Forever and Ever

(warms me up like a summer night)

musiclover3

dedicated to Dream-chan

darling, you're beautiful

(i.)

The first time Natalya Arlovskaya had met Alfred F. Jones was near the beginning of summer- the time her older brother usually left to go back to his home country of Russia, and the time she usually had to stay with her older sister Yekaterina, whom she, admittedly, hated with all her being. She was nice, sweet, motherly, and perfect in every single way, and it didn't help that Ivan seemed to like her more than Natalya herself, who lived with him for goodness sakes. Yekaterina had always been more oblivious than she should have been for a woman her age, so she had never noticed the numerous stares that she had always attracted from the opposite gender, or the special treatment she had gotten from their brother, and it had just made Natalya hate her even more. Natalya had always loved Ivan the most, and it should have been obvious by the various gifts and affection she had always showered over him, but neither of her stupid siblings had noticed.

Natalya had always had anger issues since she was a little girl. She was distrustful and violent and crazy, so most people had tended to avoid crossing her path.

But, Alfred F. Jones had been more idiotic than most, and, the moment he had seen her sitting under the shade with the scent of summer in the air, he had fallen in love.

(At least, that's what he had told her.)

He had run up to her front porch the moment he had seen her, with his blue eyes as bright as the sky and his million-dollar grin larger than usual, and she had let him babble on about things she hadn't cared about and shower her with compliments she hadn't believed at the time, until she had finally gotten tired of hearing his voice and had threatened him with her pocket knife to just leave her alone already and go bother some other girl.

His grin had stayed on his face as he had said, 'I don't want to talk to some other pretty girl. I want to talk to you.'

Natalya still wasn't sure whether it was because of the shock of his statement, or the curiosity she had felt about the boy with the old bomber jacket, that had caused her to let him stay.

sweetheart, you're the cutest girl I've ever seen

(ii.)

Alfred was childish and loud and obnoxious, but he had always had a way of making her do what he wanted.

'You're such a child,' she would always say to him, after some random exploit he had just done, whether it be spray painting his old high school black, ('it's your favorite color, right?') or dragging her off to run through the sprinklers in his frontyard. He would just pout at her in response, give her his famous puppy dog eyes, and say, 'Please? It'd be nice to show off to everyone that I can get a pretty girl to hang out with me.'

She would either hit him or threaten him with her pocket knife in response to that statement, but, eventually, she would give in, because even though Alfred F. Jones was a constant annoyance in her life, she had to admit that it wouldn't be that bad to be seen with him either.

And it gave her an excuse to leave her sister behind and forget about Ivan for just a little longer.

'You ever been on the swings before, Nat?' he had asked her the first time he had managed to get her out of her house, narrowly avoiding the fist that had been aimed at his face.

'Don't call me that,' she had spat immediately, her eyes flashing. 'And who goes on the swings anymore?'

He had immediately gasped and placed his hand over his heart dramatically, wailing about how horrible her childhood must have been and calling her 'deprived of fun,' while Natalya had just stood beside him, fuming silently and waiting for him to shut up. After several minutes of begging and pleading from Alfred, she had agreed to go on the swings with him, 'just this once'.

He had shot her his million-dollar smile, and she had known that she was in for one heck of a summer.

sing me a lullaby full of love songs and sweet smiles

(iii.)

He had contantly hummed tunes of jazz and ragtime and upbeat melodies when the silence between them had started to become too awkward and too stuffy, and she had always found herself tapping her finger or her foot in time with the rhythm, no matter what mood she had been finding herself in at the time. Sometimes, she had found herself humming along with his music, stopping immediately when he had taken notice.

'You've got a nice voice, Nat. Why don't you sing more?'

'It's none of your business,' she had replied automatically, her mind flashing back to a time of dancing in the living room with her siblings and lullabies sung by a brother who probably hadn't cared.

(Alfred would just smile knowingly and go back to singing his songs, and Natalya had a feeling he knew how she had felt.)

'Darling, you're beautiful,' he would sing brightly afterwards, always glancing over at her at those words, causing her to roll her eyes at him and constantly try to hide her smile.

(Because she liked to think that he was beautiful too.)

romance sprinkled with hate

(iv.)

Yekaterina had always been fond of fairytales and love stories for as long as Natalya could remember, and, because of this, those were usually the kind of stories she would hear before she went to sleep when she was still just a little girl. Her older sister would always get a dreamy look in her eyes while reading the stories, her eyes sparkling with images of a princess in a golden ball gown and a knight riding on a white horse with his sword at the ready, and Natalya would always find herself almost believing it all.

(But, Natalya had always been a little too realistic for her own good, and dreams of happy endings and shooting stars had always been too far out of her reach.)

'You can't have love without hate,' she would always say to her older sister, in response to her lovestruck eyes and passionate speeches. Her sister would always just give her an almost sad or sympathetic smile, and say, 'You have enough hate to last a lifetime, Natalya. That means only love awaits you.'

Sometimes, Natalya would find herself looking at Alfred and thinking, 'Is this love?'

ice cold lips with a shining bright heart

(v.)

When asked what her favorite season was, Natalya would always find herself saying winter.

'It's an obvious answer coming from her,' they always would say. 'She's ice cold after all; a real Ice Queen. What else would you expect?'

When she had told Alfred her answer, he had just laughed and told her, 'Really? I thought it'd be summer.'

'Why is that?' she had asked, tilting her head slightly in a way that Alfred had always found quite cute.

He had shot her a large grin, his eyes sparkling. 'Because, that's when you met me, right?'

It was a strange answer, because Natalya had never found herself liking the season of summer. It was when her brother left for Russia, when she was forced to stay with her perfect sister, and when everything was just too hot and sunny and cheerful for her tastes. Alfred, on the other hand, was the embodiment of summer, with his happy-go-lucky attitude and his famous bright smile. He was the total opposite of Natalya in every way, with him being the sun and she being the moon.

In a way, the sun was always there somehow, but the moon was always out of reach. She had always been the odd one out everywhere she went, with her strange choice of clothing and her cold attitude. Even though people had tended to notice her right away, they had usually wanted nothing to do with her afterwards.

But Alfred had stayed with her since the day he had met her, nevermind how long ago that was. When she had brought her thoughts up, he had just laughed in her face, not noticing how red her face had gotten, whether the cause of it being from anger or embarrassment, Natalya hadn't been sure. Before she had been able to stomp off and leave him forever alone, he had stopped laughing long enough to give her a smile that literally made her heart stop.

'Haven't you heard the saying, Nat? About how the sun loved the moon so much, he died every night to let her breathe?'

She hadn't said anything in response to his statement, but, by the soft smile he had given her afterwards, she knew that he had understood.

I want to smile forever and look at the stars with you

(vi.)

Alfred loved stargazing just as much as he loved hamburgers, and that was very much indeed.

The first time he had brought her out to eat, the restaurant he had immediately chosen was McDonald's, and he had practically ordered the whole menu, much to her displeasure. He hadn't seemed to notice her distaste, however, seeing as he had no qualms about chewing quite loudly and slurping his shake with much more vigour than he probably should have had. She had almost stormed out of the doors before he could even finish his meal, and she probably would have, if not for the sympathetic and piteous stares she had been receiving from the other people around them.

She had just raised an eyebrow at their stares, crossed her legs regally, and sent them a clear look that said, 'Why are you looking at us like that? You're not much better if you eat here too.'

Her pride would be the end of her one day.

Although Natalya had a problem with his eating habits, she had never had any qualms about stargazing with him. At night, after their daily exploits, he would always grab her hand, (his own were rough and warm, while hers had always been cold and easily able to slip away) and drag her back to his backyard. He would force her to sit down on the grass with him, and look up at the stars through the leaves of the trees above them and the whispering words from the wind about two teenagers who were blind to the outside world. Alfred would point out various stars to her, while she would nod every so often and ignore the whispered lies of the wind, her head on his shoulder and her hair fanned out around her.

'Nat, you remind me of that star right there- Corona Borealis.'

She had raised an eyebrow at him, signaling for him to go on.

'Well, there once was this princess named Ariadne, and her father was King Minos, that guy who had that huge labyrinth built to trap the Minotaur. Eventually, after a bunch of other stuff happened, Ariadne fell in love with this hero named Theseus. She helped him escape the labyrinth in exchange for him taking her away with him. So, they did all that, and then they sailed away. Theseus- that jerk- eventually left Ariadne on an island and deserted her there-'

'How is this anything like me?' Natalya had interrupted, shifting uncomfortably on the grass.

(Because her brother had abandoned her just like Theseus had abandoned Ariadne.)

Alfred had grinned at her. 'Be patient, Nat, I'm getting there.' He continued, 'Eventually, this god named Bacchus- who was the god of wine and parties by the way- found her, and fell in love with her. Kind of like love at first sight.' He winked at Natalya when he had said this part, causing her to send him a half-hearted glare, her cheeks heating up. 'He made her a crown with the seven most beautiful jewels, and, when Ariadne died, Zeus- the god of the sky- placed the crown in the sky and changed the jewels to seven stars, just like it looks like now.' After he had finished, Alfred had leaned back against his hands, his face tilted up to look at the constellation, oblivious to Natalya's surprised expression.

(Because no one had ever said anything like that to her before, and she had never thought of herself resembling a star.)

'I can't exactly give you jewels or a crown, Nat,' Alfred had said, glancing at her from the corner of his eye, 'but I can be your hero... If you let me that is.' The nervous grin he had sent her was something Natalya had rarely ever seen on his face before. He had usually been so confident and hyper, and it had never crossed her mind that, just maybe, Alfred F. Jones wasn't as confident and cool as he had appeared to be.

Regaining her cool, Natalya had shot him a neutral look, her heart beating in her chest much faster than she would have liked it to. 'Wasn't Theseus the supposed 'hero' of this story?'

Alfred had laughed his usual boisterious laugh, his head thrown back and his eyes closed. 'No hero leaves the girl behind, Nat.'

She had believed him.

(And that was the first time Natalya Arlovskaya had ever truly believed in someone.)

smile for me, dear

(vii.)

When Natalya had found out that July 4th, Independence Day, was also Alfred's birthday, she hadn't been sure how to react.

Alfred had, expectedly, been the most excited she had ever seen him, with his arms full of firecrackers and his smile threatening to stretch out his face. He had immediately dragged her out of her house the moment she had woken up, and had kept her in his sight all the way up until the moment the fireworks started.

'You didn't give me time to buy you a proper gift,' she had stated simply, the moment he had asked her where his present was.

He hadn't been upset with her like she had expected him to be, instead opting to chuckle and grab her hand the moment the first firework had lit up in the sky. 'I'm just happy you're here, Nat.'

It was a cliche and cheesy line- the kind that Natalya had always hated- but she had found herself not minding when it came out of Alfred's mouth.

'Hey, Nat,' he had said after a few minutes of silence, his gaze still focused on the fireworks lighting up the sky- for him, 'there is a gift you can give me right now.'

She had raised an eyebrow at him. 'I thought me being here was enough.' But, by her expectant expression, it was obvious that had she wanted to know what he had wanted.

'Smile for me?'

(And, with the brilliant fireworks in the background, lighting up the sky with its vibrant hues of reds and greens and blues, the moon gave the sun a small smile, liking the feeling of them both in the sky.)

believe me when I say you're beautiful

(viii.)

'I wish summer would last forever.'

The two of them had been a picturesque scene; two teenagers with their forms lying down close to each other, their arms touching and their eyes focused solely on the floating clouds above them, both ignoring their beating hearts and their fractured feelings.

Natalya had turned her head towards him, careful not to let any of her long hair touch his face. 'Nothing lasts forever, right?'

Alfred had chuckled, rolling his body over closer to hers, not taking notice of her reddening cheeks or her labored breathing. 'I guess, but I'd like this to last forever.' He had gestured between the two of them, and Natalya had suddenly realized that he smelled like love songs and jazz and pretty smiles, and, just as that thought had occurred, she had immediately wanted to slap herself and rip out her heart just so it would stop beating so hard.

'It feels like a dream,' she had finally managed to say, her pride not willing to allow her to look away from him.

Alfred had smiled at her, but it hadn't been in amusement. It had been softer than usual- gentler. 'Yeah, it does, doesn't it? If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up.'

Natalya had rolled her eyes at his words, not willing to admit to herself that it had made her feel warm inside.

'You know, Nat,' he had suddenly said, chuckling all the while, 'I think this is the best summer I've had in a while.' He had smiled slightly at her silence, unconsciously reaching over to brush a strand of hair away from her face. 'Believe me when I say you're beautiful,' he had sung in a lighthearted tone, his grin as cheeky as it could be. She hadn't been sure if he had just been flirting with her, or if he had sincerely meant those words.

(But, she liked to think that he had meant them, because she had thought that he was beautiful too.)

I'll love you forever and always

(ix.)

When Natalya had started feeling differently around Alfred, she had had no one to turn to besides her sister.

She had, at first, decided to just try to deal with it herself, seeing as her pride absolutely did not allow her to go to Yekaterina of all people for advice- and about her feelings of all things. But, after she had practically flinched away and bolted from Alfred's touch, she had decided that enough was enough, and that she was done with feeling strange and confused and helpless.

When she had come to Yekaterina, her sister had practically been sparkling in excitement. 'How does Alfred make you feel again, Natalya?'

'Like I'm going to throw up,' she had replied bluntly, not deterring her sister in the slightest.

'In a good way, or a bad way?' Yekaterina had asked, causing Natalya to purse her lips in irritation. 'Is there a even a good way to throw up?'

Her sister had refused to give up, however. 'When you are around him, does it feel like there are butterflies in your stomach? Does your face heat up and your heart speed up?'

'Yes,' Natalya had replied simply, after a few moments of contemplative silence.

Yekaterina had squealed in delight, practically tackling her younger sister in a hug, ignoring the angered squawks coming from her. 'Then that means you're in love, Natalya!'

The coldness that had suddenly rushed over her had seemed to have no effect on her doting older sister, who had remained excited and lovestruck.

'In love?' Natalya had thought, frozen and in a state of shock. 'Is this... what love feels like?'

She hadn't been sure how to feel. Ever since she was a little girl, Natalya had never felt love for anyone besides her older brother. Love had never been apart of the equation, and Natalya, honestly, had no idea how to handle the emotion.

And, what had been worse, was that she had fallen in love with Alfred of all people. The constant annoyance in her life; the guy who just wouldn't shut up, who had no regard for people's privacy and space, and who could just smile at her and make her feel all of these foreign emotions that she just did not want to feel.

'I don't want to talk to some other pretty girl. I want to talk to you.'

'Please? It'd be nice to show off to everyone that I can get a pretty girl to hang out with me.'

'Haven't you heard, Nat? About how the sun loved the moon so much, he died every night to let her breathe?'

'No hero leaves the girl behind, Nat.'

'I wish summer would last forever...'

'Smile for me?'

'Darling, you're beautiful...'

'Believe me when I say you're beautiful.'

Just when had she fallen in love with him?

'It doesn't matter when I fell in love,' she had told herself.

(Just know, Natalya, that love is a beautiful thing, and, when you experience it, when you find that one person to love, they will be the most beautiful person in the world.)

love, you're beautiful

(x.)

On the last day of summer, just a few hours before the two of them would have to go back to school and go their separate ways, the two of them had danced in the sanctuary of Alfred's living room, their favorite song playing on the radio, and Alfred's hand gently resting on her waist, her dainty hand grasping onto his shoulder tightly.

Alfred had twirled her around gently, his sky blue eyes shining in the dim lights of the room with an emotion that Natalya hadn't been able to comprehend. All she had known in that moment, was that her heart had been beating much too loud in her chest, (she wouldn't have been surprised if he had heard it) and that her face had probably been painted a rosy shade of red, clearly noticeable on her usually pale skin.

'I've had one heck of a summer with you, Nat,' he had said suddenly, breaking through the soft playing of the song in the background, 'and, well, I didn't want it to end.'

'I've enjoyed it as well,' Natalya had replied softly, much different from her usual harsh tone.

Alfred had shot her a small smile, his eyes holding an almost sad light in them. 'I'll miss you, you know,' he had said, bringing their dancing to a stop. He had tightened his grip on her, gently forcing her to look him in the eyes. His warm blue eyes were much different from her cold ones, and they had held an emotion that she had been feeling for as long as she had realized it.

'Is this love?' he had sung softly along with the radio, putting one of his hands gently on her cheek. She had shivered at the feeling of his hand on her face, even though nothing but warmth had emitted from it. 'Is this what it feels like? Sweetheart, are you feeling what I'm feeling?'

He had looked at her expectantly, but, another emotion had been flickering in his eyes as well- one that she had not seen since the night he had asked to be her hero. 'Darling, you're beautiful,' she had sung softly in response, internally berating herself for acting like such... such a girl- for feeling something so strange and dangerous like love.

(Is this what the princesses in all of those stories had felt?)

Alfred's eyes had lit up immediately, all of the doubt suddenly having washed away. 'Believe me when I say you're beautiful,' he had sung eagerly, an elated grin breaking out across his face. Natalya hadn't been able to restrain herself from cracking a small grin of her own.

'I believe I'm experiencing the beautiful thing called love.'

(It had been on the last day of summer, in the darkness of Alfred's living room, through the haze of love songs and dancing, that Natalya Arlovskaya had realized that this was love.)

let me tell the story, about how the sun loved the moon so much, he died every night to let her breathe

fin.

notes: After five hours of inner turmoil, ranting, mental crying, and grief, I have finally managed to finish writing this up. Apologies if they're OOC- I liked it best this way, but, at least I tried to make them somewhat IC.

This one-shot was inspired by the song, Forever and Ever, by He Is We, which I also used for the title of this fic. The fact that this one-shot takes place in the summer, and the line, 'warms me up like a summer night,' comes from the song, Intoxicated, by The Cab. The quote, "Let me tell the story, about how the sun loved the moon so much, he died every night to let her breathe," is not mine. I'm not sure who thought it up, but, whoever that person is, is quite brilliant.

I hope this fic at least made you smile. :)