Francis walked into the beautiful library of the ERU.

Overhead, he arched ceiling soared above them. Bookshelves lined the walls, covered in elegant carvings and holding vaults of knowledge. In between each bookshelf lay two mahogany tables with carved chairs, and a giant glass window. The windows let in the brilliant morning light. Crystal chandeliers graced the arched ceiling towards the center.

As Antonio had said predicted, Emerald Eyes/Arthur was sitting in one of the tables.

Sunlight shone in from the windows, lighting up his golden hair. He looked like an angel, with his beautiful face and elegant posture.

Next to him lay a stack of papers that could rival Mount Everest. Arthur was bent over one sheet of papers, his thick eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"You know," Gilbert said dryly, "This was a stupid move."

Francis gaped at him, shocked out of his reverie.

Gilbert rolled his eyes, "Antonio hates this guy with a passion. You just seriously pissed of Antonio- for a guy you're probably going to dump in a month. Plus, he might not be gay."

"I-" Francis began, trying to defend himself.

"Forget it. You literally have had zero serious relationships, for all your mumbo-jumbo about love. I've never believed any of that junk for an instant, yet here I am, committed to a relationship with Elizabeta-"

"Shh!" The librarian hissed, shushing Gil.

Gilbert glared at Francis, "Just make sure you're sure of what you're doing here."

Francis smirked, "Please. Love is my specialty."

Gilbert snorted.

Francis sashayed over to where Emerald Eyes was sitting.

"Bonjour," He said, leaning down and giving his most enchanting smile.

Emerald Eyes shot up, and stared at Francis. His expression transformed from slight annoyance to surprise to anger in a matter of seconds.

"You." He hissed.

Francis smiled, "Yes, beautiful, it is me. About the incident at Starbucks-"

"Go to hell!" Arthur snapped.

"Please, mon cher-"

"Go screw yourself!"

"Well, actually I h-"

"Forget it, you bloody wanker! Just go away! What are you doing here anyways?"

"Excuse me, I go here!"

"Really? I didn't think you were smart enough!"

"I'll have you know, I am a magnificent drawer!"

"Yeah, right."

"Well what can you do?'

"I have a wonderful voice! And I am an excellent writer-"

"My voice sounds hotter than yours!"

"Stupid frog!"

"And I speak French!"

"I can speak French too! And Scottish Gaelic! And Cantonese! And Mandarin-"

"Actually, you can't," Yao interrupted.

Francis gaped at him, "When did you get here?"

Arthur scowled, "And what do you mean I can't?"

Yao sighed, looking exasperated. His 18-year-old adoptive younger brother, Kiku, stood behind him, looking awkward.

"To answer your question, Francis, I have been watching you two morons arguing for the past few minutes- and so have the rest of the people here."

True enough, many of the occupants of the library were staring at them. When they realized that Francis and Arthur had noticed that, they hurriedly averted their eyes.

Arthur flushed.

"And to answer your question, Arthur, you cannot speak Cantonese or Mandarin. Your pronunciation and grammar is horrible. I would know, I speak both languages. Plus, I've lived in both Hong Kong and China!"

Arthur huffed in annoyance, "Fine."

Then he turned to Francis, "But I am still more talented than you, frog!"

Francis glared at Arthur, "Absolutely not!"

"Yes!"

"Non!"

"Yes!"

"Non!"

"Yes!"

"Non!"

"Yes!"

"Non!"

As Francis glared Arthur down, he realized several things. First, Kiku was snapping pictures of them. Second, his face was only a few centimeters away from Arthur's. Third, Arthur's eyes were not simply emerald-colored. They flickered with different shades of green, shining forest and spring and olive green.

"Just kiss already!" Gilbert cackled.

Arthur turned bright red.

Francis, remembering that he was here to ask Arthur on a date, frantically said, "Mon cher, I am very sorry about that incident at Starbucks. Your eyebrows looks amazingly hot. How would you like to go to dinner with me?"

Arthur stared at him.

"You should go to my Chinese restaurant!" Yao announced, "Wonderful food for a date! Much better and more filling than Western junk!"

Yao did work at a Chinese restaurant, along with a part-time job at Starbucks. He was also studying to be a surgeon, taking an art class, and raising six younger siblings (their parents had left), five of whom were teenagers.

Francis was sometimes amazed Yao was still standing.

Arthur glared at Francis suspiciously, "This isn't a you know… date… is it?"

Francis smiled, "Not unless you want it to be-"

"Well, then it won't be! It's not like… I mean… I just want to practice my French!"

Francis's smile deepened, "This Saturday, at the lovely Dominique's Kitchen?"

He ignored Yao's wail of protest at choosing a French-Italian restaurant.

"Fine," Arthur grumbled, "Remember, I only want to practice my French."

"But of course, mon cher."

11/12/2016

Another chapter completed! I've also decided this story is going to take a dark turn…

Do you hear that sound?

That's the sound of my manic laughter.