... And I Fell For You

"You sure you don't want me to call in sick again?"

Gilbert had spent the last half an hour just wandering around the house, opening the door but then pretending he forgot something and never actually leaving. He was already dressed and ready, but still he stayed at home, in hopes of some miracle… or persuading Matthew to let him stay.

"Oh come on, you got off work yesterday too. They'll start to get suspicious"

"I have friends there who can cover me up. They'll say they visited me and saw me still a bit under the weather, or something. The perfect alibi"

Perks of having your best friends as your co-workers, I guess. But it was kind of a pain in the ass, sometimes. He once had to pretend he had a broken leg, stitches and all, just so Antonio could spend a romantic weekend at Rome with his boyfriend.

Oh, who am I kidding, I enjoyed every second of it.

"Stop believing you're in a spy movie and go"

"But I don't want to leave you aloooooooone…"

"Be honest. What you don't want is to go to work"

True. He didn't want to go at all. But that wasn't the only reason.

He truly didn't want to leave the other alone. He was one to learn from his mistakes, and the last time he left showed him what could happen if you leave someone who has just got out of a break-up alone. And he surely didn't want to repeat the experience again.

He looked a lot better than the previous day, that was certain, but… he wasn't sure if he could trust him yet.

And hey, if that involved staying at home, who was him to refuse the offer?

"Okay, so maybe it's a bit over that. But still, I don't want to leave you"

"I will be okay" Matthew pushed him to the door.

"You said that last time."

"No seriously. Look at that. I have Kuma… kuma-something… don't laugh! I will remember it someday! Anyway, so I have the puppy to give me company, popcorn, a huge amount of chocolate ice cream, and Alfred lent me some movies. I'll be entertained."

"Which movies?"

"Alfred just took the '10 moves to see after a breakup' list and rented all of them"

Believe it or not, he even printed the list and went ticking each title one by one. Overprotective? Maybe, but he knew how to take care of a brother.

"But I want to see them too!"

Matthew raised an eyebrow, suspiciously, an idea already forming in his mind.

"Really… would you survive Bridget Jones's Diary?"

Gilbert paled, and he looked suddenly nervous. He looked at the watch for a brief moment and pretended to be shocked.

"If you excuse me, I'm already a bit late. So I guess I'll be going…"

Works every time.

"… So I thought"

"I'll call you when I get the time, just to check."

"Fiiiine… but really, I'll be okay. My brother will probably show up at some point or another, too."

"Didn't he say he was taking this morning's plane?"

Yeah, he actually said that he was leaving today, and in fact he did take a taxi to the airport. But, being Alfred…

"You obviously don't know him. He'll be around. Really, stop worrying. Now go, or apart from Bridget Jones you're seeing Moulin Rouge too"

Like a miracle. Two seconds later, Gilbert was already out.

"Bye! I'll come back soon!"

And he left.

Really, I don't understand why nobody wants to see them. They're good movies! Maybe a bit corny but… hey!

He closed the door slowly, and sighed. He was alone now. And had all day for himself… oh, boy, sounded like a nice plan for him…

He put on his pajamas, took out the ice cream from the fridge, and turned the TV on.

After a few minutes, he was already screaming at the screen.

"Oh come on! Are you kidding me? How can you not realize you are in love? I mean, look at him! And look at you! You have been rejected by your crush, your heart has just been broken, and he was there the whole time! IT'S SO OBVIOUS!"

And it suddenly struck him.

Oh, Mattie, Mattie, what have you gotten yourself into…

Gilbert. Oh fuck, it was Gilbert the whole time.

Fair skin, light blond…near white hair, tall and lean… He does look like your type, doesn't he? Does he remind you of somebody? Maybe your high school crush, who you were too shy to ask out… until he was happily going out with your brother? But still, their personalities are exact opposites… aren't they? He kinda acts like… your ex, maybe?

And still no, he doesn't.

Yeah, he can be quite self-centered sometimes, a bit arrogant maybe… but it is just a façade. You have seen his real self. Up there, on the rooftop. You have seen him bare his soul… he cares. He cares for you. He really does. He comforted you when you thought no one could. He hates to see you cry. He does his best to make you happy. He isn't perfect, but…

He felt his face go red. Thank God no one else was home… Where was the common sense when one needed it?

Oh, come on. Comparing him to your first crush and to your ex. Are you REALLY taking this seriously?

Thanks! There it was!

God, do you hear how stupid you sound? It's like a schoolgirl's first crush! You barely know the guy. You've been together… 72 hours? And yet you're already head over heels with him. You had never talked to him before, but he says a few nice things to you and you already fall that hard. Totally like a teenager. Should we make a folder, with a collage of his photos or something like that? Would you ask him an autograph? Print some posters? Start a fandom on Tumblr?

No no. Don't answer that question. I prefer not to know the answer.

No, but seriously, doesn't this look like a rebound? You just ended a long-term relationship… and not 3 days later, you find the man of your life? Really? Are you insane?

It's all about revenge, isn't it?

Do you want to be the one who won the break-up? Do you want to show your ex how 'okay' you are? Please don't do this.

No, of course it wasn't a rebound. As a matter of fact, he found out that he didn't think about Carlos that much when he was with him. He had that special way to make him laugh, to make him forget all his problems… he discovered that he was happier when Gilbert was around.

And that set off all his mental alarms.

Or maybe… no no, please don't tell me it's even deeper. Matt, I am asking this seriously, and I want an honest answer… have you already fallen in love with him? This soon?

He found himself unable to answer to his own inner voice, and that was enough of an answer.

Turn the TV off, you have seen way too many movies. No more Jennifer Aniston for you, young boy.

Now listen to me. Love at first sight. Does. Not. Exist. It is okay in movies, but not in the real life. You can't be in love with him if you don't know him for…at least a week. Hell, it takes people MONTHS to realize they love somebody!

It took him several months to accept the fact that he was in love in all of his previous relationships. Not that they were a good example either, seeing as they all ended up quite badly…

And, to top it off, Gilbert seemed to be different from all the guys he had met so far. There was something in him… something special, that made him stand among the rest. And he would be lying if he said he didn't find himself staring at him for a longer time than necessary sometimes.

Yeah, I know… he is REALLY attractive. I mean, have you seen him? He's fucking gorgeous! He could work as a model if he wanted to. He looks lean, but not too muscled. Just the right amount of… and will he have a six pack? He sooo does… GOD, HORMONES, WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME?

Worst part? He knows he's attractive. He knows the effect he has on other human beings. And he takes FULL ADVANTAGE of it. Man, I bet he's the kind of guy who sleeps naked… NOT THAT YOU'LL CHECK THAT, OR ANYTHING. SERIOUSLY MATTIE, YOUR COMMON SENSE TALKING HERE. THAT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. DON'T DO IT. JUST DON'T.

Still, one could fantasize, couldn't he? It won't hurt…

DON'T!

He could literary feel his common sense banging its head against the inner walls of his brain. And it hurt. Quite a lot.

I TREATED YOU SO NICELY… I MADE YOU PASS YOUR EXAMS! I GOT YOU GOOD GRADES! I TRIED TO WARN YOU WHENEVER YOUR HEART IS ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING STUPID! LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, NOW! DON'T YOU THINK I DESERVE SOME NORMAL TOPICS TO THINK ABOUT, AT LEAST?

He was right. Nothing to say about that. But… he happened to find the second most lovesick fool in the city.

I would pass it off as nothing… but it isn't just that you find him hot, is it?

You also find him endearing… Fuck, Mattie, don't do this to me.

Because, even if he could sometimes be annoying, Matthew discovered Gilbert was not so difficult to put up with as he initially thought.

He enjoyed spending time with him. His laughs were not faked when Gilbert told those puns, even if they were horrible and should be banned. He came to appreciate the lack of humility from the other, because that meant that, when he complimented Matthew, it was absolutely sincere.

He…even… enjoyed… arguing with the man. He just pretended not to, Gilbert's ego was big enough already. But it was a good company, and he… he had fun.

He is a bit of a show-off sometimes, but he also seems to be quite sweet if he wants to. And even if he pretends to hate romantic comedies, I'm sure he has seen all of them. I bet he is a cuddler, too…

NO. TOTALLY NOT THINKING ABOUT CUDDLING WITH HIM UNDER A BLANKET. YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR, KID.

Okay. So fantasizing about your roommates' body? That was fine. He was human, and Gilbert hot, after all.

But… fantasizing about cuddling with him on a rainy Sunday morning? RED ALERT. CRUSH INCOMING. AND THE LITTLE DETAILS OF THE RAIN AND COLD DID NOTHING BUT HELP TO PROVE THE POINT.

Now, let's be realistic, shall we?

You don't even know if he's gay. He could be as straight as an arrow for all you know. And, if it turns out he likes boobs as much as… I can't believe I'm actually saying this… as much as you like him, what will you do then?

And if he DOES like dudes… he might not like you.

God bless optimism. And god bless self-esteem, too.

I'll just sit here and go all 'Told ya" Don't expect any help from my part. Because, guess what?

TOLD YA.

But, overall, in the battle brain vs. heart, there was a clear winner.

TELL ME YOU ARE NOT SERIOUSLY WONDERING THIS. TELL ME WE ARE NOT HAVING THIS CONVERSATION.

They were. Poor common sense couldn't take it much longer.

You know what? Screw it. There's no point in pretending it isn't true. I'm not even bothering to try and cover it up. You're already head over heels. You're so deep in love I can't even see you anymore. And I'm leaving now. I will not take part in this. This is madness.

He couldn't help but think:

Madness? Madness? This. Is. Sparta!

And he giggled for a bit, only to be scolded.

Oh, don't you dare change the topic. Don't run away with a classic reference to a movie. And, now that you speak about 300, and Spartans… face the truth like a man. You have fallen for your new roommate, which you have just recently met. Now deal with the consequences. And excuse me while I get the fuck out of here.

Call me when you come to your senses again.

I wish you luck, you'll certainly need it.

That made him come back to reality.

He realized the movie was still on, and he had been starting at it the whole time, without paying any attention. So he just kept watching it absent-mindedly.

If he wanted his sanity to be intact, he had to get things clear:

Okay, so, first of all, he was fairly sure of:

1. He had just gotten out of a long-term relationship, and he was in love again.

2. With his new roommate

3. Which he had just met

4. And didn't know if he liked him back

5. Or if he was even gay in the first place.

6. And to top it off, it wasn't a rebound.

7. Like, a serious crush over there.

8. And he had to see him 24/7

9. Without looking like a fool

He took Kuma in his arms, and started petting him, just to feel he hadn't gone completely crazy.

Then the phone rang, and he had to struggle to answer it without sacrifying his comfortable position.

"Hey! Birdiee!"

No, his heart did not skip a beat when he heard the nickname. He was perfectly calm, and it did NOT affect him in any way…

… Oh come on, who are we kidding.

"Hey…" he answered.

"Are you okay? You... you are not crying, aren´t you? Tell me you aren't"

"No… I am okay r-really. So… m-much work there?"

No, he just went to the office to make paper planes. And that wasn't the lamest excuse for a conversation I've ever seen. Seriously, if you don't want to wear a neon sign around him yelling 'I love you', you will have to work on this, kid.

"Yeah, in fact I have a meeting soon. But let's see if I can pass the buck to someone else and get home earlier."

No. He was not getting infatuated by… let's face it; he was not in denial anymore. He was getting infatuated by the thought of his roommate coming home.

"Well Birdie" No, not that again. If I blush over the phone when you call me that, what will I do when you are in front of me? "I have to go now. See you later!"

"S-see you. Bye!"

That… was… the most awkward conversation he had ever had.

And they were roommates, they would have to see each other, and have conversations like that… pretty much every day.

He looked at the dog. It looked back and licked his owner's hand, as if he understood.

"I am screwed, aren't I?" he muttered.

But the dog just kept staring at him.

Honestly, what was I expecting? Advice from a dog? Love really does make people crazy.

"Hey, let's be positive, at least I skipped the denial phase"

Once again, there was no answer whatsoever. Which was a good signal, really, along with the fact that none of them were floating. At least laws of Physics and Nature still worked, good pillars to lean on when the rest of your world seems to have gone completely mad.

A/N: Okay, so it is getting pretty difficult to upload here. So maybe I can't add a new chapter weekly, but I will try. Anyway... I was re-reading the reviews today and... Yeah, "Satan's favorite porn writers" really suits us well.

... Aaaaand the list got reaaaally messed up. Last time I upload from a tablet. Corrected now.

Reviews are my Internet cookies!