I really enjoy writing this chapter. I hope you all do as well :D

Chapter 7 – Ignorance is bliss

Arthur was deep in thought. He was still thinking about what that frog told him the other day about Alfred. He still found it hard to believe, but if it was true, then it meant there might still be chance. Could he change Alfred if he tried hard enough? Should he ask Alfred? No, he decided. This is too personal to ask.

Arthur was just rounding the corner to attend his drama club when he noticed Alfred leaning on the wall outside his classroom, flashing him a bright smile, teeth and all.

Huh?

Arthur's heart pounded loudly and he cursed himself at his weakness. He took a step backward. Something must be wrong, because Alfred would never smile at him that way. He peered at him with suspicious eyes, hugging his script tightly to his chest, ready to bolt if anything happened.

If Alfred noticed anything, he just kept quiet.

"Yo Arthur, my man!" Alfred greeted cheerfully.

Er.. My man? What? Are we that good enough of friends yet? Very suspicious, indeed. Well, play it cool. Play it cool, for God's sake!

"Hi," Arthur squeaked. His face turned beet red and he wished there was a hole so he can bury himself in said hole forever.

Alfred merely chuckled and winked at him.

Arthur's mouth dropped open. Something is definitely wrong. His mind was in chaos and he was on the verge of melting from Alfred's oh-so-bright and sunny smile. He slapped himself awake mentally and gulped.

"So, I was thinking…" Alfred drawled as he moved in closer to him until they were only inches apart. Alfred was fighting the urge to flinch and at the same time, keeping his smile intact. Only God knew what emotion was running through Alfred right that very minute. Arthur was backing away whenever he advanced, which was not making things easy for him. He advanced until he trapped Arthur against the wall and he couldn't run away any more.

Arthur's eyes were darting from left to right, looking for a way out. Alfred put his hands on either side of Arthur, making a point that there was no escape. In the end, Arthur only looked down at his chest. His cheeks were faintly pinkish and he could swear steam was coming out of his ears.

This is harder than I thought, Alfred thought.

"As I was saying…" He tried to sound alluring as he tilted Arthur's chin so he was looking at him straight in the eyes. For a moment, Alfred found himself lost in Arthur's emerald eyes. He shook his head. Whoa! Get a grip, Jones! Ok, now here comes the difficult part. Arthur's eyes were glistening with obvious shyness and for a second there, he felt something weird going through his heart. He quickly dismissed the unexplained feeling as soon as it showed any hint of surfacing.

Well I don't have to touch him more than that. I can bear with this.

Alfred leaned in. The scent of rose from Arthur didn't feel so suffocating anymore. Maybe Alfred had finally gotten used to it. His lips almost grazed Arthur's ear as he whispered, "You wanna hang out later? Maybe we can go grab a drink from the café? Or hit the arcade?"

As predicted, there was a brief silence as Alfred waited for Arthur to make his decision. Well, he was confident that Arthur will give him a positive answer.

Sure enough, Arthur gave a very curt nod and looked down at his feet after that. "So I'll see you after your rehearsal," Alfred said, glancing at his watch, "Let's say about two? I'll pick you up, okay?"

Arthur's head bobbed up and down again, but he still refused to look at Alfred.

"Then, see ya later!" Alfred grinned and hopped away, missing the silly grin on Arthur's face.

Alfred was grinning from ear to ear. He was excited, like a child waiting to open presents on Christmas morning. Everything was going according to plan. He hummed a nonsense tune under his breath as he walked towards the drama club room.

He was early, so he listened to his iPod while waiting, leaning on the far wall lazily as he scrolled through his songs for something to do. He knew Kiku was still against his current prank, but he didn't care. Life was too short not to have some fun while we can. It was no big deal really, He was only going to get close to Arthur, find out some of his dirty secrets, publish them to the whole school, make him fall in love with him, then dump him like hot coal. No big deal at all. The tricky part was himself, really. He had developed quite a bit of homophobia thanks to his past. There will be some touching involved, no doubt, but he didn't think it would be anything he can't handle. He'd try to avoid touching him as much as possible. No big deal at all! It was the thought of the result that kept him going.

He scrolled through his song list, finally settling down on The Beauty and the Tragedy by Trading Yesterday.

For I am finding out that love, will kill and save me…

The door to the drama club burst open, students walking out in a steady stream. He caught sight of Arthur and waved a little. He also caught the attention of other students looking at him curiously. Arthur looked a bit embarrassed from the unwanted attention. He quickly moved towards Alfred.

I wonder where we are going. Arthur thought as he followed Alfred just a step behind him. Alfred made no motion of waiting for him, walking in long strides. All Arthur could do was try to keep up, but always a step behind.

He groaned inwardly when Alfred led them into McDonald's. He was never a fast food person.

He could have at least asked me where I would like to eat, Arthur thought gloomily as he stared at the McDonald's clown mascot, waving at him with a silly smile.

Alfred, oblivious to his thoughts, walked straight to the counter, ordered three double cheese burgers and extra-large fries with an extra-large Coke, although, he did turn and ask Arthur what he wanted to eat after that.

Arthur gulped. Fast food, especially burgers, was the last thing on his mind for a tea break. He much preferred having tea and scones. But he didn't want Alfred to think of him as a spoiled child so he forced himself to order an apple pie with… Lipton tea. That was just sad for a tea choice. Alfred was gentleman enough to carry their tray of food to a corner table by the glass window.

Without waiting further, Alfred dug into his first burger hungrily and devoured it within seconds. Arthur raised an eyebrow. He wanted to tell him that he should enjoy and savor his food more, but thought better of it. He had barely started on his own apple pie when Alfred excused himself and went to the counter to order two more burgers. He came back with a huge grin on his face.

"You sure can eat," Arthur commented as he cut into his crusty pie with the small plastic knife and fork he requested from the waitress. Alfred was looking at him as though he had grown a tail.

"Why the heck are you using knife and fork in a fast food restaurant?" Alfred asked between bites, "You eat them like this!" He popped a small piece of apple pie from Arthur's plate into his already-full mouth."Wusim ham!"

Arthur blushed a little at his sudden act. Does he mean using hands? Arthur couldn't help but chuckle. He looked like a child! Though he does need help with table manners, he thought as he eyed the mess Alfred made on the table.

After eating, they talked a little about school, their club activities, their hobbies, and so forth. Alfred was really cute - the way he got excited over small things; the way his cheeks flushed with excitement when he was talking about Marvel Super heroes was too adorable. Arthur smiled. The food was bad, Arthur admitted, but he had a great time, spending them with Alfred. He pondered on whether to ask Alfred about the incident, but was too chicken to do so. It really wasn't his business, after all.

Arthur wasn't entire stupid. He knew he should be wary of this sudden change in Alfred's behavior. But he was allowed to bath in bliss for a while, right? What was the point of worrying about something he didn't know?

Shucks, that wasn't so bad.

Alfred admitted that he wasn't really fond of Arthur, but he didn't dislike him, either. If only he wasn't gay. He thought they might even be able to become friends if circumstances were different, but Alfred couldn't help himself, he just couldn't accept homosexuals anymore.

He flopped onto his bed and grabbed for his PS3 controller. He started up his save Half-Life game mechanically, but found that he couldn't really concentrate on the game and threw aside his controller in frustration. He then attempted to read his Spiderman comic, which was already opened wide on his bed.

His bed was a mess, really, with comics, controllers, and books splayed around. He should really tidy them up a bit, but he was way too lazy. He was bored. He couldn't concentrate on his game, or any comics, and found himself thinking of… Arthur.

His phone rang, indicating the arrival of a new message.

Thanks! I had a great time. Arthur Kirkland

The message was short. Alfred couldn't help but smile when he read them again. And again. And again. He started to type a reply.

Uh oh, why am I feeling so happy? Oh ya, he was happy because Arthur seemed to be falling for him. Of course, that was why he was happy, right? There is no freaking way he would be feeling anything more than that.

I need to get a grip. No way am I making the same mistake again. Ever.