Alfred was different, they said. He was unreal, out of this world. I didn't know what those words meant when I first heard of the boy, on his first day in our plain and simple high school. It was raining that day. The kind of rain that hurts your face when you walk.
He looked distant, upset, sitting by the window alone. As the class representative, I thought that welcoming him to our school and class was in order. Holding out my hand, I introduced myself. When he looked at me, I realised that his eyes were the bluest I'd ever seen. I wondered if the sky behind the unmoving mass of grey clouds was the same colour. No, I thought. Nothing could be as blue.
The boy stared at me, and I felt my cheeks warm. What else could I say? I'd always thought I was good at conversing with new students, but as I rambled on and got little to no reactions, I thought I ought to just give up. Then, I saw his lips twitch, and they smoothed into a smile. His teeth were pearly white and perfect, and he laughed at me. Anger bubbled up inside me and I turned my head, feeling as if he was humiliating me.
"Alfred," he said, and I paused, staring at him. His smile hadn't faded, and he held out his hand in the same manner I had previously held out mine. As I gently took his hand and shook it once, his smile brightened. "My name is Alfred."
It felt warmer the next day, I remember. I didn't take my winter coat, opting for a lighter one. The American student was standing outside the school, unmoving as others passed him by. Only when I entered the grounds did he stir into life, grinning and waving at me as if we were the best of friends. I froze, looking around for a distraction, possibly one of the council members I could talk to. Alfred pounced on me with a spring in his step before I could brush him off, and so I walked with him reluctantly. He listened to me with such intent as I talked, trying to tell him I was busy, but he followed like a puppydog. In the end I gave in, letting him follow me. After all, what help would I be in introducing him to the school if I didn't show him how to get around? He probably knew nothing.
Turns out I was right. Alfred was useless. For the next week, and the next, and the next, I would show him around. It came to a point where the two of us even began to wait for each other outside our classes and start walking elsewhere, possibly to lunch or another class. I can't remember when I realised we'd become friends. It could have been the moment Alfred asked me to come watch his first football practice.
"You joined the team?"
"Yeah! It was kinda tough and all, but I worked so hard, Arthur. They thought I was 'Godly'!"
"Really, now?" I had to smile. He looked so pleased with himself. "That is quite a compliment, coming from that bunch of goons."
"They ain't that bad!" Alfred laughed, nudging my side. I chuckled. "They were just impressed with my strength or something."
I could sense nervousness in his words then, but I let it slip by patting his shoulder, and whether I enjoyed it or not I did turn up to see how his practice went. It was warmer and brighter outside than I'd felt all year. I didn't wear my jacket at all this time.
Alfred looked happy, tiring himself out on the pitch and giving one hundred and ten percent. Like the exercise was something he lived for. I was happy for him. I even caught myself smiling, watching him tackle larger boys to the ground with little effort. Embarrassment caught up with me, and I turned tail and left before anybody would notice the red colour of my cheeks. It was just the warm day that was heating me up, that was all. That was all.
I didn't sleep very well that night, but I tried to put it all behind me. I never did manage to sleep well. Ever since I could remember, night was a time I would want to be active, but my tired mind would force me down into some form of relaxation once more. The few dreams I had were odd. I'd find myself staring into the blue sky, and suddenly my sight would be blinded by what I was sure was the sun I'd never seen. Darkness tumbled in and didn't leave until I woke, but it was the dark that had calmed me most.
Alfred came back to my home a few weeks later. He'd just been at practice while I had been talking with the rest of our student council. He sat atop my bed, staring out of the window and up at the sky, the clouds thinner now. I'd caught him doing that a lot.
"You're like a bird," I'd said, sitting down beside him. "Trapped in a cage. It's almost like you don't want to be here with us sometimes."
"You don't know who I am."
I paused, and Alfred looked away from the window. The skies had darkened, as had Alfred's eyes, lips no longer curved into the smile I'd gotten used to. Guilt rose up within me for reasons I was not sure of. His question confused me, even as I leaned in close to him. A habit. Alfred had once joked that he must just be magnetic, but after that, I wasn't so sure.
"... Alfred, don't be ridi-"
"Let me show you," he begged, blinking his eyes a few times. I stared back at him, my fingers slowly winding between his. He gently pushed me back, rising above me as I fell below. "Let me show you who I am."
His body was hot. Too hot. I clung to him, unable to let go as he moved me, touched me in places I'd never thought anybody ever could. His hands were soft and gentle, pressing against me in such a way that I thought he was scared he'd break me, indent my skin if he moved too fast or too hard. I remember him kissing me, and I returned it. There was just something about him, about his warmth, that I felt like I had missed.
His arms were wrapped around me the entire time, feeling his chest - slick with sweat that could very well have also been my own - slide against mine whenever we would move. Everything was so warm, so hot, too much.
"Remember," he pleaded against my mouth, nails softly scraping against my near-white skin. "Oh, remember..."
I opened my eyes. Alfred was glowing. Glowing brighter than any lamp or flame I'd ever seen. His eyes blazed, lips parted. My legs, bare and wrapped around him, suddenly tightened, and I choked out my scream as everything slotted together with a snap of his hips.
"Arthur..."
"You," I said, feeling my skin prickle as I breathed harshly, staring back up at him. I could feel myself smiling, relief rushing through me. Alfred looked as if he was going to cry. "... You are my sunshine. My sun. Oh, my beautiful sun..."
The other smiled, but did not cry as he caressed my cheeks.
"My beautiful moon and shimmering stars... How long it has been," he said, and I could feel him taking my hand. When I looked, my skin was glowing with his. He looked as if he were about to burst into flames, whereas I shone like only the moon - myself - knew how to.
"I'm here," I murmured, holding him close as everything slipped away. "My sun, I'm here."
I hear people at night, when I'm at my brightest in the sky, talking of the days when the skies were empty. How, one day, the sun and moon finally appeared again, lighting up the world beneath them, and nobody had ever seen anything quite so beautiful. They didn't know how it had happened.
Alfred and I, well, we couldn't possibly reveal how we returned. It is just a secret between us in our world outside of yours.
AN: i feel quite ashamed for not updating in over a year... i felt i'd lost my writing abilities. this is a lesson in why you should never change your ideas half way through writing a drabble, kids! and a clear case of 'what genre is this i don't even-'