Matthew didn't know where he was, exactly.

One minute, he was about to walk out his front door to go to school, and the next thing he knew, he was in a dark, quiet place. So dark, in fact, that he couldn't see his hand in front of his own face. It was pitch dark. He blinked a few times just to be sure his eyes were open. For a long time, he debated whether or not to move. What if he was on the edge of something? Would there be more ground underneath his feet in front of him when he took a step, or would he fall into an abyss?

Finally, he figured he would rather have something happen than to be stuck where he was standing, so he took a tentative step forward. To his immense relief, the floor didn't end, and he didn't fall. He tread cautiously a bit more before deciding that everything was solid. The ground felt like packed dirt beneath his bare feet. Oh, he was barefoot. He quickly checked the rest of his body to make sure he was fully clothed, and found that he was.

Matthew, having nothing else to do in this dark, quiet place, started walking. His feet at least made noise when they made contact with the floor, and that kept him occupied for a while. He began counting his footsteps.

One, two, three, four, five...

He kept counting, but as he counted, he thought. He wondered if there was anything in place. A destination of sorts? Maybe somebody else here?

A light switch?

Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine...

For some reason, this situation didn't alarm Matthew. It was almost as if he was used to unusual things by now. He didn't know why, seeing as how nothing weird ever happened to him. He had a pretty normal life. Alfred's friend, Arthur was the one who sometimes claimed to see strange things. Monsters, mythical creatures...

Ghosts...

But Matthew had never seen or met such things.

Two hundred thirteen, two hundred fourteen...

Matthew was beginning to wonder if he was really getting anywhere in this place, when he stepped on something odd. He stopped in his tracks, and tried to identify what it was. It felt soft. It caressed his feet like thick carpet, but it was cold and a bit damp. A plant of some sort? Moss?

As he continued, the ground became more and more moss-covered until it was the only thing Matthew was walking on. It made his footsteps quieter, which made him a bit sad. The change in terrain didn't deter him, though, and he kept going wherever he was going.

One thousand six, one thousand seven, one thousand eight…

Suddenly, a soft wind picked up from somewhere and blew against his back. It was faint, but he could have sworn he heard leaves rustling in trees.

This was just too bizarre. Here he was, in this completely pitch black place, and yet he was hearing trees blowing in the wind.

Maybe he was going mad…?

One thousand five hundred and twenty-eight, one thousand five hundred and twenty-nine…

Pi! Pipi!

… No way. A bird, too? Matthew was starting to get frustrated with not being able to see anything around him. It sounded like he was in a forest of some sort, but all he could hear were the trees and that annoying bird-

Wait. Bird? Somehow… it sounded familiar. Bird… Birds… Birdie… Birdie? What did that have to do with anything? And yet… thinking of that word, he remembered something. He didn't know exactly what. The memory was very muddled, and far back in his mind. He could just barely remember somebody saying it.

"Birdie… I…"

The voice that had spoken was a bit harsh… and it had a German accent…

However, Matthew decided, it was far from unpleasant.

Something wonderful happened, then. He saw a tiny speck of light glowing in the distance. It cast just enough light for him to make out the outlines of trees. Ancient, towering trees stood proudly around him, with thick trunks and boughs full of dark leaves. They must have been centuries old, if not older to have gotten this big. That bird kept chirping, but he couldn't see where it was.

At least now he knew where to go.

He started walking towards the dim light.

Five thousand two hundred and sixty, five thousand two hundred and sixty-one...

Matthew trekked on for what seemed like forever. There was no sense of time here, and no matter how far he walked, the speck of light didn't get any closer. That damn bird was still chirping, and that voice kept trying to break through the surface of his foggy memories. It spoke about love and death, about sadness and pain and fine lines crossed. It kept calling him Birdie for some reason, as if it was an affectionate nickname. Matthew couldn't shake the feeling that he and the voice were intimately connected somehow.

It kept telling him he loved him.

Were they... lovers before?

The light ahead of him got a little brighter, and seemed closer.

Ten thousand one hundred and sixty-eight...

Questions spiraled around Matthew's head as he tried to remember who this voice belonged to. Each time he found a clue or an answer, either as a hint from the voice or from thinking by himself, the light got a little bit brighter and closer. He now knew what this person was to him. He was his lover. He had silvery white hair and bright red eyes. He'd listened to Matthew when everybody else had ignored him. He loved pancakes, and maple syrup, and playing in the snow. He had an odd laugh that just seemed to fit him.

He was also a ghost.

The terrain slowly changed from damp moss to soft grass. He was no longer in the forest, but out in the open in a wide field full of tall grass and flowers. It was still too dim to make out colors, the light matching that of predawn's.

If only I knew his name, he thought, I bet it would get so much brighter in here. That would be amazing… fantastic… awesome…

"My name's Gilbert Beilschmidt and I'm the awesomest person you'll ever meet!"

Matthew's breath hitched at his revelation.

"Gilbert..." he whispered, and was surprised by his own voice. He realized that this was the first time he had talked out loud in this place. When he spoke, everything went completely silent. Even the bird, who had been chirping nonstop throughout his journey, promptly stopped its noise-making.

"That's his name, isn't it?" he shouted as loud as he could into the light.

"GILBERT BEILSCHMIDT!"

For ten agonizing seconds, nothing happened.

Then, the glow exploded.

It exploded into a huge ball of white light as bright and beautiful as the sun. The explosion was so powerful that it knocked Matthew onto his butt, and all he could do was gaze in wonder as it grew and got so close to him he could have reached out and touched it.

A shining, winged form emerged from the light. Matthew couldn't make out the face, but when it spoke, he was reminded immediately of someone from before.

"It seems like you've remembered him."

"... Arthur? Is that you?"

The being chuckled. "No. I am Britannia Angel, guardian of this gate. And you..." He paused. "... Do you know why you are here, Matthew?"

"No... All of this seems like a really vivid dream... Did I pass out?"

"No."

"Um... I'm in a coma?"

"This isn't a dream, Matthew. It's all very real."

It didn't take him long to realize what the angel meant by that. "I'm dead, aren't I?" The angel nodded.

"Indeed." Matthew was dismayed at the angel's affirmation.

"What will happen to me? Where is Gilbert! I want to see him!"

"Please calm yourself. Gilbert Beilschmidt is fine and safe. He has been grieving your passing for several months now, as immortals typically do not forget things easily. As for you seeing him, well..."

The angel floated aside and gestured to the ball of light, presenting it.

"This is the gateway to the afterlife." he announced, none-too-subtly changing the subject. "You have three options. One: you may come with me to the afterlife, where you will stay for the rest of eternity. You will never hunger, never thirst, and you will live in paradise."

"Two: you may stay here." Matthew grimaced, and the angel laughed. "It's not as bad here as you think. This is actually a wonderful place. Worlds like this are of your own creation, did you know? You could stay here and help it grow. You could create creatures and people to live here, make your own little town, even a nation..." The angel trailed off with longing evident in his voice.

"… Um… Mister Britannia Angel sir? My third option?"

"Oh!" he said, as if Matthew had actually interrupted his train of thought. "Of course. Your third and final option…" Matthew leaned forward in anticipation. Finally, he would get to become a ghost and see Gilbert again!

"Though I'm quite sure you would never choose this…"

The violet eyed teen wondered why the angel would say such a thing. Of course he wanted to become a ghost! It was his only chance. He brushed it off as playful sarcasm.

"… is to go to Hell."

Yes!

… Wait…

What?

Matthew's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates in shock and despair. He was completely frozen.

"E-excuse me…?" he stuttered. "Hell?"

The angel nodded. "Well… yes. I didn't think you would want to go, but it is protocol to give that option. Some people feel quite guilty about the things they've done in life and actually choose to go there." He crossed his arms. "Did you want to-?"

"NO!" Matthew shouted immediately to stop the angel. "I mean… Are you sure those are the only choices? There's not a fourth? I couldn't…"

The angel cocked his head to the side. "You couldn't what?"

Matthew fidgeted and looked down. "Couldn't I… um… go back? To Earth, I mean?"

"Why? You will be nothing but a spirit. No human would be able to see or hear you."

"I know. But…" He got up from the ground and brushed himself off. "There's somebody there who needs me. And I need him."

Britannia chuckled. "You're speaking of Gilbert, am I correct?" Matthew blushed lightly and nodded.

"Yeah."

"Well, I guess there's only one thing we can do about that, isn't there?" Even though Matthew couldn't see his face, he could picture the angel smiling through his words. He wondered if he not only sounded like Arthur, but also looked like him.

Britannia snapped his fingers, and the ball of light changed colors, from a harsh white to a soft yellow that looked more like sunlight.

"Here we are. This will take you to your home. I suggest you take these."

A pair of shoes materialized on the ground in front of Matthew. He picked them up and examined them with raised eyebrows.

"Shoes?"

"Of course. You don't want to walk around barefooted forever, do you?"

Matthew supposed that made sense, and put the shoes on. They were comfortable.

"Well, if that's all, then it's time for you to go." The angel made it so that the light was at ground level so Matthew could walk through. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Matthew. I wish you the best."

"Thank you, Britannia!" Matthew said with a smile taking over his face. He felt like crying from happiness, but his tears wouldn't fall here. He approached the light cautiously, and reached out to touch it. It was warm and welcoming. He walked through, sparing one last glance at the wonderful angel. He was waving goodbye to him. And for a split second, as he was enveloped by the light, he thought he saw the angel's face smiling at him, bright green eyes shining.

Matthew knew exactly where he was.

One minute he was walking through a portal of sunlight, and the next he was in a dark, quiet place. That was probably because it was nighttime in front of his house. It wasn't that dark, though, because the street lamps were on. It was quiet, though, because when he looked around, he saw snow gently falling from the sky. An inch had already accumulated on the ground. He was suddenly grateful for the shoes he'd been given.

For a long moment, he debated whether to take a step forward and open the door. What if his brother heard him? Or worse... What if Gilbert wasn't there?

Finally, he decided that he would rather have something happen than to be stuck standing in the cold.

He took a tentative step forward and opened the door.

A/N: Happy? :3 See, good ending ^^ BUT REMEMBER, ONE MORE CHAPTER! Tell me if you want them to have sex in the epilogue, kay? I can't promise it'll be the best, since I've never written smut before...

I swore to myself that I would get this up before Spring Break, because after that it'll be a WHOLE WEEK without access to my laptop. That means next chapter will be later than you're used to, sorry! But it's the awesome, fluffy, squeal-inducing happy ending you've all been waiting for! You can wait just a little longer, right? :3

Thank you to everybody who's followed so far! Reviews make my day, but I'll be late with replies past Friday night.

Cheers~

~Jel