Happy Together
Chapter 2

As it turned out, Arthur and Gilbert were attending the same university. The first time they hit the Student Union bar together, Arthur had declined alcohol and, much to Gilbert's amusement, ordered half a pint of Coca Cola instead.

"You teetotal or something?" Gilbert had asked, taking a healthy swig of his beer.

"No," Arthur replied, and Gilbert knew from the thirsty envy in his green eyes that he was not lying.

Inquisitive by nature, Gilbert subjected Arthur to many probing questions, wanting nothing short of a life history. Slightly embarrassed, Arthur answered his questions. Arthur Kirkland, turning twenty in April, was currently in his second year of his three-year course in English literature. He was the first person in his family to enter higher education, he admitted with a sheepish grin. He came from a big all-male household with four siblings besides himself; two older brothers, two younger twin brothers, and a strict father who ran a pub.

"What about your mother?" Gilbert asked.

"She died five years ago in a car accident," Arthur said. Gilbert winced. "It's okay," Arthur said hurriedly, before Gilbert could apologise, with a reassuring smile. Then, suddenly conscious of having done most of the talking, he asked Gilbert about himself.

"Me? Er, I'm a second year too, studying automotive engineering. Family of four; my dad and mum, myself and my little brother… Oh, and my granddad lives with us too. Family of five. You should meet alte Fritz, he's the coolest guy I know! He's a war veteran and he tells the most amazing stories! Listen! He was there when…"

And Arthur listened as Gilbert chattered on, smiling to himself. After a while Gilbert announced he was thirsty and went to the bar to order some more beer, fishing out a crumpled note from his pocket and tossing it onto the beer-soaked counter. He returned to their table with two plastic pint cups of Kronenbourg 1664.

"They don't serve with glass after nine," he sniffed, offering one of the cups to Arthur.

"I don't think I should…" Arthur began.

"Oh go on!" Gilbert said, thrusting the pint under Arthur's nose and slopping a little over the side. "I can't drink them both at once, and it'll go flat and be a waste of beer!"

"…Okay, just one then. Thanks."

Two hours and several more pints later, they were at the bar tossing back vodka and peach schnapps, laughing raucously and leaning weakly against the counter. As the clock ticked to midnight the place emptied of students; many were headed home, grumbling about morning lectures, but a few were planning to move to waterholes licensed to open for longer. Gilbert and Arthur, absorbed in their own merriment, did not notice the emptying venue nor the time until the bell rang for last orders.

"Two tequila shots, please," Gilbert requested of the barkeeper as he pulled his debit card from his wallet, his voice edged with a newly-surfaced harsh-sounding accent. "With salt and lime!"

"Oooh, feeling adventurous, are we?" Arthur giggled girlishly, not noticing that he had planted his elbow in a puddle of beer.

"Why not?" Gilbert shrugged, punching his pin number into the card machine. Then he grabbed the salt shaker and said, "Here, gimme your hand."

Gilbert did not notice the blush creeping into Arthur's face as he placed a wet kiss onto the back of Arthur's hand. He shook salt over the wet spot, did the same to his hand, then poised himself, rocking back on the heels of his feet.

"Ready?" he grinned.

Arthur nodded numbly, took hold of his shot glass, and after a count to three they knocked the drink back together.

Author's comment

I have LadyKnightofHollyRose to thank for helping me clean this chapter. Some of the longer passages read a little too wieldy for my liking and it's thanks to her that it at least flows ^^;

Arthur and Gilbert's characters are slowly shaping in my mind now, though I'm not sure if I've adequately written them in this chapter. I don't want to tell you in footnotes like this about their characters - why don't you tell me what you make of them in your feedback instead? It'll really help tell me if I'm getting things across clearly =)