*Final Fantasy spoiler ahead... if you haven't played FFX, I'm shocked.*

There was a moment of silence on both ends of the phone. Not even a sign of breathing from either of them. Alan wasn't sure if he actually heard what Daniel truly said and was uncertain if he should ask him to repeat it.

"Um... let me make sure I heard you correctly..." Alan carefully forced out, adjusting the phone on his ear slightly. "Did... you say you were... gay?"

Again, a brief period of silence before anyone spoke.

"...That's correct." Daniel finally repeated, firmly.

If there was anyway to properly express the image of someone's mind being fully blown, Alan would be the prime example of such an event.

"Holy shit..." Alan blurted out loud, soon realizing that wasn't in his head like he wanted it to be.

"I should've kept quiet about this..." Daniel stated quickly, a hint of shame in his voice.

"Fuck no!" Alan said in response, rather loudly in fact. Shaking his head as if to clear his mind, he collected himself to try and remain calm, but supportive. "I mean... Daniel, that's awesome."

"I'm... not understanding..." Daniel stated, confused.

"I'm cool with you being gay. Honestly, I feel rather honored that you would actually be comfortable enough to tell me this." Alan admitted, a smile not helping but to show on his face. "It takes a lot to tell someone this... and I'm sure it wasn't easy to do, especially to someone you barely know."

"You're... ok with this? Seriously?" Daniel asked, a mixture of surprise and relief in his voice.

"Yeah, I am. I mean, I'm ok with you being a frog, for fuck's sake." Alan joked, only to hear Daniel laugh.

"Good point... This doesn't make you uncomfortable or anything?" Daniel asked.

"No, it really doesn't. I still think you're a very nice and cool person, regardless." Alan answered.

"I'm... really happy to hear this." Daniel admitted with a sigh, his entire demeanor having shifted from fearful to relaxed. "I haven't told anyone else this, actually. None of my friends, teammates... especially my family. So, it means a lot for you to not be upset or uncomfortable about this. Especially since you aren't gay."

Alan was happily listening to Daniel speak, somewhat mentally lost in utter bliss at the fact that the crush he was slightly obsessed with was gay. Until that last part.

"I'm sorry... what?" Alan stated, confused.

"I said you weren't gay. You have a girlfriend." Daniel repeated calmly.

"I DO?" Alan asked, completely lost at this point.

"The hell, Moogle? That's what I was told. The girl everyone sees you with... is it... Nicolette?" Daniel asked, surprised.

A look of utter shock rested on Alan's face as he heard this information. "Who... told you this?" Alan asked, trying to process this information.

"Oh, I asked Thomas Thaxton. He apparently knows a lot about you. He told me you guys have been dating for a while." Daniel stated.

That fuckwit.... I'm gonna fucking kill him. Alan quietly thought to himself, contemplating the many ways to murder a human without leaving any evidence of doing so. "Is... that so?" Alan forced out slowly.

"Yeah, which makes sense. I do see you guys hanging out a lot, so he confirmed you were a couple. Which is cool. It kinda makes our situation a little easier." Daniel stated with a slight laugh.

"What do you mean?" Alan asked, completely confused.

"It means you have no interest in me. I don't know... What if someone who kissed me actually liked me? This might sound strange, but I'd rather have a kiss with someone who actually doesn't like me. You know, someone that doesn't want to date me or something..." Daniel spoke casually.

Alan wasn't sure how to respond, the high he felt beginning to immediately crash at what Daniel was saying. "Ah... ok... that makes sense..." Alan stated with a slight laugh.

"I think so. If it was with someone who was actually attracted to me, I would feel as if they would use this entire situation as a way to use me and I wouldn't realize it." Daniel continued. "That would make me pretty upset..."

At this point, Alan felt incredibly shameful and almost guilty at the revelation of it all. In one way, he was very happy that he had the opportunity to get close and personal with Daniel, his crush of several years. But, at the same time, he felt like a slight manipulator in using this as a way to achieve a wish he never thought he would get.

"You ok, Moogle? You're quiet..." Daniel asked, concerned. "Am... I overwhelming you again?"

"Oh, no... you're good." Alan quickly responded, a small laugh coming from him. "How are you feeling? Did that help?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"It did, thanks... I appreciate it." Daniel confirmed, a smile evident on his face from the other side of the phone. "I owe you a lot, really. Make sure you tell me what you want, ok? I don't feel right not honoring that."

"Ok, Tidus." Alan joked.

"Aw, really? The dead guy?" Daniel playfully groaned.

"I mean, you are really good at your sport. I wouldn't be surprised if you were good at blitzball, if it existed." Alan lightly teased.

"But, his laugh... ugh..." Daniel groaned in annoyance. "That's insulting, Moogle."

"Kupo." Alan teased, a smirk on his face.

"I have to say... that was really adorable." Daniel admitted with a laugh.

"I try, sometimes." Alan replied with a chuckle.

"Ah, sorry... I have to go... Dinner. Before I go, are you free after school tomorrow?" Daniel asked quickly.

"Yeah, I don't have any plans. What's up?"

"Would you be ok coming over to my place afterwards? It will be a lot easier for me to explain exactly how this curse works and such." Daniel explained briefly.

The scream of a young, giddy schoolgirl played inside Alan's head, while he calmly replied. "Sure! That actually sounds like a good idea. I'll meet you in the student parking lot tomorrow afternoon, and I'll just let my parents know I'm studying somewhere."

"Awesome, sounds good. Thanks! I'll see you tomorrow." Daniel stated.

"Yep, see you then." Alan replied, before ending the phone call.

There was a mixture of emotions flowing through Alan as he sat on his bed, his phone resting in his right hand. There was joy at the revelation that Daniel Lang was gay. Shame at the fact that Daniel didn't know he was gay, along with the notion that he agreed with a lie to hide the fact that this entire situation was an opportunity for him to even get close to Daniel. Then, immediate rage at the knowledge that someone purposely lied to Daniel about his sexuality in a sick, twisted manner. At that moment, only one name came to mind. He unlocked the screen on his phone to pull up a new text message and began typing rapidly.

Within several seconds, three ellipsis appeared on his screen, before a response showed.

Alan almost threw his phone across the room in frustration, having to get off his bed and pace the floor as he replied back.

Alan stared at his phone in shock and pure anger.

Alan's eyes widened in pure horror.

Alan immediately pressed the call button on his phone. It rang 4 times, before stopping.

"Oh, I get a phone call?" a voice stated on the other end in glee.

"Shut up, Thomas. You fucking-"

"Calm down, Alan. Your cursing is always so cute and adorable. You're like a puppy trying to scare someone." Thomas calmly spoke over the phone. "For all the intelligence you do have, you sure are dumb when it comes to common sense."

"The fuck are you talking about? Stop being so fucking cryptic, asswipe." Alan stated through gritted teeth.

"You gave it all away when you texted me, Alan." Thomas stated with a chuckle. "I found it strange that Daniel was asking about you in our economics class all of a sudden. He said that he needed to discuss something private with you, which took me by surprise. I told him I knew you, as well as had your number and he asked for it. I obliged, slightly curious, but didn't pressure him for any information. But he did ask about Nikki... wondering if she was your girlfriend. So, I told him she was, and he seemed really conflicted with this. Now, why would he be unsettled about this, Alan?"

Alan remained silent on the other end of the phone, refusing to say anything else.

"Is Daniel Lang gay?" Thomas calmly asked over the phone.

Alan continued to remain silent.

"That's fine, Alan. You can keep quiet. Your silence is a good enough answer to the questions I have." Thomas said with a chuckle.

"I want to kill you so badly right now." Alan forced out angrily.

"Love you too, Alan. Now, have a good night. Tell Nikki I said hello." Thomas stated happily, before hanging up the phone.

-

Hello there,

This update is a bit late and I apologize for that. I had a very rough week of work and personal matters didn't help. I even had a bout of writer's block with this chapter, but I pushed through it.

I'm finally introducing a character people are going to either hate or love: Thomas Thaxton. He's fun to write, honestly! His personality is just so entertaining. He makes many appearances, don't worry.

Have a good week everyone!