"I remember tears streaming down your face when I said, "I'll never let you go"…
When all those shadows almost killed your light…
I remember you said, "Don't leave me here alone"
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight..."

"Where is he?"

"Where is who? I'm afraid I'm going to ask you to come with me, Mr. Jones, you're injured, I think you need a hospital-"

"No! Where's Arthur, where is he? He was missing too, please, have you found him?"

"You were the only one reported missing, Mr. Jones. Now, come, your parents have been worried sick."

"No! No, I'm not going without Arthur! Arthur, come on, this isn't funny, come out!"

"Mr. Jon-"

"Let me go! Arthur, Arthur come back, please, don't leave me!"

Alfred woke up covered in sweat, his heard pounding in his chest as he shot up off the mattress. He took a deep breath and letting it out in a sigh, running his hand through his sandy blonde hair. That dream was one of the worst, the only one he knew for sure was real. There were so many, all of them feeling so real, some so real he woke up with an ache in his heart and tears running down his cheeks. Except from the one he'd just woken from, every single one featured the same young man-a boy around his age, with lighter blonde hair, his most outstanding feature being the rather large eyebrows above his dark green eyes. In his dreams they were together since they were kids, he was always by his side laughing and smiling and berating him. Arthur was three years his senior, in his mind, although a good couple inches shorter once they made it to high school. He had somewhat of a snarky temper, but there were other times, times Alfred always realized tended to be around him, where his features would soften and he would smile, and it was such a beautiful thing…he shook his head, closing his eyes and pressing the heels of his hands into them. He'd tried and tried and tried to ignore the feelings, the pain, but…he couldn't help it.

He loved Arthur Kirkland.

But Arthur Kirkland didn't exist.

"Did you see that?"

Arthur's eyes were wide open and he had all but jumped off of Alfred's bed, rushing to the window and staring out toward the woods. Alfred raised his eyebrows, turning from his computer to look at him.

"See what?"

"A light! Like a meteor or something!"

"Another one of your fairies?" Alfred snorted, turning back to his computer. Arthur just huffed, turning to him and putting his hands on his hips.

"The fairies are very real, thank you very much. More real than those aliens you choose to believe in."

"Dude, we have evidence of aliens. Fairies, no." Alfred stuck out his tongue at him, clicking back to the window where he'd been playing an online game with his friend Kiku. Arthur just swatted his shoulder, and when Alfred turned he noticed his green eyes practically sparkling with excitement.

"Can we at least check it out? You've been playing that game for over an hour anyway."

Alfred sighed, but he nodded, shutting off his computer screen and getting up, grabbing his bomber jacket and tennis shoes. He was actually a bit curious himself-although he was under the opinion that, if anything, it was an alien spacecraft. Arthur just smiled, one of those rare smiles of his, and grabbed his sweater and tugged on his boots, Alfred waiting for him before they headed outside. Alfred's parents were gone for the night, so no one questioned where they were going as they ran to the woods, Arthur leading the way to where he thought he saw the light go down. When they finally reached it Alfred was getting excited, nudging Arthur.

"It's glowing blue, it's got to be a spaceship! Maybe it's radioactive or something!"

"All I see is light, Alfred." Arthur huffed, walking forward. "I don't think it's one of your silly alien shi-"

"Arthur!" Alfred cried as he disappeared, reaching forward to grab his sleeve and closing his eyes, waiting for the fall that was sure to come…but when he opened them again, they were still on the ground, although Alfred had fallen forward onto Arthur. When he looked up, however, he noticed it was somehow day…and the trees looked weird. No, not weird, downright insane-some were bright blue, some had branches that curled like something out of a Doctor Seuss book. Arthur looked up at him, his eyebrows furrowed.

"If you would kindly get off of me."

"Ah, s-sorry!" Alfred squeaked as he got up, blushing and brushing off his clothes, looking around them. Arthur got up as well, brushing off his trousers and looking around them with a frown, although Alfred could tell he was just as confused and worried as he was. He jumped when he heard a noise from the bushes to his right, and a squirrel jumped out…except it wasn't exactly a squirrel, it had two tails and it's fur was bright purple. Alfred clung onto Arthur's arm almost instinctively, his blue eyes flying open wide as his hands started to shake.

"Oh God…Arthur, where are we?"

After he'd been released from the hospital and set up with a therapist to deal with what they had diagnosed as "PTSD": Post Traumatic Stress Disorder". They drilled him with questions, but Alfred always gave him the same answers, ones that made his Father sigh and shake his head, and made his mother cry. No one believed him, nobody knew who Arthur even was-they believed that someone or something had injured and the trauma had caused him to create such an outrageous story to block out the actual memories. Alfred didn't believe them-he didn't want to. He was devastated that Arthur wasn't here, because he remembered him, he remembered him so perfectly, knew the way he felt in his arms, knew the feeling of the gentle fingers combing through his hair when he was upset….there was no way he'd made that up. He refused to believe that his mind had made that up, even with the therapist trying to convince him otherwise. Alfred eventually graduated high school, quitting football and all his other extracurricular activities and shunning his once-upon-a-time friends. None of it interested him anymore, he just wanted Arthur, he wanted his life to make sense again, he wanted to stop the ache in his heart. There was no way he could be in love with an illusion, that was what kept him going for years, but…shortly after his nineteenth birthday, he started losing hope. Three years of constant therapy and parents and everyone else simply washed it out of him…but Arthur was his light, and without him he felt washed out, like nothing mattered. He was "taking a break" before college, although really he had no motivation to attend. He spent most of his time in his room or out in the clearing where he'd lost Arthur, lost in his memories of him. Even if he wasn't real…at least he had the memories to comfort him.

"Are you scared?"

Arthur looked at him, one large eyebrow cocked curiously as he looked at Alfred. They were on the bed the innkeeper had provided them, the man being a rather cheerful brunette with tanned skin and sparkling green eyes. Even when they told him of their mission, that they were going to defeat Ivan, the man just smiled and offered to join them, even offering to ask two of his friends to come along to help them. Alfred was relieved, especially since he and Arthur had absolutely no idea how to use magic or weapons, let alone defeat a Sorcerer. The entire day had been beyond overwhelming, and the two of them were happy to settle down into bed-there was only one, which had caused Arthur to get all flustered at first, but then agreed that they would sleep together so Alfred wouldn't sleep on the floor. He was relieved, because it was a bit chilled in the room, and the two of them had ended up snuggling up close, arms around each other to keep warm. Alfred found this comforting in more ways in one.

"Of course, Alfred." Arthur said softly, sighing and hugging him closer. "I have absolutely no idea how we got here, but all I know is that we have to get home, and if this is the only way, then we have to at least try."

"But…what if we can't defeat him? Arthur, we don't know anything, how can we do it?"

"Well, Antonio said he and his friends would be willing to help us train. That cuts our time back a few days, but it's better than not knowing anything, yes?"

Alfred nodded after a moment, resting his forehead against Arthur's shoulder and closing his eyes.

"…I'll protect you. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Always the hero." Arthur snorted a bit, but he hugged Alfred tighter. "I'll protect you too, Alfred. Now go to sleep, we're setting off early, and you look tired."

"Mm fine, I'll sleep." Alfred mumbled, yawning and hugging Arthur tightly. "G'night, Artie."

"Don't call me that." Arthur huffed, but then his voice softened and Alfred could have sworn he felt something brush against his temple. "Goodnight, Alfred."

"Just close your eyes,
The sun is going down;
You'll be alright,
No one can hurt you now…
Come morning light,
You and I'll be safe and sound…"

It was now early evening, and Alfred was sitting in his bedroom like he always did, simply thinking to himself. That dream had awoken his feelings once again, feelings of loss, of love, that shouldn't be there. He had come back, and Arthur wasn't there. No one knew who he was, so logically he was made up, that's what everyone kept telling him. It made sense, and he knew that…but he wanted his memories to make sense too, because his memories were full of happy times, of laughing and playing with Arthur, him coming to watch each and every football game only to deny it afterward. It all seemed so real, and he didn't think his mind could make up such small details…but it had been over three years since he'd been found in the woods, cut up and apparently suffering a concussion as well. It was looking so likely that he really was just crazy, that they were just dreams…

Alfred jumped as his phone went off, frowning a bit as he scrambled to look for it amongst his bed sheets. He rarely ever received phone calls these days, and even when he did it was normally just his parents calling to check on their poor mentally disturbed child. He picked it up, freezing when he saw the number…the same number that had supposedly been disconnected when he first tried calling it three years ago. He took a shaky breath, his heart beating wildly in his chest-it had to be a prank, it had to, someone was just playing a trick on him. He took another deep breath, flipping open the phone despite his better judgement.

"H-hello?"

"Alfred! Oh, thank heavens, I thought you'd have changed your number-you have no idea how wonderful it is to hear your voice. Where are you? I swear, I'll hop on a plane to China if I have to…bloody hell, it's been so long, love."

Alfred just froze, his voice caught in his throat. The voice…it was so familiar, it was exactly as it had always been in his dreams, although it was full of happiness and relief, and he could hear the choke of tears from his end of the line. His own eyes had watered slightly, simply because he knew it wasn't true, he knew this had to be some new dream to torture, to show him something he couldn't have. His heart started to ache as he clutched onto the small device tightly.

"Wh-why…n-no, you're not real, you're…just leave me alone!" He flung the phone across the room, curling up into a ball on his bed and covering his ears, squeezing his eyes shut tight. It was just a dream, it had to be a dream, either that or some elaborate prank…he refused to believe it was real, he couldn't, because if it wasn't then it would be like ripping his heart out from his chest and stamping in into the ground repeatedly. His heart was already so torn up from the past few years, yearning for Arthur, seeing him every night in his dreams only to wake up to an empty bed. He sighed deeply, uncurling and pulling his blankets up over his head and laying back down, figuring today simply wasn't worth trying to get up. He didn't know how much time had passed when he heard someone knocking on the door downstairs. He groaned, pulling the blankets over his head more and trying to ignore it, wait for them to go away, but whoever they were they were persistent. Finally Alfred got up, tugging on his sweatshirt before going down the stairs and opening the door a crack, only to be practically tipped over in a massive hug.

"Oh, brilliant, you do still live here! I was worried when you hung up, I thought maybe I'd mistaken you for someone else-but of course that's just rubbish, I'd know your voice anywhere!"

Green eyes sparkled with tears, familiar large brows raised and there was that smile, the one that he'd always imagined Arthur reserved for hi-

Arthur.

Arthur.

Arthur just blinked at him, cocking his head and lifting his hands to cup his cheeks, Alfred not moving a single muscle.

"Is something wrong, love? I'm sorry if I've frightened you, I'm just so terribly happy to see you again, I've been waiting for so long." He closed his eyes and leaned up to press a kiss to Alfred's lips-only to be pushed a way, and Alfred stumbled back until he reached a wall. His cerulean eyes were open wide and he'd started trembling, his mouth opening and closing like a fish's, something Arthur would have found quite hilarious at any other time. At this moment, however, he just frowned, taking a step forward, the frown deepening when Alfred backed away another step. He sighed, his eyebrows drawing together and his eyes losing that glint of joy-Alfred felt a pang of guilt for making it go away. But no, he scolded himself, it was just a dream, Arthur wasn't real-

"Y-you're not real!" He finally managed to gasp out, his fingers curling into fists at his sides as he forced himself to look down, away from the face that he had longed for with all his heart. Even if this was the first dream that hadn't repeated itself…it couldn't be real. "You…I-I made you up, you're just a d-dream!"

"Alfred!"

He stared into the eyes of the snake-like creature, paralyzed, until a force knocked into him just as it struck. Hands grasped the sides of his face, tilting it up so he was looking into emerald eyes, the sounds of the fight seeming distant.

"Are you alright? It didn't hurt you, did it?"

Alfred just stared at him, and then he did the first thing that came to mind-he laughed, hugging onto Arthur tightly, causing the Brit to sputter indignantly. Alfred didn't care, because after a few moments he felt Arthur's arms wrapping around him, one hand rubbing his back a bit as Alfred started to shake, the adrenaline wearing off leaving only the fear.

"Hush now, Alfred, you're alright, I'm here."

"Alfred? What rubbish are you spouting now-of course I'm real!"

Alfred shook the memories-no, thoughts, dreams-from his mind, noticing Arthur had gotten rather close again. He reached out, hesitating for a moment, but then he noticed Alfred shaking and wrapped his arms around his torso, hugging the larger boy to his chest tightly.

"Al, love, I'm here, it's me, and I'm really, truly back. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to take so long, to leave you on your own like this-it took ages to find a spell to bring me back-"

"Now!"

At Matthew's shout Alfred shot up, both of them having been forced to discard their shirts by the men who had captured them. Matthew, an elf who was friends with Antonio, and Alfred had been brought in for a "show", but they had put a collar on Matthew to restrain his magic. They had no idea that Alfred had been taking lessons from Matthew while they'd been travelling, and he cried out the correct spell, sending the man that was their guard flying, grabbing Matthew's thin wrist and tugging him from the room, fleeing the building. He shot off several other spells as people came after them, soon losing most of their pursuers…and then they crashed into someone. Alfred cried out, ready to jump up and start running again, but then the arms wrapped around him and he heard sigh of relief.

"Alfred…you're safe."

"Shut up!" Alfred cried, shutting his eyes and covering his ears, shaking his head as he tried to block out the images. "There's no such thing as m-magic!"

"Yes there is…Alfred, you yourself practiced it, you know it's real-"

"No! Just please, go away…I don't need another disappointment! Y-you're not real, you're not here…just let me wake up!"

Arthur just shook his head, and Alfred felt his lips brushing against his forehead and lingering for a moment as Arthur held him to his chest, whispering softly.

"I'm not a dream, Alfred…I'm here, this is real."

"He's getting colder! Damn it, isn't there another town nearby?"

"Not for another day at least." Francis sighed, leaning back in the bench of the carriage, Matthew beside him wrapped in blankets to try and keep him warm. Alfred was curled up with Arthur, teeth chattering as he struggled to remain warm in the rapidly dropping temperatures-something magic was causing it, Matthew had said, which didn't bode well for them. Arthur wrapped his arms around Alfred tightly, trying to keep him warm and pressing a light kiss to his temple.

"You'll be alright, love, we'll figure something out…"

"Hey A-A-Artie…I l-love you."

Arthur smiled down at him fondly, pressing another light kiss to his forehead and stroking his hair softly.

"I love you too, Alfred."

Alfred didn't know when the tears had started pouring from his eyes, all he knew was that Arthur's thumbs were brushing over his cheeks, his voice almost cooing.

"Hush now, love, you're alright, we're both just fine, I'm here with you now and I'm never going to leave you again, okay?"

"B-but….how can I believe you? It's just…n-no one knew who you were, and…and you didn't c-come, you didn't tell them they were wr-wrong…I've been in therapy, for three years trying to get over you…b-because I love you, and you don't exist."

"But I am real, Alfred…what can I do to make you believe me?" Arthur said softly, his green eyes filled with sadness as he looked at Alfred. The other blonde just shook his head, letting Arthur cup his cheeks and kiss his chin lightly. "…Do you want me to leave? As much as it would hurt…I will, if it's what you want, I'll leave right now and never bother you again."

"N-no!" Alfred cried before he could stop himself, wrapping his arms around Arthur before he could even fully consider what he was doing. Arthur felt so warm, so solid, so real, and that made Alfred start crying again. He wanted it so bad, he wanted everything to be true, the good, the bad, everything, if only it meant that Arthur would actually be there. Arthur just held him, and Alfred could see a slight, sad smile on his lips.

"Would you rather I stayed?"

Alfred nodded, taking a deep breath and clutching onto Arthur, burying his face in his shirt.

"I-If you're real…if you're actually h-here, I don't want you to l-leave me, I want you to stay…."

"If that is what you wish, then I'll stay with you." Arthur said softly, pressing a gentle kiss to his temple. "I will do everything in my power to show you that I'm real, love, I promise you. I don't ever want to be separated from you again…"

Alfred just nodded, clinging to him tightly, his breath shuddering as he tried to calm himself down. Arthur just rubbed his back in small circles, just like he'd always done whenever Alfred had worked himself up, or when he'd gotten himself hurt, or any number of things. Arthur had always been there to pick him up, to take care of him…and he wanted that to be true. He inhaled, letting it out as a sigh, and lifted his head from Arthur's shoulder, scrubbing his sleeve over his eyes.

"Can we…I mean, i-it's pretty early, but can we just go upstairs and lie down?"

Arthur smiled softly, nodding and taking Alfred's hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Of course we can, love."

"I'm scared."

Arthur raised his eyebrows, a small frown making its way to his face as he looked down at the American using his lap as a pillow, curled up on the carriage bench. They had found the source of the cold, a witch who had tried to poison them and turn them against each other, causing Arthur to almost kill Alfred, but Alfred had killed her to save them. Arthur was well aware that it was weighing on Alfred's conscience, since he'd never gotten into a fight, let alone killed someone…but if he hadn't, they would have killed each other, and Arthur had been trying to convince him of that for hours now. He'd thought the younger had fallen asleep, but then he heard the quiet whisper and it made his heart well with pity. Alfred was never one to admit his weakness, and the fact that he had…Arthur sighed softly, running his fingers through Alfred's soft hair soothingly.

"I know, love…we'll get through this, I promise. We'll defeat him, and then we can go home and cuddle on the couch, maybe watch one of those ridiculous superhero movies you adore so much."

"…they're not ridiculous." Alfred huffed quietly, and the corner of Arthur's mouth quirked upward, stroking his hair still.

"They're always the same. An evil villain comes, messes everything up, threatens the heroes love, and then the hero defeats them and he and his woman ride off into the sunset."

"I think you're mixing them up with Westerns." Alfred laughed softly, turning so that he could look up at Arthur, reaching a hand up to touch his cheek. "But what's so bad about that? The hero saves the day, and then he gets his true love. I think it's great."

"You would." Arthur chuckled, running his fingers along his cheekbone and then cupping his cheek. "But I suppose that wouldn't be too bad…the big, strong, handsome hero saves the day, and then he and his love live happily ever after."

"Now you're mixing it with a fairy tale." Alfred laughed, shrugging. "Although it kinda feels like we're in one…although fairy tales usually aren't this scary, and people don't normally feel so awful …"

"Alfred, you had to kill that woman." Arthur said softly, taking his hand from his cheek and kissing it. "You saved all of our lives, you're…you're a hero."

"Heroes don't kill people, Arthur." Alfred whispered, turning his head to the side so that Arthur couldn't see his eyes watering-heroes didn't cry either. "Heroes protect the ones they love, they stand for justice and all that is right…what kind of hero kills?"

"The bravest hero." Arthur said softly, cupping his cheek and pressing a quick kiss on his lips, his cheeks bright red when he pulled away. "You saved all of our lives, Alfred, and your own. You shouldn't be ashamed of that…and then we'll defeat Ivan, and go back home, and we'll be safe, you'll graduate high school and go on to be an astronaut or a pilot or whatever you decide to be. I'll be right there with you, for as long as you want me to be."

Alfred smiled a bit, holding onto Arthur's hand and squeezing it slightly, closing his eyes.

"I want you with me forever."

"Then forever it shall be." Arthur said with a smile, kissing his temple. Alfred smiled, cupping his cheek with his free hand to draw Arthur's face closer as he whispered.

"Arthur, I l-"

The carriage drew to a halt, causing both boys to jolt a bit. Alfred sat up just as Antonio opened the door , his countenance for once completely grim, and that made Alfred's heart rate quicken.

"It's time."

"Don't you dare look out your window-
Darling, everything's on fire…
The war outside our door keeps raging on…
Hold onto this lullaby,
Even when the music's gone…
Gone…"

"Alfred!"

Said blonde gritted his teeth, his head swimming and his entire body aching, but he forced himself back to his feet…only to be stopped by the feeling of something at his neck. He looked up, his cerulean eyes flying wide when he saw Ivan standing about him, his staff resting on Alfred's neck, an eerily cheerful smile on his face.

"It's been fun, but there are far more interesting little playthings than a pathetic human who knows a few spells."

Alfred just stared at him, frozen in shock, his mind whirring in double time you're going to die, you're going to die, you're going to die, you're going to die and Arthur is going to die and-

Ivan's eyes went wide, an almost strangled noise escaping his mouth as something shoved through his chest. Alfred looked behind him to see Arthur standing there, wielding the sword that Francis had dropped at some point. The other three were standing behind him, gaping when they realized that he'd actually done it. Ivan's body fell limp and Arthur looked down at Alfred, a weary smile on his lips. Before he could open his mouth to speak, however, Ivan's body let off a blue-ish light, and Francis cried out.

"Quickly, you must make the wish or the magic will dissipate and you'll no longer be able to make it home!"

Alfred gasped, looking at Arthur, his heart hammering in his chest as he cried out.

"I wish to go home!"

He had to shield his eyes at the light grew in intensity, gasping as he felt something almost like a tug, locking eyes with Arthur before it grew too much and he had to close his eyes. When he opened them next it was dark, and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the change in light…and he felt his heart leap in his chest when he recognized the woods that they'd first entered through. He jumped up, limbs shaking a bit from the strain, but he didn't care, he was home, they were home-

But when he looked around him, Arthur wasn't there. He gasped, stumbling around and looking behind bushes, trees, anything, calling out his name. There was a rustling in the bushes and he smiled, thinking it was Arthur, that he'd just ended up somewhere else…but instead a Police officer emerged, shining his flashlight at Alfred.

"Alfred Jones?"

Alfred woke slowly, dreading what he would see, knowing that it would probably be like every other time that he'd started hoping, that he'd believed, only to wake up all alone in bed, Arthur still existent only in his mind…but then he registered the warmth against his cheek, the soft thumping of a heart and light breath ghosting over his scalp. He blinked open his eyes slowly, and then he saw first the rumpled green shirt he'd ben nuzzling into, and when he looked up…messy dirty blonde locks, porcelain skin slightly flushed in sleep, large eyebrows that Alfred had always mocked as a child. He abruptly burst into tears, startling Arthur from his sleep. The other blonde frowned worriedly when he saw the tears on Alfred's cheeks, cupping them and brushing the tears away, kissing his forehead lightly.

"Shh, love, it's alright, I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere."

"Y-you're back…you're actually here, which m-means everything was real, a-and…oh, God, Arthur you're real."

"Of course I am, you wanker." Arthur said, although Alfred could see him smiling and he knew he didn't mean it. Arthur's eyes glittered with tears as he cupped Alfred's cheeks again and pressed a tender kiss to his lips, holding all the pain from separation, the love, the relief of being home…they only pulled apart for air, and after a brief moment their lips collided again, Alfred wrapping his arms around Arthur to draw him even closer, tears still falling down his cheeks. When they broke apart again Alfred rested his forehead against Arthur's, panting slightly and smiling at him.

"I knew…i-in my heart, I knew you were real, I knew I couldn't have made you up…but everyone forgot you, it was like…like you'd never existed." He closed his eyes, breathing softly and taking Arthur's hand in his own. "I would have these dreams…of all the times we'd had, mostly about the time in the other world…but each and every time, I would wake up and you wouldn't be with me. You have no idea what it means to me, just to wake up and see your face."

Arthur just smiled softly, squeezing his hand a bit and kissing his nose.

"I missed you so much, Alfred…I'm sorry, I tried so hard to get back sooner, but we had to find another way to send me back-"

"You tried your hardest, Arthur-and you're here now, that's all that matters." Alfred eyes flickered open again and he pecked Arthur's lips softly, squeezing his hand back. "And you're never leaving me again…I'll protect you, I'll make sure that doesn't happen."

"Always the hero." Arthur whispered against his lips, laughing softly. "But even a hero needs someone to protect them, to keep them safe and make sure they're happy…and…I'd like to be that person for you, if you'll let me." He looked into Alfred's eyes, cupping his cheeks gently. "I'd like to be your hero, your knight, I'd like to spend the rest of my life by your side, and never leave you again. I love you so much, Alfred F. Jones…I love you with all my heart."

Alfred smiled at the way Arthur's face had turned red while he said it, although Arthur had never been good at expressing himself, especially when it came to feelings and the like, and Alfred knew it must have taken him a lot to get it out. He closed his eyes and kissed his lips softly, smiling when he'd pulled away.

"I love you too, Arthur."

"Just close your eyes,
The sun is going down;
You'll be alright,
No one can hurt you now…
Come morning light,
You and I'll be safe and sound…"

Epilogue

"You could have gotten it yourself, you know."

Alfred tilted his head back on the couch only to have Arthur set the ice cold can of cola directly on his forehead. He squeaked, grabbing it off and pouting at him. He had been setting up the movie they were going to watch-Captain America, his favourite, and the one he had always imagined as him and Arthur. The grumpy Briton and the lively American hero who sometimes couldn't read the atmosphere-Arthur had always complained about that. Arthur just chuckled lightly, leaning over the back of the couch to peck his lips before walking around it, picking up the bowl of popcorn off the coffee table before he sat down on the couch, settling in next to Alfred. The younger immediately snuggled up to his side, sniping some of the popcorn and popping it into his mouth, swallowing and grinning at Arthur.

"You ready, darlin'?"

"Belt up and press play, Alfred." Arthur said, although Alfred was pleased to notice the tips of Arthur's ears turning red in embarrassment at the pet name. He laughed, kissing his cheek and grabbing the remote, pressing play and tossing it aside before he snuggled up to Arthur again, resting his head on his shoulder. It had been a week since Arthur had returned-everyone seemed to remember him now, something Arthur alluded to magic on-and he had spent most of his time over at Alfred's. They hadn't told their parents about their relationship just yet, especially since Alfred still had his moments where he would panic, thinking Arthur was gone again, that his mind was playing tricks on him. It would take time for him to be completely well, and Arthur knew that, but was always there to reassure him when he woke from nightmares, or give his hand a squeeze when Alfred would simply freeze if he walked too far behind or if he simply couldn't see him. As the movie started Arthur started playing with Alfred's hair, something he knew Alfred had always loved, and occasionally for the duration of the movie one or the other would press a quick kiss to the other's cheek, or chin, or nose, a small reassurance, but it was enough. Alfred would sometimes make little remarks during the movie, comparing Arthur to Peggy, which Arthur would always then come back with one about Steve. Alfred just grinned cheekily-like he'd mind getting compared to his favourite superhero. He wasn't his favourite hero of all time…that was Arthur, of course. When the movie neared the ending Alfred smiled softly, playing with Arthur's fingers as he said softly.

"I've always felt bad for Steve."

"Why's that?" Arthur queried, looking down at him with a small, fond smile.

"Because he does such a wonderful thing, he saves all those people…but then he loses Peggy. It's like he saves the day, but in the end, he doesn't get the woman he loves…that just seems so sad to me. And everyone just expects him to be okay, to get over it, but…I don't think he ever really lost hope of seeing her again."

"Of course he didn't, Alfred." Arthur replied softly, smiling and taking his hand, squeezing and it kissing his fingertips lightly. "He loved her, I don't think he'd ever really get over her, even if he never saw her again. You can't erase that kind of love that easily."

"Yeah..." Alfred smiled softly, nuzzling under Arthur's chin and pressing a kiss there. "I don't think anything could ever make him believe he-she, was gone forever."

Arthur smiled softly when he caught the slip, kissing Alfred's hand and wrapping his other arm around his shoulders, hugging him to his side.

"I love you, Alfred."

"I love you too, Artie." Alfred grinned, kissing his jaw and wrapping his arms around him. "I'll love you forever and ever."

There was a moment of silence as they watched the last couple minutes of the movie and the credits started rolling. Alfred suddenly squeezed Arthur tightly, and Arthur turned to look at him, worried that Alfred was having one of those mini panic attacks where he forgot it wasn't a dream, but Alfred was smiling, looking up at Arthur as he whispered.

"You're my hero, Arthur. I don't need any of those other superheroes, even Captain America, I just need you…if I'm with you, then I can do anything."

Arthur's cheeks flushed at the compliment, but he let out a soft sigh, smiling warmly and tilting Alfred's chin up to press a loving kiss to his lips.

"I'll always be your hero, Alfred. Even if we one day have to part, I will never stop being your hero…I'll never stop loving you."

Alfred smiled brightly, cupping both Arthur's cheeks and closing his eyes, kissing him gently. Arthur kissed him back, nuzzling his nose when they broke apart. Alfred giggled, tackling him and tickling Arthur's sides, making the older boy squirm and shriek with laughter. They spent several hours just sitting on the couch together, tickling, kissing, cuddling, simply being with each other. The other world was far from their minds, and as the years passed they hardly brought it up anymore, along with those three years Arthur had spent there. Alfred's nightmares stopped after a few months, although even years later he would sometimes wake up in a slight panic, but it would go away instantly, because Arthur was always there, and always would be.