Fast forward a few days later, and Arthur Kirkland was already at another one of his twelve – step program meetings. He had to admit, though, that he did feel like he was making a lot of progress and he was getting rather close to the other attendants there, and his caring counselor, Tino, only made progress ten times easier for him. He was thankful he did not have any setbacks; as of yet, but the Brit was very hopeful that he would make it through this. His medication prescribed by his doctor has been working impressively, and it had almost completely taken away his need to self – harm, drink alcohol, or take drugs from the streets.

"All right, I'm very happy to hear about all of the advancements that this group has been making, and now we are on to the next step of our program: We are going to make a list of all persons we have harmed and become willing to make amends to them all."

The blond really had to think long and hard about this step. Had he really harmed anyone in his past if he did not have a single soul to share his life with until now? He could never even imagine putting his hands on anyone, that would be a completely barbaric thing to do. He may have once been a drug addict, but he was certainly not an abuser, a murderer, and heaven forbid, a rapist.

"Tony?" He asked.

"Ah, yes, Arthur?" The counselor beamed.

"What if you've never touched someone before? As in, you've never hit them, stole from them, or anything like that?"

The blue – eyed man chuckled but smiled at Arthur nevertheless. "Oh, Arthur. Harming doesn't simply refer to physical contact, but, can you think of anyone you might have harmed emotionally as you went through your addiction?"

Francis, Alfred, and many others that he had become close to recently from work had sprung to his mind. "Well, I'm sure I hurt quite a few people before I allowed them fully into my life. The thing is, I've known these people for years now, but I never knew that they really cared about me."

Tino nodded his head in agreement and smiled kindly at the Brit. "It seems like you truly understand the message that I am trying to get across, now. I can also tell how much you care about all of those people in your life, and I am certain they will accept your apology and your intention to make amends. I know the feeling. I didn't become a counselor for no reason, you know. I've had my experiences with drugs in the past, too."

It was clear that Arthur was taken aback by Tino's confession. He would have never guessed in a hundred years that the man used to be addicted. His skin was practically glowing, his eyes sparkled, and his smile was so kind and sweet, it made him look as young as a seventeen-year-old boy.

"You?! N-no way." The Brit protested. "Your life seems too perfect. Why on earth would you want to go on drugs in the first place?"

Tino seemed like the kind of man who was completely confident in his life now that he had no problem sharing his past with those who asked. "It seems like you and me have more in common than we thought, Arthur. When I was younger, some ten years ago or so, I had a very controlling boyfriend. He and I have been together for many years, and I thought it would never be possible for me to leave him."

The Englishman lowered his head with sympathy, for he also knew what it was like to waste years of your life with a boyfriend who was a dick. "I'm sorry to hear that, I know it's a hard thing to go through, but I'm glad to know that you're not with him anymore."

The counselor took on a sadder appearance before he continued his story. "I thought I loved him, but now that I look back, I think I depended on him and I confused that with loving him. One day, I come home to find another man in his bed. Both were completely nude, smoking cigarettes and cuddling from post sex. It turns out my boyfriend told this man that he was leaving me for him and have been dating for nearly a year behind my back."

Arthur's usually sparkling green eyes saddened to a paler shade. "First loves are usually the most drastic, aren't they?"

The other man couldn't agree more. "Not only that, but when my ex kicked me out of our apartment, I had no place to go. My family doesn't support my sexuality, and they definitely wouldn't have let me stay with them. Plus, they would have said I told you so or something like that after one of my most serious relationships literally blew up in my face. Since he was so controlling, he made sure that I had no friends, either, so I couldn't turn to anyone when I was kicked out. I was homeless."

"My God…" Arthur sighed. Even when Arthur Kirkland was down on his luck as an eighteen-year-old homosexual who had just been cheated on, he turned to night clubs and stripping to make ends meet.

"I wasn't alone for long, though." Smiled Tino. "Soon enough, I met the man who has been in my life ever since. He's my best friend, my partner in crime, and my family all rolled into one." He paused for a moment and chuckled to himself. "It's funny. On the outside he looks like a rather cold, scary fellow, but deep down he probably has more emotions than you and I put together. He really is a complex person that way. I never know what he's thinking unless I ask him, but I know that he'd never think about hurting me. He forced me to get cleaned up, in a way, but I couldn't be more thankful to have him in my life."

The Brit couldn't help but think that the man Tino described was so much like Francis. Although, Francis definitely didn't come off as cold and scary, but he did force Arthur to clean himself up. Without Francis in his life, Arthur thought long and hard about what might have become of him if he never met the other man.