A request for SmilingDiana, I hope you enjoy 😊
"(Y/N)!" A familiar voice called out as (Y/n) put he hand out to stop the elevator door from closing. As the door slide open again, she saw the smiling face of her best friend; she and Arthur had known one another for years, and in a city where you never really knew who you could trust, (Y/n) knew she could trust Arthur. He was the sweetest man that (Y/n) had ever met, yes, he had his condition and other things, but that had never bother her, she could see passed the outward awkwardness of Arthur to the wonderful man beneath, and she loved him, she loved him more than she ever thought possible; but when she had finally decided that it was time to tell her best friend of her affection for him, 'she' had come into his life.
"Hi (Y/n)." Arthur panted, having just ran in, trying to not only catch the elevator, but also the woman that he so loved to see.
"How was your day?" Arthur asked happily, as he pulled her into a hug, (Y/n) feeling her whole body quiver, as she felt his warm breath on her skin. Being in Arthur's arms was the best place in the world, but now more than ever she knew that the embraces he gave her would only ever be those of a friend.
"Yeah, good." (Y/n) said with a sad smile as she pulled away from him and dug around in her big bag.
"I was going to give you these later seeing as I'm coming to your place tonight, but as you're here........" (Y/n) began, producing a paper bag full of medication.
"I went to Helms, and got your scripts filled for you, I know that you must be nearly running out of stuff by now." (Y/n) said, handing Arthur his meds.
Arthur smiled, (Y/n) would always do things like this, she always knew when he needed something, always there when he needed someone, and that was one of the many reasons he loved her.
"Oh thanks. What do I owe you?" Arthur asked, putting his hand in his pocket and pulling out his wallet.
"You know you don't owe me anything, but you can warm these up for after dinner." (Y/n) told Arthur, handing him a box of sweet treats that she had made in her bakery earlier that day. This was something (Y/n) always did as well, she would always make something just for him; whether it was a loaf of freshly baked bread, or a box of cupcakes or other treats, Arthur knew that they were something that she had gone into the back of her little store to make especially so that they could share on one of the many evenings that they would spend together.
"Guess what?" Arthur said, seeming to become excited all of a sudden.
"What?" (Y/n) chuckled, as her friend bounced up and down on his toes.
"I saw Sophie today, we spoke; she is such a special girl, I would love it if I could get up enough courage to ask her out. She's beautiful don't you think?" Arthur asked happily, not seeming to notice the pained expression on (Y/n)'s face. She had had to listen to Arthur gush over Sophie ever since he had met her, about how wonderful, and beautiful she was, and each time he mentioned her name, (Y/n)'s heart broke just a little more; she would give everything for Arthur to think that she was beautiful, to think that she was special, but it was obvious to even a blind man that Arthur was only interested in the woman called Sophie.
"Er......well, I've never met her, but I'm sure that she is very special, Arthur." (Y/n) muttered, trying to smile at her friend, but as hard as she tried, nothing would come.
"Yeah, she is. Well, don't forget, my place at seven." Arthur said, skipping out of the elevator as the doors opened on their floor.
"Yeah, seven." (Y/n) sighed, as Arthur entered his apartment.
(Y/n) slammed the door behind her, grabbing one of the big cushions from the sofa and screaming as loud as she could, as she buried her face into the soft fabric; try as she may, this was all getting too much, and she wasn't sure how much more she could take. Was Arthur that blind that he couldn't see how she felt for him, how she would do anything for him, give anything for him? Slowly she walked over to the mirror, her eyes taking in her features, her hair, her figure; maybe she was ugly, maybe Arthur didn't like the way she looked, maybe this Sophie was a modern day version of Helen of Troy, and she was the incarnation of Quasimodo.
(Y/n) shook her head, turning away from the reflective surface that seemed to mock her, whatever the reason was that Arthur didn't seem to notice the obvious affection she had for him, she knew that as long as she had him in her life in some shape of form, then she would try and be happy with that.
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(Y/n) made her way to Arthur's apartment, as much as she wanted to go, as much as she wanted to see his face and hear his laughter, what she didn't want was another night of having to pretend to smile as he enthused on and on about Sophie. It was getting harder for her to put on a happy face, harder for her to pretend that she was happy that he had found love; but she knew that she would do anything to make sure that Arthur was happy, and if that included seeing him with Sophie, then that was what she would have to do.
As (Y/n) got closer to Arthur's apartment, she could hear his voice as if he was talking to someone inside; as she drew closer she could see that the door was slightly ajar, and inside Arthur was talking to Sophie, but a Sophie that wasn't there in person. (Y/n) stood there wide eyed, listening to her best friend, the man she loved with all her heart, talk to the woman he obviously had strong feelings for, a woman that apparently only he could see.
(Y/n) knew that there was only one reason that Arthur would be having audio and visual hallucinations, and that was that he hadn't been taking his meds, meds that he had sworn to her that he was taking. As (Y/n) placed her hand to push open the door further, she heard Arthur tell the invisible Sophie that he loved her, that he wanted to be with her, that he thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world; (Y/n)'s heart sank, her heart breaking with every compliment that Arthur uttered. As (Y/n) leaned up against the wall, she took a deep breath, trying to steady her slowly dying heart, she knew that she had to get Arthur to take his meds, knew that if he didn't that things would only get worse; with a deep breath and a worried smile, (Y/n) slowly and quietly entered the apartment.
"Oh, hi (Y/n), I'd like you to meet Sophie, Sophie this is (Y/n), my best friend." Arthur announced happily, as (Y/n) looked in the direction that he seemed to be pointing.
"Er...... its very nice to meet you Sophie, I hope you don't mind but could I just borrow Arthur for a moment?" (Y/n) asked, smiling at the invisible entity as she gently took Arthur towards his bathroom, opening the cabinet door to find bottle after bottle full of pills.
"Arthur, when was the last time you took your meds?" (Y/n) asked, taking the relevant pills out of the relevant bottles so that she could give them to Arthur.
"I don't know, a few days I think; I feel fine (Y/n), really." Arthur said, a big smile on his face.
"What do you think, (Y/n)? Sophie is wonderful, isn't she?" Arthur asked, as he looked back at the empty sitting room.
"Yeah, she's perfect. Now, take these for me." (Y/n) told him, as she handed the pills and a glass of water to Arthur, feeling relieved when Arthur finally swallowed the lot.
"Now, why don't you go and get in bed, and I'll go tell Sophie that you will see her later." (Y/n) said softly as she steered Arthur to his room, happy that he didn't seem to be protesting.
"Ok, (Y/n). I love you." Arthur said quietly, as she helped him under the blankets, (Y/n) knowing that the next few days of getting him to take his meds and watching him sleep would be the longest of her life.
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(Y/n) had chosen to stay in Arthur's apartment while she had made sure that he took his medication, she had sat by his bed at night making sure that he slept as well as any insomniac can sleep, and during the day she had busied herself cleaning his apartment, an embarrassed Arthur watching as (Y/n) baked in his small kitchen.
"I called Ha- Has and told a strange man called Hoyt that you can be back at work tomorrow, now that your medications should be up to therapeutic levels again, you should be ok." (Y/n) told Arthur as she pulled out a small freshly baked loaf from his oven.
"You.......you spoke to Hoyt? What did you say?" Arthur enquired, as (Y/n) took off her oven gloves and came to sit next to him.
"I just told him that you had been unwell; don't worry." (Y/n) told him, placing a soft kiss to his cheek before she rose to get his medication.
"(Y/n), you don't have to keep doing this, I promised you I'll take them." Arthur told her, seeing her smile as she watched him swallow his pills.
"I know, but just let me take care of you for one more day, then you can get rid of me." (Y/n) chuckled, as she took the glass of water from his hand.
As Arthur watched (Y/n) clean the kitchen, and place the warm bread on a rack to cool, he had a feeling that he would be happy if this never ended, he would be happy if (Y/n) was always in his apartment, baking for him, and looking after him. Even though he felt guilty for not taking his medication, for having caused (Y/n) to take the time to make sure he got better, he couldn't help but wish that this dream of domestic bliss wasn't going to end tomorrow when she went back to her apartment.
"I never want to get rid of you, (Y/n). I don't ever want to lose you." Arthur said quietly, smiling to himself as (Y/n) began singing softly to herself.
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(Y/n) had finally got Arthur to rest, and as she sat on the uncomfortable chair next to his bed she smiled down at his sleeping form; he seemed to have been happy the last couple of days, happy that someone would take the time to take care of him, and (Y/n) had to admit that being with Arthur all the time was something that she never wanted to end; but seeing him happy had pushed her to do something she didn't want to do, but if it meant Arthur would always be this happy, then it was something that she just had to do.
Quietly she got up from her seat, and made her way out of Arthur's apartment, making her way down the hallway to another door, standing in front of it she took a deep breath, raised her hand and knocked.
After a few moments a young woman poked her head around the door. "Can I help you?" She asked, looking (Y/n) up and down.
"Hi, I know you don't know me, my name is (Y/n) ........ I come from the other end of the hall. I was....... well I was wondering if I could have a word with you about something important?" (Y/n) asked nervously, as the woman looked at her strangely.
Slowly Sophie opened the door and let (Y/n) inside. As (Y/n) had explained who she was, and why she was there, Sophie listened, looking at her in disbelief as (Y/n) told her about how wonderful Arthur was, how he cared about her, how she should give him a chance, how she would be crazy to let him go."
"Get out!" Sophie said all of a sudden, (Y/n) looking up at her in shock.
"I don't know if this is a joke, but I have only really ever made small talk with Arthur, so I don't know why you would come here and tell me all this. If you ask me, you are both as crazy as one another, and by the sound of it, I think that it is you that is in love..... in love with Arthur." Sophie said harshly, as she opened the door.
"Now get out, and don't come and bother me again." Sophie said, as (Y/n) stood stunned, the door to Sophie's apartment slamming behind her.
As a confused (Y/n) made her way back to her apartment, she couldn't help but wonder how long Arthur hadn't been taking his medication for, this level of delusion was unusual; but he seemed to know so much about Sophie, like they had spoken at length on more than one occasion, he seemed to have built up a relationship with the woman and cared a great deal about her, but why would Sophie lie?
(Y/n) closed her door behind her, slumping down on her sofa, her mind going around and around in circles as she tried to work through what was truth and what was fiction; but even if this whole thing had come from Arthur's mind, it didn't matter, (Y/n) would still be there for him, he was her best friend, and they would work this out together like they always did.
(Y/n) felt as though she had been sitting there for hours, wondering what she could do next, when a loud pounding at her door brought her back from her thoughts.
Quickly getting to her feet, she made her way to the door, opening it to find an angry Arthur that pushed his way inside, glaring at the woman he thought was his friend.
"What did you do (Y/n)? What possessed you? Sophie came to my apartment, told me that you had been to see her, that you told her that I cared for her, that I loved her, that I wanted to be with her; because of you, she told me to stay away from her, that she never wanted to see me again. Why would you do something like that (Y/n)? Why would you embarrass me like that?" Arthur asked, desperately trying to understand his best friends' motivations.
(Y/n)'s head was in her hands, the words of the man she loved, the man she would do anything for, were going around and around in her head; after all these years, after everything that she had done for him, did he really think that she talked to Sophie to try and hurt him, to try and make a fool of him? It had been her that had been made a fool of, telling a mystified woman that a man she barely knew was in love with her, telling her about a relationship that was apparently only in Arthur's head.
She had never been angry at Arthur before, there had never been a raised word between the friends; but now all the pain of loving someone she knew would never love her the same had eaten her up completely, like a great worm had eaten away her rotten core, and she was finally going to make him see the pain that she lived with every day.
"YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I DID IT?" (Y/n) yelled, turning around to face a startled Arthur.
"I did it because I love you Arthur, I love you with all my heart and I always have done; I would give everything I have for you to think and talk about me like you do Sophie, but you don't and never will do. I went to see Sophie because I want you to be happy, I want you to have the love you deserve, because you are the most wonderful, caring, kind, amazing man that I have ever met, and if it means you are happy with Sophie instead of me, then so be it. I asked her to give you a chance, I told her that you cared a great deal for her and about what an amazing man you are, but she told me I was crazy, that we were both crazy, and then she threw me out without giving me a chance to explain. You are my best friend Arthur, I have been there for you through everything, and if it doesn't hurt enough that you will never love me, to have you think that I would do something to hurt or embarrass you is the ultimate kick in the guts when I am already down on the ground." (Y/n) said, wrapping her arms around herself and walking over to the window as she attempted to fight back the tears that were streaming down her face.
"Get out Arthur, just get out. I can't do this anymore." She said softly, her eyes never leaving the dark streets outside the window.
Arthur stood frozen for the moment, unable to believe what he had just heard. (Y/n) loved him, his (Y/n) loved him, the woman that he had wanted to be with for so long had finally admitted that she had the same feelings for him as he did for her, yet now it was all a mess.
"Get out." (Y/n) said again, as Arthur reluctantly turned and made his way out of the apartment, jumping slightly as the door slammed violently behind him.
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It had been days since Arthur and (Y/n) had had their fight, and he was worried; normally the sounds of music and laughter emanated from (Y/n)'s apartment, but since that day it had been as quiet as the tomb. Arthur had banged on her door multiple times, calling out to her in hopes that she would make the slightest sound so that he knew she was ok, but nothing ever came from the other side of the locked door. He had been down to her little bakery, hoping that at least she was going to work, but all he had found was the assistant and apprentice who told him that she had called and said that she would not be in for a while.
Arthur sat on his sofa, he was sick to his stomach with not only worry about (Y/n) but also anger at himself; the last few days had been an eye opener for him, he now knew that his liking for Sophie was a mere infatuation, a school boy crush, and the result of him not taking his medication for months; but what he felt for (Y/n) was real love, and he had been too cowardly to admit it to either himself or her. She had been there whenever he needed anything, she had helped him fight his demons, she was his knight in shining armour that battled his monsters; she had taken the pain away and made life worth living, and now he could have lost it all.
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(Y/n) hadn't left her apartment, and had only moved between her bed and the window that looked down onto the street below; she hadn't slept, hadn't eaten, washed, or given a damn since she had slammed the door shut on Arthur. As she looked out of the window she watched the people that walked by, especially the ones that held hands with another; she could see the smiles on their faces, smiles that seemed to taunt her, smiles that seemed to make her already broken heart break just a little more.
A knock at the door caught her attention as it broke the eerie silence that seemed to have descended over her apartment; she sighed loudly, shaking her head, believing that once again Arthur had decided to try and talk to her. The knock suddenly turned to a pounding that was hard enough to shake the door in its frame; angrily (Y/n) got to her feet, making her way to the door and looking through the tiny peep hole, to her surprise her eye fell on two police officers waiting outside.
(Y/n) took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. "C-c-can I help you?" She asked hesitantly, as she looked at the two men.
"(Y/n)?" One of the officers enquired as he looked her dishevelled form up and down.
(Y/n) nodded apprehensively not knowing why two cops could be standing in her doorway.
"We had a call from one of your neighbours that said they were concerned for your wellbeing; we've just come to check that you are ok." The other officer said, (Y/n) completely ignoring him as she looked over his shoulder to Arthur's door, her eyes catching a hint of his pale skin as he watched the goings on.
"Er.....what? Sorry..... er, yeah, I'm fine." (Y/n) said, eventually looking back at the officers in front of her.
"Are you sure miss? You don't look too well." The older of the two officers said, a hint of concern in his voice.
"Honestly officer, I'm fine, nothing to worry about here I assure you." (Y/n) said, trying to smile as she brushed her fingers through her knotted hair.
"Ok miss, have a nice day." The officer said, (Y/n) watching as the two made way down the stairs.
"(Y/n)." A familiar voice called out as she turned to go back into her apartment.
"Please talk to me. Please!" Arthur said, coming up behind her and placing his hand on her shoulder.
"I don't think that you and I have anything to discuss anymore Arthur; it is quite clear that if you believe that I would hurt, or embarrass you in front of the woman you love, then you never knew me at all, and that our friendship never meant anything to you. So, if you will excuse me." (Y/n) said, pushing Arthur's hand from her shoulder.
It was then that the laugh began; Arthur had been so stressed and worried since their fight, and now that (Y/n) seemed to think that she had never meant anything to him, every barrier he had been able to build to keep his condition at bay broke, and now he was nearly doubled over in pain, clutching at his sides.
(Y/n) tried to ignore the sounds of his pain, to not give in to her need to comfort him, but despite herself she turned around, taking him in her arms, her hand rubbing his back as she tried to calm him.
"Arthur please, it's ok, you need to calm down sweetie; I need you to breathe through this." (Y/n) told him, her body betraying her as she melted into his ever tightening embrace.
As the two held one another, Arthur slowly managed to control the laugh as (Y/n) softly combed her finger through his hair; she had done the same thing so many times before, but up until now he had not appreciated the intimacy of the act.
"I....... I......... love you (Y/n), Arthur said, as he gasped for air, every intake feeling like it would be his last.
"There is no need to pretend Arthur, you don't have to say things just to try and appease me. I know you don't mean it, so save your breath; just come and sit down until you feel better." (Y/n) said, helping him inside her apartment and sitting him on the sofa.
He watched forlornly as she went to get him a glass of water; he had never seen (Y/n) look so pale, so worn out; she always looked so warm, like a perfect shaft of sunlight that peaks through the darkest cloud to lighten your day. She was always smiling, it was one of those smiles that you couldn't help but reciprocate no matter how bad your day had been; yet here she was now, cold and grey, as if she had turned into a human version of the dark city around them.
Taking the glass of water from her hand, Arthur couldn't help but notice that not once had she looked at him, though he could see that the usual childlike glint in her eyes seemed to have disappeared.
"(Y/n), please." He said, grabbing for her hand as she went to sit back next to the window.
"Please what Arthur? Do you want me to sit down and listen to you berate me again, to listen to you tell me what a bad person I am for trying to make you happy? Well, I'm not interested in doing that, you've taken everything from me Arthur, and I don't care about anything anymore. So, if you are feeling better, I would appreciate it if you would get out of my apartment." (Y/n) said coldly, as she pulled her hand away from his, and turned to the window.
Arthur stood there in shock, his body racked with pain from his episode; but the real pain that was eating him alive was the pain in the words that had come from (Y/n)'s mouth, the pain that he could see in her eyes, and her unkempt form, the pain of losing the only real, and good thing that he had had in life.
"I...... I'll go; but please just listen. I'm a blind fool, (Y/n), blind and stupid. I admit that I find Sophie attractive, but I only became interested in her because I didn't want to ruin what I had with you; our friendship means everything to me, and I didn't want to tell you that I love you just in case you didn't feel the same, I couldn't ruin the special connection we have. I love you (Y/n), and whether you believe it or not, that is the truth; I would give anything, and everything I have to turn back time and make things right, but I can't....... I'm sorry (Y/n)." Arthur said softly as he turned and made for the door.
Suddenly he felt a hand grip his arm, stopping him dead in his tracks. "I love you too Arthur, I'm so miserable without you." (Y/n) cried, as Arthur turned around and pulled the sobbing woman into his arms.
"You never have to be without me again, if that's what you want." Arthur said nervously, still dreading what her reply could be negative.
"I'd like that very much." (Y/n) sniffed, Arthur brushing away the tears from her cheeks, as she looked up into his eyes.
"Then I promise that you will never be without me again." Arthur said softly, his fingers combing through her hair as he gently pulled her close enough so that he could kiss her.
As the two stood on the spot in the middle of (Y/n)'s apartment, kissing one another as if it were the last kiss that either one of them would ever have again; the pair knew that they would do anything for their love.