Happy New Years (USUK)

The snow fell in silence around Alfred as he stood by the public pay-phone. He dialed the familiar number with numb fingers, not sure how much time his pocketful of change was going to give him.

“Hello?”

Arthur’s voice on the other end of the line was clear as day despite the three thousand miles separating them, and it sent a wave of warmth flooding through him. He grinned and adjusted his grip on the receiver.

“Hey babe, I just called to welcome in the New Year with you.”

“Babe?” He could practically hear the eye roll his boyfriend was giving him. “Alfred, you know there’s a five hour time gap between us. I’d be welcoming in seven o’clock. Call me back tomorrow evening and welcome the New Year in with me then.”

“Wait, no! Come on, we have to see the New Year in together! I just have a feeling about this year, okay? It’s going to be the best one yet and I want to welcome it in with you.”

The receiver crackled in his ear as Arthur sighed, but Alfred was picturing him with that little smile on his face, the one Arthur got when he thought Alfred was being absurd but he was going to give in to that absurdity and humour him. Alfred rocked back on his heels and twisted the phone cable around his fingers as he waited for the inevitable cave-in. Arthur was good at many things, but telling Alfred no wasn’t one of them.

“Alright, blast it all, I’ll welcome in the American New Year with you if that’s what you want.”

“Knew you would!”

“Oh bull!”

Alfred grinned and watched the snowflakes fall. The night was so quiet for New Year’s Eve; Alfred supposed everyone was glued to their TV’s watching the ball drop in Times Square. He remembered last year when the two of them had stood there hand-in-hand, their voices lost in amongst the crowd’s as they counted down the seconds.

“Alfred, are you still there?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry, I’m here.”

Arthur hummed and the two of them lapsed into comfortable silence.

“Luv?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s seven.”

Alfred checked his watch and sure enough the little green numbers on his watch read 12:00. It was officially 2015.

“Hey, what’s the future like?”

“It’s amazing and I can’t wait for you to join me here.”

Arthur laughed on the other end of the line. “Has much changed?”

“Oh no, not really. I mean, now we have robot maids and hover-cars, but everything else is pretty much the same.”

“Don’t spoil it for me then! I want to be at least a little bit surprised when midnight arrives.”

“I’m sure there’ll be plenty of stuff to surprise you,” he replied. And then, “I love you.”

“I love you too. Happy New Year, Alfred.”

The two of them fell back into comfortable silence for a while before the phone gave two short, sharp beeps indicating that Alfred had very little time left.

“Hey, I gotta-“

“I know, I heard. 2015 had better be the best year yet.” He said.

“Oh trust me, it will be.”