Ivan fidgeted nervously in his seat, biting his lip and averting his eyes as Alfred plopped down and handed him a cappuccino. Al took a vigorous sip of his drink and shuddered triumphantly. "They have the best damn hot chocolate here! It tastes best when it's scalding."

Ivan shrugged and averted his violet eyes once more. The next thirty minutes consisted of a mainly one-sided conversation as Alfred rambled on and on about the books he'd read, his interpretations, and his feelings.

Normally Ivan felt uncomfortable around people who were outgoing and straightforward. He got along with Gilbert after Matthew had convinced him to be open to new experiences, but honestly Gil was still someone he felt uptight around. He preferred to be in the presence of someone calm; someone who made him feel secure and comfortable. Someone like Matthew, whom he didn't feel nervous or self-conscious around.

However strangely enough, he enjoyed Alfred's chatter. Someone taking over a conversation and rambling would usually seem rude to Ivan, whether they were doing it on purpose or not, but as Alfred excitedly discussed their similar interests with a childlike gleam in his eyes, Ivan actually found it kind of... cute.

Alfred really wasn't so bad. Ivan didn't know why he had been so stubborn. He really just felt intimidated by bold people. Not to mention he found hitting on complete strangers rude, crude, and shallow. A guy who gave off a player vibe like Alfred was the last kind of person he ever saw himself getting along with, let alone dating.

Oh my god, was this a date?

Ivan's cheeks flushed. Alfred had been going on for quite a while, and Ivan's mind started to wander. Would a date really be so bad? The idea made him both excited and incredibly nervous. "I'm not ready for a date," he panicked internally.

"Yo, angel eyes."

Ivan blinked. "Yes? Me?"

"Yeah. You listenin'?"

"Oh. Yes. I'm sorry," Ivan replied nervously, brushing his hair back.

"I've been talking a lot, haven't I? Sorry." Alfred laughed. "I'm like a raging manly hurricane! My approach to life is to hit it with everything I've got, so I can see how you might find that overwhelming."

"I guess," Ivan replied gently. "But you're not really bothering me now."

"Really?" Alfred popped up from his slouch like a cat hearing the sound of a bag of treats. "Awesome! I mean, cool. That's cool." He tried to contain his excitement, slouching back down and crossing his arms with a rapper pout. He must remain aloof at all costs.

"It's sort of enjoyable to listen to you be passionate about something." Ivan smiled bashfully, his sentimental gaze directed towards the floor.

Alfred clutched at his chest in shock. Oh god, if this were that moment in cartoons, his heart would've popped right out of his chest. Or if it were an anime, he would've most definitely gotten a nosebleed. What did they call that? 'Doki-doki' or something? 'Moe'? Err... not that he would know, of course. He only liked manly animes. Like Dragon Ball Z. He totally never snuck into his brother's room when he wasn't home and read his secret stash of shoujo manga. No way, no how.

X

Matthew returned looking weary. "Hey, Gil," he muttered. He paused. Gilbert was sitting on his bed with a forlorn expression, holding a stack of papers. "Hey!" Matthew snapped, swiping to snatch the papers from his hand. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Gilbert held the pages out of reach. His expression was stern. "Why didn't you tell anyone about this?"

"Because it's my business!"

"Oh, really? Because I thought we were friends. I don't hide things from you."

"It's embarrassing!" Matthew shouted, tears rolling down his face. "I didn't want to tell you that I'm failing everything!" He flopped down on his bed miserably, head in his hands. Gilbert pulled him gently into his arms and cradled him.

"It's okay, Matt."

"No it's not," he sobbed. "I'm trying so hard. Al doesn't even have to try to get good grades! It isn't fair…" He sniffled, curling up in Gilbert's arms.

X

Alfred and Ivan were laughing and chatting away when Al's phone began playing "Hit Me Baby One More Time".

"Yo, just a sec. That's Gil." He flipped the phone open. "Dude, I'm on a date here!" He paused and his smile faded. "Mm-kay. I'm on my way."

Ivan's face became confused as Alfred swung his bag over his back and jumped up. "Sorry,gottagotalktoyoulater!" He shouted, racing out of the café and leaving Ivan alone. Ivan sat for a moment and scowled.

"Jerk," he muttered softly.

X

Matthew's sobbing had worn down to sniffles but he was still curled in Gilbert's arms. "How are you feeling, Birdy? Any better?" Matthew nodded. His arms wrapped around Gilbert's neck and he buried his face in it, sniffling. He didn't want to let go.

"Mattie!" Alfred shouted, bursting through the door.

Matthew jumped nearly ten feet in the air. Blushing wildly he snapped, "Geez, Al, what do you want?"

"Gil called me, of course!" Matthew glared at his roommate. Alfred pulled a chalkboard behind him into the room. "Now, let's get started!"

"Started? With what?"

"With finding a subject you're actually good at, dummy! So you don't have to leave!"

"What?"

"You're switching programs, genius!" Alfred rolled his eyes. He began to write on the chalkboard. "Now you've always had creativity, so maybe an intellectual pursuit with a creative outlet will be good for you—"

"But I don't wanna switch majors! I love art!" Matthew whined.

"Oh, yeah? How's that going for you?"

"I…" Matthew blinked hard as tears began to fill his eyes.

Gilbert flung his arms around him and held him protectively to his chest. "Stop being so harsh! You're upsetting my Birdy!"

Alfred raised an eye, grinning. "Your Birdy? Sorry, did you want me to leave so you guys can make out?"

Gilbert looked baffled for a moment, then seemed to consider it but shook his head. "Nah, this is way more important than making out."

Matthew's face turned beet red. "Wait, are you saying if we weren't busy you'd actually—"

Alfred cleared his throat loudly. "Ahem?" He tapped the chalkboard impatiently. "Anyway, it's time to start considering other options. Matt, what do you like aside from art?"

"Um, I don't know... Manga?"

Gilbert facepalmed.

"Well, time to find out! Let's go!"

"Wait, go where? Ah!" Alfred and Gilbert picked up Matthew like a large piece of furniture and stomped out the door singing, "We're going for an adventure, and we don't know what's in store! We're coming from the closet, and we're heading out the door!"

Matthew scowled. "What does this have to do with a closet?"

"Zoboomafoo?"

Matt frowned. "Zaboomawha?"

Alfred gave him a very serious expression. "I have never been so disappointed in you, Matthew."

They marched out despite Matthew's cries of protest.

X

Thanks for reading! I'm very sorry this took so long. I was working on finishing the chapter, then my computer crashed. Then life got really hectic. My grandmother was diagnosed with cancer and got very bad very quickly, and I've also been quite ill, perhaps in part because of my new medication. Also, one of my friends is going through a pretty bad depression right now. To be honest, with all that's going on, I forgot for a little bit about updating... but I'll try to be more frequent from now on. And, as promised, I will not give up on this fic. Thanks for all the support guys! I'll try to make it up to you with the next chapter soon!

Thanks to Anon990 for editing!