Roommates

Part 14

Studies and Societies

Tuesday

Merlin and Arthur had spent the rest of the weekend tangled up in each other. At some point, late on Sunday, Arthur had pointed out that they had two beds in the room, and was it really necessary that they squish themselves onto one? Laughing, Merlin had agreed, and they had spent a memorable hour moving the furniture around – even though this was against the hall's rules – so that the two single beds fitted side by side.

That Tuesday morning, there was a faint knocking on their door, before it was pushed open.

"Arthur, have you got, oh…" Morgana had walked into the room, her voice trailing off when she saw the new sleeping arrangements. "Finally!" She exclaimed, with more enthusiasm than warranted the hour.

"We really need to remember to lock that," Merlin mumbled, and Arthur laughed.

"What were you looking for, Morgana?"

"A phone number. I don't suppose your mobile is within reach."

"Desk." He said, pointing at the aforementioned piece of furniture, where his phone was charging.

"Cheers," she said, walking out with the phone.

"Hey," Arthur shouted, slightly annoyed she had stolen his phone. "Don't use all my minutes!"

It was Merlin's turn to laugh now, but Arthur quickly silenced him. When he finally regained usage of his mouth, he commented, "you know she's going to go and tell everyone she knows about us, now."

Arthur froze. In his little Merlin bubble that weekend, nothing had mattered. But there was a real world outside that door, a world where no one knew he had a male partner. "Crap," he said grabbing clothes and pulling them on as quickly as was humanly possible. "Morgana!..."

Merlin just laughed, and set about getting ready for lectures.

---

"So she says she won't tell anyone, especially not my father."

Merlin and Arthur had met back at the flat, for lunch. Arthur really didn't want anyone else to know he was… with Merlin. Neither of them had really defined the nature of their relationship, it was a conversation that had not yet occurred. They weren't exactly dating, since they hadn't actually been on a date, they certainly weren't ready to call each other 'boyfriends' yet, or even reveal they were 'seeing' each other. In reality, they were almost just friends, who happened to be sleeping together. But it was more than that, surely.

"Do you think we should go out on a date?"

It was Merlin's question, even though both of them had been processing similar thoughts over their ham and cheese toasties. Arthur looked a little wary, "we could go somewhere no one would recognise us, I'm sure Gwen knows some nice places." Merlin was trying to cover Arthur's apparent desire for secrecy. Arthur was still frowning non-commitally, and Merlin was intending to drop the point, when he finally spoke up.

"You really want to?" Merlin nodded. "Tonight?"

"Well, I actually had plans for tonight,"

"Yea…" Arthur trailed off, as if he too had plans, which he had been planning on avoiding. "Tomorrow, I can't, um, Thursday?"

"Thursday sounds fine, what do you like to eat?"

"Food."

"Oh, yea, that really helps Arthur, most people eat food. I meant, you know, Indian, Chinese, Italian, Thai…"

"Any of those…"

"Oh you're being really helpful."

"Well just pick something or somewhere, Merlin, I'm sure it'll be fine."

Merlin, not being particularly good at choosing restaurants either, decided he'd ask Gwen.

---

Merlin wasn't sure why he had been so insistent that he had plans for that night – his plans were to go to the sorcery society meeting again. He had doubts – Jack's likely presence not being the only one – but he would have been lying, had he claimed not to have had fun there, the previous week, and at least there was a group of them, there would be no imperative for him to talk to Jack.

He arrived not long before 7pm, and was talking to Nimeuh when most of the others arrived. They were mostly talking about general things, but Nimeuh seemed to be slipping in some interesting ideas about magic, namely a severe dislike for the ban on magic. Merlin didn't like magic being outlawed, but he wasn't one to challenge authority as openly as Nimeuh was insinuating, even if he was a secret society for sorcerers.

Arthur, meanwhile, was at a meeting of his own secret society – Avalon. He had no idea why he had come, he was really starting to tire of these people, but when he had missed the party they had thrown on Saturday – choosing to spend his time with Merlin instead – his father had left him a rather angry voicemail. Arthur didn't like being a disappointment to his father, and yet that man always treated him like one. It was the principle reason he was so cagey with regards to people finding out about Merlin and him. He could deal with any stick he got from anyone his own age, not that there would likely be a lot of that, but his father was extremely set in his ways, and would not take kindly to Arthur's dating Merlin.

The meeting, if you could even call it one, was over in a matter of minutes, the secretary, Ben, announcing some dates for coming parties, and that the budget was 'healthy' – Arthur wasn't even aware that they had a budget – before every started to grab drinks, and the 'meeting' became more of a party.

---

After 30 minutes, Merlin was beginning to tire of the sorcery society meeting. The first week, with people showing and trying spells, had been fun, and this one had been to, while that had lasted, but now they were talking about the politics of magic – about a demonstration some people appeared to be planning, and Merlin wanted to get out of there. Whilst he agreed that magic should be free of constraints, there was ways of going about things, and he didn't think it was the way they were suggesting. So, Merlin chose to keep quiet, and was happy, at around a quarter to eight, a couple of people made excuses to leave, since he could accompany them.

Walking down the street leading away from the café, Merlin pulled out his phone, and sent a quick, hopeful, text to Arthur.

Hey! My plans wern't quite wht I expectd, am at a loose end. Dont suppose u wnt an excuse 2 bail on whtevr ur doin? Merln

Arthur felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and pulled it out, trying to suppress the smile that reached his eyes when he saw it was from Merlin. When he realised Merlin wanted to meet, he couldn't hide the smile, and quickly text back.

Sure can, whr do u wnt 2 meet? A

The text came back surprisingly quickly, but Arthur had already left the house he was in, and was striding down the street, even though he had no idea what direction he was meant to be heading in.

The Dragon, James St?

Oh, so the wrong direction then, but James Street wasn't far from there, and Arthur made a right, and a right again, trying not to indicate that he had done a u-turn.

Give me 10 minutes

Arthur didn't know The Dragon, but he knew where James Street was. When he arrived, he saw it was a fairly trendy looking place, minimally decorated and obviously frequented by young professional types, and not students. Merlin was at the bar, waiting to be served, and Arthur headed over to him.

"Hey."

"Hey, yourself," Merlin replied, before a barmaid instantly came over,

"What can I get you, sir?"

Merlin tried not to look irritated; she hadn't paid any attention to him, even though Merlin had been waiting there for a good ten minutes, but the second Arthur arrived, she had gravitated to him like a moth to a flame.

"Pint, please," Arthur said, before looking across at Merlin. Without even speaking the pair managed to communicate that, no, Merlin hadn't been served yet, and that yes, he'd like a pint too. "And one for him, too," Arthur added.

"Of course," the barmaid said, before pulling the drinks, leaning over a little too far than was necessary in a blatant attempt to flash Arthur her cleavage. Merlin didn't know whether to laugh or be jealous at the attention Arthur was receiving, as the blond handed over the money for the two drinks, refusing Merlin's attempts to pay for his, hideously overpriced, drink.

"You can get the next one," he mumbled, smiling at their barmaid, before walking over to an empty table.

"So, how was your, thing?" Merlin found his hand gesturing vaguely, he wasn't exactly sure what Arthur had been doing earlier.

Arthur sighed, "exactly how I expected it to be."

"Why do you go then?"

"I'm trying not to anger father any more than is completely necessary, and after Saturday…" his voice trailed off but Merlin knew what he meant, he had heard Uther's angry voicemail too. "How was your, thing…"

Merlin shrugged. "Not what I expected it to be. Is it weird that we're being so vague about these… plans?" 'Plans' wasn't the right one, but it was the word Merlin's brain chose to supply, so he went with it.

Arthur nodded, "I know, aren't couples supposed to tell each other everything?"

"Are we, though? I couple, I mean. Because this is starting to feel like a date and if we start to swap life histories now…"

"We really would be on a date."

"And we sort of would be a couple, not that I don't want to be in a couple with you or anything I just, you don't seem to want to tell people about us, and I'm cool with that, really I am, I get that Uther's a bit old fashioned and all, but I don't know were all this is going, and…"

"Merlin."

"Yes."

"Stop talking," Arthur leaned in towards Merlin and pressed his lips to his.

The kiss left Merlin speechless for a few seconds, and gave Arthur a moment to think something other than, God, I love the way he rambles on.

"So, why can't we be "a couple"?" Arthur even did the inverted couples with his fingers as he spoke, and it made Merlin smile.

"I guess we could be."

"Good, well that's that sorted then. So, shall I tell you where I was?"

"If you want to." Merlin wasn't sure where this was leading, but he was prepared to go with it, the kiss still leaving him temporarily dazed.

"I was at a secret society meeting."

Merlin nearly chocked on his sip of beer.

"What?" asked Arthur.

"Oh, nothing, only I was at a secret society meeting too."

Arthur laughed, "you're joking, right?"

"No. What's yours for?"

"Oh, it's some awful thing called Avalon that father practically forced me into joining, it's a glorified golden handshake type thing, gets you in with all the right people, whilst giving you an excuse to get plastered most nights."

"It's why you came up to Gwen and me in that café during Freshers' week isn't it."

Arthur nodded, a little shameful at the memory. "You guys get that I was sorry for that, don't you, only I…"

"Didn't want to disappoint your father." Merlin finished the sentence; not disappointing Uther was seemingly a recurring theme in Arthur's life.

"You get that I'm sorry for that?"

Merlin simply nodded.

"So where were you, then?"

"Sorcery society meeting."

"There's a sorcery society?!"

"Yes."

"But you don't like it?"

"Well, it was alright last week, but this week, they started talking about…" he let his voice die away, he probably shouldn't tell Arthur, it would implicate him if he didn't tell anyone. "Well, it wasn't as good this week."

Arthur just nodded, wondering what it was that Merlin was hiding from him, now. "Hey do think we should start a 'secret societies are stupid society?'

Merlin looked at him strangely, trying to decide if Arthur was being serious. "Too much alliteration," he commented.

"Yeah, also it would be lame," Arthur said, grinning now. So it had been a joke.

Their drinks were empty by this point, but the barmaid from earlier had taken it upon herself to provide them with new ones, fawning over Arthur are she did so. Merlin would have found it difficult not to be jealous, if he hadn't seen Arthur roll his eyes at him.

"So," Arthur began, now their glasses were full once more, "your life story in a minute, go!"

Merlin laughed, and began to tell Arthur about growing up in Ealdor.