There was a bang, so loud that it hurt Alfred's ears, and then his hand was empty. Silence surrounded him. Was that it? Was he dead? He'd expected to feel it, the recoil of the shot against his hand and jaw, thought maybe he'd experience some pain before everything went dark. But the blackness he was looking at now was just the insides of his eyelids, no different than it had been before he pulled the trigger.

Did it…work? Had the gun misfired? Jammed? Maybe…but he hadn't dropped it, so how had it so suddenly disappeared as if he'd never held it in the first place?

"Alfred."

That voice. He recognized that voice—joy surged up in him and his eyes snapped open. He had to be dead. It was the only explanation for that voice to have said his name. Except he was still standing in the shower, the curtain still closed. Confusion clouded his blue eyes and he looked around, touched his face and body. He felt solid, not ghost-like at all, but then, maybe he would still feel solid to himself. Except he wasn't floating, wasn't standing over his own dead body. There wasn't a drop of blood to be seen. Shouldn't he be able to see himself if he was dead?

"Alfred." That voice again, but angrier this time, and suddenly the curtain was ripped open, hands grabbed him by the front of his shirt and shook him. Alfred didn't resist, was too stunned by the sight before him. Arthur. Arthur with tears in his green eyes, hair windswept, wings spread wide and his toga rumpled.

"Ar—"

"You bastard!" the Angel shouted, cutting him off, still shaking him. His tears had run over, were dripping down his cheeks onto the fabric of his toga. "How dare you! How dare you?! Don't you ever, ever try to do something so completely bloody stupid again! You idiot! You wanker! I hate you, you git! Arse!"

The insults barely registered in Al's mind as he stared at the Angel. This was real. He wasn't imagining it. Arthur was there, was yelling at him, was crying. Lunging, he grabbed the smaller male and yanked him forward, held the Angel against his chest and buried his face in those golden locks, breathed in deep through his nose to take in the scent of him. God, he'd missed that smell, missed the way Arthur's body felt pressed against his own, his voice and eyes and smile, everything, and now the Angel was with him again.

"Arthur." The name left him in a broken whisper; he felt his own tears starting to form and drip into the Angel's hair.

Silence filled the bathroom as the two held onto each other, Arthur clinging as he cried into the larger man's shirt. He'd been so afraid, terrified that he wouldn't make it in time, that he'd reach the apartment and find Alfred already dead. It had spurred him to fly faster than he'd ever flown and he'd still only barely managed to get there in time, had used magic to burst the locks on the doors and get rid of that damned gun just before it could go off. And now relief was making his knees feel weak; he would have collapsed had Alfred not been holding him so tightly.

"You git," he whimpered, managing to lift his head and meet Alfred's gaze. "What the hell were you thinking?"

The smallest of smiles made its way onto Al's face and he touched the Angel's cheek, stroked the tear-stained skin with his thumb before placing a kiss on his forehead. "I was thinking I didn't want to live another day without you."

"So you decided to kill yourself? That wouldn't change anything, idiot!" Arthur was glaring again, anger replacing his relief. Now that he knew Alfred was all right, he could be properly upset about what had almost happened. "You'd have moved on! I never would have seen you again!"

"Well, I was hoping they'd let you be the one to come get my soul or whatever."

Disbelief. Was he serious? He'd almost killed himself on the off-chance that maybe Arthur would be the Angel sent to guide him to the afterlife?

"I can't believe you!" the Angel shouted, shoving against Alfred's chest to put a bit of distance between them. "I didn't give you that meadow in your dreams and stop Ivan from kidnapping you just so you could give up! You have a whole life to live! You're young and strong and smart—do you have any idea how many things you could accomplish?! Why would you ever throw it all away for a few moments with me?"

Alfred's expression hardened and he pulled Arthur close again. "Because I love you." And he kissed him, kissed him desperately with one hand on the back of the Angel's head so he couldn't pull away, his free arm around the smaller male's waist. It was only for a moment and then Arthur shoved him again, put nearly six inches of space between their chests before drawing a hand back and slapping Alfred so hard his head snapped to the side. The attack shocked him but he didn't fight back or argue—he probably deserved it on some level.

"You complete and utter arse, Alfred Jones," Arthur hissed, fury sparking in his green eyes before he tangled both hands in the American's hair and yanked his head down to kiss him even more roughly than Alfred had done a moment ago. Breaths mixed as he caught the taller man's lower lip between his teeth and tugged on it before slipping his tongue past lips and teeth, found Alfred's tongue waiting in the wet warmth he'd missed so much.

"Arthur."

The sound of his name had him lifting himself, wrapping his legs around Alfred's waist as he continued to kiss him, re-explored that mouth, moaned when the other man's tongue did the same to him. His hands ran through ash blond hair, gently tugged on the strands and rubbed against the scalp, leaving Alfred's hair a complete mess but urging him to kiss rougher, to claim Arthur's mouth as his own, and he did so without hesitation.

Somehow, Alfred managed to step out of the shower without tripping or breaking the kiss, made his way from the bathroom to the bedroom and fell onto the bed with Arthur pinned beneath him. Only then did they separate, gasping for air, and Al took the opportunity to shift back so he could bite the Angel's throat. A gasp escaped Arthur at the feel of teeth scraping against his skin, digging in just slightly, catching the flesh and tugging on it before Alfred began to suck, tongue laving the quickly-reddening spot to ease any discomfort. He squirmed, face flushed as his body heated and tingled with small sparks of pleasure, fingers still tangled in Alfred's hair.

"Artie," the taller blond murmured, then kissed the mark he'd made before moving up to look into green eyes once more, "we still can't make love, can we."

Oh, shit.

It was quiet as Arthur chewed his lip, looked up at the man he loved and wondered how much longer it would be before someone showed up to drag him back to heaven. The Trace was still on him, after all, so they knew he'd gone to Alfred's apartment. They probably didn't have very long.

Hang it all.

The Angel smiled as he pulled his companion down for a soft, sweet kiss, his arms wrapping around Alfred's neck. "I've decided I don't care about the rules, Alfred," he whispered, and watched blue eyes widen in surprise. "The only thing I want right now is to be with you, and if I don't then I'll regret it for the rest of my existence. Whether I lose my wings or not, I want you to live a full life. If I do, then I'll be waiting for you in the afterlife, but you can't give up, Alfred. You have too much to offer this world. Promise me."

Nodding, the blue-eyed blond pressed his forehead to the other's, looking straight into Arthur's eyes. "I promise."

"Good."

Another kiss, this one soft, patient as hands began to wander over bodies, tugged at clothes. Alfred sat up on his knees and pulled his shirt off over his head, smiled when Arthur began tracing the curves and lines of his torso. His hands were so soft they sent goosebumps over the American's skin.

"Arthur…" He sighed when lips brushed against his collarbone, a tongue slipping out to trace the shape. Those soft hands set to work on his belt, opening the buckle and then the button beyond that with little trouble, until Alfred's jeans fell loose around his legs; he kicked them off so he was left in only his boxers. Arthur still wore his toga.

Smiling, the Angel mimicked Alfred's pose and rose to his knees, mouth soon busy with leaving a mark at the center of the taller man's collarbone. Strong hands on his hips drew him closer, quiet sounds escaping parted lips urged him on. How many times had he imagined doing just this, imagined claiming this human as his own and selfishly keeping him forever?

Once the mark was made he kissed it, let his hands run down that muscular chest and stomach until they found the waistband of boxers that really didn't need to be there anymore, and he slipped his fingers past the elastic, felt Alfred's ribs expand with a gasp as the Angel's hand found its target. A moan sounded in the American's throat and he shifted as Arthur began to rub the mass, wrapped his fingers around it and stroked gently.

"Nng…A-Artie…"

It was a whine that put a smile on the Angel's lips, had him squeezing a little just to make Alfred tremble as the larger male rested his forehead on Arthur's shoulder.

"Come on, love," he whispered, stroking Alfred's hair as he continued to rub and palm the quickly-hardening length in his hand, "I've missed you so much…" Pulling his hand away, the Angel lay back on the bed and smiled invitingly as blue eyes looked down at him. As he'd known he would, Alfred immediately began to remove the toga, calloused hands gentle as they took the sash from his waist, slipped the straps off his shoulders and pulled the cloth away from his body completely. It was then that the American paused, a small, confused smile appearing on his face.

"Yes?" Arthur was innocent, smiling as Alfred touched the fabric of the boxers. He'd taken to wearing them under his toga—they made him feel like he was closer to Alfred, were comforting during his time away from the American.

"I didn't even realize I was missing a pair."

"These are ones I borrowed most often while I was staying here. I…" now he looked away, his voice growing soft, "I meant to bring them back to you, but…"

Alfred moved closer to the Angel, resting against him but supporting his own weight so they were sharing body heat. "But?" His breath tickled the smaller male's ear as he nuzzled Arthur's cheek, relishing even that innocent touch.

"I couldn't…let's not talk about this now. I'll tell you after," Arthur promised, smiling to feel a kiss to his cheek. He didn't want to take the time to explain about the High Council and how he'd been watching Alfred through that window for the past weeks. That could come later. Right now, he was ready to continue with the task at hand.

"All right. After." Sitting up again, Alfred looked down at the golden blond and lightly gripped the boxers, removing them with a few tugs. He couldn't help but watch the dark fabric slide over pale skin, felt his jaw ache with the desire to kiss every bit of Arthur that he could reach. The Angel looked like porcelain, flawless and cold, but he knew how warm that skin was to the touch, and once he had the boxers off he let his palms and fingertips slide over it, ran his hands all the way up from delicate ankles to soft, tender thighs that shivered under his touch. On a whim, he leaned down and kissed the sensitive flesh of Arthur's inner thigh, remembered his fantasy of covering this area with little red marks to claim him. It would be easy to do, but it was also something to do later. Right now, he didn't want anything to mar that creamy skin, not even his own marks.

"Alfred…"

The soft call drew his attention upwards, though he took his time trailing kisses up over a hip bone and flat stomach, narrow chest that rose and fell as the smaller male breathed. And then that neck that begged to be kissed and tasted before finally the mouth that moved to capture his own as hands stroked down his sides, caught the waistband of his boxers under thumbs and tugged them down until he could wiggle out of them. Finally, it was just him and Arthur, and he pressed against the Angel just to feel that skin against his, to share warmth and touches as they kissed in the darkness.

"I forgot how soft you are," he admitted, his hand resting on Arthur's hip as they took a moment to breathe, legs now entangled.

A smile graced his lips, the most beautiful smile Alfred had ever seen, accompanied by a tinge of pink that made the Angel's eyes seem even greener than normal. "You're a sweetheart, Alfred."

He chuckled, moving his hand over to gently cup and palm the flesh between Arthur's legs, making the smaller male gasp as his eyes widened. "Yeah, but I'm also kind of impatient to finally make love to my Angel."

My Angel.

Arthur's heart fluttered to hear that, and his body was quickly growing warmer due to the way Alfred was touching him—sweat was starting to form on the back of his neck. It was almost impossible not to lift his hips in an attempt to increase the contact, so he didn't try to resist. He let a keening whine escape as he bucked, giving Alfred a pleading look. Now was not the time for teasing!

Luckily, the American took the hint and kissed him again, his touches on Arthur's member becoming firmer and more deliberate. It had the Angel squirming, his breath coming in short gasps when Alfred pulled away and began kissing down his neck, pausing to lick the mark he'd left earlier, then continued down. The heat of a tongue against his skin made Arthur tremble, his back arching off the bed. Alfred's tongue traced all the way from the hollow of his throat to his bellybutton.

"A-Alfred," he managed, lifting his head to look down just in time to see the taller male flash a smirk back at him, one that had him gulping. In the next moment, hot breath caressed that most sensitive of places and Arthur's entire body tensed in anticipation. His hands gripped the blankets beneath him and his knees drew up slightly, framing Alfred between them. It was sexy, there was no denying that, especially when one of the American's hands wrapped around his thigh, fingers digging in just slightly, and he began kissing the limb without breaking eye contact with the green-eyed Angel.

O-oh…just get on with it…sexy bastard…

Watching Arthur's face slowly turn redder and redder had to be one of the best things in the world. And having those green eyes watch him so intently…well if that didn't turn him on, nothing would. He was finally going to make love to the Angel he'd rescued all those days and weeks ago. Never mind that he didn't know what had changed Arthur's mind or what the consequences might be; none of that mattered right now.

"You look a little impatient, Artie," he cooed before licking the thigh in his grasp. It made Arthur shudder and oh that was a beautiful sight.

"Sh-shut up…don't know why you're teasing..."

Alfred laughed at that and he let his hand slide down to cup the smaller male's hip. God he'd missed how perfectly it fit into his palm. "Who's teasing?" Before Arthur could reply, the bespectacled male ducked his head and took the entirety of the Angel's length into his mouth. A strangled cry sounded and he felt the golden blond jerk, but he was too focused to take the time and glance up to see the expression that came with the sound. He was sure it was sexy as hell, though.

Slowly…

No way was he going to rush this, not now, not ever. So he started off gently, letting his tongue rub and caress the object in his mouth as he sucked, head bobbing just slightly. Within moments he felt fingers gripping his hair and knew that Arthur wanted him to be firmer and faster, judging by the insistent tugs and the way the Angel's hips were rolling, anyway. He understood completely, but that was going to have to wait because he was enjoying the little mewls tumbling from Arthur's lips too much to do anything but continue exactly as he was.

A gentle flick against the tip earned a gasp and Alfred grinned before slowly lifting his head, almost but not quite letting go. When he moved back down he hummed, knowing the vibrations would go all the way through the Angel's length and into his body—the fingers tightening in his hair and a drawn-out moan told him he was right.

Letting his hand move to gently hold the base of Arthur's now-slick member, Alfred took his mouth away and lightly blew on the spit-covered skin. He watched the Angel shiver, knew the whine was coming before it sounded.

"Please, Alfred…"

The sound of his name made him look up and meet Arthur's gaze. His green eyes were only partially open, hazy as they stared down at him through eyelashes and messy golden bangs. His cheeks were flushed and his lower lip was swollen from having been bitten.

Beautiful.

Everything about this man was perfect. There wasn't a single detail that Alfred would have changed, except maybe take away the pain behind faded scars. But the scars themselves didn't bother him—they were part of Arthur so he loved them just the same.

"Alfred? Are you all right?" There was concern in the Angel's tone, and his forehead was creased slightly.

"Yeah." The blue-eyed blond smiled. "Never better."

Slowly, he dragged his tongue from base to tip, his fingers stroking and rubbing the swollen flesh. When he reached the head a new taste made him pause and he realized with a smirk that Arthur was already leaking precum. It was a salty-sweet flavor, one that he rather enjoyed, and he wrapped his tongue around the Angel's length as he sucked, both to not let a trace of the substance escape and to encourage the smaller male's body to produce more of it.

"A-Alfred!"

That was it.

With his hands pinning pale hips to the bed, Alfred relaxed his jaw and took Arthur as deep as he could manage, letting his teeth scrape and tug as he went. His tongue found and rubbed against a vein, driving sound after sound from the Angel. And he sucked, sucked hard as the taste of precum filled his mouth and Arthur writhed, pulling almost abusively at the hair in his grasp.

It urged Alfred on, had him humming deep in his throat while his tongue twisted and rubbed. His fingers dug into the Angel's hips, not hard enough to bruise but enough to keep the golden blond from bucking.

"Hnn…Alf-fred…nn…shit…I…I'm—!"

Arthur's muscles tensed in preparation and Alfred immediately pulled away, left the Angel on the verge of his climax. That taste lingered as he licked the spit and precum from his lips.

Panting, Arthur sat up enough to glare at the taller blond. "Why'd you stop?" he demanded, a desperate edge to his tone. "It hurts to be this bloody close, you know."

Yeah, Alfred knew, and part of him was tempted to take pity on his soon-to-be lover. Arthur's erection did look painful and he knew it would be easy to give him some relief, but he had a plan in mind and he wasn't about to give it up for the sake of a blowjob.

"I know, Artie." Smiling, he kissed the Angel's hip then crawled up his body, dropping open-mouthed kisses as he went. Not until they were face-to-face did he cease his kisses and instead rub his nose against the smaller male's. "I'm not trying to be mean, but I don't want you to cum without me."

Any argument Arthur had been about to put forth vanished from his mind and he stared at Alfred for a moment before looking away, his cheeks flushing darker. "…fine then." It was undeniably sweet of the ash blond to want something like that and he couldn't deny the human when he was acting so affectionate. Besides, they were about to make love for the first time. It should be done properly.

Chuckling, Alfred cupped the Angel's cheek in his hand and turned his face back so he could kiss him. Arthur responded without needing to be encouraged, slipping his tongue into the larger male's mouth and wrapping his arms around Al's neck to draw closer. Their mouths fit together perfectly, lips and tongues moving in a deep but gentle kiss as their bodies pressed against each other. A moan escaped the smaller of the two when his painfully hard length was rubbed against and he shuddered, grinding against Alfred without making the conscious decision to. That in turn made the American press the Angel into the mattress, his attention turning to the neck that would soon bear more than a few marks.

"God, Artie," he muttered under his breath as nails dragged over his back, not breaking the skin but leaving long red lines; he arched into the touch, a shudder working down his spine. "I want you so bad right now."

Hearing it put a smile on Arthur's lips and he slipped his tongue out to trace along the curve of Alfred's ear. "I'm all yours."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger and for cutting it off right before sex. I love you all (even if I don't act like it)!