Post by Empress Rose (◕‿◕✿) on Jun 5, 2015 8:59:10 GMT -8
okay so besides the couple of people that I rp with I haven't really had a chance to show you guys my writing skills. I plan on making a thread showcasing my ACTUAL fanfictions in the future but for right now I decided I'd make a scrap bucket full of fics that I found on my computer that I never finished. I'll put them all under spoiler tabs so as not to spam this thing but idk I thought it'd be interesting to share my unfinished work with people.
please note that this is nowhere near my best work though omg which is probably why i stopped writing
also most, if not all of them are songfics pff
GermanyxFem!Italy
Papa!FrancexDaughter!Canada
PruCan
Red Velvet Pancakes (feat. fem!1p!canada)
USUK
eyyyyy
please note that this is nowhere near my best work though omg which is probably why i stopped writing
also most, if not all of them are songfics pff
GermanyxFem!Italy
All I am
Is a man
I want the world
In my hands
I hate the beach
But I stand
In California
With my toes in the sand
~*~
He watched her as she ran down the beach, one hand on the top of her head, holding onto her floppy straw sunhat and her other arm outstretched behind her. She kicked sand up as her bare feet alternated burying themselves into the cold, smooth grains and lifting themselves out again. She did her best to stay upright and not slip and fall as she ran. She laughed and squealed the whole time.
He stayed higher up on the beach as she ran to the edge of the ocean, where the waves broke on the shore and tickled her toes with their cold water. When she felt it on her feet, she squealed louder, and he could see her shiver. She looked at him, still keeping her hand on top of her sunhat, since it was pretty windy that day.
"Luddy, come on!" she shouted to him.
He shook his head. He hadn't wanted to be there. He wasn't very fond of beaches. But Feliciana had always wanted to go to America. Since they'd had their wedding in the winter, they wanted to go someplace warm for their honeymoon. They chose California. There were a thousand other places that Ludwig had wanted to go to, but the smile on Feliciana's face when she had suggested going to California was something that he never wanted to fade. So that's where they were now.
Despite initially having a silent grudge against going to the beach, he felt his stubborn dislike slowly fading away as he realized how relaxing it was to have his toes buried in the California sand and the refreshing salty breeze in his face.
~*~
Use the sleeves on my sweater
Let's have an adventure
Head in the clouds
But my gravity's centered
Touch my neck
And I'll touch yours
You in those
Little high-waisted shorts
Oh
~*~
He smiled softly at the memory of yesterday. Their wedding day. She'd looked so beautiful in that long white dress and daisies braided into her hair. It wasn't really a huge wedding; it was very traditional and very simple, but they had invited everyone, and everyone had come. Feliciana's brother Lovino, their grandfather Romulus, their cousin Francis and his adopted brothers Arthur, Matthew and Alfred, Ludwig's brother Gilbert, their cousin Roderich and his wife, Elizabeta and their other cousins, Vash and Lili, and Ludwig and Feliciana's long time friend Kiku. The festivities of wedding planning had lasted for days before that. It had been so wonderful.
They had taken the plane to California earlier this morning and had arrived in the evening. The sun had set by now and it was about to rain. It was cold outside, and while Ludwig was wearing a sweater and long pants, Feliciana was wearing a white tank top and denim booty-shorts, as well as a sunhat, as if it were a warm and sunny afternoon.
"Luwiiig!" she called out again. She began trudging up through the sand to get back to wear he was standing. Though she was pouting, her eyes still danced with eager excitement.
"<i>Ja,</i> what do you want?" he asked her, offering her his hand to keep her steady as she climbed up the sand.
"Come on, we're supposed to be here <i>together!</i> It's no fun for me if you're up here in the sand while I'm down there in the water..." she muttered.
"It's late, Feli. I'm tired. I want to go inside and come back out tomorrow when we can enjoy the sunny weather," Ludwig protested.
Feliciana frowned a little, and instead of taking Ludwig's hand, she threw her arms around his neck to keep herself steady. "Luddy, you're being a party-pooper!" she whined.
"I am not," Ludwig argued. "There's lots of fun things we can do inside."
"Like what?" Feliciana asked.
"Like cuddle and read together and make dinner together and dream about all the fun things we can do tomorrow when the sun is out," he answered.
Is a man
I want the world
In my hands
I hate the beach
But I stand
In California
With my toes in the sand
~*~
He watched her as she ran down the beach, one hand on the top of her head, holding onto her floppy straw sunhat and her other arm outstretched behind her. She kicked sand up as her bare feet alternated burying themselves into the cold, smooth grains and lifting themselves out again. She did her best to stay upright and not slip and fall as she ran. She laughed and squealed the whole time.
He stayed higher up on the beach as she ran to the edge of the ocean, where the waves broke on the shore and tickled her toes with their cold water. When she felt it on her feet, she squealed louder, and he could see her shiver. She looked at him, still keeping her hand on top of her sunhat, since it was pretty windy that day.
"Luddy, come on!" she shouted to him.
He shook his head. He hadn't wanted to be there. He wasn't very fond of beaches. But Feliciana had always wanted to go to America. Since they'd had their wedding in the winter, they wanted to go someplace warm for their honeymoon. They chose California. There were a thousand other places that Ludwig had wanted to go to, but the smile on Feliciana's face when she had suggested going to California was something that he never wanted to fade. So that's where they were now.
Despite initially having a silent grudge against going to the beach, he felt his stubborn dislike slowly fading away as he realized how relaxing it was to have his toes buried in the California sand and the refreshing salty breeze in his face.
~*~
Use the sleeves on my sweater
Let's have an adventure
Head in the clouds
But my gravity's centered
Touch my neck
And I'll touch yours
You in those
Little high-waisted shorts
Oh
~*~
He smiled softly at the memory of yesterday. Their wedding day. She'd looked so beautiful in that long white dress and daisies braided into her hair. It wasn't really a huge wedding; it was very traditional and very simple, but they had invited everyone, and everyone had come. Feliciana's brother Lovino, their grandfather Romulus, their cousin Francis and his adopted brothers Arthur, Matthew and Alfred, Ludwig's brother Gilbert, their cousin Roderich and his wife, Elizabeta and their other cousins, Vash and Lili, and Ludwig and Feliciana's long time friend Kiku. The festivities of wedding planning had lasted for days before that. It had been so wonderful.
They had taken the plane to California earlier this morning and had arrived in the evening. The sun had set by now and it was about to rain. It was cold outside, and while Ludwig was wearing a sweater and long pants, Feliciana was wearing a white tank top and denim booty-shorts, as well as a sunhat, as if it were a warm and sunny afternoon.
"Luwiiig!" she called out again. She began trudging up through the sand to get back to wear he was standing. Though she was pouting, her eyes still danced with eager excitement.
"<i>Ja,</i> what do you want?" he asked her, offering her his hand to keep her steady as she climbed up the sand.
"Come on, we're supposed to be here <i>together!</i> It's no fun for me if you're up here in the sand while I'm down there in the water..." she muttered.
"It's late, Feli. I'm tired. I want to go inside and come back out tomorrow when we can enjoy the sunny weather," Ludwig protested.
Feliciana frowned a little, and instead of taking Ludwig's hand, she threw her arms around his neck to keep herself steady. "Luddy, you're being a party-pooper!" she whined.
"I am not," Ludwig argued. "There's lots of fun things we can do inside."
"Like what?" Feliciana asked.
"Like cuddle and read together and make dinner together and dream about all the fun things we can do tomorrow when the sun is out," he answered.
Papa!FrancexDaughter!Canada
An eight-year-old girl had a panic attack
Cuz the father she loved left and never looked back
No longer the hero she counted on
He told her he loved her and then he was gone
~*~
"Shhh... Please stop crying, <i>mon Lis.</i> It's alright. I'm right here. You're alright. It was just a dream. You're alright."
Madeline's soft sobbing slowly quieted down to hushed sniffles and whimpers as she listened to the soothing and loving voice of her father. He hugged her close, and she hugged him back as tightly as her little arms would let her. He continued to whisper sweet nothings into her ear until she had calmed down and let her tired arms drop.
He kissed her hair and hugged her for a few minutes more before helping her lay back down in her bed. He tucked her in under the covers and gave her the stuffed polar bear that she slept with every night. He kissed her forehead.
"Nothing can hurt you, <i>mon Lis.</i> I won't let anything happen to you. You don't have to be afraid. Just remember that the dreams aren't real, alright?" he whispered to her.
Madeline nodded subtly. "I know, Papa. I know you'll protect me," she told him.
"Do you think you can fall back asleep?" he asked her, smiling softly.
Madeline nodded again. "I think so, Papa. But can you sing me a lullaby first?" she asked him.
"Of course I can, <i>mon Lis.</i>"
So he sang her a lullaby, and played with her hair as he did so. His soothing and loving voice chased the shadows from her nightmares away and lulled her into a sweet sleep, as lullabies were meant to do. He watched as her eyelids became heavier and heavier until they drooped shut, and the rhythm of her breathing became soft and slow.
He smiled lovingly at her before bending down to kiss her forehead one last time. "<i>Je t'aime, mon Lis.</i> Always and forever," he whispered to her.
He stood up from the bed and smoothed out the creases that he had made in it. He walked towards the door and shut the lights off. Madeline's night light came on automatically. He gazed at her sleeping form for a few moments, smiling softly, before turning and leaving the room.
~*~
She tried to look happy in front of her friends
But knew that she'd never feel normal again
She fought back the tears as they filled her eyes
She wanted him back just to tell him goodbye
~*~
That was the last time Madeline saw her father. At least, it was the last time she had seen him alive. It had been a two weeks since his death. Madeline hadn't been in school during that time. The death of her father had taken its toll on her emotional well-being. She had loved him more than she had loved anything or anyone else. Now he was gone, and she didn't know what to do.
By now, most of Madeline's classmates had learned of her father's death. The children were young, but they were respectful, and they said nothing to Madeline about her father. They only gave her sympathetic glances and tight hugs as they told her they were glad to have her back.
Madeline tried her hardest to act like nothing had happened. She faked smiles and laughter and pretended to be as happy as all the other children. It didn't last long. Madeline was a quiet and reserved child, but even she couldn't hide her true feelings from everyone else. She wasn't strong enough.
She'd tried her best to keep herself from crying, but it was no use. By the end of the day she was in tears and no one could get her to calm down. Her teacher called her mother and her mother came to pick her up right away. She stayed out of school for a few more weeks after that.
Life seemed too hard for her now that her father was gone. She didn't understand anything that had happened. She was so confused and hurt and angry and scared. She knew that he was gone and that there was nothing that she or anyone else could do to bring him back, but she missed him, and more than anything, she wished she had been able to tell him goodbye.
~*~
When the rain falls down
When it all turns around
when the light goes out
This isn't the end
Ohh
~*~
It was pouring rain on the day of the funeral. The forecast had predicted sunny skies that day, and there were, at first. No one was expecting the rain, but almost as soon as the service had begun, the rain started to pour. It was almost as if the sky was crying, devastated for the loss of the beautiful soul that once belonged to Francis Bonnefoy.
Madeline hadn't wanted to go to the funeral and quite frankly, neither had her sister. It was far too much pain for both of them.
Cuz the father she loved left and never looked back
No longer the hero she counted on
He told her he loved her and then he was gone
~*~
"Shhh... Please stop crying, <i>mon Lis.</i> It's alright. I'm right here. You're alright. It was just a dream. You're alright."
Madeline's soft sobbing slowly quieted down to hushed sniffles and whimpers as she listened to the soothing and loving voice of her father. He hugged her close, and she hugged him back as tightly as her little arms would let her. He continued to whisper sweet nothings into her ear until she had calmed down and let her tired arms drop.
He kissed her hair and hugged her for a few minutes more before helping her lay back down in her bed. He tucked her in under the covers and gave her the stuffed polar bear that she slept with every night. He kissed her forehead.
"Nothing can hurt you, <i>mon Lis.</i> I won't let anything happen to you. You don't have to be afraid. Just remember that the dreams aren't real, alright?" he whispered to her.
Madeline nodded subtly. "I know, Papa. I know you'll protect me," she told him.
"Do you think you can fall back asleep?" he asked her, smiling softly.
Madeline nodded again. "I think so, Papa. But can you sing me a lullaby first?" she asked him.
"Of course I can, <i>mon Lis.</i>"
So he sang her a lullaby, and played with her hair as he did so. His soothing and loving voice chased the shadows from her nightmares away and lulled her into a sweet sleep, as lullabies were meant to do. He watched as her eyelids became heavier and heavier until they drooped shut, and the rhythm of her breathing became soft and slow.
He smiled lovingly at her before bending down to kiss her forehead one last time. "<i>Je t'aime, mon Lis.</i> Always and forever," he whispered to her.
He stood up from the bed and smoothed out the creases that he had made in it. He walked towards the door and shut the lights off. Madeline's night light came on automatically. He gazed at her sleeping form for a few moments, smiling softly, before turning and leaving the room.
~*~
She tried to look happy in front of her friends
But knew that she'd never feel normal again
She fought back the tears as they filled her eyes
She wanted him back just to tell him goodbye
~*~
That was the last time Madeline saw her father. At least, it was the last time she had seen him alive. It had been a two weeks since his death. Madeline hadn't been in school during that time. The death of her father had taken its toll on her emotional well-being. She had loved him more than she had loved anything or anyone else. Now he was gone, and she didn't know what to do.
By now, most of Madeline's classmates had learned of her father's death. The children were young, but they were respectful, and they said nothing to Madeline about her father. They only gave her sympathetic glances and tight hugs as they told her they were glad to have her back.
Madeline tried her hardest to act like nothing had happened. She faked smiles and laughter and pretended to be as happy as all the other children. It didn't last long. Madeline was a quiet and reserved child, but even she couldn't hide her true feelings from everyone else. She wasn't strong enough.
She'd tried her best to keep herself from crying, but it was no use. By the end of the day she was in tears and no one could get her to calm down. Her teacher called her mother and her mother came to pick her up right away. She stayed out of school for a few more weeks after that.
Life seemed too hard for her now that her father was gone. She didn't understand anything that had happened. She was so confused and hurt and angry and scared. She knew that he was gone and that there was nothing that she or anyone else could do to bring him back, but she missed him, and more than anything, she wished she had been able to tell him goodbye.
~*~
When the rain falls down
When it all turns around
when the light goes out
This isn't the end
Ohh
~*~
It was pouring rain on the day of the funeral. The forecast had predicted sunny skies that day, and there were, at first. No one was expecting the rain, but almost as soon as the service had begun, the rain started to pour. It was almost as if the sky was crying, devastated for the loss of the beautiful soul that once belonged to Francis Bonnefoy.
Madeline hadn't wanted to go to the funeral and quite frankly, neither had her sister. It was far too much pain for both of them.
PruCan
If I die young
Bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river
At dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
Uh oh, uh oh
~*~
Two letters were found on that quiet morning in September, when the sky was overcast and the song of the birds sounded so sad that it brought tears to a little girl's eyes as she listened to them while walking into her school building. She wasn't the only one crying that morning.
It was because of the letters that there were other people crying this morning. The father of a teenage boy and the younger brother of a young man. They had been the ones to find the letters, and to read them, and to find out of the tragedy that had had occurred at midnight last night.
<i>Ludwig,
If you're reading this, these are probably the last words you'll ever hear from me. Granted, you can't actually hear them, since it's a written letter, but you know what I mean... It's too late to save me now. I know you've always looked up to me. I know you've always admired me and counted on me to protect you from all the terrible things in this world, and I tried, Luddy. Oh, I tried. But I can't try any longer. I can't do it anymore. I know I'm a terrible, horrible, selfish man, but I don't have the will or the strength to continue anymore. Just please know that I've always loved you and I always will. You were always stronger and smarter than I was. You'll be fine on your own, and I'll be watching you from my new home in the sky. If I end up there, that is...
This is goodbye, little brother.
-Gil</i>
---
<i>Dear Papa,
By the time you see this, I'll be long gone. I'm sorry to have left you like this, even after you've already lost so much, but I know I'm not strong enough to survive in this world with the way I am. I know you love me, and I love you too. More than anything. But you're just one person, and you already have so much on your hands without having to deal with me too. It's not worth it to me anymore. I want to be out of my misery. I love you, but it's time for me to go.
With all my love,
Matthew</i>
The boys who had written the letters were both found dead on the floors of their bathrooms. There were deep slits on their arms made by the knives held in the palms of their limp hands. Their blood stained the pristine white tile of the floors and made the rooms look like something out of a horror movie. Two beautiful boys had ended their lives by giving scars to their flawless skin. No one had seen it coming. No one was ever the same afterwards.
~*~
Lord make me a rainbow
I'll shine down on my mother
She'll know I'm safe with you
When she stands under my colors
And life ain't always what you think it oughta be, no
Ain't even grey but she buries her baby
~*~
The funeral was held only a few days after. Everyone in the city had come. The undertaker had cleaned up the bodies as best as he could and made them look as beautiful as if they were still living. He had stitched up the cuts and used makeup to cover the scars. He'd dressed them in beautiful suits that had been provided to him by the families of the deceased. They were the most beautiful corpses you could ever see.
Ludwig was a usually stoic young man. He kept his emotions well hidden from others. It was a rare thing to see him with a big smile or laughing whole-heartedly, and it was just as rare to see him cry. That being said, everyone was surprised when his cries of agony could be heard from outside the funeral home as he sank to his knees in front of his older brother's casket.
Francis, Matthew's father, was far more open with his emotions than Ludwig was. This made everyone surprised when the only crying that Francis did during the entire duration of the funeral was silent. In fact, he was completely silent the entire time. He didn't speak a single word. His eyes looked dull and lifeless. His entire body shook when he stood and he could barely walk. He seemed oblivious to everything around him. His mind was still trying to process that his baby boy was gone and that he wasn't coming back.
Gilbert was the one person that Ludwig could trust in his life. The one person that made everything okay. Ludwig's parents were dead. He didn't really have any friends. Gilbert was his big brother and the only person he had left. Ludwig was five years younger than Gilbert. He was only fifteen, and now he had nothing.
Francis was thirty-nine years old. Matthew was eighteen. Ever since Matthew was born, all Francis had ever wanted was for him to grow up strong and healthy and live the long and beautiful life that Francis had always thought he was meant to have. There wasn't a single grey hair on Francis' beautifully blond head, and yet his baby was already dead and gone, and he was there to see the burial.
It was so unfitting, but in the sky above the church where the two boys were buried side-by-side, a rainbow appeared after the drizzling of rain had stopped. Long after the other funeral attendees had gone away, Ludwig and Francis stood beside the graves of their deceased loved ones and stared up at the sky together. Francis turned his head to look at Ludwig and spoke his first words since the funeral had begun.
"At least we know they're safe and sound with God."
~*~
The sharp knife of a short life
Oh well
I've had just enough time
~*~
<i>THUNK!</i>
It was the sound of a switchblade being impaled into the wood of a picnic table on the green grass of a college campus. It had been placed between the middle and ring finger of a hand that was laying flat on the table. Another hand removed the blade and impaled it between the ring and the pinkie finger of the hand on the table.
The hands belonged to a young German man. A twenty-year-old by the name of Gilbert Beilschmidt. Watching him from behind a tree only a few feet away was another young man. A French-Canadian eighteen-year-old named Matthew Bonnefoy. He thought he was well hidden, that Gilbert couldn't see him, but he was wrong.
Gilbert smirked lightly as he pulled the knife out of the table again. He didn't turn around to look at the tree, but he could see Matthew's shadow out of the corner of his eye. He chuckled softly. "Hey, little birdie, why don't you stop hiding behind that tree, eh? I can still see you, you know."
Matthew squeaked in surprise and stepped out from behind the tree. "I-I'm sorry, sorry..." he muttered and rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.
Gilbert turned to look at him. "Don't be. I don't mind. But you know, you can see me better from over here." He patted the seat of the bench, offering a place to sit down to Matthew.
"I'm Gilbert, by the way," he said as the shy Canadian boy came and sat next to him.
Matthew smiled softly. "I'm Matthew," he said.
"Nice to meet you, Matthew," Gilbert said, and impaled the knife between his thumb and index finger.
"B-be careful!" Matthew exclaimed as his eyes widened a little. "You'll cut yourself!"
Gilbert laughed softly. "Relax. I play this game all the time. I'm really good at it," he reassured and picked up the knife again. "Besides, I've cut myself before. Doesn't hurt, really."
Just as he said the words, he slammed the knife down between his index and middle finger, but he caught a bit of skin on his index finger and cut himself. Matthew gasped and Gilbert winced slightly. He pulled the knife out of the table and lifted his hand up to inspect the cut. It was bleeding, but not badly. He shrugged a little and stuck his finger in his mouth to clean the blood off with his tongue. With his other hand, he folded up his switchblade and put it back in his pocket. He took his finger out of his mouth and looked at Matthew.
"It's a lot less pain than what I have to go through every day, you know?"
~*~
If I die young
Bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river
At dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
~*~
That was the start of a beautiful and tragically short friendship of those two beautiful boys. It turned out that the two of them shared a lot of the same feelings and were going through different but equally painful situations in their lives. No one else could understand what they were going through, and no one cared to listen, anyways. But they had each other now, and maybe, if they had each other, they would be okay.
Gilbert was the other brother and legal guardian of a teenage boy named Ludwig. Their parents had died two years ago in a house fire, and the brothers had lost everything but each other. Gilbert was struggling to pay the bills and rent that were the price of living in a small apartment in a bad neighborhood an hour away from the college that Gilbert and Matthew both attended. Gilbert was only able to attend because of the scholarship he had earned. He needed a college degree to get a better job, but juggling college classes, a job in retail and his brother's needs all on his own was proving to be far more than he could handle.
Matthew was the younger of two brothers who had been separated after their parents had divorced when Matthew was fifteen. His mother, Alice, had taken his brother Alfred back to London, where she was from, and left Matthew and his father Francis alone in Quebec, where they had been living at the time. Matthew hadn't seen his brother since then, and the two had lost contact completely about three years ago. One day Alfred just... Stopped answering.
Francis and Matthew had moved to New York two years ago, which was where they (as well as Gilbert and Ludwig) lived now. Unfortunately, it seemed that ever since the move, things had been going even more downhill for Francis and Matthew. Francis was stuck in a job that he hated and couldn't find work anywhere else. He barely had any time for Matthew and was struggling almost as much as Gilbert to pay the bills. He was paying for Matthew to go to college, but didn't know how much longer he'd be able to. He worked himself to the bone just to make the money for Matthew's tuition.
Matthew had gotten a job so that he could help his father make some money, but his pay didn't help that much. Life was hell for Matthew and Gilbert as well as Francis and Ludwig. The only happiness that Matthew and Gilbert could find was in the time that they spent with each other. It wasn't much, but they both figured that it was at least worth hanging on for.
~*~
The sharp knife of a short life
Oh well
I've had just enough time
~*~
"So what did you want to see me for, Gil?" Matthew asked as he took his usual seat next to Gilbert on the picnic table bench where they had first met.
The sun was setting, and the fading light cast shadows on everything in sight and bathed the world in an orange glow that would soon give way to the darkness of the night and the faint glowing of the stars. It was a miracle that they had both been able to get off of work and were able to meet each other so late.
"I... Well, I had something important that I wanted to tell you. Something that I didn't think was fit for a phone conversation," Gilbert replied.
Matthew frowned deeply. "What's wrong, Gil? Are you okay? Is Lud okay?" he asked, worried.
Gilbert shook his head. "Nothing's wrong, Matt. We're both fine, don't worry. It's not something bad that I need to tell you," he assured.
Matthew sighed with relief. "Then what is it...?" he asked.
Gilbert took a deep breath. "I just... Well, I've got something to confess to you, Matthew."
"Go on..." Matthew urged.
"I just... You know, I've always thought you were kinda cute. And you know... You're the only other person besides Luddy who really understands what I'm going through. You're my best friend. The one person besides Luddy that I can trust with anything and the one person besides Luddy that keeps me going. I've had some rough nights, you know? But when I get to see you, even for just a little while, everything seems kind of worth it..." Gilbert began.
Matthew blushed and smiled softly at him. "I feel the same way, Gil," he said.
Gilbert laughed softly. "I'm glad. But there's more," he said.
Matthew tilted his head. "Oh?"
"You see, what I'm getting at is... I really like you, Matthew. A lot. It's... It's not even <i>liking</i> anymore. It's love, I know it is. And at first I didn't realize... I mean, I thought that maybe I just love you the way I love Lud. Like you're my little brother. But when I look at you, I know it's more than that. I want to hold your hand and kiss your lips and listen to the beat of your heart. I know I'm no good at words, but Matthew, I wanted to know if... I wanted to know if you'd be my boyfriend."
Matthew gasped and stared at Gilbert in shock for a few moments. Out of all the things that he had thought Gilbert wanted to tell him that night, this was not one of them. To be honest, he'd never expected to become so close to Gilbert in the first place, let alone that Gilbert would one day grow feelings for him. It was a strange sensation, to know that there was someone else besides his father who loved him.
As the minutes passed, Matthew gave no answer to the man who had confessed to him, which caused the German's face to fall and the light in his eyes to flicker and fade away. "Y-you don't feel the same way, do you...?" he asked softly.
Upon hearing those words, Matthew snapped out of his daze and shook his head quickly. "N-no! I mean yes- I mean...-!" He sighed softly and rubbed his temples before looking at Gilbert and smiling. "I mean yes, Gilbert. I'll be your boyfriend."
~*~
And I'll be wearing white
When I come into your kingdom
I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger
I've never known the lovin' of a man
But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand
There's a boy here in town
Says he'll love me forever
Who would've thought forever could be severed by
The sharp knife of a short life
Oh well
I've had just enough time
~*~
Matthew and Gilbert were officially "together" after that night. Not that anyone cared. Neither of them had any other friends so no one came to congratulate them. There was no talk around the school about how two boys had decided to start dating each other. The only other people who really cared were Ludwig and Francis. Even though Francis had never met Gilbert and Ludwig had never met Matthew, the two could see how happy Matthew and Gilbert were when they spoke about each other and decided to let them be.
Nothing really changed between the two of them except for the addition of affection that they had never given to each other until now. They held hands. They kissed. They cuddled. When one of them had had a particularly bad day, the other would reassure them that everything was alright and that it would get better and would whisper sweet nothings into the other's ear.
Bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river
At dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
Uh oh, uh oh
~*~
Two letters were found on that quiet morning in September, when the sky was overcast and the song of the birds sounded so sad that it brought tears to a little girl's eyes as she listened to them while walking into her school building. She wasn't the only one crying that morning.
It was because of the letters that there were other people crying this morning. The father of a teenage boy and the younger brother of a young man. They had been the ones to find the letters, and to read them, and to find out of the tragedy that had had occurred at midnight last night.
<i>Ludwig,
If you're reading this, these are probably the last words you'll ever hear from me. Granted, you can't actually hear them, since it's a written letter, but you know what I mean... It's too late to save me now. I know you've always looked up to me. I know you've always admired me and counted on me to protect you from all the terrible things in this world, and I tried, Luddy. Oh, I tried. But I can't try any longer. I can't do it anymore. I know I'm a terrible, horrible, selfish man, but I don't have the will or the strength to continue anymore. Just please know that I've always loved you and I always will. You were always stronger and smarter than I was. You'll be fine on your own, and I'll be watching you from my new home in the sky. If I end up there, that is...
This is goodbye, little brother.
-Gil</i>
---
<i>Dear Papa,
By the time you see this, I'll be long gone. I'm sorry to have left you like this, even after you've already lost so much, but I know I'm not strong enough to survive in this world with the way I am. I know you love me, and I love you too. More than anything. But you're just one person, and you already have so much on your hands without having to deal with me too. It's not worth it to me anymore. I want to be out of my misery. I love you, but it's time for me to go.
With all my love,
Matthew</i>
The boys who had written the letters were both found dead on the floors of their bathrooms. There were deep slits on their arms made by the knives held in the palms of their limp hands. Their blood stained the pristine white tile of the floors and made the rooms look like something out of a horror movie. Two beautiful boys had ended their lives by giving scars to their flawless skin. No one had seen it coming. No one was ever the same afterwards.
~*~
Lord make me a rainbow
I'll shine down on my mother
She'll know I'm safe with you
When she stands under my colors
And life ain't always what you think it oughta be, no
Ain't even grey but she buries her baby
~*~
The funeral was held only a few days after. Everyone in the city had come. The undertaker had cleaned up the bodies as best as he could and made them look as beautiful as if they were still living. He had stitched up the cuts and used makeup to cover the scars. He'd dressed them in beautiful suits that had been provided to him by the families of the deceased. They were the most beautiful corpses you could ever see.
Ludwig was a usually stoic young man. He kept his emotions well hidden from others. It was a rare thing to see him with a big smile or laughing whole-heartedly, and it was just as rare to see him cry. That being said, everyone was surprised when his cries of agony could be heard from outside the funeral home as he sank to his knees in front of his older brother's casket.
Francis, Matthew's father, was far more open with his emotions than Ludwig was. This made everyone surprised when the only crying that Francis did during the entire duration of the funeral was silent. In fact, he was completely silent the entire time. He didn't speak a single word. His eyes looked dull and lifeless. His entire body shook when he stood and he could barely walk. He seemed oblivious to everything around him. His mind was still trying to process that his baby boy was gone and that he wasn't coming back.
Gilbert was the one person that Ludwig could trust in his life. The one person that made everything okay. Ludwig's parents were dead. He didn't really have any friends. Gilbert was his big brother and the only person he had left. Ludwig was five years younger than Gilbert. He was only fifteen, and now he had nothing.
Francis was thirty-nine years old. Matthew was eighteen. Ever since Matthew was born, all Francis had ever wanted was for him to grow up strong and healthy and live the long and beautiful life that Francis had always thought he was meant to have. There wasn't a single grey hair on Francis' beautifully blond head, and yet his baby was already dead and gone, and he was there to see the burial.
It was so unfitting, but in the sky above the church where the two boys were buried side-by-side, a rainbow appeared after the drizzling of rain had stopped. Long after the other funeral attendees had gone away, Ludwig and Francis stood beside the graves of their deceased loved ones and stared up at the sky together. Francis turned his head to look at Ludwig and spoke his first words since the funeral had begun.
"At least we know they're safe and sound with God."
~*~
The sharp knife of a short life
Oh well
I've had just enough time
~*~
<i>THUNK!</i>
It was the sound of a switchblade being impaled into the wood of a picnic table on the green grass of a college campus. It had been placed between the middle and ring finger of a hand that was laying flat on the table. Another hand removed the blade and impaled it between the ring and the pinkie finger of the hand on the table.
The hands belonged to a young German man. A twenty-year-old by the name of Gilbert Beilschmidt. Watching him from behind a tree only a few feet away was another young man. A French-Canadian eighteen-year-old named Matthew Bonnefoy. He thought he was well hidden, that Gilbert couldn't see him, but he was wrong.
Gilbert smirked lightly as he pulled the knife out of the table again. He didn't turn around to look at the tree, but he could see Matthew's shadow out of the corner of his eye. He chuckled softly. "Hey, little birdie, why don't you stop hiding behind that tree, eh? I can still see you, you know."
Matthew squeaked in surprise and stepped out from behind the tree. "I-I'm sorry, sorry..." he muttered and rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.
Gilbert turned to look at him. "Don't be. I don't mind. But you know, you can see me better from over here." He patted the seat of the bench, offering a place to sit down to Matthew.
"I'm Gilbert, by the way," he said as the shy Canadian boy came and sat next to him.
Matthew smiled softly. "I'm Matthew," he said.
"Nice to meet you, Matthew," Gilbert said, and impaled the knife between his thumb and index finger.
"B-be careful!" Matthew exclaimed as his eyes widened a little. "You'll cut yourself!"
Gilbert laughed softly. "Relax. I play this game all the time. I'm really good at it," he reassured and picked up the knife again. "Besides, I've cut myself before. Doesn't hurt, really."
Just as he said the words, he slammed the knife down between his index and middle finger, but he caught a bit of skin on his index finger and cut himself. Matthew gasped and Gilbert winced slightly. He pulled the knife out of the table and lifted his hand up to inspect the cut. It was bleeding, but not badly. He shrugged a little and stuck his finger in his mouth to clean the blood off with his tongue. With his other hand, he folded up his switchblade and put it back in his pocket. He took his finger out of his mouth and looked at Matthew.
"It's a lot less pain than what I have to go through every day, you know?"
~*~
If I die young
Bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river
At dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
~*~
That was the start of a beautiful and tragically short friendship of those two beautiful boys. It turned out that the two of them shared a lot of the same feelings and were going through different but equally painful situations in their lives. No one else could understand what they were going through, and no one cared to listen, anyways. But they had each other now, and maybe, if they had each other, they would be okay.
Gilbert was the other brother and legal guardian of a teenage boy named Ludwig. Their parents had died two years ago in a house fire, and the brothers had lost everything but each other. Gilbert was struggling to pay the bills and rent that were the price of living in a small apartment in a bad neighborhood an hour away from the college that Gilbert and Matthew both attended. Gilbert was only able to attend because of the scholarship he had earned. He needed a college degree to get a better job, but juggling college classes, a job in retail and his brother's needs all on his own was proving to be far more than he could handle.
Matthew was the younger of two brothers who had been separated after their parents had divorced when Matthew was fifteen. His mother, Alice, had taken his brother Alfred back to London, where she was from, and left Matthew and his father Francis alone in Quebec, where they had been living at the time. Matthew hadn't seen his brother since then, and the two had lost contact completely about three years ago. One day Alfred just... Stopped answering.
Francis and Matthew had moved to New York two years ago, which was where they (as well as Gilbert and Ludwig) lived now. Unfortunately, it seemed that ever since the move, things had been going even more downhill for Francis and Matthew. Francis was stuck in a job that he hated and couldn't find work anywhere else. He barely had any time for Matthew and was struggling almost as much as Gilbert to pay the bills. He was paying for Matthew to go to college, but didn't know how much longer he'd be able to. He worked himself to the bone just to make the money for Matthew's tuition.
Matthew had gotten a job so that he could help his father make some money, but his pay didn't help that much. Life was hell for Matthew and Gilbert as well as Francis and Ludwig. The only happiness that Matthew and Gilbert could find was in the time that they spent with each other. It wasn't much, but they both figured that it was at least worth hanging on for.
~*~
The sharp knife of a short life
Oh well
I've had just enough time
~*~
"So what did you want to see me for, Gil?" Matthew asked as he took his usual seat next to Gilbert on the picnic table bench where they had first met.
The sun was setting, and the fading light cast shadows on everything in sight and bathed the world in an orange glow that would soon give way to the darkness of the night and the faint glowing of the stars. It was a miracle that they had both been able to get off of work and were able to meet each other so late.
"I... Well, I had something important that I wanted to tell you. Something that I didn't think was fit for a phone conversation," Gilbert replied.
Matthew frowned deeply. "What's wrong, Gil? Are you okay? Is Lud okay?" he asked, worried.
Gilbert shook his head. "Nothing's wrong, Matt. We're both fine, don't worry. It's not something bad that I need to tell you," he assured.
Matthew sighed with relief. "Then what is it...?" he asked.
Gilbert took a deep breath. "I just... Well, I've got something to confess to you, Matthew."
"Go on..." Matthew urged.
"I just... You know, I've always thought you were kinda cute. And you know... You're the only other person besides Luddy who really understands what I'm going through. You're my best friend. The one person besides Luddy that I can trust with anything and the one person besides Luddy that keeps me going. I've had some rough nights, you know? But when I get to see you, even for just a little while, everything seems kind of worth it..." Gilbert began.
Matthew blushed and smiled softly at him. "I feel the same way, Gil," he said.
Gilbert laughed softly. "I'm glad. But there's more," he said.
Matthew tilted his head. "Oh?"
"You see, what I'm getting at is... I really like you, Matthew. A lot. It's... It's not even <i>liking</i> anymore. It's love, I know it is. And at first I didn't realize... I mean, I thought that maybe I just love you the way I love Lud. Like you're my little brother. But when I look at you, I know it's more than that. I want to hold your hand and kiss your lips and listen to the beat of your heart. I know I'm no good at words, but Matthew, I wanted to know if... I wanted to know if you'd be my boyfriend."
Matthew gasped and stared at Gilbert in shock for a few moments. Out of all the things that he had thought Gilbert wanted to tell him that night, this was not one of them. To be honest, he'd never expected to become so close to Gilbert in the first place, let alone that Gilbert would one day grow feelings for him. It was a strange sensation, to know that there was someone else besides his father who loved him.
As the minutes passed, Matthew gave no answer to the man who had confessed to him, which caused the German's face to fall and the light in his eyes to flicker and fade away. "Y-you don't feel the same way, do you...?" he asked softly.
Upon hearing those words, Matthew snapped out of his daze and shook his head quickly. "N-no! I mean yes- I mean...-!" He sighed softly and rubbed his temples before looking at Gilbert and smiling. "I mean yes, Gilbert. I'll be your boyfriend."
~*~
And I'll be wearing white
When I come into your kingdom
I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger
I've never known the lovin' of a man
But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand
There's a boy here in town
Says he'll love me forever
Who would've thought forever could be severed by
The sharp knife of a short life
Oh well
I've had just enough time
~*~
Matthew and Gilbert were officially "together" after that night. Not that anyone cared. Neither of them had any other friends so no one came to congratulate them. There was no talk around the school about how two boys had decided to start dating each other. The only other people who really cared were Ludwig and Francis. Even though Francis had never met Gilbert and Ludwig had never met Matthew, the two could see how happy Matthew and Gilbert were when they spoke about each other and decided to let them be.
Nothing really changed between the two of them except for the addition of affection that they had never given to each other until now. They held hands. They kissed. They cuddled. When one of them had had a particularly bad day, the other would reassure them that everything was alright and that it would get better and would whisper sweet nothings into the other's ear.
Red Velvet Pancakes (feat. fem!1p!canada)
<i>She sees them walking in a straight line
That's not really her style
And they all got the same heartbeat
But hers is falling behind
Nothing in this world
Could ever bring them down
Yeah, they're invincible
And she's just in the background</i>
~*~
It was a cool September evening. The sun was just beginning to set, making the sky above Rosemary Park glow orange. There were grey rain clouds coming closer, but they weren't overhead just yet. It would rain later that evening. The wind that was blowing the clouds closer created quite a breeze around the park, lifting leaves up and messing up all the girls' hair. Children shrieked and laughed as the ran around in the last rays of autumn sun for the day.
School had started a few weeks ago, and lately, things hadn't been easy for Madeline Bonnefoy. A fifteen-year-old French-Canadian girl with long strawberry-blond, almost red hair and beautiful lavender eyes. Her hair was tied up in to long pigtails. Her hair went down to her hips when it was tied up, and when she left it down, it went all the way down her back, to just above her bottom. Her skin was fair. She wore square framed glasses and tied her hair up with white ribbons. She used maple leaf barrettes to keep her bangs out of her face. A stray strand of curly hair always stuck away from the rest, but usually, she hid it under a red beret that was given to her by her father.
Madeline had never been the most popular kid on the block. No, all the attention went to her older brother, Alfred. Alfred was handsome. Alfred was smart. Alfred was strong. Alfred was talented. Alfred was outgoing, and cheerful, and amazing and perfect. He set trends, he followed trends, he was the leader of everything. Every boy wanted to be like him, every girl wanted to date him. Everyone loved him.
But Madeline had never been told that she was beautiful by anyone but her mother, her father and her brother. And sure, Madeline got good grades, just like Alfred, but she wasn't talented enough to get the other kids to notice her. She wasn't hip enough. She didn't keep up with the trends like Alfred did. She just didn't care. She didn't want to be like everyone else. She didn't want to wear the same clothes, play the same games, watch the same movies. They weren't her style. But she was so different from everyone else that everyone thought she was weird. Strange. No one wanted to talk to her, to hang out with her. She was never invited to parties. Never asked to be sat with. She was ignored by everyone. Pushed around, picked on. Not even Alfred paid attention to her. At least, not when they were outside the house.
Madeline had never been a social butterfly like Alfred, either. She'd tried to make friends before, but everyone had pushed her away, or forgotten her, or hurt her, so finally, she stopped trying. The people around her pushed her deeper and deeper into her shell. So deep that she thought she'd never come out again. So, she sat and watched from a bench as the other kids, including her brother, practiced football in the park together. The players and the cheerleaders, all hanging out together, laughing, and having a good time. Nothing ever stopped them. But Madeline was alone. Just another shadow in the background that no one ever saw at all.
~*~
<i>And she said
"I wish that I could be like the cool kids"
"'Cuz all the cool kids, they seem to fit in"
"I wish that I could be like the cool kids"
"Like the cool kids"</i>
~*~
Madeline let out a heavy sigh. She took the beret off of her head and covered her face with it. The poor girl was prone to tears, and she didn't want anyone to see her cry. Not that anyone else would notice her anyways. But the tears did come, rolling down her cheeks, though she tried to hold them back. She couldn't help but sniffle as she tried to stop the crying.
"I-I wish that I could... Be like the cool kids... I-I wish that I could fit in with everyone else..." she whispered.
Only seconds later, Madeline felt someone sitting down next to her. Whoever it was smelled of pine trees and maple syrup. They didn't say anything for a little while, which made Madeline think that she was absolutely invisible to whoever it was. Of course, she was surprised when she heard a soft yet rather gruff voice say to her "Hey, stop crying, darling. You don't wanna ruin that pretty face."
Madeline gasped in shock. The voice was clearly that of a man. Madeline slowly took her beret away from her face and looked beside her. There was a boy sitting next to her. He looked like he was around Alfred's age. He had medium-length blond hair that was tied up in a ponytail. His eyes were a deep violet shade. The bottom of his face was covered in stubble. He had dark circles under his eyes. He was wearing a plaid jacket and a white tank-top under it. Sunglasses were hanging out of the collar of his shirt. He had a grim look on his face, yet a sympathetic look in his eyes.
"E-excuse me, a-are you talking to me...?" Madeline asked quietly, setting the beret in her lap and wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands.
"Who else would I be talking to, sweetheart?" the boy asked.
"I-I dunno..." Madeline mumbled.
"Listen, sweetheart. I know it ain't easy being the odd one out. Trust me, okay? But you know, one day it's all gonna be better for us. One day we're gonna be at the top of our games while they're all falling behind. And one day, they're gonna be following us, and they're gonna wish they had paid attention to us way back when, when we were nobodies like this," the boy promised.
Madeline shook her head slowly. "Th-thank you for the encouraging words, sir, but that could never happen to me... I can't do anything... I'll never be like them, and I'll never be better than them. I'm just gonna be a plain girl for the rest of my life."
The boy frowned and shook his head. "I wish you could see what I see in you, sweetheart. I know I sound like a total creep, and I'm real sorry if I scare ya, but I've been keeping an eye on you for a while now. You may think that no one notices you, but I have. You're a special girl, sweetheart. Don't ever forget that."
Madeline stared at him in bewilderment. "S-sir, m-may I asked what your name is...?" she inquired.
"Listen, sweetheart, I gotta get going. But you'll see me again soon, I promise. In the meantime, I want you to have this," the man said, standing up from the bench and reaching his hand into his pocket. When he took it out, he was holding a gold bracelet with little ruby charms all around it. He tossed it to her, and she caught it, squeaking. She gasped when she got a good look at it.
"S-sir, I-I can't take this! I-it looks so expensive and I don't even know y-" Madeline looked up, and the boy was gone.
That's not really her style
And they all got the same heartbeat
But hers is falling behind
Nothing in this world
Could ever bring them down
Yeah, they're invincible
And she's just in the background</i>
~*~
It was a cool September evening. The sun was just beginning to set, making the sky above Rosemary Park glow orange. There were grey rain clouds coming closer, but they weren't overhead just yet. It would rain later that evening. The wind that was blowing the clouds closer created quite a breeze around the park, lifting leaves up and messing up all the girls' hair. Children shrieked and laughed as the ran around in the last rays of autumn sun for the day.
School had started a few weeks ago, and lately, things hadn't been easy for Madeline Bonnefoy. A fifteen-year-old French-Canadian girl with long strawberry-blond, almost red hair and beautiful lavender eyes. Her hair was tied up in to long pigtails. Her hair went down to her hips when it was tied up, and when she left it down, it went all the way down her back, to just above her bottom. Her skin was fair. She wore square framed glasses and tied her hair up with white ribbons. She used maple leaf barrettes to keep her bangs out of her face. A stray strand of curly hair always stuck away from the rest, but usually, she hid it under a red beret that was given to her by her father.
Madeline had never been the most popular kid on the block. No, all the attention went to her older brother, Alfred. Alfred was handsome. Alfred was smart. Alfred was strong. Alfred was talented. Alfred was outgoing, and cheerful, and amazing and perfect. He set trends, he followed trends, he was the leader of everything. Every boy wanted to be like him, every girl wanted to date him. Everyone loved him.
But Madeline had never been told that she was beautiful by anyone but her mother, her father and her brother. And sure, Madeline got good grades, just like Alfred, but she wasn't talented enough to get the other kids to notice her. She wasn't hip enough. She didn't keep up with the trends like Alfred did. She just didn't care. She didn't want to be like everyone else. She didn't want to wear the same clothes, play the same games, watch the same movies. They weren't her style. But she was so different from everyone else that everyone thought she was weird. Strange. No one wanted to talk to her, to hang out with her. She was never invited to parties. Never asked to be sat with. She was ignored by everyone. Pushed around, picked on. Not even Alfred paid attention to her. At least, not when they were outside the house.
Madeline had never been a social butterfly like Alfred, either. She'd tried to make friends before, but everyone had pushed her away, or forgotten her, or hurt her, so finally, she stopped trying. The people around her pushed her deeper and deeper into her shell. So deep that she thought she'd never come out again. So, she sat and watched from a bench as the other kids, including her brother, practiced football in the park together. The players and the cheerleaders, all hanging out together, laughing, and having a good time. Nothing ever stopped them. But Madeline was alone. Just another shadow in the background that no one ever saw at all.
~*~
<i>And she said
"I wish that I could be like the cool kids"
"'Cuz all the cool kids, they seem to fit in"
"I wish that I could be like the cool kids"
"Like the cool kids"</i>
~*~
Madeline let out a heavy sigh. She took the beret off of her head and covered her face with it. The poor girl was prone to tears, and she didn't want anyone to see her cry. Not that anyone else would notice her anyways. But the tears did come, rolling down her cheeks, though she tried to hold them back. She couldn't help but sniffle as she tried to stop the crying.
"I-I wish that I could... Be like the cool kids... I-I wish that I could fit in with everyone else..." she whispered.
Only seconds later, Madeline felt someone sitting down next to her. Whoever it was smelled of pine trees and maple syrup. They didn't say anything for a little while, which made Madeline think that she was absolutely invisible to whoever it was. Of course, she was surprised when she heard a soft yet rather gruff voice say to her "Hey, stop crying, darling. You don't wanna ruin that pretty face."
Madeline gasped in shock. The voice was clearly that of a man. Madeline slowly took her beret away from her face and looked beside her. There was a boy sitting next to her. He looked like he was around Alfred's age. He had medium-length blond hair that was tied up in a ponytail. His eyes were a deep violet shade. The bottom of his face was covered in stubble. He had dark circles under his eyes. He was wearing a plaid jacket and a white tank-top under it. Sunglasses were hanging out of the collar of his shirt. He had a grim look on his face, yet a sympathetic look in his eyes.
"E-excuse me, a-are you talking to me...?" Madeline asked quietly, setting the beret in her lap and wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands.
"Who else would I be talking to, sweetheart?" the boy asked.
"I-I dunno..." Madeline mumbled.
"Listen, sweetheart. I know it ain't easy being the odd one out. Trust me, okay? But you know, one day it's all gonna be better for us. One day we're gonna be at the top of our games while they're all falling behind. And one day, they're gonna be following us, and they're gonna wish they had paid attention to us way back when, when we were nobodies like this," the boy promised.
Madeline shook her head slowly. "Th-thank you for the encouraging words, sir, but that could never happen to me... I can't do anything... I'll never be like them, and I'll never be better than them. I'm just gonna be a plain girl for the rest of my life."
The boy frowned and shook his head. "I wish you could see what I see in you, sweetheart. I know I sound like a total creep, and I'm real sorry if I scare ya, but I've been keeping an eye on you for a while now. You may think that no one notices you, but I have. You're a special girl, sweetheart. Don't ever forget that."
Madeline stared at him in bewilderment. "S-sir, m-may I asked what your name is...?" she inquired.
"Listen, sweetheart, I gotta get going. But you'll see me again soon, I promise. In the meantime, I want you to have this," the man said, standing up from the bench and reaching his hand into his pocket. When he took it out, he was holding a gold bracelet with little ruby charms all around it. He tossed it to her, and she caught it, squeaking. She gasped when she got a good look at it.
"S-sir, I-I can't take this! I-it looks so expensive and I don't even know y-" Madeline looked up, and the boy was gone.
USUK
~*~
This is gospel for the fallen ones
Locked away in permanent slumber
Assembling their philosophies
From pieces of broken memories
~*~
A soft sigh escaped Alfred's lips as he gazed upon the old books that filled the shelves of the small library inside of his home. Most people assumed that Alfred didn't like to read, or that if he did read, it was only comic books and graphic novels. But Alfred loved to read, and even more than that, he loved the memories that the dusty books on his shelves brought to him when he pulled them off and opened them up.
The dust would fly up into the air and into his face, covering the lenses of his glasses and making him cough. He'd put the book down for a moment, take his glasses off, and clean them using the hem of his shirt. He'd put his glasses back on, pick the book up, sit down on the floor, and let the nostalgia wash over him.
This particular section of books was made of some of Alfred's favorites. They were journals. Not his journals, but the journals of people who were close to him. Soldiers. Little children. People who went down in history. Ordinary people with ordinary jobs who were never anything special to history. Alfred collected them all, and he kept them safe inside the walls of his home, and he fixed them up when they were falling apart, and he kept their memories alive inside his mind, but he never shared with anyone else.
The thing about Alfred was, he wasn't human. Not really. He looked human. He acted human. He had human thoughts and emotions. He spoke like a human. But he wasn't a human. He was a country. The spirit of a nation. The human personification of the United States of America. And he was damn proud of it, too.
The journals that he kept were the journals of men and women that had died long ago. Humans that he loved like family; that he spent time with from when they were children all the way until their dying breath. It was emotionally draining, watching your friends grow old and whither, or die in combat while you fight beside them, while you stay young and beautiful forever. Nations can't die. Not while people still remember their existence.
Even so, the journals were enough for him. When he pulled them off of the shelves, and he read them, the words on the pages came to life in his mind. They danced behind his eyes until he could see the people who wrote them standing in front of him. He listened to them telling him about their thoughts and ideas for the first time.
~*~
Oh whoa oh oh oh
(This is the beat of my heart)
(This is the beat of my heart)
Oh whoa oh oh oh
(This is the beat of my heart)
(This is the beat of my heart)
Their gnashing teeth and criminal tongues
Conspire against the odds
But they haven't seen the best of us yet
~*~
Alfred was so absorbed in the journal that he was reading that he didn't hear the multiple knocks that were delivered to his front door. He also didn't hear the loud yelling coming from the guest that was trying to access his house, nor the annoyed grumbling that the visitor made once they had found the extra house key that Alfred had hid under his doormat and and used it to get into the house. He didn't hear anything until the door to the library was opened.
As soon as the doorknob was twisted, Alfred looked up from the journal. He closed it when he saw the door open. When his guest stepped into the room, he stood up from where he was sitting and shoved the journal back into its place on the shelf. He stood with his back to the shelf and faced the library door. His baby blue eyes widened in shock as they fell upon his visitor.
"A-Arthur? What are you doing here, I-I thought you didn't get in until tomorrow-" he stuttered, surprised that the British man was here so early. His heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest. He had planned to have the door to this place locked by the time Arthur got here.
"Well, I came a day early. Do you have a problem with that?" Arthur asked, crossing his arms.
Alfred swallowed thickly. "N-no, i-it's just that I wanted to have some more things done before you got here, ahh..."
Arthur's eyes scanned the room that he was standing in. He hadn't fully realized what it was at first. He'd never been in this room before. It was always locked and off-limits whenever Arthur, or anyone, for that matter, came to visit Alfred. Arthur's previously annoyed face softened and almost turned into awe and admiration at the sight before him. No one loved books more than Arthur, and it surprised him to see a room like this in Alfred's home.
This is gospel for the fallen ones
Locked away in permanent slumber
Assembling their philosophies
From pieces of broken memories
~*~
A soft sigh escaped Alfred's lips as he gazed upon the old books that filled the shelves of the small library inside of his home. Most people assumed that Alfred didn't like to read, or that if he did read, it was only comic books and graphic novels. But Alfred loved to read, and even more than that, he loved the memories that the dusty books on his shelves brought to him when he pulled them off and opened them up.
The dust would fly up into the air and into his face, covering the lenses of his glasses and making him cough. He'd put the book down for a moment, take his glasses off, and clean them using the hem of his shirt. He'd put his glasses back on, pick the book up, sit down on the floor, and let the nostalgia wash over him.
This particular section of books was made of some of Alfred's favorites. They were journals. Not his journals, but the journals of people who were close to him. Soldiers. Little children. People who went down in history. Ordinary people with ordinary jobs who were never anything special to history. Alfred collected them all, and he kept them safe inside the walls of his home, and he fixed them up when they were falling apart, and he kept their memories alive inside his mind, but he never shared with anyone else.
The thing about Alfred was, he wasn't human. Not really. He looked human. He acted human. He had human thoughts and emotions. He spoke like a human. But he wasn't a human. He was a country. The spirit of a nation. The human personification of the United States of America. And he was damn proud of it, too.
The journals that he kept were the journals of men and women that had died long ago. Humans that he loved like family; that he spent time with from when they were children all the way until their dying breath. It was emotionally draining, watching your friends grow old and whither, or die in combat while you fight beside them, while you stay young and beautiful forever. Nations can't die. Not while people still remember their existence.
Even so, the journals were enough for him. When he pulled them off of the shelves, and he read them, the words on the pages came to life in his mind. They danced behind his eyes until he could see the people who wrote them standing in front of him. He listened to them telling him about their thoughts and ideas for the first time.
~*~
Oh whoa oh oh oh
(This is the beat of my heart)
(This is the beat of my heart)
Oh whoa oh oh oh
(This is the beat of my heart)
(This is the beat of my heart)
Their gnashing teeth and criminal tongues
Conspire against the odds
But they haven't seen the best of us yet
~*~
Alfred was so absorbed in the journal that he was reading that he didn't hear the multiple knocks that were delivered to his front door. He also didn't hear the loud yelling coming from the guest that was trying to access his house, nor the annoyed grumbling that the visitor made once they had found the extra house key that Alfred had hid under his doormat and and used it to get into the house. He didn't hear anything until the door to the library was opened.
As soon as the doorknob was twisted, Alfred looked up from the journal. He closed it when he saw the door open. When his guest stepped into the room, he stood up from where he was sitting and shoved the journal back into its place on the shelf. He stood with his back to the shelf and faced the library door. His baby blue eyes widened in shock as they fell upon his visitor.
"A-Arthur? What are you doing here, I-I thought you didn't get in until tomorrow-" he stuttered, surprised that the British man was here so early. His heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest. He had planned to have the door to this place locked by the time Arthur got here.
"Well, I came a day early. Do you have a problem with that?" Arthur asked, crossing his arms.
Alfred swallowed thickly. "N-no, i-it's just that I wanted to have some more things done before you got here, ahh..."
Arthur's eyes scanned the room that he was standing in. He hadn't fully realized what it was at first. He'd never been in this room before. It was always locked and off-limits whenever Arthur, or anyone, for that matter, came to visit Alfred. Arthur's previously annoyed face softened and almost turned into awe and admiration at the sight before him. No one loved books more than Arthur, and it surprised him to see a room like this in Alfred's home.
eyyyyy