Late into the night, the couple took off to America. By 1pm the next day, they should arrive.

"Baby, look at all the lights." Lloyd pulled the cigarette away from his lips. "Aren't they so pretty?"

He looked over, holding the pale hand of his other. "Yes, not as much as you, though."

"Aww, you dear thing." He laid his head on his shoulder. "It's nice to be wearing normal clothes." For these two days, they're back wearing jeans, shorts, tank-tops, and skirts. François was especially happy about this. He could finally breathe again.

"Don't get too spoiled with it." He kissed his head, cringing when he saw more gray hairs.

The shorter stretched, cheeky moving closer to the taller. He lit up, the other making a face.

"Why don't we cuddle instead?" He said as Lloyd inhaled his cigarette. "Much better than that."

"Yeah."

-----

They arrived at two instead of one. By then, Lloyd had already had two seizures and was exhausted. François was tired and saddened by the state his husband was in.

"Ahhh, we're here!" It was easy to see how tired Lloyd was despite the smiles. "Does it look like the show you were talking about?"

He raised his eyebrow as he looked out the window. "Eh, not really, but it looks better."

The dogs were rolling on the floor, happy to be in a new environment. François originally didn't want them to come, but the other decided they deserved a treat after what they did for him. 

"I think there's a pool here. Do you want to go?"

"Yeah, but I'm keeping my shirt on."

"Same."

They walked to the pool area, both wearing swim trucks and tank tops. Lloyd's scars from the wing of the plane were visible. It cut him as he was falling down. The dogs were very excited, especially Blueberry, who loves water. Anytime her favorite owner is taking a bath, she's allowed to jump in and swim around.

Lloyd took them in the kiddy pool, which was too small for Benjamin but great for the other two. "Do you want to swim with me and Daddy?" The shorter was playing with his dog's face.

"But Lloydie! He'll lick up all the water!"

"Oh, it'll be fine!" He walked slowly so his dog could follow him to the pool. "C'mon, big boy!"

Benjamin jumped in, splashing and wagging his tail. François was a bit grossed out as he got in. Despite enjoying his pets, he hates their little annoying habits or gross smells. He doesn't let them lick his face. The other, however, is a completely different story. More than once, he feeds them off his fork before putting it back in his mouth. Those are the only times his husband would rather have him smoking.

"Imma jump!" He looked up to see the pale one on the diving board. He looked so small. He jumped off, water getting all over the place. He clapped for him as he got up.

"Are you sure you aren't too small for this section?" He laughed, the other crossing his arms.

"Hey, you're only four itches taller than me!"

They spent most of the time splashing and laughing. Benjamin got out eventually because he got tired, so did Apple a few minutes later. Blueberry stayed in, Lloyd joining her a few times so she wouldn't get lonely.

"That was fun." François was holding Lloyd's hand as they walked up the stairs.

"Totally, but it got me tired." He opened the door with the key. The dogs ran in, shaking off the water. François groaned at that. 

"Maybe we could take a nap." He grabbed a towel and picked up Apple, drying her off.

Lloyd did the same with Blueberry. "Aw, but there's so much to do."

"Well, we won't take a long one. We'll wake up and do stuff later." He dried off Benjamin, turning his nose at the smell of wet dog.

The other laid down in the hotel bed. There was only one bed, but that was perfect. There was a big shower to share, an oven, and a big TV. He turned it on, going under the blanket because he was cold.

"Babyyyy." The redhead cuddled him, holding him with his arm but not going under the blanket with him. "You look tired, I'm a bit worried."

"I'm fine, I promise." He took an arm out and hugged his back. "I know you're tired too."

"Yeah, royalty is tough." He moved his face closer to the point their noses were touching. He hates how big it is.

But his other loves it, he kissed it. "For now, we can just chill."

-

Around seven, they were both awake. Tomorrow was the anniversary, so they could just relax. They went out to a little place to eat, it was hard to notice it at first glance. It made Lloyd think of that day on the beach before the war started, but he pushed it away. François was relieved to finally see him well rested and relaxed. The dogs were with them. In France and Vagu, people didn't like them, especially poor Benjamin. They said they were dangerous or annoying. But here, they were getting all different types of attention. Pets, praise, hugs, it was very nice.

Lloyd had a Jamaican patty. It was spicy, but he's used to that by now and enjoyed it. François ate claims, which were surprisingly good. The waiter gave them a treat, funnal cake. It looked different from anything they've seen before. It was like a doughnut, then when you turned your head, it looked like fried noodles.

"I'll try it if you try it, Franny." He grabbed a piece and broke it in half for them, sugar getting on his fingers.

They held it, counted mentality, and then bit into it. They both giggled as they saw how much the other enjoyed it. They ordered more, this time with chocolate on top.

"Americans know their food." François wiped his hands and mouth with a napkin.

"True."

They then went to the beach. It was full of life. Teenagers yelling and partying, surfers, and dancing. There was Spanish music playing. They didn't understand what the hell it was saying, but the beat was nice to listen to.

"Fetch!" François threw a ball, the three dogs racing to get it.

Lloyd looked over at the sea. He always loved water, even if it scared him at times. The calming way the water itched to the cool sand. The soft feeling of sea form. The smell of sea salt. He breathed in deeply, not knowing two strains of gray hair went back to white.

"Baby!" He jumped, turning to a smile freckled one. "This is really nice!"

"It is!" He whispered under his breath, "It truly is."

"Oh, look!" He poined to the sky. "It's my favorite color."

The other looked up, raising his eyebrow. "There's no red in there. It's mostly purple."

"Exactly." He blushed when Lloyd turned to him, still confused. "It's your eyes." He turned redder when his favorite color brightened.

Before they went back, they stopped to buy toys for the dogs, an American flag, a candle that was in a coconut, and saltwater tuffy. How can you go to South Jersey and not get it?

-

They slept in, François waking up first. Grumpy, he took the dogs out before going back to sleep on the opposite end of the bed.

When they were both awake, they embraced and thanked each other. Today was one of their days. It was crazy how much time has passed since then. It still feels like only yesterday when they confessed to each other. In some ways, they regret that day. François was cruel. The way he grabbed and screamed at him always made him feel disgusted. Lloyd was so gullible to trust such a monster and was a complete mess that day. That's no way to have a romantic confession.

"I was thinking," François turned to Lloyd when they were sitting by the window in the room, watching the sea waves move up and down like a chest. "that we redo our confession from that night."

"I think so, too. Do you want to start?"

He turned red and covered his mouth. The other did the same thing. They decided to write it down. After a few minutes, they came back. They passed it to each other and read silently.

François wasn't a strong writer. He was the only student in his grade to fail English in junior year. He has dyslexia, which wasn't diagnosed until he was fourteen. He was called stupid, berated by countless teachers and peers for not understanding simple stories or words, his mother would hit him for not knowing how to read or spell, nobody took the time to truly understand what was going on until his grandparents noticed when it was too late. When he's really upset, he understands fast, though that's rare. When he has to write something important, he asks his grandparents or Lloyd to do it.

Lloyd was patient with him when he needed help reading or writing. Sometimes, he even read to him or helped him at hours at a time to understand something. He found out English was easier to read and write in, so he wrote the love letter in that. Words were missing or misspelled. There were many black scribbles to hide his mistakes, and it was lovely.

":)

I don't know where to start. :)

You make [me] so happy. I've never been happier at any point of my life.

You make life easy. Before, [I] used to stru[ggle] a lot with myself and wasn't happy. I was ashamed of myself for not knowing or doing things I must [know how] to do. You're really patient with me, you love to read with me. You love to write with me. I love doing those things too now.

You helped me love a lot of new things. I like the sound of pianos because they remind me of you and that night in the music room. I love the same music you do, such as the Be[a]tles and Art Gar[funkel.] I like spicy foods, I like rain, I like fruit, I love everything that you love. I love you.

You're my favorite colors. Your [hair] is my winter, white and shiny. Your eyes are my sunset. Your smile is my favorite painting. Your body is my statute.

I love you. I want to spend [our lives] together. I want to be 100 and still have you with me with all our dogs. :)

;)"

On the other hand, Lloyd was gifted in reading and writing. It was one of his favorite things to do. He got high marks in all his classes, but he never got below a ninety-nine in English in his school career. He would write little poems and stories then read them to his parents or François. It took the redhead a long time to understand his writings or to read them by himself, so it became second nature to his husband to read it aloud to him or to slowly read with him, sometimes having to act out the story. He understands things better when he's around.

Now, anytime he writes to him, he uses English, he draws pictures next to the words that he might have a hard time understanding, he underlines things, and he writes spaced out. Does it take up time and space? Yes. Is it worth a million dollars to see François smile? Absolutely.

"Dear, Franny,

Where  to  start? :)

I  can't  even  begin  to  count  the  ways  you  have  changed  my  life, and  saved  it.  I  love  the  view  I  awake  to. I  love  waking up  now  because  that  means  I  spend  another  beautiful  day  with  you.

You  have  showered  me  with  affection  and  joy. You  have  gifted  me  your  world  and  everything  inside  it. You  have  given  me  my  three  joys, the  friend  in  my  brother-in-law,  a  reason  to  get  out  of  bed. You've  made  me  rich  in  body  and  soul  without  spending  a  dime. You  give  me  a  reason  to  eat,  to  smile,  to  dream,  to live. I  will  live  to  thousand  by  your  side.

I  love  you. We  seem  to  be  made  for  each  other. You  understand  me  in  ways  I  thought  nobody  could. You  don't  judge  me  for  being  weird  or different, I  could  be  myself  around  you.

I  love  everything  about  you. I  love  your  star  kisses, I  love  your nose  because  it looks  like  the  ones  on  Greek  statues, your  eyes  are  my  favorite  world  to  look  into,  your  hair  is  thick  and  smooth  like  cloth,  your  voice  is  my  favorite  song, your  body  is  my  favorite  meal,  your  touch  is  like  a  blanket. I  want  to  put  you  in  a  museum,  everyone  will  pay  billions  to  see  you. 

I  hope  our  love  will  be  remembered  for  centuries, we  are  like  Romeo  and  Juliet.

I  love  you. :)"

They turned to each other once they finished with wide smiles. To say the least, it was a busy two hours in bed after that.

-----------‐-

They went to the beach again with the dogs. Lloyd was mostly in the water with them, using Benjamin to stay afloat and helping the little ones swim. Apple got out less than five minutes later to be François under the umbrella. Redheads don't tan.

"Puppy!" Lloyd kissed Benjamin's head. "I can lift you in the water!" He picked him up slightly, the dog's eyes getting big. He's not used to getting picked up. The only people that really could lift him are his grandpas, and even then, it's not fully. He started freaking out, kicking his legs and moving around. His owner laughed and put him on the sand. He ran straight to his other favorite person next to his sister, sighing deeply when he got to lay down.

"Baby blue." Lloyd held Blueberry's stomach as she swam, holding her to his shoulder when she got too tired. "Are you enjoying our vacation?" He saw her tail wagging, making little waves. "Hehe, me too, little girl."

---

They spent an hour alone, they wanted to explore. Lloyd, of course, brought his dogs with him. Many photos and autographs were wanted, but he didn't mind. They showed him the best spots. François was also followed around, but he was able to escape them after a while.

They met up at Sugar Factory. They had their picture on the wall and were given the best seats. They could see the glow of the casinos. There were many of them here, but they deemed it an evil. The dogs were happy to be here. They got bowls of water and dog-friendly cookies.

"Alright, let's do this." They agreed to get their nails painted separately as the other's five favorite colors and the other hand being colors that remind them as their partner. Lloyd got red, blue, gold, orange, and white. François got black, blue, brown, purple, and pink.

"I'm guessing..." François sneakily hid his left hand with his napkin. "Red, purple....gold...maybe green...and brown." He guessed three correctly, he only had his pinky and ring finger wrong. "Hmm...white and yellow?" He got that right.

"Alright, my turn." Lloyd hid his hand. "Blue, black, purple, pink, and green."

Surprisely, blue was his index finger, not his thumb. "You're missing my fuck finger and thumb."

"Wow, blue isn't top? Ok, not green, so...sliver?" He got flipped off, the sliver shining in the light. They laughed. "And for your favorite, I'm lost. You always loved blue."

"True, but I like this more now." He showed off his red thumb. "It's your hair."

François cover his mouth, blushing and smiling hard. "Damn you."

The food they ordered came. It was the biggest thing they've ever seen. Not like Lloyd minded, it was a huge sugar cupcake. François was glad to see him eat. When they had sex, he wanted to cry. He looked sick again. He was losing weight. When they stopped, he asked him why and how he was losing so much weight so quickly. He said he didn't mean to and it wasn't on purpose. He doesn't know why it's happening.

"That was great." Lloyd wiped his mouth. "No wonder why Americans are always smiling, they're full of sugar."

The other didn't finish his food, which was a first. "Yeah. Do you want mine?"

"Baby, I'll explode."

They walked around more for a while, taking pictures of places and with random people who wanted to see the royal couple. They arrived back at the hotel at night, both exhausted. The dogs fell asleep the minute they laid down on the floor. The couple laid in bed, holding hands.

"This was fun. I want to stay here forever." François smiled at the ceiling.

The other kissed his hand. "Noo, tomorrow we go back. But this was really fun."

"I just don't see how today could be any better!"

Lloyd grinned. "Do you want to bake?"

They spent an hour baking cookies. For someone who's doing excellent in college for a math degree, the shorter had no clue what he was doing. François found it fun to help him, it gave them an excuse to hold hands. When they were done, they sat on the couch with champagne and the TV playing a show they hadn't had time to watch until now.

"I'm so Aziraphale." Lloyd ate a cookie as he held his glass of champagne, the chocolate getting on his teeth. "You're Crowley."

François moved closer to wrap his arm around his shoulder. "You're not just saying that because the hair thing?"

He smiled, his bow lip disappearing. "Nooo."

"Have you noticed anything different?" He crossed his leg, moving his foot around.

Lloyd lit up, looking over his face. "Your mustache?"

He giggled. "Well, yes, but something else."

He looked around, turning his head for a second to exhale. "Hmmm." He turned to his side, then gasped. "Your ear!"

"Both of them!" He turned his head so the other could see his new diamonds studs. "I can't change them for like a month, but expect me to steal yours."

"Fair. You look really hot like that." He smiled again, his overbite showing.

He leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I'm so happy we're married."

"We can be annoying together." He was chewing gum.

"Yess." They hugged each other, François laying on Lloyd. This was the happiest things have been for a while.

Lloyd kissed his forehead. "To us, and you."

"To you, and us."

Soon, things would be even better. In a little over a week, Hunter would be dead. Valentino, Haruki, and Beom already beat him senseless, but they saved a place for the husband. The ladies have been taking away his meals and water, sometimes eating in front of him as he begged for food. It made the meal taste better, according to Marie. Lloyd didn't know about it. He's been told that Hunter is being taken care of and protected by the guards.

September was just around the corner.

---

Andrey Ivanov
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