Hey guys!

So, the last chapter was a little different, I hope you liked it though! It took a while for me to write the Never Have I Ever bit, but I got there in the end! And, this story has now reached over 200 reviews! Thank you so much! I don't know whether I've already mentioned that, but thanks! I honestly didn't think it would become as popular as it has.

Quite a few of you answered my questions about the 'A' reveal. Obviously, I don't want to give anything away, but what happens at the end will be slightly influenced by your answers. The ending that I already had planned though, is only slightly different to what most of you have said. I will be adding a few more chapters on after Merlin finds out, because most of you said that was what you wanted. As for how Merlin finds out, it will be something in between Arthur telling him, and Merlin figuring it out himself. I'll leave you to think about that one. ;)

Enjoy!

Megz

oxox

The light streaming in from the gap in between the curtains woke Merlin from his peaceful sleep. He sighed, closing his eyes again. His eyes were hurting, and all he wanted was just five more minutes of sleep. Besides, it was a Sunday, and there was nothing to do on a Sunday anyway, besides homework, and Merlin had already done all of his. Gaius would probably want him to help out with the shop for a few hours, but that was easily done. It wouldn't require much effort.

It was only then, that Merlin remembered where he was, and what had happened last night. He slowly opened one eye, and then the other, to find himself wrapped in the arms of Arthur Pendragon. Holy shit! he thought, trying to break free. Unsurprisingly though, Arthur was incredibly strong, and he kept his arms wrapped tightly around Merlin's waist. There was no breaking free. Not that he was complaining. It was quite nice really, being close to someone again. It had been ages since him and Will had been together, and . . . Stop it! Merlin scolded himself. You are not thinking about that now! And you're not enjoying this, not at all! Still, another part of Merlin seemed to think differently, and he stopped struggling.

He relaxed into Arthur's arms, finding that it really wasn't so bad after all. He was . . . warm and Merlin didn't think he'd ever had a better night's sleep than last night. There was something about just being in Arthur's presence that he found oddly comforting. He couldn't actually remember ever feeling like that before, it was . . . nice.

Since he couldn't really move, and couldn't go back to sleep now that he knew the position he was currently in, he decided to look around Arthur's room. Well, take a look at what he could see from the bed, anyway.

On the bedside table next to him, was a framed picture of Arthur and Morgana. It must only have been taken a few years ago, as they looked practically the same. It had been taken in Disneyland, and Arthur was giving Morgana a piggy-back. On top of Morgana's head, were a pair of Minnie-Mouse ears, and Arthur was wearing a Jack Sparrow pirate hat, with added dread-locks. In the picture, both of them were grinning from ear-to-ear. Merlin didn't quite know why, but it brought a smile to his own face, seeing Arthur happy.

The picture seemed to be one of the only personal items in the room. Of course, there were the band posters, the guitars, books and paper on the desk, but apart from that, the room was what you'd expect from a showroom at IKEA. And Merlin wondered if Arthur knew this, or perhaps if he did it on purpose. Arthur seemed like the type of person who didn't like to get too attached to things. His mother had died, though Merlin had never been told how, so it only made sense. He'd been made to deal with the cruelness of reality, from a very young age. It was only natural that he didn't want to feel that again.

Suddenly, Merlin heard Arthur shift behind him. He sighed, knowing that things were about to get increasingly awkward. He felt Arthur slowly remove his arms from Merlin's waist, and pull himself back slightly. But he didn't say a word, and didn't get out of the bed in disgust. Merlin took this as a good sign. He turned over, to see Arthur watching him curiously.

"Sorry about, um . . . that." Arthur said, running his fingers through his hair absentmindedly.

"S'okay," Merlin shrugged, leaning his head on his hand, and looking back at Arthur. He didn't know where this new-found confidence had come from. Maybe once you've shared a bed with someone, you can't really feel that uncomfortable around them anymore. After you've shared a bed with them, there isn't really much you can say or do, that could be more awkward than that.

"You didn't run off," Arthur stated, but there was a thoughtful tone to his voice.

"Well, you know me, never one to turn down a dare." Merlin joked, and Arthur cracked a small smile. Turning over onto his back, Merlin sighed. He clasped his hands behind his head, and looked up at the ceiling. He pretended he was completely unaware of Arthur still watching him. He'd noticed this recently, that Arthur seemed to watch him quite often. He wasn't particularly bothered by it though, as he did the same, when he thought Arthur wasn't looking. "So what are we doing today?"

"I, am going to football practice," Arthur began, and then he pointed to Merlin. "So that leaves you, to go dress shopping with Morgana and Gwen."

Merlin stared, open mouthed. Morgana and Gwen had been planning this trip for weeks, and somehow, Merlin had been roped into joining them. When it had first been mentioned, however, he'd made up some excuse as to why he couldn't go. What he hadn't realized yesterday, was that they'd been planning to go today. The night before, they'd been talking about it, and Arthur had, if a little begrudgingly, agreed to come as well, which meant it wouldn't have been so bad.

"You wouldn't." Merlin said, glaring at Arthur.

"Oh, but I have to," Arthur smirked, sitting up against the headboard of his bed. The blanket slipped down to reveal some of his bare chest. Arthur didn't do anything about it though. Merlin had to force himself not to look, or to think any thoughts that he definitely should not be thinking. "I got a text this morning from Lance, telling me that practice is early today. So, unfortunately for you, you have to spend the day watching Morgana and Gwen trying on countless dresses, giving your opinion on every, single, one."

"You sick, twisted man," Merlin spat, but there was no real venom behind his words.

Arthur laughed evilly, as he slid out of bed to get ready for football practice. He walked over to his wardrobe, and dug out his training gear, stuffing it all into a bag. Then, he took out his normal clothes, throwing them at the bottom of the bed. Merlin sighed, turning over to look at the clock. The numbers glowed, bold and clear, 9:00am. Sighing again, he rolled onto his back again, giving out a (very manly) yelp, when he saw Arthur about to change his jeans.

"Not in here, you prat!" he yelled, reaching over to the other side of the bed, and grabbing a pillow. Using all the force that a man of his proportions possessed, he launched the pillow at Arthur, hitting him square in the head. Arthur laughed, pulling up his pants. "I wouldn't want you to spoil my innocence!"

"Merlin Emyrs, you are anything but innocent!"

Merlin sat, in what must have already been the fourth shop they'd been to. The shop was littered with dress racks, and Merlin sat, watching Morgana and Gwen walk up and down the changing rooms area in the most recent objects of their desire. There was nobody else in the shop at the moment, so Merlin felt extremely bored, especially as it had taken Morgana at least ten minutes to get into her dress. He had to admit though; the two of them did look beautiful.

Morgana was wearing a short, lilac dress, with a lacy pattern, and it was slightly ruffled at the rim. Over the dress, she had a short, black blazer, and she was wearing, tall, black heels. Gwen, walking along beside her, was looking equally as beautiful. Her hair was hanging down in loose curls, and she was wearing short, red dress. The skirt stuck out slightly, and it had a thin, sheer layer over the top, with one short, sheer sleeve. With it, she also wore simple, black heels.

Although he was sure he already knew, Merlin had asked earlier, what the dresses were for. It turned out, they were for Uther's impending birthday party, which Merlin was invited to, apparently. To be honest, Merlin wasn't even aware that Uther knew he existed. He'd been over to Morgana's house countless times, of course, but their house was so big, he never really came into contact with the oldest Pendragon. He'd been placing all his bets that Morgana had scored him the invite, but apparently, it had been Arthur. Still, they were friends now, so surely that was normal?

He was, of course, incredibly grateful, though. The fact that Arthur wanted him there at all . . . he still wasn't quite used to the two of them being . . . friends. It was strange, but in a good way. They had a great understanding, and Merlin liked that. But he couldn't help comparing it to what he and Will had been like at first. Of course, they'd had nothing of the banter that Arthur and Merlin had, or the drama. But the same attraction had been there. At least, on Merlin's part. He only hoped that this . . . friendship didn't end the same way.

"Well, Merlin?" Morgana asked, and Merlin snapped himself out of his thoughts. Morgana and Gwen stood before him, twirling dramatically in their dresses, and doing mock-model poses. "What do you think?"

"You both look beautiful," he replied, with a firm nod of the head, and a smile. He would've thought that would be enough, but it would appear not.

"You've said that to every dress, Merlin," Gwen sighed, as her and Morgana flopped into the sofa on either side of Merlin. It was clear that even the two of them were beginning to get tired, and Merlin's hopes of freedom were raised once more.

"I'm sorry, I just -"

"He wishes Arthur was here, don't you Merlin?" Morgana interrupted him, copying Arthur's phrasing of his name perfectly. It was almost scary, how accurate she was. Merlin glared at her, which should have been a sign for her to stop. But, apparently, today just wasn't his day, and she carried on. "Merlin, when are you going to admit it?"

"Admit what?"

"Do we really have to spell it out for you, Merlin?" Gwen continued, and Merlin had to keep turning his head, back and forth, between the two of them. It was like watching tennis. "Honestly, the two of you are as bad as each other."

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about." Merlin replied, though he was sure he knew exactly what they were talking about.

"Oh, for God's sake, Merlin!" Morgana cried, throwing her arms up in the air. And for one very scary moment, Merlin thought she was going to throw one of her tantrums. And he'd only been witness to Morgana's ragings before. They were not pretty. But then, all of a sudden, her voice got quieter, and slightly more sympathetic. "You like him."

"I do not!" Merlin objected, and suddenly, he didn't know where to look. It felt like his cheeks were on fire, but he tried to keep it together, trying to prove to them that they were wrong, and nothing was going on between him and Arthur.

"Merlin," Gwen said gently, and Merlin turned to her.

"What?" he snapped. He hadn't meant for it to come out so harshly, and was about to apologize, when he saw that both Gwen and Morgana were laughing at him.

"You're blushing!" Morgana laughed, and Merlin mumbled to himself, trying to hide his face from them behind his jacket. Merlin Emrys did not blush.

"I am not!" he argued, trying to ignore how childish he looked and sounded. "And I don't like Arthur. Well, I like him, and everything . . . as a friend! But I don't . . . I don't like-like him . . . I don't . . . There's nothing going on between us, okay?"

"Whatever you say Merlin," Gwen said, again, with what Merlin now assumed was fake-sympathy. She patted his back gently, and got up to go back into the changing rooms. Morgana followed after her, going back into her own dressing room. Then, she popped her head round the corner, addressing Merlin again.

"Though you should know that Arthur blushed too,"

Before Merlin could ask what she meant, he heard Gwen roar with laughter, and Morgana ducked her head back round the corner. He sighed, sinking back into the seat. None of this would've happened, if he'd just stayed at home with Gaius, watching Doctor Who.

A few hours later, Arthur arrived back home from practice. It had been quite easy this morning, and he wasn't feeling at all tired this time. Instead, he felt rather refreshed. The morning air had done him some good. Coming through the front door, he dumped his training stuff on the floor by the entrance, and looked around. He could see, nor hear any sign of Morgana, Gwen, or Merlin, which must mean they were still out shopping. Arthur would've felt guilty for leaving Merlin, if the idea of him being stranded shopping with two girls wasn't so damn funny. Their absence, however, gave him the perfect opportunity to discuss a very important subject with his father.

Heading for the stairs, Arthur guessed his father would probably be in his study, this time of day. Uther Pendragon lived to a sort of day-to-day timetable. He had done for so long, that anyone who'd spent more than a week of their life with him, would know exactly where to find him, whenever they needed to. It was another thing that made Arthur's father so incredibly old-fashioned. He resented change.

Before he even had the time to think about what he was going to say, Arthur was at the door to his father's office. The door was closed, and there was no sound coming from inside at all. Still, it was like he could sense Uther's icy presence through the door. And he knew that if he didn't knock now, fear would consume him, and he'd end up backing down. He hadn't really spoken much to his father since their fight, but this was important. It was about Merlin's safety. And any childish arguments would have to wait. Swallowing a mix of pride and fear, Arthur raised his hand to the door, and knocked.

"Come in," came his father's cold voice from behind the door. Arthur took in a deep breath, before opening the door quickly. He didn't shut it behind him, nor did he enter the room. He simply stood in the doorway, looking across the room to his father. He was sat, as per usual, surrounded by documents, at his desk. Upon seeing Arthur, he slid off his reading glasses, placing them on a pile of papers, and clasped his hands in front of him, leaning forward eagerly. It reminded Arthur of films he'd seen, re-enactments of people watching someone being fed to a pack of lions in Roman times. "Ah, Arthur. What can I do for you?"

"I'm not here to apologize," Arthur stated, feeling he might as well get that out of the way straight away. Uther raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, simply gesturing for Arthur to enter the room. He did so, closing the door behind him, but did not sit. He hoped this conversation would be brief, and to the point. And he was surprised, at the strength in his own voice. Usually, his father instilled so much fear and resentment in him, that Arthur found it hard to even attempt to address him civilly, or at all. But this wasn't about him, it was about Merlin. Someone who mattered more to Arthur than he would care to admit. "I'm here because . . . I need to talk to you about something, something very important. And I need you to put all personal issues between us aside, because you're the only one who can deal with this properly."

"Fine, Arthur, what is it?" Uther asked, leaning back in his chair. Arthur ignored the slightly annoyed tone in his voice, and sat in the chair across from the desk.

"Someone's been . . . hurting my friend, and it's been going on for quite a while now," Arthur began, not really knowing what to say. At first, he'd had everything planned, but now, it seemed the words were just coming out of their own accord. "For how long, I'm not quite sure, possibly since he first came to this school. Apparently it's been happening on and off, but the most recent time . . . it got really bad. He pulled a knife on him, threatened him, and physically scarred him. I only found out about a week ago, and told him to back off, but . . . I don't really think it's enough. I'm worried for his safety, and I was hoping you'd be able to do something about it?"

"Arthur, if you want me to do anything about it, you're going to have to give me some names," Uther replied impassively.

"Mordred. Mordred Camlann. He's been hurting Merlin," Arthur replied shortly. He didn't realize he'd been looking at the floor, until he almost heard his father's jaw drop. Still, when he looked up, his father's expression was completely composed, and devoid of all emotion. He did, however, slightly raise his eyebrows in surprise.

"Merlin Emyrs?" he asked, his voice now sounding slightly shocked. Arthur nodded curtly, and his father couldn't help but be surprised. Arthur had never so much as batted an eyelid at the Emyrs boy, and yet, here he was, worried for his safety? Uther could tell though, that it was genuinely bothering his son, even if he didn't want to show it.

"I'm sure you're aware that most of the things he's done to Merlin are crimes, and definitely worth being expelled for. Not to mention the physiological damage he's done to him. I trust you will treat this situation with respect, and caution, and that you realize how serious this really is. If you neglect to do anything about it, and allow it to continue, you know I'll probably never forgive you."

"You really care for this boy."

"I don't really believe that's any of your business, at least, not anymore." Arthur replied, and Uther said nothing again. For once, the tables had been turned, and Arthur was now the one in control. Uther was unused to being challenged, or ordered around, though Arthur had to say he found it quite fun, being the boss for once. "Do I have your word, that you'll do your best to make sure Mordred never comes near Merlin again?"

"You have my word,"

~ Sunday, 18:00pm ~

I'm so sorry! - Merlin

And what could you possibly have to apologize for? - A

We haven't spoken in weeks! - Merlin

You don't have to apologize Merlin, I understand. - A

You do? - Merlin

Yeah, I saw what happened in the canteen with Arthur and Mordred. - A

Oh, you saw, huh? - Merlin

Are you okay? Is that why you haven't spoken to me in a while? Or are you getting bored of me already? - A ;)

No, of course not! - Merlin

It's okay, Merlin, I was only joking. - A

Sorry, it's just . . . there was a lot going on, with Arthur and Mordred. Things got pretty messed up, on the Mordred end of things. And Arthur . . . I think he may have saved my life, kind of. Mordred got pretty . . . intense. If Arthur hadn't stopped him, I don't know what he would've done . . . Sorry for being so vague, it's just, that's all I really want to say about it. - Merlin

It's fine, honestly. So are you and Arthur friends now? I saw you sitting with him? - A

You really weren't joking when you said you watched me sometimes, were you? - Merlin

Does it bother you? - A

Not really. It's nice, in a way. Shows that somebody cares, I guess. And about me and Arthur, yeah, I guess we kind of are. It's . . . a strange relationship. - Merlin

Do you like him? - A

Yeah, he's a good friend. - Merlin

Merlin, you and I both know that's not what I meant. - A

No, of course not! - Merlin

He likes you, though. It's obvious, even to me. - A

Are we talking about the same person? Arthur Pendragon, fancy me, of all people? - Merlin

It wouldn't be that unusual. - A

If you lived in a parallel universe! - Merlin

Oh come off it! I've seen the way he looks at you. - A

Yes, with annoyance, and slightly veiled contempt. - Merlin

Merlin, why else would he have stopped Mordred? - A

Common decency? - Merlin

Fine, believe what you want, but he clearly likes you. The way he looks at you, I'm telling you. Signs like that just can't be misread. And you know I'm not the only one who thinks so. - A

Well obviously, we're not looking at the same person. - Merlin

Maybe one of us just isn't looking hard enough. - A

Well? Let me know what you thought, REVIEW! :D