Only A Boy

Slippery Floors

"Merlin?"

Merlin opened his eyes. For a moment he didn't move, nursing a faint hope that Silas would think he'd gone to sleep. He had managed to avoid everyone after returning to the orphanage with Snape, some mumbled excuse that he was tired and needed to think. Now the dark swirled around them, dim yellow light from street lamps causing shadows to dance on the ceiling. But, somehow Silas knew that he wasn't asleep.

"You ever gonna tell me who those two guys were?" A pause. "Merlin—"

"They were from a school," he interrupted and he rolled over. He could see Silas propping himself up on his pillow. His eyebrows were scrunched up together.

"What kind of school?"

Merlin rolled back, staring at the ceiling. He didn't know what to tell him. He didn't want to lie to him, he had been such a good friend to him these last few weeks but he also knew that the Statute of Secrecy was important. It felt like Camelot all over again, being forced to hide who he was. He was always hiding who he was. Even the Headmaster he had no idea who Merlin really was.

He was always in the shadows.

"Merlin," Silas pressed. "What's going on? Why won't you talk to me?"

And he always would be.

"It's a boarding school," Merlin told him. "A school for the gifted or something." He turned and watched Silas digest this information.

"A boarding school?" he repeated. "That's why you've been so moody?"

"What?"

Moody?!

"You think that I'm going to hate you for leaving, or something?"

"What—no! I—"

"You'll be able to come back for the summer and holidays, right?"

"Um, I think so. Yeah, but—"

Merlin couldn't get a word in. The next minute, Silas was rambling about how it was such a great opportunity and how he'd write to him all the time. Silas kept assuring Merlin that he wasn't upset. He'd miss him, sure, but he wouldn't hate him. Here Merlin was, upset that he couldn't tell Silas the truth, and Silas thought that it was because he was scared about how he'd take the news.

It made him smile, and actually, feel bad that he would be leaving.

"You're not leaving before your birthday, are you?" Silas asked.

"No," and Merlin smiled. "I'm not leaving until September." He paused. "But I do need to go buy school supplies and stuff."

"Well, I'm sure Martha wouldn't mind if we stopped by the—"

Merlin shook his head. "No, they have a weird supply list. Professor Snape, one of the guys I met with, will come and take me to get the materials. We're just waiting for some funding card to get approved."

"Oh." Silas nodded. He was silent for a moment. Merlin could hear Mark snoring loudly from two beds over. His magic tingled pleasantly in the air around him. It had been uncomfortably excited ever since the elevator fiasco as if it still had pent up energy to burn.

"Merlin?"

"Yeah?"

"If—I mean when you go to—to that school..." Silas sucked in a deep shuddering breath. "You won't forget about me, will you?"

He chuckled softly. "Wouldn't be able to even if I tried."

"Hey! I'm being serious."

"So am I." Merlin glanced at him and smiled. "I promise, I won't forget you." You're the first friend I made in the new world you know, but of course, he couldn't tell him that.