When looking into a café it's not a familiar sight to see a sporty looking boy having coffee with a punk-dressed man. And yet, there they were. Alfred as Alfred with Arthur as Arthur. That was how they had been for two weeks now. Their first "date", while not a date, but more an explanation of one's misconceptions of another, had gone so well that Alfred had asked Arthur out.

At first, Arthur thought that perhaps Alfred had misspoken and corrected him. "You mean 'hang out', yes? Surely you do not fancy me."

"If by fancy you, you mean like you, then yeah. I kinda do," Alfred had said.

It was too casual, much like the man himself. Did he ever take anything seriously? And yet, Arthur had complied. And he did so a second and third time, finding himself enjoying all of these dates to the point he had stopped wondering about the differences. Now he looked for their similarities.

Alfred, for lack of a better word, was immature in so many factors, but there was still the undeniable truth that he had a rather high outlook on people. He didn't judge, didn't put down, and he most certainly didn't exclude. Perhaps that was why he was so beloved by the school. Arthur found himself thinking that perhaps he had been used and stepped on in times past, but couldn't ask such a personal question when the two hadn't even shared their first kiss.

Their fifth date was coming to a close. Alfred's loud laugh made a few heads turn in the café, and Arthur had to hide his own smile behind his teacup. The other patrons must've thought that they were strange friends, or possibly brothers. No one could be further from the truth.

Eventually they had to go home as they had classes in the morning. Alfred pulled on his hood as he stepped out into the rain, Arthur following suit. But as Arthur turned to head back towards his dorms, a hand stopped him. He looked at the hand and then up at Alfred. Normally the teen seemed so collected, but his red cheeks and hesitant and evasive eyes gave everything away.

"Have you ever kissed a man?" Arthur asked simply. He still hadn't turned all the way around, fighting the urge to smile at how cute Alfred had suddenly become.

Rather than reply, Alfred shook his head. He stepped forward, closed his eyes, and lightly brushed his lips against Arthur's; which was more of a caress rather than a kiss. Arthur smiled, because that was really all he could do, and then he grabbed Alfred by the jacket collar. They kissed as the rain came down on their heads and the warm glow of the café light bathed them in yellow.

"How did you like it?" Arthur whispered as he released Alfred. He waited to hear him say he didn't like it or that he changed his mind and they should never date again. But Alfred had a knack for surprising Arthur and saying exactly what he wanted- the opposite of what he expected.

"I liked it." He even licked his lips and closed his eyes, readying for a second kiss. His arms wrapped around Arthur's waist, and they finally faced each other. "I liked it a lot."

"So…what does that make us?" Arthur closed his eyes, caressing his lips against Alfred's much like he had received a moment ago. His own arms were tugging Alfred's head down closer, firmly enveloping Alfred's neck and head.

"Um… Boyfriends?"

Arthur breathed a laugh. "You've never had a boyfriend before. How does it feel?"

He could feel his smile without seeing it. His mind painted a picture of Alfred smiling, the way his nose wrinkled just so and how his eyes crinkled at the corners.

Then, "I like it a lot…"

For the next several weeks, Arthur wandered with Alfred to various places he never thought to go to. Cafes, movies, coffee houses, and even football games. It wasn't he didn't want to go, but he saw no reason to, and the people there didn't interest him. With Alfred there, that was all the reason he needed.

Alfred too followed Arthur to his places, intermingling with the life Arthur had come to know. The run down pubs, the hidden alleyways, the small restaurants. He never questioned Arthur's reasons, or his clothing, or his choice of friends. He just simply fit right in with everything Arthur had come to know.

It was the perfect reason as to why he was upset when Alfred just suddenly vanished from it. He never returned his calls and was rarely at his dorm anymore. When Arthur thought of asking his friends, he remembered that while Alfred had taken an instant liking to him, his football friends had not. Perhaps he was at the library.

Sure enough, Arthur found the man at a table with a stack of books beside him. Before him was a notebook with scribbles and smudges from Alfred's furious drawing all over it. For a moment, Arthur thought that perhaps he best not disturb him, however the man was his boyfriend, and yet he had suddenly changed to not being like a boyfriend.

A small confrontation might clear the air, at least.

Arthur took a seat across from him, but Alfred didn't even bother with a glance. Clearing his throat and shuffling in his set didn't get his attention either, so finally Arthur just decided to kick him.

"What?" Alfred jolted up in his seat. His eyes looked tired and faded, as if he had gotten very little sleep. Arthur didn't enjoy seeing this, and it irritated him somehow. "Oh, hi Artie. What's up?"

"What's up?" Arthur's scrunched up his face in annoyance. "Let's see. 'What's up' is my boyfriend hasn't talked to me for a good solid week and a half and won't even have the audacity or courtesy to even answer my texts." Hearing himself say such a thing made Arthur feel like he was a whining as a clingy girlfriend would. He grew more irritated at the thought of it.

"Oh, sorry. Busy." And Alfred bent his head back down to look back at his paper of seemingly meaningless drawings.

"You couldn't think to let me know?" Arthur asked. He crossed his arms in irritation.

"Sorry, babe," Alfred replied, his tone suggesting he was no longer interested in this conversation.

And he had pulled the nickname card. Alfred knew it bothered Arthur to no end to be called "Artie", "babe", "sweetheart", or anything that was not his name or "hey". So without saying anything, Arthur stood up and promptly left the library. He didn't hear Alfred even try to run after him.

It wasn't until the middle of the night when Arthur was contemplating going to sleep that Alfred shot him a text.

Come by my dorm tomorrow? I miss you.

Not knowing exactly why, Arthur felt the urge to actually go. He should've stayed away, or called him right that moment to yell at him, but something stopped him. This knee jerk reaction within him said that it was best to just not say anything at all, but then he remembered that he had somewhere to be tomorrow, so it wasn't like he was avoiding Alfred, as it seemed Alfred was with him.

So he simply replied with: Can't. Busy. And then went to bed.

Sighing to himself, Arthur continued to change the sheets on the bed. He was looking out the window, watching as leaves were pelted with rain, and couldn't help but think back to his first kiss with Alfred. It was raining then. It seemed so long ago. He sighed again.

"You must be in love," came a faint voice.

Arthur looked over at the lady lying in the bed behind him. She was an old woman in her late eighties that had checked into the hospital only recently. Arthur didn't even know her name yet. He was just cleaning the bed next to her, thinking she was asleep.

"Pardon?" he asked.

"You've been sighing since you walked in here," the old lady replied with a weak smile. Her blue eyes seemed achingly familiar.

Arthur looked away. "That does not mean I'm in love."

"Take it from an old woman who has been. Young people do not stare at the scenery and sigh unless someone is on their mind."

Arthur chuckled, finishing the rest of the bed, and then turned to the lady. "Well aren't you the cheeky charmer?"

"A new lady has to make a good impression on the young men." She winked up at Arthur, patting his hand. "And with one with an accent like yours, why I bet the lady who has your heart is very lucky indeed."

Arthur blushed, but his expression fell. "…She's… been avoiding me, it seems. I doubt she thinks much of me anymore."

"Nonsense," the lady said, patting Arthur's hand once more. "Everyone has a reason. You seem like a perfectly nice young man, so I can't imagine you hurting her. You're just a volunteer, right?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes ma'am. I'm here while I study at MIT for my nursing degree."

The woman smiled and her eyes sparkled, reminding Arthur of Alfred's own. He saddened even more. "My grandson goes to MIT too. He's a sweet boy. Ambitious. He's working for this contest in hopes to pay for my surgery, but he told me recently that he's neglected his girlfriend. He feels bad, but he feels it's only temporary until he can get to what he really wants- to be with his girlfriend and for me to be healthy again."

Arthur nodded again, smiling slightly. Her grandson reminded him of Alfred, but by thinking of him again his mood worsened. He only wished that it were something that easy with his relationship, but instead it felt as if Alfred had come to understand something he should've known from the start. Arthur was not for him. He was a punk, a nobody, someone that, despite his aspirations to become something, he'll never be somebody. While Alfred was on a track to become the next NFL superstar.

"He sounds like a nice boy," Arthur said numbly. He wasn't even sure why he was saying such things, but his mind was focused on something else.

That something was Alfred. Perhaps he was in love. But that's a silly thing to think about. He's only known the boy for a month. Love takes time and trust to build and an understanding of the other person for love to truly bloom.

When he sighed once more, the old lady started to chuckle again. "Yes, you must be in love."

"I can't possibly be in love," Arthur started. He looked at his hands, finding himself unable to say much about what gender he was really dating. It was bad enough he had to hide it from her just because he took pity on a sick old lady, but he didn't want to look her in the eyes when he lied. "I've only known…her for a few weeks."

"Love is not about time, dear. It's about chemistry." The old woman looked at the opposite wall with a fond smile. "When a child is born, a mother loves them from the first moment they see them. They have not known this child for very long and do not know who they will become when they are older, and yet the love is unconditional. Op, but a mother's love is different from that of two lovers."

She began to laugh into her hand, and Arthur felt himself smiling. After a moment, she looked back at Arthur, and this time, she held his gaze. "The result is still the same. You cannot help the feelings within you, and no matter how much time has been spent together, something has started to build up inside. You should never fight it."

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows together. "But I don't know if I'm ready."

"No one knows for sure. But isn't it more fun to go in with a little bit of hesitation?" The old woman winked and giggled to herself. "I assure you, your girlfriend will be just as nervous."

Sighing, Arthur sat back in his seat. He glanced at the clock, briefly wondering if he could leave early to see Alfred, just to discuss things, and then realized he was supposed to be on the third floor in five minutes. He stood up.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go now. Thank you very much for your kind words." Arthur offered her a smile and patted her hand. "I wish you the best on your surgery. Hope your little grandson wins his contest."

"Little?" Arthur froze at the voice coming from the doorway. "Who said her grandson was little?"

Arthur turned and saw Alfred standing in the room as if he had always been there. He was holding flowers he had most likely bought from the hospital gift shop. Both looked at one another, and then to the old lady smiling in the hospital bed.

"Oh, Alfred, hello there dearie. Grandma doesn't feel so good so she's going to sleep. Why don't you talk to your girlfriend for a bit? I think he needs some reassurance. Arthur, it might be best to see to your girlfriend about your feelings. Go on, both of you."

Both of their faces heated up as they had been caught in their lie. Without saying a word, Arthur rushed from the room, but instead of waiting for Alfred, he continued on down the hallway towards the elevators. Before long, however, he heard the telltale sound of someone running after him. He stopped before Alfred could grab his shoulder and turn him around as if he were some lovesick girl running from her beloved in some cliche romance film.

"Arthur…?" Alfred started after a minute. "What're you doing here? Do you work here?"

"Yes," Arthur started with an irritated sigh. "The punk that hates the world wants to become a doctor. Amazing, I know."

"I didn't know."

"You never asked."

"Well…you never asked about my major either."

Arthur paused, knowing Alfred was right. "What does that have to do with you suddenly vanishing from my life?"

Alfred didn't say anything. There was a sound of him pulling a piece of paper from his pocket. Soon enough, it was thrust in front of Arthur's face. It was a bright blue paper with some simple designs and writing.

Show 301: Back by popular demand, it's the MIT student engineering competition - the ultimate test of inventiveness and ingenuity. Contestants, actually students in a design course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, are given identical kits of assorted machine parts and motors. The assignment? To turn this box of "junk" into a vehicle that delivers a load of ping-pong balls into a trough... all while fending off an opponent's vehicle.

Arthur looked up from the paper to find Alfred had moved to stand before him. "What's this?"

"That's why I vanished," Alfred said. Folding the paper, he put it back in his pocket, watching Arthur in case he decided to run away again. "You saw how my grandma is. She needs surgery. But since my parents are helping put my brother through college, they can't do a thing to help. I have a scholarship, but I can't give anymore of my money away without losing all of it. This contest is perfect because it totally helps us both. She gets her surgery and I get my foot in the door of being an engineer."

Arthur couldn't really find anything bad to say back. Instead he opted to punch Alfred in the shoulder instead. The boy was stronger and bigger than him and he could take it if he could take hits from men much larger than them both.

"You stupid… Why didn't you just tell me?" Arthur grumbled.

Alfred laughed slightly. "I thought you'd think I was some sap or something… I'm sorry."

His laughter died after a moment when Arthur continued to stare at him, unimpressed. Arthur's stare turned into a frown and Alfred wondered if he was actually going to be in trouble, despite his explanation.

Then, "Were you not the one who told me not to judge? Did you think I would you after all this time we've been together?"

"Uh…"

Arthur didn't smile, didn't laugh, and he certainly didn't look relieved. Rather, he sighed and moved to pull Alfred into a hug. "You stupid, stupid man… How could I feel any differently…?"

"So…are we okay?" Alfred asked, his hands lightly touching Arthur's back, unsure if he was allowed to hug him back or not.

"Yes," Arthur replied, straightening up. His eyes and shoulders had relaxed, and Alfred smiled at the change in his demeanor. "Yes, we're just fine. I get off at five. Dinner?"

"Dinner at my place," Alfred stressed. He reached over and gave Arthur's hand a light squeeze. "I want to make up for everything."

Arthur blushed slightly, but huffed a reply as the elevator announced its arrival. He stepped inside, watching Alfred as the doors closed. Once they did, he leaned against one of the walls and exhaled the stress pent up somewhere between his shoulders and gut.

He really was a fool. And one knew what was said about fools when in love.

"I'm sorry I didn't explain," he started over their pizza Alfred had ordered. He never said he was making the meal. "I really should have, but I dunno. After hanging with your friends and dating you for so long, I started to think that my real passion would seem…lame. Or you'd think I was a nerd."

Arthur lowered his slice of pizza and frowned. "Alfred, honestly. I dress in chains and black and sometimes leather and wear gel in my hair and put piercings in my ears. I work at a hospital and am known to knit in my spare time. There is nothing nerdy about you. Save for your Star Trek night light in your bathroom."

Alfred blushed and bit down on his slice in embarrassment, mumbling, "It's so I don't hit the toilet…"

Arthur chuckled. He pat Alfred's hand. "Don't fret. You told me to not judge you, and I've stopped. Do you think I'd still be dating you if I still cared for such insignificant matters?"

Alfred furrowed his brow, thinking about Arthur's words for a moment. "What's insignificant? My nerdiness? But that's who I am."

"That's not all you are," Arthur started. "And it's not all that I am that I'm a punk. I'm also someone who wants to be a doctor, and you are a jock who watches Doctor Who obsessively. But you also talk to me as an equal. I've…I've never had that…"

Looking down, Arthur could feel Alfred shift closer to him. The hand his was on top of moved so that it could entwine their fingers together. Alfred's breath ghosted over Arthur's ears, making the normal calm man blush and become excited.

"Because you are my equal, Arthur. You keep me on my toes, and I guess I keep you on yours."

There was a laugh and a small squeeze and Arthur felt his heart burst. He lifted his head and captured Alfred's pizza coated lips with his. He put his free hand on Alfred's cheek. It wasn't enough. He wanted more. More contact. More of his skin touching Alfred's. He wanted him.

"I love you," Arthur whispered. A mistake? Too soon? Too fast? Should he take it back?

The real question was could he take it back? He meant it; this time he knew for sure. Alfred's grandmother was right. Chemistry. He certainly felt it in his loins, his heart, his veins, the very core of him as Alfred pressed his face close, held him close, smiled at him as if he were the only person the planet, and saw him as a human and not for some angry faced punk.

"I love you too," Alfred murmured, nuzzling Arthur slightly.

He tightened his hold on Arthur's hand. Over the course of the past few weeks, he had grown bolder. Not quite as nervous as he had been when they first kiss, but not quite ready. At least, not in Arthur's mind.

But he was laid back and his shirt was pushed up. Arthur could only pull him closer and let him touch him. Soak in every moment as they let down their barriers. Because there is never anything between two people in love as they share their hearts and their bodies. It comes down to being bare and open and trusting and being whole. And that was how Arthur and Alfred wanted to be.

And he was Arthur and he was Alfred, and that was how it should have been. Alfred was a football star at MIT and well known through campus to be the all around nice guy. Arthur wasn't the punk of campus, but he was well known for having a rotten reputation. Their worlds should have never collided.

But damn were they happy they did.

Hoshiko2's cents: So… I caved and made a second part, but this is the only second part. Hur hur. Ahro drew an accompanying picture which can be seen here (http: / / ahro[dot]tumblr[dot]com /post/ 15606077010/ usuk-unsure-this-is-another-pic-for-hoshiko2s)!

I don't have much to say for this now (short A/N, what?) so thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!