Alfred blinked in surprise once Gilbert had pulled away. He was still able to feel the older boy's lips on his own, accompanied by a slight tingling sensation that was slowly spreading through his body. What was this? He had never kissed a guy before, yet it felt more satisfying than kissing Natalia. What made Gilbert so special?

"I…" His voice trailed off as he tried to think of what to say. "What?" Alfred's confusion clouded him from speaking logically. "Gil, you kissed me," he stupidly stated after a few moments.

Gilbert blushed, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Yeah," he bashfully replied, "I guess I did. I'm sorry, Al. Maybe I shouldn't have."

The other boy blinked in surprise from behind his glasses. "N-No!" he stammered. "T-That's not it, Gil! I just…" Once more, his voice trailed off again as he thought of what he could say to Gilbert about the fact that they had kissed. Should he tell him that he didn't mind it? Or maybe he could tell Gilbert that it felt nice? But would that sound stupid? All of his thoughts conflicted inside of his head until he finally spoke up. "I didn't hate it."

"Yeah?" the albino asked, a smirk playing on his lips. "Then would you be opposed to me doing it again?"

Blue eyes widening with surprise, Alfred chose to speak the truth. "I wouldn't," he decided before closing the gap between himself and the older boy once more with a kiss. Initiating it wasn't nearly as nerve-wracking as he had originally thought it would be. No. Instead of it being nerve-wracking, it felt as if it perfectly fit the moment.

A half hour later, the two had finally made their way back to Charlotte. She looked up at them and frowned. "What took you so long?" she scoffed, accepting her Coke and popcorn from Alfred. "You guys were gone forever."

"You wouldn't believe how long that line was, Charlie," Gilbert groaned, sitting down. He smiled to himself when Alfred sat back down between them. His hand gently covered Alfred's on the cold metal of the stadium bleachers, unseen by the people around them. "It was as if everyone wanted food all at the same time."

Alfred blushed, entwining his fingers with the older boy's. "We had to wait for what felt like forever," he agreed with a sigh. "I mean, we found a way to pass the time and managed, but damn." He felt a gentle squeeze to his hand upon speaking his last comment. "Anyway, enjoy your popcorn."

She giggled. "You're such a sweetheart, Alfie Jones. Of course I'll enjoy it!" Her hand reached up to toss a piece of popcorn into her mouth before she tossed one up toward Alfred as well, who caught it. "Even when you're distracted, you can still catch popcorn in your mouth. I'm impressed."

"Don't doubt my skills, Charlie," Alfred stated, grinning at her. "You know that I'm awesome at what I do."

Charlotte cast him a mischievous glance. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Gil is rubbing off on you. You should be careful with that, Alfie Jones. He's dangerous," she teased.

"Says who, Charlie?" the older boy interrupted, grinning. "You only say I'm dangerous because you're probably in love with me. But then again, who could blame you? I am pretty awesome, as you both know." His grin turned to a devious smirk. "I can't help it that I'm easy to fall for." He gave Alfred's hand a gentle squeeze. "There's just something about me that's more charming than the average men. If I knew what it was, perhaps we could find a way to tone it down. It's both a blessing and a curse."

"Oh, shut up," she laughed, redirecting her attention back to the football game. "We're in the third quarter, and I want to see how this plays out."

.

Present Day

"Full of yourself much?" Arthur laughed, crossing his arms over his chest. "With that much confidence in yourself, you could do anything in life."

"That's what I used to think as well," the albino sighed. "But I suppose that's not how life truly works. Life happens, whether we like it or not. Our dreams remain dreams, and we end up working some dead-end job in a gas station after losing sight of what's important to us, you know? Love affairs come and go after you lose what you believe to be the greatest love of your life. Someone new and amazing comes along and makes you want to be better, but then they give up on you and tell you that you have no future if you remain as you are. And even once you're all alone, life goes on, Arthur." He sighed, seeming lost in his thoughts. "Yet you always find yourself desperately reaching back to the days before things went wrong, wondering if there was anything you could have done to change how your life is going today."

Unsure of how to respond to such a personal admission, the blond sat in silence for a moment, processing Gilbert's words. "Do you miss Alfred?" he slowly asked after what felt like hours, though it wasn't longer than a minute.

"All the time," the other replied. "Sometimes I just spend my days wondering if there was anything I could have done to make things work out differently or in my favor. But then I realized it wouldn't have worked out no matter what I did. Al and I were completely different people with completely different goals in life. Besides, no matter how desperate I was to make things work between us, I wasn't you."

Arthur felt his stomach sink at Gilbert's words. Deep inside, he wondered how painful it must be for him to be in the other's home. How must Gilbert feel to be in the same room as the seemingly only recipient of the affection of the man he loved? To him, his presence didn't seem right. Then again, it didn't seem right in Natalia's home either. Was him being there to hear their stories of lost love really okay, especially with him being the only person the one they loved ever seemed to care about? What was Alfred thinking with all of this?

"Gilbert," he softly began, "maybe I should head out for the night. I still have to book my hotel room." He rose from his seat and suddenly felt Gilbert grab his hand. "What is it? Are you alright?"

"I don't know how to say this without sounding forward or as if I have a hidden ulterior motive, but please stay here tonight. It'll save you money, and maybe I won't feel as depressed if there's someone else here. I don't want to creep you out, though." Gilbert's eyes pleaded with him, almost as if he were desperate for his company. "Yet if you are not comfortable with it, please know you don't have to."

For a moment, Arthur felt torn. Though he didn't know Gilbert very well, something inside of him wouldn't let him leave. "If you really want me to, I'll stay. Though I don't know what's going on with you, I can't bring myself to leave you alone when you seem as if you need the company."

Humbled by Arthur's kindness, Gilbert bowed his head. "Thanks, Arthur," he quietly said. "While I know that you don't know me well, trust Al on this. If I was a danger to you, he wouldn't have had you come to talk to me." He took a deep breath. "That said, would you like dinner? I can't cook much, but what I can cook is almost as awesome as me."

The blond smiled. "Yeah, Gil," he said, "I'd like that. Thank you." He pulled his phone out of his pocket. "If you'll excuse me, I need to check in with the people back home."

"By all means," the other happily replied. "You can step into the office. Down the hallway, second door on the right. It's comfortable in there. I'll get started on dinner."

"Thank you, Gilbert. I appreciate it." He made his way down the hall and ended up in a neat and tidy office. Sitting on the small love seat, he dialed up his mother's number and told her of his sleeping arrangements for the night. Yet when he hung up and prepared to call Elizaveta, he paused. Did he really want to talk to her? Then again, he knew she would be angry if he didn't call. Holding his breath, he pressed the call button next to her name.

"I was afraid that you wouldn't call," Elizaveta softly said upon picking up her phone. "Our last conversation didn't end so well. I was emotional, and I said some things that I probably shouldn't have."

"You only said what I deserved to hear," he replied, smiling to himself. Arthur felt relieved to know that his girlfriend wasn't mad at him.

"How's your search going?" she asked. There was a creaking in the background, which meant she was sitting down on her bed to talk. "Have you met anyone else?"

"Yeah, I'm currently in the home of another of Alfred's friends. He's making dinner right now, so I went to his home office to call you. His name is Gil. I feel you would get along with him. He's a really nice guy. I believe he's just misunderstood."

"You've always had a kind heart," Elizaveta dreamily replied. "I think that's why I fell in love with you, Arthur." She was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry that I wasn't supportive of this from the get-go. I guess I was just confused and hurt. But now that I think about it, you didn't get the closure you needed when it came to your best friend. You've always supported me when it came to my friends, and now it's my turn to support you. Please check in with me when you can."

"You know I will," Arthur replied, smiling softly. "And thank you, Liz. Knowing that I have your support will make things much easier."

"It's what I should've done all along," she replied with a self-deprecating laugh. "I'll let you go now, though. You should probably hang out with the man cooking you food." After a moment, she softly said, "I love you, Arthur."

He blushed and smiled to himself. "I love you too, Liz. I'll call you later tonight, okay?" Upon hanging up, he sat for a moment, thinking about how lucky he was to have a girlfriend like her. Then, collecting himself, he went back out to enjoy the dinner that Gilbert had made.