----------

Philip wakes up in the morning to the beautiful sight of his boyfriend's face and a soft, "Mornin', flower..."

"Morning, Georgie..." Philip says, yawning and nuzzling against him. George takes his hand and rubs his thumb gently into his palm, in a comforting way. "I love you, you know that...?" Philip asks, looking at him.

George meets his eyes and then kisses his forehead. "Yes. And I love you, too. So much."

Philip hugs him. "Thank you... for being here..."

"Of course..." George replies. Philip sits up to stretch and sighs before leaning against George, not wanting to move away from him yet. George holds him close, tilting his head up slightly and placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

Philip gazes up at him after the kiss. "...You being here really makes this whole thing a lot easier..."

George nods. "I'm sorry about... this whole thing..."

Philip shakes his head and nuzzles against his chest. "...It's gonna be okay... I know it will..."

George nods again. "Of course it will..." Philip sighs softly and just closes his eyes, enjoying George's presence. "I love you so much. You are my everything..." George says, kissing his forehead again. Philip smiles and gazes at him lovingly, and George smiles softly back. Philip can't help but wonder what's in store for the future... for themselves and for everyone else. One thing's for sure, though. And that's that George will always be there for Philip, and Philip will always be George's lovely little flower.

~ The End ~

~ Special ~

----------

A few weeks earlier...

John Todd's eyes slowly open in the morning to see Georges staring at him. He feels his cheeks heat up in a blush. That's right. Georges is staying in his house for now, while his father is... in the hospital. Yeah, anyone wonder what happened to Georges after that? Well, here it is. This extra bit of chapter. Georges seems to blush as well, but it's hard to tell because of how quickly he turns his head away. "Morning..." he says.

"Morning, Georges... Did you sleep okay?" Todd asks him. It was kind of an abnormal way to sleep, after all. And considering the circumstances...

"Okay... just okay," Georges replies.

Todd nods. "Okay" was the most he was expecting him to feel after yesterday, so that's pretty good. Then Todd realizes he still has Georges in his arms and pulls away, blushing. "...Shoot, sorry."

Georges seems to blush as well, probably because it's a pretty embarrassing way to have woken up. "It's... um, it's fine."

"Are you hungry at all for breakfast?" Todd asks. Georges has to eat some time. He hasn't eaten since yesterday's breakfast, after all.

Georges is silent for a few seconds before responding. "I mean, a little, I guess..."

"I can make you some eggs or toast or something, if you want," Todd suggests. He realizes he has no idea what kind of food Georges likes.

"Uh, toast sounds fine..." Georges says quickly. So Todd gets up and goes to the kitchen to make some toast. Georges follows him, brushing a bit of hair out of his own face and looking around. Luckily, Todd's dad isn't home at the moment. He's probably at church or something, since it is Sunday. Todd gets a couple of slices of bread from a bag and puts them in the toaster. Georges leans against the counter and watches him.

"Do you want anything on your toast?" Todd asks, taking some butter out of the fridge.

"Just butter is fine," Georges replies. Todd nods and takes the toast slices out of the toaster once they're done, putting them on a plate and putting butter on them.

Georges watches him for a minute before finally speaking up, in a quiet voice. "Thank you for this..."

Todd passes him the plate. "No problem. Just glad I can help somehow..."

Georges looks him in the eyes with a very grateful-looking expression. "Really, thank you so much... It's just... really hard..."

"...Yeah... ...You're welcome," Todd replies, looking back at him. Georges suddenly puts down his plate and hugs Todd. This is, like, the third time Georges has hugged him, but this hug feels different. It's not a panicked or tired hug. It's just a genuine, thankful sort of hug.

Georges tears up slightly and stays there in silence for a minute before speaking again. "Why did you start being so nice all of a sudden...?" he asks.

Todd is caught off-guard by that question a bit. He can't tell him the real reason, at least not the entire truth. Now is not the time to confess his feelings to him. "I... Well, I mean... someone told me that I should try being nicer to you... Um, I mean, try to be nicer... in general." There. That's not exactly a lie. Mostly.

Georges pulls away and looks at him. "Well, I'm glad you changed..."

Todd smiles slightly. "It does feel a lot better being nice to people," he admits.

"It does. Makes you feel good inside..." Georges agrees with a smile. Todd nods slightly and looks at him for a little while longer before going to get himself some food. As Georges starts eating his own toast, Todd gets a piece of bread and puts it in the toaster before starting to cook himself an egg. He hopes Georges can eat a good amount to sustain him, but he won't push him to eat more than he chooses to. He focuses on cooking the egg, and when it's done, he takes the toast out of the toaster and plops it onto his own plate, buttering it. Then he puts the egg on top of it. Georges glances up at him, so Todd looks back at him and gives him a smile before folding his toast and eating it like a toast-egg taco. Georges smiles back and takes another bite of his toast.

Todd is really happy just to see Georges smiling. He doesn't really care that he helped that smile appear. Okay, he does. He's a little bit--what's the word?--giddy inside because he was able to help Georges smile with his newfound niceness. "How's the toast? Is it too crispy or not crispy enough?"

Georges chuckles softly. "It's fine." Todd nods and continues eating his toast/egg taco thing, satisfied with the chuckle. He notices that Georges is taking very small, very slow bites of the toast as he watches Todd.

"If you're not hungry, I won't be offended if you don't finish the toast. Just so you know," Todd assures him.

"No, I'm gonna eat it..." Georges is silent for a second before setting the half-eaten slice of toast back down on the plate. "You sure? You made me food, and it's rude of me not to eat it..."

"Dude, it's cool. You're in a tough spot, and I don't want to force you to eat right now if you can't stomach it. I care about your wellbeing more than..." Todd gestures towards the plate. "...toast." Georges looks at the toast before looking back at Todd, smiling awkwardly. It's a cute sort of awkward smile, though. At least, Todd thinks so. He smiles back at him and sets down his own food so that Georges doesn't feel bad about not eating any more. "Do you want to do anything today? Maybe something to get your mind off of... you know..."

"Um, I don't know, but I'm fine with doing something..." Georges replies.

Todd thinks for a few seconds. "We could... go to the beach... or something." He's not sure why he thought of the beach, since that's not a place he goes very often. It's a bit of a walk, but it's not too, too far. He just thought that Georges might like to go to a place that's calming like that.

"That sounds... nice..." Georges smiles softly.

"It's a little cold out, so we probably won't be able to go in the water..." Todd says.

"That's fine." Georges moves his plate to sit by the sink. "I'll let you get ready, we can go to my place so I can change, and then we can go."

"Okay. I won't take too long." Todd quickly finishes his taco thing and then goes to get ready. Georges smiles as he leaves the kitchen. Todd decides to just put on some casual clothes that he doesn't mind getting sandy. He doesn't see the need for a swimsuit, since they won't be getting in the water. A few minutes later, he goes back to the kitchen. "Ready--" He's surprised to see that the kitchen is suddenly clean, even cleaner than it was before breakfast, even. "Did you...?"

"Yup," Georges says with a smile.

"Wow. You know, you didn't have to," Todd tells him.

"Yes, I did. You helped me, so I did something for you," Georges replies.

"...Thanks. I appreciate it." Todd smiles slightly. "I'm sure my dad will appreciate it, too..."

Georges smiles. "You're welcome. Ready to go?"

"Yup. Ready." Todd walks outside with him and locks the door behind them. They walk to Georges's house together. Georges opens the still unlocked door, and they go inside. Todd waits for him in the living room, trying not to think of yesterday's events that happened here. Georges goes to his bedroom. When he comes back, he's in a new set of clothes and has his hair in a messy bun. "Ready? You, uh... you okay?" Todd asks, just in case.

Georges nods. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay," Todd says, taking him outside and starting to walk towards the beach. Georges walks alongside him, and Todd glances at him every now and then.

At some point, Georges looks at Todd. "Um, tell me more about yourself..."

"Well... uh, what do you want to know?" Todd asks.

"What do you do for yourself...?" Georges asks. Todd is confused but prepared to answer, until Georges corrects himself. "'Well, what do you like to do in your spare time?' is more like it..."

"I, uh... Well, I used to do things I... probably shouldn't have done a lot... but now, I... I mainly like... dancing," Todd replies, blushing. Todd is slow to say it because he's a bit embarrassed.

Georges looks at him. "Really? What kind?"

"Well... all kinds, honestly. Although, I'd look kind of silly in a leotard and tutu, so not ballet much," Todd explains.

"Do you take classes, or is it just something you do at home?" Georges asks.

"I've... taken classes for a few types. Like salsa, ballroom, and a few other kinds like that," Todd admits.

"That's cool. You should show me some time," Georges says.

"...Maybe," Todd replies, although he's a bit unsure about that. "You know... you're the only person who knows about this besides my dad..."

"Oh," Georges says, blushing lightly. "Really?"

"Yeah. I just..." Todd blushes. "I guess... I just really... trust you." Georges bites his lip, smiling. Todd was really going to say "like" instead of "trust," but he didn't quite have the courage to, since they're already talking about what he considers to be a sensitive topic.

"You know, if I could choose anyone in the world to be with right now, it would probably still be you..." Georges says suddenly.

Todd blushes, internally freaking out. "Oh...? Really? Well... you're with me right now, so..."

"But, like... if I was given the choice of anyone--anyone--it would be you," Georges continues.

"...Anyone?" Todd blushes more, unsure of what exactly he means by that. It sounds to him like, for sure, Georges likes him more than other people.

"Anyone," Georges repeats, smiling. Todd thinks about what he just said for a minute. He knows that there's something Georges seems to be trying to hint at, but he can't quite figure it out. Georges looks straight ahead once they get to the beach, and they both make their way through the sand, towards the waves. Todd looks at the waves once they're in a good spot. "The waves are beautiful," Georges says with a smile.

"Yeah..." Todd agrees, sitting down in the sand.

" This is nice," Georges comments, sitting down next to Todd, pretty close to him.

Todd blushes at how close he's sitting, questioning, at this point, if it's on purpose or not. "Yup." Georges hums softly to himself, leaning forward on his knees and watching the waves. Some of his loose hair blows off to the sides of his head, leaving his face perfectly revealed. Todd is glad he doesn't have to worry about the wind, since he has pretty short hair. He watches the waves, noticing how calming they are. He should really come here more often, when he feels upset or angry. After a little bit, he notices Georges looking at him and looks back at him. Georges doesn't look away, instead blushing lightly and just staring at him. Todd gazes back and blushes, wondering why he's staring at him.

"John, I..." Georges bites his lip.

"What is it...?" Todd asks, watching him curiously.

"I..." Georges blushes. "I like you..."

Todd blinks and blushes. "...You... you do?" Georges nods. "...I like you, too..." Todd replies, still in disbelief of what's happening. This can't be real... can it? For a guy like Todd to have a guy like Georges like him back? "...Am I... am I dreaming?"

Georges smiles. "No."

Todd stares at him for a second, trying to figure it out. "Oh my-- You actually like me? This isn't a prank, is it?" He looks around, searching for anyone else hiding around them or a hidden camera or something.

Georges shakes his head and laughs softly. "No."

Todd stares at him again, blushing. "...No way, dude..."

Georges seems very amused. "Yes way."

"Can... can I... hug you?" Todd asks hesitantly.

Georges nods. "Of course..." He hugs him.

"I... I still can't believe it," Todd says.

"It happened," Georges assures him, laughing softly.

Todd hugs him tighter. "I know. And it's amazing. And I don't think I've ever felt this much emotion at once before," Todd says softly.

"Well, too bad. I'm a pretty emotion-triggering guy to be around," Georges replies.

Todd pulls away from the hug and looks at him. "I just don't understand. How can you like me? I'm... a bully, basically. I only just recently started to be nice to you."

"Listen, I'm not... oblivious to things. I've seen you smile at my jokes and try to hide it. I've seen you try harder when I encourage it but still try to act dumb," Georges explains.

"You noticed all that...?" Todd asks, amazed at his perception. Maybe Todd was just really bad at hiding it, though, honestly. But still.

"That and more. But I never say anything because my head is screwed up in so many ways to where I'm led to believe that no one cares... but I've learned more recently that maybe there are some people..." Georges replies.

Todd's eyes widen slightly. "I really do care about you a lot, Georges... so, of course, there are people who care about you... Your friends care about you, too."

Georges smiles slightly. "It took me a while to realize that."

Now that Georges is looking at Todd and not in the direction the wind is blowing from, some stray hairs are blowing in his face. So Todd reaches out and gently moves those hairs out of his face for him. "Well, it's good you realized that." Georges blushes and smiles wider. Todd blushes lightly at his wonderful smile and smiles back at him. Georges gazes at him for a minute before starting to slowly lean in towards him. Todd blushes more and leans in as well, closing the gap between them, and they share a soft, gentle kiss. Georges wraps his arms around Todd, smiling softly into the kiss and closing his eyes. Todd gently wraps his arms around Georges as well and also closes his eyes. It's a wonderful experience.

----------

Philip is just having a nice walk down the beach with George, wanting to clear his head after the thing with Laf yesterday and spend some time with his beloved boyfriend. Keep in mind, readers, that this is still before he almost got murdered by his mother, so he feels perfectly safe and happy being out and about right now. Suddenly, he sees two familiar figures sitting on the beach a ways ahead of them and gasps quietly. It's Georges and Todd! And they're kissing! "George, look...!" George does indeed look, and his eyes widen with excitement. Philip squeals quietly. "He did it...!"

George whisper-yells to Philip, as the two in question pull away from each other and gaze at each other happily, "Toddayette is official!"

"Yes...!" Philip cries quietly.

"You don't understand how happy I feel right now," Georges says. George is fangirling on the inside.

"Well, I'm pretty happy, so you must be really, really happy," Todd replies. He probably means ecstatic, but Philip bets he doesn't know the word. Doesn't matter. Those two are adorable. Philip fangirls on the inside loudly and on the outside quietly, because that makes sense. Georges chuckles, still smiling wider than Philip has ever seen him smile, and Todd chuckles as well, touching his nose to Georges's.

"Maybe we should leave them alone..." Philip suggests, although he would love to stay and watch how this plays out. Georges leans his head on Todd's shoulder, and George nods and chuckles. Todd keeps an arm around Georges and turns to look at the waves, as Philip starts dragging George back in the direction they came from. "Aw...! They're so cute...!" he says as they leave.

"I love it!" George says quietly.

Once they get far enough away, Philip squeals. "Me too!" George, who isn't usually like this, squeals, too, and Philip hugs him in excitement. This is cause to celebrate!

"Let's go get ice cream!" Philip exclaims, not caring that it's cold outside.

"Ice cream!" George agrees, smiling. And so they go to eat ice cream, oblivious of what's about to happen in just a few short weeks.

----------

Todd smiles as Georges rests his head on his shoulder. He keeps an arm around him and turns to look back at the waves, just enjoying the moment. Georges watches the waves as well, and they just stay there for a while. Then Todd looks back down at Georges, who looks extremely happy. "Um... Georges..." Todd says. He needs to ask him something that he's been waiting a long time to ask. "...Je t'aime. Tu veux sortir avec moi?"

Georges blushes. "Y-yeah..." Todd blushes and smiles, internally celebrating as he looks out at the waves, and Georges smiles. This, Todd feels, is the start of something wonderful.