Dedicated to a dear friend.
Warning: feels alert has been issued along with the sad themes alert. And yes, people will cry in this at some point.
Narrator's POV
Francis made his way down the street from his home, dressed in a beautiful white suit, his blond hair falling in waves as he walked. He greeted people as he went, humming a tune to himself.
"Ahh, what a lovely day." Francis said with a smile as he tilted his head up to the beautiful blue sky. "Just like that day years ago..."
------------ Flashback to 8 years ago ------------
Francis was just strolling through the park on the perfect day where the sun was shining, birds were singing, and love was in the air. As he was wrapped up in his thoughts he by accidentally bumped into someone.
"Oh, Excusez-moi." Francis said as he helped the young man he had knocked down.
"C'est d'accord. [It's okay]" The stranger replied. After helping him up, Francis took a proper look at this stranger.
Gorgeous violet eyes and a cute button nose that held a fragile pair of glasses. Soft kissable pink lips on a face with no blemish. That adorable face being framed by long blond hair that looked as if they had been made from spun gold with a single piece bouncing around in front of the boy's face.
"Pardon, but allow me to introduce myself, I am Francis Bonnefoy," Francis said with a small bow, taking the other's hand and placing a chaste kiss on it. Francis then looked up to see a brilliant blush spreading across the face of the other. "And your name s'il vous plaît?" Francis asked.
"M-Matthew," The other whispered in a soft and gentle voice, "Matthew Williams." Francis smiled and kissed Matthew's hand again.
"It is a pleasure to meet a beauté, such as yourself." Francis said. Matthew just blushed more and his blush certainly didn't disappear after Francis gave him his number and winked.
------------ End Of Flashback ----------------
"Our meeting truly was one of fate." Francis said to himself as he walked. He spotted a familiar flower shop and smiled.
He walked in and greeted the old couple who ran it. He then walked over to the bouquets and picked up one filled with white lilies and red roses.
"So," The old man said. "Buying more flowers for Matthew, eh?" Francis smiled and nodded.
"Oui, lilies always suited him while roses always suited me." Francis said. The old man chuckled.
"Aye, that they did. Still, I'll never forget the first time you two young lovers walked in here together." The old man said as Francis chuckled.
"Oui, but I recall it was running in here rather zhan walking." Francis joked as the old man chuckled.
"Indeed it was, indeed it was." The old man said.
--------------- Flashback -----------------
It was their first date together. Francis had planned to take Matthew out to dinner and then walk around the city with him.
Sadly, only half that plan came true due to the unexpected weather.
"Come on Matthieu, we do not want to get soaked!" Francis called as he and Matthew ran through the streets, seeking shelter from the rain. Matthew looked around and spotted a small shop.
"O-over there Francis." Matthew pointed out. Francis nodded.
"Oui, I see it!" Francis said as he dragged Matthew there. Once the two were inside they noticed it was a flower shop, making Matthew blush. Seeing this Francis smirked and walked through the rows of flowers till he found some white lilies. He picked one up and held it out to Matthew.
"For you mon petite Matthieu," Francis said, making Matthew's blush worsen. "You are as innocent and sweet as a lily." Francis said, placing a chaste kiss on Matthew's hand.
Matthew tried to hide his blush by looking away when he saw a red rose. Matthew picked it up and placed in the button hole of Francis's suit.
"A-and you are j-just like a rose, exactly the t-type of person depicted in love s-stories." Matthew said shyly as he placed a gentle kiss on Francis's cheek, making Francis blush as well.
Francis hugged Matthew close as they stood for a few blissful moments till they heard the soft 'awwing' of the old couple who ran the place.
--------------- End Of Flashback -----------------
"It was rather embarrassing for us when we were caught." Francis recalled as the old woman wrapped the flowers and her husband chuckled.
"That it may have been for you two youngsters, but it was awfully cute." The old woman replied.
"That it was, made me think of when we were young." The old man said. The old woman smiled as Francis thanked them for the flowers and continued on his way.
"Such a lovely day to visit mon petite Matthieu." Francis said as he walked onward to a place he had grown used to; the graveyard.
Francis walked through the well-mantained land till he reached a lone grave sitting under a large maple tree right near a pond. Francis knelled down and re-read the words on it:
'Here lies Matthew Williams,
A loving and gentle person,
A wonderful brother, son, and friend,
And a very much missed lover.'
"I brought you your favorites mon petite Matthieu, lilies and roses. I even saw zhe couple who run zhe flower shop today, zhey wanted me to say hi to you." Francis said with a loving smile. He placed the flowers down and sat beside the grave, looking out onto the pond.
"It's been 3 years now, 'asn't it mon petite Matthieu." Francis said as he leaned back onto the stone. He looked down at his hand and smiled at the ring on his finger.
"I still remember zhe proposal Matthieu," Francis said with a chuckle. "A cliche old 'propose on zhe Eiffel Tower' one, but it made both of us 'appy no?" Francis shook his head.
"But truth be told, I just wanted to 'ave you as mine quickly, so I did zhe first thought zhat came to mind. But I know I'll never forget zhat wedding we 'ad." Francis said as he smiled lovingly at the ring.
-------------- Flashback to 6 years ago -------------------
"Do you, Matthew Williams, take Francis Bonnefoy as your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, so long as you both shall live." The priest said. Matthew nodded shyly.
"I do." He said as he stared at Francis with a gentle, loving smile. The priest nodded and turned to Francis.
"Do you, Francis Bonnefoy, take Matthew Williams as your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, so long as you both shall live."
"Oui, I do more zhan anything." Francis said earnestly, making Matthew's smile grow wider as the people gathered for the ceremony 'awwed' over the sweetness.
"Excellent," The priest said before turning to the crowd. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and man, you may kiss." With the sound of the crowd cheering in the background, Francis and Matthew kissed, enjoying the sweetness of it all.
When they broke apart, they both had tears of joy in their eyes. Francis quickly picked Matthew up bridal style and twirled him around, getting him to laugh his beautiful laugh before carrying him down the aisle and into the car waiting to take them to the reception.
The two got to the reception and cut the cake. They then spent the rest of the evening, dancing, laughing, talking, having a few sips of wine here and there, but mostly enjoying themselves before they went off to go to the airport to go on their honeymoon.
------------ End Of Flashback ----------------
"And remember our first night together on our 'oneymoon in zhat cozy cabin in Canada?" Francis asked as he remembered it all.
-------------- Flashback ----------------
Francis walked into the large bedroom and placed two glasses of champagne down on the table. He then quickly spread the rose petals onto the bed and lit the maple syrup-scented candles. Francis then waited by the window, not minding the slight chill he felt in just the robe as he watched the falling snow.
When he finally heard the sounds of someone coming, Francis smiled and walked over to the glasses. He picked them up just as a robed Matthew entered the room. Matthew's eyes lit up as a slight pink dusted his cheeks. Francis grinned and handed him the glass, leaning down to place a kiss on Matthew's cheek.
"Francis... did you do all this?" Matthew asked in a voice of wonder. Francis nodded.
"Oui, I want our first night together as 'usbands to be special." Francis said, making Matthew blush at the word 'husbands'. Francis then held his glass up to Matthew's. "Cheers to a long loving life together with each other mon amour Matthieu." Francis said.
"Oui," Matthew said with a smile as they both sipped the champagne. After that they placed the glasses down and Francis slowly but sweetly began kissing Matthew, gently placing him on the bed, and crawling on top of him.
As the kiss got more heated, Francis's hands began to trail down Matthew's body. Just as Francis was about to pull the robe off Matthew's sweet body, Matthew broke from the kiss and stopped him.
"F-Francis," Matthew said in a nervous voice as tears formed in his eyes. Francis stopped and held Matthew on his lap, rubbing soothing circles onto Matthew's back.
"Shh, mon petite Matthieu, it is okay, I won't do anything zhat scares mon petite lapin [my little bunny]." Francis said soothingly. Matthew just shook his head and clung to the front of Francis's robe, looking up at Francis with teary eyes.
"I-I'm s-sorry F-Francis b-but I-I f-feel s-so n-nervous." Matthew stuttered out. Francis just kissed the tears gathering at the corners of Matthew's eyes away and gazed lovingly at Matthew.
"Don't worry mon amour, everyone is nervous when it come to zhis, even I am nervous." Francis admitted as he gently grasped Matthew's hand, placing it over Francis's heart.
"It's b-beating s-so f-fast..." Matthew said. Francis nodded.
"Oui, because I am nervous too." Francis said. He gently placed his forehead against Matthew's as he held the more fragile of the two close. They remain silent for a few moments, simply holding each other close.
"Francis," Matthew said. He took a deep breath and looked Francis in the eye. "I... I want to do this..." Francis gently ran his fingers through Matthew's hair.
"Are you sure, because if you want we can-"
"Non," Matthew said, cutting Francis off. "I want to do this, as lovers." Matthew looked up at Francis with a look that said he was still nervous but truly did want this. Francis smiled.
"Je t'aime mon amour Matthieu." Francis said.
"Je t'aime aussi mon amour Francis." Matthew said before they closed the gap between them with a kiss and let the night of passion begin anew.
------------ End Of Flashback ---------------
"Zhat was zhe best night of my life." Francis said with a sigh. He picked up a lily and held it to his lips.
"We spent so many 'appy years together mon petite lapin, so many... yet so few."
------------ Flashback to 3 years ago ------------
"F-Francis, I-I don't f-feel g-good." Matthew stuttered as his shivered under the covers of the bed. Francis looked at him with a sympathetic look.
"I know mon amour, but zhe doctors will make you better and zhen we can go home, let you recover a bit more and eat good food, not zhe stuff zhey serve here." Francis said, making Matthew giggle a bit. Francis smiled and gently held Matthew's hand to his lips, kissing it before lowering it back onto the bed.
"Oui, and after a month or two of rest, we can go on another trip together." Francis said, giving Matthew a gentle nuzzle. Matthew smiled.
"C-can w-we g-go b-back t-to t-the c-cabin?" Matthew asked shyly. Francis nodded and placed a quick kiss on Matthew's lips.
"Of course mon petite Matthieu," Francis then lowered his lips to Matthew's ear and whispered, "I'll even set up zhe bedroom just like I did our first night together~" Matthew blushed and lightly smacked Francis on the arm as Francis just chuckled.
Before they could continue their chat, the doctor came in and asked to see Francis for a bit so that the nurses could run a few tests on Matthew. With a reassuring smile and squeeze of the hand, Francis left the room and followed the doctor into an empty room a few doors down.
"Francis, please have a seat." The doctor said, motioning to a chair. Francis obeyed and sat in it. The doctor then took his glasses off and sighed. "Francis, it pains me to tell you this, but Matthew hasn't gotten better." Francis felt his heart drop.
"... please continue." Francis said. The doctor nodded and looked at a clip board in his hands.
"Constant feeling of being cold, unable to maintain stable temperature, trouble breathing, intense fevers and hot flashes, and a few other unpleasant symptoms can only mean that his condition has now begun to hit it's terminal stage." Francis bit his lip.
"Is zhere anything-"
"No," The doctor said, cutting him off. "Matthew has had this condition for years now and only now has it actually hit him and it's hitting him hard Francis, it's hitting him hard. He just can't take the illness anymore and all we can do now is make him comfortable before he..." The doctor looked away. Francis just looked down at his hands. He slowly put his face in them. An uneasy silence set in.
"How long?" Francis asked in a dry voice, breaking the silence.
"... At most, around five months. At the very least..." An audible gulp was heard. "... just under a month..." With that, the doctor stood up and went over to the door.
"Francis," He said, getting Francis's attention, "Make that sweet boy's final hours on this earth happy." With that the doctor walked off, leaving Francis to his thoughts and tears.
Slowly, Francis got up, washing his face, to make it look as if he was not crying, and headed to Matthew's room. For three months now Francis and Matthew have, unfortunately, been here everyday.
When Francis reached Matthew's room, he stopped to gaze through the crack in the slightly open door.
Matthew sat on his bed, looking longingly out the window towards the warm sunny sky as Francis felt his heart break. Matthew's golden hair now looked paler and ghostly. His creamy skin was now as white as a sheet of paper. Matthew's eyes had weakened and their brilliant violet was now dulled, but still beautiful. His lips were pale and chapped. Matthew already slim body looked slimmer, adding to his fragile and sickly appearance.
"Hello mon petite lapin, how did zhe tests go?" Francis asked, entering the room with a soft smile. Matthew turned his head at the sound of Francis's voice and gave him a small smile.
"O-okay, the n-nurses said n-nothing h-has ch-changed." Matthew said. Francis forced a smile.
"Wonderful, by zhe way I have some news for you~" Francis said, trying to cheer himself up. Matthew tilted his head.
"A-and what w-would t-that b-be?" Matthew asked, his voice hopeful, breaking Francis's heart. Francis moved over and sat beside Matthew, bringing him into his embrace.
"You can leave tomorrow." Francis said softly, fearing that his voice would crack.
"R-really?" Matthew asked excitedly. Francis only tightened his grip on Matthew.
"Oui, you can and I will set up zhe trip to zhe cabin right away and zhen in a week or two we will go and have fun." Francis said.
"C-can we p-play in t-the snow?" Matthew asked, his eyes lighting with excitement.
"Oui,"
"C-can we h-have h-hot c-cocoa by t-the fire?"
"With marshmallows and maple syrup for mon petite Matthieu." Francis said as his eyes brimmed with tears.
"A-and can w-we h-have p-pancakes w-with maple s-syrup t-too?" Matthew said, voice overflowing with happiness over the idea of being able to eat his favorite things again.
"Oui, everyday if you want mon petite lapin." Francis said as he tried to stay strong, even though every smile and happy word that come out of Matthew's mouth only made Francis want to cry more.
-------------- End Of Flashback ----------------
"O-oui, I am s-still sorry I never t-told you zhat day zhe truth, b-but I didn't want y-you to s-suffer m-more zhan y-you already did zhat o-one s-short month." Francis said, feeling himself breaking down a bit. He wiped the tears away and refilled his lungs with oxygen.
"Mon amour, I truly 'ope I made you 'appy, even when you were suffering, oui, I saw you trying to 'ide it, but still, I 'ope spending our final days together at zhat cabin were 'appy for you, with zhe snow, and zhe cocoa, and of course all zhe pancakes and maple syrup we 'ad." Francis let out a small chuckle at the idea that they had those things everyday.
Seeing as it was nearly sunset, Francis stood up and faced the grave with a sad smile on his face.
"Mon petite Matthieu, je t'aimerai toujours [I will love you forever]." Francis said as he felt a warm breeze hit him. For a moment, as he gazed lovingly at the grave before him, Francis swore he heard a soft yet happy voice say,
"Je t'aimerai toujours aussi, mon amour Francis."
~Fin~