We were just kids back then.
Yet he still meant the world to me. We had a big, big world all to ourselves, I in the north and he to the south. Momma and Papa were often away across the wide blue sea off fighting their own wars and trying to keep the bad men from touching our beautiful paradise. We were safe here in the New World. Safe in the maple and evergreen, in the mountains, forests, and streams we could roam for hours upon hours. He held my hand as we followed the sunset back to the settlements, kept me within his line of sight as we passed through the bustling crowds. His colonies were so much busier but regardless of all the chaos I knew I was never alone. If Alfred vanished, he reappeared seconds later tugging me off in the right direction.
"One day," Alfred plopped down on the dock, kicking his feet in the chilly river. "I'm gonna be a big, strong country like Papa."
"Y-You think.. I could too?"
"Yeah!" Alfred nodded firmly. "You and me, right Matty? We'll always be together!"
I blushed. Alfred was always the more daring of us two, always scheming and planning these wild adventures. He never let me lag behind, never let the other village boys forget me in their games. They tried to exclude me because I was so quiet and preferred to try and learn to read over being a hunter or fisherman. In Alfred's eyes though, everything included me. I was never invisible to him. Where he went, I went. Somehow... I just knew that wasn't going to change. We were close, too close, we always were. Always would be.
"Matthew!"
He was growing now. He was bigger, stronger, and smarter than I. Towered over Papa and carried himself with the strength and pride of a flourishing country. Lately, his words were beginning to stir sick feelings in my stomach. Talks of becoming free and independent from our father to become his own man and prove that he could make it in the world. He wanted Arthur to be proud of him as a man, as a unique power.
"Alfred..."
He turned to face me with those stunning blue eyes. My heart raced. It got harder to breath and then he came closer. Too close, close enough that I could see how tight his chest was pulling the thin cotton shirt. I backed up, trying ot put some kind of distance between us so I could breathe again. He leapt forward as I stumbled, pulling me up against him. Heat burned across my face. I was close enough to hear his heart.
"Matt.. Matt are you okay!"
No words. Only mouths. Melting together, devouring. The tension harbored between us exploded in that instant. His mouth was firm and warm against my own. It felt amazing, stars bursting in my head. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, I tried to speak and could only whimper as I succumbed to that kiss. Slowly we finally parted but only by the thinnest breadth. I could still feel his breath hot on my face, his lips hovering only centimeters from my own. I leaned up to just barely touch them making him take a sharp breath. He wanted it just as bad as I.
A tongue slowly ran along my lip, exploring the newest frontier. His body fell on top of mine and our arms wove togerther holding the other firmly in place. I could bear the teasing no longer and obediently parted my lips, letting him delve in to seek the gold. Hot and wet it slid around, rubbing slow against my own trying to coax me onward. I could only obey, clinging tight to the silky gold strands burning like treasure in the light of the dying sun. They would say this was the dirtiest sin we could commit and yet it did not stop us from wanting it.
"Y-You won't.. leave me...?" I whispered.
"Never.."
"Even if.. you.. become free?"
"Even if I'm free." He kissed me again, taking my breath away. "I'm always going to be here for you, Matty."
Long, bloody warfare marked the next hundred years. I watched as our family slowly ripped itself apart churning internal conflict until it curdled our bonds. Even he and I became tense when I would not join in his cause he tried to take me by force. It killed me, but I had to do it, and burned my most cherished bridge. After that, no one heard from him for quite some time. The last glimpse I caught was from a fishing trip on the Great Lakes. He packed up with some travelers and cast one more look to his northern brotherland before taking off out west.
Then it all came crashing down. My proud brother in the midst of a fabulous age witnessed the greatest destruction he had ever seen. The world was in a state of terror all their own. Totalitarianism and depression across the sea kept them wrapped up in their own business. He suffered here, alone, trying his best to survive in a bleak age. After not speaking to him for what seemed like an eternity, I made the trek south to visit my elder sibling.
"Matty...?" his eyes lit up. I could tell from the lines of worry he probably had not smiled in quite awhile. At least, not as wide as he smiled at me in that moment. As if the storm had cleared and the sun's light had shone through to guide him from the darkness.
"Hey..." I shuffled my feet a little, unsure what to say or do.
Warm, thin arms tucked around me pulling me tight against his chest. The strength I recalled from my youth was gone but the scent was still that of my Alfred. I clung to him as his body shuddered and convulsed under the force of the coughs, rich red blood spilling onto my hair and shoulder. He tried to pull back but I held him there, comforting my sobbing sick mess of a brother.
"I-I'm sorry Matt..."
I lifted his chin, tasting the sweet blood as we kissed. "Don't apologize... You have nothing to be sorry for. Just.. hold me.. and don't ever let go. You have to hold on, Alfred, for me. You said you'd always be here for me, didn't you?"
He nodded.
"Then..." I kissed him again, lacing our fingers. "You have to hang in there.. for me, if for no one else.."
Nobody is perfect. People say things, make pacts they cannot live up to. But no matter what has occured in all of this time... this is the one promise my beloved brother has never broke.
He is there for me. Always.