The piping hot tea kettle whistled loudly through the overly busy kitchen of Matthew's usually quiet house. Pots were leaking with steam from boiling the vegetables; the oven was blasting heat out as the Canadian opened its door to check on the food. But this caused his glasses to fog up so he couldn't see very well.
"Oh darn, these things are so annoying." He mumbled to himself as he wiped the condensed steam off of the lenses.
While the food was cooking, he went into the dining room to see if he had set the table perfectly. Once he did a double take on the candles, cutlery, plates, napkins and champagne flutes he had placed delicately on the embroidered cloth draping over the table earlier, he felt pleased with himself that he had prepared everything perfectly. After checking everything was to his liking, he started making his way back into the kitchen.
You see, someone very important to him was returning home from a business trip, and he wanted to impress them with a classy dinner that he prepared himself.
"Wow, this is going to be great! Everything is going according to plan. Oh boy, I hope he likes it." Matthew stopped dead in his tracks, suddenly realising what he had just said. He sighed. "What is wrong with me? I sound like a wimpy high school girl preparing for her first date. Man, I'm so lame."
It was, in fact, a date that he was preparing for, but it wasn't his first. No, he was preparing for a date that celebrated the one year anniversary of his relationship.
Now I bet you're wondering. 'Who is he in a relationship with?' and 'Isn't this all a bit cliché?'
Well, even if Matthew did realise that this dinner was very cliché, he didn't really care because he was doing this all out of love for his special someone. And the special someone was none other than his beloved Francis Bonnefoy.
Now you're probably thinking, 'Why Francis?'
Well, I guess you could say that after all they have been through together; it made the bond that they share grow stronger than ever before.
It was almost time for his beloved to arrive. Matthew nervously looked at the small carriage clock neatly placed on top of the newly lit fire place. Half past six was what it read. Oh yes, Francis will definitely be here any minute now. Matthew decided to go out front and water the plants to help calm him down. He always watered his plants when he got nervous. That's why they always look amazing, because he always gets nervous.
He headed outside and grabbed the hose to fill up the green watering can. Then, once filled, he went towards his front door and carefully sprinkled the water into the little pot of marigolds that sat next to the front step. This is where he usually hid his front keys just in case, but we should probably keep that a secret.
"Oh I can't wait for Francis to get here. I just know that this will be a great anniversary." The small Canadian hummed to himself happily.
"Why wait when he is already here, Mon amour?" A thick French accented voice whispered in his ear, causing Matthew to jump almost a metre high. He swivelled around to see none other than his beloved Francis.
"Francis you're here!" He squeaked before tackling the older man to the ground in a huge hug. They stayed like that for a while, familiarising themselves of each other's unique yet comforting scent. Just that one hug felt like pure bliss to them, seeing as they have been apart for quite a while now. Francis chuckled at how happy the petit male was to see him.
Matthew, now only just realising that he had tackled Francis to the ground, scrambled off of him and held out his hand to pull him up. Francis took it but didn't pull himself up. He got on one knee, took Matthew's hand in his own using a gentle grip, and brushed his lips across the Canadian's pale, slim fingers.
Matthew saw how extra gentlemanly Francis was being and curved his lips into a small grin whilst a slight blush coloured his cheeks.
Francis then stood up, still holding onto the fragile hand, and came face to face with Matthew. The latter took in all of the elder's beautiful features and noticed that there was a glint of pure joy in his sapphire blue eyes and a gentle smile that showed his pearly white teeth.
He carefully placed his cool hands on the Canadian's cheek and gently whispered "I've missed you so much, mon bien-aimé Mathieu."
"J'ai manqué vous aussi, mon cher Francis." Matthew replied quietly before they both shared a sweet kiss that only lasted a few seconds, but felt like it lasted for hours.
As soon as they parted, a sudden breeze of cold air blew past, causing a chill to run down Matthew's spine. Francis saw Matthew shudder from the cold breeze and enveloped the latter in a warm embrace in an attempt to make him a little warmer.
"Let's go inside. It's much cosier in the there, and warmer too." The Frenchman chuckled and the small Canadian led the way in.
After taking off his coat and shoes, Francis made his way into the kitchen but was stopped in his tracks when the Canadian blocked his path. The Frenchman gave him a puzzled look, silently asking him what was wrong.
"I want it to be a surprise." The younger gently answered. He smiled in understanding and turned towards the living room to allow Matthew to complete his task.
A little while later, Matthew called Francis into the dining room so he could be seated ready for the meal. He could already smell the delicious vegetables and meat heading towards the dining room.
Matthew came into the room and set down the extravagant looking meal in front of his lover. "Mathieu, this meal looks absolutely fantastique." He complemented with a bright smile. "But you know you didn't have to go through all that trouble just for moi."
But Matthew protested. "What are you talking about? Of course I did, and it wasn't any trouble at all. I wanted to make this meal especially for you because I love you Francis."
Those last four words were like music to his ears, making his heart ache. But it was a good feeling that filled him up with nothing but pure happiness that made him feel all warm and fuzzy. It was like butterflies had invaded his stomach.
He was at a loss for words, so all he was able to say was "Thank you Mon cher Mathieu."
After having the meal and washing up the dishes together, they finally went into the living room to relax. They settled down on the sofa, snuggled up to each other, and watched as the bright yellow flames danced in the fire place.
"May I please use your bathroom Mathieu?"
"Of course you can. You know you don't have to ask." Matthew giggled.
Francis released Matthew from his arms and made his way down the hall to reach his destination.
A few seconds passed when someone had knocked on the Canadian's front door.
"Huh? I wonder who that could be." He muttered to himself as he got up from the sofa and headed for the door. He opened it to find none other than his former mentor, Arthur Kirkland.
"Hey there Arthur, what brings you here at this time?"
"I just came to return that book you lent me." The Englishman replied with a smile. He handed him the book and noticed that there were a pair of shoes in the porch that looked a little bit big for the young lad.
"Is someone else here?"
Matthew smiled brightly "Oh yes, Francis is here with me."
The Briton looked shocked. "Francis? Are you serious? Why is he here?" He questioned.
"Well he- "But Matthew's answer was cut off by Arthur.
"Oh let me guess, he pretended to be 'seriously ill' and asked for you to take care of him just so he could molest you and strip you of your virginity." He commented rather snidely.
"Huh? No he was just- "But Matthew was cut off once again.
"That is so typical of him. He has a very perverted mind, you know. You shouldn't be hanging around with him. He could poison your innocent mind with all kinds of crap."
Matthew could feel something boil up inside of him. He wasn't sure whether it was anger or sadness, but all he knew was that this conversation had to end now.
His face started turning red, he was getting really pissed at the snide remarks that the older man was making about HIS lover. That's it. He couldn't take it anymore. He had reached his limit. It was time that he stood up and said something for once.
Finally finding his voice, he took a deep breath and practically shouted "Now will you just shut up!"
"Excuse me?" Arthur wore that shocked expression of his again. Since when did Matthew start shouting at people?
"I am tired of how most people go around telling me that Francis is a bad person! They're all lying! It's not true at all! Francis is a good man he is well mannered and acts like a true gentleman! And he's a great person to be with and he always makes you smile. He is very kind and caring man! And the reason I know all of this is because I'm his boyfriend and I love him! So don't go around saying stuff that isn't the slightest bit true! Good day to you, sir!" And with that he snatched the book from the Briton's clutches and slammed the door in his face, leaving a very stunned Arthur on his door step.
He couldn't believe it. He had finally released his anger and actually stood up for someone instead of him being the one that was stood up for. But he felt weak. He was still a bit enraged at the comments that he had heard from Arthur. They were buzzing in around in his mind like a swarm of angry wasps. So all he could do was fall to his knees and release his built up anger through tears. Then he felt a hand tenderly rest on his shoulder.
He turned to see his beloved Francis, looking a little depressed and hurt. There was an awkward silence between the two lovers until Matthew plucked up the courage to speak.
"How much did you hear of that?" He wept, trying to hold back the new tears that formed in his violet eyes.
"I heard it all, the comments and the rude remarks. And they really hurt me." His answer was barely audible.
"Oh, I see."
There was a slight pause before Francis continued. "I also heard how happy you were when you told Arthur about me staying here. And the way you stood up for me, I felt touched. Not a lot of people stand up for me, so I am really happy." He looked at Matthew and smiled sweetly. "Thank you."
Matthew turned around to fully face Francis and flung himself at the older blond, eyes over-flowing with the newly formed tears that were trying to escape before.
"Please don't start crying Francis. I couldn't bear to see you upset." He wept, nuzzling his face in the older man's chest.
"Why on earth would I cry when I have you there to protect me?" The Frenchman smiled warmly. He took Matthew in his arms and squeezing him slightly in a warm embrace to reassure the boy that he was alright.
They looked at each other for a while, eyes connecting to each other, their hands interlocking, and they shared a warm and passionate kiss.
Yes my friends, there was probably nothing at all that could destroy the bond they share.
"Je t'aime Mathieu." The Frenchman whispered lovingly to the Canadian.
"I love you too Francis, so very much." He replied warmly, a small smile appearing on his lips.