Alfred stared up at the sky, watching as the sun began to disappear behind the trees. It wasn't quite dark yet, but there was an orange tint to the world that made everything seem so much softer. He turned to Arthur with a grimace on his face, gesturing upwards with the bag of cotton candy he held in his hand. "It's getting dark," He sighed, regretfully making the other boy aware of the situation.

Arthur glanced upwards in surprise, his own hands clasped around a bottle of water. "Already?" He asked, eyebrows furrowing in displeasure, "We can't have been here for that long. We've only just gotten here."

Alfred let out a bitter laugh, leaning back onto the bench that they'd been sitting on and rubbing one hand into his eyes. "I wish," He muttered out before disappointedly adding, "You've probably got to be getting home, right?"

They had spent the entire day together, just the two of them, not doing much else other than walking around and talking to each other. As it turned out, there really weren't many interesting things to do at a 4-H fair – unless one particularly enjoyed pig shows or seventh grade artwork. After they had exhausted what little there was to actually do there, they had simply kept talking, neither of them ready to admit that they should leave.

It had been one of the most wonderful days of Alfred's life. Talking to Arthur had always been so simple, so easy, that the hours had literally flown by. He couldn't even entirely remember what they had talked about – they'd jumped from topic to topic at a whim, focusing more on each other's company than the conversation.

Every single time that he'd looked at Arthur, even the smallest glance, he could feel his heart swell to the point of bursting. He had almost forgotten, in the time that they'd been apart, exactly how much he loved the other boy. His laugh, his smile, his eyes – they all reminded him of how things had been when they had been together, and he marveled over the fact that he could be homesick for a person that he was standing right next to.

"I probably should," Arthur breathed out with a sigh, interrupting Alfred's thoughts, "Allistor is most likely ready to kill me as it is."

Alfred let out a small chuckle, shoving himself up off of the bench and staring down at the other boy. "Well, it was fun while it lasted, right?" He asked, nervousness suddenly settling in as he realized that he was going to have to say goodbye.

Arthur simply stared up at him, not moving from his position on the bench. "What do you mean?" He questioned, blinking at him in the dimming light.

"Uh," Alfred mumbled out, not entirely sure how to respond, "I had fun? Thanks for hanging out with me? See you later?"

Arthur let out a small laugh, reaching up to grasp Alfred's wrist and pulling him back down onto the bench. "I said that Allistor's going to kill me," He reasoned, "I didn't say that meant that I particularly cared."

"Oh," Alfred breathed out, staring at the other boy before a small grin began to grow on his face, "Oh. So you're not gonna leave?"

"Not until I have to," Arthur grinned back, a flush on his face, before his eyes seemed to widen in realization, "U-unless you need to leave, of course, in which case I suppose that this is goodbye."

"Nah, I can go home whenever," Alfred shrugged, draping one hand across the back of the bench, "My parents are working the late shift and Matt's out with friends, so nobody is even there to notice if I get home on time or not."

Arthur snorted. "You know, I should probably be reprimanding you for that," He replied, "But considering it means that we get to stay at the fair longer, I don't think I can bring myself to do so."

Alfred opened his mouth to reply when a sudden, sharp sound came from his left. He quickly turned his head, the both of them seeking out the source of the noise, only to find that a man had dropped a small black case onto the cement of the small stage that sat in the middle of the park. The man lifted the case back up and opened it, pulling out a violin and sitting down to begin tuning it.

"What on earth?" Arthur asked, staring at the stage in confusion as three other men climbed up the stairs, all but one holding their own black cases in varying sizes, "What's going on?"

"I almost forgot about this!" Alfred exclaimed, eyes sparkling in excitement as the men began plugging in various wires all across the stage, "It's been so long since I've been here at night, I didn't even notice them setting up."

He turned sideways, facing Arthur with a grin. "Every night of the fair, starting right at sunset, they have this local Americana band come and play," He whispered out, not wanting to disturb the men as they checked their sound, "I just love listening to it. The music kind of feels like home, ya know?"

Arthur gave him a small smile, fondness sparkling in his eyes as he stared up at the other boy. "Yes," He breathed out, "I believe that I do."

Alfred beamed back at him as the first note of the song started, the sound of the guitar seeming to resonate inside his heart. As the sun began to set, lights went up all around the park, people beginning to shuffle into the stage area where they'd been sitting. The speakers blasted out throughout the whole fair, and soon enough the seats were packed, the band fully into their set.

"What is this?" Arthur asked, eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the stage in concentration, "I've never heard anything like it."

"I told you, it's Americana," Alfred replied, a gentle smile on his lips as he stared at the other boy. His entire being seemed to shine in the low light, and Alfred could feel his heart thumping in his chest as those green eyes turned to look into his. "It's kind of its own little thing. I'm glad I could show you one good thing today, at least."

"You've shown me other good things today," Arthur whispered out, "It's – I'm glad that you asked me to come."

Alfred felt almost as if his heart was about to burst, but he kept quiet, unable to respond with anything but a smile. Arthur seemed to understand, however, and soon enough his knowing gaze had turned back to the stage, watching the band with that soft light in his eyes.

After a few moments of silence, however, Alfred noticed a small movement to his right, and turned to see Arthur shivering, rubbing his hands up and down his arms. He suddenly realized just how cold it had gotten after the sun had set, and almost instinctively he reached his arm over and pulled the other boy into his chest, resting his hand on his shoulder.

Arthur seemed frozen for a moment, neither of them saying anything as the music continued to play gently in the background. Why did I do that? Alfred thought, gut clenching as he realized exactly what he had just done. The motion had been almost possessive and definitely romantic, the other boy's body fitting perfectly in the crook of his body just as it had so long ago. Alfred bit his lip in nervousness, wanting to pull away in embarrassment.

After a moment, however, Arthur hesitantly shifted on the bench, moving a bit closer to him and gingerly resting his head upon Alfred's shoulder. Alfred suddenly couldn't breathe, his breath hitching in his throat as his heart began to soar. He glanced down at the other boy, unable to keep a blush from creeping up his cheeks, and he leaned a little closer to make it more comfortable for him.

"This is probably a really bad idea," Alfred laughed out as they walked down the street, barely able to see anything through the darkness, "You have really bad ideas, did you know that?"

Arthur rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as he kicked a rock across the pavement. "It's already past dark. What's a few more hours?" He reasoned.

"Probably even more trouble, to be honest," Alfred responded, and Arthur let out a laugh of his own as they rounded the corner of Alfred's house. Even after the music had stopped, neither of them had really wanted to leave the other, and so Alfred had suggested that they go back to his house – the key word being suggested. He certainly hadn't expected the other boy to take him up on his offer.

"Don't be absurd. I'm practically an adult, you know," Arthur muttered out as he opened the door, the two of them stepping into the darkened living room. Alfred didn't even bother to turn on the light, choosing instead to guide Arthur through the maze of furniture towards his bedroom door.

"You're ridiculous," He stated, grin on his face as he shut the door behind him, flicking the switch on the wall and flooding the room with light.

"I haven't been in here for forever," Arthur laughed out, staring at the childish posters and action figures, "You really haven't changed, have you?"

"It's just my room," Alfred pouted, crossing his arms, "I can keep it the same if I want to."

"Oh, yes, I'm not denying that. But –" Arthur suddenly paused, his breath hitching in his throat as the atmosphere between them suddenly shifted, the playfulness gone in an instant. It was silent for a few seconds, and then all of a sudden Arthur whispered, voice thick with emotion, "You kept it?"

"What?" Alfred questioned, staring at the other boy's face and nearly panicking as he saw his eyes beginning to water, "Artie? Are you crying?"

Arthur hastily wiped his eyes with the back of his hand before moving to sit on Alfred's bed, reaching through the pile of sheets to pull something into his lap. "You still have the pillow I gave you for Christmas," He murmured, thumbing across the worn stitches and frayed fabric.

"I – yeah, of course I do," He stammered out, worry cloying his voice as he moved forward to sit next to the other boy, "Why are you crying? Are you okay? Did – did I do something wrong?"

"No," Arthur shook his head vehemently, clutching the pillow even tighter in his hands, "I just can't believe that you kept this old thing, even after – even after everything that happened between us, I don't know why you would still have it at all."

Alfred could feel his breath hitch at this statement, and he squared his shoulders, knowing what he had to do. He had spent long enough trying to avoid this conversation, to try to push it away by feeling sorry for himself or ignoring the whole thing, but he couldn't let that go on any longer. The boy that he loved was right in front of him, and if he didn't do this right now, he knew that he may never have another chance.

He took a deep breath, grasping Arthur's hands and turning him so that he could look him in the eyes. "Arthur," He began, voice shaky, "I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but the worst one of all was hurting you. Sometimes, when I remember that look you had on your face, the guilt feels like it's eating me up. I stole your diary, I read it, and I lied to you about it, but I'm not going to pretend that that isn't a thing that happened."

He paused for a moment, watching as Arthur stared up at him in confusion. "I had a lot of time to think about this," Alfred insisted, "And I don't think we should let bygones be bygones. I don't wanna just act like nothing happened between us and move on with our lives – if you ignore the past, you're just gonna repeat it."

"A-and don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to pressure you into anything!" Alfred hurriedly asserted, "I'd understand if you never wanted to see me again, let alone get back together. Not that I don't want to get back together, but –"

Alfred bit his lip, closing his eyes as he prepared to end his speech. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry," He explained, a sense of finality in his voice, "And that I kept the pillow because I never stopped being in love with you this whole time."

For a few moments, silence reigned, and then all of a sudden a large smack sounded throughout the room as Arthur slapped him straight across the face. Alfred's eyes flew open in shock, glancing over to see the other boy with face flushed and arms crossed, eyes full of tears.

"You're a complete jackass," He bit out, eyebrows furrowed, "I can't even explain how betrayed I felt when you did that to me, even after I put so much faith into you. And I don't know what's worse – the fact that you did it at all or the fact that I had to find out about it from Francis of all people! You don't know how awful it was for me to know that not only did you lie to me, but you couldn't even trust me enough to tell me so."

"Not to mention everything that I went through while we were broken up," He continued, "It was right before the AP test, you absolute tit, and all of a sudden the person that I was supposed to be able to rely on was gone. I was so terrified, I had no idea what I was doing – I cried in the middle of the exam, for God's sake! I needed you, and you weren't there."

Alfred hung his head in shame, knowing that he deserved every word and more. "But," Arthur stated, tone softer and gentler than before, and Alfred glanced up once more, "It isn't as if I ever told you that it was my diary, so I really should have been more angry at myself than you. And you did apologize who knows how many times – even when I was being childish and ignoring you rather than having a real conversation about it. I should have realized that it wasn't all your responsibility to fix our problems. I should have simply assumed that you would know exactly what I wanted from you if I didn't tell you what I wanted."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that we're both at fault," He murmured out as he brought one hand up to cup Alfred's cheek, wiping away the tears that had begun to fall from his eyes, "And that I forgive you and will always forgive you because I never stopped loving you, either."

With that, Arthur leaned up and gently placed his lips upon Alfred's, bringing his unoccupied hand up to cup his other cheek. Alfred immediately leaned forward into the kiss, feeling their tears mingling as he tangled his fingers in Arthur's disheveled hair. Arthur's lips were so soft, so gentle, and tasted faintly of tea – he had forgotten how much he missed that taste.

As they pulled away to catch their breaths, Alfred leaned his forehead against Arthur's, hands still cupped softly at the nape of his neck. "I love you," He whispered into the air between them, "More than all of Uup's electrons."

Arthur laughed, his breath heavy against Alfred's lips, and he could almost feel him roll his eyes. "Of course you would say that right now, you absolute nerd," He murmured, "But to be fair, I love you more than Uuo's electrons, which is three more than Uup, so there."

"No fair," Alfred breathed out a small chuckle before pulling back a bit, suddenly seeming apprehensive, "So does this mean that – I mean, do you – are we –"

"Together?" Arthur finished for him, pulling his hand down and tangling their fingers together, "Would you like to be?"

"Yeah," Alfred nodded his consent, "More than anything."

"Well then," He returned, "I suppose that we are." And then he burst out with a smile so blindingly bright that Alfred couldn't help but reach forward to kiss him once more.

Just as their lips made contact, however, there was a small buzzing noise, and Arthur pulled back to grab his phone out of his pocket.

"Artie," Alfred whined, trying to tug the phone out of his hands, "Come on, can't it wait?"

"It could be my mother," Arthur reasoned, giving his boyfriend a fond look before glancing across the screen of the phone and immediately paling, "It's not my mother."

"What's wrong?" He asked, watching as the other boy slid open the lock screen to view whatever message he had waiting for him.

Arthur stared up at him with a look of dread. "It's midnight," He breathed out, "Which means that it's officially July 7th."

"Okay?" Alfred questioned, not understanding why that was such an upsetting topic.

"Alfred," He whispered, voice catching in his throat, "The AP scores are out."

"Oh," Alfred responded before his eyes seemed to widen in realization, "Oh."

"You should look at yours first," Arthur insisted, holding his phone tightly in his hands, "I don't know if I'm ready to see mind just yet."

Alfred nodded, pulling his phone out of his back pocket and nervously opening the AP website, nearly holding his breath as he typed in his password. After a few moments of staring at the screen, he breathed out a sigh, glancing up at the other boy in relief. "I got a five in chemistry and a five in APUSH."

"I wouldn't have expected any less from you," Arthur said with a tight grin on his face, not knowing what waited for him. Alfred watched as he slid his own phone open, pushing a few buttons that he couldn't see before sitting and waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, Arthur's breath hitched, tears beginning to well in his eyes, and Alfred reached forward to envelop him in his arms.

"Oh, babe, I'm so sorry," He comforted, rubbing his hands along Arthur's back, "But it doesn't matter that much at all – a lot of colleges don't even take AP scores anyway, so –"

"It's not that," Arthur laughed out, tears still streaming down his face as he pushed the other boy slightly away from him, "I got a three. I was expecting a one, but I got a three."

A bright grin burst onto Alfred's face, and he excitedly grasped Arthur's hands. "That's – that's amazing!" He cheered, "Artie, that's completely amazing! Congratulations!"

Arthur laughed at his enthusiasm, absolutely beaming as Alfred placed kiss after kiss upon his lips. "Alfred –" He tried to begin, his boyfriend continuing to interrupt him, "Really – it's not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal?" Alfred questioned, incredulous, "Artie, this is awesome. This whole night is awesome. My boyfriend just got a three on his AP Chemistry exam. We need to celebrate!"

"You sentimental idiot," Arthur laughed out, not bothering to push the other boy away from where he was wrapped around him, "Honestly, it's mostly because of your tutoring, and –"

At this Arthur paused, eyebrows furrowing as he seemed to think of something. After a moment, he whispered, "We never got t-shirts."

"What?" Alfred questioned, not understanding the sudden change in subject.

"Those ridiculous t-shirts that Gilbert kept bothering us about," Arthur breathed out, looking at his boyfriend with an emotion akin to amazement, "We never actually got them."

Alfred stared straight back at him, the corners of his mouth tugging upwards. "Oh my god," He blurted out, "You're right. After all that trouble he went through just to plan the stupid things, we didn't even get them."

There was a moment of silence as they both simply stared at each other, and then at some invisible command both of them burst out laughing, clutching at their stomachs and at each other as they realized exactly how ridiculous the whole situation was.

And there in that room, lying under the dim lights with tear tracks on their cheeks and love full in their hearts, Alfred closed his eyes and thought back over the year that they'd gone through together. He had made a family in AP Chemistry, their small group growing closer and closer with every day, and it had meant so much to him – all the lessons that he'd learned with them would stick with him forever, and he almost cried at the thought that he had to let all that go. But as Arthur reached down to tangle their hands together, he realized that maybe he didn't need to hold onto it so tightly. There were other things in the world for him to do and remember, and there were other people for him to hold on to.

He opened his eyes and pressed a brief, soft kiss against Arthur's lips, and knew that everything was going to be alright.

THE END

I'm not crying, you're crying.

So this is actually the last chapter and not another procrastination chapter (although to be fair, this one is so big I could split it into two). This is also the second chapter that I'm posting today – well, not technically, but it's four in the morning and I didn't sleep so I'm counting it. All we have left is the epilogue, and then this whole thing will be done!

Thank you all so much for sticking with me through this whole thing. It means so much to me that you read, review, favorite, and follow this little story of mine that somehow turned into the giant 90k piece that it is today. I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without you, and I can say with absolute certainty that you're all the sweetest readers a writer could ever have!

~Alix Marie