Alfred awkwardly stood in the corner of a living room where the bassline of the music blasted from nearby speakers coursed through his body. Feeling as if he had become one with the intrusive bass waves, he nursed at his soda Charlotte had poured him. Though she had only left his side to use the bathroom real quick, he couldn't help but feel betrayed. His negative feelings coursed through him like the bassline, only boosting his discomfort. He wanted to be anywhere but there.
His eyes wandered around the room, resting on a guy who looked equally as uncomfortable, his ink black hair blowing around from the breeze of the ceiling fan, dark eyes searching for an escape route. Intrigued, Alfred cautiously followed him as he wandered through the house and to the back porch. Fewer people were outside, filling the blond with relief as he took a deep breath of the fresh night air.
"Is there a reason you followed me out here?" the guy asked him in a soft voice, turning around. His facial features betrayed his actual age, making him seem both old and young at the same time. Such an interesting face was something Alfred was sure he'd remember. "You were looking about as uncomfortable as I was. I'm guessing that parties aren't your scene either. Let me guess, you were dragged here by a friend to get over a breakup?"
Blue eyes wide, the teenager gawked at the Asian man before him. "How did you know? It's like you're in my head or something!"
"You know what they say, 'we smell our own'. I'm here for the same reason, only my friend ditched me and is probably at some STD-infested hotel by now." He sighed and sat on the porch swing, staring up at the sky. "You're welcome to sit with me. It's much quieter out here. My name is Kiku, by the way. What's yours?"
Taking Kiku up on his offer, the blond sat down beside him, keeping a respectable amount of distance between them. "I'm Alfred Jones. Don't mind me asking this, but how old are you? I can't really tell, but something says you're not in high school."
"I'm a sophomore at the university down the street," Kiku replied, turning his attention to Alfred. "I'll be twenty in a few months." His brow furrowed a bit as he examined his companion's face. "You look fairly young. I'm going to guess that you're a freshman in high school, somewhere around fifteen?"
Alfred's jaw dropped. "Dude, that's so cool! You're really good at this!" He set his soda down on the porch floor next to the swing. "So you're in college? What are you studying?"
The Asian man looked back up to the sky, forlornly. "I haven't completely figured that one out. My father wants me to be a doctor. My mother wants me to be a lawyer. It's a struggle to choose between which of my parents to please."
"What about what you want to be?"
Kiku's attention snapped back to Alfred as he stared at him, eyes wide. Though it was such an innocent question, he couldn't fathom going to school on his family's money for something that he wanted other than what they wanted. "Ever since I was a child, I wanted to be a veterinarian," he admitted, "but I doubt either of my parents would accept something like that as a career choice for me."
"Why not? It's close enough to a doctor, isn't it?" The blond shrugged his shoulders in a carefree manner, smiling at his companion. "When it comes to saving lives, what does it matter what species they are? No matter what, you'd feel good about yourself at the end of the day. Don't you think having a job that makes you feel that way is what matters in the long run? I mean, why do something that you're not passionate about?"
His hands folded carefully in his lap, Kiku stared down at the wooden flooring of the porch. "Do you really think it's possible to stray from the predetermined path set out for you by your parents?" he finally asked after what felt like an eternity of silence. "It scares me to try. What if they cut my funding for school? It's not like I could pay tuition on my own."
"The thing about life is that it's always a mystery," Alfred replied, a dreamy look in his eyes as he gazed up at the stars. "You never know what's going to happen the next moment. I suppose you could say that every decision you make is a gamble. For every action, there's a reaction, right? Who is to say which path is the correct one unless you go for the one you choose? If you want to be a vet, then I'd say go for it. The only things stopping you is yourself right now."
The Japanese man weighed the blond's words in his mind. Was something like that really so easy? Could he really just choose his own fate like that? "Do you really think I can do it?" Though Kiku was never one for the opinions of strangers, he felt as if Alfred's would be important. After all, this kid had already caused him to think harder than he ever thought he would at some random house party.
"Why would it matter what I think?" Alfred laughed. "If anything, isn't it up to you in the end?"
"Alfie Jones, there you are!" Charlotte stormed out of the house and up to them, crossing her arms over her chest. "I leave your side for one second and you pull a friggin' disappearing act on me?! Who do you think you are?! You had me so worried!"
"Sorry about that, Charlie," he apologized, looking as sympathetic as he could. "I just really needed some air and then got caught up in conversation." With bright eyes, he gestured to the man next to him. "This is Kiku! He goes to the university down the road! We're talking about college degrees!"
She looked down at Kiku, anger quickly dissipating. "Nice to meet you, Kiku. I'm Charlie." Charlotte moved to perch herself on Alfred's knee as she continued speaking. "What are you planning on going to school for?"
Seeing Kiku's shy expression, Alfred spoke up for him. "He's debating whether to be a veterinarian or a lawyer or doctor like his parents want him to be."
Charlotte clicked her tongue in dismay. "That has to be a rough decision. Don't we all want to please our parents? But it also leaves you wondering what could have been if you had followed your dream of what you truly wanted to be. I can see how you're debating it. It's a very difficult decision to make in the end."
Kiku laughed uncomfortably. "It is, isn't it? But I suppose it is mine to make. I just hope I won't end up backing out of it, you know?"
Alfred spent the rest of the party on the back porch, stargazing with Kiku. Before he left, he exchanged numbers with him, promising to text him. As Charlotte slept upon arriving back at her house, Alfred sat next to her in her bed, stalking Kiku on social media and wondering if it would be okay to add him or not.
.
Present Day
"Alfred really does have that effect on others, doesn't he?" Arthur mused, mulling over Kiku's story about the night they had met. "And what do you mean about your meeting not being romantic? I, for one, definitely find stargazing romantic."
Kiku blushed. "The way my husband and I met was definitely more romantic," he quietly told Arthur, causing the blond to smile. "But this isn't about Heracles, it's about Alfred." He seemed deep in thought before saying, "Surely you've noticed the effect that Alfred has on others. Kind of like how his presence demands attention without him having to say a word. He just needs to walk into a room and you know he's there. Perhaps that's why I was drawn to him."
Arthur thought back to when he had first met Alfred and had to admit that Kiku was right. Something about Alfred drew your attention to him whenever he was in the vicinity. It was just that he didn't seem to notice it until it was pointed out to him. Did all of these people he would talk to feel this way about him upon sight? Though he was too young to remember his first on-sight impression of Alfred, he knew that there was no way he could disagree with what Kiku had so plainly stated.
"You're right," he admitted. "Alfred is definitely that kind of person, even back when he was five years old. There was something about him that drew others to him, and it made me wonder why he chose me, of all people, to be his best friend. It was as if he had latched onto me one day at recess and never let go. I've come to find from the people I've spoken with so far on this journey that he still never truly let go of me, even after we stopped speaking to each other. Do you know anything about that?"
The Japanese man smiled knowingly. "You'll just have to find out," he simply said.
.
Two Years Previous
"Texting Kiku?" Charlotte asked, taking her usual set next to Alfred at their lunch table. She smiled at her best friend before loving leaning her head on his shoulder, looking up at him with expectant eyes. "Aren't you glad I dragged your sorry ass to that party?"
Alfred scoffed. "Fine, Charlie. You win. Thank you for dragging my sorry ass to the party. I'm glad I went. There, happy?"
"Music to my ears, Alfie Jones!" she sang before sitting back up and digging into her lunch. "So what are you two talking? Super top secret boy stuff that I can't know about?" Charlotte laughed. "You know, I think he had a thing for you. I mean, who else would sit on the back porch at a party and just talk the night away to a stranger they met?"
His blush went all the way up to his ears as he attempted to shrink behind his phone. Knowing there was no way his reaction to her words would go unnoticed, he decided to give in. "Do you really think so?" he asked, smiling upon receiving a text from Kiku.
Charlotte giggled, watching him. "Think so? I know so, Alfie Jones. Call it women's intuition or something, but I'm really good at these sorts of things. But aren't you worried or something because he's an adult?"
"Worried about what?" Alfred asked, blissfully ignorant to what she was referring to.
She sighed before pushing her diced pears around on her tray before answering. "Ah, nevermind. It appears my mind is getting ahead of me. Just be careful, okay? I don't want you getting your heart broken again." Her eyes shot up to Gilbert, who was sitting across the cafeteria from them. Their eyes met and she glared at him before he got up and left. "You're the type of person who doesn't deserve to be hurt by stupid boys, and I'll make sure that you aren't ever again."