A/N: Day six's prompt was worlds beyond. (An AU of your choosing.)
Title: I Promise
Warnings: Rather angsty
Summary: Alfred has news for Arthur, but the Brit has a sad surprise for him as well.
"Arthur, Arthur!" I called ecstatically as I ran inside and shut the door to our apartment.
Arthur was gonna be so proud of me. We'd been living together now for two years, though pretty modestly. It was pretty hard as it was, keeping our secret. Arthur didn't work; he didn't want to risk someone figuring out that two men were living together, supporting each other, and being more than friends. He feared what might happen to us, and that was fine, because in all honesty I did too. So Arthur would stay at home, do the chores, sometimes leave the flat to go shopping, but that was basically it. I had to bring in the dough to support both of us, and it was pretty hard only having a low paying factory job. But that's what I was so excited to tell Arthur about. I'd gotten a raise! We could afford more now! I could finally buy my love some luxuries he's always wanted.
Arthur and I met five years ago. He'd come overseas with the premise to study and we'd met in town. I wasn't much for school, but I worked in my dad's shop downtown. Arthur stopped in one day and we got to talking... and I guess we never stopped. He kept studying, and eventually I got a job at a nearby factory and started to support myself. I bought an apartment and asked Arthur to move in with me. When he agreed, I became the happiest guy on the planet.
So time passed. Arthur finished his studies and hung his diploma on the wall, and eventually his visa expired. But Arthur didn't move out, oh no, I made sure of that. We moved again, to make sure no one would find him, and Arthur lived with me secretly. The landowner of the new place was a kind man, also foreign, and he seemed to pity us. He promised to keep quiet about everything and somehow that was enough. Just having Arthur around, to hug and kiss and make love to was enough. Everything was alright, and with this new raise it was about to get better.
"Arthur!" I called through the halls again. "Artie, I've got some great news!"
That was odd. Usually Arthur always came to the door to greet me. I frowned as I toed out of my shoes and slipped off my jacket. As I was hanging my coat up in the closet, I heard something. It was a soft and quiet sound emerging from our bedroom, but I couldn't quite identify it. I finished with my jacket and made my way to our bedroom door, pausing when I heard the sound again. This time it was more defined and I could tell what it was; Arthur was whimpering.
"Art, are you okay?" I asked as I knocked on the door and walked inside. Arthur was curled up in a blanket on our bed, sobbing erratically. He was biting his lip and trying to control it as he looked at me, but tears continued to roll down his cheeks. I ran over and threw my arms around him. Arthur never ever cried like this.
"Arthur, what's wrong?" I tried to ask gently, rubbing his back. He leant forward, into my chest, and continued to cry, wetting my already sweat-soaked shirt. I continued to pat his back, and whispered reassuring words. I kissed his ear and the tip of his nose a few times, but he just kept on sobbing.
"Shh, Arthur, everything's gonna be okay. Everything's gonna be alright."
I don't know what it was that I said, but that seemed to set Arthur off. He sobbed harder, and I frowned, feeling completely useless in the situation. I don't know how long I sat there, trying to comfort Arthur, and failing miserably. All I could do was hold him close, squeeze his hand, and wait for the onslaught of tears to stop. Eventually they did let up, as the cries turned to whimpers, and ultimately Arthur stopped making any noises. I shifted uncomfortably in the silence, my eyes glued on Arthur. Not a second later, he looked up at me, eyes puffy and red, and reached a hand out to touch my face. He ran his fingertips along my cheeks and nose, over my eyebrows and forehead, and finally my lips. I glanced at him confused, and he returned the stare with a look of sadness and desperation.
"I love you," he whispered hoarsely, as he forced a smile. "I love you so damn much."
I answered with furrowed brows and my own distraught smile. I still had no idea why Arthur was crying.
"I love you too, sweetheart," I said as tenderly as I could. I brushed back some of the fringe and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I love you more than you could ever imagine."
I thought now would be a great time to let Arthur know about the good news; maybe it would make him feel better.
"Hey, Arthur, guess what? I talked to the boss like I promised I would, and he's giving me a raise! He's bumping up my salary 10%. Isn't that great? Now I can buy you those books you wanted, and maybe we can buy a new radio too-"
And I'd managed to screw up for a second time. At some point while I was talking, Arthur had started to tear up again. I frowned and held him tight, as he buried his face into my chest once more. I was stroking his back lightly when I saw it; a piece of paper lay on the floor, wet in few spots from what I presumed were tears. I let go of Arthur for a moment to pick it up, and he leaned back to see what I was doing. When he saw what was in my hands, he frowned, and started to wipe at his eyes. Worried, I flipped the paper over and quickly scanned it over. My eyes widened, and within seconds I suddenly realized why Arthur had shed so many tears.
The paper... it was a draft order. I had a week before I was to be shipped off to a training camp, and from there, onto London. I'd been called up to fight.
I looked up and found Arthur smiling ever so lightly.
"Don't die on me, alright?" he asked in a near whisper. "I love you and you're not allowed to die."
"Arthur..." I said gently but pulled him into a tight embrace. I squeezed him as tight as could, and this time, I buried my face into his shoulder. "I won't, I promise. Anything for you."
And I damn well meant those words. I would do anything for Arthur... including cheating death.