World Academy: Forgotten Memory (UsUk)

Chapter 26: Five Years Together, Must Mean Forever *SPECIAL CHAPTER*

Chapter 26: Five Years Together, Must Mean Forever

Arthur's eye fluttered open and he sighed, stretching his arms above his head and rubbing his eyes with a fist. As usual, he was awake before Alfred, who was fast asleep beside Arthur, on his stomach, his arms hugging the pillow his face was burried in. Arthur let out a chuckle before kissing his forehead, then slid out of bed, stepping quietly into the bathroom.

He stripped and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water soak his hair before rubbing forest scented shampoo into it. He rinsed it away as he looked down at himself, staring intensely at the scar on his side. He touched it with the tips of his fingers and hesitated, thinking back to when it had happened.

Six years. It had been six years since his mother died. Arthur still had trouble getting into cars, and still occasionaly had break downs when it rained, but he was getting better, thanks in large part to Alfred, who was always there for him. He had a good paying part time job as an art appraiser now, and he had huge career choices thanks to it, but he turned every job offer down so he could stay with Arthur, and stay in school.

Arthur was still studying to become a proffessor. It was hard work, which usually lead to night long study sessions and sometimes days without sleep. Even so, he was happy about where he was, and wouldn't change a thing about it.

He stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, rubbing his hair rapidly with it until it was dry. He dressed quickly and stepped out into the bedroom he shared with Alfred, then carefully made his way out the door to the kitchen of their appartment. He started the coffee maker for Alfred, and set a pot of water on the stove for tea, for himself. His mother's blend. He wouldn't drink anything else.

There was a knock at the door and he hurried over to it, opening it to reveal a girl with a basket full of newspapers. She held one up with a smile and Arthur laughed.

"Here's your newspaper, Mr. Kirkland," the girl said.

"Thank you," Arthur said, taking the paper and setting a dollar in the girls hand.

"That's an extra special edition," the girl said, secrecy glinting in her bright grey eyes.

"Extra special, huh? Should I be worried?"

"Nope," the girl stepped back and waved, a grin on her face, "Have a good day Mr. Kirkland."

Arthur watched her walk down the hall before closing the door, then set the newspaper down before rushing to the pot on the stove, grabbing it up and sidestepping to where his cup was. He poured in the water just as he heard a loud yawn, and felt arms wrap around him from behind. A kiss was planted on his cheek, followed by a groggy morning voice.

"Mornin' Arty," Alfred said.

"Morning," Arthur replied, setting the pot down before mixing the tea into the water. He turned around in Alfred's arms and raised the cup, taking a sip as he watched his partner's eyes as they scanned his face.

"Get the newspaper?" he asked suddenly.

"Just now," Arthur replied, raising an eyebrow, "Something you want to look for?"

"Nah," Alfred said, kissing Arthur's forehead before releasing him and stepping over to the coffee maker, "Just wondering."

"Okay then?" Arthur muttered, walking over and sitting at the table.

"Do you have anything planned for today?" Alfred asked, pouring himself the coffee.

"Just school," Arthur replied, pulling the newspaper out of its plastic casing and opening it, "Why?"

"Just asking," Alfred said.

Arthur looked at him suspiciously and watched him raise the coffee cup to his lips. He took a sip, his eyes pointed in a completely different direction from Arthur. Odd. Alfred was usually hoping around from a caffine rush the minute he tasted the drink, or slummped over on the table whining about how he stayed up late, or he didn't want to get up, or that he hadn't had a good cheesburger in "forever". Arthur couldn't help thinking something was wrong.

Alfred blinked when he caught Arthur's eye and lowered the cup, "What?"

"Is something bothering you?" Arthur asked, "You seem so.........mature."

Alfred pouted a bit at the sudden comment, "Hey, I'm mature all the time."

Arthur looked back at the newspaper, "Well, that's a bit better. Still, you seem a bit out of it. You'd tell me if something was wrong, right?"

"Of course," Alfred said, pushing himself away from the counter and walking over to a drawer, "Hey, what are you reading about?"

"It's the letters to the editor. You know, the section before all those advertisements. Francis sent another ridiculous one in."

"What's it say?"

"Nothing good," Arthur scoffed, "Wondering how he could juggle his sex and school lives," he turned the page, "Honestly, could he get anymore ignorant?"

"Mm," was all Alfred said as he pulled the drawer open. He took something out quickly and spun around, hiding it behind his back. He watched Arthur closely as he continued looking through the newspaper. He walked over to the table and picked up his coffe cup, taking a sip as he kept his eyes on Arthur.

Arthur didn't seem to notice, as he was skimming through the advertisements. Puppies for sale, new matress, clearance, laptop repair services. It was all the same. There was nothing all that extrordinary in the newspaper that day, like the newspaper girl had said. Arthur almost felt disappointed.

He kept looking though, and turned the page, close to giving up when his eyes caught a box up on the top of the page. His face flushed when he read it and tightened his grip on the paper.

I can't live without you!

Will you merry me?

-Alfred F. Jones

Arthur choked and covered his mouth, "O-oh my god," he burried his face in the paper and Alfred stepped forward, holding out an open box with a silver ring in it, and kissing Arthur on the head.

"A-Alfred......," Arthur choked, crying. He looked up, "Y-you spelt marry wrong."

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And now it really IS over! Sorry this took so long. I always update at the college but for a while there they had Wattpad blocked. OoO! But anyway I hope you enjoyed this special chapter. The next few things I'm putting up will all be parts of new fanfics I've been working on. I will write an Author's note at the end of the book, where you can comment your favorite idea to vote on which one I will publish next. I hope you've had a fun ride!

~B