Friends In Secret
Author: digthewriter
Title: Friends in Secret
Rating: PG
Pairing/s: Merlin/Arthur
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Gwen, Gwaine, Morgana
Summary: Merlin and Arthur decide on some common ground for their friendship.
Warnings: Modern!AU. Characters as kids. Unrealised homosexuality (is that a thing?)
Word Count: 1200
Prompt: "Crushes" for camelot_drabble
Author's Notes: Continuation of the series: "Making New Friends" (part one on LJ here, and part two on LJ here), read part three below. Also for those that may be familiar with my other story "A last chance" -- I've sort of started writing this series as a "prequel" to that one (maybe a background story of how Arthur and Merlin became friends). Unbetaed, and I really have no idea what I'm doing.
"Maybe he has a crush on you," Gwaine helpfully provided his insight as he and Merlin started to make their way home after school.
"That's stupid," Merlin said, shaking his head. "He's a boy, and I'm a boy. Boys don't have crushes on other boys, Gwaine."
Although Merlin knew that he liked Arthur. He liked Arthur a lot and not in the same way he liked Gwaine or Will. Maybe the way Gwaine liked Morgana, but that was really stupid though, wasn't it?
"It's not stupid. You can like whoever you want," Gwaine said.
"Gwen likes Arthur," Merlin said. "She's always around him. And he likes the attention from her too. He just wants to bother me because I don't want to be part of the fan club." Merlin shrugged and looked away from Gwaine. "She told Morgana that they're going to get married someday."
"I don't know. I think he likes you. He likes you a lot," Gwaine said.
Merlin didn't want to talk about this anymore. There was no point. Besides, it wasn't like they were going to be friends now since Merlin had yelled at Arthur in front of everyone. Hopefully, he was going to start keeping his distance from Merlin now. Merlin didn't want more attention than he was already guessing. He and Gwaine were the only kids at school that didn't have a driver drop them off and pick them up from school. It was obvious that everyone at the school had rich parents. And Arthur's parents were the richest.
"Morgana's having some kids over at her house after school on Friday," Gwaine said, when they'd been quiet for a long time and they were now close to going the opposite way to their houses. Merlin always took a left at Catarina Street, and Gwaine took a right. Sometimes, Gwaine would invite Merlin over, but he didn't think today was going to be one of those days.
"Yeah? Are you going to go?"
Gwaine shrugged. "I have to. You gonna come with me?"
"I don't know..."
"Arthur will be there."
"Yeah," Merlin said, thinking exactly the reason he didn't want to go.
"Maybe you can be friends with him outside of school. Maybe he'll leave you alone then."
Merlin nodded and they said their goodbyes. As he walked home, he thought about what Gwaine said. Maybe that would be better. If he went to Morgana's party after school, maybe Arthur would be there. Then, he could tell Arthur that he can't get in trouble at school because he can't afford to get kicked out. His mum's been working hard for them to stay there and he has to make life easy for his mum.
As he approached his house, Merlin almost stopped in his tracks when he saw Arthur sitting outside the front door.
"What are you doing here?"
Arthur stood up and stalked towards Merlin. He was mere centimetres apart and Merlin thought he might actually punch him. He instinctively took a step back. "I don't want any trouble," Merlin said.
"Trouble?" Arthur said, looking confused. "I just came by to... I don't know... I thought we were going to be friends and you were just so rude-"
"Me? You're the one who is always causing trouble in class. I can't be like that. I have to study-"
"I study too!" Arthur insisted. "That day when you were so mean to me, I was trying to tell you something important."
"Everything you say is important, Arthur!" Merlin shouted. He didn't know when they'd started yelling at each other, but that's what they were doing. Eventually, he pushed past Arthur and started to walk towards the house.
Arthur followed him.
"I thought we were going to be friends," Arthur said as Merlin had allowed him to enter his house and closed the door behind them.
"I can't be friends with you at school," Merlin said.
"Fine."
"Fine?" Merlin asked, confused.
"We can be friends after school."
"Why do you want to be friends with me so badly?"
"I don't know," Arthur said, looking down at his feet. Suddenly, his expression had changed and he looked so shy, so different.
"Are you going to be there at Morgana's-"
"No. I don't like her parties, or her friends," Arthur said, looking up finally. "I leave the house when people come over. Why were you going to go?"
"Gwaine invited me but I didn't say yes."
"Cool. Do you want me to come over here? I can bring my video games, we can play-"
"You're going to bring the whole system?" Merlin asked, surprised. "I don't have one."
"Sure," Arthur said shrugging as if it were no big deal. "I can have the driver bring it for me. And maybe I can leave it here and my dad can buy me another one."
"I don't want your video game system," Merlin said, hurriedly.
"It's not for you," Arthur said, rolling his eyes. "It's for when I come over and-"
"Gwaine will see it and then he'll ask a lot of questions," Merlin said.
"Fine, then I won't leave it here. But you'll have to promise me that you're going to come over to my house to play."
"Okay," Merlin said. "But I do my homework with Gwaine sometimes and if I'm with him, I can't just leave to go to your house."
"Fine..." Arthur said, and looked like he was thinking something through. "What about when he's hanging out with Morgana?"
"What about you and Gwen?"
"What about her?" Arthur asked. "She's like my girlfriend. We all have one. Except you, I guess."
Merlin tried not to frown at hearing that. He liked Gwen, she was really nice, and one of the smartest girls in his class. He shouldn't have felt sad to know that Gwen had a boyfriend, it's not like he liked her, but Arthur-
"I already told her that I can't hang out with her after school every day and she knows that because she tutors in the library after school most days. She doesn't have to know who I play videogames with."
"Why do you make it sound like we have to hide it?" Merlin asked, confused. He said that he could be friends with Arthur after school so he wouldn't get in trouble during class, but not like a secret.
"We don't have to hide it, but you clearly don't want to be friends in school. I mean, no one ever wants to be friends with me in secret. Everyone likes me because my dad has a lot of money and their parents force them to be friends with me-"
"I'm not like that," Merlin said. "I don't care if your dad has money. I don't want to be friends with you because of that."
"I know. That's why I like you," Arthur said, smiling.
Merlin couldn't help but hide the grin on his face after that. Arthur liked him. Even after Merlin had been mean to Arthur, he really liked him.
"Okay," Merlin said excitedly. "I'll tell my mum that you're going to be over on Friday and we'll be playing video games."
"Great." Arthur said. Then, he was out the door before Merlin could say anything else.
He had no idea what he was going to tell Gwaine. He'd never had a secret friend before, and it sounded exciting.
Title: Friends in Secret
Rating: PG
Pairing/s: Merlin/Arthur
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Gwen, Gwaine, Morgana
Summary: Merlin and Arthur decide on some common ground for their friendship.
Warnings: Modern!AU. Characters as kids. Unrealised homosexuality (is that a thing?)
Word Count: 1200
Prompt: "Crushes" for camelot_drabble
Author's Notes: Continuation of the series: "Making New Friends" (part one on LJ here, and part two on LJ here), read part three below. Also for those that may be familiar with my other story "A last chance" -- I've sort of started writing this series as a "prequel" to that one (maybe a background story of how Arthur and Merlin became friends). Unbetaed, and I really have no idea what I'm doing.
"Maybe he has a crush on you," Gwaine helpfully provided his insight as he and Merlin started to make their way home after school.
"That's stupid," Merlin said, shaking his head. "He's a boy, and I'm a boy. Boys don't have crushes on other boys, Gwaine."
Although Merlin knew that he liked Arthur. He liked Arthur a lot and not in the same way he liked Gwaine or Will. Maybe the way Gwaine liked Morgana, but that was really stupid though, wasn't it?
"It's not stupid. You can like whoever you want," Gwaine said.
"Gwen likes Arthur," Merlin said. "She's always around him. And he likes the attention from her too. He just wants to bother me because I don't want to be part of the fan club." Merlin shrugged and looked away from Gwaine. "She told Morgana that they're going to get married someday."
"I don't know. I think he likes you. He likes you a lot," Gwaine said.
Merlin didn't want to talk about this anymore. There was no point. Besides, it wasn't like they were going to be friends now since Merlin had yelled at Arthur in front of everyone. Hopefully, he was going to start keeping his distance from Merlin now. Merlin didn't want more attention than he was already guessing. He and Gwaine were the only kids at school that didn't have a driver drop them off and pick them up from school. It was obvious that everyone at the school had rich parents. And Arthur's parents were the richest.
"Morgana's having some kids over at her house after school on Friday," Gwaine said, when they'd been quiet for a long time and they were now close to going the opposite way to their houses. Merlin always took a left at Catarina Street, and Gwaine took a right. Sometimes, Gwaine would invite Merlin over, but he didn't think today was going to be one of those days.
"Yeah? Are you going to go?"
Gwaine shrugged. "I have to. You gonna come with me?"
"I don't know..."
"Arthur will be there."
"Yeah," Merlin said, thinking exactly the reason he didn't want to go.
"Maybe you can be friends with him outside of school. Maybe he'll leave you alone then."
Merlin nodded and they said their goodbyes. As he walked home, he thought about what Gwaine said. Maybe that would be better. If he went to Morgana's party after school, maybe Arthur would be there. Then, he could tell Arthur that he can't get in trouble at school because he can't afford to get kicked out. His mum's been working hard for them to stay there and he has to make life easy for his mum.
As he approached his house, Merlin almost stopped in his tracks when he saw Arthur sitting outside the front door.
"What are you doing here?"
Arthur stood up and stalked towards Merlin. He was mere centimetres apart and Merlin thought he might actually punch him. He instinctively took a step back. "I don't want any trouble," Merlin said.
"Trouble?" Arthur said, looking confused. "I just came by to... I don't know... I thought we were going to be friends and you were just so rude-"
"Me? You're the one who is always causing trouble in class. I can't be like that. I have to study-"
"I study too!" Arthur insisted. "That day when you were so mean to me, I was trying to tell you something important."
"Everything you say is important, Arthur!" Merlin shouted. He didn't know when they'd started yelling at each other, but that's what they were doing. Eventually, he pushed past Arthur and started to walk towards the house.
Arthur followed him.
"I thought we were going to be friends," Arthur said as Merlin had allowed him to enter his house and closed the door behind them.
"I can't be friends with you at school," Merlin said.
"Fine."
"Fine?" Merlin asked, confused.
"We can be friends after school."
"Why do you want to be friends with me so badly?"
"I don't know," Arthur said, looking down at his feet. Suddenly, his expression had changed and he looked so shy, so different.
"Are you going to be there at Morgana's-"
"No. I don't like her parties, or her friends," Arthur said, looking up finally. "I leave the house when people come over. Why were you going to go?"
"Gwaine invited me but I didn't say yes."
"Cool. Do you want me to come over here? I can bring my video games, we can play-"
"You're going to bring the whole system?" Merlin asked, surprised. "I don't have one."
"Sure," Arthur said shrugging as if it were no big deal. "I can have the driver bring it for me. And maybe I can leave it here and my dad can buy me another one."
"I don't want your video game system," Merlin said, hurriedly.
"It's not for you," Arthur said, rolling his eyes. "It's for when I come over and-"
"Gwaine will see it and then he'll ask a lot of questions," Merlin said.
"Fine, then I won't leave it here. But you'll have to promise me that you're going to come over to my house to play."
"Okay," Merlin said. "But I do my homework with Gwaine sometimes and if I'm with him, I can't just leave to go to your house."
"Fine..." Arthur said, and looked like he was thinking something through. "What about when he's hanging out with Morgana?"
"What about you and Gwen?"
"What about her?" Arthur asked. "She's like my girlfriend. We all have one. Except you, I guess."
Merlin tried not to frown at hearing that. He liked Gwen, she was really nice, and one of the smartest girls in his class. He shouldn't have felt sad to know that Gwen had a boyfriend, it's not like he liked her, but Arthur-
"I already told her that I can't hang out with her after school every day and she knows that because she tutors in the library after school most days. She doesn't have to know who I play videogames with."
"Why do you make it sound like we have to hide it?" Merlin asked, confused. He said that he could be friends with Arthur after school so he wouldn't get in trouble during class, but not like a secret.
"We don't have to hide it, but you clearly don't want to be friends in school. I mean, no one ever wants to be friends with me in secret. Everyone likes me because my dad has a lot of money and their parents force them to be friends with me-"
"I'm not like that," Merlin said. "I don't care if your dad has money. I don't want to be friends with you because of that."
"I know. That's why I like you," Arthur said, smiling.
Merlin couldn't help but hide the grin on his face after that. Arthur liked him. Even after Merlin had been mean to Arthur, he really liked him.
"Okay," Merlin said excitedly. "I'll tell my mum that you're going to be over on Friday and we'll be playing video games."
"Great." Arthur said. Then, he was out the door before Merlin could say anything else.
He had no idea what he was going to tell Gwaine. He'd never had a secret friend before, and it sounded exciting.