A week after their first meeting, Gilbert invited Matthew to dinner at his apartment. It was a fairly casual meetup, but Gilbert still did his best to impress his date. He made everything from scratch, used his finest table settings and wore a shirt that made his muscles look great. He'd just barely gotten the table set when he heard a knock at the door. He rushed over and flung the door open. Matthew greeted him with a nervous smile. He wore slacks and a dress shirt and had a bundle of flowers in his hand. He held out the flowers and said, "Nice to see you again. I hope you like roses."

"They're lovely. Just like you," said Gilbert as he took the bouquet. "Don't worry, I won't be that cheesey all night." Matthew chuckled and headed for the kitchen. The pair sat down across from each other. Matthew started to serve himself, but Gilbert stopped him. "I'll take care of that. How much do you want?" he said.

"Oh, not much. I kinda snacked a lot today," Matthew replied. Gilbert filled his plate anyways. He then scooped the remaining food onto his own plate. He said a quick prayer before digging in. He shoveled food into his mouth without giving himself time to really taste what he ate. Matthew giggled. He said, "You look just like my brother."

"Oh, really?" Gilbert said between bites.

"Yeah. Well, it's more how you eat then how you look. Alfred always eats really fast. Always takes huge bites and barely chews. I'll go out to eat with him sometimes, and he'll be done before I take my first bite."

"He sounds pretty awesome. Has he ever gone competitive with it?"

"Once. He came in second and got such a bad stomach ache that he never tried again." Matthew poked at his food with his fork. "I love that guy to death, but he makes some pretty poor life choices."

"Are you two close?"

"Well, you know, there is a bit of sibling rivalry, but… I guess we're pretty close."

"Nice. You've probably heard of my brother, Ludwig."

"Francis mentioned him, I think…" The conversation went on like that for two hours. Matthew started to get more relaxed as time passed. He even got a bit flirty, though his face went red every time he said something vaguely sexual.

By the time Gilbert finally got up, Matthew's leftovers had gotten cold.

"You don't have anywhere to be, right?" asked Gilbert. Matthew shook his head and explained that he had a week off work. "In that case, can we just keep hanging out? Maybe we could watch some TV?" said Gilbert. Matthew agreed without hesitation. They cleared the table together and sat down on the sofa. Gilbert turned on the TV and started scrolling through Netflix. "Anything you wanna watch?" he asked.

"To be honest, I usually only watch nature documentaries," said Matthew.

"Sounds good to me. How's about this one?" Gilbert selected a movie about wild birds.

"Looks fun." With that, Gilbert hit select. The opening was a typical series of nature shots with a narrator saying something about the 'majesty of birds.' About ten minutes in, Gilbert's attention wandered. He let his gaze drift to Matthew. Matthew was leaning into the couch with his hands in his lap. His eyes were glued to the screen, and he had the hint of a smile on his lips. Locks of blonde hair hung just above Matthew's shoulders, begging to be touched. Gilbert scooched closer to him. It was then that Gilbert noticed Matthew's eyes. At a glance, they seemed to be a deep blue. But, upon closer inspection, they looked more purpleish than blue. Gilbert couldn't place the exact name of their color, but he was fascinated by the beauty of the hue. He leaned in to get a closer look. Matthew's cheeks went pink.

"If you want a kiss, you can just ask," mumbled Matthew. Gilbert sat up straight again.

"Ah, sorry, I was just looking at your eyes. They're a pretty awesome color."

"Yeah, it's a genetic mutation. Kinda rare."

"That's a pretty great mutation. I could stare at your eyes all day. I mean, damn, I really get lost in them." Matthew's face became a darker shade of pink as Gilbert leaned in again. This time, Matthew turned and faced him.

"I think you can get a better view this way," he said in a near whisper. Gilbert nodded and took another few moments to look. The more he stared, the more he noticed how cute Matthew was. From his adorable face to his twinkish body, he was just Gilbert's type. From what he'd seen so far, Matthew's personality was also top-notch. Gilbert's heart started to flutter. He hadn't wanted to be with somebody so badly in a long time.

"I, uh, think I want to kiss, after all," he said. Matthew's hands started to shake as he reached up to touch Gilbert's face. They both closed their eyes. Gilbert pressed his lips to Matthew's. Immediately, he knew he'd made the right choice. The feeling of Matthew's lips against his own was comforting and somehow familiar. He let himself linger in the moment for just a few seconds before pulling away. He opened his eyes and cracked a smile. Matthew's face was completely red, and he was shaking. "You alright?" asked Gilbert.

"I'm fine. I just- I haven't had a kiss in a while," Matthew said. He put his hands on Gilbert's shoulders and looked up into his eyes. He asked, "Can we do it again?" Gilbert chuckled. He pressed his forehead against Matthew's and gave him another kiss. This time he kept his lips locked on Matthew's for much longer. Matthew held him tightly and leaned against him. When Gilbert finally pulled back, Matthew looked like he was about to melt. "So, does this mean we're, you know, a couple?" Matthew asked. Gilbert tried to hide his excitement. In that moment, he was neck-deep in love.

"Of course! How could I not date you after a night like this?" he said. Matthew hugged him tightly and buried his face in his chest.

"Thank you," he whispered.