Mine Forever More
By: Aubrie1234
WARNINGS: Mentions of sex, slight cussing.
Artemis shook his head as he watched Alex and the twins look around. Halloween was getting close and he was forced to take the twins to get costumes, Alex following and more willing to do it than he. It had been almost 2 months since they got together and Alex moved in, but they hadn't gone beyond kissing. Butler had also wanted to come along, if just to keep them out of trouble, but Juliet managed to convince him to have a day off.
"Arty and Alex are adults, Dom. Give 'em some space!" she had said, to which he reluctantly agreed. That led up to now, where, having been lost in his thoughts, Artemis had lost sight of Alex and his brothers. Turning a corner he found them, now trying on costumes. Myles was trying on a mummy costume, Beckett wearing a werewolf one, with Alex being normal, a bag in his hand.
He must have bought a costume already. thought the Irishman as he rejoined them. He tried to peek into the bag but it was jerked out of sight by a mischievous Alex. Artemis raised an eyebrow.
"May I ask what you have in there?"
"It's a surprise." the taller man smirked, "Trust me, you're going to love it!"
"Last time you said that, which was barely a week ago, I found myself learning driving lessons from you." The blond waved him off.
"Not my best idea, but I'm certain on this one! At least we won't crash into your mother's fountain again. Yassen is still paying for the damages, thanks to you contacting him."
"He's still chewing me out over that, you know."
"Done!" The men turned to see the boys back in their regular clothing, holding their costumes happily. Alex and Artemis smiled, the elder rubbing their heads affectionately.
"Then let's buy these, go home, and show Mommy and Daddy."
"Yay!" Letting the two run ahead of them, the lovers walked together.
"I'm glad that no one's asked about my parents yet." Alex murmured, "And yet it also saddens me."
"Why?"
"It's almost like they assume I'm an orphan or something."
"They don't." Not one for public displays of affection, Artemis only held Alex's hand, "They're waiting for you to introduce them to your family. Though they're starting to get worried, just like you."
"I still wish I didn't have to explain..."
"Well, I know the story. Do want me to?" The Brit shook his head.
"No. It's my past, so it's my right to tell it. I'll tell them after they see Myles' and Beckett's costumes."
"Alright..."
As Halloween was in two days, they had plenty of time to get ready for various things. The night of the holiday was also when Fowl Manor would be hosting a ball for business partners. Juliet would be taking the twins out for Trick-or-Treating, leaving Alex and Artemis to stay behind and help host the party. It had been the raven-haired man's parents' idea, not his, so he didn't like it one bit. The Brit tried to cheer him up.
"You want to know what I bought for us, right?" Alex held the bag out in front of him like a lure, knowing Artemis wouldn't be able to resist, "If you cheer up, then I'll give you the night of your life on Halloween!"
"Mmm... And what does that entail?" Arty didn't like the look in his lover's eyes.
"I won't tell you until then. Deal?"
"...Deal. Now stop teasing me and let me work." The two were in Artemis' room, Alex having interrupted the younger's work.
"No." Putting the bag on the bed, the blond walked over and rested his hands on Artemis' shoulders. The shorter was sitting in a chair, working on his computer. Having turned back to it after accepting Alex's offer, Artemis ignored him. He felt one of Alex's hands lift from his shoulder, then something slid behind his ear. Stopping in surprise, he tugged the thing out to view it. It was an orange rose and, with a start, Artemis recognized it as one of the ones that had grown at the place he had died. Wrapped around it was a black ribbon with the red initials AR embroidered upon one end. Artemis had gotten a spool of ribbon, the very same wrapped around the rose, for Alex to use whenever he wished. Turning and opening his mouth, the hunter stopped, as the spy nor the bag was there.
"...What are you trying to say, Alex?" Artemis murmured as he fingered the rose in his hands. He knew the representation of roses, their colors and numbers. Orange meant energy, excitement, enthusiasm, and (dared he think it) desire. A single rose meant 'thank you' or represented the upmost devotion. It made Artemis wonder what Alex meant, with all the mixed messages the rose could give. And yet, the most important part of it was that it had come from Artemis himself. For some reason they had bloomed at the spot of his death and continued to grow there without need for care or anything, so why did Alex choose to pick one of these flowers, out of all the ones he could have used? Artemis sighed and laid it beside his computer. He would comtemplate it later, as he had more important things to do, as much as he hated it.
Much to his surprise (even though he was used to it by now), Artemis didn't see Alex for the rest of the day, not even at dinner. The Brit sometimes disappeared of his own accord for various periods of time, but always returned at the stroke of 11 P.M. It had been worrying at first, but after nearly 2 months of it, Artemis was mostly used to it. He didn't worry much anymore, but it did make him curious about where Alex went each time. Not even Butler could find the blond man when he hid, as astonishing as it sounded.
Tapping his fingers on the windowsill, Artemis waited for Alex to arrive. They had been sleeping together since their adventure and hadn't broken the tradition, so the black-haired man was staying up to wait for his lover. He checked his watch every few minutes as he waited, mind drifting to where Alex could be. And, as he had been keeping his eyes on the door to his room, he wasn't expecting the knock at his window. Jumping and falling off of his chair, Artemis quickly got to his feet to see a laughing Alex on the other side.
"D*mnit, don't do that!" the heir growled as he swung the window open, allowing Alex to come inside.
"For someone who prefers not to swear, you sure swear a lot." the elder snickered quietly. He rubbed his ear after it was clipped by Arty's fist, the genius still steaming, before being tugged forward (and nearly losing his balance) to be kissed. It was rough, brusing, and short, showing how much Artemis was displeased with him.
"Look, I'm sorry." Alex said softly after the kiss was broken, as if he was talking to a wild animal, "I didn't mean to scare you, but I couldn't have just come in through one of the doors. It's the time when Butler patrols, remember?" Ever since their adventure, Butler had made it a job to patrol the manor and grounds every night, just in case the Shadow Birds or someone else made another move, as they were still out there. The hunter softened at that.
"I'm sorry for getting angry at you. But why did you leave this?" the younger gestured to the rose, which was still on the desk.
"You'll find out in time, I promise." Alex tugged Artemis close, making them both blush, "But if there's something you don't want to do, you can always tell me and I won't do it. I'm always here for you, Art." Closing his eyes, the raven-haired man leaned into the blond's chest.
"Then tell me where you've been. It worries me when I don't know where you are."
"With the roses. It's where I always go when I want to be alone. I go out there and practice my magical abilities, since the magic field there helps me access them. But I went somewhere else before there, somewhere I can't tell you." Strings of jealousy tugged at Artemis' heart.
"Did you go with someone?" his voice was slightly cold.
"Of course not." Alex slid his hand through Artemis' hair to comfort him, "I would never forsake you, not even for Yassen; don't think I haven't seen those jealous glares. I want you and only you. Nothing can change that." All was silent for a time before Artemis moved until they were face-to-face, lips brushing.
"Thank you." the porcelain man whispered before kissing Alex. It was soft, slow, and sweet, yet full of passion. Alex complied, kissing back. There was no tongue, only lips. They didn't want to go too far, with the emotional state they were in. When they finally needed air, they slowly broke apart, staring into each other's eyes.
"C'mon, Arty." the blond gave his forehead a kiss, "Let's get some sleep." Reluctantly, they parted ways to get undressed before rejoining in bed.
"Did you tell them? My parents about your's?"
"Yeah, but they understood. They promised to never ask again and keep it a secret."
"That's good." Artemis smiled when he felt Alex's chest vibrate as he began to hum softly. His lover did it sometimes to help him get to sleep when he couldn't, and it certainly worked. Soon enough, he was asleep, allowing the elder to follow.
When Artemis awoke, he found another ribbon-wrapped rose put into his hands, but Alex no where to be seen. He sat up and sniffed the flower, wondering where the other was. It was at that moment the door opened and Alex entered, the bag now in his hands. He was grinning, which Artemis knew meant he was in a mischievous mood.
"Glad you're up, Sleeping Beauty." Entering into the room, Artemis' eyebrows rose in surprise when he saw that Alex carried a bowl of caviar in his other hand.
"What's going on?" the heir knew the only reason Alex would fix him his favorite food would be to get in his good graces before telling him something bad.
"Nothing, just let me go get your Earl Gray."
"Now I'm very worried." Artemis still accepted the food and drink, though.
"About what? I haven't done anything!"
"In denial. This must be terrible."
"You mean I can't give you your favorite things without being suspected of doing something wrong?" Artemis took a sip of the tea before answering.
"Yes."
"What if it was all to keep you calm as I unveiled your Halloween costume?" Artemis sat frozen for a few seconds.
"...Please tell me you're joking." Alex put a hand into the bag.
"Nope." He took out of the bag a midnight blue dress. It had no sleeves but extended upwards to go around the neck, clips there to help keep the dress up. Just below the neck area was another orange rose, and as the dress went downward, it had slight frills, each one alternating between blue and orange. The frill also split in the middle, about knee-length. And as the color went downwards, it changed from blue to black and from orange to red. There were also orange, see-through silk sleeves that could be slid on and blue ballerina slippers with long ribbons that reached up and around the leg. Artemis gaped as Alex continued to grin.
"What do you think?"
"...No. No no no!" Artemis shook his head, "I am not wearing that! What were you thinking?!"
"Well, you did well to pose as a woman on our adventure, so why not again for Halloween? If you don't, I won't give you the night of your life tonight." The raven-haired man glared, but took the items.
"Give me a minute, and don't touch the caviar!"
"Why would I want to...?" Alex questioned in disgust of the food as Artemis left with the dress. He soon came back, still fuming, but Alex's eyes widened in wonder.
"Wow... I asked for it to be custom tailored, but I didn't know it would look this good."
"I look ridiculous!" Artemis raged. The blond shook his head, standing and going over to stand beside his lover.
"No," Alex said, taking the younger's hands in his, "you look amazing. No matter what anyone else says, you look great. Will you do me the pleasure of wearing this for the rest of the day, love?"
"Don't go British on me, but I guess I'll try." With a smile, the blond leaned down to kiss the raven. Light and sweet, it lasted only a few seconds.
"As you are now wearing your outfit, I'll show you mine." Letting go of Artemis' hands, Alex grabbed the bag and raced to the bathroom. Still a little flustered, Artemis sat on his bed and began eating the rest of his caviar and drinking his tea. He nearly choked on the Earl Gray when Alex came back in. The spy was wearing a black suit, a black cape with a deep red velvet inside, and no tie, the suit loose enough for proper flexibility (unlike Artemis'...). He had on white gloves and a white mask that covered the right side of his face.
"Are you alright?" The Englishman stepped closer in case the Irishman needed help.
"The Phantom of the Opera?!" Artemis suddenly squeaked, "The 2004 version?! Why?!" As the only thing he was wearing underneath the dress was his boxers, he could easily feel them get tight at the sight of his outrageously good-looking lover. Seeing that the hunter wouldn't choke again for the time being, Alex looked down at his gloves, playing with the rims of his suit's sleeves.
"You know the story, and I thought it would look nice for Halloween. But you're not playing Christine, I can assure you. You're just playing a feminine version of yourself or doing some crossdressing." Artemis crossed his arms, but his eyes were soft.
"I can never stay mad at you, jackass." Standing again, he took Alex's hands into his own, "Assuming you've learned the movie's songs to go along with your costume, do you mind singing me one?" Alex smiled.
"Thank you, Arty, and sure." Clearing his throat, the blond began to sing, "Masquerade! Paper faces on parade, masquerade!"
"That was only a single line."
"I still sung for you, didn't I?" Alex moved his hands to Artemis' waist, tugging the other closer. The black-haired man instantly blushed, but didn't move away. They stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, but only a minute, before the taller grabbed the shorter's elbow and began escorting him to the dining room, where everyone else must have been by now.
"But the caviar-!"
"Butler will get it before it spoils. And why the bloody h*ll are you more worried about fish eggs than your pride?"
"Exquisite fish eggs! And caviar is more than just fish eggs!" Alex facepalmed the maskless part of his face as Artemis ranted about how great caviar was. How had he ever fallen in love with such a eccentric man? Oh, right, his sanity had flown out the window the same time he jumped out of it at the Royal & General. But at least Artemis wasn't actively on the run or trying to kill him.
Cackling had been present in the twins, Artemis Sr., Holly, and Juliet while Butler tried to keep a straight face and Angeline cooed at Artemis' and Alex's outfits. But that was nothing compared to when they had to greet the guests, who also had trouble keeping straight faces, even as Artemis glared at them and Alex shook their hands, nearly oblivious to his boyfriend's death glares. If looks could kill, all the guests and his family would have been pierced by a dozen badly-thrown knives by now.
"Who you like to-?"
"I am a man and no, I would not like to dance!" The few who were dumb or dense enough to see Artemis as a girl tried to flirt with him or get him on the dance floor, but they were either deterred by the hunter's glare, his words, or Alex's presence. As it was, the young man quickly scurried away from Artemis, who was drinking some more of his tea with Alex leaning against the wall beside him.
"Easy on the cup. Your knuckles are white." Alex pointed out. Artemis did so, though he wasn't much at ease. His eyes looked around the room, watching everyone dance, before going over to Alex. The blond certainly did look dashing, but as he looked closer, he noticed that the gloves were off. His eyebrows arched slightly as he caught sight of a thin line on the back of Alex's left hand, almost unnoticeable. He reached up and took it into his own, getting the other's attention. Looking down at what Artemis was doing, Alex gave a sad smile.
"Oh, that. You remember my adventure with McCain?" at Artemis' nod, he continued, "He had this biological facility and while I was there, I encountered this guy in a safety suit who tried to kill me. That was made when a web touched my hand as I fell during the fight. Everything there was poisonous, so I was lucky not to have died." Artemis tightened his grip.
"Put your gloves back on, please. The scar, it messes everything up." Raising an eyebrow, Alex did so, taking the gloves out of his pocket and pulling them on. It was then that Open Arms came on, where the blond grinned, pushed off the wall, and bowed in front of Artemis, his hand out.
"May I have this dance?" Huffing, the raven took the blond's offered hand, placing his now empty tea cup in his chair before following Alex to the dance floor. A space cleared as others watched them dance, but they took no notice, so lost in one another and the soft sadness of the song.
Lying beside you,
Here in the dark,
Feeling your heartbeat with mine.
Softly you whisper,
You're so sincere,
How could our love be so blind?
We sailed on together,
We drifted apart.
And here you are,
By my side.
So now I come to you
With open arms.
Nothing to hide,
Believe what I say.
So here I am,
With open arms,
Hoping you'll see
What your love means to me,
Open arms...
Living without you,
Living alone,
This empty house seems so cold.
Wanting to hold you,
Wanting you near,
How much I wanted you home.
But now that you've come back,
Turned night into day,
I need you to stay.
So now I come to you
With open arms.
Nothing to hide,
Believe what I say.
So here I am,
With open arms,
Hoping you'll see
What your love means to me,
Open arms...
"We'll be together forever, right?" Alex whispered, continuing to dance with Artemis as the song suspiciously began to replay, "We will, won't we?"
"Of course we will." Artemis assured with a smile, "You and I, forever. You promised me you wouldn't leave, so there is no way I would ever leave you." Alex smiled back.
"Thank you." Whistles could be heard as the two shared a kiss, and from the way they sounded, it seemed as though Timmy was teaching his younger sons wolf whistles, much to the embarrassment of Alex and Artemis. Once the song ended, they quickly made their way out of the room and to the kitchen, Alex leading the way. It was the only place the Brit could think of that no one would look, since he wanted this to be private.
"Why are we-" The hunter was cut off as the spy began to kiss him, though this time it was fiercer, more full of passion. Caught off-guard by the sudden display of affection, Artemis did nothing to stop it, only reacting when Alex's tongue began to enter his mouth. He kissed back, trying to gain dominance, but was unable to do so. His face flushed red as well when Alex pushed him up against the counter, one leg between his own. But all too soon they had to separated for air, both panting. And the look in Alex's eyes, the one Artemis saw... It could only be described as love.
"I know I might be moving a bit fast, but I promised to give you the night of your life." he said, smiling, "And what you said, about being together forever, I'm glad. That calmed my fears."
"Does this mean-?" Artemis' face grew even redder as the implications hit him. Alex blushed a little himself, but shook his head. Before he spoke again, he lifted the Irishman onto the counter so they could be face-to-face, at the same height as one another.
"No, not like that. I won't take your virginity, not unless you want me to. As it is, I thought we could just have different types of sex. Get to know one another a little better, but not all the way. You know what I mean, right?" the blond touched the flower on Artemis' dress, "That's what this meant. I'm willing to stay with you as long as you want and give myself to you at any time. I'm not eager, though, because I can wait. I'll wait until you're ready, even until the end of time. I promise." Artemis was silent, making Alex's face fall.
"I told you last night that you didn't have to do any of this if you didn't want to. It's fine with me. I would...I would even leave and never come back if you wanted." Tears were in Alex's eyes, "That's how much I love you, Artemis." His eyes widened as a hand graced his cheek, brushing the tears away with a familiar feathery touch. His mask was removed so Artemis could brush away the tears there.
"I never expected this to happen so soon, but I'm fine with it. And please, Alex, never leave. I wouldn't be able to stand it if you did." Artemis kissed Alex's cheeks where the tears had fallen, "I love you as much as you love me, but you need to give me time. I'm not as in tune with my emotions as you are."
"So is that a yes?" The younger nodded.
"Just not in here." Artemis rested a hand on the open neck of Alex's suit, "We wouldn't want any interruptions, would we?" Alex blushed deeply.
"And I thought I was the horny one..." Artemis laughed softly, but squeaked when the Englishman took the smaller male into his arms. The mask was left behind on the counter as Alex carried him up the stairs, to Artemis' room. It seemed like the Phantom finally got his wish, in a way. He now had someone who was willing to go all the way for him at last.