Arthur glared over to where the raucous laughter had come from across the dining hall where Merlin and the rest of The Knights were sitting down to eat. Merlin certainly looked cozy, surrounded as he was by Camelot University's entire varsity rugby team, minus one. Well that was soon to change.

Arthur snagged his dining card back from the lunch lady as soon as she swiped it and stalked over to the rest of his team, of which he was captain thank-you-very-much, and squeezed between Merlin and Gwain on the already crowded bench. Gwain pouted at him, but simply leaned forward to restore his unobstructed view of Arthur's roommate, completely ignoring the stink-eye Arthur was throwing him.

"And the rest, as they say, is history. Or whatever the historical term for waking up in a dumpster the next morning is anyway." The table laughed uproariously as one.

"We'd wondered where you'd gotten to last night." Chuffed Percival, slapping Gwain on the back. "But at least you got to meet Merlin before you wandered off, eh?"

Lyon ruffled Merlin's hair fondly while the Irishman sat there beaming around at the table.

"Really Arthur, I can't believe it took you this long to introduce us!" whined Gwain good-heartedly.

"Yes, well. Maybe I wanted him all to myself, ever think of that?" Arthur retorted lightly. He got a few slaps on the back, but otherwise no one took him seriously. Which was totally the point. Of course it was.

"Anyways, we were just about to head down to the pub for a pint with your little wonderboy over here," Elyan mentioned as he stood up, leaned over the table and kissed Merlin's forehead with a loud 'mwah' before extracting himself from the bench. "You've got that paper due tomorrow, yeah? Meet us up once you finish or need a break. We'll keep Merlin entertained for you for the evening."

And before he knew what was happening, Arthur was sitting alone at a now-empty table.

A few short hours later, Arthur had finished his paper. Barely. It was probably crap and, thinking back he couldn't even remember having written most of it, but there it was, finished, on the screen in front of him, so it'd have to do. He could edit in the morning. With that thought he grabbed his jacket and headed down to the bar the rugby team always hung out at and made it there in record time.

And he was only breathing heavily because he loved the smell of fall. Not because he'd run the whole way there. Of course not. That'd be ridiculous.

Straightening out his wind-swept hair—because he liked to look nice ok, it was a totally normal human-generic thing—he stepped into the pub and caught sight of the team right away. They'd taken up a good chunk of the bar and a couple adjacent tables and were in the middle of an off-key rendition of the Camelot school song, which they promptly broke off at the sight of him and just started cheering nonsensically. Merlin, he noticed upon further examination, was right in the middle of the group and drowning under the weight of the two props' beefy arms around his shoulders.

"Percival! Kay! Lay off before you break the bloke's neck from your combined weight alone." He laughed, making his way over to them. He sent Kay off to grab him a beer and promptly snagged his seat.

"Finish your paper, then?" Merlin asked, smiling softly at him while the others were distracted with filling their glasses.

"For the most part. These idiots haven't scared you off of all rugby players for good yet, have they?"

"Nah, they're great. Lots of interesting stories about you actually." Merlin's smile turned wicked. "There was one in particular… about Morgana?" Arthur groaned piteously and buried his head in his arms on the table.

"I mean, I just can't not imagine you in a glittery purple mini-dress anymore." Arthur looked up in relief. "But that's nothing to the can-opener. I mean really, Arthur? Really?" Merlin laughed as Arthur's face dropped and he made a noise like a dying animal and spun on Leon.

"You swore you'd never tell! You swore!" he accused, finger jabbing against the flanker's chest. Leon patted his arm in mock-sympathy and handed him the beer he'd helped Kay bring back before whirling off to chat up some local girls in the corner.

Arthur groaned and turned back to Merlin only to find his roommate had been taken hostage—again—by some more of his teammates. He sipped his beer and leaned leisurely against the bar, waiting patiently to get his roommate back, while watching the proceedings like a hawk.

More than half-way through his beer, which he had been nursing uncharacteristically slowly, Merlin had yet to return to his side. Instead he was being paraded around by the guys to all the girls, and some dudes, that happened to be in the bar and getting numbers. Shit, he was getting a lot of numbers. Arthur frowned and took a deep gulp of his drink before setting it down and sidling over to the group.

"Now let's leave some patrons un-harassed, men. Don't want to upset the locals." He chastised, sneaking his arm over Merlin's shoulder—knocking someone else's off in the process—and steering them all back towards the rest of the group.

"Body shots!" Gwain's voice piercing through the crowd and being met with roaring approval from the team just as Arthur was about to sit back down stopped him in his tracks and he looked over at his bearded friend in horror. Everyone knew what happened to Gwain when he mixed alcohol. It was not pretty. Well, maybe for Gwain and whoever he wound up in bed with that night, but not for anyone else.

"I shotgun Merlin! Come on mate, take your top off and lay on the bar!" Gwain bellowed, to even more cheers.

Arthur's haunted look hardened into one of stony determination.

"Nope! No way, Not happening. Come on Merlin." He ordered, dragging his roommate out of the bar by his hand to a mixed wake of boos and wolf-whistles.

Merlin laughed, running behind him and keeping up easily, never once shaking off Arthur's grip on his hand until they made it back to their dorm.

"Jealous, Arthur?" Merlin huffed breathlessly, still smiling.

"Never." Denied Arthur, pulling Merlin into his body by the hand and wrapping his arms around him.

"Not even a little?" teased the Irishman. Arthur pretended to think about it.

"Hmm… Maybe a bit. But then, none of them get to do this." The blonde cupped Merlin's face in his hand and leaned in to kiss him, chaste and sweet. Merlin smiled and leaned back in.

"Very true." He mumbled against Arthur's lips. Arthur opened his mouth under Merlin's ministrations before pulling back suddenly.

"And let's keep it that way, yeah?"

Merlin simply laughed and tackled him onto the bed.

Jealous indeed.