Hey guys!

I know, the last chapter was kind of short, but I'll try and make this one longer, I promise. Although it will only consist of one scene . . . still, we'll see how it goes. Even if it is short, the updates are coming a lot faster now, so, hopefully, it will be alright.

But, before we begin, some of you had a few questions;

Sam83 - "Does Morgana know?"

Morgana does know that Merlin and Arthur have been talking, as she was the one that introduced Arthur to the site, saying he could talk to Merlin on it. Also, the conversation at first was public, and everyone would have been able to see it. Although I haven't mentioned it yet, both Morgan and Gwen have read the conversation, but Morgana is the only one that knows it's Arthur. It's complicated, I know, but I'll get it into the story somewhere, I promise. That'll probably make it a lot clearer.

Adnarim Neko - "What happened? Why is Morgana looking guilty?"

Basically, what happened, is that Arthur and Uther got into an argument because Merlin told 'A' to stand up to his father. Arthur did stand up to him, and it resulted in an argument. Morgana was looking guilty simply because she knows that Arthur is 'A', and knows that it's because Merlin gave Arthur advice, that they got into an argument in the first place. So it's not really anything that bad, it's just because she knows about Arthur, and Merlin's her best friend, so she feels bad not being able to tell him.

That's all for now, enjoy!

Megz

oxox

Sat in Science class, Merlin tapped his pen on his book impatiently. He glanced at the clock, watching the seconds tick by, and waiting for the lesson to be over. It was his last lesson of the day, and all he wanted was to go home, and wait for 'A' to come online. He wasn't really aware of it at first, but he'd become very attached to talking to 'A', and it was now becoming a big part of his daily routine. 'A' became all he thought about, and, if someone else knew about it, it probably would have been all he talked about too.

He could sense Arthur tensing beside him, and Merlin could tell that the pen-tapping was annoying him. He set it down on the table slowly, casting him an apologetic look. Arthur just nodded, turning his attention back to the teacher, for once. It was strange, because normally, Merlin was the one paying attention to the teacher, and Arthur would just be messing around. But now, Merlin just couldn't bring himself to focus. Every time he tried, thoughts of 'A' just crept back into his mind. Because he was with him, right that second, and he had no idea who it was.

Taking the opportunity to look around the classroom, Merlin took the time to observe all the boys individually. First, sat at the very back of the room, was Cedric. He was a skinny, rat of a boy, with long, greasy hair. He was what Merlin liked to call a "sheep". He followed anyone with the slightest hint of popularity, floating around them like an annoying ghost. Merlin had never really spoken to Cedric directly, but he'd seen him around other people. The way he followed people, grovelling for their approval, or attention, it was ridiculous. No, 'A' could never be Cedric. Even if the whole thing was a joke, Cedric wasn't capable of either.

Sat in front of Cedric, his most recent idols, were Cenred and Valiant. Cenred was one of the most popular boys in school, but for all the wrong reasons. Whilst most people feared Arthur and his "knights", they feared Cenred and Valiant much more. Arthur's gang were more men of words, than men of action. Cenred and Valiant were definitely men of action. Most of the time, they stayed silent, and just exchanged looks with each other than seemed to say more than a thousand words. People mostly just stayed away from them, and Merlin had no idea how Cedric had lasted so long at their side. They were probably just liking having someone to carry their books for them. Eventually, they'd get bored, and then Cedric would be in trouble. No, 'A' could never be one of them.

Then there was Percival, sat a few rows in front of Cenred and Valiant. Percival had never really talked much, but Merlin knew he wasn't like the rest of Arthur's "knights". To be honest, most of them weren't that bad. Well, the ones that he knew the names of, anyway. But while Percival was considered the "muscle" of the group, Merlin could also tell that he was probably one of the kindest. If it were Percival, and Merlin doubted it was, then he couldn't say he would mind.

Sat next to Percival, was Gwaine. Merlin and Gwaine had been friends for years, even before Merlin had moved school. They hadn't lived in the same village like his best friend Will, but their mothers had been friends since high school. They'd seen each other a lot as children, and had kept in touch. While Merlin and Gwaine were quite close, they didn't talk that much anymore, and Merlin knew that Gwaine was definitely, 100% straight. And even if he wasn't, Merlin wouldn't be interested, and he doubted Gwaine would either. No, they were like brothers.

There were only five other guys left in the class that he hadn't considered; Gilli, Leon, Lancelot, Mordred, and Arthur, and he knew it would be none of them. Gilli, because yes, he was quiet, but he'd never even shown the slightest interest in anyone, let alone Merlin. He was far too interested in his schoolwork, and didn't really have any friends. Merlin used to pity him, until he found out that Gilli liked it that way. It couldn't be Leon, because he and Merlin had never even exchanged glances in the hallway, let alone had an actual conversation. And it couldn't be Lancelot, because he was far too interested in Gwen. Not that Merlin was jealous, of course not, they were perfect for each other. Besides, Lancelot could be a little . . . dumb sometimes.

That left Mordred and Arthur. And those were the two he was certain about. First of all, Mordred. Mordred was the one that had started teasing Merlin in the first place. If it wasn't for him, he doubted Arthur and the other "knights" would have even noticed his existence. And out of everyone else, Mordred had always been the one that picked on Merlin the most. While the others stuck to words, little jokes, and teasing, Mordred would use violence. He would make it so that Merlin no longer felt safe. So that he was constantly looking over his shoulder, waiting for another beating. Of course, this usually only lasted a few weeks, until Mordred got bored. But he always came back for more.

And Arthur.

Merlin turned to look at the strangely quiet blonde sat next to him. It was unusual for Arthur to stay so quiet. He hadn't even welcomed Merlin with an insult when he walked into the classroom. Merlin was beginning to wonder if something was wrong. Of course, he knew that Arthur had had a fight with his father over the weekend, and that was probably all it was.

It couldn't be Arthur, either. It just couldn't, simple as.

So that left . . . no one. The more Merlin thought about it, the more he began to worry that 'A' didn't actually exist. And that scared him more than anything. That the whole thing might just be a joke. Something made up by one of the "knights", just so they could make fun of him behind his back. Make him reveal secrets that they could use against him. Because more than anything, he needed 'A' to be real. He needed to know that good people still existed, that there was someone out there, who might actually care for him. He just needed that one person.

Suddenly, Arthur's head snapped to the side, catching Merlin in the act of his staring. Merlin looked away quickly, but it was too late, Arthur had already noticed. And by the looks of things, he wasn't planning on letting it go. He looked at Merlin, confused. And when a few awkward seconds had passed, Merlin looked back, seeing Arthur was glaring at him.

"What are you looking at, Emrys?" Arthur spat, and Merlin flinched at his harsh tone. Just last lesson, they'd been on the floor, laughing with each other, and smiling. And now, well, it seemed they were back to normal.

Now, Merlin was never usually one to get angry, but, after the last lesson, Merlin had honestly thought that something had changed. In that small moment they'd shared, Arthur had actually been himself, something Merlin had never really seen before. And some small part of him had hoped that would last. But no, Arthur Prat-dragon was right back to treating him like dirt under his shoe, and Merlin wasn't going to stand for it any longer. Not after he'd actually let him believe something was different.

"Just because your father is ashamed of you, doesn't mean that you have to take it out on me!" Merlin spat back, between gritted teeth. He saw the shock and hurt on Arthur's face, but he didn't seem to be able to stop himself. Once the words were out, it didn't seem like they were going to stop. "And to be honest, I can't say I blame him. You're a bully, and a terrible person! You treat other people like dirt, and yet still expect them to worship the ground you walk on. Well, I'm telling you now, sunshine, people don't work like that! You want people to respect you, to treat you with kindness, and gratitude? Then treat them the same. You're never going to connect with anyone the way you're going.

And the people you call 'friends'? They're only with you, because they're either scared of you, or they want to be popular. I'd like to see what happens, when one day, someone gives you a taste of your own medicine, who'll stick around to actually listen to you. I'd like to see you go through the kind of pain you've been inflicting on me for years, and see how you handle it, because I sure as Hell can't anymore! I've had enough of you, Arthur bloody-Pendragon. I don't care who you are, or what your name means. I don't care who your father is, or how rich you are. I don't care if your father could get me expelled in an instant, because I'm tired.

I'm tired of pretending that what you do to people is okay. I'm tired of seeing people give you respect that you don't deserve. If you want to gain people's respect, you have to earn it. It shouldn't be about who your father is, it should be about who you are, as a person. You disgust me, and I'm sure your father would say the same. And I'm willing to bet he probably did."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew it was a mistake. His breathing was heavy, and he hadn't even realized he'd been shouting, until he saw that all eyes in the classroom were on him. Even the teacher was looking at him with a shocked expression. He opened his mouth to apologize, but it was met with a fist colliding with his cheek.

The force of the punch sent him tumbling to the floor, and he scrambled to get up quickly, looking Arthur in the eyes. Now, he could see the hurt. There were tears of anger in Arthur's eyes, and his hands were curled into fists. He was trembling with rage, and Merlin honestly wondered whether he was going to hit him again. But instead, Arthur pushed past him, knocking him down again when they bumped shoulders, adding extra force.

And from where he sat on the cold classroom floor, Merlin watched as Arthur stormed out of the classroom, slamming the door behind him.

Well? I know it was short again, but . . . the next chapter will be a lot longer, I can actually guarantee that. But please, REVIEW!