Chapter 15

Kiku's eyes shyly darted over, to where Heracles was admiring the morning sky with a lazy, carefree grin as he walked beside him. They'd been dating for a full two weeks, and it was amazing…but nothing had really changed. Well, Kiku supposed, a few little things had changed.

Heracles still stared at him all the time, and he still pouted when Kiku fled to the bathroom to change, but now he left extra room on one side of his bed whenever he took naps. Kiku didn't have a clue why, as the boy loved to sprawl out when he slept. Actually, Heracles did a lot of things that Kiku didn't understand now. In the mornings, as Kiku was leaving for his early class, Heracles would say "Aren't you forgetting something?" But despite checking and re-checking his bag, Kiku had never forgotten anything. He would have assumed Heracles was playing tricks on him, but when he said as much to Ludwig, the taller boy just blushed and said not to rush things, and to tell him immediately if Heracles "tried anything funny."

Talking to Ludwig about it had only confused Kiku more, so he kept quiet about Heracles and his odd behavior after that. Like, for example, Heracles was always half-naked now. At first, Kiku thought he'd just been imagining it, but now he was certain. Kiku spent all his time picking up Heracles's clothing off the floor or where he'd left it draped over chairs, and Heracles spent just as much time finding excuses to take it off—the air conditioning became curiously jammed in the off position, their laundry soap went mysteriously missing numerous times and all his clothes were "dirty," or he'd gotten sunburned (Kiku didn't think his beautifully darkened olive skin counted as 'sunburned') and the clothes were bothering him.

Aside from trying to keep Heracles in his clothes and pestering the maintenance man to fix their AC, and making far too many trips to the store to buy more detergent, nothing much had changed. They still walked to classes together most of the time, though now Heracles insisted on carrying his bag.

Kiku liked that. He'd seen that in many of his drama shows and whenever Heracles insisted on gentlemanly behavior, it made him feel like he had the most attentive, thoughtful boyfriend in the world. Heracles opened doors for him, and he'd make tea for him while he was studying. Kiku liked those changes very much. Once, when they'd had rain a few days ago, he'd exited his class thinking he was going to be soaked…but there was Heracles, waiting for him under an umbrella built for two. Kiku had really liked that.

They had kissed once more, and Kiku blushed just to think of it. It had been the day after Heracles had asked him, and they'd been about to part ways to go to different classes. Right there in the hallway, in front of everyone, in broad daylight…his boyfriend had surprised him with a kiss. Kiku had turned the same shade as a tomato and he'd pushed Heracles away rather roughly. He hadn't meant to shove him, of course, but Kiku had been raised by a traditional mother in a good, proper family and he didn't go around making out with boys in public hallways. That was the behavior of improper people, and Kiku was not improper.

Heracles hadn't tried to kiss him since, and Kiku was convinced now that he was doing this whole boyfriend thing entirely wrong.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" Heracles said dreamily. Absorbed in his thoughts, Kiku didn't reply. Heracles's hand kept bumping against his, and it was distracting him. He stepped a little to the side, so it wouldn't keep happening. Heracles sighed.

"We need to get more laundry soap while we are out," Kiku said, with a little bit of annoyance coloring his tone. This was their fourth box in a week. He was certain he wasn't misplacing it…

Heracles sighed again. Kiku frowned a little to himself.

"Kiku…I think we need to talk," Heracles said gently. Kiku stopped—frozen. He knew what that meant. He'd heard it in too many dramas to mention. Noticing that he'd stopped walking, Heracles rushed to reassure him. "No, no…it's nothing like that. I'm happy being your boyfriend."

"Shh! We are in public!" Kiku blushed, his eyes darting around nervously. Heracles glanced lazily around—it was just the two of them out on the school grounds—and arched a disbelieving eyebrow. Then he frowned lightly.

"Kiku…are you ashamed of me?" Heracles asked. Kiku's startled brown eyes widened.

"What? No!" he replied instantly. "You are…how could I be…" the language failed him and Kiku fell silent. He settled on squeezing his eyes shut tightly and shaking his head hard. "Not ashamed," he insisted. When he peaked one eye open, Heracles was grinning again, relaxed and happy once more.

"Then, Kiku, I really want to—" but before Heracles could say that he wanted Kiku to take naps with him, and hold his hand when they walked, and kiss him before he left in the mornings…the Hero Club president himself came out of nowhere, his voice blaring and loud and Alfred-like.

"HEY GUYS!"

"Where did you come from?" Heracles asked peevishly. Kiku was looking at Heracles triumphantly as if to say 'See? I told you we were in public.'

"I'm on a Hero Club mission!" Alfred announced cheerily. A few moments later, Arthur came puffing around the corner, clutching his side, looking as if he'd been running after Alfred quite awhile and was less than happy about it.

Mew!

Instantly, Heracles and Kiku fell silent. They knew that sound. The pouch on the front of Alfred's hoodie began to wiggle. A second plea confirmed their suspicions—Mew! Mew!

"I totally heroically saved her!" Alfred said proudly, less-than-gently pulling the ball of fluff out of his hoodie. Terrified (Kiku and Heracles could only imagine what the poor thing had suffered) she turned big, desperate blue eyes to them. Mew?

"Gentle, Alfred-kun!" Kiku took the kitten instantly, not asking for permission, because something so delicate and frail didn't belong in the big, clumsy hands of Alfred Jones. Finally, still huffing and puffing, Arthur joined them. When he got there, he smacked Alfred's shoulder with as much force as he could muster.

"What have I told you…about running off like…that?" Arthur yelled. Alfred winced, forgetting they had an audience, and fell into bickering with his boyfriend.

"Geez, Artie! I'm not four! I can go off on my own, ya know!"

"Oh really? Can you? Because I distinctly remember you running off from me in the mall just two days ago and—" Alfred's face flushed with bright red color.

"I was trying to dodge the press!"

"—and you ended up tripping that store alarm and—"

"It was completely logical to try and duck into the employee room!"

"—and now we can't shop at Saks anymore," Arthur finished with an angry huff. Kiku and Heracles exchanged glances. It seemed in Alfred and Arthur's relationship, the winner of every disagreement boiled down to who griped louder.

"ANYWAYS…I heroically rescued her. Ain't she cute?" Alfred beamed.

"Isn't she cute, you mean," Arthur automatically corrected. Then he sneezed, and it ruined the haughty, grammar-nazi-type look he was shooting at Alfred (who was oblivious and immune to such looks by this point).

"She's got my eyes!" Alfred said proudly. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Before you go off on that 'she looks just like me so she must be a hero-cat sidekick' spiel again, explain the situation. Wait. Nevermind. I'll explain the situation. You'll only confuse them," Arthur said primly. He sneezed again.

Kiku allowed Heracles to gently take the kitten, smiling at her in his soft, sleepy way. It was too late for Arthur's warning—both of them were already horribly confused.

"She was up in a tree, and—"

"We were going to the library," Arthur began pointedly, shooting a watery-eyed glare at Alfred.

"AND A HAWK WAS TOTALLY SWOOPING AROUND!"

"There was no hawk. Stop exaggerating!"

"And I was like 'hang on, Beyonce, I'll save you!'—"

"We aren't naming the damn cat Beyonce! It's a ridiculous name and it doesn't even suit…ACHOO!"

"So I climbed the tree, like a total hero, and I swooped her out of the hawk's evil clutches!"

"He nearly broke his leg and he would have crushed her if I hadn't caught him—"

Alfred paused his thrilling narrative to shoot Arthur a look. "You totally didn't catch me. I fell on you."

"Ha! But you admit that you—ACHOO!—fell out of the tree and it was hardly the heroic rot you've been spouting off since—"

"And I realized then, that she looked just like me, and that it was DESTINY—she's clearly meant to be my sidekick cat, but Artie…"

Arthur tried to stop it, but he violently sneezed again.

"Seems to be allergic to her," Alfred concluded glumly.

Throughout this entire exchange, Heracles and Kiku had been bouncing between the two of them like a ping-pong ball going back and forth over a net. For a long moment, there was silence.

Mew?

The kitten looked at Kiku so desperately, and he could tell exactly what she was thinking. 'Please don't let them take me again. I'm a newborn and my ears are sensitive!'

"We will need to get some litter, as well as soap," Kiku said quietly. Smiling softly, Heracles gently passed the kitten back to her new mother.

"Do you think she can manage soft food, or should we get kitten formula?" Heracles asked.

"AWESOME! You guys can keep her then? We tried taking her to a shelter, but they said she was too young and they'd just put her down."

"Put her down where?" Kiku asked, his brown eyes big and wide. Heracles frowned lightly.

"He means they'd euthanize her."

"What?" Kiku said, clearly horrified by the idea. He held the little kitten close to his chin, and felt her weak purring vibrate against his throat. She was so tiny.

"It's okay now, though, Kiku. We can keep her, right? We'll give her a good home," Heracles said. Alfred beamed, and even Arthur grinned.

"We hoped you'd say that, actually," Arthur replied.

"I've been running all over campus trying to find you guys!" Alfred said. "It's rough being a hero, sometimes…and the job is never done. Now I've got to go save my science grade," Alfred said glumly.

"We're already a half-hour late for tutoring as it is. You two sure you can take her?" Arthur confirmed. Heracles nodded.

"We might not have been dating for as long as you two, but I think we'll make good parents," Heracles said lightly. Kiku's cheeks nearly caught fire, but Alfred just grinned broadly and Arthur smiled.

"Congratulations, you too!" Alfred said.

"You make a good couple," Arthur added. Casually, as if it was no big deal at all (and to Alfred and Arthur it really wasn't), Alfred laced his fingers together with Arthur's as they headed off to science tutoring, saying their goodbyes as they went.

"That's what I was trying to tell you…it's not a big deal…if you wanted to hold my hand."

"We'll talk about it later, in private. There are young ears present," Kiku said, still blushing.

Heracles liked sex, and until he'd gotten himself a boyfriend, he'd enjoyed it pretty regularly with whoever was willing. But there had never been feelings involved before. It was driving him crazy, but as he looked at the blushing boy gently holding the little kitten, whispering reassurances to her and looking nearly as sweet and innocent as she was…he figured he could wait. He could wait as long as he had to for a boy like Kiku.

Arthur didn't really need science tutoring, but he came anyway, because Alfred needed it. While Mr. Allowick lectured, Arthur's eyes watched his boyfriend carefully. Alfred seemed to be doing better since the homecoming dance. They still hadn't had their talk, but for an entire week, it had been as though he had the old Alfred back. He knew his boyfriend must have been just as stressed out and nervous about the commercial as before, but it had clearly done him a world of good to feel as though he had Arthur and Mattie back in his corner.

Still, Arthur fretted. Matthew had hinted that Michelle wasn't a good influence on Alfred, and that Arthur needed to monitor him closely. Asking more questions had gotten him nowhere, and so Arthur watched. He was a little behind in his schoolwork, but he could proudly say that for an entire week, he hadn't let Alfred out of his sight.

Except that one time at the mall. Honestly, Alfred was surely that child who had run off from his parents as soon as something shiny caught his eye in a store, no doubt causing all kinds of mayhem in the process. 'He hasn't changed,' Arthur thought with a fond smile.

Alfred bit his lower lip in puzzlement but then began attempting to answer a few of the problems on the study guide, unaware that Arthur was watching him so closely. Arthur's gaze drifted to the front of the classroom where they had once…he blushed a bit and turned his gaze back to Alfred.

"Are you getting it, love?" he whispered. Alfred scribbled down one more answer and then nodded, distractedly. Some of his golden hair fell over his eyes and he brushed at it, only for it to fall right back where it was. Arthur smiled.

"Alright, guys, that brings us back to where we are in class. Any questions?"

"I have one," a soft voice said from the other side of the room. Alfred and Arthur looked up in surprise—they hadn't even noticed Matthew in the mix of students. He didn't have the study guide on his desk, and as far as Arthur knew, the quiet boy made all As in his classes, with only an occasional B.

"Err, yeah Mr. Williams?" Allowick said, clearly a little surprised as well.

"This is a little off-topic, but since we're talking about process of equilibrium on the atomic level, I was curious about how it worked on the anatomical level…what happens when a person takes diuretics in an attempt to lose weight?" Matthew said. His eyes never once strayed to Alfred, but realization his Arthur like a sack of bricks.

Arthur froze in his chair tellingly, and Alfred winced beside him. Alfred turned his blue eyes down and away, clearly ashamed, not wanting him to know but realizing it was too late. Instead, he glared weakly across the room at Matthew, who finally met his eyes.

Matthew looked stonily determined.

"Alright, that is off topic, and a coach could probably explain better…but I can give you the basics. It won't help you lose weight, for starters. The brain is 70% water, and the blood is something like 80% water, and your lungs are even more dependent on water—90% water, I believe. So as you can imagine, taking something to force the water out of your body might result in a temporary weight loss, but you're doing damage to major organs. Plus, it's pointless. The second you eat anything, the body will absorb more water in an attempt to regain equilibrium. Just like if you don't eat enough calories, your metabolism will slow down, if you don't get enough water, you'll start retaining what you do drink. Not to mention, diuretics have some pretty nasty side-effects. Diarrhea and muscle weakness, cloudy thinking, cramping, fatigue—not cool. Does that answer your odd and off-topic question?" Mr. Allowick asked with a smile. Matthew barely glanced at him, but nodded, confirming Allowick's suspicion that Matthew had already known the answer. Allowick's eyes scanned the room quickly until his gaze landed on Alfred Jones.

Alfred Jones who was trying to prepare for a modeling shoot and a commercial in two days. Alfred Jones who would be gullible enough to take something bad for him on blind faith. Alfred Jones, who was looking guilty and ashamed and wincing away from Arthur's now accusing glare.

He sighed.

"Okay, tutorials are dismissed. Alfred, hang out here a bit so we can talk about your make-up work for your trip, okay?"

As the students filed out, Arthur couldn't quite leave.

"I've been watching you all week. You haven't—"

"I know. I stopped taking them. I told Mattie I wasn't going to take them anymore and that I didn't need to worry you over it, but he—"

Matthew was passing by their tables now. He looked concerned, and he also looked as though he and Alfred had been squabbling over the issue for awhile now.

"I'm sorry, Alfred," he said.

"You knew? Why didn't you tell me?" Arthur said, clearly a little hurt. Matthew looked pointedly at Mr. Allowick, who was shamelessly eavesdropping.

"I'm telling you now, aren't I? I understand if you're mad at me, Alfie…but it's for your own good."

"Alright, boys, move along. Let me and Alfred have a little chat about his work for this next week," Allowick said firmly. Arthur gave Alfred the look that said the conversation was far from over, and left in a silent rage.

When the door was closed, Mr. Allowick walked to the back of the classroom and sat on the table in front of Alfred, who was now dully thwacking his head against the tabletop.

Mr. Allowick refrained from mentioning the fact that repeated head banging killed brain cells and waited patiently. Finally, Alfred stopped and looked up at him in pure mental misery.

"Sorry Mr. A…you wanted to tell me my assignments?" Alfred said. Mr. Allowick sighed.

"How long have you been taking diuretics, Alfred?" he asked point blank. Alfred winced.

"How do you know about it, too? Geez, do I have a sign on my forehead or something?"

"Matthew Williams is an excellent student. He didn't need tutoring, and he asked me twelve times if you were going to come this morning when you were late. Then he asks about diet pills while looking straight at you, and then apologizes to you before he leaves. It may have been awhile since I studied rocket science, but…"

"Okay, I get it. It was obvious," Alfred replied glumly.

"So how long?"

"Just for a few weeks. I've hardly taken them at all this week because Arthur knows something's wrong and he won't let me shake him. He even cut class when I did and went to the movies with me and Ivan. He never hangs out with us. It was totally awkward—like taking your mom with you to see a movie full of half-naked chicks."

Allowick had to hide his grin. "Because we're dealing with an emotional crisis here, I'm going to ignore that bit about you cutting school. But you're never going to do that again, right?"

"Umm…"

"Just say 'yes sir,' Alfred," Allowick prompted with an eye roll. This kid couldn't lie to save his life.

"Yes sir?"

"Good boy. Now listen up. Like I said, those pills are just going to wreck you up. You care about football, right?"

"Of course," Alfred said.

"And you know how a good quarterback looks, right?"

Alfred blinked, a little confused, but nodded.

"Now think about what a fashion model looks like," Mr. Allowick said. Alfred cocked his head to the side, thought of Francis, and nodded again.

"Those are different images, right? Now, if you were trying to sell deodorant to your average teenage boy, would you show him a kid that looked like a fashion model, or a kid that looked like a quarterback?" Mr. Allowick asked.

Alfred shrugged, as if the answer was easy. "Duh, a quarterback."

"Okay then. Focus on your football, do what will make you be a great athlete, and don't worry about trying to look like a model. They don't want you to strut the catwalk wearing skinny jeans and scarves, kid. They want you showing off your tan and your six pack making scrawny kids think if they buy that deodorant, they'll get a six pack like you."

"…but that's not what I want kids to think. I don't want them thinking they're not good enough because they see how I look," Alfred said. "I mean, I don't even like how I look. I was happier before, back when nobody cared if I had six cheeseburgers for dinner."

"Okay, you should never eat six cheeseburgers in one sitting. You're not indestructible. Don't do that to your heart, kid. It's bad for you. Eat balanced, and healthy, and eat as much of good foods as you want, until you feel full. Save cheeseburgers for special occasions. Strive to be healthy, not thin, and since we're having this moment of bonding…can I just throw something out there?"

"Um...okay?" Alfred replied unsurely.

"Why are you even doing this modeling thing? You just said you don't want to send the message to kids that they need to look like you do to be happy, so why not focus more on the message you do want to send? I know the first meeting of the Hero Club kinda bombed, but if you gave it time and enthusiasm, you could make that club great. You could go into social work when you graduated. You could help kids stuck in the foster system, or fight for animal rights, or raise money for people with disabilities. So what if you aren't a genius or a size zero? You've got a good heart, Alfred. Do you have any idea how badly the world needs guys like you? You only got into modeling to help a good cause, right? It seems to me like you've forgotten the good cause and you're a little lost inside because of it."

Alfred blinked a few times.

"That's…a lot to think about," Alfred said quietly. Mr. Allowick offered him a smile and ruffled his hair.

"You'll figure it out. That's what growing up is all about. Now, I believe you're overdue for a lecture from your boyfriend."

"Craaaap," Alfred whined. "Are you sure you can't keep me a little longer? I'll listen while you talk about biology stuff. I'll even stay awake."

Mr. Allowick shot Alfred a dead-pan look. "Don't tempt me, Alfred," he said with heavy sarcasm. Even Alfred could pick up on it. The blond athlete grinned a little.

"He's gonna be so pissed at me," Alfred realized, his tone serious.

"He loves you. Of course he'll be mad that you were hurting yourself. Go take your lecture like a man, Jones," Mr. Allowick said with a smile.

"Uggghh…fine. Hey Mr. Allowick?"

"Yeah, Alfred?"

"…thanks. You're a good teacher."

"Go on already. You've still got a crappy grade in my class—flattery will get you nowhere."

Grinning, Alfred scooped up his book bag and left, mentally preparing himself for the force of nature that was Arthur.

"Alfred, if a stranger came up to you and offered you candy when you were six, would it be a good idea to take that candy?" Arthur ranted. He'd been going at it for almost sixty-three minutes, which was a new record for an Arthur-lecture. Despite that fact, Alfred was hiding a smile.

"What kind of candy is it?" he asked impishly.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT KIND OF CANDY IT IS, YOU IDIOT! IT'S STRANGER DANGER! You don't take candy from strangers and you don't take unmarked pills from random girls in bathrooms! USE. YOUR. BRAIN." Arthur flicked him hard on the forehead and Alfred winced. He rubbed at the spot sulkily, finally resorting to pouting.

"I said I was sorry forever ago! I'm not gonna do it anymore! Stop yelling at me, honey," Alfred pleaded pathetically. Arthur looked for a moment like he was going to soften and relent…but then he took a deep breath and kept going, turning agitatedly to start pacing again. Alfred groaned mentally and slumped over dramatically.

"You're absolutely perfect—you always have been—since the day I met you, Alfred! Why on earth would you think I wouldn't want to touch you or see your body? For one thing, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it—it's all in your head—and for another thing…Alfred! Listen to me when I'm yelling at you!"

"I'm listening, babe. I'm listening," Alfred said, sitting up once more and grimacing. He started tuning Arthur's words out (he did that a lot) and just stared at Arthur instead. He was so hyped up—green eyes sparking, hands gesturing wildly. He was so cute when he was mad. Not that Alfred ever riled him up just because he liked to watch him like this…he would never do that. A mischievous little grin began to twist his lips and Alfred knew he was really in trouble when Arthur saw it.

"Just what are you smiling at? There's not a bloody thing that's funny about this—umph!" Alfred finally shut Arthur up the only way he knew how. It felt good to kiss his boyfriend again, to feel like his life wasn't falling apart and the commercial was just something fun he was doing, and that it didn't matter what people thought…because he had Arthur by his side.

The shorter boy resisted for a few moments, but ultimately he gave in. He held Alfred tightly and kissed him fiercely, trying to communicate how worried he'd been, and how desperately he loved him through the feel of his kiss.

Alfred's hands slipped to the button on Arthur's khakis and he undid them with practiced ease. He made short work of the zipper, too, and then pushed down the pants and the boxers underneath.

"Alfred! We need to—"

"It's been weeks, babe. I didn't feel very good and I couldn't…ya know. But I'm feeling better now," Alfred said. Arthur let out a little surprised noise when Alfred easily lifted him off the ground and tossed him onto the bed, his feet still tangled up in his pants.

"I can see that, and I'm glad you're feeling better, love, but—"

"Arthur? Let's just make love, okay? With the lights on, so you can see me, and I can see you, and let's just go at it until my plane leaves tomorrow."

"…You have no idea how much I've missed this," Arthur said, finally (finally!) relenting.

"I have some idea. The longer we go without fucking, the fussier you get."

"I do not!" Arthur retorted angrily. Alfred began to pump Arthur's arousal skillfully, his callused hand knowing just how to move and when to gently squeeze. Arthur's eyes closed partially in bliss and Alfred felt his own arousal straining against his jeans.

He made a vow then and there to never stress himself out like that again. Nothing was so serious that it was worth losing his ability to make love to his adorable, fussy, wonderful boyfriend…even though the lecture he'd gotten for all his trouble had almost made it worth it.

A/N: Fluff, anyone? Extra fluff? I've got lots! Free fluff! Come one, come all…all fluff must go! Hee. I liked this chapter. I've been wanting to give Kiku and Heracles that damn kitten for like, six chapters. Poor Heracles…not getting any, 'cause Kiku's a prude. But I love prude!sheltered!Japan.

Requests for more Ivan are noted. I'll work him and Yao into the next chapter for sure. But yeah, he couldn't attend the homecoming dance. Remember, he was so bad in his first year that he's banned from all school events, like games and dances. Yao didn't want to go without him. The story is now about a week into October, so we might skip ahead next chapter to some fun, Halloween goodness, of which, Ivan and Yao will have a big role. Thanks for all the lovely reviews last chapter! This will probably be the only update for the weekend. I have the time…but I kinda just want to sleep, lol. Have a good weekend, guys!