A/n: Who ordered a high school!AU with a side of awkward!Gilbert and oblivious!Matthew? Just me?

Disc.: Nope

Warnings: Language and some intoxication references.

Originally, this was supposed to be a one-shot. However, it got a little out of hand, and I am now splitting it into two. The second part will be smut, but this can just have a "T" rating.

Boys, "Besties", and Boobs

Friends.

How Gilbert loathed that word. Yet, how could he, really, when it made him so goddamn happy? So pleased and content and welcome due to a mere aura, a presence. How could he possibly hate what he had when he had never, in all of his eighteen years of living, imagined he could feel like that? If he were, perhaps, more decent, less selfish, maybe he wouldn't care so much. Maybe he'd be able to ignore his feelings for the good of the other.

Unfortunately, that just wasn't him. And so, instead of being thankful for what he had, instead he felt irritated. And impatient.

"You okay?" asked Matthew, the bane of his existence and, yes, the friend who made him wish that he wasn't. "Normally you kick my butt at Call of Duty, what's up?" the curly-haired blonde asked, pausing the game Gilbert was only half paying attention to.

The albino only shrugged, keeping his gaze on the television and away from Mattie, because, really, how much longer was he supposed to pretend not to be totally crazy about him? If only he didn't value his company, he thought, he could do whatever he wanted and just not give a shit about the consequences. If only Matthew wasn't so fucking perfect. If only—

Gilbert cut that thought off with a strangled noise coming from his throat, earning a suspicious glance from the object of his affections. If only Matthew was interested in guys at all, he finished.

"I just stayed up late with Antonio and Francis last night," Gilbert mentioned, which wasn't completely a lie. They had come over last night and hadn't left until the wee hours of the morning, but that wasn't why he was so out of it, of course. It was all Matthew's fault.

Sometimes, he thought about telling him. Had it been anyone else, he probably could. However, Gilbert had a habit of turning into a blushing, stuttering mess whenever he had tried to breech the subject of his crush. Hell, the Canadian was probably the only person he knew that could get that kind of reaction out of him.

So why hasn't he noticed? Gilbert's never exactly been discreet, and Matthew was a rather bright boy, so why were they still stuck here? Maybe Gilbert wasn't as obvious as he thought, or maybe Matthew just didn't want to recognize his feelings.

"Gil?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, crimson finally met violet in a clash of colors, though Gilbert turned away once more before Matt could notice the pink rising to his cheeks, close to the hue of his own eyes. "'Sup?"

Mattie made a face at him, pursing his lips and rolling his eyes. "If you're that exhausted, go home and sleep. Geez, you don't have to come here every day, you know?"

Except that he wanted to see him every day, which was disgustingly cheesy, and led Gilbert to believe he may, in fact, just be exhausted. Sure, he's known about his feelings for Matthew for a while, but usually he wasn't this obsessed.

"Yeah, I think I will."

Gilbert was just as tired the next day, to his utter displeasure. Dreaming about his blonde friend was not uncommon, but usually didn't wake him up due to the fact he was so hard it hurt. Jerking off to thoughts of Matthew always made him feel like scum, but Jesus Christ, a man can only take so much. That didn't assuage the guilt afterwords, though. Because Matt thought he was his best friend and all Gilbert could seem to think of these days was the best and easiest way to get into his pants and even the German was sensitive enough to know that it wasn't exactly fair, even if Matt hadn't caught on yet.

Mondays were especially hard, because they usually didn't get to see each other at all. Matt was a year below him, and though sometimes they shared lunches and free-periods (as well as a gym class), their school schedules were the complete opposite of each others the first day of the work-week.

"Francis, what's wrong with Gilbert?" Antonio asked worriedly from his left. The Spaniard was throwing him concerned looks, green eyes wide with concern. The three of them were currently skipping third period, instead choosing to hang out on the roof like they normally did. "He's been pouting for weeks now!"

Francis flipped his long hair over his shoulder, waggling his eyebrows and cupping his hand over his mouth, though the image of sharing a secret was effectively shattered when he practically yelled, "I believe he has love troubles!"

"I'm right here!" Gilbert finally interjected, crossing his arms over his chest. "Nothing's wrong with me, I'm fine. And I don't l-l-love anyone, okay?!"

Francis whispered, "Denial," while Antonio broke into a fit of giggles, deepening Gilbert's scowl. You would think, being Matthew's cousin and all, Francis would, at the least, be able to offer some helpful advice. Sure, Gilbert hadn't exactly gotten around to mentioning that he was head over heels for the Canadian, but Franics was French, and he was always spouting that "master of love" bullshit, so shouldn't he just know anyway?

"I don't know why I hang out with you fuck-tards," the albino snapped, though the harsh words only caused his friends to snicker even more. "Why don't you help me instead of laugh at me?"

"Help you with what, Gilbert?"

"You know," the snowy-haired senior motioned to the air with his hand, hoping if he kept it vague, he wouldn't be so embarrassed, "with my... crush." The labeling of his affection made him wince and blush, but it immediately caught the attention of his companions.

"What? Who is it?!" Antonio inquired hurriedly.

"I bet it's Elizaveta! Oh! Perhaps, Roderick?" Franics tacked on just as quickly.

Gilbert groaned dramatically. "No, fuck, just keep it down!" he hushed the excited boys, and with a resigned sigh, muttered, "It's... it's Matthew, okay?"

Silence.

Uproarious laughter followed not too long after.

After the final bell had rung, Gilbert usually met up with Mattie at his locker so that they could walk home together. Thankfully, on Mondays, Matt's brother, Alfred, had football practice so it would just be the two of them. Gilbert was looking forward to a quite night of hanging out with the blonde underclassmen after his irritating day with Antonio and Gilbert.

After they'd finished laughing at his expense, the only helpful advice they could come up with was "tell him!" If only they knew! It wasn't that easy, thank you very much. It was actually quite difficult, especially when Gilbert wasn't very fond of making a complete fool out of himself and he really, really valued Matthew's friendship.

Gilbert turned a corner and then halted in his progression. He could see Matthew at the end of the hall, head stuck inside his locker as he fumbled for his books. That was normal, yes, but what was not normal was the light-haired girl with giant tits making her way over to Matt and tapping him on the shoulder and initiating conversation?

Cursing under his breath and feeling like he was committing a crime, Gilbert dove back behind the corner, sticking his head out to watch them. Unfortunately, he couldn't hear them, but he saw as Matt visibly jumped, slamming his skull against the top of his locker before turning to face the girl, who smiled at him and looked apologetic. They talked for a few moments under the albino's heated stare, and he could feel his stomach drop when Mattie's cheeks turned pink and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

Turning away from the scene, Gilbert scrubbed a hand down his face. This shouldn't fucking hurt. He knew Matt liked girls, knew that, for all his invisible-ness, Matt was a really great guy, smart, athletic, and with a vast future ahead of him and it would be stupid of Gilbert to not think someone would snatch him up eventually. Hadn't he already resigned himself to just being his friend? Hadn't he already accepted that this was just some dumb crush that he needed to get over?

"Gilbert? Are you alright?" The Prussian's head snapped up to see violet orbs staring intensely into his eyes. Matthew's brows furrowed worriedly as he gazed slightly down at him. "You look sick."

"Something I had for lunch," Gilbert answered automatically. When his friend didn't look convinced, he threw both fists in the airs, exclaiming, "Come on! I want to stop by RedBox and see if they have any good horror releases."

If Matt was still suspicious, he didn't say anything and followed Gilbert out of the school. The albino's heart still pounded erratically in his chest. He wanted to ask him. He wanted to know what she wanted with Matt. Did she ask him out? What did Matt say?

"Have you ever met Ivan's sister?" Matthew asked a few minutes into their walk. Ivan was this giant Russian guy on the hockey team with Matt, and while Gilbert wasn't exactly fond of the guy, he threw great victory parties and always supplied hard alcohol. Was that girl his sister? "Her name's Iryna," the blonde continued, "She's, ah, kind of hard to miss."

"Sure, if you like the whole monstrous tits thing," Gilbert snapped before he could stop himself. At Matthew's startled glance, he stumbled for a recovery, only managing, "Y-yeah, I've heard about her. Why do you ask?"

Staring at his feet, the blonde mumbled, "She wanted to go on a date with me today."

Gilbert felt like screaming. "Well, good for you. Sorry you had to come hang out with me, I know I'd hate a chance to get my hands on that rack," he said flatly, but he could still hear the tinge of sarcasm. "You can go back if you want, I'll be fine." He hoisted his bag further up on his shoulders, blinking rapidly. He wasn't being rejected. He knew the day would come where Matt would rather hang out with a girl than him.

He didn't realize that he'd picked up his pace until Mattie was grabbing at his wrist. "Dammit, Gil, slow down," he said, pulling his friend to a halt, "I already told her no."

"Don't do it for my benefit." Was that really his voice, dripping in obvious jealousy? Well, if Matt hadn't figured it out yet, he sure was soon.

Matthew glared at him, releasing his arms so that he could cross them over his chest. Matt usually slouched a lot, but now, he stood straight, towering a good few inches over Gilbert. They weren't touching but they were close enough so that he could feel the blonde's body heat, inches away from his own. He looked away, scowling at the ground, as Matt finally asked, "What's your problem?" Through clenched teeth.

Taking a step back, Gilbert pointed an accusatory finger at the taller boy. "You! You're my problem!" Spinning on his heel, he stalked in the opposite direction of Matthew's house. He couldn't deal with him right now, he needed to cool down.

"Gil!" Matt called after him. "What did I do? I don't understand!"

Ignoring him, and the thud of his heart painfully against his ribs, Gilbert trudged on.

He decided not to go to school the next day. Matt didn't text him, though Antonio and Francis did. He told them he wasn't feeling well, which wasn't a complete lie.

On Wednesday he skipped as well, earning a stern glare from Ludwig as he set off in the morning. Later in the afternoon, Antonio came over with his copy of GTAV and they hung out for a few hours before getting completely smashed. Luckily, Antonio didn't ask him about his problems and he was about to forget about them for a bit and be numb in peace.

Thursday came with a hangover, so he actually had an excuse this time. That, however, didn't stop Francis from coming by after school. "Matthieu's been asking about you," the blonde Frenchmen said as he walked into Gilbert's living room, taking a seat on the recliner as Gil had hardly moved from his spot draped across the couch in the past three days.

Gilbert made a scoffing noise and turned back to his television, trying his best to appear uninterested even as his chest ached. "How's his new girlfriend?" the albino questioned moodily, earning an ah-ha! from Francis.

"Is that what this is about?" the blue-eyed boy asked. "You're jealous because a girl is interested in him? You can't be mad because you're too scared to make a move, Gilbert."

"I don't have a move to make!" Gilbert shouted, launching to his feet. "We're just friends! We're only bros, and that's all we'll ever be! He likes girls and big boobs and I don't fucking have that for him, okay? He—he trusts me, Francis, and I don't want to... I don't want to ruin that." He felt drained. He missed Matt more than he ever thought possible, but how could he face him again after freaking out like that? He had to know now, and he probably didn't want anything to do with him anymore.

"A real friend wouldn't just disappear on him like that," was Francis' only response.

However, it kept Gilbert up for the rest of the night.

He didn't go to school on Friday, but he did go to his house later on in the afternoon.

He wasn't completely sure what his plan was yet, but he figured it would come to him as he went. But what if Matt really didn't want to see him? What if he hated him? What if Titty McTits was there getting it on with Matt?

He struggled internally on the porch for a few moments, and was about to turn around and go home when the front door opened.

For a moment, Gilbert's heart stopped, but quickly calmed when he saw that it was only Arthur Kirkland, from his history class. Wait, what?

The two blinked at each other, the Brit seemingly getting more flustered as time went by if the red in his cheeks were any indication. Finally, Gilbert opened his mouth to ask, "So, wait, are the rumors actually—"

"MATTHEW YOU HAVE A FRIEND OVER," Arthur shouted up at house, smirking at Gilbert's terrified expression before passing the albino and heading home. Alfred was enough to handle, Arthur told himself, and he didn't want to deal with Gilbert on top of it. Gilbert wasn't the sharpest, so the blonde was sure his secret would remain safe, as the Prussian looked rather distressed.

Nervously, Gilbert ran his hands through his hair a few times. You've visited Mattie a million times before, he told himself. This time wasn't any different, except that he probably had to apologize. A moment later, the object of his thoughts appeared at the doorway. "Gilbert?"

"'Sup, Mattie?" he said, very proud of himself when he didn't stutter. Or drool, for that matter, because Matthew had changed out of his school uniform and into some loose-fitting sweatpants that showed off the V in his hips and a tight T-shirt.

Violet eyes turned to the wooden floor of the porch. "I thought you were mad at me," he said, and Gilbert flinched a little bit because he really hadn't wanted to hurt Matthew's feelings.

"It's not your fault," he rushed out, "The other guys just put me in a shitty mood and I took it out on you. I'm sorry, Mattie."

To be honest, Gilbert though Matthew would forgive him pretty easily. It was in his nature. He was just kind like that. So he was surprised when the boy instead glared at him, snapping, "When are you going to stop lying to me?!"

The albino blinked slowly. "I-I... w-what? I'm not ly—"

"Shut up." Gilbert was surprised how fast his mouth closed. "I'm not stupid, Gil. I've seen the way you look at me, and the way you act. You were upset because Iryna asked me out. I've been waiting and waiting for you to say something, but you're such a goddamn coward!"

Gilbert immediately turned red all the way to his ears, gaping at Matthew, and probably looking altogether ridiculous while Mattie stared at him expectantly. "B-but," he started off lamely, "You, you know... like girls. And w-we're just fucking friends and I didn't want to ruin anything or scare you or—"

He was effectively cut off in his babbling when Matt wrapped his fingers around his biceps, slouching slightly so that he could press his lips against the others. Nothing fancy, just brushing their mouths together for a few seconds. When Matt moved away, he pulled a face. "I'm not going to lie, that's the first time I've kissed a guy. And, yeah, I do like girls, but I like you, too, Gil. More so, even. And maybe it'll take some getting used to, but I'm willing to try if you are."

Instead of responding, Gilbert kissed him again.

A/N: A lot of people portray Matt as the "cute and innocent" one while Gil's usually a "bad-boy player" but I prefer this way a lot more.

R&R!