Hello, everyone! Sorry for the wait after that super-intense chapter xD I hope you enjoy the next one!

((As a little easter egg for those of you who have read my other stories - some of Arthur's memories here are from those AUs!))

Small, dull spots of color moved across his vision, but Arthur didn't have the strength to open his eyes. He couldn't feel anything.

He felt very heavy. Inanimate.

Was he dead? Was this what death felt like?

...where...who...

...

'My Queen.'

Arthur slowly opened his eyes, instantly shutting them again as bright light filtered through the room.

'You've slept a long time. Did you have good dreams?'

His voice was teasing.

...His voice?

...who was...

'Bloody hell, Alfred, it's your fault,' Arthur heard himself groan.

Al...Alfred. That's right. That's right, it was Alfred. Of course.

'Is today not a holiday?'

He saw Alfred move towards him, a different Alfred, but so much the same...

...

'You're freezing. Your pulse is dropping.'

'R-Really now...'

Cold. Cold. It was too cold, all of a sudden, and...and he was in water.

Why did he feel fear? Why was he hyperventilating? Why...

'Come with me.'

This Alfred was beautiful, his eyes radiant and deep, but he was soaked...and...and something about him was different.

'Pardon?' Arthur heard himself say.

'Come with me," Alfred repeated. He suddenly gripped Arthur's shoulders, his hands gentle but firm. 'My name is Alfred, and I will take you to safety.'

...

Arthur walked down the street, a bag of groceries in his hand. But he felt...different.

His heart felt heavy. His steps were brisk as he walked, but...he felt a bit empty inside.

'I left him the note, right?' Arthur heard himself say.

Why was he talking to himself?

He felt painful as he thought of Alfred. For some reason, this Alfred...he was hurt. Something...what was it...

But he loved him so, so much. That he knew. That would never change, but...but sometimes, it was so hard...

He felt warm tears begin to roll down his cheeks. Others constantly asked why he did it. But there was nothing else he could do.

Because he loved Alfred.

...

It was dark again.

It felt like ages since he'd seen anything.

He felt warm, too warm, but...but something was lifting him up.

Suddenly, he was lighter, and he felt more real, and...color...from the back of his eyelids, was he seeing light?

"Shh...he'll wake up when he's ready. Stop being so impatient, Gilbert."

Arthur could hear voices talking over him, and he was instantly overcome with a strange sense of deja vu.

He slowly opened his eyes, and he saw Gilbert, Elizaveta, and Alfred peering down at him.

Gilbert had dirt and cuts all over his face, and his hair was messy, but Elizaveta seemed cleaner than he had seen her in the cell, although her hair was still short and kind of a mess. Alfred's blond hair fell into his eyes as he stared down at Arthur worriedly.

"Oh my - ARTHUR!" cried Alfred, immediately wrapping him in a bone-crushing hug.

Elizaveta immediately hit Alfred on the head, and he let go with a pout.

"He's still recovering and you're all over him like a dumb mutt!" Elizaveta growled, looking at Arthur worriedly. "I just hope none of his wounds reopened..."

At the mention of wounds, Arthur was suddenly hit with a wave of pain, and he winced.

"See, I told you to be careful!"

"Hey, I said I'm sorry!"

"You never apologized! Apologize to Arthur right now!"

"S-Sorry, Arthur," Alfred said sheepishly, a smile on his face. "I..." His eyes softened. "For everything."

"No worries," Arthur responded automatically, blinking rapidly. "W-What happened?" His memories still felt a bit hazy, although his mind was a lot clearer than it had been before.

"Roddy has a thing for Liz," Gilbert grinned, "So he managed to do some aristocratic bullshit - I mean, maneuvering - to convince the higher-ups to let you guys go, since you're human and you're still alive."

Arthur turned to Alfred in surprise.

Human?

But that would mean...

Alfred smiled at him. "Arthur, I'm human. But you knew that all along, didn't you? After all, you were the first one to tell me that I had a heart."

And that was when Arthur began to cry.

"Alfred, what did I tell you about making Arthur cry?!"

Arthur could barely contain his laughter as Elizaveta began chasing Alfred around the house with her frying pan.

But when everyone had finally left him alone, Arthur was left to his thoughts. About what had happened, and...especially those dreams.

"Strange," he mused to himself, frowning. "Were those..."

Suddenly, he remember what Matthew had said. About the dreams, about how they...how they were different worlds, about how he and Alfred were inexplicably tied.

Arthur bit his lip, unable to hold back the smile that spread across his face.

And for the first time, he recalled the song of his own will.

'I am drawn to you like a magnet...

Even if I left, we would find each other again

I've touched you; I can never go back, and that's just fine.

You are everything in the world to me.'

"Are you sure you're okay? You don't need anything?"

"Yes, Alfred," Arthur sighed tiredly. He leaned back on his elbows, struggling to sit up, but Alfred refused to let him, gently pushing down on his shoulders.

Elizaveta and Gilbert were in the kitchen preparing dinner as Alfred explained to him that he had been unconscious for over a week.

"I was so worried," Alfred said softly, looking down. "I thought...I thought the same thing might have happened again. And...A-And seeing you like that..." He looked as if he were about to cry.

"Alfred...look at me."

Alfred shook his head. "I don't deserve to. I've brought you nothing but pain."

"...You brought me light, Alfred."

Alfred looked up, slight confusion in his eyes.

"You showed me darkness. But you also showed me light. And that is something to be grateful for," Arthur said, smiling.

Alfred allowed himself to smile, although Arthur knew he still hadn't forgiven himself.

But Arthur knew he had said enough. Comforted him enough. Only time could heal what Arthur couldn't.

"Y-You know," Alfred said, walking over to the table by the bed. "I...I was able to...when I changed back, I was able to remember everything." He frowned. "It's weird...I don't remember what happened to us before as well...but I did regain memories of what I did when I was a demon." He turned back to Arthur. "I put you through a lot."

"You did. You were quite the handful."

Alfred smiled bitterly. "It's weird...it's like, I have memories of me doing that, and what I was feeling, but...it's so weird to think of me doing that now, you know?"

Arthur could imagine, and he nodded.

"But," Alfred paused, opening the drawer and taking out a pair of red glasses. Arthur's eyes widened. "My eyesight got worse again. Which sucks. So I'm just gonna assume these still work..."

With a smile, Alfred walked over to the bed, sitting on the chair next to it as he gingerly handed the glasses to Arthur. "Put them on me?"

"...Alfred, you know I can't sit up."

Alfred pouted. "Aww. Then I guess I have to wait."

"You can always put them on yourself."

Alfred sighed, giving Arthur a long look before putting his glasses on.

"Now I can see how much you're suffering."

Arthur snorted, and Alfred reached over gently to hold Arthur's hand in his own.

His pinky finger was missing. Huh. He didn't remember that. He supposed he should be thankful; his brain probably blocked out the worst of the memories.

Alfred gently rubbed circles over Arthur's palm with his thumb.

"Arthur, uh..."

Arthur looked at him.

"So I guess...in the end, you never did remember anything. About us."

"Matthew told me I wouldn't be able to."

Alfred's eyes widened. "M-Matthew?"

Arthur's eyes softened. "He's an angel, Alfred. But he called you his brother."

"M-Matthew...Matthew was my brother, before. But he...he passed away, in an accident."

"...I'm sorry."

"No, it's..." Alfred sighed. "It's...it's done with, and...if that's where he ended up..." Alfred smiled. "Then that makes me happy."

Arthur smiled. It was perfect for kind, gentle Matthew. Fitting.

"I wonder why," Arthur began, gazing at the ceiling. "Against all odds, we found each other again."

Because even with the dreams, even with Matthew...it was still a bit much to take in.

Alfred blinked.

"Even though you became a demon, even though I was reborn in a completely different time, a different place..." Arthur turned to Alfred. "I still...we still found each other."

Alfred grinned. "It's meant to be, Arthur."

He blushed slightly, looking away again. "It doesn't make any sense."

Suddenly he recalled several of the dreams he had, Alfred in a long blue suit, a crown on his head...

But that couldn't be possible. Right? Well, Matthew had said that they were more than dreams, but...

He had called him his queen.

Arthur shook his head suddenly. It was foolish, fantasizing like this. Especially over a dream.

"It makes sense to me, Arthur," Alfred said suddenly, his eyes bright. "I feel like I was born to meet you."

"Oh, will you stop it with those cheesy lines!" Arthur huffed, suddenly overcome with embarrassment. Alfred laughed.

"Aww, c'mon, you know you feel the same way!"

"I do not!"

"Yes you do! What was that...what was it you told me before...Oh! Your confession was definitely really bold, and you told me that I was enough and that we were -"

"Ohhh, will you stop it! I...I take it back!"

"You can't take it back!" Alfred exclaimed, his eyes wide in mock hurt. "You already said it! That's like...that's like eating a pizza and saying you didn't eat it!"

"What does food have to do with anything?"

"Will you two stop arguing for two seconds?!" Elizaveta stormed into the room, glaring at Alfred. "And you! Stop provoking him! Honestly, you're just as bad as you were before!"

Alfred grinned, holding up his hands in surrender. "Oops."

"Arthur dear," Elizaveta said, turning to Arthur. "Dinner's in the kitchen, whenever you're ready. Alfred!"

"Y-Yeah?"

Elizaveta laughed. "I trust you, you know. To take care of him."

Alfred frowned. "You're...you're leaving already?"

Arthur froze, his gaze slowly shifting to Elizaveta. Gilbert stood by her side, his eyes downcast.

"I'm afraid...well, with Al here feeling better..."

"You could stay," Arthur blurted out without thinking. "It...you don't have to leave."

Elizaveta tilted her head. "Oh, Arthur..." She shook her head sadly. "We don't belong here. We're demons."

"Liz..." Alfred began. "Before...before you were a demon...what were you?"

Elizaveta shook her head again, smiling.

"Not allowed to talk about that," Gilbert said, coughing. "Taboo."

"The house is back to normal," Arthur noticed for the first time, his eyes wide.

Gilbert laughed. "Yeah. Got Roddy to help us fix it."

"Then," Alfred said, pressing further, "If...if you could be reborn again, what would you choose?"

Elizaveta's eyes widened.

She paused.

"A flower would be nice. In a nice, sunny meadow. I could be a green flower. Gilbert could be a pink flower."

"I never said I wanted to be a flower."

"Shush," Elizaveta said.

"But still..." Gilbert's voice dropped slightly. "You..."

Elizaveta turned to face him, and Alfred and Arthur watched the two curiously.

"You still..." Gilbert's expression tensed. "Me, over Roderich..."

Elizaveta froze for a fraction of a second before smiling, lightly punching Gilbert in the chest. "You fool," she whispered sadly. "It was always you."

She whirled around to Arthur and Alfred suddenly. "Well, now that I know Arthur's okay and well-fed for the night, we really should head back. Alfred. I trust you to take care of him. Don't screw up again, okay?" Her voice was sugary sweet, her words veiling a threat. "Because if you do screw up again, we won't be there to help you."

Alfred gulped. "G-Got it, Liz."

"Good."

She smiled, reaching over and kissing Arthur on the forehead. "Goodbye, Arthur." She walked over to Alfred and Gilbert mussed up Arthur's hair affectionately.

"Later, Art."

"It's Arthur."

Gilbert cackled. "Whatever you say, Art."

Elizaveta hugged Alfred, and he hugged her back, clear pain in his eyes. Elizaveta's eyes grew watery as she pulled away.

"A-And goodbye, Alfred."

Gilbert fistbumped Alfred, the two grinning sadly at each other, before Gilbert followed Elizaveta to the door.

Suddenly, Elizaveta turned around.

"I..." Her voice cracked. "I know that we'll meet again. All four of us. And we'll be able to laugh about all this."

And with that, they left.

And the house was silent once again.

"Arthur. Say ahhh."

"I don't need you to feed me, you git, I can eat well enough on my own."

Arthur had managed to sit up, and since Gil and Liz had helped accelerate his healing process, he was actually feeling significantly better than he had been when he woke up. He leaned against the back of the bed, trying to push Alfred away.

"Awww, c'mon, at least let me feed you once! I'll never get this opportunity again!"

Arthur groaned. "Alfred, this is humiliating. And I don't care, the answer is still no."

"Arthurrr..."

"You seem to have cheered up quickly."

Alfred fell silent again, a frown on his face. "No, it's just...I still feel them, you know. Like they're with us."

"I do as well."

"And I kinda feel like we'll see them again, you know? Nothing lasts forever," Alfred said with a smile.

And Alfred had said he was the strong one.

Arthur smiled at him, and he suddenly cleared his throat with a light frown. "Very well, Alfred. You may feed me once."

"Really?!" Alfred jumped up and down with excitement. "OMG OMG. Okay. Uh. Do you want the veggies first, or the curry?"

"I don't have a preference. Just get it over with."

"Awww, you don't have to be so grumpy...okay. Curry it is!"

"Don't you dare spill it on me, Alfred, I'm warning you -"

"Say ahhh!"

"..."

Arthur silently opened his mouth, his cheeks pink, as Alfred gave him a spoonful of food.

It was delicious. Arthur closed his eyes, reminded so strongly of Elizaveta. The curry was just like her. Mild, somewhat sweet, but extremely spicy when he least expected it.

"Want some water?"

"Please," Arthur said, and Alfred handed him the glass. He took it gratefully, his eyes watering.

"You really can't handle spicy stuff, huh."

"I'm afraid not," Arthur smiled slightly, putting the glass down on the table next to him. "Alfred, are you going to eat now as well?"

"Huh. Oh, yeah...not really hungry," he mumbled.

Arthur stared at him in shock. Alfred? Not hungry? Did Alfred really just say he wasn't hungry?

"Are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah, I'm...I'm fine. I'll wait until you're done."

"Alfred, I'd feel very uncomfortable if you just sat there while I ate. Let's eat together."

"Arthur..."

"Alfred. Please."

Alfred shrugged. "Anything for you, little lion." He stood up abruptly, leaving the surprised Arthur.

Little lion. It's what the demon Alfred used to call him. Why had he suddenly...Arthur felt himself flush slightly as he remembered it.

Alfred arrived with a large, characteristically-Alfred sized portion of food on his plate, sitting next to Arthur. "Wow, it's good," he remarked, stuffing his face with it. He seemed not to notice Arthur's discomfort, or his lapse in speech.

He noticed Arthur staring at him. "Hmm? Whazzap?" he said through a mouthful of food.

Arthur shook his head quickly. "No, it's...nothing."

Alfred frowned. "Tell me."

Arthur blushed again. "It isn't important."

"Are you sick again? You look kinda red."

"That's your fault, you dolt!"

Oh no.

"I-I mean...er...yes, I might be feeling a bit feverish..."

Alfred grinned. "Was it something I said?"

Arthur's eyes widened. That manipulative little...so he knew. He said it on purpose.

"You're impossible," Arthur said, looking away.

"You're adorable."

"Shut up."

Alfred chuckled as he practically inhaled his food. He ended up finishing before Arthur, and after he put his plate away he walked over to Arthur, leaning forward until their foreheads were touching.

Arthur froze. "A-Alfred -"

"I love you."

"What?"

"I love you," Alfred said slowly, emphasizing each word. "More than myself. And I'll never let you, or me, forget that again."

"Alfred..." Arthur was at a loss for words. So he did what felt natural, setting aside the plate on the table and leaned forward, kissing him.

Arthur was filled with warmth as they kissed slowly, Alfred getting on the bed and climbing over him.

And soon, Arthur drew back, averting his gaze.

Because he felt tired, so tired, and Alfred seemed to sense that as he rolled over, lying next to Arthur.

"You can sleep," Alfred said, a tender smile on his face. "I will wait. I will be by your side. Always."

And so Arthur slept, gazing into Alfred's eyes one last time before sleep took over.

There is one more chapter after this, and then an epilogue. I hope you enjoy them!