Chapter 11. The End

It was the day before graduation. It hadn't taken long for Kiku and Alfred to get into another argument after the play. Alfred was worried about the same type of things all over again. Of course the kiss effect hadn't lasted all that long, Alfred came down from the high really fast and, though it had begun to repair things it didn't fix them completely. Alfred and Kiku had to really sit down and talk things out. Talk about Alfred's dad and mom, talk about how they were completely unreasonable and how Alfred and Kiku would have to keep their relationship a secret from them. They couldn't be in Alfred's house anymore. Alfred would also move out as soon as he could. They had to talk about Kiku's parents as well, deciding whether to come right out and tell them was a tough decision. It was difficult, and the conversation lasted hours, yet they worked through everything. Well, almost everything. Sometimes Alfred was still loud and blunt at times, and sometimes Kiku still did things that bothered Alfred. But that was something they grew to love about one another. After other relationships were repaired everyone seemed to be happy again. By other relationships one would really mean Arthur and Francis - they had talked it out, or argued it out to be more specific. It had been a big scene, actually. They had to be escorted out of the lunch room, still screaming at each other. But it was nice to see them holding hands and acting like their old selves again.

Alfred's birthday was coming up in about a month and Kiku had a few surprises planned for that. Two weekends after the time Francis, Arthur, Gilbert, Elizabeta, Antonio, Lovino, Ludwig and Feliciano had helped Kiku with his kissing. Kiku was finally able to sit down and watch the tape Elizabeta had left for him in his bed. Ironically enough, it was the one of Arthur and Francis from that night of the party. After Kiku had gotten over his initial trauma he was able to sit down and watch it for real. A week later he returned the favor with a tape for Elizabeta, and they've exchanged ever after that.

Arthur and Francis were also back to their old selves again. Kiku didn't know how they managed to make up, but they were back to bickering and arguing like an old married couple. It appeared to make everyone more comfortable to see them back to the old habit. They seemed happier too. Arthur even admitted that Francis was in fact his boyfriend, but only for a price: Francis wasn't allowed to flirt with others anymore. That was tough for Francis, but he loved Arthur enough to make the sacrifice. Antonio and Lovino never got caught, which was a relief to Lovino because he was also graduating this year and he could freely be with Antonio. He would never admit that he felt better though. Kiku even got used to the idea of them being together after a bit.

Ludwig and Feliciano were as strong as ever with Lovino finally happy, even if he didn't look it. He wouldn't fuss about Ludwig and Feliciano as much anymore, especially with Antonio around keeping him under control.

Gilbert and Elizabeta were going to separate colleges in other states after graduation. It was going to be really hard for them to be so far apart, but Gilbert promised to visit as much as he could, and Elizabeta told him that she would do her best to visit. Elizabeta was going to law school, so it would be much more difficult for her to make frequent visits.

Everyone got accepted into at least one of their top three colleges, which was great for the group. It was a smart crowd though, so it came as almost no surprise. Arthur had tried to get into culinary school, but it didn't work out for him. That came back to everyone with little shock. Instead, he was going to school for business. Feliciano did get accepted into culinary school and planned to open a restaurant in Little Italy like his grandfather, Roma. Lovino wanted to stay close to his brother, so he also applied to culinary school. He would help run the restaurant with his brother. He would also study business as his primary major to help with the finances. Antonio would continue to be a teacher at the high school. Francis was going to study fashion. But if anyone could do it, it would be Francis. Ludwig was going to study international affairs and hopefully one day work for the United Nations. Gilbert was going to study history. No one knew what kind of career that would lead to, but it was his favorite subject. Only he and Elizabeta were going out of state. Kiku wanted to study business at Forbes and Alfred of course, wanted to be a professional athlete. Before he got signed, though, he would study engineering. Everyone had a plan for themselves, though once they actually got to college it would probably change.

Before school had ended today, all the teachers had to say something to their students about their performance. Mr. Densen had made some snide remarks about slacking, but admitted in the end that Kiku and Alfred had been good students. Miss Arlovaska had never liked Kiku. She praised some students but only told Kiku that she knew he'd been getting help, and he was lucky that he wasn't the most punished one in her class. Most of the teachers had been kind to Kiku, though, telling him he had done really well for a kid who had just moved from Japan that year. Alfred got glory from all of his teachers for being an exceptional student, with the exception of Mr. Densen.

They were all looking forward to graduating the next day, yet there was a buzz of nervousness circulating around them. They were at Alfred's favorite burger shop, Soda, Soda, Burgers. Alfred took the liberty of ordering for everyone. No one minded, though. Arthur seemed to enjoy the good meal more than anyone.

"You know," Alfred said as he put his arm around Kiku. "I think I might want to see you in that dress again."

Kiku choked on his burger. "Wh-What?"

"You know, the one from the play! Yeah I thought it was pretty hot when you wore that." He grinned at Kiku.

Elizabeta smirked. "Alfred you're dirty."

"Oh, like you're much better." Gilbert snickered and kissed her. "I know about your little collection."

Elizabeta blushed madly. "You do?!"

Gilbert kissed her on top of the head. "You don't hide it all that well."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me you knew!" Elizabeta howled and hit him on the chest.

"Oof!" Gilbert coughed. "Always the violent one. That's my girl." He smiled at her weakly. She turned away from him and crossed her arms.

While Gilbert tried to comfort Elizabeta, Kiku turned back to Alfred. "Do you really want to see me in that silly dress again?"

Alfred's eyes widened. "Silly? No way, it was totally hot."

Kiku chuckled. "Maybe for your birthday…"

Alfred pumped a fist in the air. "Alright! That's not that far away!"

"Yeah, less than a month actually." Kiku smiled at him.

"Yes, I'm so psyched!" Alfred beamed. "And at my party you can meet my older brother, Mattie."

"Older brother?" Kiku cocked his head, confused. "I never knew you had an older brother."

Alfred shrugged. "He's really quiet and sort of easy to forget about. He wasn't really around that much when I was growing up. He was always doing stuff so I don't think of him that much I guess. Right now he's at his third year in college."

"Studying what?" Kiku asked, intrigued by the fact that Alfred did in fact have an older brother.

"Environmental science. He's pretty cool when you notice him." Alfred grinned.

"He sounds cool. I'm looking forward to meeting him then." Kiku snuggled up to Alfred in their booth.

Francis hopped off his barstool and came over to the table. "Is someone talking about Mattie?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't tell me he's coming to Alfred's party!"

"Yes, he is." Kiku said. "Why? What's the problem?"

Alfred leaned over and whispered to Kiku. "Francis and my brother used to be very…close."

"Close?" Kiku was still confused.

Arthur scoffed. "Alfred, your whispering is never very quiet. Yes, they used to be close-"

Francis warmed up to Arthur. "Close enough to make black sheep over here jealous."

Arthur pulled away from Francis. "Sod off! That's not true!"

Francis grinned. "It is true! Otherwise you wouldn't have looked so angry about him coming. Or maybe you just always look angry."

Arthur crossed his arms. "I do not always look angry."

"You do you're like an old man!"

"An old man?! Oh, well, that's a new one!" Arthur stormed over and sat back on his barstool. "I'm sorry I said anything!"

Francis sat back down by him again. "Well, you are like one! You wear those weird sweaters all the time and you're always angry and complaining and you can't cook!"

"I can too cook! And my sweaters aren't weird. I-I-I'm not arguing this with you anymore Francis! I don't need to defend my age." Arthur huffed.

"Whatever you say, Old Man~" Francis snickered and played with Arthur's hair.

Arthur batted him away. "Shut up!"

Kiku decided to tune them out; there was no telling where that argument might lead. Feliciano was already asleep and Ludwig was still eating his burger, using a fork and a knife to stay neat ,so it took him a long time. Lovino screeched at Antonio about Feliciano sleeping on Ludwig's shoulder, and Antonio just laughed. He tried his best to calm Lovino down, though mostly he just listened to him rant. Eventually, when Lovino broke into tears, Antonio had to drive him home. They said their goodbyes, though Lovino didn't because he was crying. Antonio was looking forward to watching them graduate tomorrow and he wished them all good luck.

The next to leave were Ludwig and Feliciano. Feliciano was too tired to stay, and so Ludwig thought it best to drive him home, though it took a while to say goodbye because Feliciano insisted on hugging everyone. When Francis hugged for too long, Ludwig ended it and took him out the door. They also wished everyone good luck for tomorrow, and they would see them during and after graduation.

Francis and Arthur left not too long after Ludwig and Feliciano. They made up some stupid reason, but it was obvious that they just wanted to be alone together. They were going to take the subway and train back, anyway, so they had to keep to some schedule. The Long Island Railroad was known for its slow trips, as it was locally called the Long Island Snailroad. They probably wanted to get going earlier, anyway. It proved to be a fine excuse. Francis and Arthur said goodbye with good luck wishes for graduation, and left bickering like an old married couple again.

All that were left was Gilbert, Elizabeta, Kiku, and Alfred. Gilbert stretched in his place and put his arm around Elizabeta. "That was an awesome meal, for an Awesome me. I'm gonna miss this city."

Elizabeta held him closely and looked at Alfred and Kiku. "Yes, thank you for taking us all out. It was very kind. I'm going to miss it here too."

"Surely you can visit?" Alfred asked, hopefully.

Both of them hesitated. Elizabeta spoke first. "On breaks, we can try."

Gilbert grinned. "Yeah! Colleges give great, long breaks. I can see Antonio and Francis again."

"And me!" Alfred perked up.

"We can see everyone" Elizabeta said sternly.

"I will, of course, want some of that time with just my Lizzy though. The Awesome me needs time for my awesome girlfriend~" Gilbert smiled and buried his nose in her neck.

Elizabeta smiled back. "Yes, I would like that too. We can make time for both, though."

"It would be nice to see you again," Kiku said, truthfully. He had been really intimidated by

Gilbert at first. Well, both of them to be honest. But now Kiku thought of them as dear friends just as he thought the rest of the group was.

"Yes, I'm so glad I met you this year, Kiku." Elizabeta grinned. "As it turned out, we had so much in common."

Kiku blushed. "Yes, it did didn't it?"

Gilbert swayed against Elizabeta. "Schatz, koennen wir bitte gehen?" (love/treasure, can we please leave?)

"Warum? Wir reden mit Kiku und Alfred." (Why? We're talking with Kiku and Alfred).

Gilbert whined. "Bitte, bitte, Weiss du, dass du heute Abend sehr schoen aussiehst…" (please, please. You know, you look very pretty tonight…).

Elizabeta blushed. "Meinst du wirklich? Was denkst du jetzt?" (Do you really think so? What are you thinking then now?)

"Ja, Ich denke das wir auf gehen, und geht ins Bett." (I think that we'll leave and go to my bed). He chuckled. " Komm Schatz, ich liebe dich." (Yes, come on my love/my treasure, I love you).

All the German was making Kiku uncomfortable.

Elizabeta pursed her lips. She thought about it for a moment. "Okay, ich liebe dich auch. Aber wir muessen auf Wiedersehen sagen." (Okay, I love you too. But we must say goodbye).

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Okay."

Elizabeta smiled at the two of them. "Gilbert is tired and wants to go home. We also need to take the subway, so we had better get going now."

Gilbert snickered. "Yeah the F Train, just like Arthur and Francis."

Elizabeta frowned and elbowed Gilbert in the gut. "It was nice seeing you two before graduation, and we're looking forward to seeing you there and after."

Kiku smiled. "We're looking forward to seeing you too."

Alfred beamed. "Yeah! It's gonna be really fun!"

"Awesome~" Gilbert smiled brightly. "Well, good luck then. We'll see you tomorrow."

Alfred waved. "Good luck to you guys, too!"

Gilbert and Elizabeta began to walk out the door. Gilbert shouted after Alfred. "I don't need it!" He then laughed and the door closed behind them.

Kiku and Alfred were left in the soda shop. "I can't believe we're already graduating tomorrow." Kiku leaned back in to Alfred.

"I know, the year went by so fast."

"Are you scared?"

"A little…Are you?"

"A little."

It was quiet for a while. Alfred spoke. "It will be okay, we can visit each other."

"What about your dad?"

"I don't want to talk to my dad, so I won't"

"Don't you think that'll be hard on him?"

"When he apologizes I'll talk to him."

"Oh." Kiku held on to Alfred's hand tightly. "So he still hasn't?"

Alfred shook his head. "Not even come close to an apology. The bastard."

"I never thought someone like you could talk so badly about their own father."

"Neither would I. But I never thought my own father would be such an ass."

Kiku chuckled. "I never thought that either."

"I mean, I knew there were problems but…"

"Yeah…you never thought they were that serious."

"Who would?"

"I don't know."

It was quiet again for a while.

"This is going to be a crazy summer." Kiku said.

"Yeah, really crazy. Especially with our group of friends." Alfred laughed. "It's gonna be awesome!"

"We can play games."

"And have parties!"

"And sleepovers!"

The both of them laughed thinking of what that might be like.

"I love you Alfred Freedom Jones." Kiku said as he leaned over and kissed Alfred.

"I love you too Kiku Honda." Alfred said as he leaned in to kiss Kiku back. "And by the way, my real middle name is…."

The End.

Hey guys. I know this is early, but here it is. The end of Ameripan. Why am I posting at 11:23 on Saturday night instead of some more normal time on Sunday? The answer is simple, I'm going on a plane and I still haven't finished all my homework. Yes folks, I don't usually procrastinate this much but it happens. I'm gonna be away for a few days and my school gave me all the extra work I was going to miss. So I need to finish that tomorrow morning. The surprise I have for you all? Unfortunately it's not quite ready yet. I was working really hard on it all week but all this school work caught up to me. Sorry guys. So as my apology I'm going to tell you what it is. If you like it you can come back next week because I should have it posted by then.
I'm making a website.
So, it's gonna be a place where I post a bunch of short stories, give you updates on my longer ideas, blog, and where you can contact me personally with requests, comments or critiques.
I'm working on getting the first few stories up on there before I actually publish it and that's why it's taking so long. (also I lost, like, all of my information on it two nights ago and I'm still in the process of re-typing it all).
So anyway there you go. I hope that was a good surprise and I hope y'all are back next week for the link.
I also hope you enjoyed the last chapter of this story and I would love, love, LOVE to hear your thoughts!
Thank you all so much for sticking through with this to the end, your compliments mean the world to me and I'm really thankful to have such great fans.
I hope you have a wonderful week.
my official last sign off for this tale...
M.O.