A Selection of our Firsts
A/N: Warning: suggestive content but, sadly, no lemons.
"Alfred. Alfred, you need to get up."
Arthur stood next to the bed that Alfred was sleeping on, fully dressed and ready to go out and seize the day. Alfred, on the other hand, was incredibly not ready to seize the day as he was still fast asleep. Arthur assumed that he was hungover from the previous night. The Brit had decided that he was going to be nice, so he had let Alfred wake up of his own accord; this decision was made at 7:30AM. Hours passed and once it reached midday Arthur made the unanimous decision to wake Alfred up. He'd planned a lovely, romantic day for them and if Alfred didn't surface soon then there would be no point in it as half of the day had already been wasted.
"Alfred, you really do need to get up love." Arthur reached across the bed and gently began to shake the sleeping American who didn't even stir. Arthur sighed and stood back up, his hands on his hips and his emerald eyes narrowed.
"I swear to God Alfred, if you don't get up right now I will not be blamed for my actions." Nothing. The American was dead to the world.
The Brit rolled his eyes. "Fine," he huffed. "I did warn you."
Arthur didn't care that the American probably couldn't actually hear him, to him that didn't matter. It was Alfred's own fault that he'd gotten drunk, no-one else's. Arthur smiled faintly as he reminisced on the events of last night. It had taken all of the Brit's self-restraint to turn the clingy American down, but Arthur had wanted to wait for the right, romantic moment. All things being well, that night would be tonight. His feet padded loudly as he walked across the floor of the apartment and headed to the kitchen. He glumly noted that Christmas was coming up which meant going to Francis' for Christmas dinner; he'd have to remember to contact Francis later and ask him whether they were still invited. Not that he wanted to go, of course. It would just be nice for Alfred.
Arthur whistled a melodic tune to himself as he rummaged about in the cupboards for the bucket. After searching several different cupboards he finally located the bucket and he pulled it out, frowning at the tinge of guilt that had hit him when he thought about what he was actually planning to do with the bucket. Ah, well… He turned the cold tap on and placed the bucket underneath, watching the water slowly rise to the top. Deciding it had reached a suitable volume; the Brit switched off the tap and removed the bucket. Careful not to spill any, he carried the bucket of water into his and Alfred's bedroom. Again, he stood by the bed and issued Alfred a fair warning.
"Alfred, if you don't get up right now then I will pour this bucket of cold water all over you."
As expected, the Brit received no response from the practically comatose American. He raised his eyebrows, took in a deep breath and raised the bucket.
"I'm just being cruel to be kind, love." And in a way, he kind of was. Cold water in the face tends to help rid a hangover. He swung his arms back and threw the cold water all over the American. Instantly, Alfred bolted up, his mouth slightly agape from the shock of having water tipped over him.
"What the hell? Dude, did you just tip water all over me?" Alfred looked furious and Arthur momentarily panicked that perhaps the day wouldn't go smoothly after all.
"Uh.. " Arthur began, rubbing the nape of his neck with his hand. "Good morning?" He said, his pitch rising at the end of the question.
"Well no, actually. Funnily enough, some stupid idiot decided to tip water all over me instead of y'know waking me up nicely like normal people do! And, for some reason, I have a banging headache. So, if you could just turn around, walk right out of here and let me sleep then it'd be very much appreciated." Alfred snapped angrily, before realising that he couldn't lie back down as the bed sheets were wet.
What Alfred hadn't noticed whilst he was furiously ranting was the expression of barely contained anger that was evident on the victim of verbal abuse's face.
"Well," the Brit began, his words a quiet, deadly hiss. "I tried to wake you up, you moron, but you were unresponsive probably due to the large amount of alcohol you consumed which explains your headache."
Alfred opened his mouth to protest or apologise, but the Brit wasn't done yet. "No, I'm not finished! I had planned for us to have a wonderful day today; it was going to be really romantic, and we were going to have a great time! But, nooo, you just had to go and wake up all grumpy and spoil everything!" The Brit stopped aware that his face had probably turned red from shouting.
"Arthur." Alfred began, and he obviously couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face as he apparently realised something.
"What?" Arthur snapped, bringing his head up once again to glare at the American. "What are you smiling at?"
"We're arguing like a married couple," Alfred concluded. "It's kinda weird."
Arthur took a deep breath and chuckled. "I guess we are. So," he paused, hesitant. "Do you still want to go out?"
Alfred grinned, and ruffled his dirty blonde locks. Arthur was amazed to see that despite Alfred's hair being wet, the American's cowlick still continued to defy gravity. "'Course I do; I gotta shower first though. Oh, and I need painkillers."
Arthur checked his watch, his large eyebrows knotted as he tried to calculate how much time they'd have. "You have half an hour," he warned. "Or I'm going on this super amazing date that I planned specially without you."
"Oh, I do love you." Alfred joked, gathering up his things so he could have a quick shower.
"I don't doubt it." The Brit responded with a wink and he sashayed out of the room, leaving Alfred alone to get ready.
Precisely thirty minutes later, the pair stepped out of their apartment and onto the London street. It was a crisp, cold December day and the Brit had to do up the buttons on his coat to stop himself from freezing.
"Couldn't have picked a colder day, huh?" Alfred joked as Arthur locked the door to the apartment.
"All part of the date." Arthur reassured, a crooked smile on his face. "It gives it that added quirk."
Alfred rolled his eyes and the pair walked down the street. Arthur led the way as he was the only one out of the two that actually knew where they were going.
"So, are you gonna eventually tell me where we're going?" Alfred asked, an excited gleam shining in his baby blues.
Arthur grinned, also excited. "Can't you see it? It's staring you right in the face." The Brit gestured to the surrounding London environment.
Alfred scrunched up his face, his glasses slipping slightly. "I don't see anything," he remarked. "It's just London. There's Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, big red buses and the River Thames."
Arthur shifted himself, putting his weight on one foot and then the other. How long would it take Alfred to figure it out?
"Oh!" The American exclaimed, excitedly. "Are we going on the London Eye? Are we, Artie? I mean, it's okay if we're not, but I'm just saying it'd be awesome if we were."
Arthur rolled his eyes, chuckling. "Yes, Alfred, we're going on the London Eye."
"Yes! That's awesome!" The American announced, jumping in the air with a fist-pump causing the Brit to roll his eyes again.
"Honestly, Alfred, you can be such a child." Arthur chided, as they made their way to the London landmark.
"I know! You love me for it anyway." The Brit didn't respond because he knew that it was true.
"I bloody hate queues." The Brit proclaimed as they stood in the line for the London Eye. They had been queuing for about thirty minutes.
"Hey!" Alfred elbowed the Brit in the ribs. "You can't hate queuing! You're British."
Arthur rolled his eyes."I have no idea where that stereotype comes from, but I can confirm that it's not accurate." He muttered, as they moved forward.
"We should be able to get onto the next pod now!" Alfred announced, excitedly and Arthur saw that he was right; they were right at the front of the queue now. About bloody time.
The pod opened as its previous occupants got off and the pair, along with a few other tourists, stepped onto the pod.
"Oh wow, this place is so cool!" Alfred exclaimed as he ran to the far side of the pod causing some of the tourists to giggle at the excited American.
Arthur smiled fondly at the American's child-like antics; the Brit had put a lot of thought into the date- not that he expected Alfred to notice as the American still hadn't gained his full memory back. The doctors said it should take about a month for it to fully come back. Arthur had chosen all of their "firsts" as the date theme. He could've chosen many "firsts", and so could've chosen a load of locations, but he felt that the three he'd chosen were the most important and he wanted to share them with Alfred. The London Eye was Arthur's fondest spot; the memory would be one that he would tell his children (if he and Alfred decided to adopt) and his grandchildren. It was the first time that he'd been able to call Alfred his fiancé.
Alfred stopped running around the pod to stand next to Arthur who was gazing at the view .They both stood and admired the spectacular sight that was London.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Arthur asked, though his eyes weren't looking at the streets of London. They were looking at his partner; the love of his love who never ever got any less beautiful.
"Yeah, it really is." Alfred agreed, his blue eyes gazing dreamily at the view.
Arthur sighed and looked back out at the view. "Do you know why I chose this place for our date today?"
Alfred shook his head. "No. Why did you?"
Arthur smiled softly and tore his eyes away from the view to look at Alfred. "About a year ago, on a cold December day much like this one, we came on the London Eye together."
"But I've never been-" The American stopped himself, realising why he couldn't remember being on the London Eye. "Sorry, carry on."
Arthur continued; undeterred. "You were worried about me that day- you said that I was acting strangely and I'll admit it, I was. I was extremely nervous, my stomach was filled with butterflies and I honestly thought that I was going to throw up. And no, I was not hungover."
He chuckled, his face turning slightly red as he realised that Alfred's stunning blue eyes were focused entirely on him.
"It felt as if the little black box was burning a hole in my pocket and all I could think was 'What if he says no?' And we stood in a pod, just like this, both of us looking at the view and I did it. I got on one knee, held out the ring and asked you to marry me, right in front of a group of random Japanese tourists."
He chuckled again, and found that he had to wipe away a stray tear that had involuntarily leaked from his green orbs.
"And then the craziest thing happened," the Brit paused, smiling at the memory. "You said yes. And everyone else clapped and I cried and you cried, and with trembling fingers from pent-up nerves and happiness, I slid the ring onto your finger and we kissed and I could've sworn that I was floating on air. I don't think I'd ever been so happy in my entire life."
Arthur finished and glanced across at the American to see that he was crying. Wet, salty tears were running down Alfred's face and he made no move to wipe them away.
"Did it really happen like that?" Alfred asked his typically loud voice no more than a whisper.
The Brit nodded. "Exactly like that."
"I wish I could remember." Alfred replied, glumly. "It sounded amazing, you sound amazing."
Arthur shrugged. "I try my best." He comfortingly patted Alfred on the shoulder. "Don't worry Alfred, you'll remember in time."
The door to their pod opened and it was only then that Arthur noticed that their ride was over. "Ready to go?" He asked, grabbing the American's hand.
"Sure I am!" Alfred grinned and the two got off.
"Okay, so where are we going next?" Alfred began as soon as they'd walked away from the London Eye.
"My, someone's eager," the Brit remarked, a grin on his face.
"Guilty as charged!" The American beamed, slinging an arm over Arthur who huffed in response.
"Next destination: the cinema!" Arthur announced.
"Hell yes
As they stood in yet another queue, Alfred asked a question that Arthur wasn't really expecting.
"So, what's this one?"
Green eyes narrowed in slight confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Come on, I know you." Alfred gestured to their surroundings. "This place has got to have some kind of significance to it." Alfred grinned as they moved forward in the queue.
"There is," the Brit allowed, also moving forward in the queue. "But, I'm not telling you until after the movie."
Alfred pouted. "Why not?"
"I want to keep you in suspense, of course." Arthur chuckled at the American's sad reaction and they moved forward in the queue.
"Two adult tickets for The Amazing Spider-man 2 please." Arthur asked the cashier who accepted their money and gave them the tickets.
"C'mon Artie, we're gonna be late in!" The American yelled excitedly as he began to pull Arthur towards their screen-room.
"We don't need to go in yet. We can wait until after the trailers."
Alfred dropped Arthur's arm, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. "You can't do that, I love the trailers! How else are you gonna know what movie you wanna see next?"
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Sometimes you can be so…" He trailed off, not really sure what he was going to say after that.
"I know!" The American beamed and ran towards the screen-room.
Arthur gave an indignant cry of "Alfred!" before ambling after the American.
"Okay, why did that have to happen? Why? I mean, I knew it was gonna happen, but why?" The film was finished. They were outside waiting for a taxi and Alfred was devastated. His bright, blue eyes were bloodshot and his face was wet with tears. Arthur knew that the American hadn't expected the film to be so tragic and yet it was. Gwen Stacey's death had obviously left a hole in the American's heart- he was experiencing "the feels."
"Oh, come on Alfred, it wasn't that sad." Arthur gently scolded the distraught American.
"But, it was," the American sniffled. "It was just… Ugh."
Arthur rolled his eyes and the pair stood waiting in silence. (Apart from the American's constant sniffling, this only caused the Brit to roll his eyes more.)
The silence was broken when Alfred, who had finally recovered, asked Arthur a question. "So, are you gonna tell me now?"
Arthur immediately clicked on to what the American meant and nodded. "Yes. I promised I would."
"So?" Alfred asked, intrigued.
"Give me a chance!" Arthur snapped, but there was no bite to it. "Okay, so it must've been about two years from now. Yet again, it was this time of the month and it was bitterly cold. Though, the cold didn't bother me for I was far too nervous."
"Nervous for what?" Alfred asked, impatient to hear the rest of the story.
"Stop talking and let me continue!" Alfred put his hands up in surrender. "It was our first date. Well the coffee trip doesn't count, and I was so nervous. I liked you, really liked you and I was worried that you didn't like me back."
The Brit paused, wondering about how to continue his explanation. "It was your idea to go to the cinema- a Marvel film was on. I can't remember which, so we went to go and see it. Afterwards, we came out here and waited. I waited for a taxi and you waited for Matthew- who you were living with at the time." He smiled softly, remembering the way his stomach had tightened into knots at the prospect of what he hoped was going to come next.
"We stood outside for about five minutes, shuffling our feet and making awkward comments about the film. You were the one who had the courage that time. You stepped forward and asked me if I had a good time. I nodded. You asked me whether I wanted to see you more. I nodded again. You took my hands in yours and said that "You'd really like that" and slowly, but surely, you brought your lips to mine. I had to tilt my head up in order to meet you and as our lips collided, I felt my head get light and I realised that your lips tasted of sugar and salted popcorn- but I didn't care. I'd had my share of kisses but that kiss was- it was just magical- and I knew that I wanted more. I knew that I had to see you again." The Brit paused, blushing slightly. "So, this was the place of our first kiss." He shrugged, his blush heating up his cheeks.
It was then that Arthur noticed that Alfred hadn't moved or spoken since Arthur had begun his story. "Are you okay, Alfred?"
The American blinked, and shrugged sheepishly. "I…I just love the way that you explain things, you make me feel as if I was actually there. I mean, I was actually there, but you make me feel as though I can remember it. I can imagine it. Have you ever considered being a writer?"
Arthur shrugged again and Alfred slowly stepped forward closing the small gap between them. Noticing the goosebumps on the Brit's armed, Alfred slowly rubbed them in an attempt to warm Arthur up. "You cold, Artie?"
Arthur could feel Alfred's warm breath against his throat and he felt an intense surge of heat rush to his face. "Not anymore." He squeaked feeling,for some reason, slightly embarrassed.
Alfred took Arthur's small hands in his and held them tightly. "Damnit, Arthur Kirkland. I love you." Arthur felt his heart beat faster and his head automatically tilted to the side, so that when their lips met it would be easier.
"I love you too, Alfred F. Jones." It didn't need to be said, but Arthur felt as though it should; as Alfred brought his head down, Arthur stood slightly on his tiptoes and their lips met.
It wasn't their first kiss since Alfred's accident, but it was the most real and Arthur could've sworn that he saw stars and heard fireworks as his lips met those of the American. It was a quick kiss, small but sweet and as they parted Arthur's mouth felt all fuzzy; the sweet taste of the American lingered on his lips.
"The taxi's here." Alfred muttered and Arthur's faced managed to turn a shade of crimson as he realised that the taxi driver had been gawping at them whilst they kissed.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Arthur asked, trying to hide the shakiness in his voice. "Let's go!"
They walked to the taxi and opened the two passenger doors, "And where is it we're going?" Alfred asked as he slid into his seat.
"Destination three: dinner!"
The restaurant was the same as Arthur remembered; the outside looked small, and slightly run down, but the inside was beautiful. It reminded Arthur of the TARDIS from Doctor Who. Arthur also liked it because, to him, the restaurant was a symbol of Arthur's personal mantra. Ugly, cold and foreboding on the outside, but a treasure within. Arthur was probably being cynical, but when was he not?
Arthur had booked a reservation, so the two were led to their table by the waiter and they sat down. They peered at the menu, ordered the first thing they liked the look of and were left alone.
"Okay, so what's this place?" The American wasted no time in delivering the question.
Arthur raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You'll just have to wait until after dinner."
The American slumped back in his chair. "Ugh!"
As expected, the dinner was delicious and as Arthur wiped his mouth with his napkin, Alfred thumped his hands on the table making Arthur yelp and drop his napkin.
Vibrant green eyes glared at bright blue. "Idiot, you scared me."
"Sorry," Alfred apologised, sheepishly. "Anyway, you have to explain this place now."
"Fine, fine." Arthur was starting to regret this a little bit, maybe he should have chosen another first? He had to explain this place; it was all part of the date.
"A month or so into our relationship, I invited you here for dinner." The Brit began and he swore that he was already blushing. "As expected, you agreed and we came to this restaurant for the first time. We drank and had dinner. I drank a lot more than you but I wasn't drunk, I was just warm. I was all fuzzy; maybe you could say that I was tipsy. But, I most definitely wasn't drunk- it would've been one of the worst mistakes of my life if I had been drunk that night." Arthur stopped, looking across at Alfred to see if the American knew where this was going- apparently, he didn't.
"We went back to my place," a lump formed in his throat, he swallowed. "And, well we began to kiss and one thing led to another and…" He stopped again, embarrassed.
"Hey!" The American joked. "You can't stop now; you're just getting to the good part!" He winked. Oh, how Alfred winked. Arthur felt himself becoming uncomfortably hot and he continued his story.
"We slept together for the first time. It was…It was amazing, Alfred. You were amazing and I'd never felt so alive. And it may sound stupid, or cheesy, but it was at that moment that I realised that I was in love. I was in love with the charming, charismatic, idiotic, happy, perfect Alfred F. Jones and it was the best feeling in the world. And I have never, ever stopped being in love with you- even for a moment- and I doubt that I ever will."
Arthur finished speaking and he looked the American directly in the eyes, those beautiful, shining blue eyes and spoke. "It doesn't matter if you don't remember-at least, not to me. I don't care, and you will remember in time. What matters is that we have each other and that we can always get through anything."
Alfred smiled, not a smirk or a cocky tilt of the mouth, but a wide, real smile that seemed to brighten up his entire face. "Arthur Kirkland, has anyone told you that you are brilliant with words?"
"Well, I do teach English," Arthur replied smugly.
Alfred nodded and his face seemed to change as his bright, wide smile turned into a cocky grin. He played with the rim of his wine glass and fluttered his long lashes. "I bet that I could teach you a few things." His voice was seductive, he winked and Arthur wanted to take the American's clothes off there and then and pound him into the table. But, of course, life sucked and he couldn't.
"Well, he began, hoping that his voice sounded seductive (like he was trying to be) instead of eager and desperate (like he actually was)."You'd just have to prove it then, wouldn't you?"
"I think I just might be able to." The American slid his hand under the table and began to stroke Arthur's upper thigh causing the Brit to inhale sharply and squirm in his seat.
"I think…" The American began, his fingers trailing teasingly close to the Brit's member. "That we should go back to our place. Y'know, now."
"Oh, I think that would be a good idea." The Brit squeaked, his voice trembling with anticipation. He fished out his wallet, dumped a load of notes on the table and stood up abruptly.
"Well," the American smirked and stood up, keeping his voice low. "Look how the tables have turned, now who is eager?"
"Oh for god's sake, just hurry up and bloody have sex with me already."
"Yes, sir."
Arthur turned to the side; he was wrapped tightly in the American's arms so he shuffled as gently as he could to avoid waking him.
He caught a glimpse of their bedside clock- 1:00AM. The Brit grinned as he reflected on the past 24 hours. It had been perfect. Who could say that Arthur wasn't romantic? Ha, suck it Francis. Proved you wrong, stupid frog.
Arthur twisted again in the American's arms until he was lying on his back. The sex, Arthur had to admit, had been the best he'd ever had. Sure, Alfred had always been good in bed. But, that time he had been simply exceptional. A perfect end to a perfect day. Arthur would have to woo the American more often if that was how he was going to perform. In fact, Arthur would woo Alfred more often; he had liked the feeling of treating his fiancé.
Alfred stirred in his sleep and Arthur smiled as the American nuzzled his face into the Brit's neck. Arthur allowed himself these moments to be proud of himself. After all, he'd done it. He'd succeeded in making Alfred fall in love with him all over again and that had been no mean feat.
Since Alfred's accident, Arthur appreciated Alfred more. He vowed that he wouldn't take the American for granted ever again. He loved him too much to do that. When he thought about it, maybe fate had influenced Alfred's accident? Arthur had needed to be reminded how much he required Alfred and Alfred's sudden memory loss had done just that. Arthur had never felt worse in his life then when Alfred forgot him. In time, Alfred's memory would make a full recovery. But, they didn't need that. Not really. The recent trauma had shown Arthur that all they had needed was each other, and that was how Arthur liked it.
Content, Arthur turned to face Alfred and he let sleep envelop him.
A/N: Okay, so we're nearly at the end of this story now!
Just got the epilogue ( Christmas ) left now!
Thanks to all those who have stuck with it so far!
If you're feeling nice then please review!
~BooksAreLikeChocolateButBetter