Thanks for all your lovely reviews; hopefully this chapter is just as good, even though it lacks a cliffhanger.

Roommates

Part 13

Shock Revelations

Our secrets, our kind, Merlin. What did he mean?

Those words were still echoing in Merlin's mind, as he searched desperately for an answer, his eyes unable to meet his roommate's. Should he tell Arthur the truth or not? Merlin was so used to keeping his magic a secret, that a denial had been on the edge of blurting itself out, regardless, and yet, oddly enough, he didn't want to deny it. He didn't want to have to keep hiding his secret, hiding the very essence that made him Merlin, from everyone.

"Merlin?" Arthur was slightly shocked by Merlin's silence. What was so important, so difficult to say, that Merlin was speechless?

"Arthur…" Merlin began. He didn't know a look of resignation had come across his face, mostly because he was dreading Arthur's reaction. Arthur, son of Uther, Pendragon. Uther who had banned all magic from the University; Uther, who had succeeded in outlawing it within the city walls. If Merlin hadn't already been convinced Arthur had been brought up to hate magic, then his use of that word – dewin – the harshest of all magical insults, would have enshrined the thought into his mind.

But Merlin was, truly, fed up of hiding himself, of being the strange one – the outcast. Of never fitting in. He started to speak, and coughed, realising his throat had gone dry with the fear. He swallowed a few times, and looked up at Arthur, for the first time since Arthur had asked him the question, and from somewhere, although he didn't know where, he found the strength to speak.

"I'm a sorcerer."

"You're a what?" Merlin didn't know what he had expected Arthur's reaction to be, but it certainly wasn't calm denial.

"I'm a sorcerer."

"I heard that bit, Merlin, the question was rhetorical." Oh, so not calm denial then, so what was Arthur's response? Indifference, anger, disappointment? Merlin simply could not tell.

---

"I'm a sorcerer." Arthur heard those words, and took them in immediately. Merlin, Merlin was a sorcerer, there was no way, and yet, from the way Merlin had struggled with the revelation, from the way he was steadily meeting his eyes now, Arthur knew it was true.

"You're a what?"

"I'm a sorcerer."

"I heard that bit, Merlin, the question was rhetorical." He hadn't completely meant the sneer which had found itself inflected in that sentence, but he was still trying to clarify his emotions. Arthur had been brought up to hate magic, to loathe it, despise it. He had been taught it was evil, and yet here was Merlin, his dorky, sweet, roommate, Merlin, admitting to magic. Oddly, he wasn't angry, or upset. If he felt anything it was betrayal, but when would Merlin have had a chance to tell him sooner, up until last night, they hadn't even been talking.

"Arthur?" Merlin was trying to get him to say something – anything – even if just to gauge a reaction.

"Who else knows?" It was a question, and simple question, asked because the answer intrigued him.

"My mother; Will, a boy from back home; my tutor Gaius;" Well, those all made sense, Arthur thought, "Morgana." Then his head snapped back up, eyes finding Merlin's again. He was only half-aware they had lost them, and he repeated Merlin's last word.

"Morgana?"

"Yeah, well, she found out on her own, clever one really, and I couldn't deny it…"

Arthur let Merlin babble on, this sounded like the man he knew. He even let a smile creep onto his lips.

"Look, Merlin, I'm going to go out for a bit, set my head straight"

"Like that?" Arthur looked down – he was still wearing his rather crumpled tux.

"Maybe not."

Arthur quickly pulled off his shirt, not even caring that Merlin's eyes were now fixated on his chest – or perhaps caring in a different way – and pulled on a t-shirt that was lying on his chair. His trousers followed next, swapped for some jeans, allowing Merlin the perfect view of his arse.

"Enjoying the view?"

"Hmm?" Merlin looked up from Arthur's arse into the mirror, where he could see Arthur's grinning face, and he smiled back, half-nodding.

"You dirty perv!" Arthur replied, spinning round to flick Merlin with a handy towel. Merlin laughed, but Arthur made a vague gesture, and headed out the door.

"I'll see you later," he said, as he left the flat.

Merlin decided this was a good a time as any to take a shower. Possibly a cold one.

---

Arthur wasn't completely sure where he was. He had been walking for what seemed like hours, around and around in circles, but he wasn't sure he recognised this side of town. Still, he'd probably walk his way out of it, eventually. The sun was still climbing higher, and it was warm enough that his t-shirt was just about enough protection against the chilly wind. Autumn was already upon them, leaves turning, falling, dying. It wouldn't be long before the clocks turned back, winter evenings drew it. It would be nice to have someone to spend those evenings with.

Merlin.

However much Arthur tried to distract himself, his thoughts came back to Merlin. Merlin his roommate; Merlin the sorcerer; Merlin, the first guy he had ever had feelings for. Well, not the first, but certainly the first he had ever acted on them with. Merlin had seen straight through Arthur, through the bravado, the false confidence, and the arrogance, and Merlin had seen him. Arthur saw it in every gaze, every time Merlin looked into his eyes. Arthur wasn't sure anyone else had done that before; he had had relationships, casual, open ended agreements with regular hook-ups, but not this. Never like this.

No, there was no one like Merlin.

In a way it scared him that somehow he could have become so close to somebody else, and they could have become so close to him, in such a short space of time, and with complete understanding. With that one amazing feeling, that one wonderful emotion. The one he had never even dreamt about feeling before.

That scared him too.

And he wasn't sure there ever would be another person to show him that, again; he wasn't sure he wanted there to be.

That scared him too.

Two weeks, Arthur how do you fall in love in less than two weeks? With someone you hardly know, who hardly knows you. And how many more revelations will there be? Secrets buried deep.

But Arthur wanted to know the secrets; he wanted to discover everything about Merlin. Yes, it was scary, but wasn't that half the fun.

He didn't care that Merlin was a sorcerer, that hadn't been why he had fled, he knew that know. He had been so scared that Merlin was willing to open up like that – to trust him – and he had needed to figure out where this was headed.

Into the throws of a relationship, if he had his way.

---

Arthur had been gone hours, and Merlin was starting to worry. He had fallen back into bed, when Arthur had left, worried a little, but truthfully, to tired to care. After sleep had come showers, and food, and attempts at a hangover cure, even a conversation with Gwen, wrapped up in Lancelot on the sofa. He wondered if he was likely to ever leave, and whether Morgana was going to turn up again, before returning to his room, and trying to occupy himself with an essay that wasn't even due for another week.

---

Merlin was half sitting, half lying on his bed, 'typing his essay' on his laptop. Well, he had the essay file open, and it had words on it. Some words; more commonly known as the title, but it was a start. He was in fact playing chatting to Will, whilst playing minesweeper on MSN. Will was Merlin's oldest friend; they had known each other for a lifetime, and Will was one of the few people who knew Merlin's secret. Merlin had hoped Will would have some insight into Arthur's reaction, but Will, as ever was unhelpful, and kept asking Merlin when he was coming back to visit Ealdor – try never, Will – and if he could come and stay with them – maybe. Merlin wasn't sure why he didn't want Will in Camelot, but he wanted this life to be separate from Ealdor, from a childhood as an outcast. Not that university was very different, truthfully, but he had just been thinking things were starting to turn. He didn't need his friend – and ex – turning up, just as Arthur and him finally sorted things out.

---

Arthur pushed open the door to his room, unsure whether Merlin would be there. The brunette didn't appear to hear him come in; in fact he was staring pretty intently at the computer screen.

"Yes, take that, Will," he suddenly said, looking decidedly pleased with himself. Arthur just laughed, and watched as Merlin looked round at him. "Oh," he said, quickly typing something, before shutting the lid of his laptop.

Arthur couldn't help but smile at Merlin, and his quirky ways, and didn't even need an explanation. He crossed the room in an improbably small number of steps, and found himself pulling Merlin up, into his arms, their lips crashing together.

Breaking apart, Arthur was delighted to see his own happiness echoed in Merlin's eyes.

"I don't care that you're a sorcerer, Merlin, I want to make a go at this, a go at us. Will you go out with me?"

"I think it's a little late for that," Merlin said, smiling, before their lips pressed together once more.

A/N, See, no cliffie this time. I'm not *always* evil. Review?