"Gilbert, you should know something," Matthew said, staring at the ground. It was dark in the abandoned park and the air was warm, rapidly cooling off with the absence of the sun.

"What?" Gilbert asked, stopping the swing to look at him.

"I, um, I do like you. A lot," Matthew said, his heart beating hard at the confession.

"I knew it," Gilbert said and stood up. Matthew looked up as Gilbert grabbed his hand and made him stand too. "I was waiting for you to tell me."

"Really?" Matthew asked and noticed Gilbert had not let go of his hand. "Why?"

"So I could do this," Gilbert said and pulled him close. He kissed him hard and passionately, cupping his cheek. Matthew melted into his arms, returning the kiss with intensity, and loving every second of it. Gilbert's tongue asked for entrance and he accepted, letting Gilbert explore his mouth. Matthew threaded his fingers in his hair, not thinking about anything except the gentle way Gilbert slipped his fingers down his side. His fingers hooked in a belt loop and pressed their hot bodies even closer together.

Gilbert pulled back slightly so they could catch their breath. "Birdie, I need you," he breathed seductively and Matthew looked up into his eyes. He moved the hand that was on his cheek up and tugged gently on his curl, making a gasp escape Matthew's lips. "I need you to wake up."

"What?" he asked, the need for Gilbert clouding his mind.

"I need you to wake up," Gilbert said, placing a kiss on his cheek.

He woke up with a start, blinking and looking around to make sure where he was. He was in his room... not with Gilbert at the park. He rubbed his eyes, remembering just how Gilbert's hands felt on him, how real and vivid it was... but it was all a dream.

"Bro," Alfred cut into his haze and Matthew looked up at him, still trying to make sense of it all, "I thought you died or something, you were totally out."

"What do you want, Al?" he asked, moving slightly under the covers so Alfred wouldn't notice how turned on he was.

"World peace or a big bucket of hamburgers," he said.

"Funny," Matthew said, "why did you wake me up?"

"Because school starts in half an hour and I care about your education," Alfred said, poking his forehead.

"Crap," Matthew muttered and swatted his hand away, "Okay, thanks for waking me."

"No problem bro," Alfred said and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Matthew took a few breaths to calm himself, just trying to forget that incredibly vivid dream.

He managed to get to school on time. Gilbert talked to him in first hour instead of with other people, but he couldn't look at him. Every time he did, his eyes landed on Gilbert's lips and he wanted him to kiss him right there in class. So he kept his eyes elsewhere: on the paper, out the window, on the clock slowly ticking down the minutes. He got through class, a couple other Gilbert-less classes and made it to lunch. He sat down and waited for Gilbert to join him.

"Guten tag, Birdie," Gilbert greeted and sat down, "I was wondering, did you dream of me like I said?"

Matthew looked down at the table, his face feeling hot. "N-No."

"You so did!" Gilbert cackled, "what happened? Was I winning you over with my awesomeness?"

"Uh, um..." he glanced up at Gilbert and bit his lip.

"It's okay, my awesomeness is a little too much for people sometimes," he smirked.

"G-Gil..." he said and swallowed, trying to get the words out, "I-I really l-like you."

Gilbert smiled brightly, "So you finally admit it. Anything else you'd like to admit to?"

He sighed and nodded, his voice dropping into an even quieter whisper, "F-Fine... I'm gay."

"There it is," Gilbert said. He got up from his side of the table and sat down next to Matthew, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. "Welcome to the club, Birdie."

"The c-club?"

"The club, community, uprising?" Gilbert said, "The group of people that decided to come out of the closet that they didn't know they were in."

Matthew rolled his eyes. "E-Enjoying yourself?"

"Very much so," Gilbert grinned and placed a kiss on his cheek.

Matthew blushed. "S-So, w-what are we?" he asked, taking a chance.

"We're gay. Or homosexual, or colorful," Gilbert said, "Well, I'm more bi- colorful."

"N-No, I m-meant us."

"What about us?" Gilbert asked obliviously, stealing one of his potato chips.

"A-Are we t-together or...?"

"Oh," Gilbert said and stole another chip. He ate it thoughtfully. "Do you want to be?"

"Um, I-I... y-yeah," he stammered, barely able to speak. What if Gilbert rejected him? What if he was just doing this to spite him? What if-

"Then it's settled. We're a hot gay couple," Gilbert grinned and took the whole potato chip bag.

"O-Okay," Matthew whispered and a smile spread over his face, not caring about the loss of his chips at all.

After school, Matthew went home, feeling elated. He felt actually happy for once, and it felt great. Gilbert gave him a reason to be happy. So the first thing he had to do was mark this milestone.

Gilbert and I are dating now! Today at lunch I told him I like him back and then he made me say, out loud, that I'm gay. Which is weird cause I never thought I'd say that. Hell, I never thought I'd be dating anyone, let alone someone like Gilbert. It all feels like one big dream I don't want to wake up from. I hope I don't. I hope things will get better. For once, I'd like to be happy. And now I think I have that chance.
Sincerely, Gilbert's Birdie

He put the journal away and emerged from his room. He went into the kitchen, the small smile on his face not going away. He sat at the table and ate the snack Francis had provided, even though he currently wasn't in the kitchen.

"Hey, Mattie, why do you look so happy?" Alfred asked, stuffing his face with food.

"Oh, um, no reason," he said, taking small bites of it.

"No reason, huh? Was it Gilbert? What did he do?" he asked skeptically.

"N-Nothing," he stammered.

"Tell meeeeee," Alfred whined and poked his arm a few times.

Matthew sighed, "I'm not gonna tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because there's nothing to tell," he said bluntly, trying to keep his face its normal color.

"Alfred, please leave him alone, you're giving me a headache," Arthur said, rubbing his temples.

"But he's keeping secrets," Alfred protested.

"I don't care. Just stop your whining."

"Make me," Alfred challenged.

"Al..." Matthew warned quietly.

Arthur glared at him. "I'll duct tape your mouth shut."

"Do it," Alfred said smugly. Arthur huffed and walked out of the kitchen.

"He's gonna do it," Matthew said.

"Will not," Alfred said. He shrugged and waited for Arthur to put him in his place. Moments later, Arthur came back with a roll of duct tape. Alfred shook his head. "Whoa, whoa, no!"

"Maybe you'll learn to be quiet when asked," Arthur smirked. He grabbed a pair of scissors, pulled out a strip from the roll, and cut it. "Matthew, hold him."

Matthew nodded and before Alfred had a chance to make a run for it, Matthew was holding his arms behind his back.

"I was just kidding, you grumpy old man."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "I'm not a grumpy old man," he said and placed the duct tape over Alfred's mouth, "If you try to take that off, I'll just tie your arms together."

Alfred made a muffled noise of protest. Matthew let go of his arms and he crossed them in front of him.

"I hope you had enough to eat," Matthew said and sat back down. Alfred glared at him while he finished eating.

Arthur made himself a cup of tea in the silence. "Ah, this is the kind of quiet I like. "

Matthew nodded. "Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver," he said and put his plate in the sink. Alfred looked like he was about to rip that tape off his face and yell out some choice words. So before he did, Matthew turned on his phone camera. "Smile," he said while it focused. Alfred flipped him off and he took a picture. "This looks like good blackmail," he grinned and hurried back to his room before Alfred tried to take his phone.

He closed his door and locked it, thankful that his room actually had a lock. He heard a pained yelp and then Alfred was pounding on his door. "Mattie, delete that right now!" he demanded, having ripped the tape off his mouth.

"Why should I?" he asked, leaning against the door.

"Because!" Alfred whined.

"I'll think about it," Matthew said. He heard Alfred sigh and walk away after a few minutes of pointless demanding and begging, knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere with Matthew.

Matthew sat on his bed and opened up his messages, sending the picture to Gilbert, just in case.

This is what dad just did to Al. He tried to kill me.

Lol nice! Duck tape is a classic

It's actually spelled duct tape.

Same diff

Matthew smiled and texted Gilbert for awhile. He managed to do his homework between texts, but Gilbert proved to be very distracting.

He arrived early to school and made his way to class. The hall already had many students in it, standing in clusters, which made it difficult for Matthew to get through. Especially since his meek "excuse me" was almost never heard. He slipped his way through a group of people and ran directly into somebody slightly taller- and much stronger- than him. He was knocked over onto his stomach, grunting when he hit the ground. He wasn't carrying anything, but the weight of his backpack landed on him and pushed the breath out of his lungs.

"Watch where you're going!" the guy yelled. Matthew slowly picked himself up. "I-I'm s-sorry," he apologized quietly.

"You better be. Almost scuffed up my new Jordan's," he grumbled, shoved him, and walked away. He stumbled but kept his footing and tried to breathe normally. He fixed his glasses, his nose starting to hurt along with his back and knees from falling.

He quickly went to class and sat down before anyone could do that again. He folded his arms on his desk and rested his forehead on them so his face was hidden. It was only then that he let a few tears slip out.

"Hallo Birdie... what's wrong?" Gilbert said, his voice nearing as he spoke.

Matthew sniffled and tried to pull himself together. "N-Nothing," he whispered, his voice cracking slightly. 'Everything,' said the voice in his head.

"Birdie," Gilbert said quietly, most likely leaning over his desk. Matthew slowly lifted his head, not even able to provide a fake smile. Gilbert smirked when he lifted his head, but it immediately fell. "Have you been crying?"

"Um..." he shrugged and swallowed thickly. He wouldn't exactly call it crying, just letting a few slip loose.

"You're coming with me," Gilbert said and grabbed his arm. Matthew let Gilbert drag him into the hall. But he didn't stop and kept walking, and he worried the bell was going to ring soon. Just as they entered the bathroom, the late bell rang.

"Gil, we-we need t-to get to class," he said, pulling away from him. Gilbert just pulled him toward the stalls, where they couldn't been seen from the door if someone of authority walked by.

"We're skipping class," Gilbert informed him.

"S-Skipping?" Matthew asked in horror. Sure, he stayed home a few times, but never in his life would he imagine coming to school to hang out in the bathroom, of all places. He was pretty sure this was where all the druggies did their thing.

"Ja," Gilbert said, patting his shoulder, "Don't worry, it's just another work day, and we're pretty much done," he smiled reassuringly and leaned against the wall casually, as if he did this all the time. "So, what happened Birdie? Someone mess with you?"

"I-I told you, it's n-nothing," he said and looked down, studying the grimy floor.

"So someone did mess with you. Who?"

Matthew shrugged and rubbed his arm nervously. He was sure they were going to get caught in here.

"Birdie, I can't help if you aren't going to tell me," Gilbert sighed.

"I-I ran into someone and... and I think he-he tripped me and I f-fell... and then he yelled at me for h-hurting his sh-shoes," Matthew managed to say. He looked over at Gilbert, who was shaking his head.

"What an arsloch. Sorry I wasn't there to beat him up, Birdie."

"I-It's fine," he murmured.

"You look tense, here," Gilbert shrugged off his backpack and pulled out a canteen, handing it to him, "This should help."

Matthew reached out for it but stopped halfway. "Wh-What is it?"

Gilbert grinned, "Guess. It's not poisoned and it doesn't have any roofies in it, I swear."

Matthew took it and unscrewed the top. He cautiously sniffed it and glanced at him. "Tea?"

"Is that what it smells like?" Gilbert said and Matthew nodded. He knew Arthur constantly drank tea. If he didn't he'd probably go into withdrawal and explode into a British rage. Plus he hadn't killed Alfred yet, so he knew it was calming. Matthew just wasn't a big fan of it. But, to please Gilbert, he drank some. It certainly tasted like some sort of citrus tea, but the liquid burned going down his throat, saying otherwise. He coughed, his eyes almost watering. "That's n-not tea!" he accused, shoving the canteen back at him.

"That's correct," Gilbert said and took it, easily downing what Matthew almost coughed up his esophagus from. He breathed out in a refreshed sigh. "Do you know any Germans that drink tea?"

Matthew shook his head, rubbing at his throat. "So, is that..?"

"Bier? Warum, ja es ist," Gilbert said and drank more.

"B-Beer?" Matthew repeated, that being really the only thing he understood, "You're n-not s-supposed to have beer, let alone i-in school!" he scolded Gilbert and crossed his arms in a parental authority way.

"In Germany I am of age to drink," Gilbert pointed out.

"You're n-not in Germany!" he reminded him.

"Technicalities."

"Expulsion."

"Not if they don't find out. And I know my little Birdie wouldn't tell on me," he said gently, "People push you around all day and people piss me off all day. If I didn't bring this with me once in awhile, I might actually be expelled since I might have anger issues."

Matthew sighed. "Okay, I-I won't tell."

Gilbert smiled and pushed himself up, off the wall, walking over to him. Matthew was about to step back when Gilbert kissed him, and it made him freeze in place. It only lasted a second before Gilbert pulled back, but that was enough time to make his cheeks go red and his knees go weak. "Thanks, Birdie," he said, grinning. But Matthew wasn't allowing him to get away with just that. He locked his arms around Gilbert's neck and kissed him harder, not caring they were in a school bathroom. Not caring they were missing class. He didn't care about anything at that moment besides Gilbert's hands on his back, one traveling up to slide through his hair. His knees felt so weak he would have fallen if he weren't holding onto Gilbert. When he finally pulled back, Gilbert was grinning, a light pink dusting his own pale cheeks that almost made him look like he had a normal skin color. "Where did that come from, Birdie?" he smirked and Matthew shrugged, looking down. All the confidence he had to kiss him just moments ago melted away. "Well, I can't let you upstage me, now can I?"

Matthew didn't have time to say anything before Gilbert captured his lips, pressing their bodies flush against each other. Gilbert slowly backed them up until his back bumped against a cold wall. Now Gilbert had him trapped, but he didn't mind. No, he didn't mind at all.

Translations-

Bier? Warum je es it- Beer? Why yes it is.

I'm sorry for the beginning, but at least you got the real thing at the end, and that this chapter was pretty long. So please don't throw rocks, I'm fragile! If you look at the title for this chapter with the title for chapter 6, you'll have a laugh. At least I did since I think I'm oh so witty... Thank you all for reading this, every new view means someone at least gave my story a chance, and that's all I want! *Hands out cupcakes* Thank you!