He put Kiku down hurriedly in front of the house, flattening his clothing.
"Man, haha... I really hope Pops didn't see that... He'd be mad at me, oh Lord," He said, shaking his head. He knew his father would scold him, probably saying something along the lines of, 'This is why Kiku is not your boyfriend!' He shook his head at the thought of being humiliated in front of his crush and his little brother.
"Um, my dad is a bit, uh... Eccentric, so don't... Just... Sorry if you get a little uncomfortable," He said carefully, troubled eyes finding Kiku. But Kiku merely chuckled and shook his head, a coltish tone coming from him.
"Alfred, have you met my dad? And I'm sure he can't be that bad... He... He tolerates this..." He said, gesturing down at their joined hands, Kiku swinging them a little. Smiling at them, he looked up again, asking the question that has been on his mind since the strawberry field today. Alfred almost wanted to say that being okay with gay relationships didn't automatically make someone an okay person, but decided against it, staying silent. He did not want to ruin the good feeling that had not rubbed off since their kiss.
"So, like... Is your dad gay?" He asked a little hurriedly, already embarrassed at having the question pass his lips. He never really wanted it to go farther than a thought, a question, but he was just dying to know. Very rarely were people other than themselves tolerant of it. And Kiku was excited to know. He was about to meet him, after all.
"Oh, haha. I... It goes both ways for him, though I think he leans a little more towards men..." He said, laughing a little. Yes, Alfred had a mother, but Alfred didn't think Francis loved her. Not in a romantic way, anyways. He probably loved her in the same way in which he loved his children, or in a way in which one would love their best friend.
With a sudden realization dawning on him, he looked to Kiku, hand on his chin.
"Say... Is today Friday?" He asked, a nervous smile suddenly grabbing hold of his lips, his hand suddenly slack in Kiku's hand. Kiku knitted his eyebrows in confusion at this, a little concerned. Didn't everybody love Fridays?
"Uh, well, yeah, why-"
"Boys! I've been sitting here watching you talk outside in the cold for forever, here, come in! Don't catch a cold!"
Kiku jumped away from Alfred, subconsciously ripping his hands out of Alfred's. They both flinched at the way their hands felt so empty and cold, also finding how sweaty their hands were. But... Really, how long had they been standing outside?
Francis ushered them in with good natured hands, mumbling soft chastisement to Alfred for being home so late. Kiku stared at him, not even registering he was doing so. Not only did he have a strange accent, he was... Well, he was extremely handsome. Kiku blushed and looked down. If Alfred and Francis were this handsome, how would his brother look?
"Aw, papa... It's not cold outside, it's summer...!"
Sitting at the table, Kiku thought he might've gotten a whiplash from their house. Not only were there excessive amount of pictures of Alfred and Mathieu lining the walls, the walls were painted yellow and orange. Kiku got a bit dizzy just from looking around, although it was sweet they had such a... Homely, unique feel to it. The smaller size of their house helped make it feel cozy, not cramped. Kiku thought he would like to have a small house such as Alfred's but he knew he probably would have room for all of his belongings.
The walls in Kiku's house were painted cooler colors, making everything seem very drab and dreary, making everyone who came sleepy, although in Kiku's house, Yao had hung up many pictures of Kiku as well, adding to the 'spoiled only child' bit.
"Kiku? That's you, yes? The sweet boy Alfred told me all about?" He asked, shaking his hand vigorously. Francis was acting as if he were meeting a movie star, and Kiku was half expecting Francis to ask for an autograph.
Kiku enjoyed the enthusiasm, shaking it back with his own firm grip. His father always reminded that a 'sure shake and a firm grip' told people one was confident, and eye contact was important as well. But... Francis' blue eyes were bright and limpid like Alfred's, so he found himself shying away from it, looking up from his hands to his eyes in a flurry, making himself dizzy.
"Haha, I'm sorry, I'm going off soon. But, I did make dinner!" He said, walking around the kitchen. He seemed so... So full of energy. So hyper. So... Eccentric. A bit like Alfred. He balanced all three plates in his hands, giving them to Kiku, Alfred, and leaving one in a vacant spot. Francis eyed the spot in irritation with his child like eyes, directing them to Alfred next.
"Ugh, Alfred call you br- Mattie! Descendre ici! Dinner!" He yelled, poking his head up the staircase, his long pale hair falling down to his shoulder blades in a ponytail. Kiku stared at the way it shimmered in the light; It was long, like his own father's, but... It was blond, and wavy. Kiku found it very attractive.
Soon, Kiku saw a boy who looked almost exactly like Alfred run down the stairs, almost tripping. He, too had glasses, but his were a lot rounder than Alfred's, making Kiku giggle. He saw him to have hair like Francis', but a bit more like Alfred's color. "Papa, I don't know French..!" He said in a tired tone, as if he had to remind him everyday. Shaking his head, he looked around, looking up once he saw dinner being served and an unfamiliar guest. Francis pouted at this, ruffling his son's messy hair.
"Aw, but you should know what that means, I've told you! Well, anyways, here's dinner, I've got to get dressed!" He said, grabbing an apple from the counter. Alfred sat down, not paying much attention to his surroundings, grabbing his knife and fork with much enthusiasm. Mathieu's thick eyebrows shot up in interest, and he held out his hand for Kiku to shake, offering a vigorous hand shake to mimic his father's.
"Wow! Are you Kiku? Alfred tells me about you!" He said excitedly, his eyes glittering in excitement. Looking up to meet his eyes, Kiku recoiled, seeing those stars Alfred had.
It seemed they didn't have visitors often.
"Yes, I am. Does he now?" He said, shaking Mathieu's hand, shooting a sly look over to Alfred. Mathieu nodded, sitting down across from Kiku, animatedly picking up his own fork. Would Kiku now have two people to talk his ear off?
Surprisingly, Mathieu sat in silence, seemingly waiting for Kiku to start. Registering this signal, Kiku looked down at his meal. Wow, steak and potatoes, how fancy... But, there was something wrong. He cocked his head as Alfred did, trying not to rudely stare at his food.
"Uh, Alfred... Can I put this in the microwave a bit longer?" He asked in confusion, prodding Alfred with his fork. Alfred looked over at him with an equally confused expression. Microwave? Was Kiku so spoiled he didn't know not to heat these things up with a microwave?
"Uh, microwave? And why? What's wrong with it?" He asked, examining his own food with a troubled face.
He looked Kiku's plate over, checking his food. Everything seemed normal, but Kiku looked at him like he was stupid, gesturing to his plate as well, making Alfred stare at him with an almost indignant look on his face.
"It's not cooked enough... It's still bloody, isn't that a health hazard?" Kiku rambled, sending a worried glance to Alfred, who had already wolfed down a good portion.
Alfred could've laughed. He thought for a second he was joking, but knowing Kiku, he didn't do such things very often. Not about food, anyways. Alfred had found Kiku was very serious on food.
He almost wanted to say, "Man, haven't you had rare steak before?" But as he saw Kiku start to get more and more red from embarrassment at asking a 'stupid question', he shrugged, looking between Kiku and Mathieu.
"Uh.. Haha, mine too," He said weakly, putting his fork down. Mathieu looked at Kiku sympathetically, offering his own plate. "It's rare steak, Kiku, but here. Mine is a bit more cooked, I haven't eaten any," He said, scooting his plate over to Kiku. Alfred shot him a look, a threatening look as if Mathieu had just made fun of him. But Kiku smiled graciously, surprisingly not protesting at such a suggestion. Alfred sighed in relief. At least his crush and his brother got along well.
Francis came down from the room, now dressed nicely. He wore a loose button up shirt with long sleeves tucked into checkered bell bottoms, all to top it off with... Heeled shoes? Seeing him down, Alfred waved to him, gesturing to the record player in the living room.
"Hey, pops! Kiku-"
"Oh, that's right! You like music, right, Kiku? Here," He hastened over too the living room and began busying himself over a red record player, very different from Kiku's yellow one. As Kiku quietly thanked him and stepped on Alfred's foot, he heard the notes to the song he knew to be Summer Wine.
"Ooh, my dad listens to this song!" He said, starting on his potatoes. Francis looked over fondly at him, wanting to rustle his hair already. He had always gotten so attached to children, have it be one at a store, or one of his sons' rare friends.
"He has good taste, then," He said, winking at Kiku. Geez, he already wanted to consider the boy his son. Kiku looked down, a little flustered, almost able to read his thought exactly.
Yao would probably not get along with this man.
"Okay kids, well, I gotta jam. I won't be home until morning, you know it. Have fun, but not too much!" He said good naturedly, grabbing his keys. Still talking, he opened the door.
"Remember, don't open the door for anyone!" He said in a sudden scolding tone, instantly reminding Kiku of Yao. Maybe they would get along...? Shutting the door and saying his "I love you"s, he left them alone, leaving the house feeling so... So quiet. But knowing Alfred, Kiku knew he'd fill that space quickly.
"Oh, I know you're wondering, so I'll tell you. It's Friday, so he's going to the club, picking up women and men. He's a magnet," He said in a mischievous voice with a smirk to accompany it, nudging Kiku with his elbow. Kiku laughed, thinking of Francis going to those clubs, probably dancing to the disco music. It was probably the accent that made him so desirable.
Kiku spoke his thoughts, again taking himself off guard. "Your dad is so cool."
Mathieu giggled, putting his plate away. He wiggled his eyebrows, sitting back down.
"He loves the British ones."
Hanging out with Alfred and even Mathieu, Kiku had learned new things about Alfred's family. Mathieu was fourteen, and their mother was dead, like Kiku's. He also found how shy Mathieu was, but how fun he could be. The two brothers were actually very similar in many ways, but they seemed to display and act on things drastically different.
At times such as these, Kiku wished he had a sibling. He had never given it any thought, enjoying being an only child and thoroughly spoiled, but, now... It seemed fun to have a sibling. Thinking on it, Kiku very much would've liked to have a younger sister or brother.
Waking up the next morning in an unfamiliar room much smaller in comparison to his own had startled Kiku, and he sat up, looking down at Alfred through his hair. Taking in his surroundings and looking around, he remembered he had spent the night, ate a bloody steak, got a rock thrown at him, and... Got kissed. And kissed back.
Pale hand jumping to his lips, he felt them over, remembering how Alfred had been there only hours ago. Looking down at him, he felt a strong desire to do so again, but ignored it.
When he wakes up, he thought, getting off the bed, suddenly very awake despite rising only a few moments ago.
Picking up Alfred's horsehair brush, he tried brushing his hair with it, a little disappointed when it made his hair extremely straight, making his bangs tickle his eyelashes. Wincing at the way it dug into his forehead, he set it down, settling down on examining it.
He sneered at the brush, seeing golden strands of hair in it, and promptly tried taking it out with his fingers. Pricking his fingers multiple times, he finished, the brush looking completely new. Sighing in content with his work, he set the brush down, and walked over to the bed, sitting back down next to Alfred.
Staring at those golden locks of hair made him smile, thinking of what a pain it was to take out of the brush. He subconsciously moved a piece of it out of his face, startled at the texture. Kiku's was silky, but... Alfred had baby hair. Suddenly taking his other hand from his lap, he ran the other threw his hair in interest and affection, finding some knots from sleep. Kiku's hair never knotted. Forgetting Alfred was a light sleeper, he examined it a bit more, letting it glide between his fingers, bringing another searching hand to his own. Kiku's hair would slip through his fingers, and felt silky and coarse, but Alfred's was a bit more kinky, and felt like a baby's, it was so... Fine. Not to mention, it was golden. That was a big perk for Kiku.
Noticing a blue eye staring at him, he pulled his hands away from him in a flurry, not knowing how to play it off this time. Taking his hands from him and using them to tuck a strand of hair behind his own ear, he looked away as Alfred sat up, studying Kiku's face, taken by surprise, seeing how red it was.
"So... What were you doing?" Alfred asked in a confused voice that was forced, nudging Kiku's side with his elbow. Kiku turned to him, eyebrows knit in what seemed to be frustration.
"Oh, don't give me that, you were awake the whole time," He said, rolling his eyes, flattening out his shirt. Alfred snickered, hearing the New York accent he'd always expected come out. But it made him frown; did he usually hide it from people, or did California rub off on him?
Reaching over, he ruffled Alfred's hair, making it even worse than it already was, somehow managing to do so with that same annoyed expression. Chuckling a bit at this, Alfred reached over to touch his hair as well. His hand faltered a but at the touch, hesitating at the quality. It was so smooth, and like silk; although it was impossible to ruin. But despite this, Alfred was still nervous at touching it; it seemed so perfect his hands would stain it.
Kiku reached up and took Alfred's hand in his own, taking Alfred by surprise. "You don't have to be so hesitant, Freddie," He said playfully, bumping Alfred's knee with his own. Not exactly knowing what to do, nor able to come up with a clever comeback, he sat in place, avoiding Kiku's eye. Noticing this, Kiku put his hand under Alfred's chin, bringing his head up, making their eyes meet, Alfred seeing Kiku slightly pouting.
Without another moment of hesitation, Kiku brought his lips to Alfred's smiling into the kiss when he felt Alfred jump a bit. Bringing a delicate hand to the back of Alfred's head, he slowly felt his hair, feeling the way it stuck up slightly in the back.
Pulling away, Kiku looked into his eyes, happy to find how sire his eyes looked, smiling, he put his head on Alfred's chest, chuckling a bit to himself.
Alfred tensely put his hand on Kiku's head, trying to chuckle a bit with him. Alfred had to take a good look around, settling his eyes on Kiku.
And all the while, one sentence rang out from their thoughts into the atmosphere of the room.
How the hell did I get so lucky?
Getting driven back home by Francis was fun. It was noon, and it was a lot later than Kiku expected to go home. He hoped his father wouldn't be too angry with him. Alfred knew Kiku was thankful for having Alfred in the backseat with him. When Francis announced he'd be driving Kiku home, Kiku's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets.
To be in a car, to converse with a man who was practically a stranger? His crush's dad?
It was then Alfred had volunteered coming along.
Walking Kiku to his doorstep, Alfred restrained from holding Kiku's hand, with the knowledge that his father and possibly Kiku's father was watching them. They walked up to the steps, a knowing silence passing between them, until Kiku decided to break it. Looking at the position they stood, there was a tree blocking the view of the car. Kissing Alfred on the cheek, he got his keys out, waving to Alfred. Looking at the expression on Alfred's face, he chuckled, shaking his head in a humorous way. "Don't worry, my dad isn't home, and yours can't see us."
Alfred paused for a minute, turning back around. "Kiku!" He called, seemingly shouting despite Kiku being two feet from him.
"Are... Are we like... Boyfriends?" Alfred asked, his face reddening by the second.
By the way Kiku stood dumbfounded for a moment, Alfred was afraid, sure he'd say no. The way Kiku started laughing next made him shift, not exactly being able to read it. But as Kiku stopped laughing, and noticed Alfred practically shook, hands stiffly at his sides.
Running up to Alfred, he threw his arms around him, practically jumping on him, taking him into another deadly hug.
Alfred could not see his face, but felt him nod, sure he was smiling in a way he would love to see.
"I thought you'd never ask. Yes, Alfred."
Pulling back, he let Alfred inspect that crooked smile of his, Kiku admiring Alfred's picturesque, straight smile, showing those white teeth.
God, he's handsome.
Francis almost pleadingly questioned why Alfred was so smiley the whole silent car ride home, earning the simple answer of "Nothing" at most, no matter how persistent he'd be. He was not only recalling having his hair played with the moment he had woken up, being kissed for the first time, being hugged, that breathless feeling that he had gotten from both times at the strawberry field. Even dancing with Kiku to California Dreamin' yesterday gave that feeling. It seemed Kiku never failed to give him that feeling; that winded feeling, startling but pleasant all at once. It was almost the feeling of literally being swept off of your feet, or being on a roller coaster, which were the only ways Alfred could describe it. Either way, thinking of it made Alfred want to run around, to surf, or to listen to the Beach Boys.
Burrowing himself in his room, he put Animal Sounds into his own record player, letting the songs play as he laid back on his bed, letting the songs make pictures start in his head. He always liked music as much as the other person, usually using to concentrate and whatnot, or just simply liking it. He didn't have many records, to say the least.
But ever since he became friends with Kiku, he loved them. They were like little treasures now, much like many other things since he had met him. School was no longer null and void, something that felt required. No, school was like a little treasure now, and he no longer just saw it for pointless learning and science class. No, now there was Kiku, and English class, and even math. If Kiku made Alfred excited for math class, Alfred really knew that meant Kiku was special.
He looked up at his white ceiling, quietly singing along.
"Happy times together we've been spending
I wish that every kiss was never ending
Wouldn't it be nice," He sang, thinking of Kiku. Another thing he tended to do recently apply everything to their relationship.
Kiku had only kissed him twice, and he already wished every kiss would be never ending.
"Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true
Baby then there wouldn't be a single thing we couldn't do
We could be married
And then we'd be happy
Wouldn't it be nice
You know it seems the more we talk about it
It only makes it worse to live without it
But lets talk about it
Wouldn't it be nice..." At this point, it sounded as if Alfred were talking, no longer singing. Faltering at the end, he sat up, wondering what Kiku would make of that.
He laughed a little, applying the lyrics to his own life.
Married? To Kiku? He shook his head, scoffing at his own foolishness. It was a nice thought... But was it realistic? Them, two men, to be married? Like that could ever happen. Especially not with Kiku's dad.
Shaking his head at these embarrassing thoughts, he tried not to let his mind wander.
Waking up next to him every morning, cooking breakfast with him at wee hours of the morning, having a dog or a cat together. Going to fourth of July parades with him, eating carnival food. Dancing late at night, getting old with him.
Alfred's coughing was heard all the way to the kitchen.
Seeing each other at school on Monday was eventful, to say the least. The strained laughter and strained looks would cause them to gain dubious stares. The amount of effort it took to not kiss each other or constantly have their hands on each other was mentally straining and ridiculous to say the least, seeing on the amount of students at their school.
Eating lunch in their normal desolate area, they sat down confidently, sure no one would bother them in their spots after the events of Friday. Taking out his lunch, he pulled out his chopsticks, and with a grin on his face, he pulled out a second pair, handing them to Alfred with delicate hands.
Alfred's face lit up again, and he made grabby hands towards them, taking them with gentle care. Kiku took out his lunch, setting it between them.
"Haha, I asked my dad to pack two pairs today... I didn't actually expect him to do it," He said, chuckling feebly. Tucking his hair behind his ear, a nervous habit, he felt his fingers brush the bandaid on his forehead. Hoping Alfred didn't catch the shock and disappointment on his face, he quickly took his pair to his hands, not giving Alfred time to register the fault in his face. If he moved quick enough, it didn't happen.
"U-Uh, here, like this, Fred," He started, demonstrating with his own hands. Holding them up, he tried out teaching. "Okay, so... Put on of them in your hand, like this... You have to hold it like a pencil," He said, doing just that. Looking over at Alfred, he nudged Alfred's knee with his own. "No, no, like a pencil. See, like this?" He indicated the correct way, slowly pinching his chopsticks in midair. Picking up a single grain of rice, he put it in Alfred's mouth, and picked up another, placing it in his own. He smiled a toothy grin at him, restraining from reaching over and ruffling his hair.
Alfred smiled back, a strange look in his eye. It looked almost... Sad? Trying to mask it as much as possible, he bowed his head a bit, laughing at his own inability to use chopsticks. Seeing this, Kiku frowned, setting his own pair down. He put his hand under Alfred's chin, lifting it up to allow him to search his gaze. As Alfred met his eyes, he understood Kiku's gaze perfectly, reading, "Do you really think that after all this time, you could fool me?"
He bowed his head a bit, letting his eyes graze over Kiku's lunch box.
"Well, haha... I just... I'm sorry this happened to you." Kiku felt Alfred's thumb pass over his forehead, and he tried not to wince from the way it stung a bit, even three days later. He leaned into Alfred's hand, sighing in content. Honestly, his father wanted to keep him home that day. He was babying Kiku more than usual since it happened, and he couldn't deny the fact that he had been letting him, even sometimes enjoying it. And truth be told, he was going to let himself stay home- after such a good weekend, he didn't want to face yet another school week. But with the knowledge that summer vacation was rapidly approaching, in another few weeks, he didn't want to miss out on anymore school time with Alfred. That, and final exams were this week. He did not want to miss that. But with the thought of summer vacation approaching, and the school year ending, the knowledge of countless afternoons spent with Alfred accompanied it. Just picturing them spending time together in that field, or Kiku watching Alfred surf made him want to get over the tenth grade quickly.
Kiku eyed him with puzzlement, not exactly liking that look of empathy on his face. Come on, it was just a rock. A few days ago, too. Why did Alfred need to feel bad? He wasn't the one who had thrown it. Kiku sighed, tucking some more hair behind his ear. "...It's alright now, Alfred. It already happened. I learned something from it... It was fun to throw it back. Anyways, it doesn't even hurt anymore," He lied, putting a tentative hand to it. The other parts were true, but... He couldn't lie to himself and say it didn't. Not only did the cut sting like hell, the actual area ached. He was actually a little surprised he didn't have to get stitches, as it was much deeper than it looked. But despite these thoughts playing with his head, he pretended it was painless for Alfred, not wanting to stress him out anymore than he already was. He knew Alfred cried more than he did when it happened, and thinking back on it made his heart break. So he smiled and poked at it, trying his hardest not to wince as he felt pain shoot through his face, honestly wanting to grimace. Praying it didn't open and start bleeding all over again, he stopped, still smiling toothily. After a moment of staring that Kiku feared wouldn't cease, Alfred let loose and started laughing, patting Kiku on the back, who sighed contentedly.
"Pops! Kiku got a perfect score on all of his exams... Geez, I don't know how he does it," He said, rubbing the back of his neck. Francis insisted that since it was the last day of exams, Kiku should stay over, and he would take them somewhere. If they wanted to, of course. Francis put his fork down, patting Kiku on the back, flashing a handsome grin. "Really? That's impressive, Kiku. Do you want anything? Let me buy you something," He said, immediately getting up. Kiku shook his hands frantically, nervously laughing in the process.
"Um, haha, thank you, but please, don't buy me anything, I-"
"He wants a Big Brother record, but his dad doesn't like Janis Joplin, so he won't buy it," Alfred said immediately, laughing with grimace as he felt his foot being crushed by Kiku's, trying not to giggle at his pointed look.
Francis looked over at Kiku, wiggling his eyebrows in what could have been surprise.
"Big Brother And The Holding Company? Hm... Kiku, I wouldn't have guessed," He said with a light laugh, looking him up and down. Looking over at his wallet, he reached over to it, wanting to buy it nonetheless.
Francis admired Kiku; he was a polite boy, who seemed to be able to tame his son, but had some sort of... Spunk.
"Janis Joplin... She's going to be preforming at the Woodstock Festival, Kiku," Francis said, rubbing his chin, slightly playing with his beard. Wasn't Kiku from New York?
Francis smiled as he heard a sharp inhale from Kiku.
"...If only I lived in New York, still..." He mumbled, shaking his head slowly, knitting his eyebrows slightly. Or... If Alfred lived there, too. Even then, he knew his father would never let him go. But he knew Francis probably would...
Alfred nudged his side, raising his eyebrows in mock surprise.
"Hey, hey, hey. At least now, you can finally get your Cheap Thrills record..." He pointed out, pulling his plate of lunch in front of him. This time, Alfred had made sure it was not rare for Kiku.
"We should listen to it later."
"Alfred...?"
Alfred woke up, alert, being the light sleeper he was. What time was it? What was that noise that made it's way into Alfred's dreams? The uneasy sound had been enough to pull him out of a dreamless night, and he put his glasses on, squinting through the darkness. Yawning all the way to the light switch, he fumbled for it, reading on the clock which hung on a lonely fashion on the wall. Twelve thirteen?
With a pleasant surprised sensation in his heart, he realized he had been sixteen for thirteen minutes, and gave that smile he knew Kiku loved. "Happy birthday..." He whispered excitedly, looking down to look at his own hands. Distracted by the noise of the clock and his own heart, he had momentarily forgotten the noise near the window.
"...Alfred!"
He turned away briskly, directing his attention to his wall. Or rather... His window?
Squinting his eyes in an almost surreal disbelief, he rubbed his blue eyes, gasping in pleasure at the sight before him.
Outside his window, he saw Kiku waving over, a somewhat irritated expression on his soft face.
He opened the window in a rushed manor, trying his best not to let his laughter ring out; it was late, after all.
Opening the window, he was met with a kiss on the cheek, fleeting, though special nevertheless.
"Happy Birthday..." Kiku breathed, tucking a part of Alfred's hair behind his ear.
"W-Why are you here...?" He laughed. He knew it to be an odd question; Kiku always said to never question the gifts one received, and so he did.
But Kiku only laughed. Shaking his head, he looked as if the answer was one out in the open, one Alfred should see.
"...What do you think I'm here for? Come down here," He instructed, holding his welcoming hands out to Alfred, who took them without question. By now, he knew better than to question it.
Alfred jumped a bit as he felt Kiku grab his hand, feeling it steadier than it had ever been.
"Come on, close your eyes. Alfred F. Jones, now, you are going to follow me."
Running close behind Kiku, hands clasped together, he tired his best to to ignore the impulse to open his eyes. Though he didn't need to, for he already felt where they were going.
Smiling exhilaration, he let the laugh he had been bottling up flow from his lips, filling Kiku's ears.
Smiling, Kiku dragged him along into the night.
Alfred opened his eyes to the expected sight. Yes, it was predictable. But it wasn't any less special than the night they had been before, or the nights he had dreamt about it.
He inhaled, taking the aroma of strawberries in. Opening his eyes, he made them smile, seeing the familiar sight of the lake.
Laying next to Kiku, he ran his thumb over the hand he hadn't let go of all night. Smiling at the way they fit perfectly together, he rested his head on Kiku's shoulder, feeling him breath slowly. It was almost as if he had fallen asleep. Even if he had, Alfred would spend all night with him in the field, not being able to look at him enough.
Kiku sat up, slightly taking Alfred off guard. Taking in the way the moon reflected off of his porcelain skin, the way his hair framed his face, the way his eyes glittered. Looking down at Alfred, he leaned down and kissed him softly, closing his eyes in what could've been peace, in possible tiredness.
Pulling away, Alfred felt something drip on his face; and opening his shut eyes, he was met with Kiku shedding quiet tears, a smile still resting on his lips.
Reaching up, Alfred wiped them away with a strong hand, slightly startled when he found them to be a steady flow.
"Ha... Happy Birthday, A-Alfred..." He faltered. He put his hand to his lip, almost to stifle the sound that had not yet escaped his lips.
Trying out the words he had only said once before, he smiled, his tears never ceasing. "I-I love you," He said, practically sighing the words. He didn't know the source of his tears- he was happy, yes. He was the happiest he had ever been in his life. Or sadness; something about the tears seemed sad, but the source was an unspoken knowledge between them.
With Kiku's dad's mentality, through the public's eyes, they would never be accepted.
Finally releasing his hand, Alfred opened his arms for Kiku. Laying down in them, he held Kiku as his shoulders shook. But Kiku found his hand, resting them over Alfred's chest, not intending on ever letting it go. Laughing lightheartedly, betraying the tears in his eyes, he brought Kiku's face to his, returning the kiss Kiku gave.
"I love you too! More than I could ever hope to say...!"
Both laughing, both crying, they kept each other happy throughout the night, burying their head's in the others' chest.
Now we're there and we've only just begun
This will be our year
took a long time to come
Looking up at the stars in the sky, feeling the summer air, they laid hand in hand, Alfred still in his pajamas.
Resting his head on Alfred's shoulder, he closed his eyes, letting his thoughts and his boy coax a long awaited smile unto his face.
It has taken a long time to come.
This is our year.
_
(Video: To Love Somebody- The Bee Gees, 1967)
Ahaha, do you see how different they are just from their taste in music? Kiku is The Beatles and The Doors, and Alfred is The Beach Boys and Elvis.
Alright, well, that's a wrap! But, knowing me, I've already got an epilogue, but, you know, only if my dearest readers want it. ;^)
But yeah, you know, since they're young, they probably fought a couple of times. But you know, that's really healthy to fight. Just, when I write this, and Suspicious Minds by Elvis comes on, it makes me cry a little!
This whole stupid fanfiction has made me rather... Emotional. But anyways, it's been one hell of a ride, and I loved every minute of it, oh boy. This has included me bolting out of bed at four and five am to add and edit things, so it's a lot to me. Anyways, enjoy, and I hope you love it as much as I do, ahaha.
Listen, even if this was written in the span of a week and five days(even if truthfully its felt like months), and more than half of those days were days of not writing and thinking, I've grown overly attached. And I almost don't want it to end, and I really can't believe it's over. Just publishing it makes me feel some sort of strange regret. Or nostalgia, only after two minutes.
But, enjoy!
Edit: I'm probably go back and edit stuff... And cry. But you know what they say, don't cry because it's over, be happy it happened... Well... I'll try my best.