After chemistry, Emil pulled out his schedule and let Leon look over it. The Cantonese boy's brown eyes scanned over the paper as a wide smirk crossed his face before he handed it back.

"What's that smirk for?" Emil asked, blinking in surprise. He had never seen such a devilish look on anyone's face before. His violet eyes drifted down to his schedule to find that he had Spanish class next. "Do you have Spanish with me?"

"The whole gang has Spanish together," Leon said with a chuckle, "including you." He rubbed his hands together menacingly. "And it's a Monday!" His gaze wandered over to Emil. "Let me explain a few things to you. Yong-Soo and I started it, but now the whole class does it. Three days out of the week, we annoy our teacher. Those days are Mournful Monday, No-Eye-Contact Tuesday, and Fearful Friday. On Mournful Monday, we literally whine over everything she says to us. No-Eye-Contact Tuesday involves us staring at her forehead when we talk to her. But Fearful Friday is my favorite. We literally act like everything she does is a jump scare. Neo is hilarious on Fearful Fridays!" He winked at Emil. "You going to join us?"

Emil thought it over for a moment. "That would be hilarious! I'm definitely in!"

Leon held up his hand for a high-five. "This is going to be pretty bitchin'!" he told his new best friend. "I have a feeling that you're going to make a great new partner in crime! Even better than Yong-Soo ever was!"

The Icelandic boy slapped his palm against Leon's. "Let's do this," he said, smirking. He then looked at his schedule once more. "Now, where is the Spanish room?"

The other boy laughed and threw his arm around Emil's shoulder. "Come on, follow me. I'll get you there in no time."

.

"Buenos dias, clase," Señorita Garcia greeted, smiling to her class. "Today we have a new student. His name is Emil. Would you please stand, Emil, and greet your class?"

Emil took half a second to glance over at Leon, who was sitting next to him, before holding his head in his hands and whining, "But why?" He almost smirked when he saw the look on his teacher's face as the rest of the class snickered quietly.

Señorita Garcia held her breath for a moment before responding to Emil. "I assume you've heard of Mournful Monday, then?" she asked Emil, placing a hand on her forehead. "Emil, you seem to be a bright kid. Why would you ever want to participate in something like that?"

"Why are you accusing me of things? It's my first day!" Emil whined before burying his head in his arms.

Leon raised his hand, proud of his friend's performance. "Sirta, if I may say something," he said, getting his teacher's attention. "Why are you picking on the new kid like that? I think he's shy or something." He reached over and poked Emil's arm, turning back to his teacher when the Icelandic boy didn't budge. "Now he's humiliated and thinks you hate him, Sirta! How could you be so cruel?!"

"For the last time, it's Señorita Garcia, not Sirta!" she snapped at him, flicking her dark curls behind her shoulder. "And I'm not picking on him, I was just asking him a question because I saw him sitting with you at lunch, Leon."

Lilli then raised her hand from the back corner of the classroom. "Sirta, that's not very nice," she softly said, voice barely heard by her teacher. "Are you stereotyping my friend by calling him a troublesome person? Because I don't think Emil would be the type of person who would let someone influence him so easily. You know he just moved here from Iceland. Maybe he really is just mournful all on his own."

Emil then raised his head. "Why are you all being so mean to me?" he mournfully asked.

Mei Xiao reached over from her desk on the other side of Emil and grabbed his hand. "Don't worry, Emil," she softly said. "We're not all like Sirta." She flashed him a small smile when he looked over at her. She was the girl from the lunch table who was too busy talking to her boyfriend to talk earlier. "A lot of us are actually nice people."

Emil pretended to be choked up as he asked, "Really?" He sneaked her a discreet wink that the teacher couldn't see as he pretended to sniffle a little. "You're so nice, Mei."

"What about me?" Leon whined, joining in on the Mournful Monday. "I stood up for you first!"

"Everyone is ignoring what I said!" Lilli wailed from the back of the room, even managing to produce watery eyes.

"Enough!" Señorita Garcia called out to her class. "I've had enough of your hijinks! I know you have all gotten the new student in on your tricks in this class!" Her face was turning a deep red. "How could you do this to a bright young man with such a bright future?"

"It's not like we murdered him or something!" Lilli wailed from the back of the class. "Why is it such a big deal?! Don't call my brother! Please don't call Vash! I'll be good!"

The rest of the class was trying to hold in their laughter as their teacher fumed at the front. They knew that she was struggling not to lose her cool, but were all anticipating the moment she would start yelling at Leon.

Señorita Garcia counted to ten in her head before responding to Lilli. "No one said anything about calling your brother," she softly answered. "We wouldn't do that unless if you specifically acted out in class or became threatening."

"Lilli? Threatening?" Yong-Soo scoffed. "How could Tiny Tits over there be threatening?" He began to laugh as he looked over at the blonde girl in the back of the classroom. "The only threatening one is Natalia."

That was when Natalia finally looked up from the homework she had been doing the whole time. "What about me?" she asked, looking up at Yong-Soo.

"Nothing," he quickly said, looking away. "Sirta, why can't we just continue with class?" he whined. "I came here to learn! I wanna learn!"

And that was when Emil knew for sure that he had found the perfect friend group for him.

.

When Emil walked in the front door when he got home, he was instantly greeted by Lukas and Mathias, who were eager to know how his first day went. He was so surprised that he almost shouted out in surprise, having just walked through the door to be accosted by his brother and brother-in-law. His mind was racing at a mile a minute.

"Did you think it would be a bad day or something?" Emil asked them, sitting at the dining room table and pulling out his homework. "It went rather well. I ended up making a lot of friends and they included me in everything they did. There. Happy?"

"Now, did that really happen, or did you just make all of that up?" Lukas asked him, sitting across from his younger brother. He cast Emil a quizzical look. "I've heard that you're good with stories when you don't want people to think there is something wrong."

Mathias put his hands on Lukas's shoulders as he stood behind him. "We only ask because we are concerned, you know," he stated.

"Why would I lie to you when I just got here?" Emil asked. "Lying comes further down the road. I thought you knew that." He rolled his eyes as his phone went off, signalling a text message. "If you don't believe me, that was one of them just now, texting me." His hand went to his phone and pulled it out of his pocket before checking it. The text was from Leon.

"Hey, what do you say about a study session at Nat's? Lol she's a nerd, so I know we will pass all of our tests!"

"They want me to go and study with them since I didn't exactly understand the material today," Emil said, looking up from his phone. "Natalia is really smart, so she can help me."

Lukas exchanged a look with his husband. "Study. Right," he sarcastically responded. "That's what they want you to think it is. If we let you go, your homework better be complete when you get back. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly," the younger brother answered with a nod. He put his homework back in his bag and texted Leon back, asking where they would be meeting. The only thing he thought was weird about the text back was that he was asked to bring his toothbrush but not let his brother know. Being in no position to ignore their odd request, he put his toothbrush in his bag on his way out the door.

.

Emil realized that he lived about four blocks from Natalia when it all came down to it. He didn't mind that at all. It didn't give him too bothersome of a time to get there. But as he stood outside of the house, he felt nervous, hoping that someone else would walk up soon. He didn't like the idea of standing outside of someone's house, and just the thought of ringing the doorbell and having someone he didn't know answer made his stomach turn.

The door suddenly opened and Leon stood there with a wide grin on his face. "Emil!" he called out. "Come on in! We're just cracking open the books right now!"

"Yeah, the books!" Yong-Soo called from inside, laughing loudly. "Some nice, colorful books!"

Leon rolled his eyes. "People can hear you, Yong-Soo," he sighed. His gaze then went back to Emil. "You don't have to keep standing there, you know. We know you're here. Come on in, Emil. There's nothing to be scared of or anything. Nat's parents aren't home, so you don't have to worry about that."

Emil slowly moved forward. He could tell that there was something a little off about Leon, but he just couldn't quite tell what it was. Leon was just as friendly as he always was, but something just seemed strange about the way he held himself, as if he were overconfident about something.

Lilli suddenly poked her head in the doorway and giggled. "Emil! You're here! Come on in! It's just the gang here!" She smiled, giggling once more. "Now that you're here, our friend group is complete!" Her head disappeared as she wandered back into the house.

"Can I talk to you really quick before we go in there?" Emil asked, motioning for Leon to come to him. He really hoped that Leon wouldn't make that big of a deal out of talking.

Leon shut the door, coming out onto the sidewalk to meet up with Emil. Only then did Emil smell the alcohol on his breath. It was mixed with some sort of berry flavor as well, so Emil didn't have much of a problem with the smell as Leon said, "What is it, Emil?"

"Are you guys drinking?" the Icelandic teen whispered to his friend.

"Well duh," the other boy laughed. "Don't worry, we're responsible, though. That's why we're staying inside and brushing out teeth afterwards. No one will know."

"So that's why you told me to bring a toothbrush," Emil thought aloud. He thought it over for a moment. He knew that Lukas would be furious if he knew that Emil was illegally drinking, but didn't he want his younger brother to make friends. "Okay," he decided. "Then let's go inside."

Leon smirked at him. "I knew you wouldn't bail on us," he said. "You're definitely someone that I can count on." He clapped a hand on Emil's shoulder. "Now, things may get a little intense in there, but what happens at Nat's stays at Nat's. Got it?"

Emil nodded. "Yeah, I understand."

"Good," the other boy said, grinning. "Then let's get going." He led the way to the front door and led Emil into a beautiful house where a group of teenagers was gathered on the floor in the living room.

"I only have one problem," Emil said, clutching his backpack straps in his hand. "My brother said my homework has to be finished by the time I get home."

"Not a problem at all. Neo failed this class last year and still remembers all the answers," Leon said. "He has a photographic memory. All he has to do is forge your handwriting, and you're good." He waved over the boy with the asymmetrical haircut. "Neo, Emil needs the answers to the homework. Think you can help out?"

Neoklis cracked his knuckles with a wide grin on his face. "Oh, can I?" he asked as if accepting a great challenge. He held out his hand for the Icelandic boy's backpack. "I've got you, Emil. Your homework will be done by the time you leave, guaranteed. You can trust me on this. And don't worry, the first time is always free." He winked a green eye at Emil as he handed over his backpack. "See you around." Neoklis then took Raivis by the hand and disappeared into a room down the hall.

"Are you sure I can trust him with that?" Emil asked, staring at the door Neoklis shut after himself and Raivis.

Leon began to laugh once more. "Trust me, Neo is the best forger of all of us. You can count on him. And he's always good to his word." He nodded toward the circle the others were sitting in. "Now come on."

Emil followed Leon and sat next to him in the empty spots in the circle. He didn't exactly know what he was supposed to be doing there. Within moments there was a freshly-opened bottle of raspberry Smirnoff in his hand. He decided to take a sip and smiled as the tangy, almost-sour liquid touched his lips. It had a kick to it that he appreciated. "This shit's good," he commented after swallowing.

"I'm glad you like it!" Lilli said over the laughter of everyone else in the circle. "Mei provided the drinks this time." She winked over at the Taiwanese girl across the circle from her, but Mei couldn't see, too busy making out with Max. Lilli waved it off and smiled at Emil. "It's pretty popular among us."

"Let's play Truth or Dare!" Laura giggled, clinging to Yong-Soo's arm as if she would fall over without him, even though he looked about to topple over himself, leaving Emil to wonder how long they all had been drinking before he got there.

"Yeah!" Lilli chimed in. "Let's do that!" She looked around the circle and her eyes rested on Mei. "Mei! Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Mei said, pulling away from her blond boyfriend. Her hand still gripped his tightly, though. It made Emil wonder how long it really had been since they had seen each other.

"Kiss Laura," Lilli giggled.

Mei shrugged noncommittally and pressed her lips to her friend's before going back to sitting next to Max. She then eyed Leon. "Li, truth or dare?"

Leon sighed. "I told you not to call me by my Cantonese name," he said. "And I pick dare."

The Taiwanese girl giggled at Leon's scolding and thought for a moment before turning to Emil. "I dare you to kiss Emil, as an initiation to our group of friends."

Emil's eyes widened. What was going on? He was going to get kissed?! By Leon?! This was all happening too soon! Sure, he wouldn't mind kissing him, but shouldn't they get to know each other a little better first?

"And it has to be a good kiss," Mei told Leon with a wink. "If it's not to my liking, I'll make you do it again and again until you get it right."

"Christ, you girls and your yaoi. You can all just blow me," Leon groaned. He turned to Emil. "Sorry, bro," he said before pressing his lips to his.

Emil couldn't even begin to describe the sensation he was feeling with Leon's soft lips against his. He could feel his face heating up as Leon brought a hand up to his cheek and stroked it, his tongue gently poking at Emil's closed lips. Should he open them? Was that what Leon wanted him to do? He wouldn't want Leon to have to redo his dare because of him, so he slowly opened his mouth enough for Leon to French kiss him.

When Leon pulled away, he chuckled to himself. "Sorry about that, Emil," he said. His face was bright red, and Emil found it funny that neither of them couldn't stop laughing. "You know how girls are, though. They want what they want."

Laura, Lilli, Natalia, and Mei were all cheering for Leon and Emil with interjections of "I ship it!" and "That was so cute!" and things of the like. Emil didn't know whether to feel satisfied or embarrassed, so he went back to nursing his bottle of raspberry Smirnoff, secretly hoping that they would dare him and Leon to kiss again.

.

That night as Emil walked home, he thought about the game of Truth or Dare that he had played. It was his first time ever playing it, and he had kissed everyone in that circle, including Yong-Soo and Max. Though it was awkward to him at first, he did it. No kiss felt the same as Leon's, though. Nothing else could ever feel that magical and perfect.

He walked into the door of the apartment he lived in and went to his room to lie down. What a great night! His mind reflected over the three times he had made out with Leon that night over dares. It made him wonder if Leon felt the same attraction that he felt.

Lukas opened the door. "Tuckered out from studying?" he asked, walking in and sitting on the edge of Emil's bed. "Let me see your homework."

Emil picked up his backpack and pulled out his homework sheets. Just like Neoklis had promised, he did everything in Emil's handwriting. It was so perfect that Emil was astonished and wanted to know how to ever repay him. When Neoklis stated his suggestion, Emil blushed and Leon walked him to the door.

"Good job," Lukas complimented. "I'm glad that you've made some friends who really care about their grades, Emil. Looks like you've got yourself a good crowd to be friends with. I'm proud of you."

The younger brother refused to let his older brother's words register in his mind, knowing that he would instantly feel quilty. Instead, he yawned and said, "Thank you. I'm really tired, though. Mind if I head to bed early?"

"By all means," the older brother answered, standing up. He patted Emil's head. "You're a good kid, Emil. I hope you know that." He then left the room, closing the door after him.

If I was really a good kid, would I drink with my friends while one slaved away in the other room to forge my homework? Emil thought to himself. No, I'm a good kid. I have to believe that. I'm a good kid.

His thoughts then drifted back to Leon once more. He could still feel Leon's lips on his, smiling to himself. It was a wonderful feeling. There was nothing he wanted more than to have Leon kiss him like that again.

Then a thought occurred to him. Had he fallen for Leon? He really hoped not. That would complicate things a lot. Also, how could he fall for someone so fast? It didn't make any sense to him at all. People don't fall in love that fast, and if they do, then something is obviously wrong with them, right?

He thought about Lukas and Mathias. They had fallen in love almost instantly from what Mathias had said. Could that be how he and Leon would be?

Could Leon save Emil from his inner demons and the monsters that dwelled deep inside of him? Would Leon love him if he knew what Emil was really like? Did Leon even care about him, or did those kisses fall under "what happens at Nat's stays at Nat's"?

Emil had no idea how he would ever get any sleep that night if he kept thinking like that. All he knew was that he needed to find some way to see how Leon felt about him, and he needed a plan before Tuesday.