Author's notes:
Hello there! This is my very first fanfiction so I would appreciate any kind of feedback to help me improve my writing.
This story will have several chapters about Blind!FrancexEngland/Britain. All characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya.
_

Prologue: A lonely year

It was New Year's Eve. Children were playing in the streets with fireworks, Teenagers were testing their illegal fireworks and adults were getting drunk in the nearest bar. Not me. I was sitting on my porch, looking up at the colourful fireworks in the sky. The sound of fireworks filled the air, accompanied by children's cheers. It was beautiful. In my mind I was already saving the picture of the sky, which I wanted to paint the next day. I was thinking of good intentions for next year. Most of all I was thinking about l'amour. Which pretty lady would be mine tonight? Ah yes, Paris was truly wonderful on New Year's Eve. Great wine, beautiful fireworks and pretty women.

Drowned in my train of thoughts I forgot all about the painting I wanted to make. I opened my eyes and stared at the sky when suddenly a high pitched noise came closer and closer, followed by screams of fear. Something came rushing towards me. Before I could see what was happening I heard an explosion and everything went black.

That was exactly one year ago. I placed my hands on the cold, stone railing of the balcony and looked up at the sky. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of the fireworks. It was a painful sound which reminded me of the accident. But it was also very soothing, because it brought up memories of the happiness and the beautiful sky that night.

It was a clear sound; I could almost see what the fireworks looked like. However, when I opened my eyes, there was nothing there. Black was all I saw. Black was all I had seen this past year.

My name is Francis Bonnefoy. I am a simple man, living in the heart of Paris. Where the shopping streets are always lit up, the sunsets are astonishing and the women are pretty. Sadly, I can't see any of those things. Ever since I turned blind I had to stop enjoying the things I loved the most.

I was fired as the top-chef of a five star restaurant, because I couldn't see what I was feeding our guests. I couldn't finish any of my paintings, because I couldn't see if the paintings were as beautiful as the image I had in my head. Most of all I gave up on love. I could no longer see the beauty of the world nor do the things I loved. What was I supposed to do with my life?

I thought everything was going to be alright once the doctors brought me the news of a possible surgery that would return my sight. Wrong. There was simply not enough money to pay for it, and besides that the chance of success was a small 20%.

I felt pathetic. As I sunk deeper and deeper into depression I even attempted suicide several times. This turned out to be surprisingly difficult, since I couldn't exactly see where to cut or which pills to take. I always ended up in the hospital, very much alive.

This all changed when I met this one special person. Arthur Kirkland. Let me tell my story from the beginning.