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Arthur lies on his stomach on top of his bed, one sock-clad foot kicking absently in the air. His fingers flip through the pages of the paperback that lies open in front of him, their edges worn from being read so many times. The book is a light-hearted romance, and it’s been one of Arthur’s favorites for years. The cover of the book is slightly wrinkled from being stuffed into his backpack too many times, and the corners of several pages are folded down, so Arthur can always find his favorite scenes when he wants them.
A pair of black headphones covers his ears, and he has the volume up loud enough to block out whatever noises are happening around him. The neighbor’s dog barking, whatever painfully loud show Peter is watching downstairs, a car honking its horn as it passes by- all of that is replaced by the sweet strumming of electric guitars and the steady thump of drums.
Outside, the sky is a brilliant blue, cotton-candy clouds strewn across it. Arthur has the window open, letting the sun stream into his bedroom. It’s a picture-perfect moment, the kind that makes Arthur feel like he’s in his own little corner of the world, and nothing can disturb his peace.
That is, until his bedroom door swings open and Peter pokes his head into the room. “Arthur!”
He has to shout his name three times before Arthur can hear him. Arthur takes off his headphones and throws them onto the bed, green eyes darting across the room and landing on his little brother’s face. “What? What is it?”
Peter giggles. “Alfred’s here,” he says in a sing-song voice.
Arthur immediately sits up straight, his face flushed. “A-Already?” He stands up and hurries out of the room, padding down the upstairs hallway and towards the steps.
By the time he reaches the front door, his heart feels ready to leap into his throat. His hand, already starting to sweat, reaches for the doorknob and twists it.
And then, standing in front of him, is Alfred. Tall and tan and smiling brightly, bouncing lightly on his toes.
“Arthur!” He exclaims. He lunges forward with open arms, trapping Arthur in a tight bear hug.
Arthur laughs and squeezes him back, his face buried in the warm crook of Alfred’s shoulder. He inhales deeply, breathing in the scent of clean laundry and sun-drenched grass. Arthur eventually breaks free from Alfred’s crushing embrace with a big gasp, smiling shyly as he combs his fingers through his hair. “You’re here a bit early.”
“I know, I know,” Alfred sighs. “I was just too excited. We’ve been so busy with school and stuff lately, so we haven’t had time to have a proper date night. So let’s go!” He grabs Arthur’s hand and tugs him forward. “We can’t waste any more time.”
Arthur grins and steps out onto the porch, looking up at his boyfriend’s pure blue eyes. “Of course. Let’s make this the best evening ever.”
After a few minutes of strolling down the sidewalk, Arthur finally grows curious about the backpack Alfred’s wearing. “So, what’s in the backpack? Nothing that’ll get us arrested, I hope.”
Alfred laughs. “Some food for later. I was thinking we could walk up to the park, then sit down somewhere and eat.”
“That sounds nice.” Arthur grins. He looks at Alfred’s smiling face, practically glowing in the sunlight, and knows that it’s going to be an amazing night.
By the time they reach the park, the sun has sunk a little lower in the sky, blazing orange against a backdrop of blue. Alfred sets his backpack down on a bench and immediately sprints over to the swings.
Alfred plops himself onto one of the swings, fingers curling around the rusted chains. “C’mon, Arthur. You’re never too old for the swings.”
Arthur laughs and sits down in the swing next to Alfred’s. The swings are clearly not made for someone his size, and his feet drag on the ground, kicking up dust. The swing creaks as he rocks back and forth, and he turns to Alfred, his lips quirking up at the corners. “I’m worried we’ll break these. They’re so old.”
Alfred pumps his legs, his toes pointed towards the sky. “Well, that’s not gonna stop me.”
Arthur watches Alfred swing back and forth, the breeze blowing his golden hair away from his face, his tanned, slender legs bending and straightening. Arthur swallows thickly, his heart swelling with love.
“Imagine if a little kid comes here,” Arthur chuckles. “And sees two high schoolers playing on the swings. He’ll probably be so confused.”
Alfred turns towards Arthur, the sunlight dancing off the lenses of his glasses. “Well, there’s no age limit to fun. Whether you’re seven or seventeen.”
Arthur gazes at him for another minute or two, a familiar warmth settling in his stomach.
“Wanna go and eat?” Alfred asks. “We should probably eat the food before it goes bad.”
“Sure.” Arthur hops off the swing and smooths down his shirt. He walks over to the bench, where Alfred’s backpack sits.
Alfred opens up his backpack and starts rummaging through it. “I’ve packed a gourmet dinner for us. Because my boyfriend only deserves the finest.” He takes two sandwiches out of the backpack and hands it to Arthur.
Arthur chuckles as he unwraps the sandwich. “This is better than anything you could get at a five-star restaurant.”
Alfred pulls a bag of potato chips out of the backpack and opens it. “I know. I spent hours preparing this delicious meal.”
Arthur takes a bite of his sandwich and leans against Alfred’s shoulder while he chews. Alfred starts stroking his hair, and Arthur lets his eyes flutter shut.
Alfred swallows a chip. “I don’t want things to ever change.”
There’s a heaviness in his voice, and it makes Arthur’s brow furrow. Before Arthur can figure out what to say, Alfred is speaking again.
“I just want things to always be like this. I want things to stay simple, you know. I want to go to school, kiss you in the hallways, do crazy things with you and all our friends… just typical teenage boy stuff, you know? My life isn’t perfect, but I love it the way it is. And I don’t know what I’ll do when it’s not this way anymore.”
Arthur’s breath catches in his throat. “I get what you mean. The idea of growing up is scary.”
“It’s so scary,” Alfred sighs, tilting his head back to gaze at the sky. “All my teachers keep saying that this is the age when we really need to start thinking about the future. But I don’t want to. I don’t have anything figured out.”
Arthur leans in and presses a soft kiss to Alfred’s lips. “You don’t have to have it all figured out yet. You still have time. And you probably won’t figure it out all at once. It’ll happen a little bit at a time.”
Alfred swallows. “Yeah… I just can’t stop myself from worrying about what’ll happen when my teenage years are over. I don’t know what the future holds.”
“Well, knowing you, Alfred, I’m sure it holds something amazing. You’re special and kind and beautiful, and you’re going to go places.”
Alfred’s face breaks into a smile, and he leans forward to trap Arthur in a tight hug. “Thank you.”
Arthur kisses Alfred’s temple and rubs his back. Alfred’s going places, that’s for sure. And wherever he goes, Arthur hopes he can go with him.