Once clean and dried off, Arthur sat back down on Gilbert's couch, ready to hear more. One question had been digging at his brain for too long for him to hold back from asking it any longer. "Did you and Alfred ever date?" he blurted out, realizing that it sounded more accusatory than anything once the words left his lips.

Gilbert chuckled to himself. "You really waste no time, do you?" he teased, smiling. "But I'll answer your question. Yes, we dated. But Alfred was special to me. We never did anything beyond kissing when we dated because he just seemed too pure, I guess." He shrugged. "I know that I could've easily slept with him if I really wanted to, but something about his innocence was too sacred for me to try. He was a diamond in the rough, and I'd be damned if I sullied him with myself."

"Do you really dislike yourself that much?" the blond slowly asked. "All you do is bag on yourself. Have you always been like this? I recall you being quite confident in the story you're telling me. What ever happened to that Gil?"

Red pupils focused on the floor, the other man sighed. "He never existed. I just talked big, and I think Alfred knew that." He took a deep breath. "That's why I broke up with him a month after we started dating." Gilbert chuckled self-deprecatingly, his smile more one of pain than laughter. "You were all he talked about, Arthur. How could I ever compare to someone so great?"

"It appears I've only caused misery or trouble in the lives of Alfred's friends," Arthur sighed, feeling dejected. "It must be painful for you to be talking to me. I hate that it's come to this. Why would Alfred make you do this? Doesn't he care that it may be hurting all of you to tell me these things?" He frowned. "You all think so highly of him, but he doesn't sound like he's that great of a friend to you if you have to do these things."

"I don't think it's so much as him being a bad friend to us," the other slowly replied, thinking it over. "If you ask me, I think he wants to see what kind of person you've become, you know? Like, if you listen to all of us and make your way to him, he'll know he was always right about you."

"While that may be true, what about the people who have to relive painful memories? It's obviously so hard for you to talk to me about all of this. And I don't want to hear some bullshit like, 'If it's for Alfred, it's okay,' because it's not! It's not okay, Gilbert! Him asking all of you to do this is selfish and cruel! Why can't any of you see that? If he wants to tell me something, I'd rather he face me like a man and tell me himself instead of torturing those who loved him. I don't care what you all think of him; he sounds like he's become a jerk."

Gilbert frowned sadly. "I don't know his true intentions either, Arthur," he admitted. "I'm just doing what was asked of me. You know, I've been expecting you for awhile now, but now that you're actually here it's hard for me to remember everything. It's almost like a form of stage fright. Originally, I was going to be harsh and brutal about it after hearing about the falling out between you two, but now I'm not so sure about anything. You seem like a nice guy, and I almost want to believe that the fallout was a misunderstanding between you two, but once things were said they couldn't be taken back. It's obvious that the fallout hurt both of you, but all we were ever told was Al's side of it. And the worst part was that it wasn't even Al himself who told us anything. It was Toris who passed it along. He's even the one who told us Al's plan for if you were to try to reach out. In all honesty, I haven't spoken to Al since we broke up."

"Wait, but he's not even friends with Toris, is he?" Arthur asked, confused. "I thought they got in a fight over Natalia."

"That's not the end of the story," the albino sighed. "Toris weaseled his way back into Al's life, which I'm sure you'll hear about later on. I'm only supposed to tell you what I had to do with everything. After all, it was made clear that my portion was crucial since it was Al's 'Gay Awakening' or whatever." He rolled his eyes. "Fuck Toris, man."

"I don't really like the sound of this Toris fellow."

"None of us do," Gilbert sighed. "We all wonder why Al even likes him. Then again, before I met you, I thought the same about you. But Toris is different. After all, I went to school with the little prick." He groaned. "Enough about him. He pisses me off. I suppose that I should tell you the rest today. After all, that's why you're here." His voice became quieter as he added, "And then you'll be on your way."

Arthur sat there in silence. What was there to say? Was this just some elaborate plan that Toris came up with? Was Toris the one keeping him from meeting up with Alfred? Or was it really Alfred pulling the strings behind Toris? It made him wonder what was the truth behind this whole wild goose chase.

"Very well," the blond finally replied after a moment. "Please continue your story."

.

Three Years Previous

After having put a label on the relationship between the two of them, Alfred was suddenly a bit more popular. There were even seniors he'd never even heard of who knew his name and waved to him in the hallway. He didn't know if they were Gilbert's friends, but he made sure to wave back in case if they were. Since they had just officially become boyfriends, he didn't want to do anything to upset Gilbert.

"I've heard your name three times on my way here, Alfie Jones!" Charlotte chirped as she sat down next to him for lunch. "You're famous now! I can't believe you and Gil are an item now. That won't make lunch weird, will it?"

"Of course not," Alfred replied, smiling at her. "Don't worry, we won't do couple-y things and exclude you. After all, this was originally our thing."

She smiled happily. "That makes me happy," she quietly admitted. "It's good to see that you'll always be my same old Alfie Jones." A small giggle erupted from her lips. "You're always so kind, thinking of others. Just remember to put yourself first at times, okay? I don't want anyone going and taking advantage of your kindness. If someone hurts you, they'll immediately be the next ones hurting."

Not wanting to think too far into that last part, Alfred simply nodded and began eating. His phone then vibrated in his pocket startling him. Who could be texting him during school hours? It wasn't like his parents would, Charlotte was right next to him, and Gilbert wasn't the type to text unless he was in class. Curious, he pulled out his phone and read the text.

From: Unknown Number

Hey Alfred! I had an appointment with my doctor this afternoon, and my mum took me to get a cell phone afterwards! It's Arthur, by the way! Isn't this great, now we can text and call all the time. But I swear if you get your phone taken because of texting, you better not blame me, got it?

The blond smiled to himself, replying back that his best friend worried and griped too much. He had nearly forgotten where he was and who he was with if Charlotte hadn't spoken up in that exact moment.

"You seem happy," she giggled. "Did Gil text you or something?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin as his mind was sent hurtling back to the lunch table. "What?" he quickly asked on reflex before processing her question. "No, it's not that. My best friend Arthur finally got a cell phone, so he texted me. It's about time, too. His parents are pretty strict with him when it comes to certain things, and cell phones are one of them. They won't even let him have his own computer. He has to use the family computer to get on the internet. Do you know how many things are blocked on that hunk of junk? Not to mention it's a literal dinosaur and loads so slowly."

Charlotte smiled to herself. "I'm glad Arthur got a phone then," she replied. "It should be easier for you two to talk now, instead of using his home phone. I'm happy for you, Alfie Jones!"

"What happened with Al?" Gilbert asked, sitting down across from his boyfriend. "Is there something we need to celebrate? I can't think of what today is. Is it a holiday? Help me out here, Charlie!"

"Oh, you mean you don't know?" she asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "To think that you wouldn't know about something so important for your boyfriend. How tragic!"

"It literally just happened in the past few minutes, Charlie," Alfred stated, oblivious to the fact that she was teasing his boyfriend. "I wouldn't expect him to know. It's not like Gil is a mind reader or anything."

"Bless you, Al," the senior replied before casting a smirk to Charlotte. "What happened anyway? You seem a bit happier than normal."

"Arthur got a cell phone," the blond replied, cradling his own cell phone in his hands. "He sent me a text a couple minutes ago. Now we can talk whenever we want. It's pretty exciting!" His smile was wide as he turned to Gilbert. "I suppose you could say it makes the distance between him and me a lot smaller."

"Glad to hear it," Gilbert said before taking a bite of his own lunch. He tried to repress the jealousy rising in his head. After all, Arthur was his boyfriend's best friend, and nothing more than that. If that were truly the case, then why did he feel so jealous? Did Alfred harbor hidden feelings for Arthur? Nah. He was overthinking things like he always did. There was no way that could happen.

Alfred's phone vibrated again, causing him to jump. His eyes lit up as he realized it was Arthur again and quickly texted back.

Gilbert observed his boyfriend from across the table as it all went down. His heart pulled a bit as he saw how genuinely happy Alfred looked. Could his insecurity-provoked thoughts be true? Was Alfred really in love with Arthur, and just didn't know it? But then again, what if Alfred knew he loved Arthur? What did that mean for him?

.

"Can I give you a ride home from school today?" Gilbert asked his boyfriend, pulling his car keys out of his pocket. "Ludwig has to stay behind for football, so I'll come get him later. It would be nice to spend some time with you."

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Alfred enthused, happy that he didn't have to ride the bus home. He pulled out his phone and shot a quick text to his mom about riding home with a friend. "I have to tell you, though, I live pretty far from school."

"I've got the gas to take you," his boyfriend replied. "My grandfather fills my tank when I need it. You're good. Although, I will need directions since I've never been to your house." He then thought about what he had said. He was going to his boyfriend's house for the first time! What if Alfred's parents were there? The pressure to make a good first impression weighed heavily on him.

"I'm glad I have my house key," the blond thought aloud as they walked to Gilbert's car together. "My dad works second shift at his job, and my mom had an appointment today." He fished around in his backpack just to make sure he was right about his key, pulling it out with a triumphant smile once he found it.

Gilbert watched Alfred with a mix of adoration and amusement. How could one person be so cute without realizing it? Surely this boy wasn't good for his heart, but he didn't care. In that moment, he realized that he was a lot more crazy about Alfred than he had ever realized.

Once they were on their way in Gilbert's black Camry, the albino began to relax, focusing on driving instead of Alfred. As long as he could maintain his focus on the road, then he was good to go. Driving was one of the things that Gilbert knew for a fact that he was good at. Nothing should be able to distract him from that.

"Don't forget to turn left at the next corner," Alfred reminded, unknowingly throwing his boyfriend's focus right out the window. He smiled, content that he wasn't stuck in some hot and sweaty school bus with a bunch of screaming kids. Sitting in the air conditioned car of his boyfriend as he headed home was a sort of bliss that he never knew could happen to him.

Upon reaching his home, the blond opened the car door and then turned back to his boyfriend. "Aren't you going to turn the car off and come in?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He then realized how assuming he sounded. "Oh, wait! Do you have something to do today? I'm sorry if I've kept you from it!"

Gilbert instantly killed the engine and ripped the key from the ignition. "I've got time," he quickly replied, hoping he didn't sound as desperate as he felt. He got out of his car and shut the door, locking it as he waited for Alfred. "Your house looks nice," he observed as Alfred got out and joined him.

"Wait until you see the inside," his boyfriend laughed. "Your jaw may never come off of the floor." He teasingly winked to Gilbert and grabbed his hand, leading him up toward the house. "I'm just messing with you. It's the same as any other house, so it's not really that big of a deal."

To Gilbert, it wasn't just any other house. This was his boyfriend's house. It was unknown territory. What could he expect upon entering? The thought was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. He couldn't wait to enter the house.

The house was meticulous! Everything had a place, and the cleanliness excited Gilbert! It looked like his dream home! It was large, beautiful, clean, and organized. As he looked around during his tour of it, his eyes appeared to be sparkling. Who knew Alfred could live in such a beautiful place?

Ending the tour in the kitchen, Alfred smiled at Gilbert. "Could I make you anything? I'm always hungry after school." He opened the fridge. "I usually have a sandwich or something."

"No thanks," Gilbert replied. "I'm good." He observed the kitchen as Alfred spread some peanut butter and strawberry jam onto two slices of bread. "Peanut butter and jelly, huh?" he teased. "You didn't strike me as the type."

"What's that mean?" the blond asked before taking a bite and sitting on a stool at the island counter in the middle of the kitchen. "It's my favorite, dude." He took another bite and smiled. "You don't like it?"

"I never said that," his boyfriend replied, sitting on the stool next to him. "Then again, I've only had it with grape jelly."

Alfred instantly held his sandwich out to Gilbert. "Please try it! It's best with strawberry jam!" He grinned with pride as the other boy bit into the sandwich and seemed to enjoy it. "See? Isn't it good?" he chirped before taking another bite.

"Yeah, it's good," the albino agreed, happily watching Alfred finish his sandwich. "Although you look really cute when you eat things you enjoy."

The blond blushed. "You think so?" he asked. "I never really thought about it. What makes you say that?"

"I suppose you may just be cute all the time," Gilbert admitted, blushing. "But then again, you're probably already aware of that." Feeling the moment calling for it, he leaned over and kissed Alfred, his boyfriend happily kissing him back.

"I'm home, Alfie!" Amelia Jones greeted, walking into the kitchen. Her eyes widened upon seeing the boys quickly push each other away, knowing what they had been doing. She tried not to smile as she saw the embarrassed and horrified looks on their faces. "Who's your friend?"