The Whistling Kettle

Best

"Hold on- you did it wrong."

The taller blonde stepped forward, undoing the tie around the other's next so that he could fix it. The soft, emerald silk slipped through his fingers with ease and Alfred could feel the eyes following his movements.

"I'm sorry, I'm usually rather good at this." Arthur confessed, a nervous flush on his pale cheeks. He unclasped and reclasped his cufflinks, a nervous habit he had picked up just within the last hour.

"I know you are," The American said, a chuckle escaping his lips, "But you gotta calm down, ok? Everything will be perfect."

These words seemed to calm the Brit down, and Alfred finished just in time for the vibrant red to fade from Arthur's cheeks.

"There we go!" The taller said happily before turning them around to look at the mirror that stood against the wall.

It was rare to find either of them in suits. Sure, there were the business suits worn to meetings and small parties, but there was never a suit quite as handsome as that made for a wedding. The black wool of their fine Italian suits seemed to shine ever so slightly in the light that poured in from the room's large window, the emerald of their silk ties pulling the rest of their ensembles together in what Alfred could admit to be the nicest he had ever looked. They were used to designer things and expensive luxuries, but nothing so beautiful as that of a wedding.

"You look great, Artie," Alfred said, his hands grasping the other's shoulders tightly as he stared at the reflection. Alfred thought they looked rather perfect together- Arthur was more focused on the fact that he didn't look as nervous as he felt.

They stood in silence there for a moment, watching how the light caught their cufflinks or the gold frame of Alfred's glasses. Arthur looked himself over many times, trying to find any aspect that may be unsightly to his future spouse, and finally relaxed when he found none. Alfred reminded silent and watched, having never found anything unsightly about Arthur at all.

"I think I'm ready, then." He finally spoke, turning back to the taller blonde with a nervous little smile on his lips. The other gave a grin of his own, the same one Arthur had known all his life and will know until the end of it.

"Better not keep him waiting then, huh?"

Arthur left the room, Alfred promising to follow in just a moment. The blonde stood there silently in the same place he had been before in front of the mirror.  He stared at the new reflection, finding his eyes not nearly as bright and his smile not nearly as happy without what was now missing from the image. It was a reflection he'd have to get used to, he reminded himself, but a picture he must never forget. Arthur would still be there, still smile just as kindly and laugh just as warmly, but now it would be different.

Now, the hope of a future and the ache of a possibility wouldn't hang on Alfred's lips. Now, there was no chance.

He straightened his own tie and followed the other, ready to stand proudly by Arthur's side at the alter, just as every best man would.