[FIC] Kiss Me Goodnight
Title: Kiss Me Goodnight
Genre: Romace
Word Count: 1,167
Rating: T
Warnings: Character deaths
Summary: This is the story of Arthur and Alfred in a world full of lies.
a/n: Horribly rushed fic is . . . horribly rushed. :/
There wasn’t a grave for Arthur, so Alfred relied on the lake.
Every day, Alfred would go there, and he would sit on its banks, resting his weary bones.
“I’m not as young as I was,” he would say, chuckling slightly. “I’m sorry, Arthur. There may come a day when I can’t even come here. Can’t even visit you.”
His only answer would be a slight breeze that rippled the lake’s surface and tickled his cheeks.
And Alfred would smile.
~.*.~
They were both teenagers, the first time it happened. After some late Friday night party, Alfred and Arthur woke up the next day, naked, arms and limbs tangled around each other, aching terribly.
Arthur was the first one to wake, and he reacted by getting his clothes on as fast as possible and running the hell out of Alfred’s house. On Monday, when they met again, Arthur lost his usual sharp tongue and could not meet Alfred’s eye.
Alfred, who had been aware of his sexual orientation for far longer, said nothing and acted as if nothing was wrong.
Kiku Honda and Francis Bonnefoy were the same people who noticed. They were well aware of what had gone on but, being bystanders, could do nothing but watch their two friends sort things out.
-.-
The next time it happened, Arthur was absolutely drunk. Alfred wasn’t, though he kept that to himself when Arthur barged into his dormitory.
The second time was a rerun of the first. The moment Arthur woke, he dressed and ran, leaving Alfred’s heart to break into pieces.
The same routine would continue for another five times.
-.-
The city Alfred and Arthur worked in did not appreciate diversity-in other words, if a man was seen holding hands with another man, chances were, his days were numbered.
It was a troubling time. The economy was horrible, and the government was going through change after change until it resembled nothing of its former self. War was breaking out somewhere in the east. An epidemic was breaking out somewhere in the west. The two was closing into this city in the middle slowly, and Alfred was feeling increasing claustrophobic.
He still saw Arthur, and they shared an apartment. It seemed that they had reached a mutual conclusion of don’t ask, don’t tell. And each time, instead of running out of the door like a deer chased by a leopard, Arthur would simply dress and tell Alfred to hurry up, they would be late soon if he didn’t finish his pancakes fast enough.
Arthur still went out every other night with his girlfriend to some fancy restaurant, and every single time it didn’t work out-and it never lasted over a month-he would cry in Alfred’s arms, bawling his eyes out over a jug of beer, and making love to Alfred at night.
Though, Alfred supposed, it wasn’t love. After all, not once did their lips meet, all those times they had sex. Not once did they kiss. Love was just his own tiny little fancy.
-.-
The Third World War started a few months after Alfred turned thirty. It wouldn’t be long until they break out the nukes, Arthur said one day over newspaper and toast. What do you suppose the world will be like then?
Francis was shipped away, “back to where he belonged,” they said. He was foreign, his mother was from the enemy country, and he did not belong. They hadn’t heard from Kiku ever since he and Yao received the summons to relocate.
Still, routines were routines, and unless they wanted to starve on the streets, it was in their best interests to shut up and do what the government said.
Then, one day after Arthur was dumped yet again, the girl who was once his girlfriend arrived at his apartment with a spare key in hand, intending to take back a scarf of hers and return the key. And of course, she saw her ex-boyfriend and his roommate, spawned across the living room sofa without a shred of clothing on their skins.
-.-
There was a mob chasing them, running them out the city. There were so many things wrong with the world, yet these fools chose to expand their energy by chasing two innocent men. A gunshot went off somewhere, and it landed between Arthur’s shoulder blades.
A lake blocked Arthur and Alfred’s way. Arthur couldn’t swim.
“Try,” pled Alfred. “Try.”
But Arthur shook his head. He knelt down, and he coughed up blood. “You always wanted to be a hero,” he said, and of all things, he was smiling. “This is incredibly ironic, if I do say so myself. I love you, you know. I love you. I love you so much. But I was so, so afraid to admit it. Now, I guess it is a little too late for that.”
The townspeople were coming closer. Their angry footsteps shook the earth. Their angry battle cries sounded more beastly than human.
Alfred was crying. “Don’t say that. There’s still time. I’ll carry you over to the other side-I will die before I let you-”
“Don’t,” said Arthur. He reached up and kissed Alfred softly. His lips tasted of blood. “Carry my body and sink it into the lake. I don’t want them to get ahold of it. After that, leave.”
“But-”
“Don’t argue. Consider this-consider this my apology.”
The man leading the mob spotted them. They didn’t have time to spare.
“One last thing,” said Arthur.
Alfred hugged his lover tight against his chest. “Anything, anything!”
“Kiss me goodnight,” the man said. “This is not forever; this is a temporary goodbye. But for now, kiss me goodnight.”
And so Alfred did.
~.*.~
Alfred died alone with not a single living soul by his side. But he had Arthur.
“You finally came to visit me, old man?” he asked, half-wheezing, as the angel appeared next to him. “I see your eyebrows still didn’t change in heaven.”
“I see your attitude still hasn’t changed either,” said the angel, like a miracle-or perhaps not. After all, nothing fazed Alfred anymore in his old age.
Alfred smiled. “Have you come to take me to Heaven?”
Arthur crossed his arms. “Yes, and if you don’t stop bugging me, we won’t be able to leave soon. The Old Man’s going to be angry.”
“We wouldn’t want that, do we?”
“You have no idea. Are you ready to go?”
“I think I’ve waited long enough.” He closed his eyes. “I am sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
Alfred smiled again, and he felt his soul leaving his body, lifting into the air as light as a feather. He opened his eyes and saw that his body was young and strong, his vision strong and clear. Then he saw Arthur, and they embraced.
“Don’t ever say sorry again,” Arthur said. “Ever.”
“I won’t.”
“Do you love me?”
“I do. Do you love me?”
“I do.”
And no other words were needed.