Chapter 12
The pills kicked in during Mrs. Crispen's Algebra II class. Alfred had begun to feel a little nauseous at first, and then his stomach began to make alarming noises.
"I gotta go!" Alfred yelled rather loudly, startling Ivan who was sleeping next to him. Mrs. Crispen shot him an annoyed look but heard his stomach growl and waved him out of her class to a chorus of giggles. Luckily for Alfred, Arthur didn't share the class with him. Otherwise, he would have never escaped the other boy's fussing.
He was in the bathroom for nearly twenty minutes before Mrs. Crispen sent Ivan to come check on him.
"Ugh, what the fuck did you eat?" Ivan grumbled, as he entered the bathroom.
"I'm fine, man, just go back to class!" Alfred gritted out. In truth, he was not fine. His stomach felt like it was tied up in knots and no matter how many times he'd flushed the toilet, he still felt the urge to go. He'd even tried returning to class and had gotten half-way down the hall before he had to waddle back. As sick as he felt, though, the sicker thing was that the cramping, the pain, and the dumping felt strangely good—it was like the damage and the extra calories of his too-large lunch were being forced out of his body. Even as Alfred moaned weakly and clutched his stomach, he knew he'd be using the pills again.
"Should I get the nurse?" Ivan asked, hearing Alfred's weak moan.
"No, I'm okay. It's just a...just a stomach bug," Alfred replied.
"Fine," Ivan grunted, and then he left the bathroom. When Alfred finally returned to class, pale and sweaty, Mrs. Crispen already had a pass ready for him to go to the nurse. She was kind of a hard-ass as a teacher, but she seemed to genuinely care under her tough exterior.
Alfred thanked her for the pass, remained silent while she lectured him about missing make-up work, and then trudged to his next class. He crumpled up the nurse's pass. He figured the worst of it was over. He looked like shit, but he felt good. He felt thinner. If he could manage a work-out after Mr. Allowick's class, he'd be good to go.
As he approached the classroom, he came upon a rather odd sight. Arthur stood in front of an upper-classman, his fists clenched angrily at his sides. He looked furious, and he was half-shouting at the Junior.
"If I catch you at that again, I'll—"
"Arthur, please, it's fine!" Patricia was saying quietly. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment and she clutched at her school bag weakly. Alfred wondered if it would hurt Patty's feelings if he offered her some of the pills—she looked like she'd gained another fifteen pounds over the summer. He tried to look stronger than he felt as he joined the confrontation.
"What's going on here?" he asked, stepping up to Arthur's side and not so subtly shielding him from the taller Junior. The older boy backed off now that Alfred had arrived (which was a strange sensation for Alfred—when did he become big and strong enough to scare off bullies?)
"Eyebrows here is talking mess! I wasn't saying anything. He got all up in my face—"
Alfred didn't hesitate to put a hand on the other boy's chest and give him a light shove.
"For starters, only I get to make fun of my boyfriend's eyebrows. Were you hassling Patricia? Because I'll show you 'getting in your face' if you're being a dick to her," Alfred threatened. The other boy cussed and shoved him back, and the students nearby began to whisper excitedly "Fight!"
"Break it up!" Mr. Allowick shouted, emerging from his classroom.
"Mitchell, get to your classroom. Alfred, Arthur, and Patricia—inside my room NOW," Mr. Allowick ordered. Alfred threw a rude gesture at the Junior, who returned it with a mumbled threat. "NOW!" Mr. Allowick repeated. Mitchell sulked off, looking furious. Still fuming after the confrontation, Alfred protectively looped his arm around Arthur's shoulders.
"You okay, babe?" Alfred asked, pressing a kiss to Arthur's shaggy hair. Arthur blushed at his show of protectiveness but leaned into his embrace for a moment before shoving off his arm.
"I'm perfectly fine, and I'll have you know that I had the situation completely under control," Arthur replied. Grinning a bit weakly (he still felt rather sick) Alfred turned back to Patricia.
"You okay, Patty?" he asked. She gave him a soft smile.
"Yeah...thanks you guys," she said quietly.
"Alfred—" Mr. Allowick began once they were inside his classroom. He closed the door so that no other students would enter.
"I know I'm not supposed to fight, Mr. A, but he was being a jerk and—"
"Alfred, I was only going to say that next time get a teacher...but you boys did a good thing standing up for your friend. I'll see that Mitchell faces disciplinary action, alright, Patricia? He hasn't been harassing you, has he?"
Embarrassed, Patricia just shook her head 'no' and went to her seat, getting out her notes and generally trying to pretend like it hadn't happened. Mr. Allowick patted Arthur on the shoulder.
"You let me know if you see anymore of that going on, okay?" he requested. He had a rather proud smile despite the severity of his words, and Alfred liked the teacher even more for understanding.
"Are you alright, Alfred? You don't look so good," Arthur said as they headed to their seats.
"I'm fine. Lunch just didn't agree with me," Alfred said. Wryly he thought, 'That's the understatement of the century.'
Arthur stared rather suspiciously at him but let it go for the moment. Alfred unconsciously sighed in relief.
"I heard from Francis during study hall last period. His mother is doing better, and he seems in better health, too," Arthur said. "He asked me something kind of odd, though. He seems very concerned about Michelle, and he specifically requested that you go with her the next time she goes to see her agent. I must admit, I'm not her biggest fan, but he was rather insistent I pass on the message."
"Her agent?" Alfred asked. He remembered Michelle had gone to see her agent during lunch earlier that day, and he realized as the students began to file in for class that she was not present. "She went to see him at lunch, but she should be back. Did something happen?" Alfred asked. Now Arthur looked concerned, too, and they both watched the door anxiously.
"I suppose we should say something to Mr. Allowick," Arthur commented, when the bell rang and Michelle's seat was empty. Alfred agreed, and he was just about to approach Mr. A's desk when the door opened and Michelle came in looking upset. When she'd left for the lunch date, her clothes had been revealing, but fashionable and neat. Now they were rumpled and Alfred thought he even saw a small tear at the hem of her skirt.
"Do you have a tardy pass?" Mr. Allowick asked. Michelle scowled and didn't answer, moving instead to sit in her seat. It didn't appear to be comfortable for her. Mr. Allowick scowled. "I asked for a pass, Michelle," he repeated.
"I don't have one. Just count me fucking tardy and get on with it," Michelle mumbled. Now both Alfred and Arthur were really concerned. True, Michelle seemed to have a pretty bad attitude with most of the teachers, but it was extremely rare that a World Academy student cussed at a teacher. Except for Gilbert, who was always cussing but seemed to spend more time at in-school suspension than he did in class.
"I'll deal with you after class, Michelle. I don't have time for this now," Mr. Allowick said in irritation, before switching off the lights and starting a movie about atoms. Once concealed by darkness, a boy near Michelle made the mistake of reaching over and tugging at the rip in her skirt.
"Who got lucky during lunch?" he whispered with a shit-eating grin. Alfred thought about Mr. Allowick's request and was half-way raising his hand to tell him about the harassment when Michelle handled it herself. She grabbed the boy's finger and bent it backwards until he nearly fell out of his chair and his face went white with pain.
"Hands off the merchandise. You wouldn't know what to do with it even if I gave you a chance—which I won't," Michelle whispered viciously.
"Fucking bitch-slut!" the boy spat back, low enough so that Allowick wouldn't hear. Michelle flipped him the middle finger and went back to texting on her phone under the desk. Arthur and Alfred exchanged worried glances.
After class, Alfred had a familiar, determined look in his eye that Arthur knew all too well.
"Head on back to the room, babe. I'm going to talk to Michelle," Alfred said. Arthur didn't like it, but he could see as well as Alfred that something had happened to the other girl. He had to trust that Alfred only wanted to help. He refused to become jealous or blow things out of proportion as he'd done in the past. It was ridiculously hard to do, but he nodded his head and remained silent, though his mouth was a tense line and his eyebrows knitted together nervously. Alfred's expression softened and, despite being in the middle of the hallway, he gently tilted Arthur's face up and kissed him chastely.
"Don't worry. I just want to help her," Alfred said. He was sincere, and clearly being honest. Arthur could tell when Alfred was lying, and he sensed nothing amiss with his words.
"Right...bloody hero-complex," he grumbled, though he smiled to soften the criticism. Alfred returned the smile and kissed him once more, a little more firmly this time, and then took off in the direction Michelle had headed.
"Do you guys ever get any downtime between saving damsels in distress?" Patty asked with a small smile. Arthur turned to face her, grinning a bit sheepishly.
"It's been an unusually busy day for damsel-rescuing today. Are you sure you're alright?" Arthur asked. Patty shrugged her shoulders.
"It's just high school. It's not supposed to be fun for girls like me," she said glumly. Arthur walked with her, even though he was supposed to go in a different direction.
"Now that's not true. Student council is starting up again soon, and this campus has some interesting new clubs. Aren't you eager to join up?" Arthur asked.
"I wanted to join the Hero Club, but I probably shouldn't. My grades aren't so good. It's only the first month of school, but I'm already falling behind," she huffed in amusement, "Though I got an interesting offer from your little cousin. He told me he'd tutor me," she said with a smile.
"I apologize. Peter is ridiculous with his cockiness and his boasting. You know what they say—little dogs have the biggest bark," Arthur commented. Patty smiled.
"He's cute, and he idolizes you. I know you're really busy, but you might want to spend some time with him. I think he's having a rough time fitting in," Patty said, as if she sympathized with him.
"Of course he is," Arthur grumbled. "He should have never come. He's not old enough and he's thousands of miles from home. I don't know what my aunt was thinking—probably just wanted some peace and quiet."
"He's not that bad," Patty said with a smile. Arthur shot her a look that said "oh-yes-he-is."
"He mixed in some phony marriage registration papers with my school forms while I was out of town. I nearly signed them, too. I still haven't figured how he broke into my room, but my favorite pair of boxers are missing. He's a strange, strange child," Arthur insisted. Patty winced and laughed.
"Yeah, I guess that is a bit weird. Maybe he just needs some friends his own age?" she offered.
"Possibly. I'll have to do some research and find out if I can get him on a local sports team or something. Between him and Alfred, I never get a moment of peace," Arthur complained. Patty's expression turned sad again.
"But it's nice...isn't it? To be so cherished?"
A little caught off-guard, Arthur could only shrug his shoulders and nod. "Well, I suppose...that is to say, Alfred does have his good moments...and Peter can be cute...but only sometimes."
Patty was at her dorm room, so she surprised Arthur with a quick hug. "Thanks again," she said. She added, "Don't study too hard trying to catch up. I'll see ya around."
"Yeah, see you," Arthur replied. He frowned a bit at her closed dorm room door. Was it just him, or was everyone having a rough start to the year? Francis with his father, Matthew and Alfred fighting (and Alfred's weird moods lately), Ivan's family having to flee Russia, and the strange problem of Michelle...it was all rather worrisome and distracting.
Arthur sighed. He supposed he'd just have to take it one day at a time. It was all he could do, really. He had enough to worry about with grades and school obligations alone, much less running around like Alfred tended to do, trying to solve all the problems of his friends.
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Matthew had seen blessedly little of Gilbert since the start of term. He'd been very busy with Alex, and now with hockey practices and all the new friends he was making on the team. So it was with some surprise when he left the rink that evening to catch the bus, and found Gilbert waiting for him.
Well, he claimed he wasn't waiting. There was a skate park nearby and Gilbert said he'd just happened to be in the neighborhood. Of course, that excuse always sounded a bit phoney.
"Why are you really here, Gilbert? Do you need tutoring again?" Matthew asked. He hiked his hockey gear bag up further on his shoulder, and yawned tiredly. Practice had worn him out. Gilbert rolled around him on his skateboard, seemingly just wasting time.
"I don't need tutoring. I mean, I need tutoring, but I'm not going unless it's mandatory. I'm actually doing better, though. That hard ass Ludwig is forcing me to study—that's why I'm not going back to the dorms just yet," Gilbert said with a conspiratorial grin. Matthew smiled and appreciated how handsome Gilbert looked in the moonlight, just a little sweaty with no shirt on, his dark jeans riding low on his hips and his boxers peeking out.
"So you came to hang out with me instead?" Matthew concluded. Gilbert smirked and shrugged, as if he refused to voluntarily admit that he'd sought out Matthew for companionship.
"I was just in the 'hood," Gilbert insisted. Matthew rolled his eyes and gave Gilbert a gentle shove as he passed by, causing the other boy to evacuate his board inelegantly.
"Hey!" Gilbert shouted. Matthew just smirked.
"That was payback—for pushing me off the last time you gave me a skateboarding lesson."
"You've got a sense of humor. I like that in fuck buddy," Gilbert replied, with his best, most charming smile. Matthew chuckled.
"I knew you were after something. I'm not interested in a one-night stand, Gilbert," Matthew said.
"Come on...your boyfriend's out of town...probably won't ever come back!" Gilbert persuaded. Matthew was almost to the bus stop.
"He's not my boyfriend anymore. He's—"
"Then we don't have any issues! Drama-free. I like that," Gilbert said. He popped a trick on his board and landed it expertly. Matthew pretended he wasn't impressed and that the sight of Gilbert on his skateboard didn't make him want to do naughty things to the other boy. It wasn't easy. His lavender eyes kept gravitating down Gilbert's faint six-pack, like magnets, towards the rather tempting cock currently tucked away.
"Come on, teddy-bear. You know you want me again. Didn't I do you right last time?" Gilbert asked. Matthew nearly moaned at the memory. Gilbert had definitely done him right, and even remembering it caused need and want to spark over his nerve endings and thrum at the base of his spine. He remembered all too well being spread wide, reclining against Francis (who whispered sweet little nothings in his ear and sucked on his earlobe, tweaking and playing with his nipples) while Gilbert had fucked him hard and fast.
"Earth to Matthew," Gilbert said teasingly. If his devilish grin was anything to go by, Gilbert knew exactly where Matthew's thoughts were going.
"Why me? I thought you were straight," Matthew accused, flustered.
"Yeah...I've been thinking—don't give me that look! I am capable of thinking!" Matthew grinned. They reached the bus stop and Gilbert kicked his board up. "Well...maybe I'm not so straight. Because, and this totally gay, but I've been...err...thinking about you a lot. I think I might like you...or some girly shit like that."
"Wow, Gilbert. Be still my beating heart," Matthew said sarcastically. It was Gilbert's turn to roll his eyes.
"Fine. You want romance? I'm awesome at romance." Gilbert then dramatically dropped to one knee. He pulled off one of his big metal rings, one with a red skull on it, and presented it to Matthew as if he were proposing.
"What are you doing?" Matthew asked with a laugh. He couldn't help it—he just couldn't take the other boy seriously. Gilbert, however, cleared his throat and posed his question very somberly.
"Matthew Williams...will you be my teddy bear? Please do me the honor of accompanying me to the Homecoming dance, where I will not spike the punch and will instead devote my entire evening to ensuring you have the time of your life." Gilbert finished his proposal by offering a teasing wink.
Matthew was a little startled. He tried to laugh it off, but when he began to walk past, Gilbert grabbed his hand rather tightly. The joking look was gone.
"Hey...I'm trying here. I know I'm a dick and I'm not exactly boyfriend material, but this is hard for me to admit. I'm saying I like you. Don't treat me like a joke."
"Gilbert, I—"
"If you tell me you're already dating that Cuban guy I'm gonna be seriously pissed. I mean, come on, dude! You were only single for like, a month!"
"It's not that. Alex and I are just friends," Matthew said, though a little voice inside instantly whispered, 'But I wish we were more than that.'
The look Gilbert gave him was skeptical. Matthew frowned. "I mean it. We're just friends."
"So then your answer is?" Gilbert reminded, holding out the ring once more. Matthew looked adorably confused for a moment but then he shook his head, as if in disbelief over his own decision, and let Gilbert slide the ring onto his hand. It was a little big, but it would stay on if he was careful.
The bus rolled up and the doors opened. Gilbert stood, not bothering to dust off his pants, and gave Matthew a big, beaming smile.
"Awesome! I've never been a boyfriend before. So, like, when do we get to the lovemaking?"
Matthew rolled his eyes, but the ring felt good on his finger and his confidence boosted even higher.
"Let's not rush anything," Matthew said. Those turned out to be famous last words.
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The football field was dark and Matthew could only grin in rebellious excitement as they crept up to the locked gate.
"Gilbert, we really shouldn't do this," Matthew said. Gilbert tugged his hockey gear off his shoulder and left it at the gate. He tossed his skateboard down beside it and then eyed the fence. He took a running jump and propelled himself up fairly high on the chain-link, and proceeded to climb it quickly, like a monkey—all lean muscles stretching and glistening in the moonlight. Once Gilbert was on the other side, he pulled a ring of keys from his back pocket and tried six or seven of them in the padlock.
"Got it!" he said in triumph, when the padlock clicked open.
"Gilbert, do I even want to know why you have a ring of school keys?" Matthew asked. Gilbert just grinned at him through the fence.
"Nope!" He opened the door then, discarding the heavy chain onto the grass. "After you, teddy-bear," he said gallantly, waving Matthew out onto the field.
"Can I ask why we're sneaking onto the football field?" Matthew asked. Gilbert casually laced their hands together as they began to walk (Matthew blushed at that, and he was surprised to see a small blush on Gilbert's cheeks, too).
"We're going to make out under the bleachers. That's what bleachers are for, right?" Gilbert asked. Matthew snorted in amusement.
"I'm pretty sure they're for sitting on."
"I'm pretty sure they're for fucking under," Gilbert replied.
"Do you ever think of anything other than sex?" Matthew asked.
"Sometimes I think about how fucking adorable you are. Like when you were tutoring me last year, or when you get all serious in class, reading your books and shit, and you twirl your hair around your finger."
"...really?" Matthew asked, a little surprised. Gilbert shrugged, trying to play it off.
"So what? I'm sure you think about how awesome I am all the time," Gilbert replied with false bravado. Matthew grinned.
"Maybe...only sometimes," Matthew said.
"And do you like me?" Gilbert prompted. He'd led Matthew to a soft patch of grass growing to seed underneath the bleachers. It was lit by slanting lines of moonlight, and a few little wildflowers grew amongst the tumble of grass and soft weeds. It wasn't a bed covered in rose petals, but Matthew thought it looked rather inviting.
"This year...I hadn't thought much about you until you came to walk me home after hockey practice."
"I was just in the neighborhood—" Gilbert tried to claim again. Matthew turned, tugging Gilbert to a stop. He leaned in close to the taller boy and tilted up his lips, so that his words brushed Gilbert's mouth teasingly when he spoke.
"You have a crush on me, Gilbert," Matthew said. He even smirked a little, "And you've had one on me ever since I tutored you. You can admit it."
"You aren't stuttering anymore. You seem kinda...different...like how you were in the shack that one time," Gilbert said, leaning in closer and slanting his mouth slightly. Matthew licked his lips.
"This time I feel strong and confident all on my own. I'm making some changes this year," Matthew said with quiet resolve. Gilbert grinned.
"I've noticed. It's kinda badass," Gilbert praised.
"I know," Matthew said. Then, he boldly stretched onto his tip-toes and kissed Gilbert rather passionately. He slipped his tongue into the other boy's mouth and pressed his hands against Gilbert's bare chest. Gilbert returned the kiss enthusiastically, and his hands immediately latched onto Matthew's ass. Gilbert squeezed the firm, round buttocks and rolled his hips against Matthew's. The Canadian teen gasped into the kiss, and Gilbert took advantage of the moment to dominate the kiss. All the while, he continued to squeeze and caress Matthew's ass, rolling his hips until an impressively big cock was hard and needy against Matthew's belly.
Matthew tried to slow them down. He pulled away from the kiss but could not escape the circle of Gilbert's arms, nor could he quite manage to stop his own rutting against Gilbert's muscular thigh—but it was only because it had been so long since he'd been properly fucked, and he hadn't even masturbated because of sharing a room with Alex.
"We need—to—stop!" Matthew panted. The humid, late summer air was hot around their bodies and it made Matthew begin to sweat.
"Take your jeans off, teddy-bear," Gilbert replied instead. He moved his open-mouthed kiss to the side of Matthew's neck, where he wetly suckled and licked. Matthew bit his lip and tried to think of un-arousing things, but it was simply impossible. His fingers moved to the button on his jeans and he was fumbling with his zipper and giving himself a good rub as he pushed his pants down to the ground. Gilbert guided him backwards, towards the grassy spot, and Matthew nearly tripped over his pants. With some effort, he managed to get his feet free and abandon the jeans in a messy pile. Gilbert was already pulling down his briefs, and the realization that he was about to have sex outside, with Gilbert, who was now using his taunt of "teddy-bear" in a soft, longing way, was enough to make Matthew rock hard.
"There we go...lie down," Gilbert said roughly. Matthew did as Gilbert asked, delighting at the feel of the cool grass on his skin. He toed off his shoes and socks, and spread his legs a bit, running his hands over the bed of grass and little yellow flowers.
"Fuck," Gilbert hissed admiringly as he dropped his own pants and gave himself a few long, hard strokes. Matthew gulped at the reminder of just how big Gilbert really was and the memory of that long cock deep inside his tight hole. It had hurt, but in a fantastic sort of way. He'd felt full and painfully stretched, but so thoroughly well-fucked that when Gilbert had emptied his load and pulled out, Matthew had almost whimpered for him to return.
Now he was back, and this time there was no Francis in the picture to make Matthew feel guilty about his pleasure. He spread his legs a little wider and arched his head back, shaking his sweaty curls off his face.
"Shirt off," Gilbert instructed next, as he removed his skater shoes. Matthew obeyed that command too, and his nipples instantly hardened when a cooling breeze rolled under the bleachers, caressing their hot, sweaty skin.
Gilbert dropped to his knees then and crawled forward, stretching out above Matthew and kissing him deeply once more. Matthew rolled his hips forward, seeking that wonderful friction, and moaned in lusty delight when Gilbert worked a spit-slick finger between their bodies and probed at his tight hole.
"It's been awhile?" Gilbert asked, his voice clearly sounding appreciative.
"Mmm...all summer," Matthew replied a little bashfully. Gilbert pushed the finger in at Matthew's statement, and caused the smaller boy to gasp out the last word so that "summer" sounded about two octaves higher than Matthew's normal range.
Without waiting long, Gilbert added a second finger, pushing and twisting and scissoring, until he found Matthew's sweet spot and began to mercilessly tease him. Matthew dug his nails into the dirt and moaned wantonly, uncaring of anyone who might hear.
"Gilbert!" he cried.
"Tell me what you want, teddy-bear," Gilbert whispered huskily. Matthew blinked the rolling beads of sweat out of his eyes and pushed his lips against Gilbert's.
"Fuck me...please!"
And then Matthew got exactly what he asked for and more. He nearly whimpered at the burn of suddenly having Gilbert's huge head push inside him. He lay back, arched his hips up and tried to spread wide and relax at the same time. The grass felt so good against his skin that he stretched his arms above his head and grabbed fistfuls. Gilbert began to sink his moistened dick in deeply, past Matthew's tight ring of muscle, till Matthew felt like he was surely going to split in two.
"You're so...fucking...damn!" Gilbert grunted once he was fully seated, and he took a moment just to pant heavily and stare at the picture Matthew made all stretched out before him with his arse full of cock and his pretty little dick bobbing against his belly. Gilbert indulgently stroked his hands up and down Mathew's chest, over the slight concave of his stomach and through the downy soft little hairs leading to his arousal. He pushed his hands up again, up and up, over Matthew's wildly racing pulse in his neck, over his plump lips. "Suck," Gilbert ordered.
"Mmm," Matthew moaned, taking the digits into his mouth and wetting them with his tongue. When Gilbert had his fingers moist, he dragged them down Matthew's narrow chest once more, and proceeded to tease Matthew's nipples until they were swollen and pebbled.
"Please...move...fuck me!" Matthew begged, tossing his head in the grass. He'd adjusted to the full feeling in his ass and now he wanted friction. He wanted to be fucked hard and made to feel dirty and abused. The kinky thrill of it all electrified him. Gilbert answered his plea and began to slowly slide in and out, clearly in no hurry, and his devilish smirk reminded Matthew that Gilbert may have been a terrible student, but he was very good at fucking.
It was going to be a long, long night.
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"Alfred..." Arthur said quietly, in that serious tone Alfred knew all too well. Alfred sighed and put down his math text book.
"What is it?" he asked.
"What happened with Michelle?" Arthur asked. Alfred had returned late to their shared room—it was nearly ten—and he'd offered no insight into what he and Michelle had discussed all afternoon. Arthur felt like he was on pins and needles. Hadn't he been trusting? Hadn't he let Alfred go alone? Didn't he deserve some reassurance?
"I...I can't say, Arthur. It's not my place," Alfred said. "She trusted me."
Arthur felt his mood darken. Shouldn't that be his line? 'I trusted you, too,' he thought bitterly.
"Nothing happened?" he asked, with feigned casualty. Alfred stared at him for a long moment, but then turned his eyes back down to his math book with a quiet sigh.
"No, Arthur. Nothing happened," he said. His defeated tone made Arthur feel like a prick for asking, but damn it all, Alfred knew he didn't handle jealousy well. Why was he making it so hard on him?
"It's just that she's getting quite the reputation, and it's not unreasonable to—"
"To what? To think I'd cheat on you? Am I really that lousy of a boyfriend?" Alfred asked, sounding hurt. They sat on the beds on opposite sides of the room, but Arthur felt like they were miles and miles apart. He swallowed past the lump in his throat.
"Something's wrong, Alfred. I don't know what it is, but something is off about you," Arthur said. Alfred scowled, but he didn't say anything. He suddenly became very interested in his math work. Knowing he was just digging himself further into the hole, Arthur pressed onwards.
"You're acting oddly, and you're fighting with Matthew, and you're so interested in Michelle's problems—"
"Why does it keep coming back to Michelle? I just freaking told you I'm NOT sleeping with her! What more can I say? Is there something I'm not doing, Artie? Just say it. I'm not having sex with you as much? Because I'm exhausted? And I'm trying not to fail, because I'm behind, because I flew out to freaking FRANCE because YOU said you needed me! What am I not doing that's not enough? Just say it and stop wasting my time! I'm trying to do my fucking Algebra homework!" Alfred snapped. Under his hand, his clenched fingers slightly crinkled the page of his math book.
Arthur scowled. "You're being a tosser, Alfred," Arthur said in a low, hurt voice. Alfred shook his head like an irritated horse and began to messily pack up his work. He shoved his books carelessly into his backpack.
"Yeah yeah, it's all my fault. I can't do anything right. I'm getting so sick of you...patronizing me! I'm not six! I know I'm stupid but it gets old hearing you tell me all my fucking flaws all the goddamned time!" Alfred heaved the bulging backpack up onto his shoulder.
"Then go! Get the fuck out! If you don't give a bloody fuck then I don't either!" Arthur shouted. He felt utterly mad with frustration, and to prevent himself from crying, he picked up nearby paperback novel and heaved it at Alfred's retreating back. "Fuck you!" he shouted. The book bounced harmlessly off the athlete's shoulder, but Alfred spun around with a disbelieving look on his face.
"Don't you dare throw shit at me!" he yelled.
"Then don't fucking deserve it!" Arthur shouted back. He was standing now, fists clenched tightly at his sides, his green eyes livid.
They stared at each other stonily for a few solid minutes and then Alfred turned his scowl to the floor.
"I think...until my commercial...we should take a break from each other. I've got too much I have to do right now. I don't have time to deal with this," Alfred said. He sounded on the verge of tears, but his voice was also strong, and resolute.
Arthur stopped breathing. His green eyes widened with absolute hurt and betrayal.
"Are you...are you breaking up with me?" he asked hollowly. Alfred's fists clenched around his backpack straps.
"Don't put words in my mouth. I just said I think we need some time apart."
"To see other people?" Arthur accused with narrowed eyes. Alfred's irritation returned and he banged his fist against the wall.
"I'm not interested in Michelle! Or anyone else! Why can't you get that through your skull? This isn't about wanting to cheat!" Alfred insisted. Arthur considered him a long moment before he tossed his head angrily.
"Bullshit. Get out. I don't want to see your face either."
"Ugh, I don't know why I thought you would understand. Just...don't talk to me. I'm seriously pissed with you right now," Alfred said vindictively. Arthur just sneered.
"Get the fuck out then! I'm not begging you to stay!" At nearly the same time, Arthur thought desperately, 'Please, Alfred...don't walk through that door.'
Alfred hesitated. His hand rested on the door knob, and both of them knew that if he walked away, they might not ever fix things back to the way they were before.
"Just leave..." Arthur said quietly, with ferocious intensity. Something seemed to break inside Alfred and he was abruptly gone, the door slammed firmly shut behind him. Arthur immediately broke into giant, heaving sobs. "Just leave before I beg you not to go," Arthur finished, as he sunk onto the nearby bed and smothered his tears into the pillow.
A/N: I think some evil laughter would be appropriate right now. ;) Sorry again for no Kiku. His scene is actually fluffy and (as you could tell) this wasn't exactly a fluffy chapter. Next time...maybe.