"You were great, man! That Westside goalie didn't stand a chance!"

Arthur looked up, still quite breathless from his successful goal and the fistfight that immediately followed. He had been attacked by an angry player from the rival team after insisting that his goal had been valid, and even though he wasn't the first to land a blow, he'd been given a red card and benched for the rest of the game. By all means he should have been ticked off but he was too satisfied to care. If Westside didn't score a goal within the next ten minutes, Valley High would win the match.

For once he returned Alfred's excited smile. "Thank you. I would have scored another if I hadn't been benched, but-"

Alfred's smile disappeared, replaced with an angry scowl. "That asshole didn't know what he was talking about! There was no fucking reason to pull you out. Hell, I would have given that bastard the finger if it were me. And a black eye."

Shaking his head, Arthur reached out for Alfred's arm and pulled him down to sit next to him on the bench. The towel a teammate had draped over his shoulders to dry off the sweat was rather comfortable around his neck, but Arthur was seriously contemplating handing it over to the other, who looked like a complete mess. There was dirt streaked across his cheeks from god knows where.

"It's fine Alfred, really. We're likely to win the game without another Kirkland goal. How did you manage to get here, anyway? The crowd isn't allowed so close to the field."

Alfred had the decency to look sheepish. "One of the cheerleaders let me in. That black haired one, Amanda I think? Big boobs, super short skirt, y'know. She's actually pretty nice. She didn't have any problem with letting me through the gate. We have a date on Friday."

And just like that, the excitement from the game faded away, leaving Arthur feeling painfully empty. "But we were supposed to go out on Friday," he frowned, ever so subtly creating a small distance between them on the bench.

"Fuck," Alfred groaned. "I completely forgot." He turned and took Arthur's hand, biting his lip as he contemplated his words. "I'm sorry, Art. I just really wanted to come down and see you after you were benched and Amanda kept hinting at the new movie that's playing downtown on Friday..."

"Whatever," Arthur yanked his hand away and stood up, allowing the towel to fall in a pitiful heap on the ground. "It doesn't matter. It's your life, do what you want with it. I'm going to hit the showers."

"So are you still mad at me?"

"Forget it, Alfred. I'll see you tomorrow."

Arthur could hear the other swear under his breath but he didn't turn his head around to look as he walked away in the direction of the locker room. He was just as annoyed with himself as he was with Alfred. What they had wasn't official, not in the conventional way, at least. He had no right to demand exclusivity when he himself went out with the occasional girl.

And yet... it was hard not to be envious. The warm water cascaded over his body but it didn't provide the comfort it usually gave him, especially after games. He shouldn't allow Alfred to get to him this way and trample over his emotions so freely.

He'd get a Friday date as well.

.x.

Main Street was always crowded on Friday nights, especially between eight to ten. Rachel didn't seem to mind the crowd and the jabbing elbows too much, though. In fact, Arthur suspected that she enjoyed having an excuse to hold on to his arm and practically stick to his side. He was beginning to think that that innocent stumble hadn't been as innocent as she let on with her sweet smile.

It wasn't like her charms had no effect on him. Like any other healthy young man, Arthur found soft and warm skin to be as attractive as anything. In any other sequence he would have probably encouraged their close proximity and just maybe would have wrapped his arm around her waist like she wanted him to (or at least, so he thought. Women- who could tell what they were thinking?).

Only tonight he had something, or rather someone, else on his mind. Arthur tried not to be too obvious about it, but as they walked toward the movie theater he craned his neck every now and then to see if a familiar pair of blue eyes were looking back at him. They weren't, though, and by the time they entered the theater and settled down in their seats, Alfred wasn't to be seen.

Before asking Rachel out, Arthur had sat down at his computer and tried to figure out which movie Alfred was taking Amanda to. He had said that she wanted to see a new movie, but there were several playing that night at the theater. In the end, he decided to go with some chick flick that wasn't too bad, something with a lot of action and survival skill in it. Just the right amount of tear jerking elements and blood in it.

Thankfully, Rachel was all for it. "I've been dying to see it!" she had exclaimed over the phone when he called her the night before. "I was supposed to go see it with my friends, but I wouldn't mind seeing it with you," she added quickly and within the next five minutes he had a Friday night date. He supposed that his goal on Tuesday's game might have had some influence, but if he were honest with himself, getting a date had never been an issue for him.

The movie was pretty good, though. Arthur hadn't seen the first installation, but according to Rachel, "this is so much better than the first!". There was even a moment when the main character touched some green smoke thing and Rachel had literally jumped in her seat and had grabbed his arm, which did feel nice, he supposed.

But by the time the lights turned on announcing an intermission, Arthur had given up on trying to find Alfred. He figured that if he was already there, he might as well enjoy himself.

"Hey, can you go get us some more popcorn?" Rachel lifted up their empty cup and handed it to him. "And maybe some Milk Duds or something sweet, y'know?"

Arthur took the cup and stood up in his seat, stretching his arms. "Sure, I'll go get some. My treat."

The line at the concession stand was long, though. Everyone were out to stretch their legs and get something more to snack on during the next part of the film and Arthur doubted that he'd make it in time. It wasn't like he had anything else to do, though, so he took his place dutifully.

That was, until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Arthur? What are you doing here?"

Arthur widened his eyes as he was pulled out of the line, fixing the blue eyed blond an incredulous frown. "I might as you the same question," he mumbled, completely out of his element. He had completely given up on seeing Alfred at the movie theater. Yet here he was, bundled up against the cold and a cloud of steam fogging his glasses. It was obvious that he had just walked in.

"Are you here to see the Hunger Games sequel?" Alfred insisted, ignoring the musical note which announced the end of the intermission. Arthur gave a furtive glance towards the door to the theater. "Yes, I am, actually. I have someone waiting for me. Where is that cheerleader you were so obsessed about?"

Alfred ran his fingers through his hair and smiled nervously. "She's waiting inside for me, too," he admitted. "We got stuck in traffic and missed the first part of the movie, I guess. She was a bit pissed at me by the time we got here because it was technically my fault. She wanted to take a different rout with her Waze but I insisted on the main road and, well... I'm supposed to get some popcorn for her now."

Arthur clucked his tongue. "Typical. I told you before, the Waze is always right. You didn't listen to me either when we were driving to Pleasantview, remember? You and your maps-"

"Alright alright I get it," Alfred whined. "Either way, she's probably going to be even more pissed if I come back without anything to eat." He glanced at the line, which was still pretty long despite the end of the intermission. "It looks like it's going to be a while before we'll be able to order anything. Do you wanna go sit on those chairs?"

The chairs would have been a plausible solution on any other day, but Arthur's mind was preoccupied with images of much more than idle chatter. As much as he loved to see Alfred in the summer, with his sunkissed skin and dusting of freckles, the winter chill did the boy wonders. His eyes looked impossibly bluer in contrast with his flushed cheeks. Arthur would have given anything to have those eyes looking at him intently and to hear his voice whispering his name with a breathless quality that didn't necessarily come from running late to a movie.

"Actually, how about we go someplace else? I have something I want to tell you."

Alfred looked at him in surprise but just as easily shrugged his shoulders and indicated towards the exit with his head. "Sure thing. Let's go out back."

Bracing themselves, they zipped up their coats and walked out of the theater, turning immediately into the side street (which was really an alleyway, as far as Arthur was concerned) next to the building. It was dirty and there were a few trash bags scattered against the wall, but at least it was private.

"So..." Alfred turned to face him, raising his brows. The alleyway was rather narrow and pretty soon Arthur found himself crowded against the wall. Looking at Alfred now, Arthur wasn't that sure anymore that his idea was that good after all. Pulling Alfred aside in private had sounded appealing, sure, but now that he had him all to himself, it was hard to tell if reality would play out in accordance with his fantasy.

Somehow, Arthur had planned to confront Alfred at the movie theater. He hadn't exactly figured out the details. Then his mind would fast forward to the part where they were kissing and making up, on which he prefered to linger on. Now that he had Alfred for himself, Arthur wasn't entirely sure how to get from point A to point B.

As if sensing his discomfort, Alfred's face softened. He reached out and cupped Arthur's chin in his glove, which was slightly scratchy against Arthur's skin. "You know, I can think of something much more interesting than some fucked up reality t.v show in the billionth century."

"Can you?" Arthur didn't bother to bite back his smirk. He knew where this was leading to. "Pray tell, what did you have in mind?"

"This." Alfred stepped forward and pressed a leg between Arthur's. His head dipped and in a matter of seconds their mouths meshed in what started out as a chaste kiss. Alfred's lips were cold against his but then again, Arthur surmised that his were probably just as cold. That didn't matter half as much as the fact that they had finally gotten close enough to melt the tension from his shoulders. The spot where Alfred had placed his palm on his hip tingled quite nicely.

However...

"Ow!" Alfred yanked his face away from Arthur's and took a full step back, glowering down at him. His lower lip was visibly bleeding. "What the fuck was that for?"

Arthur frowned. "I should think it obvious. I'm not one of your toys whom you can ignore one moment and then snog the next. I'm hardly demanding exclusivity, but if I make plans with you, I expect you to follow through with them and not to cancel at the last minute. If not, there may not be any future plans. Savvy?"

Alfred looked at him in confusion. "Well, I know I'm in trouble when you lay your Britishisms thick like that. Is this about Amanda?" He raised his brows. "You could have just told me you were mad in the first place. I would have gone with you instead."

Arthur had prepared himself for an argument and had bristled accordingly, arms crossed over his chest and all. He had been caught completely unaware by Alfred's compliance, though. Slowly, he let his arms fall to his sides, eying the other uncertainly. "...You would?"

"Of course," Alfred had the gall to grin. He'd better not laugh. "I told you, the only reason I was even roped into going out with her in the first place was because I wanted to see you. When you walked away I assumed you didn't care."

Well, Arthur couldn't tell which of them had been more oblivious. His lips curved in a smile. "Oh god, we're such idiots," he chuckled. "And here I was fancying myself a strategic mastermind. Ah, well."

Alfred returned the smile and pressed closer once more. "But you're my idiot," he insisted, wrapping his arms around Arthur's waist. It was all Arthur could do but resist reaching out to pinch Alfred's cheek for it. "I suppose," he granted, after a moment of thought. "As are you."

"It's a deal, then! Seal it with a kiss?"

"Might as well."

The night had only begun.

I hope you enjoyed reading this, whoever you are :) Personally I wouldn't have read it since I never touch anything that doesn't have any smut in it, buuut that's just me xD Anyway, I did have fun writing this! See if you can find references to various, er, things. Yes things. I'm so very eloquent today.

This fic was written as part of the USUK 2013 Secret Santa Gift Exchange on the USUK comm on LJ. I was assigned itsukochan (who apparently can draw wickedly well and I feel so inferior for giving her a mere fanfic and not some masterpiece which she deserves ;;) and I chose to write for her prompt "I kind of want to see a high-school AU where they're both football-jocks (Alfred being for American football and Arthur for soccer/rest-of-the-world football). They have a secret little relationship that can include things like going to each other's games or kissing under the bleachers or something. /)uwu(\". No bleachers I'm afraid, but does a dark alleyway making out count? ':D Either way, I hope you enjoyed it, dear! Merry Christmas and a happy new year 3