A/N: Happy Valentine's Day! I want to thank you all now for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting this story! It really means a lot to me. *sends you all virtual hugs*

I hope you enjoy the final (and extremely long) chapter of this story!

Chapter IV

If Arthur had to pick a month other than July to designate as his least favorite month of the year, he'd let February hold the title. Because February was the month that housed the ever so dreaded Valentine's Day, which was nothing more than a day consisting of people being far too sappy and melodramatic for their own goods. The overbearing amount of pink and red everywhere also made him sick.

So, of course, when February first rolled about, Arthur was in a foul mood. It seemed as though everyone around him was preparing for the holiday, whether it meant hanging up hearts and cupid cut outs from the ceiling to girls gushing about what romantic fling they'd have with their boyfriends to the various clubs selling chocolates and flowers for fundraising.

It was sickening.

He sighed and dialed his combination into his locker. When he opened the metal contraption, however, a piece of paper fluttered out of it. Confused, he knelt down and picked up what appeared to be a carefully made Cupid cut-out. Loopy words were written across the small item's wings.

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind." (Shakespeare)

Arthur stared at the paper in confusion. A Shakespeare quote? Who would send me something like this? He turned it over, looking for a signature, but found none. With a brief shake of his head, he tucked the paper in his bag and reached for the textbook he needed.

When he got home, he placed the Cupid on his nightstand, beside his alarm clock. For a brief moment, he could've sworn that it fluttered its wings at him.

"What's that?"

He tore his eyes away from the paper to spy a small fairy floating in the air beside him.

"Nothing," he answered, extending his finger out for the creature to land on. "What brings you here? You lot usually never leave the forest."

The fairy smiled and daintily landed on his finger. "Just checking up on you, that's all."

"You sure that's all?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Based upon his time with the creatures, the forest fairies never paid much attention to anyone but themselves.

She giggled and did a little twirl, but didn't say a word.

Arthur yawned and rubbed his eyes. He had stayed up late studying for his history test the night before and accidently slept in this morning. With a disgruntled sighed, he plugged in his locker combination and opened the metal door. To his surprise, a piece of paper fell out much like what had happened two days ago. He picked up what turned out to be a red origami fox with a white-tipped tail. Its eyes were happily closed. He had to admit that it was rather adorable.

Then he remembered that he was running late. "Shit!" He hung his coat up, grabbed his textbooks, making sure to carefully slip the fox inside one of them, and rushed off to his first class.

Arthur had planned on cramming in some last minute studying before the test, but he soon realized that his mind was far too gone to even bother with skimming over the note. With a sigh, he pulled the fox out of his book and examined it. When he flipped it over, he found a message written in fine print across the back.

"Good luck on the history test today. It's going to be a hard one, yes?"

Arthur blinked in surprise. He lifted his head and looked around the classroom. Nobody seemed to be paying him any attention. He looked back down at the fox and ran his fingers over the message and the colored in heart following it.

I've got a secret admirer, he thought to himself. Why else would anyone make stuff like this and write little messages on them?

His history teacher chose that moment to clap her hands. "Put everything away! Only pencils and erasers are permitted to be out! The test is being passed out now, so shut your mouths!"

Needless to say, Arthur felt that he easily aced the test. The same, however, could not be said for other people in his class.

"Ay, I think my brain is fried," Arthur heard Antonio moan to the rest of the Bad Touch Trio. Gilbert, who was (surprisingly) the history buff of the group, smirked and clapped his friend's shoulder.

"Aw, it'll be alright, Tonio!" he assured. "I'm sure Francis failed it just as much as you!"

Francis did his best to look more offended than he really was. "But I actually studied this time! And yet you try to put me on the same level with Antonio, who only studies when Lovino starts kicking his ass!"

Arthur rolled his eyes and started to walk away.

"Ah, Arthur!"

He stopped and turned at the sound of his name. "Yes?"

Francis reached over and picked something up from the ground. He held the object out to Arthur. "You dropped this," he said.

Arthur paled when he saw the origami fox in Francis's hands. He swiped the object out of the other's grip and slipped it in his textbook in an instant. "Thanks," he grunted.

Francis smiled. "A rather adorable thing you dropped, lapin. Where did you get it from?"

"None of your business, frog!" Arthur haughtily huffed and spun on his heel. "Just go back to your friends. See you at the meeting later."

"Au revoir." Francis crossed his arms and watched Arthur disappear down the hallway. Gilbert and Antonio crept up by his sides and watched Arthur vanish into the crowd of students switching classes.

"What did he drop?" Gilbert asked.

Francis smiled softly. His eyes were sparkling with an emotion only Antonio was able to understand. "Un petit renard," he answered.

Arthur was stumped. He had absolutely no idea who in the world was sending him the presents. Over the past week and a half, he had received two origami cats, one white and one black, a picture of a cherry blossom tree, and a bird-shaped sticky note. Each one had a different message, all written in a different handwriting style.

"This is getting out of hand," he muttered to himself as he flopped face down on his bed. Today, he had received a rose, purchased from the flower sale the cheerleaders had held. Of course, the note that had come with his flower wasn't signed. All the tag said was, "A real one is better than a paper one, don't you agree?"

"Wow, you've got quite the collection here!"

Arthur lifted his head from his pillow to look up at the fairy flying around his nightstand. "Go away."

"Such loving messages too," she giggled. "Someone's fallen hard for you, Arthur!"

"Yes, yes, I am aware of that," he mumbled. "Now go away. I need a moment to fight back this killer headache."

The fairy looked at the rose. She sat down beside it and read the note attached to the stem. She ran her hand over the handwriting and smiled to herself. Of course he's too blind to see it, she mused. It seems like the magic is working well, though. Good. Very good.

"Hey, Kiku."

The Japanese boy raised his head and smiled softly at Arthur in greeting. "Ah, konichiwa, Arthur-san. What can I do for you today?"

Arthur took a seat next to the boy. "Has anyone by any chance come to you asking how to make origami lately?"

Kiku looked surprised. "Origami? Why, no, I'm afraid not."

"I see…" Arthur sighed. "It was worth a shot."

"If I may ask, why do you ask?"

Arthur contemplated telling Kiku about the origami presents. He quickly decided that the boy was trustworthy enough to know. "Ah, well, not long ago, I found some origami in my locker."

Kiku raised his eyebrow. "Oh? Is that so?"

"Yeah." Arthur nodded. "I have no idea who sent them, and I thought they may have consulted with you."

"Sumimasen," Kiku bowed slightly. "I am not able to be much of help."

Arthur waved his hands. "Oh, no, no, it's alright. I was just wondering. Really, I should be the one apologizing for asking you about this."

"Oh, it is no problem, Arthur-san," Kiku said. "I'm actually rather intrigued by your case. If you don't mind me asking, did you receive anything else aside from the origami?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes, actually. Some notes and a rose from the cheerleaders' sale."

"Did you receive anything today?"

"No, but the gifts appear at random points in the day, so there might be one now."

Kiku mused upon Arthur's words. "Your secret admirer is quite persistent," he concluded. "Interesting."

I see… Arthur looked down at the table. He had long since realized that fact, but he hadn't let it sink in quite yet.

"I think," Kiku began, "that they're waiting until the fourteenth to do something special."

Arthur looked up at his friend. "The fourteenth?"

Kiku nodded. "It is Valentine's day after all. It is only natural to assume that your secret admirer has something special planned. After all, why would they choose now to send you gifts?"

He has a point, Arthur thought.

"Thank you for your insight, Kiku." Arthur smiled. "I think I'll go check to see if I got anything today." He stood up. "I'll see you around!"

"Jaa ne. I wish you luck, Arthur-san." Kiku watched Arthur leave the lunchroom before looking back down at his phone. He sent a quick text message to one of his friends. It seems as though the origami guides were of use to him after all. His usually dull eyes sparkled and he smiled softly to himself. I wish you all the best, Arthur. You have quite a surprise coming up for you.

For the first time in what seemed to be forever, Arthur dreamed that he was a child back in the forest clearing of bluebells. He was smiling and laughing at the fairies dancing in the around him. It took him an extra second to realize that he too was frolicking around with the small winged creatures. He was bouncing and spinning around so much that his hood was about to slip off of his head.

"Hello?"

He stopped dancing and looked up in surprise into the distance. There appeared to be a blonde figure clothed in blue that was slowly approaching him. He frowned and wondered who the stranger could possibly be.

"Arthur?"

All of a sudden, everything changed. He was his teenage self now, not a small child. The fairies had vanished. The stranger in blue was standing right in front of him, blue eyes examining his expression carefully.

Francis. The name failed to slip past his lips. He felt his nerves tense up as Francis gently reached out to hold his hands. It was as though Francis's touch had sent a shockwave throughout his whole body.

"Arthur." The elder boy smiled.

No, no. Arthur tried to pull his hands away, but quickly found that he couldn't move a muscle. It was as if he had been petrified. Why are you here? Why are you here with me?

All of a sudden, the world around him vanished. He blinked furiously into the darkness, trying desperately to see something, anything, really.

"Wake up," a voice whispered. "Wake up, Arthur. Wake up!"

Arthur's eyes shot open. Much to his surprise, he didn't wake up to the sound of his alarm clock. Instead, he heard what seemed to be the sound of laughter. He lazily turned his head and spotted a tiny fairy sitting on top of his alarm clock, obscuring the ones digit of the minutes slot.

"Good morning!" the fairy greeted.

He buried his face back in his pillow. "What are you doing here?" he mumbled.

"Why isn't that a rude greeting!" She huffed and crossed her arms and legs. "I came all this way to wake you up. You should be grateful."

"I have five minutes. Let me put them to good use." He paused. "Please."

The fairy slipped off of his alarm clock and onto the nightstand. She looked over the various paper trinkets decorating the area. "It's Valentine's Day."

"Your point?"

She fluttered her wings to cast waves of golden dust over the handmade presents. "Aren't you excited to find out who your secret admirer is?"

Arthur rolled over and placed a hand over his eyes. "Not really," he finally admitted.

She frowned and nudged the origami fox with her bare foot. "That won't do," she murmured to herself. When he didn't move, she said, "You know, today is a special day."

"Yes, yes. It's the ever so special day of love. I get it."

She rolled her eyes shook her head. "No, it's your special day of love."

Arthur peeked between his fingers to glare at her. "Still going on about that admirer? It's nothing special. Besides, I haven't the faintest idea who it might be. For all I know, it could be some sort of elaborate prank." He sounded bitter as he threw the assumption out into the open.

"It's not," the fairy stated. "Believe me."

Arthur sneered. "And why should I believe in a tricky creature such as yourself?"

She smiled softly at him. "Because," she whispered with a strangely ancient undertone in her voice, "today is the day we've all been waiting for."

Arthur was surprised to find something stuck to the front of his locker rather than stuffed inside. He peeled the red cardstock heart from the metal and read it over.

"Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within. (James Baldwin)"

Arthur felt his expression relax the slightest bit. Because as much as he acted annoyed by the whole charade, he rather liked reading the little messages his gifts came with. With a sigh, he flipped the heart over.

"Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you had your usual cup of tea today."

Arthur ran his fingers over the small teapot drawing beside the message. It's beautifully drawn, he admitted to himself.

"Don't expect this to be the last you'll hear of me."

He stared at the message for a good two minutes. Finally, he shook himself out of his trance and tucked the heart into his bag. He unlocked his locker and retrieved the materials he needed for the day. As he shut the metal box, he looked discretely down the hallway. Everyone, single or not, were enjoying the day's festivities, it seemed. He sighed and readjusted his collar.

Might as well get today over with.

"Oi! Tea bastard!"

Arthur froze in his tracks and turned around. Normally, if anyone called him by such a rude name, he would lose his temperance and reply either snarkily or equally as rude. However, when he saw just what the person was holding, he held his tongue.

"What is it, Lovino?"

Lovino scowled and held out a pink envelope to him. "Some bastard wanted me to deliver this to you," he grumbled.

Arthur raised an eyebrow, but took the letter anyways. "Did Antonio put you up to this?"

"That's none of your fucking business." Lovino looked away and grumbled something in Italian under his breath. Arthur figured he was most likely cussing out his stubborn yet absent-minded boyfriend.

"Right." Arthur sighed. "I suppose you can't tell me who the original sender is?"

Lovino crossed his arms. "That basically defeats the whole purpose of me coming over here and delivering that stupid thing to you, doesn't it?"

"Right, right," Arthur quickly said, not wanting to cause the Italian to become even grumpier than usual. "Well, thank you for your trouble, Lovino."

"You'd better be," Lovino snapped.

Arthur watched the Italian storm off down the hallway. When he was out of sight, he slipped into his English classroom. He waited until he had taken his seat to break the seal on the envelope and pull out the gold-trimmed stationary.

"One of the many things I love about you: your gorgeous emerald eyes. I get lost in them as if I am Alice in Wonderland."

The bell rang and Arthur had to stash the letter away. Throughout the whole lesson, however, he couldn't help but wonder just who could possibly get lost in something like his eyes. And if he could return the same sentiment to his admirer as well.

Kiku smiled as Arthur took a seat beside him at lunch. "Konichiwa, Arthur-san. Happy Valentine's Day."

"Hello, Kiku. Happy Valentine's Day to you too." Arthur pulled out his thermos of tea. "Boy has today been a doozy."

"Has your secret admirer stepped forward yet?" Kiku asked.

Arthur shook his head. "Afraid not. They seem to be beating around the bush. I've gotten a heart on my locker and a letter delivered by Lovino today." He looked out of the corner of his eye at the table in the far back, where the Bad Touch Trio and Lovino were sitting.

"Delivered by Lovino-kun?" Kiku seemed impressed. "I wonder how they managed to pull that one off."

Arthur nodded in agreement. "I bet Antonio convinced him." He shot another glare at the Bad Touch Trio's table. "But that means he's in cahoots with the culprit as well. And that, odds are, the rest of the lot know about this as well."

Kiku paused to think. "Who do you think it is, Arthur-san?" he finally asked.

Arthur looked up and over at the Japanese boy. "Who do I what?"

"Who do you believe has been sending you these presents?"

Arthur rested his elbow against the table and rested his head in his palm. He scrunched his eyebrows in contemplation. "I'm afraid I haven't the slightest idea. Why do you ask?" When Kiku didn't respond, he looked up at his friend to see what he was doing. "Kiku?" His mouth dropped.

Kiku smiled and held out the box he had seemingly pulled out of nowhere. "I asked because today, I am also a messenger from your secret admirer," he explained.

Arthur blinked furiously and looked up and down between the box and his friend. "What..? Wait, so you know who..?"

Kiku continued smiling and didn't say a word. Arthur forced himself out of shock in order to generously take the box from his friend.

"Thank you," he whispered. "Oh, I'm so sorry you had to do this..."

"It really is no problem, Arthur-san," Kiku insisted. He motioned to the box. "Go on. Open it."

Arthur carefully untied the ribbon wound around the box and lifted the lid. He blinked in surprise at the various sweets lying in little paper cups inside. Lying on top of the multicolored sweets was a note written on pink stationery. "Bloody hell," he murmured. "These must've cost a fortune."

Kiku chuckled softly into his head. "In a way, I believe they did."

Arthur picked up the note and began to read.

"Made with lots of love and care. They should taste better than your charcoal."

Arthur's eye twitched at the winky face scrawled at the end of the message. "That bloody..! When I get my hands on them..!"

Kiku continued to laugh softly. Of course he reacts in this manner.

When he finally calmed down, Arthur picked up a small chocolate and bit into it. His face lit up in an instant. "It's...good." He looked back down at the note. Made with lots of love and care...but no. That can't be possible. These cannot all be..!

"Do you know where these came from?" he asked.

Kiku nodded slowly. "Indeed." He picked up his chopsticks and resumed eating his rice. "They were handmade by your admirer. I helped."

"You...helped?" Arthur couldn't wrap his mind around the whole situation. "As in, you helped make all of these..!" He sat back and looked at the box in shock. "Oh my god. You actually know who my admirer is. You bloody knew who it was this whole time!" He laughed. "Well, isn't that a kick in the head!"

Kiku smiled. "Happy Valentine's Day, Arthur-san."

When Arthur walked into his math class, he was cheerfully greeted by Elizabeta. She was holding a beautiful bundle of red roses.

"The flowers look lovely," he complimented. "Who gave them to you?"

The Hungarian girl's jade eyes lit up. "Oh, oh no!" Her shoulders shook as she laughed, causing her brown hair to shake as well. "These aren't for me."

"Oh?" Arthur smiled. "Who's the lucky person?"

"Oh, no, Arthur!" She lifted the bundle of roses up into Arthur's face. He just barely caught sight of the cardstock card nestled between the buds. "These aren't from me. I'm just playing as a delivery girl today!"

Arthur felt his face flush as he took the flowers. "Oh, thank you, Elizabeta. But I'm so sorry that you—"

"Nonsense!" she snapped, jabbing him in the stomach to emphasize the word. "I volunteered to do this! It's the least I can do! Besides," she grinned devilishly, "I think you and your admirer would be cute together. You two already have some chemistry going on, you know."

Arthur blinked in shock. "Wait, I know them?"

She giggled. "Read the card, Artie."

He ignored the childish nickname she had called him by and reached for the card. It was heart shaped and lined with white lace and pearls. The words "Be Mine" were etched across the front in loppy calligraphy. "They're really outdoing themselves," he grumbled as he turned the card over.

Elizabeta rolled her eyes. "Oh, you're just a special one, Artie."

"Am I?" he asked. But he didn't bother listening to her answer. He was too distracted by the message printed on the back of the card.

"You know what amazes me? How we are so close, yet so far. Every time we meet, I feel like I could talk to you forever, but I can't. Sometimes, when I think of you, I can't help but wonder if what I'm feeling is really the love I've worshipped my whole life. Strange, isn't it?"

Cheesy sap. Arthur set the roses down on his desk. Bloody cheesy sap. Just who the hell are you?

"I'm assuming you can't drop more hints about my admirer's identity."

Elizabeta looked up with a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. "You're a lucky guy, Arthur," she finally said. "A really, really lucky guy. That's all."

The rest of the school day went by smoothly. Before he knew it, the school day was over and he was standing in front of his locker, wondering just how the hell he was going to transport the gifts his admirer had indirectly given him home.

"Bonjour, lapin."

Arthur yelped and nearly smacked his head against the side of his locker. "Bloody hell!" He leaned back and glared up at the smirking blonde beside him. "Don't do that!"

Francis ignored the poisonous look Arthur was giving him. "My, my! That's quite a hoard you've got there. Ladies man, aren't you?"

"Hardly," Arthur snapped. "They're all from the same person."

"Really? Qui?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Francis sighed. "Who?" he translated.

Arthur looked away. "Haven't the slightest clue."

Francis's face lit up. "Mon dieu! A secret admirer! Who would've thought?"

"Oh, just piss off already!" Arthur slipped his jacket on. "Aren't you supposed to be off on a date with whatever girl you've snagged this time? What are you doing here?"

Francis smirked and held up his hand. "Ah, I have a message for you from this secret admirer of yours, I'm afraid."

Arthur stared at the letter in Francis's grasp in shock. "You too?"

"Oui. It seems they're a wee bit shy." Francis gently slid the letter into Arthur's coat pocket. "Oh, and a request from them: don't open it until you're home."

Arthur looked down at his pocket. "Why?"

Francis chuckled. "Well, I'd be spoiling the surprise if I told you, non?" He gazed into Arthur's eyes. Arthur couldn't help but notice how Francis's cerulean eyes were sparkling more than usual. "Well, I'm off now. Unlike some people, I have better things to do than entertain a little rosbif like you." He gently bopped Arthur on the nose before turning around and walking away. "Au revoir!"

Arthur watched Francis disappear down into the hallway. When the Frenchman was out of sight, he shook himself out of his daze and turned back towards his locker.

Snap out of it, he scolded himself. His hand slipped into his pocket and fingered the corner of the envelope. Well, I suppose I should get home quickly and finally sort out this mess.

"...Don't open it until you're home."

Well, here I bloody am. Arthur leaned against his bedroom door. He could still hear the muffled shouts of his brothers downstairs even through the thick walls of the house. With a sigh, he dumped his backpack by his dresser and collapsed into a chair. He stared at the letter he was balancing in his hand. Should I open it? He held it up to the light, but was only able to see the shadow of the letter sealed within the envelope. It feels like this is too easy. After all the secrecy, gifts, and the messengers too…

"You seriously can't be too scared to open it."

Arthur didn't have to look to know that the fairy was floating nearby. "I never said anything of that sort."

The small mythical creature tilted her head to the side. "Open it."

"Why?"

"Well, what do you have to lose?"

Arthur continued to stare at the letter. "It just...seems rather dull, doesn't it?"

"What?"

"This letter." He traced his name, which was penned across the face of the envelope in small, blocky letters. "That everything that's happened just leads up to this." He frowned. "I dunno. I was expecting something...more."

The fairy rolled her eyes. "Is that it? You're just going to throw away all of their hard work over a bloody letter? Let all of the secrecy and elaborate gifts go to waste? Is that how much people's emotions mean to you now?"

Arthur sat in stunned silence. Her words had stung him in a way he had never expected them to do before. She was about to continue when he hung his head and turned the letter over. His fair fingers slipped under the flap and tore straight across the top of the letter. She smiled as he pulled out the letter sealed within the envelope and began to read.

"Your eyes aren't the only thing I've come to love about you, you know. I love your messy, punk hair and your sharp, skillful tongue. I love the way you snort when you're overconfident or frustrated. Oh, and your smile, Arthur. It is the most beautiful thing in the world. You should smile more often. Preferably for me."

Well then, Arthur snorted to himself.

"Though, I suppose that's a rather rough thing to do when you don't know who I am. Depressing, isn't it?"

Just a bit, Arthur admitted.

"Well, I suppose I'll spare you from whatever suffering you may be going through. Of course, you're going to have to do a little problem solving with that pretty little head of yours, but that shouldn't be a problem, yes?"

Arthur reread the second sentence over and over again. "Pretty little head"? Did they just..?

"Just follow the little rabbit to the hole leading to Wonderland. I'll be waiting for you. I'll always be waiting for you."

Arthur felt his hands shake. Follow the rabbit to Wonderland? He almost crinkled the paper. What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean? What "rabbit" am I supposed to follow? He dropped the letter into his lap, leaned back in his chair, and placed his hands over his eyes. "Bloody hell," he groaned. "Do you know anything about this?" When there was no answer, he turned and found that the fairy had vanished. "Perfect," he mumbled. "Just bloody perfect." A strangled laugh escaped from his lips. "And here I thought it was going to be simple…"

When he finished feeling sorry for himself, he read the letter again. And again. And again. Yet, he still couldn't figure out what the clue could possibly mean. With a disgruntled sigh of defeat, he turned the letter over and froze when he saw that something was written in the corner.

"You know, bluebells are associated with everlasting love. Fitting, isn't it?"

He blinked once. Twice. He read the sentence again, the words echoing aimlessly in his head. Before he knew it, he had leapt out of his chair, thrown his bedroom door open, and ran down the stairs. His eldest brother stopped him to ask where he was going, to which he screamed "THAT BLOODY FROG!" before racing out of the door and into the woods, forgetting that it was six degrees outside and the innards of the forest were pitch black at this hour.

That bastard! He forced himself to ignore the cold and continued clumsily navigating through the dense forest. When I get my hands on him, I'm going to fucking wring the life out of that smug little smile!

By the time Arthur reached the edge of the forest clearing, he was a shivering, frozen mess. He sincerely regretted not putting on a coat before flying out of his house and into the forest. But the moment he stepped forward and felt the frozen world magically melt away to the warm arms of eternal spring, he banished his regrets from his mind and focused on the more pressing issue at hand.

"You have got to be joking." He slowly walked forward and kept rubbing his eyes, checking to make sure that he wasn't just seeing things. Because in the middle of the bluebell infested clearing, there was a table covered by a white tablecloth that had what appeared to be a grand assortment of sweets, which were either stacked in neat little towers or arranged in neat little rows on plates. There was a fresh pot of tea and two empty cups sitting beside a platter of small cakes. Topping it all off were the rose petals scattered across the tabletop.

"Arthur!"

He felt his muscles tense at the accented sound of his name, at the way the syllables curled off of the other's tongue. Slowly, very slowly, he spun around to finally meet the sparkling eyes of his once elusive admirer.

"Francis," he breathed.

The blue-eyed French teen smiled softly at Arthur. "Lapin. You finally came."

Arthur swallowed nervously. His mind scrambled for the right words to say. "It was you. Everything...was your doing."

Francis leaned back against the table. "Oui," he admitted. "Though I will admit that I had some help."

"Why?"

Francis quirked an eyebrow at the other. "Hmm?"

Arthur suddenly felt as though his mouth was filled with sand. "Why...why do it?" he asked softly. "Why even bother? We hate each other. We're sworn enemies for life. So why..?"

"Arthur, you can't seriously not understand." Francis pushed himself off the table. "Haven't you read any of my letters? My cards? My notes?"

"I...have."

"Then you would know the answer."

Arthur felt his head start to spin when Francis started getting closer. For a brief moment, his mind drifted off to the dream he had the night before.

Was that...a sign? he wondered. That this would happen?

He jumped when Francis reached out and took his hands in his. Francis's hands were soft and warm, a stark contrast to Arthur's frozen fingers.

"I love you, Arthur," Francis whispered. "I know that it does not seem like it, but I do. I love your smile, your laugh, the way your eyes light up when you're excited. Hell, even those hideous caterpillars of yours." His lips curled into a soft smile. "We may have never gotten along before, but maybe, just maybe…" His fingers curled in between Arthur's. "Maybe things can be different. For the both of us."

Arthur was at a loss for words. I love you. His mind kept repeating the words over and over. He loves me. My archnemesis, my lifetime rival, loves me.

"I understand if you do not return my feelings now," Francis continued. "Such is the way love sometimes is, I'm afraid." His eyes locked onto Arthur's and the Brit couldn't help but feel his breath hitch when he saw just how much Francis's ocean blue eyes were sparkling. "But know that I will always be waiting for you. This clearing, this place we are in, is proof of that."

"This place?" Arthur finally squeaked.

"You don't know?" Francis tilted his head in confusion. "The tale surrounding this forest?"

Arthur closed his eyes. He knew the story quite well. The problem was getting himself to believe that the tale was referring to him and Francis.

"Of course I bloody know," Arthur snapped. "I just…"

But no matter how you look at it, a tiny voice in the back of his mind said, everything about this place proves it.

"I didn't want to believe it," he mumbled.

A long silence passed between the two. Finally, Francis squeezed Arthur's hands and leaned in to kiss his forehead.

"Oh, lapin," he sighed. "When I first realized the truth, I didn't want to believe it either." He then smiled. "But here we are."

Arthur forced himself to look Francis eye to eye. The French teen was looking happily back at him. He seemed to be waiting for something. An answer, Arthur realized. An answer to before.

"I…" Arthur swallowed. A part of his mind was screaming at him, telling him that he should break away and flee. That he couldn't trust anybody and couldn't afford to be tied down by such foolish notations such as the idea of love. But the other part, the stronger part, was soothingly urging him to listen to his heart. To let his emotions take over his actions for once. To stop running away in fear and cowardice.

"Oui?"

Arthur took a deep breath.

Let your emotions take over.

"I think I just might, in a way, love you too."

A wide smile broke out on Francis's face. Arthur looked like he wanted to say something else, but Francis opted to wrap his arms around Arthur's hips and press his lips against the flustered Brit's lips instead of wait and listen. Arthur made a surprised sound at first, but quickly accepted it and smiled. It was far from Francis's first kiss, but something about sharing a liplock with Arthur in the forest clearing of bluebells felt extra special. Magical, even. It was as if they were creating a spark that caused the entire world to burst with life.

"Je t'aime," Francis breathed when they broke apart. "Je t'aime, mon petit lapin. Mon cœur. Mon amour."

Arthur snorted softly. "I don't speak that much frog."

Francis chuckled. "I love you, my little rabbit. My heart. My love," he translated. He then bopped Arthur on the nose. "I'm never letting you go."

Arthur's face flushed an even darker shade of red. "You stupid, stupid sappy frog..!" he spluttered. "I swear, I'm going to end you, promises of love or not..!" He was silenced by yet another kiss and instantly lost all will to fight back when Francis smiled.

In the distance, the woodland spirits were in high spirits. The fairies all darted back and forth between each other, excitedly talking in hushed whispers about the events transpiring within the magical boundaries of the spring clearing.

"They're finally together." One particular fairy smiled and shook her head. "At long last." She stretched her hands out and examined the glowing golden dust excitedly flaking off her arms with satisfaction. "Now our magic can roam free once more," she whispered before fading into a cloud of brilliant golden dust. Soon after, the other forest spirits had faded into brilliant multicolored dust. A gentle wind suddenly drifted by and scattered the sparkling particles in all directions, sending them spinning into the depths of the once sleeping forest of mystery.

"But was it really necessary to drag all of those people into this? Especially those...friends of yours?"

Francis chuckled into his teacup. "Why are you so worked up about that? They weren't strangers, oui? Besides, my friends are perfectly good people, contrary to that silly little nickname you gave us all that time ago..."

Arthur pouted (rather adorably, if Francis might add). "Well, they weren't strangers, but—"

Francis squeezed Arthur's hand. "Relax, mon amour. They were more than eager to help. Elizabeta and Kiku were especially keen on lending a hand once Gilbert filled them in on the details."

"And Lovino?"

"Ah, well, it took a bit of persuasion and bribes on Antonio's part to convince him to cooperate. I honestly wanted to send in Feliciano, but Antonio insisted…"

Arthur scowled. "So your friends did play a little bit dirty in this operation."

Francis set his teacup down. "Oh, stop whining," he sighed, wrapping a squeaking Arthur in his arms as he did. "It worked out in the end, didn't it?"

Arthur mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that, cher?"

Arthur huffed. "I guess it turned out alright in the end."

Francis smiled and kissed his lover's forehead. "Je t'aime, sourcils."

Arthur snorted, but smiled softly regardless. "Love you too, you bloody git."

"Your bloody git."

"Yes, yes, whatever."