Translation notes:

Boku wa hirode wa arimasen. = I'm not your hero

Grazie= Thank you.

Let me know if anything's incorrect.

Chapter 5: The Need for Miracles

"Damn it. If I made a wish before, I could've saved Mathias."

Body numb and heavy, Alfred approached his house. Standing in the driveway was Arthur. His arms crossed, slipper-clad shoes irritably tapping the ground, and green eyes glowering, Arthur shouted at his son, "Where have you been?!"

"Great, not this again…" Alfred sighed loudly in exasperation. Facing the ground, his pace quickened, hoping to barricade himself into his room before Arthur's ignited fury exploded at his face.

Arthur's piercing glare sharpened. "Don't sigh at me!" He grabbed and jerked Alfred around, forcing him to face him. "You don't just run off like that without telling me where you're going!"

"Why don't you just call me?" Alfred scoffed.

Arthur pulled Alfred's phone from his trousers' pocket and shoved it into Alfred's hands.

"I did try to call," Arthur sarcastically scorned. "only to hear your phone vibrate in your room. Always make sure you have everything you need before you leave the house!"

"I know! I'm not a kid anymore! I'm sixteen!" Alfred's infuriated tone began to rise. "I can take care of myself!"

"If you can take care of yourself, why did you rashly run out before telling me where you were going? You slammed the door shut in my face when I tried to ask! Answering your father's question only takes a few seconds at most! What if something happens?! By the time we find out, it might already be too late!"

"I didn't have time for that! Besides, I can take care of myself! You don't need to nag me about safety all the time!" Alfred's furious voice loudly echoed across the neighborhood.

"You're grounded."

Alfred was flabbergasted. "What?"

"Don't speak with me in that tone." Arthur coldly replied. "You're grounded for a week. If you try to ague back, you're grounded for two weeks."

Alfred's jaw clenched, biting back a retorte. Silently turning away from Arthur, he threw the front door open and stomped inside.

Matthew and Francis were seated on the sofa. Looking up from his textbook, Matthew caught a glimpse of Alfred's figure disappearing into the hallway. "Oh, hey Alfred!"

He was answered with a door slam.

Alfred wrote down the answer to the last math problem. With an exhausted exhale, he skimmed through the scribbled numbers on his calculus homework. Well, most of the problems were right, he guessed. Worst come worst, he would get an average grade on it again. Slipping his last assignment of the night into his folder, Alfred checked the time on his phone. 10:01 pm.

Switching off the desk lamp, Alfred went to his bed and sat down. The bed made a soft crunch under his weight.

Tony was outside on the windowsill. "…Mathias didn't deserve that." Alfred said to Tony.

"He didn't." Tony responded. "He was a rare specimen, a magical boy who looked out for his own peers and humans."

"If I ever become a magical boy, I want to be like Mathias. I'll carry on his responsibility. It's my fault that he got killed like that."

"Does that mean you're still interested in making a contact?"

"Yeah. Still need to think of a wish. After when I'm not grounded."

"Once when you come to a decision, let me know." With that statement, Tony vanished into the black night.

"Knock knock." Knuckles rapped on the bedroom door. "Alfred?"

Alfred's stomach tensed at the British accent. "Yeah, Dad?" he managed to utter.

"May I come in? I must talk to you."

"…Sure. Go ahead."

Arthur gently pushed the door open. Alfred's twisting stomach relaxed when his dad emerged from the doorway. The fury in Arthur's eyes had extinguished a long time ago, replaced by a remorseful glimmer.

Arthur sat down next to Alfred. "How are you feeling?"

"…Better..." Was Alfred's only response. He kept his eyes on the ground.

"Alfred, I came to apologize to you. I should not have lashed out at you like that. It was just that, I was worried sick about you. When you ran off like that, I got scared, especially after discovering you left your phone behind. Even though you are no longer a child, there is still so much that can still harm you. The world is a dangerous place, even for a sixteen-year-old. I just don't want danger to befall on you."

Alfred looked up at Arthur. "…Dad, I now know that the world's dangerous, and I'm sorry for running out without thinking. I ran out because a friend needed help. It was an emergency."

"Feliciano?"

"No, it's someone else from band you don't know." Alfred forced out the lie. "He needed help quickly."

"What happened?"

"Too private to tell. Long story short, the situation got taken care of." As he said that sentence, Alfred lightly grasped the bedsheets, his stomach churning at a flashback of the witch munching on Mathias's corpse. "Dad, if the world is bad, someone has to be there to save people. What good would it do if people just stood around?"

"Sometimes it's better to do nothing." Arthur answered. "For example, when you first started playing sousaphone, you had absolutely no clue how to play it, am I correct?"

Alfred huffed. "Yeah. Don't remind me. It sucked. Ivan rubbed his years of playing the tuba in my face and I hated it."

"When the band was performing during halftime, did you dare to play a single note at first?"

"I didn't! If I did, everything would sound bad!"

"Exactly. Ivan willingly took the responsibility to cover the sousaphone's parts while you were still learning. When did you start feeling familiarized with the sousaphone?"

"Beginning of sophomore year. It felt good to finally show Ivan what I could do."

"Do you see now? Alfred, if you do nothing, you are giving yourself adequate time to consider your best options. There are always consequences to decisions, both good and bad. Often, people make impulsive decisions, only to become devastated when things do not turn out as planned. As I've said before, consider your intentions carefully. Evaluate what you truly want and consider the setbacks."

"I will, Dad." Alfred truly meant his words.

"I guess making a wish can wait for while…"

Monday drifted by like it usually did. Alfred arrived on campus around 8:00 and got off his last class at 3:00. He and the band kids met at the football stadium from 3:30-5:30 to rehearse for next week's home game. After setting instruments back in the band room, he would walk back home with Feliciano.

"RESET!" Mr. Edelstein's voice boomed on the speakers.

Alfred strolled back to his previous position, blank eyes gazing at the green field. Passing bandsmen circled around him, not daring to run into the sousaphone perched on his shoulder. With a quiet sigh, Alfred finally looked up, using the others' placement to determine his position on the field. He was in between Feliciano and Kiku. This was the right spot.

Kiku stood straight, his saxophone's mouthpiece in his mouth and his fingers resting on the keys, pretending he was ready to play. His brown eyes darted to catch Alfred's wandering gaze, before darting back at Mr. Edelstein and the drum major perched atop the ladders. Feliciano twiddled with his saxophone's keys, the tapping noises drawing Alfred's attention. Amber eyes meeting blue, he returned Alfred's sad look before turning away to look at the ground.

"SET!" The other bandsmen shouted, snapping Alfred from his daze.

"C'mon, dude. Focus." Alfred said to himself, listening to the clicking metronome.

A whistle tweeted three times. "UP!"

Toes pointed, shins straight, and thighs parallel to the ground. An avid marcher for three years, Alfred's legs already mastered the art of high stepping. Yet, his feet today were heavy with every step, like if he was dragging a prison ball chained to his ankles. The sousaphone felt twice as heavy, even though Alfred already got used to its weight a year ago.

Approaching sixteen counts, a gleaming flute shined at the corner of Alfred's eyes. Shoot, he was too close! On the last count, he took an enormous step back, his sousaphone barely missing the flute player. With a relieved sigh Alfred mouthed a quick "Sorry." to her, who responded with an understanding nod.

"All right. That is all for today's practice. Get adequate rest and practice your music!" Mr. Edelstein said, before making his way off the ladder.

That was it for Monday practice. Sweat soaked Alfred's shirt, a contrast to his parched mouth. As Alfred collected his backpack and took a large gulp of water from his water bottle, Toris approached him. "Hey Alfred, Mr. Edelstein wants to see you."

"All right, be there right now." Turning to Feliciano, he said, "Feli, you can go on ahead!"

"You sure?" Feliciano asked, his tone carrying a hint of uncertainty.

"Yeah! Something's wrong?"

"Well, there's something I want to share with you…" Feliciano nervously looked to the side.

"No prob! We can talk about it while we're walking home! Wait around the band room!"

Feliciano nodded with a small smile before turning to join the growing herd of saxophone players leaving the field. With that, Alfred approached Mr. Edelstein, who set his conducting baton into a cylinder case.

"Mr. Edelstein?" Alfred asked.

"Oh, Alfred." Alfred's chest cringed at Mr. Edelstein's stern look. "Be more careful next time! You nearly ran into your fellow bandsmen several times today!" he scolded. "It's dangerous!"

"Yeah…" Alfred could only respond. The numbness still hung over him. "Sorry about that. I'm just not feeling well…"

"Tired? Sick?"

"Probably tired."

"Like I said before, get some rest." Mr. Edelstein responded bluntly. "We don't want any bandsmen getting sick or hurt! I'm saying this because I'd hate to have one of our two sousaphones out of next week's game!"

"I understand. I'll be more careful next time. Is that all?"

"That is all."

"All right. See you next class, Mr. Edelstein."

The setting sun's orange rays reflected off Alfred's sousaphone as he walked back the band room. His heart stung at the baseball field growing smaller with ever step. What would it be like if he and Feliciano never met Mathias? Would Mathias still be alive? Mathias definitely would be alive if Alfred made his wish before then. Alfred delaying becoming a magical boy, while reasonable, was still a selfish move.

"I'm so sorry, Mathias…"

Alfred's nerves tingled, his gut sensing a foreign presence approaching him. Hurrying footsteps grew louder. Behind him was Kiku running towards him. His saxophone rattled in its case as he caught up with Alfred.

"Oh, hey." Alfred only said.

"Hah… Hello." Kiku huffed, his pace slowing down to match Alfred's.

"You're catching up with the other altos?"

Kiku brushed his black bangs from his eyes. "N…No…"

"Ok…" The two were silent before Alfred spoke up. "Hey, thanks for rescuing me back there… It's my fault that Mathias died."

"It's not your fault." Kiku asserted. "I won't allow you to blame yourself. Do you understand my warning now?"

"Yeah. But I keep on thinking that if I was a magical boy back there, Mathias would still be here."

"Maybe. But I'm glad that I managed to save one life. One life is better than nothing."

"It sounds like you're also a veteran magical boy like Mathias."

"You can say that."

"You definitely went through a lot of tragic stuff like people getting injured and dying."

Kiku tightened his grasp on his instrument case. "Yes. I witnessed many deaths. Too many to count."

"So, since Mathias died back there… What's going to happen next?" Alfred asked quietly. "In the hallways, everyone's gossiping about his disappearance and what happened to him."

"Other than him becoming a missing person, nothing." Kiku answered quietly. "When you die in a labyrinth, your body stays there. He'll be missing forever."

"That's horrible! I mean, I don't know how his family's like, but…" Alfred's hand patted his phone resting in his jean pocket, an eerie reminder of his conversation with Arthur. "…His family's gonna search around for him, only for him to not turn up. They don't know what happened to him!"

Kiku gave Alfred a sympathetic look. "It's a magical boy and girl's eventual fate. We are not heroes. We are slaves to the miracles we bring with our wishes. Once when we die, we are eventually forgotten. That's the way it is."

"Well, I won't forget Mathias!" Alfred said with determination. "And I won't forget you! I'll never forget heroes like you!"

Kiku halted in his path. His white knuckles pulsed and trembled as he looked down at the concrete path.

"Kiku? You all right?" Alfred asked worriedly.

"…Boku wa hirode wa arimasen." Kiku quickly mumbled, refusing to meet Alfred's gaze.

"What's that?"

Jumping at Alfred's voice, Kiku looked up and forced a closed-lipped smile. "N-Nothing too important. Thank you, Alfred. We're almost to the band room."

"Ok, then…" Alfred softly responded, before turning towards the band room.

"I'm not your hero. You're my hero."

Feliciano repeatedly pressed the street crossing button in futile attempt to turn the light green. Alfred mentally chuckled at his friend habit as he pulled his bomber jacket closer to his body. Despite the sun still being out, the whooshing car blew a gust of artificial wind towards the two. In addition, the skyscrapers casted a dark shadow over them.

"It's not gonna do anything!" Alfred told Feliciano.

"Well, it gives me something to do at least!" Felciano replied, just as when the lights turned green. "Hey look! It did do something!"

Alfred laughed before asking, "So, you said you wanted to talk about something, right?"

Feliciano smile fell into a nervous gaze. "Y-Yeah…" His cheeks turned slightly pink.

"You still wanna talk about it? You don't have to if you're not ready."

"No, it's important that I ask you about it before I forget. Alfred, have you liked someone before?"

"Yeah, I guess." Alfred scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Most of them were guys and girls that didn't like me back. I'm always put in the friendzone, so you can say I'm a hopeless romantic! Is there someone you like?"

Feliciano shyly nodded, earning Alfred's large yet mischievous grin.

"Whoa, Feliciano Vargas, the ladykiller of World Academy likes someone! Who's the lucky girl?" Alfred ask excitedly.

"Not a girl."

Alfred gave Feliciano a confused look. "What?"

"The person I like is a boy. Or at least I think I like him."

"Who is it?"

"Do you remember Gabriel from middle school?"

"Oh, him. Yeah, I kinda remember him. Don't really know him that well. I know that you used to hang around him a lot."

"Yesterday night, I met with him. He asked me if I liked him and I said yes because he's my close friend." Feliciano explained. "He looked sad. And when we parted, I thought he was going to give me a hug, but he gave me a kiss! A kiss on the lips!"

"Dude!" Alfred exclaimed in shock. "He didn't even ask for your consent!"

"I know, but the strange thing is I… liked it." Feliciano's face flushed a deeper red. "I know that if I pushed Gabriel away, he wouldn't force himself onto me. But I wanted more. Everything felt so warm, light, and fuzzy. And after that, I realized how beautiful he was. It was something I didn't notice when we were together in middle school."

"Hmmm." Alfred nodded.

"I just don't know what to do now." Feliciano sighed. "When he confessed his feelings, I basically said I liked him as a friend. But now, I don't even know if I like him only just as a friend. I want to tell him in person how I truly feel now, but I don't know if that's the right thing to do!"

"How about this: you can tell him that you like him and see where it goes from here! Sounds good?"

"Yeah! Oh, and Alfred?" Feliciano asked as he and Alfred stopped at a stoplight, a block away from Feliciano's apartment.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Please don't tell anyone about this. If word gets out—"

"I got you! No worries! Don't want the gossip to blow up!"

"T-Thank you." Feliciano replied as the light flashed green.

"Should I ask Alfred if it's wrong for a boy to like another boy? No… His answer is going to be obvious... I shouldn't be doing this…"

"Look! It's Feliciano again!" The cheerleaders whispered as they crowded around their lockers, taking glances at Feliciano, who just entered the building with Alfred and Matthew. As Alfred and Matthew chatted about Marvel theories amongst themselves, Feliciano trailed quietly besides them, eyes set on the floor's square patterns.

"Hey, Feliciano!" The head cheerleader called, making sure the lights hit her makeup at the right angle. Feliciano only returned a slight smile and a small wave. With small gasps and stunned expressions, the cheerleaders could only gape at Feliciano as he walked further into the hallway. They turned their backs towards the outside world and began to whisper among each other.

"He didn't blow a kiss back! Is my makeup really all right?!"

"No, it's totally fine!"

"Maybe he isn't feeling well?"

"Oh no!"

Matthew narrowed his eyes at the hissing cheerleaders, who continued to shoot quick peeps at Feliciano. "Hey Feli? I think the cheerleaders are talking about you. What did you do?"

"Nothing." Feliciano replied as he hurried to Alfred's side. "Hey Alfred, I need to tell you something. In private. Is that fine, Matthew?"

Matthew rose a suspicious brow, yet he did not object. "That's fine. I'll be heading over to my first period. See you guys later!" The younger twin continued walking to the hallway's end, before turning to enter his French class.

"Do you want to talk about it here?" Alfred asked.

Feliciano shook his head, before showing Alfred his phone. Alfred skimmed through the green and white text bubbles, his smile growing wider and encouraging.

"I'm so nervous… I should've asked to speak to him next week. I can't think of what say by the end of school today!" Feliciano's whisper trembled.

Alfred gave Feliciano a playful slap on the shoulder. "You got this! If you're scared, I'll help you! How's that?"

"That'll be very helpful!"

"Ok, repeat after me: Hey Gabriel, after thinking about it, I think I have feelings for you."

"H-Hey Gabriel, after thinking about it, I t-think I… Can I say I like you?"

"Hmmm, I think you can say something better. Maybe say something specific, like…"

Listening to his brother and childhood friend's murmurs, Matthew smiled and shook his head. He never imagined Feliciano, who always shot kisses to girls and described them as all uniquely beautiful, to fall for his middle school friend Gabriel. Now that he thought about it, if Feliciano was never swarmed by every girl in their middle school class, he could picture Feliciano being with Gabriel. If both feelings were reciprocated, Feliciano would definitely break many girls' hearts.

Racing ahead, Matthew held the door open for Alfred and Feliciano. "Should I say I'm sorry that I didn't notice that you love me?" Feliciano asked.

The next approaching crowd of people were a few feet away. Matthew ran after Alfred and Feliciano, letting the trailing students be their own doorman. "Ummm… That's a good question." Alfred answered. "Maybe you can say, 'I didn't realize that I love you until you confessed to me.' How does that sound?"

"You should probably leave the 'love' part out." Matthew cut into the conversation. "I mean, from what I first heard, it sounds like you don't even know if your feelings are valid."

Feliciano did not respond or react to Matthew's suggestion. "That sounds nice and romantic!"

"Never heard like usual." Matthew sighed sadly. The large crowd gathering at the roundabout's entrance caught his eyes. It was not abnormal to see numerous students at the roundabout after school. The streets could only hold so many cars before the traffic became slow and congested. Though, students usually waited at the arch's center and darted around stalling cars to their ride.

"Hey, what's going on over there?" Alfred asked. Blinking red lights shone atop a white ambulance. Feliciano's hands grew clammy with sweat as he stood on his tippy-toes and nervously looked around. His stomach churned at the paramedics carrying someone on a stretcher into the ambulance.

"Looks like an accident." Matthew answered. "Poor guy. I hope he's going to be all right."

"A guy?" Feliciano's wide eyes stared at Matthew. "Do you see anything else?"

"I can't see. There's too many people."

"Yeah." Alfred added. "By the way Feli, where's Gabriel meeting you?"

"At the front of the school!" There were multiple blond guys standing at the school's entrance. Neither of them wore a black cap and had a bicycle. Without saying a single word, Feliciano raced away towards the accidental scene.

"Feli! Wait!" By the time Feliciano reached the crosswalk, the lights already turned red. Behind the speeding cars, the crippled, bent remains of a bike sat on the sidewalk against a lamppost. After when its doors shut, the ambulance sped off, its wails blaring down the street. Panting hysterically, Feliciano fell to his knees and hugged himself, his face as white as snow. With every heavy huff was a quick swallow. Despite the ground vibrating with every passing zooming car, Feliciano's horror-stricken eyes were fixated on the cracked sidewalk.

"Feliciano!" Hurrying footsteps behind Feliciano halted as Alfred squatted next to him and set a hand on his quaking shoulder.

"…It was Gabriel." Feliciano shakily said between panicky gulps. "He biked here to see me and was hit… They left with him before I could get there…"

Strong arms hosted Feliciano back onto his feet. "We can just run over to the hospital! It's not far from here! C'mon, let's go!" Alfred shouted.

"Please wait in the waiting room." A nurse told Feliciano moments ago.

Matthew rested his face against his fist. His cornflower eyes uneasily darted towards the clock. Alfred shifted uncomfortably in his seat, as he detested the waiting room's pure white walls, ceiling, and floor. The smell of antiseptic stung his noses and made him feel nauseous. It added to weighty feeling of uncertainty and death lingering in the air. In contrast to the blond twins, Feliciano gazed at the hallway leading to the operation room. His blank, stoic stare concealed the dread reflected by his twitching hands, pounding heart, and fluttering stomach.

Unable to take the silence any longer, Feliciano clasped his hands together, eyes shut as he mentally prayed to himself. Please be well, Gabriel! Please be alive, Gabriel! Please don't die, Gabriel!"

The sound of doors swinging open jolted Feliciano from his prayer. Shoe heels clucked on the floor as the nurse emerged from the hallway. Head turning, she spotted the three males in the exact spot.

Feliciano immediately stood from his seat. "How is he?"

"Your friend is currently in surgery." The nurse answered. "He wouldn't be out until after a few hours. I strongly suggest returning tomorrow for updates."

Feliciano only nodded and forced a shaky smile. "We understand. Thank you very much."

As the nurse turned and left, Feliciano's lower lip began to tremble. Despite other strangers being present in the room, he allowed tears to fill his eyes. Alfred set a comforting hand on Feliciano. "It's difficult." He said with empathy.

"Y-Yes it is…" Feliciano stuttered.

"We can only wait." Matthew added. "There's nothing we can do now. Everything's up to the doctors now."

Blinking away his tears, Feliciano shook his head in understanding.

"Do you want someone to come with you to the hospital after school tomorrow? If I can convince Dad, I'll come with you." Alfred offered.

"I'll come too I don't have anything planned." Matthew added.

Feliciano responded with frail smile. "Grazie."

Tuesday and Thursday: Alfred and Matthew can escort Feliciano to the hospital together. Wednesday: Feliciano and Alfred have band practice, so Alfred will take him afterwards. Friday: Matthew has a French club meeting, so Alfred can only come. Those were the small changes made to the boys' schedules.

When they went to Gabriel's room for the first time, Alfred covered his mouth to stifle a gag at the IV tubes stuck into Gabriel's pale arms, tarnished with dark cuts. Matthew's head pulsed painfully at the bandages wrapped around Gabriel's skull. Regardless of the needles, the hanging bags, the scars, and machines, Feliciano only kept his eyes on Gabriel's resting face and the beeping heart monitor.

Day after day, whether he was with the twins or Alfred only, Feliciano was met with the same shut eyes and the same heart monitor. Still, he never buried his face into Gabriel's lap and begged him to wake up. Rather, he stood at his bedside, spiritually telling him how he could not wait for him to wake because he had something important to tell him. Gabriel could take as long as he wanted to awaken, and Feliciano would not scold him for worrying him. What mattered the most was Gabriel was alive and he had a chance. Once when he recovered, everything would be in the past.

That was what Feliciano's naivety wished.

"Ding!" Went the elevator. Feliciano and Alfred stepped out and turned to the direction of Gabriel's room, a routine quickly memorized. With a clunk, the elevator's door shut behind them.

"Zere isn't anyzing else you can do?!" A woman's voice cried from the room.

Feliciano and Alfred froze. Eyes glancing around his surrounding, Alfred motioned to Feliciano to hide behind a pillar. The two peered from the spot, listening into the conversation.

"I'm sorry." The doctor solemnly answered. "The damage was too great. His organs are still functioning. However, judging from scans and tests, it is likely that he will be in a persistent vegetative state when he awakes from his coma."

Feliciano's face went as white as snow. His nails dug into the pillar, leaving slight marks.

"Whether we will keep him on life support is your decision." The doctor added.

Alfred swallowed dryness as an icy shiver shot up his back. Looking at Feliciano, who clutched the pillar for dear life, he gave the distressed Italian a nudge on the shoulder. Feliciano flinched and looked at him with reddening eyes.

"Let's go." Alfred whispered.

With an inaudible, "Mmm hmm", Feliciano allowed Alfred to grab him by his arm and pull him to the elevator.

"Take him outside where there's privacy." Alfred told himself as the elevator opened. Dragging Feliciano out, Alfred's eyes lit at the bench surrounded by lush greenery behind the glass. "That's it!"

"Feli, let's get out there." Alfred held the glass door open Clutching his hands against his beating chest, Feliciano wordlessly dashed outside towards the nearest seat. He allowed his bangs to fall over his eyes and hide the tears running down his face. Shaky breaths and sniffles fought back a wail.

"C'mere." Sympathetic arms draped over Feliciano's quivering body. Without looking up, Feliciano buried his wet face into Alfred's shoulder. His arms tightly wrapped around Alfred's stomach. Despite the discomfort, Alfred's hand patted Feliciano's back.

"Maybe Feliciano can… No. I shouldn't. Not now." Alfred thought.

"Alfred?" Feliciano's voice said in his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

Feliciano released his hold, giving a feeble, tear-strained smile. "Grazie."

"Yeah. No problem."

Feliciano's smile fell. "Everything's all right." He murmured to himself, putting on his thinking face. "Everything's going to be fine… I can do this on my own…"

"Feli, you don't have to do this on your own." Alfred spoke up. "I'm here for you. Everyone's here for you."

"I know." Alfred flinched at the curt response.

Alfred blinked before asking, "Do you need anything?"

"No." Was Feliciano's blunt response.

"Okay…"

"…Alfred, you can go now. I need time for myself."

"Ya sure?" Alfred worriedly looked at the contemplating, stern-faced Italian.

"Yes. Please go."

Alfred got up from his seat. "Gotcha. Feel free to text me if you need anything else."

Body still slouched, Feliciano eyes trailed Alfred's figure through the glass window. When Alfred disappeared behind a wall, Feliciano looked to his left, his expression remaining calm and nonchalant at the two unmistakable red eyes.

Author's Notes: Oops, I was super lazy when it comes to updating stories here.

I wanted to include more events in this chapter, but after looking at the word count, I decided to leave the chapter as it is now. I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter because I think Gabriel getting into an accident before Feliciano can tell him his feelings is pretty clique. Same goes with Gabriel suffering from a severe head injury. A speeding car did hit him and he was not wearing a helmet, but I'm not sure if this extent can result in going into a vegetative state.

Also, I was surprised to get a review from a guest who has been reading my works years ago, before I dropped out around 2015! It made me very happy to read that, since I thought my name was lost to fanfiction history due taking a 4/5 year break!

In addition, sorry for any typos and mistakes in the story. I'll go and fix them when I can!