Arthur swears that he has never been so pissed off in his life. What gave Alfred the right to treat him like this? First, he had him running all across town picking up random junk and now he wants him to drive an hour out of the city to drop off his damn car? It's too bad that you can't kill a person twice!
The Englishman decided that he didn't have any time to lose before it gets too dark and dug into his pant pocket to look for Alfred's spare car key, among the others, connected by the metal ring. The two had swapped car keys soon after dating, mostly because of a crazy night awhile back that was more Arthur's fault than he would like to admit. Long story short it involved a costume party and the cops. Arthur threw the extra bags Alfred wanted him to bring in the backseat and got ready to pull out when
Then, he departed on his trip in a less murderous mood.
After a smooth trip Arthur had finally reached the small vintage cottage. The cottage belonged to Alfred after his father moved upstate and decided he wouldn't need it anymore. Now Alfred uses it for his "mini-vacations", as he called it, during the winter when he had a little more free time. He parked in the driveway and gathered his things in a hurry. As excited as he was to get his annoyance off his chest, the Briton stopped dead in his tracks when he stepped out of the car. The little red house was secluded in a nook partially surrounded by trees. The neighboring cottages were too far apart to be called neighbors and that was why Arthur had loved it so much. The amount of privacy here was amazing compared to the cramped lifestyle in the city. But the glowing lights that spilled through the windows of what Arthur considered a haven didn't make Arthur stop. It was the idea of what the house used to be for that did.
Ever since the cottage has been transformed from a family house to a second home for Alfred years ago he had the right to do whatever he wanted with it. Bring whoever he wants to it. Although Arthur had stayed the night here twice before the thought hadn't struck him until now. Who else has he brought here and what did they do here? Arthur knew that Alfred had a long, diverse dating history so anything was plausible. But then a darker thought struck. What if he wants to break up with me? But, Arthur had decided, if it was going to happen he might as well not put it off. He knew from the beginning that his relationship was too good to be true. He used to be straight for Christ's sake! Still it scared him but he knew he'd have to face this. Arthur willed the courage to move forward and accept whatever came to him. Let's just hope he doesn't say some "It's me, not you" type of bullshit.
After Arthur knocked on the door he heard Alfred shout something yet he tripped on something and the crash muffled out his voice. When Alfred opened the door the warmth from the cottage spilled outside and Arthur had just realized how cold he actually was. The blue eyed blonde's smile was radiant and melted all of Arthur's negative thoughts way. Suddenly Arthur was bear hugged to point where it hurt.
"Get off of me, you brute." Arthur struggled to say.
"Sorry, sorry. I just got super happy!" Alfred said, temporarily forgetting how strong he was. He then led his lover into the living room. Once Arthur was in the room he noticed the dramatic changes. The lights were dimmed down in a romantic way, the living room was littered with Arthur's favorite scented candles, the soft music, and there were even rose petals all over the place. Wow…
Based on the look on Arthur's face Alfred knew the plan was working in his favor. The Briton gawked at the interior and couldn't believe what was going on. I bet he still doesn't know it's our anniversary. The American chuckled and settled the two into the sofa.
"Well, what do you think? I spent a lot of time working on this."
"It's...wonderful, thank you." Arthur said while still looking around the room. But his voice hinted at hesitant confusion, he wasn't too sure whether he should asked what all this was about. "Ah, I almost forgot. Those friends of yours each gave you a gift. Here they are."
"Awesome." Alfred knew exactly what were in the bags. He told Antonio and Toris to give this to Arthur since he didn't have enough time to pick them up himself. A bottle of vintage wine and a CD of their song. Leaving the gifts behind him went into the kitchen. The gifts also served as hints to the grand surprise but Alfred had a hunch that Arthur wouldn't pry through his things. Even though he still would have never put everything together. Arthur was too dense when it came to Alfred's style of romance. But he did love him for it. The blonde grabbed two wine glasses and returned back to his sweetheart. After pouring the wine Alfred turned towards his confused lover.
"Today's our first anniversary you know. I wanted to make things special, to commemorate..., and stuff." Suddenly the Briton's eyes widened then flashed into an apologetic look.
"Cheers! To us!" Alfred wrapped Arthur with his arm, bringing him in closer. Although all he wanted to do was hide his face out of embarrassment for the late realization. "Ch-cheers!"
Time passed as the two quietly cuddled and gently kissed each other. Wine and gummy bears made a delightful combination, even sweeter when the couple fed each other. The jazzy music mellowed throughout the room and smoothed out the atmosphere. Then Arthur suddenly broke the sweet silence.
"Y-you know I thought you were going to break up with me." he whispered.
"Are you insane?" Alfred said loudly, shocked. "What made you think that?"
"Well, you were heterosexual when I met you so I always had my doubts…"
"Seriously?!" Alfred sat up to face Arthur. His blue eyes were sharp with determination when he peered into the emerald green eyes that tried to shy away. "I love you, Artie. I'm serious, there's no one else but you." Arthur casted his eyes downward, not completely convinced, trying to hide his inner conflict.
"Ok, fine so it's gonna be that way, huh?" Alfred said, then took a deep breath and continued speedily. "I love your deep green eyes, no matter how much they glare at me, because I know all the emotions you have for me underneath. I love the way you never let anything get in the way of your work, the way you take just about everything that matters seriously. I adore your smile because it's the most genuine smile on this planet. You'd never walk around with a fake smile even if it kills you. And, to be honest, I find your scowls and insults endearing; it just make the chase much more fun. I adore your embarrassed face, too. I love how you can't really cook but you still never give up. I love it when you use your accent to talk dirty-"
"OK, OK! I get it already. Belt up before you make me heart stop." Arthur was flushed to his ears.
"Then promise to never say anything like that again. Alright?" Alfred's eyes danced over his new victory.
"Fine, just...enough already." Arthur hid his face in his boyfriend's chest. Too cute, Alfred thought. He lifted his lover's head and placed a sweet, innocent kiss on his lips. The kiss could only transmit a small portion of Alfred's love though, which made him sad. As a way not to dwell on it he decided to go over to the stereo system. He tucked the CD Toris gave him and pushed play. Arthur's ears instantly perked up as he heard the familiar tune. This is the song they first danced to a year ago. The same song that played while Alfred confessed. The song that started it all. Excited, Alfred rushed over to Arthur and reached out his hand, telepathically suggesting they should dance. Obviously, Arthur could not refuse.
"Some days, when I'm awfully low.
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
And the way you look tonight."
The two drew closer together and slowly danced to their song. The world around them melted. It was literally just the two of them. Their place, their song, simply enjoying the other's love. As the seconds went by each blonde slowly drowned in the other's warmth and heartbeat, scent and touch, rhythm and step.
"Lovely ... Never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it?
Cause I love you ... Just the way you look tonight."
When the song was over, Arthur reached over to give Alfred a long, passionate kiss. He pressed against his lover's body and Alfred eagerly reciprocated.
"You said you love it when I talk dirty, right? Arthur asked seductively, tugging Alfred in the direction of the bedroom.
"Hell yeah!"
Then the two went off to communicate their love properly, as much as they could, for as long as they could.
Author's Note: Ok, so I actually wrote this piece some time ago when I was just starting out as a fan-fiction writer. *insert blush here* This story is actually a part of a
larger one that I am not planning on publishing. Ever. But I did want to do a little something for Valentine's Day and the original story is very near and dear to me. So I
edited the ending of the original and decided to post it. So here it is! There's a strong possibility that this will be a February only special. So get it while it lasts,
because I'm half sure I'll take it down later.