His lower lip was turning red from his nervous biting. He constantly shifted from left foot to right foot. He continuously combed his fingers through his hair, feeling like he was not presentable. "You can do it, Matthew," he whispered to himself. "You can do it. You'll be fine."
He waited patiently- yet nervously- at the bus stop down the street from his flat. The air was cold from the first snow of winter. His scarf was wrapped comfortably around his neck and he buried his nose into the soft red fabric. The tips of his golden locks were slightly frozen, for he had showered that morning and left as soon as he could. He didn't want to risk being late.
Matthew Williams was going on his very first date.
He was supposed to wait at this exact bus stop; his date would be waiting for him on the bus. "What if he isn't on the bus?" he murmured to himself. "What if he blows me off? What if this is all a big joke? What if he-"
His "what ifs?" were interrupted by the hissing sound of the bus stopping in front of him. He looked up to the bus driver as the doors opened, squishing themselves against one side like an accordion. He swallowed hard and stepped on, paying a quarter for his ride. Once he stood in the walkway, his eyes flickered from person to person.
No, no, no, no… I don't see him! He thought to himself. Oh, this really is a joke!
"Hey, Matt! Missed your seat," a voice chuckled from behind.
The young male turned around, his violet eyes meeting the bright sapphire. Matthew blushed lightly and sat beside him. "S-Sorry," he laughed weakly, rubbing the back of his neck as he sat beside the other.
His date was none other than an extremely charming Alfred Jones. Well, he was charming in terms of looks, anyway. Personality wise, he was really a five year old stuck in the body of a nineteen year-old. He was blond like Matthew, but his hair was shorter and messier. He also had a stubborn cowlick that stuck out like a sore thumb despite its small size. Usually, he wore glasses, but Matthew learned that Alfred occasionally went with contacts for the day.
They both sat in silence for a few blocks. Though he didn't show it, Alfred was just as nervous as Matthew. "So," he started, clearing his throat a little, "how, uh… how're you doing today?"
They looked up at each other, smiling slightly and laughing. "I'm good, Al. And you?"
The elder shrugged. "Pretty good. Lookin' forward to our date. Are you?"
"Yeah, but you never told me what we were doing." He tilted his head slightly in curiosity as the bus approached another stop. "Mind telling me."
Alfred only grinned and stood once the bus was completely stopped. "Why should I tell you when I can just show you? Come on, this is our stop."
Matt stood with him and followed Alfred, walking beside him as they went down a block. Alfred bit his lip a little, hesitating before cautiously taking the younger's open hand. The action surprised Matthew a little, but he just smiled, squeezing Alfred's hand gently as a blush grew on his cheeks.
"Matthew Williams, I present to you… Death Beam! 'The beamest of beams'! We're gonna play laser tag!" Alfred waved his hand as they entered the building. The lobby looked normal; it looked nothing like a laser tag arena. Then again, Matthew had never been to a laser tag arena. He didn't even know there was a place to play laser tag nearby.
Alfred glanced over to his dated, smiling shyly. "I, uh… hope you don't mind. I thought it'd be kinda fun. Y'know… running around and shooting at each other with lasers. Like… Pew pew!" He held his hands up like guns, pretending to shoot them. He chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his neck.
Matt thought it was absolutely adorable. He really was a child inside. "It sounds like fun." He began to pull out his wallet. "I hope they take debit cards-"
Suddenly, Alfred reached out, putting a hand over the other's wallet. "I got this, Matt. I'm takin' you out on this date." He grinned and got a few dollars out of his pocket, approaching the young man at the front desk and handing him the money. "Two players, please."
The man took Alfred's money and got out two vests and two laser guns. "Would you like to join a game currently in progress? Or have your own game?"
Alfred looked back at Matt. "How 'bout it? Battle some others and show them who's boss?" He grinned smugly.
Matthew nodded. "Yeah. We'll put them in place," he said, chuckling a little. He couldn't help but laugh a bit at Alfred's competitive look.
The two slipped on their vests and took their laser guns into the room where another pair were already battling. Two girls, one with blond hair pulled into a ponytail and the other with shorter brunette hair, were shooting at each other as they ran across the room. They stopped when they noticed the boys. "You guys playing with us?" the blonde one asked, smiling and tilting her head to the side a bit.
Matthew nodded. "We hope you don't mind."
The other girl shook her head. "Not at all! The more the merrier! I'm Julie, by the way," she said, waving to them. "And this is my sister, Maria."
"I'm Alfred, and this is my date, Matt!" The comment caused Matt to blush a bit. Alfred called him his date. And he said it so confidently, as if they had been going out for years. Matthew gave a shy wave, unable to speak yet.
"Cuties," Maria said, giggling a little. "Well, since we're on a first-name basis now, let's get to some laser tag! We'll give you a few seconds to run." The two aimed their laser guns and grinned.
"Get runnin'," Julie added.
That was all the two needed to grab cover. An intense game of laser tag followed. Matthew was often shot at since he didn't have that great of an aim, but he got a few points, himself. Alfred mostly saved his ass, though. It was obvious that he was more experienced at this game than Matt could ever be.
It was an hour that felt like days before the girls had to leave. They exchanged information with each other and promised to stay in touch and hopefully schedule another day of laser tag. Matthew and Alfred, however, decided to stay a little longer and play some more.
Another hour had passed, their scores were tied at 45 (they started keeping score after Julie and Maria had left). Matthew was hiding behind a larger block, breathing quietly as Alfred called out to him on the other side of his block. "Matt~? Oh, Matt~? Come out, come out wherever you are!"
Matt looked down at his gun and grinned, then peaked around the corner of the block. Alfred was facing away from him. Good. He took a deep breath, then stood, climbing over the block and jumping toward Alfred.
The older blond just so happened to turn at that moment, and barely had time to react before Matthew had flopped on top of him. Both landed with an "Omph!" Matt lifted his head from Alfred's shoulder and smiled widely as his violet eyes met the surprised blue. He held the the gun against Alfred's vest and pulled the trigger. "Forty-six," he chuckled. "I win."
The two laughed and Alfred shook his head. "Okay, okay, you win. Nice surprise, though." He set his gun on the ground and held his hands up in surrender. "I give."
Matt smiled and set his gun aside, as well, pushing himself onto his feet and holding out a hand for his date. Alfred grinned and took the hand, pulling himself up with Matthew's help. To Matt's surprise, when Alfred came up, he stole a quick kiss on the cheek. Matt froze for a moment, a warm, light blush appearing on his cheeks.
Alfred only laughed as he scooped up their laser guns. "I'll turn these in. Come out to the front desk when you're done with your twitterpated-ness." He winked at Matthew before heading out of the arena.
Matthew touched his cheek. It was only their first date; did Alfred have the right to kiss his cheek yet? Mtt shook his head and laughed softly at himself. "Who cares?" he hummed, heading out to the front desk and taking his vest off. Alfred leaned against the front counter, his vest already turned in.
"Wanna go out for ice cream now?" Alfred asked, taking Matt's hand again.
The younger blond nodded. "Sure. By the way, were you quoting Bambi back there?"
The two chuckled. "What can I say?" Alfred said with a shrug. "I really like Disney movies."
"Me, too!"