Hey everybody! So sorry for the huge gap in updating! Since school has started, I have been extremely busy, but this story has always stayed in the back of my head. I finally got to finishing the new chapter though, and will try my utmost to continue releasing new chapters on a regular basis! Every 2 weeks maybe...? I don't know yet. But just know all of your feedback is extremely important to me, and any comments or reviews would be fantastic, thank you!

NOTE: At one point in this chapter, Francis and Matthew are speaking French to each other. Since I am in Spanish class and not French... I was forced to use Google Translate _ and since I know from personal experience that GT isn't always very correct in it's translations, if anyone who reads this speaks intermediate/fluent French, you are welcome to comment on which translations are incorrect, and I will definitely fix it!

Now, enough rambling!

Chapter 4-

As Arthur waited with Matthew on his driveway for their ride to the football game, he couldn't help but pester the poor Canadian boy about who he had called.

"You'll see when they get here, alright?" Matthew said firmly. Arthur sighed heavily, that was the same answer that he had been getting for the past ten minutes.

"Okay, fine. Do I know them?" Matthew continued to stare down their street as a lookout.

"You uh… I don't think you really know them personally, but you do know of them."

"Are they in our year?"

"Arthur, no more questions… oh! Here they come!" Arthur shifted his gaze down the road to a clunky white van that was obviously speeding in the neighborhood's 30-mile-an-hour zone. He was still unable to recognize who could've come to rescue them, but as the suspicious-looking vehicle neared the curb side, Arthur suddenly felt like walking to the school instead.

In the front were Antonio and Gilbert, and from that he could also assume that Francis was somewhere in the back of the van as well.

"Did somebody ask for a ride?" Yelled Gilbert roughly as he put his large van into park. Arthur could see now that the elder teen had also personalized his ride by writing 'FREE CANDY' on the side in black spray-paint.

"Umm… actually…" Arthur started to back away from the van slowly before Matthew grabbed his wrist.

"Please, Arthur! They're all I had! You don't even have to worry though, the Trio aren't as bad as they seem." Arthur stared at the Canadian, appalled, and looked back at the van.

"Matt, do you see this? Are you blind? They are driving a white van with 'Free Candy' on the goddamn side! Does that not look a bit suspicious to you?" He whispered to the purple-eyed boy violently.

"It's just Gil's sense of humor, that's all. I've hung out with them a bunch of times, they're really nice guys! Just give them a chance, alright? It's hardly even a mile to the school anyways." Matthew did not wait for the green-eyed boy to respond, and opened the large sliding door into the bulky vehicle. Arthur nervously followed in defeat.

Once inside, He noticed that they weren't the only ones riding along with the Trio. Sitting in the very back seats was Gilbert's younger brother. I think his name is… Ludwig? Arthur thought to himself. And sitting next to the German were the Vargas twins, with Feliciano giggling at what seemed to be nothing and his brother looking rather bored and extremely pissed.

Thankfully, in the large van, all of the teenage boys were able to fit, and once the newest passengers had gotten into their seats, Gilbert enthusiastically stepped down onto the gas pedal towards the school.

"Let's kick this pig!" He yelled, both Francis and Antonio laughed hysterically at this, as it was probably some weird inside joke between the three. Arthur could only stare unbelievingly at the Trio, wondering if they had perhaps been dropped on their heads when they were young.

Once the British boy stumbled out of the van, he could have kissed the ground. Gilbert's driving was worse than being on a rollercoaster, and the blasting German heavy-metal on the radio hadn't helped at all. He resisted the urge, though, and quietly followed Matthew in awe as he saw how many people were already at the game. The Canadian had been right, it seemed as though the entire high school, middle school, and all their parents were going to attend the game tonight. The group made their way through the busy parking lot, and up to the stadium gates. As Arthur was waiting with Matt and Francis behind Gilbert though, he noticed that the albino had an overstuffed duffel bag hanging from his shoulder labeled 'Awesome Shit' he didn't even try to possibly imagine what the prankster senior could have fit inside.

Once they all got into the bleachers, Arthur looked around for the lunch table group. He managed to spot the top of Berwald's tall stature through the frantic mob of juniors and seniors within what he figured to be the Pit. He poked Matthew for his attention, and the pair shuffled through the crowd to where their group of friends was settled. They were greeted welcomingly, but when Arthur took a spot on the bench between Matt and Tino, he noticed that the Trio and their guests had taken a place right in front of them.

"Hey, who are we playing again?" Yelled Gilbert to Antonio over the rumble of the crowd.

"Eastview!" The Spaniard answered. Gilbert made his trademark 'kesesesesese' sound, and began to rummage through his bag. After a moment or two, he pulled out a rolled-up hand-made poster. He and his two best friends unrolled it, and Arthur could make out the backwards words 'Eastview- Get a City!' from behind. The Brit nudged Tino to ask what the sign meant. He laughed nervously.

"Heh, well, Eastview is located in Apple Valley, which already has its own city high school, so they don't really belong to any town like the rest of the schools do. That's what they're referring to." Arthur nodded, assuming that that was what they had meant.

"But can't they get in trouble for bad sportsmanship or something?" The pale boy thought for a moment.

"Hmm… well, I suppose not, they aren't using any vulgar language, or bringing down the actual team themselves, so I don't think there's anything the teachers can do." Arthur sighed, a bit disappointed. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned towards Matthew.

"Hey, do you want anything to eat? Francis and I are going to get some food." Asked the wavy-haired boy, grinning. The thickly-browed boy nodded, handing him a five dollar bill, and asked for a hot dog and a Pepsi.

After about a half hour of listening to Gilbert yelling at the cheerleaders to 'not mess up' and Elizaveta wolf-whistling at the other teams' players in their tight spandex pants, Arthur began to wonder where the Canadian and the Frenchman could have possibly gone. He stood up on the bench to get a look at the concession stand; the lines weren't very long. Where in the world…? He wondered to himself.

After telling the rest of the group that he would be right back, the green-eyed boy headed down to look for the pair of boys. He went towards the concessions for a closer look, but didn't spot Matthew or Francis anywhere. There were a bunch of middle-schoolers seated on a grassy hill overlooking the football field by one of the goal posts, but even after weaving his way through the groups of preteens, he hadn't spotted the two blondes.

Arthur had given up, and began to make his way back to the Pit, until he spotted the Eagan football team heading into the stadium through an opening in the back fence. Wondering if he could spot Alfred, the British teen fast-walked over behind the tall stands in order to catch up with the large group. Sure enough, he spotted the silky blonde stray hair poking through the mob of tall guys, and hollered Alfred's name. The blue-eyed boy turned his gaze to Arthur, and lit up.

"Artie! You actually came!" He exclaimed, bounding over. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Of course I did, you git, I said I would!" Alfred laughed nervously.

"Heh, well, I know, but still, it's good to see you here anyways." The Brit smiled.

"Glad to hear it. Anyways, I was just looking for Matthew. Do you know where he might be? I have been looking for nearly twenty minutes already." Alfred thought a moment, but shrugged.

"No clue. Was he with anyone?" Arthur nodded.

"Yes, he was with Francis." The smile returned to the American's face.

"Well, then no need to worry dude! He's perfectly safe with Francie!" Reluctantly, Arthur took Alfred's word for it, since he knew his twin better than anyone else. "Ooh, I gotta go now! Get back to your seat quickly, before its game time!" The charismatic blonde winked, and rushed to catch up with the rest of the team once more. Arthur smiled, and began to make his way back to the stands, but as he walked, he could hear voices coming from behind the chain-link fence guarding the area underneath the bleachers. He couldn't really make out what was being said at first, until he realized it wasn't English, it was in French.

"N-nous devons vraimentrevenir àtout le monde…" Came a whisper. We really should be getting back to everyone else... translated Arthur in his head. He had been taking French for many years now, as it was a vital language to know when he traveled around Europe with his family.

"Ne pas s'inquiéter,le jeun'a pasencore commencé." Came the reply. Not to worry, the game hasn't even started yet…

"Ilsse demanderontoù noussommes allés!" They will be wondering where we've gone.

"Beaux, juste un baiserpour moi, Mathieu?" Fine, just one more kiss for me, Matthew? Arthur's eyes widened. Matthew!

The boy quickly opened the unlocked gate into the darkness beneath the stands, and searched around for any sign of the Canadian boy. Immediately, he spotted a pair of silhouettes leaning together against one of the tall metal braces, and could hear moans and a rustling of some sort. Arthur, obeying his instincts to save the shy boy, darted over towards the two, and tackled Francis.

After the impact, despite not being the one who had been pushed to the ground, Arthur still needed a few seconds in order to regain his senses. All he could manage to hear was Matthew screaming at him and Francis groaning in pain.

"P-please, Arthur! Don't hurt him!" Hollered Matthew over the sound of the crowd. The sandy-haired boy looked up at the purple-eyed teen, then back down at the Frenchman. He had gotten the wind knocked out of him, and was doubled over, hugging himself.

"What in the bloody hell were you doing?" Arthur asked, directing the question to Francis.

"We… we were just having a serious conversation, that's all…" The Brit's eyes narrowed.

"Liar! You were going to molest him, weren't you, you sick fuck? I heard something about a kiss!"

"Oh God, you heard that?" Said Matthew, shocked. Arthur turned around to face him, a questioning look on his face.

"What do you mean, Matt?" The Canadian sighed, and helped Francis up from the gravel.

"Francis, is it alright with you if I tell him?" The older teen nodded. Matthew turned to face Arthur once more. "We… Francis and I… we're… we are in love with each other." Arthur was silent for a moment, surprised by the confession.

"You… you're sure?" The pair nodded together fervently.

"I have known Francis ever since middle school. He has been my best friend for my entire time here, and I have known him almost as long as I've known Alfred. We have been… together like this ever since I was a freshman. Trust me Arthur; I know what I'm doing." Arthur smiled, somewhat understanding what the shy boy meant. He, of course, had never been in love, due to the awkwardness with girls, but he thought that if what Matt had explained wasn't love, then what was love? So, he apologized politely for the misunderstanding, and was tackled by Matthew in a big bear-hug. "Thank you so much, Arthur! You really are a good friend! I never thought I would be able to tell anyone…" Arthur raised a dark eyebrow at this comment.

"You mean you haven't even told Alfred?" The purple-eyed teen shook his head slowly, staring down at his feet in shame.

"I just… worry about what he might think, you know? I mean, he's on all of these sports teams, with a bunch of jock guys who probably hate… well, people like us… so I have no clue what he would do if he found out."

"I'm almost certain he couldn't care in the least. In fact, he might even be happy for you, you never know."

"E-exactly, Arthur! I don't know… I will try it at my own pace, but for now, will you just help me keep it from him?" Unwillingly, Arthur promised. Matthew lit up, thanking the Brit once more, and the three teens headed back to the stands.

They arrived just in time. The Eagan team was running out onto the field with the band playing the school's anthem, and the announcers listing the names of each of the players. As the ceremony was taking place, Arthur felt a nudge on his shoulder. He turned around to find Francis holding out the food he had wanted. Arthur smiled, thanked the older boy, and took a sip of his drink while continuing to watch as Alfred was introduced and the crowd's hollers seemed to resonate louder. He stopped for a moment though after tasting the fizzy drink, noticing it wasn't the kind he had wanted, but he shrugged it off, and continued to chug the beverage.

But by the time halftime had rolled around, Arthur could barely stand up. He felt dizzy, uncoordinated, and could feel his dinner slowly rising up his throat to greet him once more.

"Ugh, fuck, Matthew… I don't feel so good…" Mumbled the Brit as the second half began. The Canadian looked questioningly at his thick-browed friend questioningly for a moment, then widened his eyes in realization, and quickly turned to look at the Trio, who were all laughing at some random thing. The shy boy hurriedly nudged his boyfriend, unsure of what to do.

"Francis!" Matthew yelled over the sounds of the crowd.

"Quoi?" Answered the Frenchman with a smile.

"Arthur is…!" But when he looked back towards the drunken Brit, he found that he had already blacked out, and was leaning passed out on the shoulder of a questioning Tino.

Arthur had no idea where he was. It was completely black all around him, yet he could see his hands and feet perfectly. He could also vaguely hear 'I am the Walrus' playing quietly the background… which was strange, since he didn't exactly know quite where the background was, anyway. He searched around, looking for some possible way to get out of wherever he was. And sure enough, he saw a bright light behind him, which seemed to be the source of the music, and, as he walked closer and closer to the whiteness, he could also hear murmured voices resonating from it as well.

What the hell happened? That sounded like Alfred… he certainly had the right idea, since Arthur also wanted to know what the hell could possibly be going on right now.

Don't blame Francis, Alfie! It wasn't his fault! Matthew too?

It's my fault, es tut mir leid. I thought I had it, but I drink so much anyways, I didn't even notice that it was a normal one… Wait, what? Arthur really wasn't getting this. But before he could hear anymore, the light began to dim, and the voices faded. The next thing Arthur knew, he was falling. And when he opened his eyes, he was staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Oh good, you're awake!" Exclaimed a familiar American voice. Arthur winced at the loud noise, but acknowledged it and turned his head to find a pair of bright cerulean eyes staring right at him.

"Jesus Christ!" Exclaimed the Brit as he jolted up into a sitting position. Alfred laughed happily. "What the hell do you think you were doing, you git?"

"I was watching over you to make sure you didn't throw up and die." Arthur looked at the other teen like he was insane, which actually might not have been that far from the truth.

"Why would I throw up and die? Wait… how did I get here anyways? Last thing I remember… I was at the football game and you had just scored your second touchdown in the first quarter…" Alfred sighed.

"You got drunk." Arthur looked at him questioningly, but then realized he might have actually been telling the truth.

"Wait… so the drink that Francis gave me…" Alfred nodded.

"Spiked. According to the Trio, though, it wasn't meant for you. Gilbert had specifically told Francie to pour a bottle of Schnapps into it. But somehow it accidentally got into your hands, and well… you can probably infer the rest." Arthur suddenly felt a headache coming on, and plopped his head back down onto the pillow.

"God dammit… my parents are going to kill me." Alfred grinned.

"I beg to differ, actually."

"Huh?"

"I went over to tell them you were sleeping over, and I even got you some clothes and shit. Next time you see them, your breath will be liquor-free, and your hangover will be long gone!" Arthur mustered a small smile.

"Thanks Alfred… you're really not as dumb as you appear to be."

"Thanks! Wait… I don't know if that's a compliment or not…" Arthur chuckled.

"It is, Alfred, don't worry. Oh, by the way, what time is it?"

"2 o'clock in the morning." Arthur's eyes widened in surprise as he checked the clock next to the bed, just to make sure for himself. And surely enough, it read 2:04 am.

"You… were watching me this whole time?" The green-eyed boy asked.

"Well yeah!" Replied the American. "Wouldn't want you to die, now would we? But I gotta admit it was pretty boring. You didn't even talk in your sleep! You just sorta laid there."

"Aren't you tired?"

"I got tired after realizing how boring it was to watch you sleep. So I put on Star Wars!" Arthur looked towards the small television placed on the floor, and saw the movie paused on the screen. "Oh!" exclaimed Alfred. "I also got food! Food is good…" Arthur chuckled at the obvious comment. "And I got food for you too!" Arthur sat up again at this, and looked towards the tray of food on the floor that Alfred had gestured to.

"Oh, Alfred… how did you know?"