First semester of his second year-though his papers says he's still a freshman (irregular, because he's many units short)-he sitting inside the laboratory, waiting for their instructor to arrive and some of his lab mates, because as usual, being the compulsive freak that he is, he can't bear tardiness and came an hour early before his class (again).
He was too busy listening to his new album in his player to notice a newcomer, but it didn't take too long when someone kicks one of his crossed leg and sees Al, smiling big and looking excited as he walks and sits on a table across him. Arthur smiles in return, as excited as the other. Who knew they're taking the same class together?
They hoped they could be grouped together but Arthur forgot God hates him so even though their last names follow each other (Jones, Kirkland), the numbers of members per group had to move Arthur to the group after Al's, but neither minded in the end. Somehow they both realised their friendship doesn't need much contact to keep it steady, considering they only talked twice and saw each other thrice and there was never tension or awkwardness present between them.
Arthur, after a year of pent up frustration of missing chemistry became very active and enthusiastic in class, which prompted Al to visit their aisle after every experiment, carrying his own lab sheet to ask Arthur for answers for certain questions which Arthur gave without blinking an eye. Arthur's group mates were surprised at first, asking the both of them how they met and had known each other, did they go to the same high school together? Blockmates?
Questions that were both answered with a shrug and a laugh.
Soon, Arthur's group no longer questioned why Al prefers to steal any of Arthur's seatmate's seats to sit close to him, his blank lab sheet and pen at the ready to copy whatever it was written on Arthur's paper.
A few weeks later, everyone in the lab were all stressed, preparing for a lecture exam in chemistry, Al included, of course.
He drops by Arthur's side again, shoving a seatmate out of his seat. He gets a dirty look for that but pointedly ignores it in favour of asking his friend.
"Why don't you seem worked up over the exam? And I've never seen you during lecture, you're in a different class?"
At which Arthur answers, with a shit-eating grin on his face, "I've passed my lecture last year."
"What! How could you leave me?" He whines, his head resting on Arthur's shoulder, which Arthur ignored and continued with filling up his lab report.
"Because I need to advance."
This semester sure was kind for them, despite only sharing one class together, since they're both taking another subject at the same time, though through different professors, they still bond over it.
It's weird seeing Al fuss over physics of all things, he knows that the guy can solve shit without even constructing a working equation or writing down the solution. But still.
So Arthur finds himself more than once meeting with Al outside of class hours, to teach him about physics, Al says but they always end up goofing around, their notes long forgotten on the table.
Then after a few meetings in the library turned into Al waiting for him at ten in the damn evening outside the theatre, because Arthur had to watch a play for a subject requirement and Al insisted a few hours ago to meet with him for more physics and chemistry stuff. Arthur tried to reschedule, but the other was insistent and promised that he doesn't mind one bit to wait for him.
But the play lasted an hour longer than scheduled, so he's surprised to see Al patiently leaning on the building across the theatre, waving at him.
He apologizes of course, but his apologies fell on deaf ears, more interested in his company.
They both walk in silence in the empty side-walk. Both finding it relaxing and strange at the same time, being used to seeing it filled with hurrying students during the day. It was ten in the evening, nearing ten-thirty and the night air was so cold, Arthur regrets not bringing a glove with him and starts rubbing his fingers.
"Cold?"
Arthur shrugs, "Nah, it'll pass," still rubbing at his hands when a warm one grabs his and their fingers entwine like perfect puzzle pieces.
The warmth surprises Arthur, makes him uncomfortable. More so when his hands start sweating. He wanted to pull away but at the same time doesn't want to. Curious at the fuzzy feeling in his chest with the way Al's hand wrap around his and they're walking.
Al lives in the university dormitory and the gates closes at 10, so Arthur offers the other to stay in his flat. It was a Friday, so his roommate was at his parents'. Al can sleep on his roommate's bed.
Al accepts the offer to hang out at his flat but promises he'll leave by 12 midnight because campus vehicles pick up students during midnight to send them to their respective dormitories. Arthur shrugs and shows him the way.
They eat some of Arthur's leftovers from the other day, Al eating like they were the last slices of pizza on earth and drinking water like a man on a dessert while Arthur barely finishes a quarter of his, too sick with the taste and the dryness of the dough on his mouth.
They talked more between bites in whispers as if trading secrets because the walls are thin and its so quiet.
Then somehow the topic moves to porn and Arthur ends up showing Al his extensive collection, Al laughing at the variety he has. Everything were organised in subfolders based on kinks and Al is enjoying every moment of scrolling through them.
Then he pulls out a flash drive and asks Arthur to give him a copy of his personal favourites, at which Arthur denies that he has any because watching the same video for the second time isn't as nice as watching it for the first time, since you already know what's going to happen.
"You literally own an external drive exclusively for your porn collection and you're telling me you didn't plan on downloading all this kinky shit?"
"It's a pain in the arse waiting for the video to buffer."
"Huh, that's a legit reason. I'll accept that for now. You're still a kinky sex addict to me, though."
Despite claiming having no personal favourites, Arthur copied some that he liked anyway. Al asking in the middle of the process if there's any of those that made him jack off so hard at which Arthur replied with a "No, never jacked off to any of these, but they're worth the watch."
The look Al gave him was something he expected and it made him smile that annoying shit-eating grin again that Al hated very much.
"But how?"
Instead of the answer to how, Arthur remembers the answer to the reason why. And it makes the blood running through his veins go cold, feel his flesh stiffen (like a hard, stiff cock) but swallows it away and shrugs nonchalantly. Faking innocence.
It appears as if Al can see through him when he squints his eyes at him and says, voice full of doubt and confidence, for two different things, of course. "Dude, you look like a walking kinky sex addict, there can't be nothing you're not into that makes you hot and bothered."
Arthur bites his tongue, holding down the urge to show him his other drive filled with his favourite erotica. Kinks ranging from tolerable to the possibility of grossing out Al and getting called a sicko for getting off of that, but he can't help it.
Cannibalism, lobotomy, Stockholm/Lima syndrome, incest, rape, somnophilia, necrophilia, oviposition, male pregnancy, eggs, tentacles, bestiality, skull-fucking, vomiting, watersports, humiliation, bondage, BDSM, male lactation, and many more. He has them all. Except scat. Even people like him have boundaries.
Instead he asks, voice trembling as he feels his face heat-up, too embarrassed to be read like that with just through the way he carries himself.
"What! H-how did you even come up to that conclusion?"
Al gives him a blank look.
"The very first time I saw you, you're giving off the vibes. It shows in your outfit and bag and that notebook."
"What's wrong with my notebook?" Arthur asks, almost exclaiming. He's supposed to ask how in the hell had Al got all those things down to a tee when he made sure to dress as lame as possible on that day: plain loose jeans, his ugly as fuck converse and a simple black shirt. Even his bag was ordinary, just a brown lame shoulder bag, the one he used back in high school. He even took off his piercings.
"Just that it literally screams: I'm into kinky stuff." Was the confident reply with a huff, Arthur thinks Alfred is pulling his leg, since he remembers that it was just a plain with notebook. No design or anything suspicious in it at all. There's no way anyone can pick-up that he's into crazy kinky shit by looking at that.
Arthur stares at him for a long time, checking if the other was telling the truth, but Arthur was never a good judge of character and soon gives up. He asks instead, "No, seriously, how did you get all those just from looking at me once."
Al smiles at this knowingly, like he knows all the secrets of the universe (and Arthur almost believes that he does) and says, "Let's just say I'm very good at reading people."
Arthur was about to say something else when he looks at the wall clock and gasps when it says its already a quarter past eleven.
He tells Al to better leave now, since the guard station was at least ten minutes away from his flat. Al seemed like he wanted to protest, extend their time together but chooses to remain silent, unplugs his flash drive from Arthur's laptop, making Arthur flinch because holy shit, he unplugged without safely removing.
Al asks if maybe Arthur can walk him out of the building and assures his friend he can find his way to the guard station just fine. So Arthur complies, because its very late and he doesn't want Al to not make it home back to his dormitory because of him.
Arthur was confused when Al didn't make any move about leaving the building by the time they got to the exit, instead just lingering by the door, eyes focused on him with that smile back on his face and Arthur can't help but smile back but his felt more forced because he feels so tired.
Then Al moves towards him, a hand grabbing his shoulder to hold him close, lips puckered. Arthur panics for a moment, asking what in the hell was he up to now and at this, Al's lips start pouting.
"Ever heard of beso-beso?" He says, lips still stuck in a cross between a pout and pucker, still waiting for his kiss, it seems.
"U-uh…" was his intelligent reply.
Al sighs in exasperation and grabs him again in the shoulders, then pressed the side of his cheek to his and made a kissing noise, then his other cheek was given the same treatment and after that he pulls away, leaving Arthur dumbstruck. Too confused to respond.
"Well then, later!"
And he's gone.
E/N: beso-beso: beso is a spanish word meaniing "kiss". Usually done by close female friends, well from what I've seen in watching too much spanish drama as a child, anyway. Alfred's just being that cheesy friend and arthur's too scared of human contact but trusts alfred so he lets him get away with them even though its obvious it makes him very uncomfortable