Chapter Three

Kiss Me While I'm Drunk

The next couple weeks passes with Matthew texting Gilbert almost every day. It took a little prompting, as Matthew admitted he didn't want to be a bother, but Gilbert constantly assured him that if anything, he looked forward to his messages.

It had been a little embarrassing to admit, but Matthew seemed to always take things in stride and it made little things like that easier. That and Gilbert got pleasure out of the fact that he probably made Matthew blush on the other end of their conversations.

It was late on a Saturday night when Gilbert texted Matthew with a request to meet up.

From: The Awesome Gilbert

BIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRDDDDDDIIIIIIIIIEEEEE

CME OVER HERE AND PLAY WITH ME.

Matthew was a little shocked by the message, while Gilbert was generally an outgoing person with an overall loud personality, this was the first time Mathew had received a message in all caps.

To: The Awesome Gilbert

Are you drunk?

The reply was a little slow in coming and Matthew got a few more pages in his book read before his phone buzzed again.

From: The Awesome Gilbert

ONLY A LITTE

Matthew chuckled, he should have known.

To: The Awesome Gilbert

I think you can take off the caps Gil.

From: the Awesome Gilbert

Oh rite ya srry. But will you come over?

Toni's makng otu with his boyfriend and

Feli is playing with the cat in teh corner

wich is pretty cteu but I'm boooooored.

Matthew chuckled again at the message, Gilbert could be amusing when he was drunk. He knew Antonio, his boyfriend, Lovino and Lovino's brother Feliciano were all roommates of Gilbert's and as far as he could tell, pretty good friends, even if Lovino did seem to come off as a little bitter whenever Gilbert talked about him.

To: The Awesome Gilbert

Yeah, sure, I'll come over, at your place

right?

The response came quickly and he could almost feel Gilbert's eagerness.

From: The Awesome Gilbert

Yeah! Totally! You are the moset

awesmeness person ever Birdie!

To: The Awesome Gilbert

I'm sure. I'll be over in a bit.

Within 15 minutes, Matthew was knocking on the door, but when no one answered, the music obviously a little too loud for his knocking to be heard, Matthew let himself in with quiet apologies.

It didn't take long for him to find Gilbert. The white haired man was in the kitchen leaning against the counter, beer in hand as he played games on his phone.

"Hey," Matthew said, wondering if Gilbert could hear him over the music or even notice that he had shown up.

Gilbert looked up immediately and grinned brightly.

"Birdie!" he cried, stepping over to Matthew with a slight sway to his step and wrapping his arms around the blonde.

"Hey Gil, how much have you had to drink exactly?" Matthew asked.

"I don't know, enough, not enough," his words slurred slightly as he shrugged. "Come drink with me, everybody here is old enough so don't worry. We have to turn the music down by midnight though, so you're just in time for dancing!"

Matthew was about to protest, but soon a beer was pressed into his hand and Gilbert took his other hand and drug him into the living room.

Matthew didn't recognize the song that was playing, but he found the beat easy enough. Gilbert was fun to dance with, even drunk he knew what he was doing, though the drunkenness didn't help with his balance. Matthew allowed himself to relax and while his movements were not nearly as bold as Gilbert's, he had fun and Gilbert seemed to at least be happy with the effort.

Soon the music was turned down to a more reasonable level and chuckling lightly, Matthew and Gilbert fell onto the couch. Matthew finally opened the beer bottle and took a drink and watched as people started to leave.

"You're good you know," he said.

"I know. But Good what?" Gilbert asked, finishing off his own beer.

"Dancing. You're a good dancer, even if you're drunk."

"Yeah, I danced a little back in high school, as a sort of hobby," Gilbert answered, frowning at the empty bottle. He stood from the couch and headed to the kitchen before returning with two more, handing one to Matthew, even though he was barely even half way through his first one.

"Do you still? Dance I mean," Matthew asked. He finished his bottle and started the second as Gilbert answered with a shake of his hand.

"Sometimes, if I feel like it, but that's how it's always been. I was super competitive when I was younger, but I'm not like I used to be in high school. I like to just do things because I like to do them now, winning and losing isn't as important, you know?"

"Yeah, I get that," Matthew answered.

"That's what makes me so damn awesome Birdie. I'm like, really awesome. People don't realize that and they're stupid. Luddy doesn't realize it. He doesn't realize how awesome I am, and that's why he's left. That's why he's out there getting himself killed, because he doesn't realize the awesome he's leaving behind."

Gilbert's tone grew quiet, and Matthew was silent, unsure how to respond. He wasn't expecting the conversation to take such a sudden and depressing turn. He went to take another drink only to find his bottle empty, he looked over and noticed that Gilbert hadn't even opened his. It was probably for the better.

Still, he felt the need to comfort the man. Reaching over and gently taking the bottle, he was a little surprised when Gilbert didn't protest.

He popped it and took a deep drink. "I was scared of losing my brother too, you know." He said. He wasn't sure what made him say it and he was worried that Gilbert would think he was trying to one up him, but the way the white haired man looked at him was with curiosity and understanding and so Matthew continued.

"When our parents got divorced, I was really afraid that I wouldn't get to see him, and as the years went on, we kept in touch, but I still didn't get to see him until years after the fact."

"It's not the same," Gilbert said.

"I'm not saying it is. I'm just saying that you've got to keep hoping. Ludwig loves you and he'll come back. He's doing his best over there and I'm sure he misses you very much. He'll come back."

Gilbert didn't say anything for the longest time and Matthew slowly finished off his beer as they sat in silence, only a few people remaining in the apartment, chatting and drinking.

"I'm really tired Birdie, can we go to bed?" Gilbert finally asked.

Matthew noted the use of 'we' but didn't say anything about it, only nodded. "Yeah, sure," he said.

As he pushed up from the couch, a wave of dizziness passed over him. Three beers wasn't much, but it was certainly a lot more than he had had in a long time.

He held out a hand and helped Gilbert up, the man swayed a bit and leaned into Matthew a little for balance, but other than that seemed steady enough on his feet. Matthew took him up to his room and into the room he had slept in the last time he had been at Gilbert's apartment. There was solid, rhythmic thudding and moaning coming from the room next door, but Matthew chose to ignore it as he got Gilbert into bed. Turning to leave, Matthew was shocked when Gilbert reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Stay," he muttered into his pillow.

Matthew looked back at him and sighed. "Alright," he said, crawling over Gilbert to the other side of the bed.

"I really like you Birdie. You're really awesome," Gilbert said as Matthew settled, turning over the face the younger man.

"Yeah I know, you've told me."

"No I mean it. I really really like you. And I want to kiss you."

Matthew froze, he had had suspicions that Gilbert had a crush on him, but still, this was unexpected.

"What?" he asked. His voice gave an embarrassing squeak. "You're drunk Gil, you don't know what you're saying."

"I'm not that drunk. I'll remember everything in the morning. I know what I'm saying, Matthew. I've wanted to kiss you since that party a couple of weeks ago."

Oh god, he was serious, at least if the lack of nickname was any indication. Matthew's breath stuttered as he racked his brain for an appropriate response.

He likes me. Oh God, he wants to kiss me. Should I let him? Do I like him? I think I do, I mean maybe. He's really nice, he's funny and fun to be around, I get excited whenever he texts… oh, God, I do like him. I really do.

Finally, Matthew let out a slow breath and nodded.

"Alright."

Gilbert blinked. "What?" he asked.

Matthew found it kind of funny that Gilbert had admitted to wanting to kiss him and now seemed shocked and confused that Matthew agreed.

"You can kiss me. I want you to kiss me," he clarified.

"Oh, right, of course," he said and without another moment of hesitation, leaned into press his lips to Matthew's.

Matthew couldn't help but chuckle as Gilbert's warped perception caused him to miss a couple times, causing them to bump noses and Matthew to receive a couple kisses to the corner of his mouth and his cheek.

Finally, he felt a little bad for laughing and gently took Gilbert's face in his hands and pressed their lips together.

He tried to be gentle, but the kiss still turned out slopping. Matthew was a little drunk himself, though nothing compared to Gilbert and he could taste the beer on Gilbert's breath. He couldn't say it was the best kiss he had, but he could tell that Gilbert meant it and moments later it was over.

"Thanks Birdie," Gilbert muttered, resting his head back on the pillow. "You're really awesome."

Matthew smiled. "I know," he said softly and watched as Gilbert drifted off to sleep.