Chapter 6: Lime

Warning: Francis is going to do some stuff that might seem wrong, but I explain in the end-note what it really is, so don't be alarmed.

xoxox

"Arthur, mon lapin!"

Arthur couldn't keep his heart from skipping a beat when hearing that flamboyant man call his name. It sunk immediately afterwards though, as the incubus had a girl with him.

"My, my! Looking handsome today! And nice earring! Pas mal."

The mage awkwardly fidgeted with his tie. He'd put on a classy tuxedo for the prom, something that accentuated his muscles and made him look more masculine (and no, he hadn't just done that to impress the Frenchman).

The girl on his arm pouted at hearing Francis talk to Arthur like that.

"What about me, Frenchie? Aren't I pretty?"

"Of course you are, ma belle fleur," Francis crooned at her, and Arthur had to suppress the impulse to vomit.

He was about to walk away when Kiku showed up next to him. The kitsune had pulled out a traditional kimono for the occasion, but he didn't look all that happy for some reason. His ears and tail were tense, a permanent frown plastered on his usually stoic features.

"Evening, Kiku. Anything wrong?"

"Konbanwa, Arthur-san, Francis-san. And well-"

"It's my brother's fault," Matthew said, the boy suddenly appearing in their midst.

"What has he done this time?" Arthur sighed, rubbing his temples.

Matthew smiled wryly. "Look for yourself."

"HEY! I said don't touch me!"

All of them looked up at the sound of that voice, and most were shocked to see Alfred walking up to them, casual tux with flashy bowtie on his body, and a demon walking next to it.

"He's taking Braginsky to the prom?!" Arthur hissed, not knowing whether he should question the vampire's sanity or save him from an obviously unwanted arrangement.

Matthew shrugged, and Francis laughed that typical laugh of his.

"I knew there was a reason he never takes notice of my advantages! He just likes his men a lot more Russian!"

"Or he's just oblivious to your flirting," Arthur muttered, while Matthew began blushing fiercely and Kiku narrowed his eyes.

"I-I don't think they're dating!" Matthew interrupted, voice high-pitched. "I mean, sure, they spend a lot more time together, but Al would've told me if-"

He quickly snapped his mouth shut when the duo reached their little group. Everyone leant back a little as a gush of cold washed over them, and they wondered how it was that Alfred seemed totally fine with the low temperatures. They all stayed quiet, eyeing the demon with distrust (well, with Kiku it was more pure hatred and Francis' girlfriend just looked utterly terrified). Ivan waved.

"Hey you guys! You ready to go to the prom?" Alfred asked excitedly, unaware of their reactions to his 'date'.

"Is he coming with us?" Arthur asked, frank as ever. Ivan grinned at him, teasingly freezing the tips of his hair.

"Huh? Oh, him. ….Yeah, he is."

"Good luck on your date, then."

"We're just going as friends…" Alfred said, but for some reason Arthur didn't entirely believe him.

He worried for his the American, even though he didn't always show it.

'Just what are you getting yourself into Alfred…' he mentally sighed, watching the vampire and the demon disappear inside.

xoxox

Arthur impatiently tapped his booted foot on the tiled floor. He had snuck backstage with Emma and Antonio to get ready for their performance tonight, but they were still one band member short.

'Dammit!' he thought. 'Gilbert had better be here before we start! He promised!'

Before he could get too agitated though, a sudden wolf whistle made him snap his head back. There was the albino, dressed in a loose ripped jeans and bleached t-shirt, ears twitching with every little sound that caught his attention and grin as big as ever. Arthur sighed, feeling beyond relieved.

"I thought you weren't going to make it. You know, with your… situation."

Gilbert shrugged. "Nah, that's cool. I just destroyed my sense of smell a whole basket full of garlic, so I probably won't be distracted by any delicious scents the next few hours."

He sniffed Arthur's hair to demonstrate, and the mage could feel a shiver travel up his spine when the other's hot breath touched his ear as he chuckled. Yes, he was obviously very nervous for the upcoming performance.

"See? I can manage! By the way, nice jewel you got there Artie! When'd you get that?"

Arthur proudly touched the little obsidian ring, glad at least someone noticed – Francis of course didn't count, as he was trying to ignore the incubus with all his might (and failing pathetically at it).

"Got it yesterday. Thought I'd need a bit of cleaning up if I ever wanted to look like a real musician."

"Awesome, dude! Fits you perfectly!"

Arthur smiled. This is exactly why he liked Gilbert. Others would have immediately been worried, knowing how his father thought about the matter. But not Gilbert. As long as Arthur was sure he wanted an earring, Gilbert would support him in that matter.

The blond frowned lightly as he thought back about breakfast. Apparently, since Arthur wasn't planning on removing the jewel, his father had decided to ignore him from now on. His mother had liked it a lot, but she had been the only one. His brothers had only given him a disapproving glance, knowing it would make Henry angry, and nobody could tell what the Britannia Angel was thinking. Arthur had left the house with a heavy mind, knowing he had the right to decide what to do with his own body, but wanting their blessing nonetheless. Luckily, he at least had Gilbert to fall back on.

"Hey, what's eating you?"

Arthur shook his head. Now was not the time to be worried about that, he had to focus on his guitar!

"Never mind, you dog. We have a school to entertain!"

"And entertain we shall!" the werewolf cackled raising his hand.

"To The Outcasts!" Antonio joined in, combining their hands.

"To victory!" Emma shouted, being loudest of them all.

"And to not wetting my trousers," Arthur finished, grinning widely.

"Hello fellow students of Crack High! Are you all sick of this boring music too?" an obnoxiously loud voice with distinct German accent roared. "Have no fear, because The Outcasts are here for your entertainment!"

And with that the werewolf took his place behind his drums, the other three members of the band getting on stage as well. A few students applauded, the others just waiting curiously to see what they had in store. Alfred used the silence to quickly distance himself from the Russian, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.

"Ready? Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!"

The moment the first note filled the air, Alfred knew they were good. No, not good. Awesome.

Gilbert quickly set up a fast and tricky beat, immediately followed by the clever guitar work of Antonio and Arthur. The music was energetic, but not upbeat. There was a hidden tone, something sending a chill down your spine. The music was almost literally alive.

Emma walked to the front, legs held by ragged stockings and both her lipstick and nail polish a pitch black colour. She brought the microphone to her mouth and began to sing.

Come to the forest, come to the forest, come to the forest with me tonight
Follow the sounds, follow the light of the full moon shining oh so bright
And hidden there you will find…
A wolf, snow white wolf, creature of the night!

Gilbert gave a loud howl, drawing some cheers and whistles from the crowd. By now, everyone was dancing again, stomping on the ground and letting their bodies swing to and fro, fro and to. The music was magical, dug up your primal instincts, set your feet ablaze.

"Way to go Iggy!" Arthur heard Alfred call, and he made sure to show the vampire his middle finger.

The rest of the night went by in a blur after that, the band playing song after song as soon as their fellow student took a liking to the music.

And for once, Arthur had a genuine happy smile on his face.

xoxox

"When are you getting rid of it?"

"I'm not, so stop nagging to me about it!"

Arthur defiantly crossed his arms and glared at his brothers. They had all come home for the holidays, but almost none of them were in the right mood. Not with Henry still being mad at their youngest', souring the atmosphere of the entire house.

They were currently sitting in Patrick and Finn's bedroom, four men squeezed together on the bed and Arthur standing grumpily at the other side of the room. Arthur had known none of them would approve of his earring, but that didn't mean he was going to do away with it either. Only his mother had given him her consent, but with Henry being so openly against it, her opinion was drowned out. Anglia had yet to speak her mind.

"You really do want him to scratch you from his will, don't you?" Dylan said, wiggling to try and get some personal space back when Finn was squashed against his hip. The only one who gave the impression of having enough space was Allistor, but maybe he just always seemed that intimidatingly at ease.

"That has nothing to do with it. I don't care what he has to say about it. It's not coming off."

"You do remember that we're mages, right?" Patrick remarked, snapping his fingers back. "You might score high at school, but that doesn't make you invincible, boyo. We could just get it off ourselves."

"You wouldn't dare," Arthur said, giving his brother such a venomous leer it almost made his green orbs come to life and slit the other's throat.

Allistor spoke up, and immediately the others grew quiet. Being the oldest, he'd never had to ask for respect from them.

"Do as you wish. It's your own damn life, who are we to try and talk some sense into you? But Arthur, if this is just you acting up for the sake of acting up, know that I won't be there to support you if things go wrong."

That was a very heavy statement. Arthur couldn't always get along with his brothers, but to hear Allistor say this… It made his self-confidence falter a whole lot.

"It's more than that," he spoke, words tumbling over each other in their rush to be heard. "I don't just want to get on his nerves, of course I don't."

"Then what is it?" Finn asked, eyes big and questioning.

Arthur frowned, crawling back in his shell again.

"I have no obligation to tell you."

Patrick carelessly stood up, walked over, and took his head in a vice-like grip.

"What are you doing, you bloody wanker?!"

As Arthur struggled to break free, the others got up as well and surrounded him. Allistor walked forward and dropped a heavy hand on his shoulder, instantly silencing the young mage.

"You may be the youngest, but you're an adult now. If any of us wants to punch you in the face, they can go right ahead. No consequences. But we won't do that. Want to know why? Because we're brothers. So unless you want me to go tell Nana you're dating a hooker, you better come out and confess."

"I wouldn't be dating a hooker, you imbecile!"

"A stripper then?" Patrick teased, poking him in the ribs.

"No, none of those!"

"And why not? Got somebody else on your mind?" Dylan inquired.

"Because I'm g-"

Arthur could barely stop himself from spilling that one word, biting his tongue in the process. But it was already too late. That one letter had given him away.

And now, every single one of his brothers looked absolutely murderous.

"Who is it? That wolf kid? I'll kill him!" Patrick hissed, looking ready to put his words into action.

"No, you leave him out! Gilbert has nothing to do with this!"

Allistor grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up to eye level.

"Since when?"

Arthur blinked sheepishly. While Finn, Patrick and Dylan were making so much noise it almost burst his eardrums, Allistor seemed frighteningly calm.

"Uh… Since when what?"

"Since when did you know? How long have you been like this?"

Arthur gulped.

"Since birth, I guess?" he said, voice small and hesitant.

Allistor's eyes flew over his face, as if looking for something.

"You are serious, aren't you? You're not just saying this because it's another way of getting back at pa?"

"No! I'm one hundred percent serious here!"

Allistor released him, and Arthur could barely catch himself before falling to the ground.

"You three, shut up."

The brothers all grew silent once more as Allistor walked up and down the room, like an angry match stick with his bright red hair.

"All right then… I need some time to think about this. But whatever you do, don't tell Henry."

"Um, do you think I've gone bonkers?" Arthur remarked dryly.

Allistor sent him a glare, before leaving the room. Arthur was secretly relieved. Allistor may not be supportive of his sexual orientation, but at least he wasn't being yelled at.

Patrick slapped him harshly on the back.

"All right, boyo, time to get you out of my room! Don't want you getting any gay germs all over my stuff."

Arthur flared indignantly, but the other smirked. As he pushed him out onto the hallway, he bent over to whisper in the blond's ear.

"Allistor will come around, don't you worry. So will the others."

Arthur glanced over the other's shoulder, seeing Finn staring stubbornly in the opposite direction and Dylan looking at him with a gaze full of questions.

"Wait- You mean you're fine with it?"

Patrick shrugged.

"It's not really a surprise. At least now I know I haven't been calling you a fag for nothing!"

Arthur punched him on his right arm, making Patrick laugh.

"No, but seriously. He just needs some getting used to the idea. …And you're sure it's not the wolf, right?"

"Yes I am," Arthur sighed. Patrick's hatred for Gilbert was actually quite amusing.

His brother nodded.

"All right then. I'll talk to Finn and Dylan about it, and you make sure to keep your mouth shut to anyone else. Especially Nana. Have no idea how she'll react to it. And nice earring, fag."

The door was slammed in his face before Arthur could retort. He stood there for a small while, finally letting it sink in.

His brothers knew his secret. And not one of them had wanted to kill him for it. Well, Allistor was unsure, and Finn hadn't looked that approving, but still. It was more than he could have ever wished for.

So as Arthur returned to his bedroom, he couldn't swipe the grin off of his face. Strengthened by that feeling that he could take on the world, he sat down and wrote three new songs for The Outcasts. Then he sent Gilbert, Kiku, Lukas and Alfred a text message, and after a long debate he sent one to Francis as well, wishing them all a Merry Christmas.

True, his love might never be returned, but that couldn't get him down today. Nor the fact that Henry was still ignoring him.

Nope. Not today.

xoxox

"Arthur, mon lapin!" cooed a voice.

Arthur groaned. He truly wasn't in the mood to see Francis today. Not only because it was winter break, his supposed time away from the Frenchman, but also because he'd been thinking about the other a lot the past few days and didn't want him to find out.

"You are coming to my New Year's party, right?" Francis purred, leaning heavily on his shoulder.

Arthur gave a non-committing grunt. Too be honest, he'd forgotten all about that party, even though it had become an annual occasion over the years.

Francis bent over and breathed hotly into his ear.

"I will have a little surprise~"

It was only then that Arthur pushed him away, cheeks flaming and scowl deepening.

"Yes, I will be there, happy?! Now, leave me alone!"

Francis smiled and waved.

"Suit yourself, mon cher. But the surprise will be there."

xoxox

Arthur didn't understand. Why wouldn't Kiku let him take of those damnable clothes? Couldn't the Japanese feel the heat as well? Perhaps not. It was inside his body, after all. Running through his veins, setting his blood on fire. His skin felt tingly, and the music pounded in his ears.

He was at Francis' party. He had been talking a bit with Kiku, and then was offered some liquor… And now he was feeling like this. Or, not entirely because of the liquor. He'd felt a little hot and bothered even before that. But the wine had only strengthened the sensations.

"Ah, Francis-san! I think Arthur-san has had a bit too much to drink."

"Do not worry. I will take care of him."

Someone grabbed him gently by the wrist and pulled him off the table. Arthur stumbled against his chest, and two hands found their way to the teen's butt.

"F-Francis?" he managed to utter, frowning.

The incubus chuckled, and Arthur was hit by the bewitching scent of roses and grapes.

"What are you doing?" he grumbled, holding back a gasp when Francis began massaging his butt cheeks. For some reason he felt warm and fuzzy all over, just because of those small movements.

"It seems you have had a lot of wine, mh? How did it taste?"

It was hard to focus when the sex demon breathed hot air into his ear.

"W-what did you put in it?" Arthur growled, hissing when the other let the tip of his tongue flick against an earlobe.

"Not much. But it is a party, right? So I should be allowed to have a little fun. Besides, you would not be affected if you hadn't been feeling a little… excited. It does not work on the pure souls~"

He then looked at Arthur, azure eyes so divine and face so close Arthur could feel the electricity sparking between their skins.

"Arthur, mon lapin. Will you do me the favour? A gift for the new year? I promise you nothing but the highest pleasure. You certainly will not regret it."

And when Arthur felt a hand cup his crotch, all logic left him. He could only feel the heat, the burning desire of several years culminating into a longing that could no longer be ignored. He needed Francis, wanted him so much, wanted to hold him close and never let go. Craved for gentleness and care combined with passion, yearned for those eyes to look at him, only him. It couldn't be any other way.

"Yes…" he whispered, voice shaky with need.

Francis smirked pleasantly, guiding a hand to the small of his back.

"Come."

xoxox

Two bodies stumbled up the stairs, pausing every other step to give each other a sloppy kiss.

They entered the bedroom, fingers tearing at clothes and breaths intermingling as they crushed their mouths together, impatient for what was to come.

They lay on the bed, grinding against each other like horny dogs. Desperate for friction, anything to relieve the burning tension.

Arthur moaned when the other sucked on his neck, teeth grazing his collarbone. A finger was drawing lazy circles around his navel, and he whined. He wanted more, more touches, more sensations, more Francis.

His kisses were heavenly. Too good to be true. Too much, too much…

He was so desperate he asked to be taken dry, but Francis would have none of that. The demon prepared him with care, and it was everything he'd ever hoped for and more.

Finally he entered him, finally they could be one. Slow and steady at first, the demon continuing to ask if he was okay. After a few rushed reassurances and pleas, the other finally picked up the pace, giving in to the moment.

No coherent sounds left his mouth as his hands roamed the other's body. He was burning up, every touch too much to handle.

The movements became faster, more passionate, rougher, more, more, more…

The tension was building, reaching an almost unbearable level. Any moment now…

With a cry he peaked, seeing white as his body snapped taut.

The two fell back upon the mattress, panting and satiated.

Arthur opened his eyes and froze. What had he done?

xoxox

Francis is not a rapist. The drug (or whatever you wanna call it) he used intensifies sexual desire, but it doesn't take away free will. The victim can still choose if he/she wants to act on that desire or not, and Francis would have been totally fine if Arthur had refused him. Incubi get a boost from sex, but the lust Arthur transmitted would've been enough to satisfy him. Only if the victim truly wants to have sex will the drug make them that horny. Hence it working so well on Arthur, since he's been fantasizing about Francis for a very long time now. So again, if the victim doesn't want anything to happen, nothing will happen.

This little rant because I hate people who portray France as a rapist. If anything, he's like the flirty big brother of the bunch. He thinks a bit too much about sex perhaps, but he's said himself that love isn't love if it's forced upon another. His character doesn't deserve the label 'rapist'.

Same-sex marriage is legalized in the United Kingdom, except in Northern Ireland, hence Finn not being okay with it. More and more people are in favour of gay marriage in the Republic of Ireland, so that's why Patrick's fine with it. Allistor is just concerned, being the oldest brother and all. And Scotland was a bit later than England and Wales with introducing the first same-sex marriage ceremony.

Words:

Pas mal: Not bad
Ma belle fleur: My beautiful flower
Konbanwa: Good evening
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier: One, two, three, four