Something that isn't really my writing style….probably from watching too many weird movies.
Anyway, enjoy!
The clock struck twelve.
It always struck twelve, even when Arthur was sure that it wasn't supposed to. This place though, it seemed to have no time. Nothing came and nothing went. It was an endless world, and that was what made it so uncomforting.
Arthur had been here for awhile. He wasn't sure how long, or even how he'd ended up here. It was sort of like waking up. The strange thing was that he knew this wasn't right. He was supposed to be somewhere else...but he couldn't remember where.
Right now he sat in the middle of nowhere. People passed without even a second glance. The gray trees rocked back and forth slightly from a warm wind. Arthur's pale hands clutched tightly to the hem of his sweater, knees drawn up to his chest.
His sweater was red. It was the only thing that seemed to have color here. Sometimes he swore it was the only thing that kept him sane. All of this wandering...it was confusing and tiresome. All of this gray nothing...it was a bit frightening.
Suddenly Arthur's line of vision was filled with color. It wasn't red though...it was beautiful, sunny, and blue. Like a summer's day. Arthur really wanted summer.
"Hello beautiful. Can I ask you a question?"
The color was speaking. Arthur squinted his eyes, and finally he made out a face. It was probably the most wonderful thing he had ever seen. It was a man. This man was nothing like the other people here. He was tan instead of pale. His eyes were a bright sky blue...Arthur hadn't seen a blue sky in quite sometime. Those eyes made his heart leap. The man also had golden hair...sort of like the sun! So he really was summer.
Then it occurred to him that the man had spoken. To him of all people. It was a strange and confusing thing, because people just didn't speak here. With the clock striking in the background, and this new color smiling down at him, it became almost too much.
Finally Arthur found his voice. "Y-Yes, you may."
The man smiled even more, his white teeth practically sparkling. "If nothing lasts forever, will you be my nothing?"
As soon as the man had said those words, something jolted in Arthur's brain and he cringed. Somebody had told him those words before. It was as if it had triggered a repressed memory of something...and the way that the man said it...this was all too familiar.
Before he could think about it anymore, his lips twitched as he robotically replied, "What a crummy pickup line. You won't ever get a date that way you know."
The man threw his head back and laughed. The sound was oddly soothing, and he found his own lips twitched as he watched the other man. Finally his chuckles had died down, and he gazed fondly at him once again.
"Do you know who I am Arthur?"
Did he? This man seemed so familiar, but he didn't even know his name. After seeing his hesitance, the man held out a hand. "I'm Alfred. What are you feeling?"
As soon as he took the hand, instead of shaking it Alfred just pulled him onto his feet. What an odd question, asking about his feelings. There weren't so many feelings in this place. Apparently he didn't need to reply, because an arm had wrapped itself securely around his waist, drawing him closer.
"I need you to feel something for me Arthur. Do you understand?"
Feel...feel what? His mind wracked itself for some sort of emotion. There were just too many thoughts and emotions to pick from. Maybe he could feel that small thought of disgust when Alfred had used the pickup line? Or the flutter feeling of when he'd first seen the color? No...it was too hard to pick. Did he even know how to feel?
The arm tightened.
"Feel something Arthur!" Alfred snapped, seemingly impatient. "If you don't feel soon then you'll completely forget how to. Then you won't be able to find your way back...you'll go forward too soon. Is that what you want?"
Arthur didn't like seeing Alfred like this. He wanted him to smile again. "I want...I want you to be happy."
"This isn't about me sweetheart." Alfred responded with a small smile. Arthur's words had worked though, and so he felt a relieved smile coming back onto his face. Something else made his heart flutter...the way Alfred had called him sweetheart. For some reason he really, really liked that. Their eyes met and it only made him feel warmer.
"Tell me, do you remember anything?" Alfred spoke again after a few moments.
"Anything of what?" Arthur asked, barely hearing the clock as it struck once again in the distance.
"I suppose not then," Alfred murmured, raising a hand to trace Arthur's cheek, causing the other to shudder slightly. "I'm afraid that I might be too late."
"There is one thing," Arthur said, willing the words to leave his mouth. Upon Alfred's expecting and slightly hopeful gaze, he explained. "Something about...you. It makes me think that we might have met before."
"Oh?" Alfred raised an eyebrow, but looked almost overjoyed. "Tell me about it. Do I make you feel Arthur?"
"Y-You might," Arthur muttered, suddenly feeling embarrassed...wait, feeling. He was feeling! His cheeks felt much too warm, and he looked down at the ground.
Alfred must have known he was feeling too, because he did a low throaty chuckle. "Look at me. I want to see your eyes...they were the first thing that drew me to you, did you know that?"
"I like your eyes too. It feels like I've looked at them before." Arthur said, raising his gaze to stare at the pools of blue once again. Alfred seemed to know about him….more than he knew about himself. Almost like he knew Arthur before he had appeared in this weird place.
"Alfred...do you have my memories?" He asked tentatively. "It feels like so many things are missing."
"Maybe. But I can't explain too much...you need to figure this out darling," Alfred replied. "I can only do so much, do you understand?"
"No," Arthur said sadly. "I wish I could, but I just don't."
The clock struck again.
"Do you know what that clock means Arthur?" Alfred asked, seemingly attempting to help him from another angle.
"No."
"Believe it or not, there is time here. You just haven't realized it yet, because to you this seems like eternity. Each day becomes a blur." Alfred explained, taking one of Arthur's hands in his own and rubbing small circles atop it with his thumb.
Arthur was lost. "I don't….what?"
"Twelve weeks Arthur. You've been here that long."
"Does that mean I belong somewhere else?"
"Do you?"
Arthur was feeling more. This time is was frustration. "Why don't you tell me? You seem to know a lot more than I do."
"I can't do that Artie." Alfred was smiling more now. "I've already helped enough. Now it's up to you. I can however, tell you if you're on the right track of where you need to be."
"Don't call me Artie!" Arthur snapped. For some reason that name just made the irritation flare up quite intensely. "It's Arthur, and I want you to give me answers. What is this place?"
"Good, keep feeling!" Alfred cheered. "Arthur. Artie. My Artie."
"Bloody hell," He sighed, and then paused as he contemplated something. "Wait...I'm yours?"
"Are you?"
Arthur growled. "You just keep answering with more questions! I'm sick of questions!"
Alfred let go of his hand and moved to rest it upon the smaller man's lower back. "Okay, then why don't you forget the questions. Tell me what you know."
Arthur paused. The touch on his back was rather soothing, and he felt the anger slowly draining away. "I know...I know that I'm not supposed to be here."
Alfred's hand moved just above his hip and squeezed gently. "Good. Keep telling me."
"I know you. Not from now, but from a different place."
"Well...yes, pretty much. Keep going."
Arthur hesitated on this one. "I think that...maybe you're special to me."
Alfred rested his chin on his shoulder. "Mmm, special huh? Yes, you're right."
"But I just don't understand," Arthur muttered, pulling away from the other. "Why am I here? And why just twelve weeks? It's been much longer than that."
"You only think that," Alfre clarified.
"So I'm stuck then?" Arthur asked.
"Correct."
Arthur pondered this. "Where should I be then? This other place...where I belong. How do I get there?"
"You just need to feel. You need to really want it."
"I'm trying," He whispered. "Does this other place have color?"
"Think about it Arthur. Try remembering. Does it have color?"
Arthur closed his eyes. He saw lots of different colors. "Yes, it does."
He was then distracted by Alfred tugging at the hem of his sweater and doing that strange soothing chuckle again. "Tell me about this sweater."
Arthur looked at his sweater and sighed in content. "I really like it. It was the only piece of color here until you came."
"Do you know where you got it?" Alfred whispered. "Please Arthur...think really hard for me."
So Arthur did. Slowly some images flashed into his mind. He was sitting in a room full of color. There was nice music, and a warm fireplace. A tree decorated with lights and garland stood in the corner. Then there was Alfred, snuggled up closely to him on a couch. He gave Arthur a sloppily wrapped present. Upon opening, he saw a flash of red.
"You...it was you!" He blurted out. "So we know each other."
"Very much so," Alfred agreed. "Or, you at least know the Alfred from that memory."
"So you aren't the same people?"
"No...not exactly. The Alfred there is real. Very much real."
"And you aren't?"
Lips pressed against his temple. "No….no, I'm not exactly real."
Arthur turned his head to meet his eyes again. "Then what are you?"
"I should be asking you that," Alfred told him with a wink. "After all, you're the one who created me in this place...everything is yours Arthur."
"So what, you want me to believe this is all in my mind or something?" Arthur spat sarcastically. When Alfred didn't say or do anything, his eyes widened. "Oh dear lord...is this my mind?"
Both of Alfred's hands came to rest on his cheeks. "That's right Artie. You're almost there now."
He was sort of half expecting Alfred to kiss him, which was exactly what happened. He felt just about everything with that kiss. After that, he saw a million kisses.
They were in a park, and the sky was bright blue. Alfred kissed him.
It was late in the night and they both lay cuddled in bed. Alfred kissed him.
Both of them were holding hands and walking through some sort of garden. Alfred stopped them and tilted Arthur's chin up. Then he kissed him.
The images went too quickly after that, but basically they were all the same thing. All different types of kisses, all in different places.
When Alfred pulled back, the world seemed dark once again and he whimpered.
"Twelve weeks ago it was Christmas Arthur. Does that hold any specific meaning to you?"
Arthur wracked his mind for anything, anything at all. "You gave me the sweater on Christmas, didn't you?"
"Yes. What else?"
"I….I don't know."
Alfred was angry again. "Dammit Arthur, stop making me wait! Don't you understand? For twelve weeks I've...Alfred, he's been waiting. If you don't remember soon then it's over. You'll move on...fade away."
Arthur flinched, but he did his best and thought about Christmas.
They kissed after he opened the sweater. But then what?
"For God's sake Alfred, hurry up. We're going to be late for Christmas dinner with Matthew and Francis."
"I'm coming babe, I just needed to put out the fire. Here, I'll drive."
They were in a car, half heartedly arguing about something with little meaning.
There was a loud honk and a crash.
Then there was screaming.
Arthur gasped. "Oh God...oh bloody hell. Am I dead Alfred?"
"So you remember then?" Alfred smiled sadly. "No, you aren't dead. You will be soon though, if you don't wake up. Alfred's been very worried you know. For twelve whole weeks you've been sleeping...the doctors didn't think you'd make it, but somehow your heart has kept on beating."
When Arthur didn't say anything, Alfred continued. "Alfred has refused to leave your side...for twelve whole weeks. He's a complete mess, but he has faith that you'll awaken. Are you going to prove him correct?"
"Y-Yes," Arthur finally managed to speak, voice wavering. "Yes, please! I remember everything now. I want to wake back up. I need to wake back up!"
"Then wake back up," Alfred said simply. "Go on, this is your chance. The door's been here the whole time."
Arthur jumped when a solid door appeared out of thin air. It was cracked open slightly, with white light shining through. It was so bright that his eyes watered a bit. He jolted slightly when a hand ran down his back.
"It's been an awesome chat, but I think it's time you returned to your real Alfred. Goodbye Arthur, and remember to take things slow, okay?"
With that, Alfred was gone, leaving only the door.
Everything was gray and dull now, with his beautiful colors gone.
The clock struck twelve.
Arthur didn't hesitate to open the door further and walk through.
The first thing he heard was beeping.
He was surrounded by white at first, but after a moment he saw two familiar pools of sky blue.
"Arthur?"
fin
Review please and let me know if I failed or not :)
I know it's kinda cliché, but I just couldn't get it out of my head!