AN: Based on the song 'Need You Now' by Lady Antebellum.

I've been planning to post this for a few months and hope you'll enjoy it :)

Need You Now

Washington D. C., December 30th - 17:00

A sneeze was heard throughout the storage room while the young man moved a few boxes out of his way, widening his sky blue eyes when a little wooden box fell on the ground with a loud thud. He raised an eyebrow and knelt in front of it, smiling softly when he saw the little soldiers carved in wood and picked one of them.

"Geez... so you're all still here?" Alfred smiled when he placed the little toy inside the box and sat on the ground, carefully taking off his glasses to wipe the dust from the lenses. A quiet sigh left his lips when he took a moment to look around, seeing all the things he had already gathered together after deciding to store them in a more appropriate place. The dark blue coat, the musket and an old suit he had received from... "Arthur," the quiet whisper left his lips before he leaned his back against the floor, not caring anymore with the dust when he stared at the ceiling with a curious expression. What are you doing now, Artie...?

The American chuckled softly and held on the end of the dark blue coat he had used in times of wars, covering his body with the old fabric to protect himself from the cold of that winter night. He fumbled inside the pockets of his trousers and pulled out his cell phone, staring at the screen with an indecisive expression as he pondered if he should call the Briton or not.

"Shit... I can't," he whispered while lowering his arm, feeling a lone tear sliding down his left cheek when he realized that he didn't have the guts to press the calling button.

...

New York City, December 30th - 22:00

Alfred sighed quietly and rested his forehead against the car's glass window, watching while the illuminated streets passed by like a flash. He glanced briefly toward the driver before looking down at his phone again, chewing on his bottom lip when his fingers hovered over the buttons with uncertainty. Why it has to be so difficult...?

The American leaned his head against the backrest and ran a hand through his sandy blond hair, closing his eyes to let a few memories flash into his mind about the day he had last spoken with the one that now was tormenting his thoughts.

.

"Hey, Artie! Want to have lunch with me?"

A toothy and bright smile formed on Alfred's lips as he quickened his pace to be able to catch up with the Briton, chuckling when he saw the other lost behind a pile of papers and folders.

"I'm sorry, I can't... I have too much paperwork to finish before the conference ends," Arthur said in a rushed tone while trying to walk quicker, cursing quietly when he nearly bumped into another person that was walking in the same corridor.

"C'mon~ we don't need to eat fast food if you don't want to... you can chose the place this time."

Arthur raised an eyebrow when he heard that, not remembering the last time the American had tried so hard to hang out with him during lunch break. He looked down at his papers and then back at Alfred, feeling kind of guilty for having to refuse his invitation like that.

"I'm sorry, Alfred... I really need to finish all this paperwork and..."

The Briton was cut off when he felt a hand wrapping around one of his wrists to make him turn around, gasping loudly when he tripped on his own feet by accident and fell forward. Alfred widened his eyes in surprise when he saw the other collapsing over his chest, not really expecting that both of them would lose balance and end up falling backwards.

"Ouch...!" Alfred closed his eyes tightly when his back hit the floor with force but the pain soon was forgotten when he felt warm and soft lips pressing against his own, widening his eyes only to find a pair of startled emerald irises staring back at him from above. Breath hitching and heart beating madly... the only sound that reached the American's ears was the faint noise of papers flying around them and landing on the floor.

"I-I'm sorry..." Arthur averted his eyes out of embarrassment and sat up before rolling off of the static American, starting to gather his papers in a rush.

"A-Arthur..." Alfred widened his eyes in shock when sat up too and looked at the flustered Briton with a mix of surprise and confusion, not sure of why the sound of his own heartbeat seemed to be thumping in his ears.

"I-I need to go." The Briton ran a hand over his flushed face and stood up quickly, dashing toward the building's front door while clutching the papers against his chest as if his life depended on that.

"N-no...! Wait!" Alfred shouted in a nervous tone and stood up quickly to run after the other, only to get lost between the sea of people that were walking inside and out the building, arriving in the front doors just in time to see Arthur stepping inside a cab and leaving. "God... what was that?" he whispered to himself and pressed his fingertips over his lips, feeling his cheeks heating up when he remembered about the accidental kiss.

.

Alfred looked at the car's ceiling and covered his face with one hand, can't helping but turning as red as a tomato each time he remembered about that day and the accidental kiss he had shared with Arthur. He took a deep breath and looked down again, dialing a message and quickly pressing the send button before he could change his mind for the thousandth time.

"I hope you read it, you stubborn," he whispered softly before sinking into his seat, waiting to arrive in the building he would be staying until the celebrations the next day.

...

London, December 31st - 01:15

A quiet sob left his dry and pinkish lips when Arthur tightened his hand around the glass of whisky, which he had been drinking for at least two hours in a row. He slowly moved one hand and rubbed his sleeve over the corner of his mouth to wipe the alcoholic drink that had dripped past his lips, sighing when he looked at the empty bottle by his side. "Bollocks..."

The Briton grunted quietly and leaned his forehead against the wooden coffee table, still sitting on the ground and trying to make the world stop spinning around him while his sight refused to come into focus. He let go of the glass and pulled both arms closer to himself, hiding his face against his long sleeves when he felt the tears welling on the corner of his green eyes.

"Why...? Why can't I t-tell you?" Arthur mumbled to himself and looked up at the small picture frame on top of the bookcase across from him, feeling his heart clenching inside his chest when a pair of beautiful blue eyes stared back at him. He could still remember the moment when they had taken that picture together... the day he had finally decided to go to Washington and visit Alfred during his birthday after so many years of just refusing the invitations for fear of seeing the other's happiness in a date like that.

Tired green eyes moved to the side when a ring from his cell phone caught the Briton's attention. He slid one hand lazily over the wooden surface and reached for his phone, bringing it closer to his face when he tried to see from whom it was.

The Briton rubbed his eyes with one hand when he was finally able to recognize Alfred's name written on the screen, feeling his stomach giving nervous loops while he tried to guess what could be written in that simple message. He looked around and put the phone down again, feeling too afraid to look at what the other could be trying to say. What if he would ask him to forget about the kiss? Or worst... to leave him alone? No, he couldn't open that message... not in the miserable state he always ended when he was drunk.

He rolled his head over his arm and looked at the front door with a longing look, just wishing that the American would simply walk inside the room with lots of food and wish him happy New Year. It was a simple thing... but that made him truly happy to know that Alfred still cared and had remembered about him.

"Looks like things will be different this year," Arthur whispered in a teary tone after resting the side of his face against his arms and closed his eyes slowly, not being able to fight sleep anymore.

...

London, December 31st - 13:20

Arthur grunted quietly as he covered his face with one hand, feeling the light coming from above him making his head ache. He opened his eyes slowly and looked toward the closed window, being able to say that it was already daytime due the faint sunlight coming through the little cracks between the curtains.

"Damn... I'm feeling like crap..."

Arthur ran a hand over his face and cursed the lamps he had forgotten to turn off, blinking twice when he saw the cell phone so close to him, making him feel as if his heart had missed a bit. He gulped and stretched a hand to reach for the phone and pressed the button to lit the screen and find the message he had ignored the previous night.

'I'll be in Times Square on New Year's Eve... I hope we can meet again before the turn of the year, there's something I need to tell you. Alfred.'

Arthur widened his eyes as he read the message again, trying to assimilate all the words written in there. Was Alfred really inviting him indirectly to go to New York that night? And if yes... for what exactly?

"No need to be so nervous, Arthur... just calm down," the Briton whispered to himself while trying to calm down his accelerated heartbeat, pondering about what he should do.

...

John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, December 31th - 23:10

Rushed footsteps echoed in the main hall while the blond man hurried through the arrival gates with his heart racing madly when he looked at his watch and noticed that it was already too late for his liking. He breathed in deeply after reaching the outside of the building, cursing under his breath when he couldn't see any cabs near him.

The Briton sighed relieved when he saw an empty cab a bit far away from him, running toward it while his cream coat swayed around his body due the wind. He wrapped both arms around himself when his breath started getting foggy due the cold and didn't waste time to open the cab's door, slip on the back seat and look at the driver, just wanting to arrive in his destination as soon as possible.

"To Times Square... and please, go fast, I don't mind paying the difference." Arthur sighed deeply when he leaned his forehead against the window, praying that he would arrive there in time.

...

Times Square, New York City, December 31st - 23:45

Alfred huddled himself under his heavy black jacket and slipped one of his gloved hands inside his pockets to send away the cold. He glanced at his cell phone again to check if there was any new message and sighed when he noticed that it was almost midnight. Of course he won't come... I should have invited him sooner.

The American chuckled sadly as he rubbed a hand over his reddened nose and looked at all the people around him, just hoping that he would be able to spot Arthur's face between them. He put his phone back inside his pocket and looked at the big building in front him, waiting for the countdown to watch the ball drop like he used to do every year.

...

Times Square, New York City, December 31st - 23:55

Arthur panted heavily as he tried to push his way between the sea of people, not used anymore to that kind of run. The cab had to stop far away from his destination and he had to make it running, letting alone the fact that it was nearly impossible to recognize a single soul in middle of all those people gathered together.

"Bloody hell... where are you...?" he whispered and picked his cell phone to dial the American's number, hoping to be able to hear some kind of sound that would give away the other's location.

The Briton looked up when he heard a low song playing not far from him and widened his eyes when he saw a blond head and a pair of glasses that were really familiar. He gulped quietly when he felt his hands starting to sweat and pushed the phone inside his pocket and started pushing his way between the crowd quickly.

"Alfred!"

The American turned around when he heard his name being called, not quite believing his ears when he recognized that voice. He looked around carefully and couldn't hold back a bright smile when he saw a mop of blond hair in middle of that mess of people, feeling his heart beating faster when he was finally able to see all of Arthur's body running toward him.

"A-Arthur...?"

Alfred widened his blue eyes in startle when he had to step forward and hold the Briton, who just held tightly on the sleeves of his black coat while trying to catch his breath. "A-are you alright?"

Alfred gazed at the smaller with a worried expression when he had to keep the panting Englishman in balance, can't helping but finding him really cute with those flushed cheeks and that softer look on his bright green eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but looked at the side when he heard the people starting to shout the countdown.

Taking a deep breath, Arthur looked up at the other and tightened his fingers around the black coat, knowing that if he didn't tell the truth in that exact moment, then he would never say it.

"I-I love y-you," the Briton whispered quietly while truing to catch his breath, thinking that his heart would explode inside his chest anytime soon.

"W-what...?!" Alfred looked down at him with a confused expression, not being able to hear his whisper because of all the excited shouts around them.

"I-I said that I l-love you, git!" Arthur shouted in a nearly irritated tone when he tried to lean closer to other man in the hope to be heard.

"God, I can't hear you! There's too much noise...!" The American smiled apologetic and leaned down slightly, grunting quietly when someone elbowed him on the middle of the back and he was forced to step forward.

Arthur sighed quietly when he heard that and looked up when he felt the other stepping closer, suddenly feeling his cheeks burning in embarrassment when his brain decided to make the most crazy decision of his life. He held tightly on the collar of Alfred's coat and pulled him down, squeezing his eyes shut before pressing their lips together for a timid kiss.

Blue eyes widened in startle when Alfred felt the other's soft lips pressed against his own, smiling softly when he noticed that the Briton had his eyes closed tightly as if fearing to be pushed away. The American gulped quietly and tried to calm his own heartbeat before wrapping both arms around Arthur's waist, chuckling quietly when he heard a surprised gasp as soon as he pressed he other's body against his strong chest.

Alfred closed his eyes slowly and let his tongue slide shyly between Arthur's lips, feeling his own cheeks heating up madly when the other opened way to allow their kiss to turn deeper. The Briton smiled shyly and moved his arms to wrap them around the other's neck and pull him closer, nearly missing all the noises and the countdown while the crowd around them jumped and cheered happily to welcome the new year.

The American chuckled happily when he heard the sound of fireworks cutting the night's dark sky and pulled Arthur off the ground before spinning around with him, making the other gasp in fright and hold tightly on his shoulders for dear life.

"I love you, Arthur," he whispered with a warm smile after placing the Briton back on his feet, holding the other's flushed face between both hands.

Arthur smiled warmly when he heard that and leaned forward slowly, hiding his face against the American's strong chest and hugging him by the torso. He turned his head upwards when he felt two arms wrapping around his waist and looked into the other's blue eyes, feeling like a lot of butterflies were flying in his stomach.

"Love you too, git..."