Chapter 3, guys!

Perception

France x England

Arthur was not gay.

He was merely curious. No, Arthur wasn't even that. Arthur was sure that he was straight. After all, he had had sex with at least six girls in his first year of college. Granted, Arthur suspected that they were only attracted to his British accent. Since as soon as they realized that he was just as poor as them – and did not, in fact, know or was related to Queen Elizabeth II – they high tailed it.

He had been unwillingly dragged here by his best friend, Alfred, after the prat had walked into their dorm and had seen something he shouldn't have. It wasn't anything scandalous, just a mistake. Arthur had been reading the news on his phone and the article had been about the grand opening of a gay strip club just in the next town over.

That was it. Arthur accidentally pressed the article, Alfred knew how touchy phones could be.

But that didn't mean that the bubbly American had listened to a single word when he had dragged him there, Arthur groaning and yelling as he went. The club wasn't inherently bad. Darkly colored lights flashed, but not at an annoying or nauseating pace. Dubstep blared in the background and luckily enough it wasn't just Skrillex on shuffle, but the playlist actually had some variety to it. Definitely one of the better ones he'd seen, thanks to Alfred. Arthur had been to many clubs as a result of Alfred dragging him around to all of Alfred's parties.

Arthur hated social interaction with a burning passion. He would've much rather be at his messy, yet cozy, dorm room with a nice cuppa and a good book. And yet, the American bugger insisted that he needed social interaction and would always manage to drag him out of their dorm some way or another, though usually with his inhuman strength. Alfred was lucky, he'd gotten there on a soccer – not football – scholarship and as long as he kept his grade above a C, he'd be fine.

Arthur, on the other hand, had things to worry about.

Arthur was a pre-law student with loans higher than his yearly tuition and borrowing more and more every year wasn't helping. He needed to get back to his dorm and study. He glanced over at Alfred. And then he wished he hadn't. His roommate was currently grinding up with some pale, tall, Russian man. Arthur looked away before he vomited.

It wasn't that he was homophobic, no, he had a brother who was gay and Alfred his best friend, came out to him first when they were in high school. Arthur had even been there to go in a few rounds of fisticuffs when a couple of twats at school kept calling Alfred a unicorn. But Alfred was his best friend and nearly like a brother to him, so no, Arthur was quite fine with not seeing Alfred sex it up on the dance floor with a random stranger, thank you very much.

Well, he could leave. Nothing was really stopping him, was there?

Arthur looked down at his phone. The bright screen nearly blinded him. 7:46pm. If he left now, he could get in one, maybe two good solid hours of studying. Alfred had never minded before whenever Arthur left the parties, which was always. Alfred was always too busy babbling on about how he had such a good time to notice the fact that Arthur did not in fact care and hadn't even been present at the party for about eighty-five percent of the time. But…something was holding the Brit back…

Or, more accurately, someone.

He watched the main man on the dance floor, hypnotized. The man's slender and tanned limbs danced around the pole, gracefully and skillfully. He had soft blond hair that curled lightly against his nape, swinging freely as he danced around the silver pole. Arthur's flesh heated up as he watched the stripper do some…provocative movements.

Arthur had been staring, he realized, for at least a good twenty minutes, which was not good.

He looked around quickly to see if anyone noticed. They hadn't, from what he'd seen. Alfred was obviously busy, the bartender looked as though he couldn't give a fuck about anything, and the rest of the bar was either stripping, dancing, or watching the mysterious man. Luckily, Arthur noted, he was quite possibly in the darkest part of the club, where no one, not even the man on stage could see him.

He thought again about his school books and tea and quiet.

Arthur looked back at the man. He sighed, looking down at his phone. He'd leave in ten more minutes.

The stripper danced strut around the silver pole, a velvety smirk on his face. Arthur studied his face, carefully. The man had dark blue, to the point of indigo, eyes. They were rich and just…soft, glinting in excitement. His pale jaw was curved smoothly, elegant.

Arthur scolded himself.

He wasn't supposed to feel that way about a man. Let alone a stripper. Still, his eyes couldn't help themselves. The slight stubble on the man's chin was adorable and yet, alluring at the same time. The man looked so relaxed, even as he hoisted himself up onto the silver dance pole, spinning elegantly. His blonde hair swung around, almost graceful. For a moment, Arthur wondered how he could look so beautiful, scratch that, well-composed as he did that movement. Arthur was entranced. The man made a few more provocative movements. The club went into a loud cheer, money flying across the room and to the stage. The Brit felt a flare of not exactly jealously, but protectiveness.

He paused. That was just his human nature, wasn't it? He was worried for the man's safety, that was all.

Arthur. Was. Not. Gay.

He wasn't.

Arthur examined the man more closely. What was it that was attracting him to the man so much? It must've been the fact that he looked like a girl. That was it. The stripper looked so feminine, that Arthur was reacting that way. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Arthur's alarm went off. He felt a wave of disappointment, though he had no idea why. He hated social events, especially ones like these. The stripper did one last flourish around the pole before landing gracefully on the stage. He was beaming with energy. The smile that was plastered on his face shown throughout the strip club. Arthur tried to ignore how the stubble on the man's chin looked vaguely something akin to adorable. No, no. It wasn't. It was annoying and untidy. Not adorable. The club roared in applause, almost hiding the thundering sound of his heartbeat.

Almost.

The man's velvet eyes had landed on Arthur. He knew that those eyes were for him. The stripper's grin turned into a playful smirk, and Arthur felt a chill run up his spine. It wasn't…unpleasant, per say. And that scared the Brit more than anything. Arthur bolted from his seat, snatching up his coat and phone. He needed to leave before he did something insanely stupid. The man from the stage raised an eyebrow, still smirking. It felt like he was saying Leaving so soon? God, if it wasn't for the fact Arthur was in a hurry to get out of there, he would dare say the man's smile was infectious. Then it hit him like a truck full of bricks. Oh, shit. He stormed out into the cold air of the world. It stung. It felt like needles prickling across his exposed skin. Arthur huffed and slipped his coat over.

He needed a good cuppa, some Shakespeare, a cold shower, and possibly a quick call to his brother.

Oh, man. I had a few problems with this one. Word crashed on me and I ended up having to re-write the thing. Plus, I had some problems with . BUT, it's here, so that's awesome. I think it turned out okay. And, as someone who's never even thought of going to strip club, I think I did all right. I'll admit this one was inspired by a comment made on The Game is On and it got me thinking. Though, originally, Arthur was supposed to be a stripper, but I just couldn't imagine Arthur doing that (-_-). Francis, however, probably does it on weekends just for fun. Oh, and that reminds me! AngelDemonPrankster, I am currently writing the Red String AU that you requested! It's so much fun to write and I was definitely hoping to write one of them. Anyway, because of the way this is set up, you won't see your one-shot until June 5 (sorry!), but I am writing it, so I'm not ignoring you or anything. Well, that's all. Thanks for reading and have a good day (or night)!