl saying you'd been taped to a wall for hours" The sour look on Merlin's face must have told Lance that it was true. "Oh. Well how about I buy you and your friend a drink?" He asked looking to Gwen with a quick smile.

"Oh sorry, Lance Gwen Gwen lance" Merlin waved.

"nice to meet you" Gwen said sweetly. "I'm going to buy Merlin a tea but you're welcome to join, right Merlin"

"Or. You two could do that and I could go shower"

"You mean so you could go murder the prince" Gwen asked with a knowing look.

"Yes."

"Then no" the two said in unison making merlin groan. Suddenly the where both grabbing his arms and dragging him forwards, marching there way through campus.

"I'm just saying it's wrong. Making you miss classes just to get you back for some stupid prank"

"Hey! It was not a stupid prank." Merlin bristled

"They where slightly juvenile" Lance agreed making Merlin groan.

"I need something epic to get back at him with"

"Really Merlin. This has gone far enough. You've been humiliated in front of the entire university, even those who didn't see will hear about it. You've put Arthur through days of torture. Why don't you both quit while you're ahead"

"there's no way I'm letting him get the last laugh" Merlin grumbled before taking a long slurp of hot chocolate. Gwen looked to Lance exasperated.

"Gwen is right. You should stop."

"No way. I'm not letting him win"

The two slipped into a prank pattern. Each waiting nervously for the other to strike whilst thinking of how they would be able to one up them. Merlin had Freya, Morgana and Gwaine on his side whilst Arthur got Leon, Elyan and Percival. Elyan saying sorry after every prank. Although they both had helpers the pranks stopped including anyone else, focusing solely on the young warlock and prince. After the taped to a wall prank they had an unspoken rule of don't do it when it could include missing classes. They had been one upping each other constantly. Gwaine wasn't told about the pranks until the day of them to ensure he didn't drunkenly spew out any information. What had started off as light hearted slowly turned into argument after argument each time one would come back freshly prank'd.

"YOU STUCK UP PRAT WHY THE HELL WOULD YO-" Merlin bellowed getting cut off by a knock on the door. Arthur's hands where clenched by his side, face red having been screaming at each other for a good 10 minutes.

"WHAT?!" They both screamed at the door. It pushed open slowly to reveal some woman, a name badge stuck to her chest. She looked between the two.

"umm...Is everything okay?"

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE EVERYTHING IS OKAY?!" Arthur roared at the poor girl.

"What seems to be the problem?

"He's a stuck up arrog-"

"He's a complete mor-"

the two started ranting before turning on each other

"I'M NOT STUCK UP"

"I'M NOT A MORON

"OH PLEASE" they both yelled.

"STOP!" There heads turn back to the woman standing nervously in the door. "Other people live next to you and it's very inconside-"

"do you know who I am"

"oh here we go" Merlin snorted.

"Of course I do" She said nervously

"then what makes you think you can tell me what to do. If you idiots hadn't put me in a room with this imbecile then none of us would be here. So how about you run off and tell the incompetent fools who run this place" Arthur continued on until the woman ran out crying then turned back to Merlin.

"What? you can't just be an ass to me you have to do it to everyone else to?" Merlin growled feeling sorry for the girl. They had been complained about 9 times for the noise, 6 of those times the new unsuspecting victim had run for crying courtesy of Arthur. 3 the door had magically slammed in there faces. Neither Merlin or Arthur paying much attention as the second the where out of view they begun arguing again.

The two once again started arguing,continuing until another knock at the door interrupted them.

"PISS OFF" They both screamed. The door opened anyway revealing Professor Gaius, eyebrow raised looking at the two of them.

"I've been told there have been complaints"

"It's his fault" Once again the two spoke together.

"This. Is a university."

"No shit" Arthur breathed sarcastically earning a glare from Gaius

"I would have thought you would know better than to run around screaming like a baboon. People came here to pass classes, to pass classes people need to sleep and study. To sleep and Study people need quiet."

"They would get that if this...clotpole wasn't as immature as a 5 year old"

"what on earth is a clotpole" Arthur snorted.

"You Arthur, you're a clotpole. This is the third time I've had to tell you this"

"You're such a di-"

"Boys. Work it out quietly amongst yourselves. Or one of you move rooms and save us all the headaches" With that Gaius left the room. Arthur and Merlin looked to each other glaring slightly.

"I can't stand one more second sharing a dorm with you" Merlin grunted.

"same here..."

"I'm not moving out" Both yelped quickly.

"Why not!" Arthur pleaded

"It's my room"

"It's my room to"

"Uhh you're such a...you know what. I'm staying in Gwaines dorm tonight." Merlin sighed defeated.

"Fine"

"Fine" The two lapsed into silence. Merlin scuffing his feet against the carpet

"pub?" Arthur questioned

"Yep" Merlin grabbed his hoodie whilst Arthur grabbed his coat. Shrugging them on as they left the room.

"They're so dysfunctional" Gwen mumbled to Morgana, the two having met a week into the prank war. Both of their eyes trained on Arthur and Merlin sitting at a table in the corner drinking there beers in silence.

"My half brother has a strange way of showing affection. It comes out in insults and taunts. Well sometimes, sometimes he's just insulting people" Morgana admitted.

"Can't they just admit they're friends and stop with the whole prank war thing ?" Gwen asked hopefully.

"Oh not a chance. Besides, it's rather amusing to watch." Morgana said just as Arthur flicked his beer at the unsuspecting Merlin.

"They're going to murder each other."

"Slight maiming is a normal thing when being friends with Arthur" Gwen rolled her eyes as the boys started to whisper argue across the table. Only to stop when Percival and Gwaine walked up to them.

"And then there's those two" Gwen sighed

"Don't even get me started on those two" Morgana laughed, watching as they fell into seats next to the prince and warlock. "Those two won't admit there friends but it's there for the world to see, at least with Merlin and Arthur it can be hidden by the arguing"

"Please...There friendship is the worst concealed secret since Wincest" Freya snorted as she arrived. Sliding into a seat and waving to the barman for her usual order.

"wait...Does that mean wincest happens?" Gwen asked curiously

"Of course. All that sexual tension" Freya snorted

"ew no way. Those two have brotherly love, Destiel is what's happening" Morgana laughed.

"you only don't like wincest because you and Arthur almost got together before you found out you where ha-"

"Who told you that?" Morgana gasped

"Morgause"

"you and Arthur almost?" Gwen laughed.

"I was young and stupid, nothing actually happened so shut up. Tell anyone you're both dead" Morgana seethed.

"They would make such cute gaybies" Freya sighed eventually. Watching Arthur clap gwaine on the back as a goodbye before awkwardly nodding to Merlin.

"There are so many things wrong with that sentence" Gwen pointed out.

"like what?" Morgana asked. Sipping at her cocktail.

"Like neither of them are gay" She raised her eyebrow as Freya snorted. "And they can't make gaybies...they could adopt"

"don't rain on my parade"

"Who could adopt?" Gwaines voice asked from behind them. Merlin at his side.

"Merlin and Arthur" Morgana said calmly. Leaning against the bar.

"I think you've had to much to drink." Merlin groaned. Heading towards the door.

"Mate!Keys!" Gwaine yelled digging in his pocket throwing his keys towards Merlin.

"Why are you giving him your dorm key?" Gwen asked.

"Lovers spat. Merlin didn't appreciate having his hands super glued to his laptop." Gwaine said with a laugh. Falling onto the bar stool next to Freya.

"How did he get it off?" Gwen gasped

"A very long trip to the hospital" Gwaine snorted "Princess is going to have to buy him a new laptop..."

"We're going to get him back right?" Morgana and Freya asked happily.

"Of course" Gwaine laughed "Come by tonight to discuss it with us if you want" With that Gwaine spun off the chair and waltzed from the bar.

"This has to be the best one ever" Freya growled

Merlin's favourite prank had to be the one just about to happen, after a trip to the hospital all 'don't embarrass Arthur to much' feelings had gone. He had spent the night filling the university pool with a batch of clear slime courtesy of a hefty donation from Morgana. Gwaine and Freya had set up cameras around the pool side, all of which where live streaming to youtube so everyone could watch when Arthur dived into the slimey mixture. They had set about making sure no one else would go in the pool. A task not to hard on a Sunday when pretty much everyone was recovering from Saturday night hangovers or cramming in a bit of study for there Monday classes.

Merlin took the splash followed by a loud squawk as his queue and swaggered out from the changing rooms, watching Arthur slosh around in the slime globules falling from his golden hair.

"YOU! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Arthur screamed coughing as some of the foul tasting slime dripped into his mouth.

"Oh Arthur, Arthur, Arthur...You're playing with the big boys now" Merlin mocked remembering the tape attack. He watched, howling with laughter, as Arthur tried to claw his way out of the pool but kept slipping back down the ladder and falling underneath the slime. Finally he managed to get out slime slowly slipping down his body, Merlin watching as it slid down his chest before Arthur tried to run at him ending in him falling over and penguin sliding back into the sludge. It took 15 minutes before Arthur was back out of the pool. Another 5 of him skidding his way through the corridors after a laughing Merlin before finally Gaius caught them. Throwing a towel at Arthur a thoroughly displeased look on his face.

"My office. Now" For Merlin it only got better, after sitting through an awkward but hilarious lecture he had been sent to start draining and cleaning the pool. He set about unhooking the camera's and returning them to Morgana before making his way back to the pool. Wondering how exactly one goes about draining a pool before Arthur stormed in glowering.

"You lived streamed it?!" Arthur screamed.

"You humiliate me in front of the uni I humiliate you in front of the world. My lord" Merlin replied happily.

"My father. Saw the video. I had to sit through a video conference him of him screaming at me. The video already has a million views." Merlin snorted loudly "I have to help clean up and father refuses to get the video removed thinking it will 'teach me a lesson' " Arthur screeched. Merlin lost it, laughing had been his mistake. A second after he started a body collided with his. Arthur rugby tackling him into the pool. The best thing about it was that Arthur himself fell in as-well.

They both stomped back into their dorm 5 hours later, slime dripping from them. Merlin opened his new laptop. Arthur had the curtsey to even get his hard drive transferred after his old laptop was ruined by the super glue fiasco.

"I'm staying at percy's. You. Will. Pay. Emrys" Arthur quickly grabbed a set of clothes for the next day along with his toothbrush and stormed from the room. Merlin rolled his eyes and waited for it to load up. Rubbing some slime off with a towel as he sat in a heap on the floor. Skype loaded and almost instantly a call was coming in from will.

"hullo"

"Will just showed me a video of you pranking Prince Arthur" Huniths voice rang, Merlin pulling the towel from over his head to look at his mother glaring at him through the web cam.

"mum? Hi. Umm"

"You have a lot of explaining to do" She snapped.

"You are my hero Merlin!" Will screamed from the background. "If I weren't straight I'd be tapping that ass so ha-"

"Will. Stop" Hunith said with a roll of her eyes.

His mother was stuck between offering Merlin up as a slave to Uther and Arthur to apologise, dragging Merlin back home to Ealdor to slap him and helping him win the prank war. She ended up doing none of the above. The war ending two days later when he was getting ready for class. Arthur had been missing since the slime war. Only to appear by throwing the door open. Merlin looked over to him giving a short nod before continuing shoving his stupidly expensive books into his bag.

The lack of talking and rattle of footsteps made him look up. 5 large muscled men stood behind Arthur.

"What's going on?" Merlin asked, throwing his bag over his shoulder. Head tilting to the side.

"Merlin you are under arrest for the use of sorcery"

"Wait. What? You're joking right?" Merlin tried to snort, voice coming out squeaky. Backing away from the quickly approaching men. The quickly grabbed at his arms pulling them behind his back even as Merlin uselessly tried to fight them off. Cold metal handcuffs being clamped around his wrists. "Get off me! Arthur what the hell" Merlin yelped as he was shoved towards the door. Arthur glared at him. Merlin forgot how to breath as he was given another shrug and got roughly escorted out of the building. On looking students looking at him, quickly beginning to whisper.