Title: Wise Men Say
Summary: The room is filled with smoke and the meaningless strumming of an acoustic guitar. Two people's been in the room. One is enjoying the burning sensation of nicotine in his lungs, the other is overlooking at the window as he watched the people from below enjoy the colours of fall.
Warnings: n/a
The room is filled with smoke and the meaningless strumming of an acoustic guitar. Two people's been in the room. One is enjoying the burning sensation of nicotine in his lungs, the other is overlooking at the window as he watched the people from below enjoy the colours of fall.
"How much more do you still have?" Arthur said after blowing out a puff of smoke. He might be referring to the box of cigarettes he brought with him but he knew it was not the other's implying. Alfred looked at the smoke as it dissipate through the room. He did not mind of the stink, Alfred gave him an air filter last week.
Alfred hummed together with his boyfriend's guitar. Closing his eyes for a while, imagining the latest set of digits on his watch- his soulmate watch. He knew the specific date of when it would fall off his wrist very well- he'd been looking at it for the past months to no end now but he decided to speak of a generic answer.
"A few more days from now." He tried to make a tune out of strumming, attempting to imitate how Arthur played his instrument. He wanted to ask Arthur about his but he knew that the other has a few more years to wait for.
He heard the other hum as he took a last drag on his cigarette, letting it stay in his lungs for a while before slowly releasing it out. His lips forming a small opening as he closed his eyes and raised his head to blow off his last smoke. Alfred looked at him, even after months of being together, whenever he looked at Arthur doing his unhealthy habit, he could not help but think of him as beautiful. Every inch of him, every movement, all of him is art.
Under the stingy haze, the green eyed man slowly opened his eyes, his movements ethereal before he looked at the other. A small smile grazed those plump lips as he asked a small 'what?' to Alfred.
Caught staring, Alfred just smiled at him. A single strum before he opened his mouth. "You're beautiful." He looked at the other, waiting for his reaction. It varies depending on his mood- he'll scoff if he felt smugly, he'll look startled and blush away if he was unprepared or he'll smile if he truly felt in love at the moment. He specially loved that last one but he never expected the frowning of his eyebrows- another thing he loved to Arthur, and the thin line of his lips.
"What?" He dropped the guitar by the bed. Damn, was it a bad timing?
"Don't be a fool, Alfred." Arthur's voice was laced with sadness even if it's masked under the strong statement. He grabbed the ashtray as he put off the light from his cigarette.
"Is something the matter?"He moved down the windowsill and moved to the edge of the bed. Arthur refused to look at him. Alfred moved to his side, tentatively and gently moving to his side.
"Hey." He softly spoke as he scooped the other to his arms. Arthur did not fight nor reciprocate as he was enveloped to the warm of his lover. "Hey." Alfred say repeatedly as he cradled the other to his chest.
Alfred could only guess what's happening under the mop of blond hair. He buried his nose on it, smelling of cigarette and the rose shampoo Alfred insisted he use. It's an odd combination, it's not the nicest but it surely is Arthur's. He felt Arthur clutched his shirt and he only tightened his embrace to the other.
After an eternity of waiting and embracing, Arthur looked at him with 'mysterious' red face and even more mysterious water tracks that looked like tears. He sniffed and it's adorable, but it's not time for teasing. He kissed the other on the forehead, staying like that for a moment and relishing at the feeling of love between them.
He pulled back and traced his thumbs over the tracks. "Hey, why are you crying, babe?" He offered a small smile and he even used the 'blasted nickname' that Arthur totally loved. He felt Arthur return his embrace as a small rumble of laughter escaped his lips. It felt good to be with one another, Alfred thought as the cold wind blew from the open window.
Arthur rested his head to the other's chest, watching as the curtain moved with the wind. "I'm just thinking..." He mumbled as he get comfortable to Alfred.
He felt Alfred ran his hand over his back. It's comforting. "What is it, babe?" Alfred Took his attention to the moving curtain too.
"I'm just thinking on how you will meet your soulmate." It might be a small voice but Alfred heard every word of it. It always felt a drill whenever they had this talk. It started as a joke but as days, weeks, up to months passed- the gravity of it weigh between them. Clinging to their hearts and letting itself known as everyday passed and one day, realization would caught up with them. Alfred still silent and Arthur added another question. "Do you think of the same thing too?"
Yes.
Every single day, until he met Arthur, only to be reminded that they would be just another chapter to each other's book.
"No." White lie. It's not bad to lie for once, right? To assure not only Arthur but also himself that everything's alright. He heard Arthur hummed as he felt the other's legs join his. Tangling their limb as if silently wishing not to be separated from one another.
"Even so, even before, you must have pictured how you'll met them, right?" He lazily traced circles on the other's chest. Arthur would be lying if he denied that he, himself, did not play with his imagination on his first meeting with his soulmate- but it was a long time ago. Now a forgotten dream pushed at the back of his mind. He wondered if this topic's heavy for Alfred. He moved upwards, not entirely entangling himself to the other as he placed a chaste kiss on Alfred's cheek. The latter looked at him, slightly surprised to Arthur's behaviour.
"Humour me, please." He smiled so beautifully and who was Alfred to deny his lover. He laughed at the other, squeezing the other as he placed a kiss over the smiling lips of the other.
"Okay." He smiled, if his lover asked for humour, he'll give everything he can to entertain him. He cleared his throat as he made both of the comfortable, they are half sitting, half lying on the bed with pillows cushioning their back. He clung his legs to Arthur's lower torso, keeping him close and Arthur wouldn't have it in any way.
"I imagine that I'll met them outside." Arthur snorted at the general description of his story but he let Alfred continue. "I imagine that I need some nice seasonal drink to fight off the cold and what's the best way to do that than to buy the ever-so-famous pumpkin spiced latte." Of course, his love and his fascination with the cafe beverages.
He remained silent, feeling the nice rumbling of Alfred's voice to his ears together with his heart beat as he talk. "But the nearest Starbucks will have a long line and I'll decide to find another cafe that offer the same kind of beverage." He liked how the story's becoming familiar.
"I'll walk into this small cafe, almost empty except for a few students. I'll be going to the counter but there, in the corner that I'll see him."
"Him? How do you know it's a 'guy'?" He asked with slight teasing tone.
Alfred kissed his head again. "Oh, hush. I just know." Arthur let out a small chuckle as he asked another question.
"Okay. How would he look like then?" He buried his face to the warm chest again.
"He will be there, with his tea. He'll have his guitar propped at his lap as he try to sing to this song." Alfred swayed a bit, getting Alfred at the motion too.
"What song, love?"
Instead of answering, Alfred started to hum before singing the first verse. "Wise men say, only fools rush in." Arthur smiled as he remembered the song.
He took a deep breath before singing again. "But I can't help falling in love with you." He looked at Arthur with all the fondness he could express with his pretty blue eyes.
Alfred had never been a fan of old songs, always preferring to listen to pop songs and he rarely even sing. His voice a bit deeper and a bit shaky at the end of the verses but nothing could make Arthur hate it. It's the opposite. He love it.
Oh dear, how he loved every fibre of this man.
He knew Alfred felt his smile as the other spoke. "Come on, won't you join me?"
"I quite find the liking of the proffered comfort." He smiled even more. Even without looking, he knew Alfred would pout but nothing could ruin their moment.
"Like a river flow, surely to the sea, darling so it goes" Arthur noticed he skipped a few lines but the other just smiled as he continue swinging the both of them. "Some things are meant to be~"
That last line made Arthur think. How he wished that he and Alfred are meant to be. His spacing was startled when he heard Alfred clear his throat again.
"I'll continue with my story." Arthur nodded. "I'll look at him, listen to his voice and will decided that then and there, I will approach this guy. Our watches will fall and we will be each other's soulmates."
To the months they've been together, Alfred had never been a good story teller but this is by far- hopefully not the last, the best story he told Arthur.
"You just retold our first meeting, love."He sat up straighter, dragging Alfred with him. "And from what I remembered, you spilt your latte as you hurriedly went to my table." Alfred's cheeks burnt in embarrassment as he remembered it. His ever clumsy and overexcited self got the better of him but his same clumsy and overexcited self was what brought Arthur and him together.
"W-well, I can dream, right?" He tried to defend.
"Yes, yes. You can my love." Arthur inched at him and they shared a kiss. Gentle and slow as Arthur's hand carded to his hair and he held him tight. Pouring their love to each other. These days, they've been giving all of their love to each other, filling each other's heart as the day of their separation come.
Their kisses would not end as they proceed to lie their bodies on the small bed, only then that they pulled away from each other. Puffs of breath due to the cold air and to their activity, Alfred looked down at him.
"I love you, Arthur." He said, kissing his brows.
"I love you so much that I can feel my heart burst with joy." He kissed his nose.
"I love everything about you, of you. You are the one for me." He kissed both of his cheeks.
"I love you that I know, even without these stupid soulmate watches, that you're the one for me." He kissed his lips.
"You're my soulmate." Alfred smiled at him so beautifully And painfully that Arthur had enough.
He cried.
It started with single drop of tear, he tried to close his eyes. Trying to stop it but it won't just stop. One became two, three, four- he lost count as he poured his heart out with every tears and he's sure that the bed sheet's soaked with it.
He felt Alfred's hand touch his cheek and when he opened his eyes, he saw Alfred at the similar state as his. Not caring anymore, he grabbed the other and hold him as tight as he could. He felt Alfred snake his arms around him and return the embrace.
It's this rare vulnerability that Alfred saw to Arthur that made him want to not let go . Silently pleading for him to be his, forever, but selfless enough to care for his own happiness.
It's the man above him who's the best thing that ever happened to him that Arthur prayed not to be let go by Alfred. His ray of sunshine, the one he looked forward to waking up every morning, the one he trusted with his weakness, the one he offered all of his heart- his darling.
It's what they found to each other that they wished they are meant for one another.
Long moments passed before their tears dry and their bodies aching from their embrace that Arthur find the voice to sing. It started out as a whisper, voice hoarse from crying and a bit out of breathe due to Alfred's weigh above him.
"Take my hand, take my whole life too." He heard Alfred chuckled as he let a few hiccups escape his lips before continuing. "For I can't help-" Another hiccup, "-falling in love with love with you." The last line accompanied by his lover.
They had witnessed the seasons changed over the year, and now, as the beautiful falling leaves of autumn colour the ground and the cool weather invited them outside, they chose to be inside, by each other's warmth until the day one of them met who was dictated by the watch on their wrist.
For I can't help falling in love with you.
END
hikikomori-kuma