It was March 17 and that means that today was Feliciano and Lovino's birthday. Matthew was in the shopping district trying to find the perfect gift for Lovino. They'd been dating for a month and three days now and Matthew wanted to give his boyfriend a wonderful birthday present tonight. He had to find him the best gift that he could keep as a memento of their early days of when they were together.

"How much longer do we have to be here?" Alfred groaned as Matthew dragged him by a kiddie leash. Matthew made him come so that he could help him find a gift for Lovino since he already found the time to get Feliciano's.

"I haven't found the perfect gift for him yet! Now help me look!"

"I'm trying but you got me on a freaking kiddie leash! I feel like a little kid..." The taller blond tugged at the leash but then Matthew stopped him by pulling him to his face. Alfred would never be able to forget the darkness Matthew's eyes held.

"Alfred, I trust you but I don't want to lose you in this crowd because if I do then Papa will go French Revolution on my ass and I don't want that to happen so quit complaining, stay in the leash, and help me find a present for Lovino!" Alfred nodded vigorously and followed his brother. Can anyone say obsessed? Alfred thought as he followed Matthew around the store.

They were in one of those damn novelty stores trying to look for something. They were taking a pointless walk through a pillow aisle and Alfred spotted something that could get them out of here. It was a pillow shaped like a tomato! If anyone knew Lovino they knew how much he adored tomatoes! Alfred tugged on the leash making his brother stop.

"What is it boy? Did you find something" Alfred flipped the bird at him and took the pillow off the shelf. The younger twin looked at the pillow for a moment before he realized that this would make a nice gift for Lovino. Matthew tugged Alfred by the leash and took him to the front counter to purchase the pillow. Fortunately there was enough money to buy it and they walked out of the store with a content feeling and some happiness that they are finally out of there.

"This is a perfect! As girly as it sounds, I can add a little embroidary to it to make it stand out more and then-"

"Then you're going to show it off to your girlfriends in embroidary club as soon as you find the perfect dress to wear! What a pansy! The taller guy should be embarrassed to be hanging with that!" A new voice interrupted Matthew.

The twins turned around to see some older men laughing at the younger twin. Matthew wasn't surprised people were laughing at him. He was always one of those feminine-type boys who did more girly things than boy things but he makes up for his feminine side with playing hockey when the season comes along. Alfred felt sorry for his brother. Ever since he could remember, his brother was always teased for being so feminine-like. It wasn't his fault he was never really to boyish. They started walking away and once they were away from the shopping district, Matthew stopped in his tracks. Alfred paused and turned to look at his brother who was just standing there.

"Mattie? What's wrong dude?" Alfred tried to reach out to his brother but the younger backed away.

"Are you really embarrassed to be my brother because I'm so feminine?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I'm not."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure I'm not embarrassed by you're feminine-like ways. If I were then I'd either be kicking your ass on a daily basis or denying you as my brother. Now stop thinking about it dude." Matthew wanted to put it out of his mind but then he started to think of every insult that was tossed at him over the years. He started to think. People called him a girl and said that since he acted so much like a girl, he should start to dress like one. He knew that Natalya's older sister had some old dresses that were his size that she doesn't even wear.

"Hey Alfred!"The older twin stopped and looked at his brother again.

"What is it dude?"

"I'll be a little late to the pizzeria so go on without me."

"Ok dude. Whatever you want man." Alfred shrugged. Matthew acted pretty weird when he told him to go ahead to the pizza place but he didn't pay it no mind. It was just how his brother rolled.

Later on at the pizzeria, Alfred, Lovino, and Feliciano were there sitting in a booth and waiting for Matthew to come so they could get the mini birthday party. Matthew said he would get there later but this was kind of ridiculous. He was late! The door opened and the three looked to see a young blond girl with a black beret and a plaid dress with white long-sleeved button up and white stockings and black boots. She was holding a bag that looked like it was for someone's birthday. The girl walked over to their table and smiled at them.

"Hey guys!" She said in a high-pitched voice. The boys looked at each other then back to her.

"Um... not to be rude but who the hell are you?" Lovino asked. The girl pouted then hugged Lovino who tried to push her off but she was stronger. She finally got off of him and gave him the bag. The Italian hesitantly took it from her and opened it to pull out a pillow that was in the shape of a tomato and had a little embroidered heart and some stitching that said "Happy birthday Lovi! I hope you love your gift as much as you love me!- Matthew" Lovino looked from the pillow to the girl and started to read the atmosphere.

"Mateo!" Matthew nodded and then kissed Lovino's cheek. Alfred and Feliciano looked a bit confused until they started to get it and looked at him as he kissed Lovino and sat in the booth. The Italian was a bit freaked out and a bit turned on that his boyfriend made himself look like a girl. He'd known that Matthew would get teased for being so feminine but he'd always stay strong and tough it out but seeing him in the dress was a little bit too extreme. The rest of the time they ate and joked and tried to forget about Matthew being in a dress. It wasn't that none of them hated it, it was that this was so very sudden and unthinkable for Matthew to do.

After the mini party they parted ways. Alfred and Matthew walked home in silence, still too shocked about the sudden change in wardrobe to talk. When they got home, Matthew went straight to their room and the older brother sat on the couch next to Francis who was confused about his son's sudden change in wardrobe. When Matthew came home earlier, he was acting strange. First of all, he locked himself in his room for a few hours then came out saying that he was going to a friend's house. He found it strsnge and asked what friend but Matthew evaded the question and walked out the door.

"Mon fils, do you know why your frère is wearing a dress?"

"So when Mattie acts weird, he's MY brother?" Francis glared at his lame joke only causing Alfred to nervously laugh and scratch his head. "I think he snapped because when we were at the shopping district some older guys were making fun of him because he said that he was going to sew something onto a pillow he got for Lovino's birthday." Francis immediately was on the defensive. Matthew was so much like him in so many ways that it sometimes led to his youngest son getting bullied or made fun of. If there was one thing the blond hated more than anything it was people making fun of his children.

"Did you beat them up?"

"No Papa, they looked like they could kill me if they wanted to. We ended up walking away." Alfred got up and walked to his room deciding he had enough of the conversation. Francis was a little stumped. Was Matthew always made fun of for things like this? There's something he had to ask Matthew when he got the chance but for right now he couldn't bother with it. He got his phone out and dialed a number.

"Hey, are we still on for tonight?... They just got home and are in their room sleeping... I'll see you when you get here. I left the door locked so you'll need your key. I'll see you when you get here." Francis hung up and got out a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses. Tonight was going to be a great night.

Arthur placed his phone in his pocket after Francis hung up. He kept an affair going on with him for a few weeks now and hadn't broken up with Yao yet. When they first started this affair he knew that he would have to end up telling Yao and breaking up with him but he was in denial. He was in denial of being a cheater because he realized that he was just as much of a cheater as Francis was all that time ago and he was in denial of it. He said he would be faithful but that night when he and Francis had sex again after a decade he just broke all morals and had started the affair but there was the factor of his boyfriend.

He knew Yao found out his secret. He could tell with how limited their contact was, they never kissed anymore, they never touched each other anymore, they never even spoke to each other anymore. Arthur had been delaying when to break up with him because he didn't know how. With his experience with Francis all he knew how to do was play the submissive who tried to pretend nothing was wrong with their relationship. Arthur was going to break up with him soon but he just didn't know when.

Arthur put some of his finished work for Ivan away and walked out of his study. He was going to go to Francis' apartment again and probably end up getting laid. Again. He was walking to the door when something stopped him.

"I need to talk to you, aru." Arthur stopped and walked into the living room and Yao was sitting on the couch staring at the fireplace.

"What is it?"

"You're going over to his house again, aren't you?"

"What are you-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME! I know your secret Arthur Kirkland!" The Chinese man yelled. Green eyes widened at the volume his voice went to. The only time he ever heard Yao's voice become this loud was in the bedroom. As to the second sentence, Arthur knew what Yao was getting at. He pretended this affair wasn't going on for too long and it started to eat him up and he couldn't hold in anything anymore. The situation he was in let Arthur know that now was the time for him to break up with Yao.

"I'm not going to lie. I have been cheating on you for a while now and I can't date you anymore. You and I as a couple wouldn't work out. My heart belongs to Francis and you are my best friend and I can't pretend that I love you as much as I love my husband. I'm sorry Yao but we're finished." With that, Arthur walked out of the house. When he got to the apartment building, he thought about what he said to Yao. He was going to break up with him sooner than later but he never imagined that it would go like the way it did. Arthur threw the thoughts out of his head. He did what he had to do and he made his choice and there was no going back.

Arthur got out of his car and went to the Frenchman's apartment. Once he got to the door he took out a key he had to the place and unlocked the door and went into the apartment. When he did he saw Francis on the couch with a bottle of wine and only wearing a pair of pants. He smiled at his lover and took a seat next to him.

"Hello love." Arthur greeted as he kissed Francis on the cheek. The blond kissed him back and wrapped an arm around him.

"Bonjour mon amour~" Arthur almost melted at the familiar French voice he missed. This was something Arthur wanted and got. He wanted his husband back and he got him back but at the expense of causing someone heartbreak. He felt bad about the break up but he had to do this. It wouldn't be fair to Yao because he would have been living with a horrible truth and nothing would be done about it.

"Mon cher, what's wrong?" Arthur was taken out of his thoughts with his husband's voice.

"It's nothing Francis. Don't worry yourself with it. What were you saying?"

"I was about to ask if we could start dating again."

Hearing the last two words of the sentence made Arthur's eyes widen. Him and Francis getting back together? Arthur couldn't say he didn't think about it too but when he thought about how things went down between them at first the thought would always leave his mind as quickly as it came. There were times when he thought about their previous relationship but the memories of happiness hurt. Some more than others were painful to think about. Arthur looked at his wine and swirled it around.

"I don't think I'm ready to go back into a relationship with you just yet."

"Why not?"

"I mean, we've only been just having little romantic trysts every chance we can squeeze in when we're not busy with work or anything with the boys and to build an entirely new relationship would be like playing reruns of a shitty television show no one likes nor remembers." Francis would have said something but Arthur had a point. When they first got together that was all their relationship was built on. Sex, sex, and more sex to top of the last round of sex. There was a little love sure, but that was in the sweet glances, chates kisses, and cuddling that happened either before or after sex. There were times when they would just sit around and talk or cuddle but then the 'no sex for days' itch would come and it was back tot heir old routine. One could even say their previous relationship was one entire romantic tryst. There was silence seranading them until Arthur placed his wine down and looked at his husband.

"Why do you want to get back together?"

"I want us to esablish a new relationship that isn't entirely built on sex. I want a relationship built on love as well as sex but ah... not as much sex as it used to be. It makes sense for us to get back together and I have been noticing it too. We say 'I love you,' after sex we hold each other until one of us falls asleep, and we act like a normal couple! At least think about it." Arthur didn't want to get back in a relationship with Francis. He loved him to death but there was Yao. It would hurt him badly if after they just broke up the one whp called it off found another that quick. It would be such an insensitive and shotty move that it made the British man sick to the stomach whenever he hears someone doing that and he couldn't be a hypocrite to his own word!

"Can you at least let me think about it for a few days?" Francis nodded.

"Sure. Take all the time you need." Arthur smiled and laid back on the couch and thought about starting another relationship with him. Getting back together sounded like a bad idea but then again, one never knows how things will turn out do they? His mind screamed not to but his heart told him to go for it and see what will happen this time. Maybe things will be different but fate often plays tricks on you if you aren't careful.

The next day, Arthur left the apartment and raced home. He had to go into work today and he didn't think to bring a change of clothes with him and this was going to make him late for work. Another reason is he wanted to make sure Yao was still ok. Even though he didn't care for him in the sense of being a lover he still cared about him as a friend and, as many American men say today, bros before hoes. He got home and kicked the door open and quickly searched the house screaming his ex-boyfriend's name.

"YAO!" He screamed as he ran around like a mad man. There was no sound or movement to indicate life. Yao wasn't in the guest room, the boys' room, his room, the living room, the study, or the kitchen and attic! That only left one place and it was a place Arthur didn't want to think of. The bathroom. It was the only place left in the house he hadn't looked yet. He went to the bathroom and opened the unlocked door. Nothing prepared him for what he saw when he entered the entered the lavatory.

Me: And that's how I leave it on a cliffhanger! I'm so sorry about this chapter and how it turned out! I had very bad writer's block and I had a cold so I couldn't get this out sooner but, I swear to Doitsu, I will make the next chapter better than what this one is but I think I pretty much layed the foundation for more upcoming drama in the story so I'm not too pissed at myself. Plus, I have Teen Arts on Friday and its a good thing because I get out of school and my birthday is on Friday! I'm so excited! Also, I've been wondering, do you guys still love this story? I mean, I strayed away so much from the original plot and the last few chapters got a little bit bleh. Its just a feeling I've been getting and I've gotten some harsh criticism in the past for how things were in the story and it wasn't really bothering me until now. If you don't then I thought that taking a week off from writing the story would help but with how chapter 20 turned out, I think I lost my touch. Anyways, all doubts aside, I hope you guys liked this and leave a favorite, follow, or review! This is Janae A.K.A OrgyMemberXVII signing off! Bye :D