And Then It Began

by Gabz Jones

Daltonverse. Dwight is a new student at Dalton Academy for boys. Ethan find him fascinating and isn't quite sure at first just why he wants to be so close to him. Dwighthan. terrible summary Dwighthan.

Title: And Then It Began
Pairings/Characters: Dwight/Ethan, Dwight Houston, Ethan Brightman, Evan Brightman, Mentions Wes Hughes, Blaine Anderson
Warnings: None
Summary: Dwight is a new student at Dalton Academy for boys. Ethan find him fascinating and isn't quite sure at first just why he wants to be so close to him. Dwighthan. (terrible summary)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. The lovely CP Coulter graced us with these characters, I just like messing around with them a little

When Dwight first came to Dalton Academy, Ethan and Evan had planned on giving him the same welcome they gave every new student. They had it set up so that as Dwight made his way up the steps of Windsor, Evan would be there waiting for him. Ethan would then follow from behind. Dwight had his duffle bag hanging over his shoulder as he took each step, groaning at the heaviness of it.

"Need a hand?" Evan smiled innocently.

Dwight jumped, staring at Evan, his hand moving towards his holy water sprayer. He stared wide eyed at the blonde boy, unsure of his intentions and unsure of what to say.

"I said, do you need a hand?" Evan raised an eyebrow, watching Dwight's reaction and tried not to laugh.

"I, uh…I'm new." Dwight murmured softly, not wanting to get off to a bad start.

"Welcome to Wonderland." Ethan spoke from directly behind him.

Dwight jumped, startled and quickly turned to face Ethan, his hand impulsively moving to his water bottle and spraying Ethan. He blinked a few times before wiping the water from his face, moving his hair back into place and watching Dwight curiously.

"How did you do that? What are you?" Dwight urged, holding his water bottle up menacingly, only a little put off by the fact that it hadn't affected him in the first place.

"Easy White Knight." Evan spoke, walking around Dwight and standing next to Ethan. The plan seemed to have changed. Ethan was supposed to come to him but he stood still in his spot. Evan figured that was understandable. They hadn't exactly expected Dwight to spray them in the face with water.

"No one is going to hurt you here."

Evan waited for Ethan to speak as they normally did; combining their sentences together but Ethan said nothing. He glanced towards him, nudging him in the side and Ethan shook his head in a daze. "Uh…I'm Ethan."

"And I'm Evan."

"Think of us as…"

"…The welcome party."

Ethan furrowed his brow, staring at Dwight. His head tilted to the side and his bit his lip, trying to figure the other boy out. His hair was ebony black and hung into his face, his skin so white, akin to snow. He wore medallions around his neck, a water bottle attached to his belt along with a small bag of salt and a rosary. Ethan had never seen anyone quite like him. He lived in Windsor, he knew what different was but this was something else.

Evan looked over at Ethan again, frowning. "We are here to show you to your room. Right, Ethan?"

Dwight glanced over at Evan before looking at Ethan, an eyebrow raised curiously. No one had ever looked at him quite the way Ethan was looking at him. He wasn't sure that he liked it. It was kind of unnerving. It turned his stomach to knots and just reminded him of when he was a kid, constantly being bullied because he was so different. "I…okay. They said it was upstairs." He murmured, trying to ignore Ethan's gaze.

"Come on then." Evan nudged Ethan once more to snap him out of it and they both grabbed one of Dwight's hands, dragging him up the stairs and into the nearest free dorm room. Ethan smiled faintly, finally getting over his initial reaction to Dwight.

"This dorm is free." Ethan offered, gesturing to the room around them.

"Or there's one down the hall."

"They all look the same."

"And you'll eventually get a roommate."

Dwight looked back and forth between them as they spoke, frowning, "You guys can talk one at a time, right? You're not like robots…or some sort of entity?"

"You talk strange White Knight." Ethan tilted his head again as he looked at him curiously.

"You're one to talk. White Knight? My name is Dwight. Dwight Houston."

"Well, Dwight Houston, we're going to go ahead and call you White Knight."

"It's okay. We're sure you'll get used to it." Evan smiled, "Everyone here calls us the Tweedles."

Dwight tilted his head up, looking at them quizzically, "The Tweedles, huh? Like Alice in Wonderland?"

"Exactly." Ethan replied, smiling brightly.

"It's good that you're so clever White Knight."

"We're sure you'll get along just fine here."

"You should find the White Rabbit."

"He'll be able to help you to where you need to be."

"And does this white rabbit have a name or am I just going to be walking up to random people asking for a small rodent?" Dwight dropped his bag on the bed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ethan and Evan both chuckled and spoke together, "We like you."

Dwight nodded slowly, "Right…so…the name I'm looking for here is…?"

"Blaine." Evan smiled.

"He shouldn't be hard to find."

"Everyone knows who he is."

"He'll help you get settled."

"Right, okay. So I'm just going to…unpack some of my things…okay?" Dwight shuffled awkwardly on his feet.

The twins looked at each other, an identical smiling gracing their lips and turned back to Dwight, speaking in unison, "Enjoy your stay White Knight."

Dwight watched as the Tweedles left, shaking his head and muttering under his breath, "Creepy…"

x X x

Dwight finally got to sleep after spending the day unpacking his things. There were so many books he'd had to go through and he had to line the door and windows with salt but finally when he had finished, the first thing he did was fall back into his bed, closing his eyes and sighing heavily. He hadn't run into anyone else yet, but that was mainly because he hadn't left the room since the twins had brought him there.

The two boys were so strange. He hadn't met anyone like them before. So were the rest of the people here this crazy? Maybe they were right. Maybe he could finally fit in here. His eyes were becoming heavy. He didn't even have the strength to open them anymore and he just let sleep take him.

He hadn't been asleep for long. At least, it didn't feel like he had. Suddenly he felt hands grabbing at each of his limbs, carrying him out of the bed. He went to scream before a hand promptly covered his mouth, stifling the sound along with a blindfold being slipped over his eyes, stopping him from seeing just who was doing this to him. He struggled against the grips of his captors, kicking his legs and trying to bite the hand covering his mouth.

Dwight continued to fight and struggle in vain until he was dropped to the surprisingly soft ground. "Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry! I don't know what I did, just let me go! Please!" He begged, pulling his knees to his chest. He jumped as someone pulled the blindfold from his eyes, chuckling. He winced at the sudden brightness of the firelight, rubbing at his eyes until they got used to it and stared at the bunch of boys who were watching him.

"Welcome to your Windsor initiation!" Evan and Ethan called brightly and the rest of the boys cheered. The rest of the boys got straight into party mode, most of them rushing to the small table set up with food and drinks. Dwight took a shuddering breath, resting his head in his knees, shaking.

Ethan watched Dwight for a moment, unable to stop himself from walking over to him. He went to put a comforting hand on Dwight's shoulder, pulling away quickly when he flinched, "A-Are you okay? It was just a joke…"

Dwight looked up at Ethan, watching as he knelt down beside him, "I-I thought you were going to take me somewhere and cut me up into little pieces or something."

Ethan choked on the air, staring wide eyed at Dwight, "God, no! Why would you think that! Are you insane!"

"I'm a really paranoid person…and I have a vivid imagination, I guess." Dwight shrugged, still shaking a little.

"Do you want some water?"

"That-that'd be great. Thank you."

Ethan nodded, patting Dwight's shoulder and making his way towards the table of drinks and foods. He picked up the jug of water, pouring a glass for Dwight. Evan came up behind Ethan, his arms crossed over his chest, "What's with him?"

"He isn't…it's…he's complicated."

"Yeah, I got that yesterday when he sprayed you in the face with water. He's a bit…eccentric, don't you think?"

"And we aren't?" Ethan chuckled.

"…Touché. Look, just take care of him, okay? He looks kind of…distressed and he seems to like talking to you."

Ethan nodded, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. He needs you more than I do. I'll be nearby if you need me though."

Ethan walked back to Dwight, smiling a reassuring smile and handing him the glass of water before sitting beside him. "I'm-"

"Ethan. I know. You told me yesterday." Dwight spoke softly, taking a sip of the water.

Ethan stared at him for a moment, "Wait…you can tell me and Evan apart?"

Dwight shrugged, "I think it's your eyes…or your smile. Not sure…but it's different to his." He nodded towards Evan before sighing sadly, resting his head in his knees, "God, everyone here must think I'm so stupid after that."

"Come on now, no one here thinks you're stupid." A boy towards the side snickered and Ethan glared at him, "Wes!"

The boy quickly stopped, turning away and talking to some others. Dwight groaned softly, burying his head in his hands, "I don't want to move again. I need to fit in here."

Ethan reluctantly rested his hand comfortingly on Dwight's back, unsure if he'd appreciate the gesture, "You've only been here a day. Give it time."

"You said it yourself. I'm insane."

"All the best people are." Ethan smirked.

Dwight chuckled to himself, taking another sip of his water, "I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

x X x

The book was sat upright on the table, hiding the two boys' faces. They didn't go to the library very often but the boy across the room had more than caught their interest.

"He comes here every day and borrows two books. He reads two books every night and that's on top of all our school work." Evan furrowed his brow, trying to imagine how late the boy must've stayed up. No wonder he had such pale skin and the hint of bags under his eyes.

"Maybe he likes to read?"

"Look at the size of that book. What is it?"

They looked carefully at the big book in Dwight's hands. The cover was old and worn. Dwight sniffled, shuffling slightly in his spot and turning his page.

"I think it's one of those ghost books. You know, with exorcism stuff?" Ethan tilted his head, his eyes trained on Dwight, watching the way he read. His lips were parted slightly and moved subtly every now and then as he read the words from the book. Dwight's feet were up on the table and Ethan was sure that wasn't allowed but he was getting away with it. Maybe the library staff liked him because he came in every day. He frowned, leaning closer, a part of the book seeming to confuse him. He ran a hand through his hair, his fringe flipping back into his eyes. A small smile tugged at Ethan's lips.

Evan looked over at Dwight then back at Ethan. It was at that moment that it clicked. His eyes widened and he stared at Ethan, "Oh my God."

Ethan turned to Evan, a worried look on his face, "What's wrong?"

"Oh my God!" Evan repeated, a smile forming on his face.

"Would you keep your voice down! He'll hear you." Ethan hissed, grabbing Evan by the wrist and dragging him out of the library. He pulled Evan to the side, turning to face him, "What's going on? This was your idea."

"You like him." Evan replied simply, unable to stop himself from grinning.

"What?" Ethan raised his eyebrows, mouth gaping and eyes wide in shock.

"Him." Evan gestured to the library, "You like him."

"No I don't. He's a nice guy if that's what you mean."

"No." Evan shook his head, resting his hands on Ethan's shoulders, "You like him."

"No I don't. Stop saying that."

"You do. It's so obvious, I can't believe I didn't see it before."

Ethan rolled his eyes, shaking his head and gave up on his brother, starting to walk down the hall and back towards Windsor. Evan had none of it, skipping around Ethan, grinning, "You like him. You really, really like him. You want to hug him and kiss him and…" Evan stopped, gasping and looking thoroughly shocked, "And you want to hold hands with him, don't you!" He laughed out loud, "Oh my God I can't believe this, seriously."

Ethan finally snapped, grabbing Evan's wrist and dragging him into the nearest empty room, turning to him and glaring, "Would you just stop! I don't like him, okay?"

Evan chuckled, raising an eyebrow sceptically, "Oh okay, so I was hallucinating then?"

"I don't know what you think you saw but I am telling you that Dwight and I are friends. Nothing more, and even then, I barely talk to him. He always locks himself away in his room."

Evan watched as Ethan sat down on a desk, running a hand through his hair. Then he realised and it almost hurt. "You don't know." It hurt because Ethan didn't know he felt that way and as long as he didn't know it, he couldn't do anything about it. There were going to be those feelings lingering there and Ethan wouldn't be able to figure them out, "Oh come on Ethan, how can you not know?"

"What are you talking about?" Ethan replied exasperatedly.

"You don't know that you like him."

Ethan groaned, standing up and crossing his arms over his chest, "Because I don't!"

"Yes Ethan, you do. I am your brother and I notice these things. It's not just my instincts kicking in. It's the way you look at him. Hell, when we first met him, you barely spoke, you just stared at him."

"He sprayed me in the face with water! What do you expect!"

Evan sighed, rubbing his face, "We don't usually fight like this."

"Well you don't usually accuse me of things like this." Ethan retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"Dude, so what if you do like him. Is that really such a bad thing? Why are you so against it?"

"Because I don't. I don't like him so stop saying I do."

"Whatever just…I know what I see when you look at him. There's something more than you're letting on. Just think about it." Evan sighed, walking to Ethan's side and wrapping an arm around his shoulders, "Come on man, let's set off fireworks in Logan's room."

x X x

Ethan was sitting on the floor in the halls of Windsor with his phone in his hand. He was all alone. Evan had an exam which meant they had been forcibly separated. The separation anxiety was getting to Ethan so he sat there with his phone out, constantly texting his brother. Screw exam rules, it was this or setting fire to the building.

It was just as he had gotten a message from Evan telling him how pointless matrices were that he heard it. It took him a moment to figure out just what 'it' was. It was a voice. He had never heard that voice before. Ethan's curiosity was peaked and he slowly stood up, following the sound of the unknown voice.

He finally found himself standing outside Dwight Houston's door. He couldn't quite make out the words to the song being sung but it sounded so beautiful. Ethan bit his lip, hesitantly putting his hands on the door knob and silently turning it, opening the door just a crack to listen a little closer.

Dwight was sat cross legged on his bed, an acoustic guitar in his lap and sang softly, so much emotion on his face, "'Cause sooner or later it's over. I just don't want to miss you tonight. And I don't want the world to see me, 'cause I don't think that they'd understand. When everything is made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am…"

There was so much emotion in his voice. So much pain and Ethan couldn't help but wonder what someone would have to go through to sing like that, to feel like that. His thoughts strayed to what Evan had said the other day. Dwight's hair fell into his face in this adorable way that had Ethan wanting to rush up to him and brush it away, if only to have an excuse to run his hands through it.

His eyes were this chocolate hazel colour and they had so much depth to them. He had caught himself staring at Dwight's eyes before but…everyone did that, didn't they? His skin…Dwight's skin was so pale but it was soft and it was warm judging by the few times they'd brushed passed each other in the halls.

Dwight rarely smiled…but when he did it was perfect. It made Ethan's breath hitch and the corner of his lips tug up to smile as well. Dwight's happiness was infectious and all Ethan really wanted was to make him smile.

Ethan was sure his heart had stopped, or possibly tried to jump out of his throat as he realised. Evan was right. Evan was so right and oh God, how could he not have realised himself? He lost his balance, tripping into Dwight's room and looking up at him like a deer caught in headlights.

Dwight abruptly stopped playing the guitar, quickly hiding it under his bed and jumping up, crossing his arms protectively over his chest, "W-What…what are you doing?"

Ethan looked at his feet guiltily and…oh no, that was a blush on his cheeks, "I'm sorry. You…you have a beautiful voice."

"How much did you hear?" Dwight murmured softly.

Ethan looked up at him, a worried expression on his face, "I mean it. You really do have a lovely voice."

"How much Ethan!" He demanded, frowning.

"Not much. J-Just the last chorus." Ethan bit his lip nervously, watching Dwight carefully, unsure of how he was going to react.

"Stop spying on me." Dwight walked slowly towards Ethan, intent on getting him out of that room as fast as possible.

"You should think about joining the Warblers." Ethan offered a small smile.

Dwight stopped in his tracks, staring at him, "The what?"

"The Warblers. It's the school Glee club. I think you'd be good. I'm a warbler. I'm sure you'd get a solo or two if you auditioned."

"No. That's not going to happen." Dwight grabbed Ethan's arm gently, dragging him towards the door, "You tell no one of this, okay?"

"But-"

"No one." Dwight said sternly, glaring at him.

"O-Okay."

Ethan looked back as Dwight closed the door in his face and rested his head against the wooden finish. He didn't know how or why but he had fallen for Dwight Houston, the weirdest kid he'd ever met and he felt completely helpless.

x X x

Ethan had been pacing around the halls, trying to figure out what to do. He had to do something, right? He couldn't just ignore it. His phone had gone off countless times but he just kept ignoring it, trying to focus on his problem, trying to find a way through it. It all seemed so hopeless. There had to be a way right? There just had to. The problem was that he was falling for someone and looking at just that made it seem like the problem wasn't much of a problem at all except for the fact that this was Dwight Houston. Dwight was insane. He was paranoid. He was so not the type to fall for anyone and that thought kept running through Ethan's mind. He'll never look at him like that.

He rushed back to his room when he realised what time it was. Evan would've finished his exam ages ago and Evan knew. If Evan knew, maybe he'd be able to help him figure out what to do next. When he opened the door to their dorm, the first thing he saw was Evan lying on the bed, reading a novel. The sound of the door opening was enough to break Evan's concentration and he looked over at Ethan, "Dude, where were you? I sent you heaps of messages. I was getting worried."

"You were right." Ethan's voice came out in a soft whisper and his expression was completely filled with defeat.

"Of course. I always am." Evan stared at Ethan for a moment, "What's wrong? What happened?"

"What do you think is wrong?" Ethan retorted, staring at Evan with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know. Kind of why I asked."

"What is wrong is that I am falling for Dwight Houston and I don't know how to fix it." Ethan walked across the room, sitting next to Evan on the bed, "That is what's wrong." Evan looked at Ethan with a huge grin on his face. He opened his mouth to speak but Ethan quickly interrupted him, "Don't you dare say I told you so."

"…But I did."

"Evan…"

"You like him." He grinned, wrapping his arm around Ethan's waist, "You want to kiss him and hug him and spend late nights with him and do everything with him and-"

"Oh my God, shut up!"

Evan chuckled, "You should've listened to me."

"Help me! I'm in a weird situation." Ethan sighed sadly, "I don't know how to fix this."

"I don't understand what it is you're trying to fix though." Evan furrowed his brow in confusion, "What's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal? This is Dwight! I can't like him because if I like him it'll ruin everything! He is my friend. It'd be so awkward between us. I don't want to ruin everything and alienate him. He needs this school. He needs to fit in."

"Who says that you liking him is going to stop him from fitting in? Who's to say he doesn't like you?" Evan crossed his arms over his chest, "Just give it a shot."

"No! No way and don't you dare tell him about this! I need to just…I need to get passed this and I need to get over him."

Evan sighed, "Fine. Whatever. Ethan…if something does happen between you two-"

"Nothing is going to happen between us. He is so far out of my league it's ridiculous for me to even think about." Ethan ran a hand through his hair, sighing sadly, "It won't happen." Ethan didn't exactly want to mention just how badly he wished it could, he wished it would.

"I think it could. Really." Evan smiled reassuringly, "But, I mean, if it does…that won't change us right?"

"Of course it will."

Evan frowned. That was exactly the answer that he was looking for. He was expecting some reassurance, a friendly pat on the back. He was expecting to be called an idiot, not that. "Ethan…what are you saying?"

"If anything did happen, which it won't, of course things would be different." Ethan shuffled closer, resting his head on Evan's shoulder, "If I ever got Dwight, as unlikely as that is, I would want to spend time with him, you know? So maybe I wouldn't spend as much time with you…but that doesn't mean I'd care about you any less. You're my brother and I love you. That wouldn't change."

Evan smiled fondly, hugging Ethan, "For the record, I think you're the one who's out of Dwight's league."

x X x

Windsor was quiet. More quiet than it had ever been since Dwight arrived and he felt slightly uneasy. He was regretting not bringing anything to protect himself but he did have his holy water. It just seemed like something was going to happen. He didn't know what…but something.

He looked around the halls carefully, unsure of just why it was so quiet. Had he missed something? Was something going on that no one had told him about? Usually Windsor was so much louder than this.

He was making his way towards the library when it happened. The silence was suddenly broken as two people came screaming down the halls, firing nerf bullets at each other. Dwight was hit by a stray bullet and quickly pulled out his spray bottle, firing it at the first thing he saw. He held the spray bottle protectively out in front of him, his hand shaking slightly. Ethan stood before him, startled. He wiped at his eyes, blinking away some of the water.

"S-Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you." Ethan chuckled nervously, grabbing Dwight and pulling him down as he dodged one of Evan's bullets.

"Just give us a second Evan." Ethan held up his nerf gun defensively.

"You know there are no pauses in this game."

"Please."

Evan sighed, running down the hall and calling over his shoulder, "Fine, more time for me to plan your defeat!"

Dwight stared at Ethan, "W-What…what was that?'

"It's a game. Most of Windsor generally hides when we play. I guess you didn't get the memo. I'm sorry. We should've warned you." Ethan smiled shyly. He wasn't sorry at all. As long as this was giving him time with Dwight, getting Dwight to notice him, he didn't care.

"It's okay. Sorry I…sprayed you in the face again."

"It's fine, really. You didn't know. You're heading to the Library, right?"

"Right." Dwight frowned, looking at Ethan quizzically, "How did you know that?"

Ethan chuckled nervously, "Well you go there every day at about this time."

Dwight raised an eyebrow, "You noticed that?"

"Yeah. I like it. It's refreshing, you know? To see someone who likes to read. So many people don't bother anymore or they think it's overrated." Ethan blushed, looking at his gun and fiddling with it nervously.

"Careful with that thing." Dwight smiled softly, putting his hand over Ethan's on the nerf gun, "I get the feeling that they could hurt from a close distance. I know you owe me another shot for spraying you twice but I'd rather it didn't hurt." He chuckled quietly.

Ethan's blush deepened and he bit his lip as he grinned. Dwight's smile was so infectious and Ethan had only heard him laugh once before. Not since he'd realised how crazy he was about the other boy. He chuckled under his breath, trying to seem calm, cool and collected, "So, you probably want to go, right? I'm just getting in your way. Sorry."

Dwight shook his head, "No, it's okay. Really." He spun his spray bottle around on his finger once before putting it back on his belt, "I'll see you later, okay?"

Ethan took a shaky breath, trying to contain the butterflies in his stomach, "Y-Yeah."

Dwight rested a hand on Ethan's shoulder, squeezing gently, "Good luck with the whole…killing each other thing…"

Ethan laughed, "Evan's going down."

"Well, everyone knows I'm team Ethan." He smiled brightly before making his way down the hall towards the Library.

Ethan watched Dwight as he walked away. His eyes trailed on Dwight's long black jeans, watching as the chains and the rosary jingled together. He looked up Dwight's body, along his back, watching his broad shoulders in his blazer as he walked. His hair was even messy at the back but it was a good kind of messy. A kind of messy that had Ethan wanting nothing more than to run his hands through it. A nerf bullet hit Ethan in the back of the head but he didn't move, just tilted his head to the side and continued to watch Dwight until he was out of sight.

"You're drooling." Evan poked Ethan in the back with the gun when he still didn't respond, "Earth to Ethan…"

"He has really nice hair…" Ethan murmured softly.

Evan chuckled, wrapping an arm around Ethan's shoulders, "You're so far gone."

x X x

Ethan was standing outside his English class, waiting for Evan to finish talking to the teacher. Dwight was walking down the hall towards him and Ethan's eyes trailed up from the floor to watch as Dwight walked. He tilted his head to the side, his brows furrowing as he concentrated on the steps Dwight took. He wasn't paying attention to anything else, just the boy slowly getting closer and closer.

Should he say hi? Was that okay? It wasn't too much and it wasn't anything a friend wouldn't say. What if Dwight thought he was weird though? But how weird could one word make you look? Ethan bit his lip, not moving his eyes away from Dwight for a moment.

The hallway was completely silent for a moment until Dwight grabbed Ethan by the lapels, pulling him forward. Ethan shrieked in surprise, staring wide eyed at him. What was this about? What was going on? "I…uh…hi?"

"What's going on?" Dwight crossed his arms over his chest, frowning.

"W-What are you talking about? Nothing is going on." Ethan stuttered nervously. Evan had told Dwight. He was so sure. That was the only way Dwight could possibly know. Unless he really was that obvious but no…that couldn't be it.

"Rubbish. Ever since I got here, you've looked at me weirdly. What is your problem?"

"Nothing! It's nothing. I'm sorry. I didn't even know I was doing it."

"Look, I have had to put up with this all my life, okay? I've been driven out of school after school because there are people who can't accept me and treat me like a freak. I came here because it had a no bullying policy and it was really my last option. I can't stay at home for my schooling. I'd rather die." Dwight glared at Ethan, backing him into the wall, "So yeah, I'm weird and people don't get me but I thought you of all people would understand me and would want me to feel comfortable here. I guess I misjudged you."

"You don't understand! It's not like that at all!" Ethan's stomach was in knots. He never wanted Dwight to feel like that. That was the very thing his was trying so hard to avoid.

"Then tell me why you're always looking at me like that!"

"Like what!"

"Like…I don't know! But it's unnerving and I just want to know why you're doing it! Is that really so much to ask for!"

"It's because I can't stop thinking about you!" Ethan blurted out the words before he could stop himself. The hallway went silent. Dwight just stared at Ethan, wide eyed and unsure of what to say. Ethan didn't mean for it to come out that way. He was shaking but he had to explain. He couldn't just leave it at that. He had to make Dwight understand. It all just started pouring out, "I don't know what it is about you but…you're different and I love it. You're smart and you're funny and your hair always falls in your eyes, even when you push it out of the way. You say the weirdest but the most…the most meaningful things I've ever heard and you don't care what anyone says, you're just yourself. I don't know when it happened but I just…I'm falling for you Dwight and no matter what happens, I can't stop it. I've tried so hard to get over you but I can't. I'm sorry."

Ethan couldn't look at Dwight anymore. He felt so scared. He had no idea how this would affect things. This was going to ruin it all, he just knew it. Dwight would be freaked out and he'd run. He'd never want to talk to him again. He felt completely defeated and took a shaky breath.

A moment of complete silence passed before Ethan felt the wind get knocked out of him as he was shoved against the wall. Dwight's hands were pressed firmly to Ethan's arms, pinning him to the wall and Ethan stared into Dwight's eyes, taking slow, deep breaths. Dwight moved his hands from Ethan's shoulders, cupping his face in them.

"D-Dwight? Say something." Ethan whispered, unsure if he could trust his voice to do much more than that.

Dwight leaned a little closer, his eyes fluttering closed as he pressed his lips gently to Ethan's. Ethan wasn't sure if his heart had stopped or had tripled in speed. He sighed softly, wrapping an arm around Dwight's waist, pulling him closer and pressing their lips together firmly.

He had wanted this for such a long time but not once did he ever think he'd be getting it. He didn't know if this was it, if Dwight was giving him this and then never speaking to him again so he knew he had to make the most of what he had. Ethan ran a hand into Dwight's hair, sighing happily. He'd always wanted to know what it felt like. It was just as soft as he'd always imagined and he couldn't stop himself from running his tongue slowly along Dwight's lips. He wanted more, needed more. He couldn't let this be just a simple kiss, not when he didn't know if it would be the only one.

Dwight moaned softly, parting his lips and letting their tongues dance together in a battle for dominance. Ethan was sure he was dreaming. There was no way this could be real. Dwight was right there and he was pressed up against him. He could taste Dwight and it was so good, so different and so wonderful. It was the best taste he'd ever had and he knew he'd need more after this.

It was just as Ethan gained the courage to let his hands roam, moving them down to Dwight's hips that a cough was heard next to them and they jolted apart. Ethan turned to see his brother's face staring back at him, grinning his Cheshire grin, "I'll wait for you back at the dorm. No more than ten minutes." Evan started walking down the hall and called behind him, "And next time, come to your senses behind closed doors."

Ethan blushed furiously, looking down at his feet. Dwight chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. He lifted Ethan's chin to look him in the eyes and whispered softly, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I didn't want to scare you away."

"Do I look scared away to you?" Dwight raised an eyebrow, pressing another chaste kiss to Ethan's lips, "I like you too. I don't know why and I didn't really notice at first but I really do. You look at me different…and now I know it's a good different."

Ethan smiled fondly, hugging Dwight to his chest, "So does that mean…?"

"Yes, I'll be your boyfriend." Dwight chuckled softly, holding out a hand for Ethan, "Come on, I'll escort you back to Windsor. You don't want to keep your brother waiting."

Ethan looked down at Dwight's pale hand, biting his lip as he grinned and lacing their fingers together. His stomach filled with butterflies and his skin tingled at the warmth of Dwight's hand in his. Perfect.

x X x

It was all about being stealthy, being a hunter. It meant keeping as quiet as possible so as best to sneak up on what it is you're hunting. Dwight watched carefully from a distance, noting every move made. He finally felt he had enough knowledge and started moving slowly towards his 'victim'. He smiled as he watched them before finally rushing up behind them, grabbing them around the waist from behind and spinning them in a circle, "Stage one; startling the victim." He chuckled softly.

Ethan shrieked as he was picked up and dragged around in a circle. He laughed, trying and failing to pull Dwight's hands off of him, "Let me down!"

Dwight grinned, putting Ethan back on solid ground but holding him close. He kissed Ethan softly and slowly, running a hand down his arm and grabbing the nerf gun he was holding. Ethan was too in the moment to even realise what was happening. Dwight reluctantly pulled away from the kiss, holding up the nerf gun, "Stage two; disarming the victim."

Ethan stared at the gun, "Hey! Give that back!" He reached for the gun but Dwight quickly held it out of reach.

"Nuh-uh. No. I know how lethal you are with this thing." Dwight chuckled, dropping the gun to the ground and kicking it away.

Ethan pouted, "Dwight…I need that…"

Dwight rolled his eyes, "We're still on for dinner, right?"

"Sure. Whatever. Just give me my nerf gun back." Ethan urged, trying to subtly spin Dwight so he could get closer to the gun.

Dwight held Ethan firmly in place, "Oh, so you don't want to go then?"

"I didn't say that. I want to go. I love spending time with you."

Dwight grinned, kissing Ethan's cheek, "So I'll meet you at your dorm in two hours?"

Just as Ethan went to answer, nerf bullets came flying towards them and the sound of a Tweedle's mischievous laughter resided down the hall. Ethan pulled Dwight down, helping him to dodge the bullets, "I told you I needed that gun."

"No. You have me to protect you." Dwight grinned, grabbing Ethan's hand and pulling him down the hall.

Ethan laughed, running with Dwight and smiling as Dwight took him to his dorm. He was used to the strange things Dwight kept in his room by now. It was different but he knew that Dwight would only keep the stuff if it meant it would keep them safe.

Dwight pulled Ethan to the bed and pulled him down beside him, kissing his forehead. "So, I can meet you at your dorm in a few hours or we could stay like this until our dinner reservations…"

Ethan crawled closer, resting his head on Dwight's chest. He looked up at Dwight, smiling fondly, "I'm not going anywhere."

Dwight grinned, "Well in that case…phase three; kiss the victim senseless."