Merlin grinned. Freya stood awkwardly next to him, not sure what to do. Will walked up to them, a backpack slung over his right shoulder. "It's great to see you again," he grinned, hugging Merlin tightly. Merlin coughed.

"Will, you're smothering me."

"Right. Sorry." Will let go, still grinning widely. "And you must be Freya that Merlin has told me so much about," he said, turning to the dark-haired girl next to Merlin. "It's nice to finally get to meet you." Freya tentatively reached out her hand, and instead of shaking it, Will leaned down and kissed it. Merlin chuckled, while Freya looked shocked beyond belief.

"Um... Hi," she said, smiling slightly, as Will straightened back up.

"Sorry." Will smiled, letting go of Freya's hand. "I just couldn't help myself. The way Merlin talks about you, I was expecting to meet a princess taken right out from a fairytale."

Freya looked at Merlin with a smug expression. "Oh, really?"

Merlin shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I had to say something. He wouldn't be interested if I told him how boring you really are."

"How charming, Merlin. No wonder you don't get any girls."

Will laughed, and Merlin just smiled. He'd gotten used to Freya's insults long ago.

"Anyway," he said, changing the subject. "We should probably get home, Will. How about you, Freya? What are you doing now?"

"I'm going home, too," she replied, nodding to emphasise her words. "I have to finish up that English report before I go to bed." She smiled shyly at Will. "It was nice meeting you. I'll see you two tomorrow, I suppose."

"Yes, you will." Merlin smiled. "See you tomorrow."

With a final nod, Freya turned around and hurried away, and Merlin could only imagine the embarrassed look on her face. She had looked at Will as if he were the embodiment of beauty.

"So," the blonde said, looking around at the bus station, "how are we getting to your place?"

"We walk," Merlin replied, turning in the direction of his new home. "It's only a ten minute walk from here. You don't mind, do you?"

Will just shook his head in reply, and they started walking along the road. Merlin enjoyed the comfortable silence between them while they walked side by side, the only sound coming from a few cars passing by.

"You look good," Will said after a while. Merlin looked at him, not quite sure what to make of the statement, and his friend chuckled quietly. "I mean, when you came back for Christmas, you looked sort of tired. You don't anymore."

"Right." Merlin wasn't sure whether he wanted to smile or frown. "That might be because I've actually had the time to sleep the past week."

Will raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner. "Oh?"

"Yeah," Merlin replied, wishing the tone in his voice wasn't quite so bitter. "Arthur kind of fired me."

"What, the kid that made you do his homework?"

Merlin nodded.

"Well, that's great!" Will grinned. "For you and me both. I won't have to kill him, now."

Merlin couldn't help but chuckle. "I bet killing him was the only reason you had to come here at all."

"Why, of course. What other reason could I possible have?" Will snickered.

Merlin just rolled his eyes, and they continued walking, resuming their comfortable silence. It really was good to see Will again. Though Freya was a great friend, hanging out with Will was a whole different thing. He'd been Merlin's best friend for as long as they could both remember. Nothing could ever replace the special bond shared between childhood friends.

When they arrived at Merlin's home, Gaius was in the living room, reading the newspaper. He looked up when the boys entered, smiling in that old man way of his. "Will," he said, standing up and laying the newspaper on the table. "How good to see you again. My, you have grown since the last time I've seen you."

Will smiled politely back. "It's good to see you too, Gaius. It must have been years since you came to Ealdor."

"It's been too long, yes." Gaius sighed. "Perhaps I'll come with Merlin the next time he goes to visit Hunith."

"That would be great," Merlin smiled. "I'm sure my mother would be thrilled to see you again." He looked at the clock on the wall, and then back at Will. "It's getting late, though. We should get to bed. We have school tomorrow, after all."

Will nodded. "Yeah. Goodnight, Gaius."

"Goodnight, boys."

Arthur wasn't on the bus that morning. He hadn't been, since the last time Merlin had spoken to him. Merlin didn't know how he got to school, but he was fairly sure the reason Arthur wasn't on the bus was because he didn't want to see Merlin. And Merlin really understood why Arthur would try to avoid him. Whenever they bumped into each other, it was awkward. Neither of them said anything, and they both avoided looking at each other. There was a strange tension between them, that somehow made Merlin want to cry, to throw himself into Arthur's arms and apologize, to say it was all his fault, to beg for the blonde to take him back, to let him do his homework again, anything, as long as it didn't mean they'd never talk to each other again.

But he didn't, of course. And not only because Arthur would most likely punch him. Because he knew Arthur was a bad influence on him. Because he knew that it would kill Freya and Will and Gaius if he did that, now that he'd finally gotten rid of Arthur.

"I still don't get why you want to come to school with me," Merlin mumbled as they were walking towards his locker to pick up his Spanish books before class. "You get two days off from school, and what do you do? You go to another school!" He shook his head, laughing lightly. "I really don't get you, Will."

"I have to look after you, don't I?" Will grinned mischievously. "Besides, going to school with you means I'll get to see Freya again."

"Of course." Merlin rolled his eyes.

When they reached his locker, Merlin cursed inwardly, just like he did every day. Because Arthur was there, just next to it, by his own locker, like he was every day. But he kept walking, he opened his locker and put his math books inside, as well as picking up his history books and putting them in his bag. And he looked at Arthur through the corner of his eye when the blonde walked away, until he disappeared around a corner.

"He's handsome," Will stated, noticing the way Merlin looked at Arthur. "You got your eyes on him?"

Merlin forced a laugh. "I wouldn't say it like that."

"Really? Have you seen the way you look at him?"

"Yeah, I have. And you're wrong."

Will raised his eyebrows. "Is that right? Well, unless you've got a crush on him that you're embarrassed of, I bet you wouldn't mind telling me his name."

"Look, Will…" Merlin bit his lip briefly. "Please don't make me do this."

"Make you do what? Tell me the name of your locker neighbour?" The expression on Will's face was challenging.

"Will." Merlin said his name more firmly this time, his hand clenching around the strap of his messenger bag. "That was Arthur."

Will's eyes widened, and Merlin was sure his jaw could drop any minute. "No way. Merlin… Please tell me you don't like him."

"I don't." Merlin wished he sounded more convincing. One of Will's eyebrows was raised, his eyes inspecting Merlin, as if looking for some sort of sign that Arthur had hurt him. "Okay, so maybe I do. Just a little. But not like that. I just… I think he's misunderstood. And he doesn't know how to act around people. That doesn't make him a bad person."

Will just shook his head. "Let's just get to class."

Merlin nodded, and they walked in silence along the hallway, heading for Gwen's classroom. Will walked beside him, with a concerned look in his eyes that Merlin tried his hardest to ignore. So what if he missed Arthur? Even though the blonde hadn't exactly treated him nicely, that was all in the past now. And it wasn't as if it affected his life in any way, now. He didn't cry himself to sleep at night, he still ate and slept, and he was no less happy than he had ever been. He just wanted Arthur to somehow be a part of that life.

The teachers didn't mind having Will in the class, even though he wasn't a student at the school. Probably just because he was Merlin's friend. Merlin was the favourite of all the teachers, and of course, they couldn't imagine him having friends that weren't just as perfect as him. Merlin felt the urge to laugh. Apparently, they hadn't noticed his relationship – or whatever the hell he should call it – with Arthur.

At lunch, Will and Merlin sat with Freya at their usual table. Merlin was chewing thoughtfully on a ham and cheese sandwich while Will and Freya were talking about everything and anything, and Freya was giggling like a thirteen-year-old. He would be happy for them, Merlin thought, if they got together, even though it would be difficult for them to be together when they lived in different towns. He just hoped Will wouldn't decide on a whim to move to Camelot and move in with him and Gaius just because of Freya. Because honestly, as much as Merlin loved Will and appreciated their friendship, he just couldn't stand living with the guy. Will would never stop pestering him about Arthur.

"He's looking at you," Will suddenly said, pulling Merlin out of his thoughts. As Merlin glanced at him, Will nodded towards the table where Arthur sat with his pack of wolves, and sure enough, every once in a while, Arthur glanced at Merlin through the corner of his eyes.

Merlin shrugged. "So? He's allowed to look at whatever he wants," he said dismissively, taking another bite of his sandwich. Honestly, he didn't really know what to make of it, but thinking about it wasn't going to make it any more clear to him.

"So," Will said, persistent as ever, "what if he wants you back?"

Merlin forced a chuckle. "Honestly, Will, you make it sound like we're some kind of clichéd teenage couple that's been through a nasty break-up." He gave Will his best reassuring smile. "I'm sure he's found someone new to do his homework for him. And besides, he really is allowed to look wherever he wants. Maybe he's just looking at some hot girl behind me."

Will shook his head, sharing a knowing glance with Freya. "He's totally in denial," he said, earning a nod from the dark-haired girl.

"Completely," Freya agreed.

Merlin responded by rolling his eyes and tossing a piece of his sandwich at each of them. "Oh, just shut up, the both of you," he said, failing to hide a laugh.

Will and Freya seemed to get him, though, because Arthur wasn't mentioned for the rest of the day.

Oh my, it's been so long since I last updated... Well, I have been fairly busy, what with getting dumped by my boyfriend, making out with a new guy who decided to become my personal stalker, getting a new boyfriend, getting dumped by my new boyfriend, begging for him to take me back, being given a second chance, and getting dumped again. Not to mention, this was my senior year in high school. So it's been all tests and projects every minute of every hour of every day.

(I got rid of the stalker, though, so don't worry about that.)

Anyway! I got you a new chapter! And Will is in it! He and Freya would be so adorable together, wouldn't they? \(^_^)/