Arthur always felt young when Alfred was near. The college boy was full of enough energy for the two of them, and he would often drag Arthur off on some excitingly exhausting adventure that would take his breath away. Skiing, hiking, camping, road trips. Arthur felt himself fall more in love with his twenty-three year old boyfriend. With him, Arthur could ignore the white elephant in their relationship; their age.

In reality, Arthur was nearly sixteen years his senior. Next year he'd be forty. Luckily his face made it difficult for outsiders to tell, and many assumed they were brothers. Pressure from Alfred's college caused Arthur to quit at the campus library. While he wasn't technically campus staff, people were still highly concerned about the men's relationship. Eventually, it reached the big whigs at the administration and they pushed for Arthur to leave his post.

The local bookstore had an opening, so Arthur took that chance. Alfred still visited, preferring it over the overcrowded library. During finals he would stay until closing with his nose in physics books as large as stone tablets. Arthur would lovingly make him a cup of coffee to leave on the table when he stayed all of the eight hours Arthur worked. Alfred was always appreciative of this.

All of these long study days and nights were warning signs. Arthur should have known when the four years passed that it was coming. When Alfred invited him to his final project he should have realized. But the truth of the matter was Arthur simply refused to believe Alfred was graduating. That meant Alfred was growing older which meant Arthur was too. Worse still, Alfred could leave if a job opportunity cropped up, or it he grew bored of his old boyfriend.

It all came to a halt when Alfred ran out of the bedroom into the living room wearing his cap and gown. Standing before Arthur, he held his arms out and smiled widely. Arthur's heart plummeted into his stomach. "What do you think?! Am I awesome or what?!"

Arthur gulped in hopes of salivating his dry throat, but to no avail. "Oh…Very nice."

"And I get tassels!" Alfred pulled out gold cords and hung them around his neck. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"S-summa cum laude?" Arthur asked, even though he already knew those colors quite well as he had received them as well when he graduated college. "My… What an accomplishment…"

"I owe it all to you, babe." Alfred plopped down next to Arthur. He kissed his hand and then his cheek. Arthur could smell the plastic and stale scent of the gown. It was new. Terrible.

"Me?" he asked.

"Yup! Your bookstore had enough books and a quiet enough atmosphere. I was able to get such high grades." Alfred's exuberance did little to help Arthur's diminishing grasp on his emotions. There were so many things he desperately wanted to do and say, but he couldn't settle on one.

He thought himself unreasonable. He was almost forty and should be a lot more sensible and collected, but he was actually getting upset about Alfred's graduation. There should be excitement and pride in seeing his boyfriend graduate. Maybe he should lavish some extra love and attention on him. That would show how happy he was for all of Alfred's achievements.

And yet, Arthur couldn't help but feel such selfish possessiveness over Alfred. There was nothing he'd like more than to wrap them both up together in a blanket of frozen time. They'd stay young together, forever.

Just then, Alfred's cell phone rang. He jumped up to answer, and eventually left the room. Arthur sat in the silence while his head remained a loud torrent of dilemma. Should he tell Alfred how he felt or would this go away when Alfred left him? Arthur fell slowly sideways so that he lay on his side on the couch. He stayed there looking at nothing for quite some time, lost in his thoughts.

Come morning, Alfred was out of bed before the alarm clock rang. He dressed in a nice suit with a tie and slicked his hair back. He was practically radiating energy like a sun. Meanwhile, Arthur dragged himself out of bed, darkening the ambiance with his disgruntled mood. He dressed in a nice button-up shirt and dress slacks. His hair couldn't be contained, so he ignored it. Alfred came to him with that same broad smile.

"How do I look?" he asked.

Of all the things Arthur could say, he chose to remain silent. He looked Alfred over, inspecting his outfit. The gown was open to show his suit with his crooked tie, and his cap was tilted too far to the left. Arthur clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth in disapproval. He stepped forward to grasp the knot where he struggled to fix it.

Alfred watched him. His smile slowly vanished as he felt the tense aurora from Arthur surround him. It was brief, but he saw Arthur's shoulder hitch. Then there was a sniffle. Arthur was enveloped by Alfred's arms in a tight hug.

"Babe," he whispered.

"I know, I know. You're leaving." Alfred pulled Arthur back to look at him with his mouth agape. "You're graduating, leaving me for a man closer to your age, and starting your life. I know. It's time. I'll just hold you back with my older age…"

Alfred frowned. "You think I'm starting my life right now?"

"Yes," Arthur replied with a shaky voice. He mentally repeated to keep it together. "I've come to understand this for the past few months and realized I just have to accept this is your decision."

"It's not my decision," Alfred said sternly. "My life started four years ago when I met you."

Arthur lifted his tear stained face to stare at Alfred curiously. "What…? But I can't possibly…"

"Why not?"

"Well your life is just beginning. I'm almost over the hill!"

Alfred let out that loud laugh that always seemed to scramble away from him before he could realize just how obnoxious he was. "Over the hill?! Arthur, you're just as active as me! And you certainly aren't over anything in bed!"

Arthur flushed when Alfred winked at him. "I'll have to use Viagra soon if I'm to keep up with you…"

Alfred snorted. "I can get you hard. Don't worry."

Arthur grasped for more to argue with, but Alfred cut him off with a kiss. In Arthur's mind it was all set. He'd live alone again. Alfred would rise to fortune. It was how it should be. Alfred was silly to say his life began when he met a man sixteen years older than him. Everyone was right- they were stupid to even attempt a relationship. Their romantically naïve declarations of age not being of importance now seemed idiotic.

Arthur found he couldn't handle any of it. Alfred seemed as young as the first day he had laid eyes on him, while he grew wrinkles and had a few grey hairs and felt the start of resentful joints. He knew one day he'd wake up and people would see an old man walking with a still beautiful, youthful young man. And they'd know.

Alfred released Arthur's lips, but kept him in a tight hold. He locked his eyes with Arthur's, not giving him an inch to look away. "My life, my future, all of it is worthless if you're not in it. This isn't the start of my life, it's just one part. I want you to remain a part of it. Not just for my college years, but for my life."

Arthur wasn't the only one with tears on his cheeks. Alfred had started crying as well. He kissed Arthur's tears and laughed to hide his embarrassment. "I love you, Arthur. If I wanted a guy more my age, I had plenty of chances to these past years. I never took them. All I've done is get closer to you. I'll do anything to convince you I'm here for the long haul."

A hiccup escaped Arthur's throat. He blushed, but then he started laughing. His head throbbed with all of his torturous thoughts, but Alfred had started to soothe him. How could they be apart? Arthur had neglected Alfred's feelings through-out this entire mental ordeal. They really had grown closer; to the point they could never go back to the way it once was. Alfred had always been the one to make the first moves, so why would he abandon him now?

"I am a fool." Arthur laughed at himself.

Alfred smiled too. "Well, I was worried too."

"About what?"

"Well… I know you started liking me because I'm such a young stud muffin… So I thought you'd be put off by me gettin' older."

Arthur laughed harder. "Oh dearest! Over the years I had many a naughty thought about young men, but I never acted on such desires. You are the first and only. And it wasn't because of your young looks, but because you have a beautiful heart. As long as that doesn't change, then I don't care how old you get."

Arthur's breath caught in his throat as his words echoed in his head. Alfred smiled lovingly. Leaning in, he caressed Arthur's cheek, letting his fingers slide into his hair. His lips ghosted Arthur's skin. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

The sun was hot and relentless. With no shade and no escape, Arthur and the Jones family endured the two hour long ceremony. Arthur finally met Alfred's grandparents who had flown in from Kansas. To save everyone the trouble of explaining the situation, they lied and said Arthur Arthur was a friend of Alfred's in his late twenties who just happened to look older. Mr. and Mrs. Jones got the feeling the older generation would have a hard time taking to their relationship if they knew the truth. It had been difficult enough convincing Alfred's parents.

Mrs. Jones was an emotional mess. She cried on Mr. Jones' shoulder when Pomp and Circumstance began to play and the graduates walked onto the field. Arthur's throat constricted, but he remained calm. That morning's release had been enough for him to get out all his tears and fears. Until Alfred was called, Mr. Jones occupied himself with talking to Arthur. They kept their voice low to not bother the other parents, and so the grandparents couldn't over hear them.

"I'm amazed you two are so active. Hiking, ski vacations, road trips, camping." Mr. Jones shook his head in awe. "Usually a man your age wouldn't be doing that."

Arthur chuckled. He looked out at the rows of students, all eagerly waiting for their name to be called. Somewhere in that sea of people was his Alfred. A stupid, silly, amazing, beautiful man that was willing to devote his life to him. He wanted this (almost) forty-year old man, wanted to cherish and love him.

Alfred's name was called. Arthur cheered the loudest of the group. He jumped up and applauded with the Jones'; just like he was a part of the family. He could clearly see Alfred getting his diploma on the stage, and then look out at the crowd to acknowledge his family.

Sitting back down, Arthur said to Mr. Jones, "You're only as young as you think you are."

Hoshiko2's cents: I know I said I wouldn't do more of this universe, but recently I saw my friends graduate from college and the feels over took me.

Generally American colleges (and some high schools) play Pomp and Circumstance for their graduation ceremony. They also have an honorary system with tassels to denote grade accomplishments. Summa cum laude is the highest achievement you can get (although I've read there are higher ones, but it is so incredibly rare it's not even considered a real award).

If you enjoyed this, feel free to stop by my writing tumblr at 2kokoro. tumblr. com