Merlin leaned back in his desk chair and scratched the back of his neck. He had woken up two hours ago when Arthur had arrived, so he was still in his pajamas. Arthur stared at him impatiently, waiting for the answer to his question.

"I don't know. Aaron something." Merlin said through a yawn.

"Let me get this straight. Yesterday, you met a cute librarian called Aaron something, who gave you his number and flirted with you for the whole time you were there. And it didn't once come up that you have a boyfriend?" Arthur asked, unblinking.

"It's not something I tend to tell people I've just met." Merlin laughed.

Arthur didn't smile back, "I'm not saying run up and down the street wearing an I-Love-Arthur shirt and ringing a bell. I'm just saying, maybe you should tell the guy who wants to get in your pants, that 'sorry, the contents of my pants belong to a man called Arthur Pendragon.'"

"Are you jealous?" Merlin asked, spinning around to look at Arthur.

"No. I'm not jealous." Arthur said, still not smiling, "But this Aaron something, clearly wants you."

"Arthur-"

"Are you denying he wants you?" Arthur interrupted.

Merlin sighed and scratched his hand, the green smear of pen still visible, "What's wrong with you? You've been all... tense, ever since you came over."

"I'm not tense, Merlin. It's just a bit annoying that I had to find out from my sister, that my boyfriend has been flirting in the library. Answer the question."

"You clearly are!" Merlin said back, folding his arms indignantly, "I don't know if you've noticed, but I haven't actually done anything wrong. I didn't even flirt back with Aaron, I didn't ask for his number, I didn't shag him in the bathroom. Stop treating me like I did."

Arthur chewed on his cheek for a few moments, never looking away from Merlin's eyes. Eventually he stood up from the bed and walked towards the bedroom door.

"Where are you going?" Merlin asked, standing up too.

"I don't want to sit around and watch you study." Arthur shrugged, opening the door and slamming it on his way out.

Merlin sighed angrily and turned back to his books.

"I was wondering if you'd show up." Aaron said, taking his usual seat next to Merlin.

He flattened his hair and glanced around, briefly locking eyes with a very angry-looking blond man. He gave it no second thought, a lot of people were angry around exam time. Today, Aaron was wearing a dark blue shirt and a white tie with red polkadots.

"I need to study, I still feel like I don't know anything." Merlin complained, his pen whizzing across his paper.

Arthur pulled his own book higher to block his face and continued eavesdropping. After his argument with Merlin this morning, he'd been furious. He was still furious, but he was also hurt. This Aaron guy was quite cute, with his freckles, and if he got any closer to Merlin, Arthur would break his glasses in half.

Unless Merlin wanted him to get closer, of course...

"Yeah, it always seems like that. Until you get the exam in front of you and you suddenly remember everything." Aaron laughed.

Merlin laughed once, "Yeah, or I realise I don't know anything and I'll have to drop out."

"That would never happen. You seem like a really smart person." Aaron said.

Arthur's grip on the book became tighter, his knuckles turning white. He forced himself to focus on the paragraph in front of him, something about The Wars of The Roses, while Merlin and Aaron continued to laugh and flirt.

"The Wars of the Roses were fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet." Arthur read in his head, despite the fact that he had read this sentence approximately eight times already.

"You didn't ring me like I was expecting." Aaron said after a while.

Arthur rolled his eyes, at least he could flirt better than Aaron. At least he had that going for him. Even if Merlin left him, Arthur could be content in his flirting skills, he thought bitterly.

"Yeah about that..." Merlin began and Arthur waited expectantly, "I have-"

"A lot of studying to do." Aaron interrupted, "I get it. But a little text here or there wouldn't go amiss."

Merlin didn't reply. He didn't correct Aaron's assumptions. Arthur bit into his lip. Maybe Merlin was finished with him. Maybe it only took one cute boy with freckles – damn those freckles – to make Merlin realise he was better than Arthur.

Aaron's dad would probably like Merlin. Aaron's ex probably wouldn't bully Merlin. Aaron would probably help Merlin study instead of just complain. Aaron was cute, and he and Merlin really seemed to suit each other. Not like him and Merlin.

"So what are you doing this Friday?" Aaron asked after a short silence.

"Um..." Merlin began, too focused on his studying to answer just yet.

Arthur peeked over the top of his book, looking at the back of Merlin's head, waiting with bated breath. Merlin couldn't possibly have forgotten. Not with Arthur going on about it for the past few weeks.

If Merlin had forgotten, Arthur would take that as the final piece of evidence he needed.

"I'm... Er... Nothing, I'm doing nothing." Merlin said.

Arthur stood up abruptly and Aaron turned back to glance at him briefly. It was with all his self-control that Arthur didn't punch the freckles off his face.

Storming away, hidden behind the rows of books from Merlin's view, Arthur muttered to himself angrily. Merlin had forgotten Arthur's birthday. So now, Arthur would be spending his birthday alone, while Merlin and Aaron ran off and flirted in libraries.

Arthur jabbed violently at the ground-floor button in the lift.