He was a horrible friend, more concerned about what his friends thought than Merlin. It was like one of those chick-flick's and the complete douchebag has a hard choice to make, the sweet, geeky girl or the hot chick, who wants to bang him. Arthur was the douche tonight and Merlin…well, he wasn't a geek or a girl, he was a man and if Arthur marched after Greg and punched him right in the nose for taking Merlin from Arthur's side, well, what would that look like? Arthur knew Greg, the complete drunken, pervert he was, Arthur had known how Greg worked for years. He played for both teams in a sense and this Arthur knew for sure, because he had caught him with both guys and girls many times over the years. Merlin was gay, and in love with some fictional, dead king, it wouldn't and couldn't take much for Greg to convince him.

The chip broke in Arthur's hand. The complete bastard. If he dare try anything at all, Arthur would…he wouldn't care what anyone thought of him, he would rip Greg a new one!

"Arthur, love!" Arthur snapped out of his dangerous thoughts, looking around and his eyes landed on Pepper. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm eating a chip..." Arthur said, dumbly, looking at the bits of chip left in his hand. He left them fall onto the floor, looking back at Pepper, who was giggling a bit.

"I see that, silly!" she said, whacking him on the arm, lightly. "I mean at the party," she stepped closer, smiling. "I didn't know you were coming…"

"Yeah, Greg invited us here," Arthur explained. The no good, dirty bastard Greg was, he didn't add that bit, but Arthur thought about it. Pepper nodded, coming even closer and laying her head on his chest. He toyed with another chip.

"Hey, Arty!" came the bastard's voice again. Arthur snapped his head around so fast it almost hurt, Merlin was trailing behind Greg, and it seemed, going wherever they were heading, willingly. He had a red cup in his hand though, which meant, Greg had clearly made him drink. The dirty bastard, Arthur thought.

"ARTHUR!" Merlin yelled after, when they got a bit closer. Greg grinned and swung an arm around Merlin's shoulder, this time, Merlin didn't look alarmed. But Arthur felt alarmed.

"What are…um…what are you guys doing?" he tried to ask coolly, you know, before he punched Greg in the face.

"We're going to play beer-pong," Greg explained.

"Beer-pong?" Arthur asked. "Merlin, you know that you can't drink."

"Oh, he'll be fine, ol'Greg will look after him," Greg said, pulling Merlin closer. "Won't I?"

Merlin shrugged, looking at Arthur, "Will you come watch?"

That was about the last thing Arthur wanted to do. In fact, he'd rather give birth to a pool table, than watch Merlin and Greg do anything together.

"I think I'll stay here, visit with Pepper," he glanced down to his girlfriend, who was smiling, but truthfully, until then, he had forgotten she was there. Merlin looked a tad upset at this but then Greg, the dirty bastard, started pulling him to the backyard.

"Merlin!" Arthur called after him. It took great effort for Merlin to turn around under Greg's hold. Arthur wasn't sure if this was due to whatever Merlin had been drinking or the hold Greg had on him. "Remember, you can't drink very much!"

Merlin nodded and Arthur watched them go, Greg muttering something to Merlin as they went. Arthur growled under his breath. Merlin had been right before, this party was a terrible idea. Merlin was not capable of handling a setting like this yet, he was delicate; he needed to be home with Mr. Noodles, not being taken around by a jerk like Greg. Arthur tried to remind himself that Greg was his friend, but that meant almost nothing at the moment.

"It's so sweet how you care for him," Pepper was saying, staring up at Arthur. "Merlin, I mean," she continued when he looked at her confused. "You are such a good friend."

"Yeah well…Merlin's fragile," he said and she looked up at him, questioningly "I mean…" he tried to search for the right words. "He's not all up there, if you know what I mean, he…he needs someone to look after him."

"It's adorable," she said, petting his chest, affectionately. "You'll make such a great father."

FATHER? His eyes widened. He wasn't even ready to live with Pepper, what the hell was she thinking about? Birth control! That's what she needed to be thinking about, lots of it! She was giggling again and for the life of him, Arthur could not figure out what was so damn funny. There was a commotion from outside and then two people, Arthur didn't know, came in from the back, laughing.

"He's completely loaded," the one was saying.

"Poor bloke can't hold his liquor, can he?" the other agreed.

"Oh god, Merlin…" Arthur said, without thinking. He dislodged himself from his girlfriend and ran, quickly to the backyard. Merlin had apparently gotten the ball in the last of Greg's cups and Greg seemed a bit too happy about this, as he drank it and popped the ball out of his mouth. But Arthur ignored him, looking at Merlin, he was swaying on his feet terribly, not to mention there was only two cups left on Merlin's side of the table, which meant….he was freaking wasted!

"Merlin…" Arthur trailed off, and the man turned around with such vigor, it looked painful. His blue eyes grew in affection when he saw Arthur there.

"Arthur!"

He tried to walk to him, but his legs were slower than his brain and his upper half went forward, toppling him over. He rolled into his back and started laughing, hysterically. Arthur looked back at Greg, who was watching Merlin closely, biting his lip.

"You got him drunk, you sod!" Arthur yelled. Greg looked up and grinned, shrugging. "Don't think I don't know what you were trying to do!"

"I don't know what you mean, mate."

"You know perfectly well what I mean!" Arthur yelled at him. "It was the same with Judy France and the bloke across the street from my parents house!"

"They had wanted it!"

Arthur didn't have time for this, he shot a dirty look Greg's way and walked over to a laughing Merlin, who still lay flat on his back in the middle of the porch. He pulled him up and his leg's buckled, Merlin was like jello. He felt like jello, how is that humanly possible to feel like jello?

"Maybe you should lay him down upstairs?" Pepper, who Arthur hadn't realized was there, offered.

"No, we're going home…he...he's a bad drunk," Arthur explained. She huffed, but then moved back, allowing Arthur to drag Merlin through the backdoor. Jello-Man wasn't helping either, he just kept laughing and really, it was starting to get on Arthur's nerves. Merlin had known he couldn't drink, why the hell did he listen to Greg? But why the hell had Arthur let Greg take him away in the first place? In the end, Arthur decided, as he got Merlin in the car, that this was entirely his fault.

Arthur got in the driver's seat and looked at Merlin, who was crossed eyed and looking very sleepy all of a sudden.

"Merlin?"

"Arthur…" he said, turning to him. "I'm sorry, it's the…it's my magic, it makes the alcohol ten times worse, I…I shouldn't have drunk, but Gw-"

"Sh, no it's alright," Arthur told him. Looking back, as he pulled out of the driveway. "Greg shouldn't have pushed you."

Merlin didn't say anything else as they started down the street. Next time, when Merlin says he'd rather stay with the cat, Arthur will let him. Or better yet, Arthur will stay with the cat too. Driving back home wasn't as quiet as the trip there had been. Merlin demanded the radio on and sung loudly to whatever song was on, even if he didn't know the words.

"WE CLAWED, WE CHAINED OUR HEARTS IN VAIN, WE JUMPED NEVER ASKING WHY!"

This is great, Arthur thought, just great, and he had thought just Miley was terrible, but adding an out of tune Merlin into the mix... Arthur tried to ignore it all as he focused on the road, getting on the highway now. It wouldn't be too long, before they were home and Arthur would get some food into Merlin, to sober him up.

"WE KISSED, I FELL UNDER YOUR SPELL, A LOVE NO ONE COULD DENY!"

Nope, Arthur couldn't do it.

"Merlin…" Arthur started; Merlin looked back at him, smiling. "Sop singing."

Merlin pouted and turned away from Arthur, only to start singing again, in a low tone, as if this would prevent Arthur from hearing him. He rolled his eyes and just let it be, Merlin didn't know any better. And if he did, this was Arthur's fault anyway, so why not punish him with Miley?

They finally neared home after having to endure Wrecking Ball two more times, both times at least Merlin seemed to enjoy it. Tomorrow, when Merlin was sober again, Arthur would have to ask if he really liked that song and if Merlin said yes, then promptly kick him out of the house. He pulled onto their street and soon into the driveway. He looked at Merlin then, he looked stoned. What all had Greg given him? Arthur wondered, as he opened his door and Merlin glanced over, surprised. But before Arthur could fully get out of the car and over to Merlin's side, Merlin was out of the car, and running toward the backdoor. Well, then…he must have gotten some of his strength back. Arthur followed him but didn't find him by the door, instead, he was in the backyard.

"The grass, Arthur," he was saying, leaning down to look at the grass better. It was dark outside. "The grass are my people."

He got down on all fours and doggy-walked around in the backyard, Arthur just watched him, truly amazed that just alcohol could do this to someone. He fell face first into the grass now and Arthur jumped forward. Merlin rolled around and lay there, looking at the night sky. Arthur came closer to him, about ready to pick him up and carry him inside, but Merlin stopped him, grabbing his hand instead.

"We could stay here…" he was saying, looking over at Arthur. "Just you and me, in the grass, no one could get us there." Arthur could just make out Merlin's blue eyes in the dark. Their eyes locked, light blue ones, with darker, cross-eyed blue. "I want to kiss you…"

Arthur tore his eyes from Merlin's then, deciding that they could not possibly stay here, with Merlin's grass-people. He took hold of Merlin's middle and heaved him up. Getting him inside was a challenge; not a heavy one, just awkward. By the time Arthur had gotten through the back door Merlin was flung over his shoulder and humming the melody to Wrecking Ball. Mr. Noodles greeted them by the kitchen table and looked overly concerned about the fact that Merlin was being carried, he followed Arthur to the couch, where he lay Merlin down. Noodles jumped up then, sitting himself on Merlin's legs.

"I'll get you something," Arthur, told him, dashing back out of the room, in the kitchen Arthur turned on the light on and opened a few cupboards, not sure what to get. If Merlin ate something too rich, he would get sick; Arthur decided on a can of olives then and grabbed a can opener. Pouring the black olives into a bowl, he walked quickly, back to the living room. However, he didn't find Merlin on the couch, like had last left him. He found Noodles, sitting there, looking confused, but not Merlin. Arthur almost swore, but then he saw him. Lying on the floor now, flat on his back, with a blanket pooled around his waist.

"What are you doing on the floor?" Arthur asked, walking over and leaning over him.

"I'm tired" Merlin shrugged.

"And you couldn't sleep on the couch?" Arthur asked again, Merlin shook his head and snuggled into the floor a bit more, yawning. "So you don't want your olives then?"

Merlin shook his head no again, and Arthur sighed, turning to leave.

"No, Arthur…" Merlin called, and Arthur turned back, raising an eyebrow. "Don't leave me again!"

"I wasn't, I was just putting these back," Arthur told him, he took the olives and put them into the fridge, quickly as he could and then returned to his drunken friend. "See, I'm back."

"Lay with me?"

Arthur bit his lip, considering it. Would he really deny Merlin of his drunken request? He wouldn't, he knew he wouldn't, he wasn't even going to fret about it. It wasn't weird right? Arthur grabbed another blanket from off the couch and rolled it up, walking over and lift Merlin's head up, he laid it underneath his head, leaving enough for his own too. And then dropped to his knees. He started rearranging the blanket and laid down, pulling the covers over them both. This would look really strange to someone else, but Arthur banished the thoughts.

Merlin made happy noises next to him and wiggled closer, turning over and sticking himself to Arthur's side. Arthur had no choice but to put his arm around Merlin, if not, he would be elbowing him in the chest. Merlin got even closer then, intertwining his right leg with Arthur's, as if to ensure Arthur wouldn't leave him. His face wedged it's self into Arthur's neck and he had to take deep breaths to ignore the light, warm air on his skin there.

"You know…" Merlin said, muffled and airy. "Sometimes I pretend you remember who I am, that way…it hurt's less."

"Merlin…" Arthur started, but according to the soft snores, he heard from Merlin, his friend was already asleep. Arthur felt the sick pains of guilt set on him . He wished it was real and he really was the king, so then he could remember all these things Merlin told him, that he could remember Merlin. But it wasn't real, was it? He thought of pretending, to make it easier for the crazy man, who currently drooled on his shoulder, to just tell him he remembers, but then what? Get caught in his lie? That would only hurt Merlin more. Arthur felt lost, he just wanted to help Merlin, he truly did, because Merlin was his friend…however that happened, Arthur hadn't really thought about it before, but Merlin had become his friend, rather quickly too. He pulled Merlin closer and heard a sigh coming from his lips. Arthur sighed too, closing his eyes.

(A/N: I just want to say first, that I have NOTHING against Miley, that was just me adding more modern stuff and I guess Arthur doesn't like Miley. I can't really see him liking Miley anyway. But I, however, do like Wrecking Ball, so take no offence to the Miley hate, it wasn't really hate. Um, I don't think I have much else to say about this chapter. There will be more Pepper in the next chapter, get ready for that! Anyway, comment and tell me what you think.)