This was inspired by Parachute's song Forever and Always. Currently in love with it. You don't have to listen to it in order to understand the song, but it means a bit more if you do. Hopefully you'll discover a new song you like! I changed the she's to he's because, well, it's Arthur. Enjoy :)
He's sitting at the table, the hours get later
He was supposed to be here
He's sure he would have called.
Arthur sat at the table in his kitchen, resting his elbow against the edge. He was seated on the simple wooden chair, opposite of Alfred's empty one. Arthur was concerned. He drummed his fingers in anticipation, and his smart black shoes tapped the floor anxiously. He cleared his throat while he fiddled with his necktie. Arthur glanced at the digital numbers displayed in fluorescent green on the oven's clock. His brows furrowed in confusion as he read it. It was a quarter past six. Alfred got off of work at four every day, and even with rush hour traffic, it never took him this long to drive home.
The meal Arthur had spent all afternoon preparing had cooled, the temperature dropped as steadily as the air outside. Arthur's fingers unconciously felt their way to his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. Arthur flipped it open and checked his voicemail. There were no missed calls, from Alfred or anyone. Instead of replacing his cellphone in his pocket, Arthur kept it clasped between his shaking hands. Alfred was always late, but he made sure to call and tell Arthur no matter what. Alfred was reliable like that.
He waits a little longer, there's no one in the driveway
No one's said they've seen him
Why, is something wrong?
He looks back to the window
Arthur's green eyes glanced out the large bay window of the kitchen, peering out to see if Alfred's car had pulled into the driveway. Arthur's car sat alone, idly collecting snow. He heard the grandfather clock in the hallway chime as it struck half past the hour. The Brit had called Matthew about half an hour earlier, checking to see if Alfred had dropped by to say hello, and wish him a merry Christmas. The holiday was to be celebrated in a few days after all. A rather surprised Matthew had said no, he had not seen or heard from him in a couple days. Arthur began to fret over Alfred. Where was he? Arthur gazed out the window, his heart hoping to hear the sound of a car drive by, but the slick, icy street remained silent. The houses stood in a row lining the street like toy soldiers standing at attention, decorated in lights the colors of the season, with roofs covered in powdery white snow.
Suddenly the phone rings
A voice says something's happened
That he should come right now.
Arthur was startled out of his reverie by the ring of his cellphone. He checked the number, mentally noting it was Matthew before he answered with a tentative hello. His heart plummeted to his stomach as he heard a panicked Matthew on the other end, who had called to let him know that he should come as soon as possible.
As Arthur struggled to pull on his coat while he balanced the phone between his head and shoulder in the crook of his neck. Matthew's voice was laced with terror. As Arthur grabbed his car keys and rushed out the door, he felt his mind wander as he toned Matthew out.
His mind goes to December
He thinks of when he asked him
He bent down on his knees first
And he said
I want you forever, forever and always
Through the good and the bad and the ugly
We'll grow old together
Forever and always
Arthur remembered last December, when they had taken a trip to the mountains in search of a white Christmas. Alfred had wanted to go snowboarding, but Arthur adamantly refused. So, instead, they had spent a day in the snow, building snowmen, and snow forts, making snow angels. Arthur had his back turned to Alfred, packing snow tightly into a ball to get revenge for the numerous times Alfred had thrown a snowball at him, despite his many fruitless efforts to dodge the barrage of frozen water.
He turned to see Alfred kneeling in front of him, and the snowball fell to the ground, forgotten, out of Arthur's mittened hands. Alfred was as nervous as the the Briton had ever seen him. He attempted to be suave and cool, but his blue eyes revealed his true feelings. They were anxious and hopeful. They were as honest as always. Alfred had been rambling on, like he always had when he was nervous. Arthur swallowed as Alfred gulped and came to an awkward pause. Alfred took in a large breath, before he had launched into a simple, yet sweet proclamation.
He said, "Arthur, I want you forever, forever and always. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly. We'll grow old together, forever and always,"
Alfred had looked up at him, blue eyes sparkling.
"Marry me, Arthur?"
Arthur had tackled Alfred to the ground before he had known what was happening, and they both fell into the snow. Alfred was surprised as Arthur kissed him, trembling, his eyes opened wide in shock. He was shaken out of his daze as Arthur leaned back, allowing Alfred to sit up. Alfred laughed, before sealing it with a kiss, and Arthur's mittens fell forgotten to the ground as Alfred slid the gold band onto his finger.
He pulls up to the entrance
He walks right to the front desk
They lead him down a million halls, a maze that's never ending
They talk about what happened but he can barely hear them.
Arthur found himself standing in front of the white washed building, outside of his parked car. He entered through the lobby, his mind registering that Francis, Matthew's something or other, sat in the chair, too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice the British man. He couldn't blame him, he hadn't noticed Francis until the last moment either. Matthew was missing though.
Arthur approached the receptionist at the front desk, who called a nurse. She gave him a thin-lipped smile before the nurse led him down a maze of hallways. Or perhaps it just seemed like a million hallways to Arthur who wanted nothing more than to see his frustratingly brilliant American. The nurse's words fell upon deaf ears. Arthur wasn't listening, too concentrated was he on his blue eyed fiancé to hear her words.
He tries to keep a straight face as he walks into the room
He sits by his bedside, holds his hand too tight.
The nurse stopped at a door after what seemed an eternity to Arthur, and ushered him in. She left as soon as she had come to give them their privacy. Arthur's gaze fell upon a man sitting in a chair by a bedside. The man looked up, and Arthur felt numb. It was Matthew. He had never seen his violet eyes look so sad. His eyes were red and puffy from crying. Arthur sucked in his breath as Matthew's mouth opened, but no words came out. What was there to say? He watched as he gave his brother's hand a squeeze before he exited the room. He felt a ghost of a hand clutch his shoulder, but he may have imagined it. Soon it was only Alfred and Arthur. Arthur tried valiantly to keep a smile on his face as he walked to the chair Matthew had left empty. He pulled it closer to Alfred's bedside, as he took his hand and was almost relieved to hear Alfred whisper his name. Almost. Arthur tried to form words, but not a thing came out. He was speechless.
Alfred finally broke the silence by attempting to grin, one that was so heartbreakingly beautiful, it tore at Arthur's heart. Every fiber of his being yearned to reach out and take Alfred out of the confines of the room. He wanted him to laugh again, without having to force it.
Alfred chuckled as he tiredly spoke, "Arthur... Glad you're here... But could you please... Stop holding my hand... so tightly?"
Arthur nearly dropped it, afraid he was causing him pain. Arthur finally said something. "Please Alfred, don't strain yourself. Don't talk too much." Trying to distract Alfred from the imminent, or perhaps he was only trying to fool himself, Arthur ranted on.
They talk about the kids they're gonna have and the good life
The house on the hillside, where they would stay
Stay there forever, forever and always
Through the good and the bad and the ugly
We'll grow old together, and always remember
Whether rich or for poor or for better
We'll still love each other, forever and always.
Arthur felt tears forming, but he tried to blink them away as he remembered when they bought their house, spoke of growing old together and felt the unconditional, pure, undying love for Alfred he hadn't really known he had up until a few years ago. And it really hit him hard at that moment.
And he got an idea. A crazy, insane idea that he just couldn't have ignored. An Alfred kind of idea.
Then he gets an idea and calls in the nurses
Brings up the chaplain and he says a couple verses
He borrows some rings from the couple next door.
Arthur promised to be back as soon as he could, and told Alfred that he had bloody well better stay awake, earning a quiet laugh. Arthur ran down the hallways, startling Matthew and Francis, who was comforting him, while upsetting nurses that all followed him back to Alfred's room. He grabbed the chaplain, but still found something missing. He ran next door, barging in on a young couple. Pink balloons filled the room with words of congratulations scrawled across them.
Arthur pleaded with them, explaining his predicament. Several tears escaped his eyes, but Arthur didn't care. He watched them, as they stared for a moment that seemed to stretch on for too long. The brunette smiled and his violet eyes met Arthur's through glasses that reminded Arthur of Alfred. Arthur's heart clenched tightly in his chest. The man slipped his ring off of his finger. The man turned to ask his wife to do it for him, but was surprised to see that she had shed a few tears and already had her ring off. Arthur promised to return the rings after, but the couple insisted that he keep them. They were getting new ones later that month for vow renewals anyway. Part of Arthur was grateful to the strangers who had given him the best Christmas present, while the other part of Arthur was jealous. They had the time for a vow renewal, while Arthur was racing against time to... Well, he didn't really want to think about it.
Arthur ran back to Alfred's room out of breath, a smile appearing briefly on his lips as the usually calm Briton held the rings triumphantly.
Everybody's laughing as the tears fall on the floor
He looks into his eyes, and he says
I want you forever, forever and always
Through the good and the bad and the ugly
We'll grow old together, and always remember
Whether happy or sad or whatever
We'll still love each other, forever and always
Forever and always, forever and always
Arthur kissed Alfred briefly, who felt his heart would break at any moment from the bittersweet nature of it. The nurses and chaplain all applauded the newlywed couple, and Matthew and Francis cheered, despite the tears that fell from everyone's eyes.
Arthur looked into Alfred's eyes, and Alfred lightly grabbed Arthur's arm to pull him down into a teasing kiss again. Alfred's eyes fluttered closed briefly, before he smiled brightly at Arthur who threatened to have his heart break in two.
The nurses returned to their duties, rather regretfully. Their patients stared at the them confused, as they quietly sniffled or cried. The chaplain excused himself, and Matthew and Francis waved to Alfred who waved back before they left the room. Francis paused a moment before he followed Matthew out the door. He smiled softly.
"Goodbye, mon ami." With that, he departed.
As Francis said his last goodbyes, Matthew continued down the hallway. His small frame was wracked with sobs that tore throughout his entire body. He leaned against the hallway wall, and collapsed to the ground. He drew his knees underneath his chin. And he wept. He wept for the star-crossed lovers, and the future they would never have. He wept for his brother, who was annoyingly bright, and would never smile at him again. He wouldn't ever wake him up from a comfortable morning with Francis, asking him to help plan a surprise for Arthur's birthday. He wouldn't ever be able to relive his childhood over warm mugs of cocoa again. It wouldn't ever be the same again.
Matthew felt Francis kneel down by his side, and heard the squeak of his converse. He felt a warm arm pull him close. He raised his head, and felt a kiss pressed to his temple. He sniffled, and suddenly felt very exhausted. He rested his head against Francis' shoulder. There was still nothing to say. Even Francis was unusually quiet.
In Alfred's room, Arthur's heart thumped loudly in his chest.
He finishes the vows but the beeps are getting too slow
The machine which emitted the sounds was slowing. Arthur desperately gripped Alfred's arm. He had never seen his hero so tired before. Alfred turned his head slightly to Arthur's side. He smiled, one that Arthur had sworn he would never grow tired of. Little had he known, he wouldn't have the chance to find Alfred's trademark grin grow mundane.
"Arthur, I am so in love with you," Alfred's blue eyes still sparkled. "Besides, I'm one lucky guy to have you!"
Arthur felt choked up.
"I-I love you too Alfred," He stuttered.
Alfred's hand was strong in his, while Arthur trembled. Even though he was dying, Alfred was still stronger than Arthur. Had it always been that way?
Arthur had to let Alfred know. All the things, the times, he had taken for granted, he couldn't now.
"If I had known this would happen," Arthur gulped, "I would still have done it, over and over again."
Alfred smiled, but he found it was harder to breathe. It was almost time. It killed him to see Arthur struggling to hide his tears. He felt his own escape his eyes. He gently pressed his lips against Arthur's for the last time, and kissed his tears away as Arthur let himself go. He didn't dissolve into tears, but they steadily coursed down his cheeks.
His voice is almost too low
As he says, I love you forever, forever and always
Please just remember even if I'm not there
I'll always love you, forever and always
And with a heartbreaking smile and proclamation Alfred squeezed Arthur's hand. Arthur shook his head with increasing vigor.
"No, Alfred, No! Please don't leave me! I-I won't know what to do! I can't live without you! You're my world, my everything - please, Alfred no!"
Out in the hallway, Matthew and Francis heard Arthur's cries. Matthew's head drooped low, and Francis felt his heart drop.
Alfred smiled up at Arthur. He slowly reached up to ruffle Arthur's blonde locks, but he couldn't mask his actions as he winced in pain. He felt need to impart one last thing in case Arthur took it too hard.
He opened his mouth, and the words came naturally to him.
"I love you forever, forever and always. Please just remember even if I'm not there, I'll always love you, forever and always, Arthur. Forever and always."
Matthew and Francis heard Alfred, as he spoke them with as much energy as he could muster. Matthew gripped Francis' arms tightly, and pulled him closer.
Francis swore he could have heard the sound of hearts breaking as his own, Matthew's, Arthur's and the young couple next door's hearts didn't just fall into two. They shattered into a million pieces. The couple in the next room held their baby close. Francis held Matthew closer, and Alfred held Arthur one final time. They had all come to appreciate the beauty that was life so much more. And for Arthur, he felt it had come too late. He would never love another. Alfred was still his world, his everything. And with a final worn out smile, he was gone.
Arthur sobbed, his hand refusing to let go. Alfred would love Arthur, and Arthur would love Alfred. Because they always had the next world, eternity together.
Because they promised to love each other.
Forever and Always.
Hope you all enjoyed, please review, review! Also please check out my other stories. Until next time!