Hola, users of this site!
This is a oneshot that wouldn't get out of my head, no matter what I did, so I had to write it. It gave me a break from Forever The Hero, my other story, which I'm a bit tired of at the moment. This is much simpler, just a few characters.
Disclaimer: Tealgirl713 does not own Hetalia. If she did, USUK would be canon, because it's the best frickin' pairing in the world.
It was a still, quiet evening, out here by the lake. There were no clouds in the sky, as far as the eye could see. The lights in the houses across the lake were almost all lit now, with the onslaught of nighttime. The sun was still up, but it was sinking fast. The water was so still from lack of a breeze that you could see the trees reflected perfectly on its surface.
All of a sudden, a flock of geese flew right above the water, skimming it with their legs, honking loudly. The quiet, serene moment was disrupted, and the British teenager seated at the water's edge was shaken out of his deep thoughts. Shaking his head slightly, he changed positions, drawing his knees up to his chest and sighing.
He came here to the lakeside often, to think. Sometimes he would think about his schoolwork (he was in his final year, and his studies were very important to him). Sometimes he would think of how he was mocked by the others in his classes for his accent and rather bushy eyebrows. However, most of the time, his thoughts were focused on one person.
Alfred F. Jones.
Arthur had first met Alfred when he and his family had moved from his hometown of London, England, to a small town in northern California, at the start of last year. He was one of the first people Arthur had met at school, and, to be honest, he hadn't really liked him all that much back then. He'd just thought that Alfred was an annoying git who couldn't keep his nose out of other people's business. After all, Alfred had always badgered Arthur with questions about London, and why he and his family had moved to California at all. Arthur would always give him vague answers, trying to keep a shred of privacy in his new life.
As the year went on, most of the people at school just stopped trying to talk to him. It wasn't as though he'd be able to hold a conversation that actually interested the brainless Americans he had classes with. But not Alfred. Alfred always made a point of talking to the Brit every day right before school started. And Arthur had started to really enjoy that time in the morning. He had started to enjoy Alfred.
You see, Arthur Kirkland was gay. No one, not even his parents, or his brothers (God forbid they should ever find out) knew he was attracted to the same sex. He had kept it a secret for nearly two years, ever since he had figured it out for himself. He had a good reason for not telling them, because he knew his parents would disapprove, and his brothers would tease him senseless, much more than they ever had before. Arthur didn't need that in his life, not right before he left for college.
Of course, the only person he would consider staying in this town for was Alfred, and it wasn't a very strong bond. Arthur didn't even know if Alfred was gay, let alone if he liked Arthur back. Because Arthur definitely liked Alfred. He couldn't put a finger on exactly what it was, but there was something about him, whether it was his deep blue eyes, the way his whole face lit up when he smiled, his way of making everyone around him laugh, or his desire to be the hero, that made Arthur want to kiss him every time he saw Alfred's gorgeous face.
The problem was, graduation day was coming up fast, and soon both Alfred and Arthur would leave this place and go their separate ways, probably never seeing each other again. And Arthur wanted Alfred to know exactly how he felt, on the very slight chance that his feelings were returned.
But how to tell him? Arthur knew that he couldn't just walk up to Alfred one day at school and say, "Good morning, Alfred. I just wanted you to know that I'm in love with you. Have a nice day." This needed to be thought out. He wanted the moment to be perfect when he confessed his love to-
"Hey dude!" came a familiar voice from behind Arthur. He whipped around, and who did he see standing there, but Alfred himself.
"A-Alfred," he stammered. "W-what the bloody hell are you doing here?"
"I was just coming here to watch the sunset, but you were already sitting here!" It was things like this that made Arthur love Alfred just a bit more. He was like a normal teenager, playing video games and texting all the time, but he had an appreciation for the small things in life, too.
"Oh, I was coming here to watch the sunset, too." A lie, but Arthur couldn't say that he had been thinking about Alfred. Then he would come off as stalker-ish and weird. And Arthur wanted Alfred to at least like him as a friend.
"Cool, dude! We can watch it together!" Alfred came down and sat right next to Arthur, his body pressing up against him. Arthur enjoyed the contact, but he kept his elatedness hidden so that Alfred wouldn't see.
"So, what's up?" Alfred asked him as the sun sank even further in the sky.
"Oh, nothing much. Just homework and chores. The usual." It was rather hard for Arthur to resist the temptations that he was feeling right now, but he was somehow able to.
"That's cool," Alfred said without much enthusiasm. "Well, I was playing this totally awesome video game the other day, and I…"
He kept talking, but Arthur wasn't really listening to the words coming out of his mouth. He'd turned his head and as now staring at the American without Alfred realizing it. And he was very much content to just stay that way, staring at Alfred all night. But sadly, that could not happen.
"Artie? Artie! Dude! Stop staring at me, you're freaking me out!" Arthur snapped out of his thoughts once again, and found himself staring at Alfred, who looked very creeped out.
"Oh, sorry," he said. He felt the heat rise up into his face and knew he was blushing as red as a cherry. He quickly moved away from Alfred and turned back to face the sky and the setting sun. "I was just…thinking."
"Oh yeah? What about?" Alfred asked, all awkwardness apparently forgotten. He moved towards Arthur again, and the Brit felt his heart skip a beat. Damn that stupid American, making him act oddly.
"Oh, nothing of interest to you," he finally said, after gathering himself. It wasn't a truthful answer, or a very good one, but he didn't dare get any closer to the actual truth.
"Aww! Artie!"
"Don't call me that!" Arthur said. Of course, deep inside he actually loved it when Alfred said that.
"Why not?"
"It's a stupid nickname!"
"But I think it's cute!"
And so do I, Arthur thought inside his head. On the outside, he rolled his eyes and turned away from Alfred again. But Alfred would not be ignored. He kept close to Arthur, always right in front of him, until finally Arthur gave up and sat still, facing the lake again.
"Hey, what if I tell you what I was thinking about? Then will you tell me what you were thinking about?" Arthur looked at Alfred and saw something different in his eyes. Alfred was nervous, that much was obvious. But why? He was probably the most out-there and outrageous person Arthur knew. So why would he be nervous all of a sudden. There was also apprehension hidden in those sapphire orbs of his, and a third emotion, different than the others. It was one Arthur couldn't place.
"That depends on what you were thinking about," Arthur replied.
"Oh, um, okay," Alfred said. Now he seemed even more nervous than before. "Just…please don't laugh at me after I tell you."
"I promise I won't laugh," Arthur said, with full intent on keeping that promise. No matter how embarrassing Alfred's inner thoughts were, Arthur was determined not to laugh at them.
Alfred let out a long breath before scratching his head and saying, "Well, Artie, this has kinda been on my mind for a while now, but I was keeping it to myself because I didn't know if you felt the same way and I was really worried about what would happen if you didn't and-"
"Just get to the bloody point already, would you?" Arthur said irritably, the suspense building up just a bit too much for his liking.
"Well, you see Artie, I kinda sorta, well, love you." The last part was mumbled, and Arthur had to strain his ears to hear it. But he didn't believe what he heard.
"Come again?"
"I'm in love with you, Arthur!" came the forceful reply from Alfred. "I have been for a little while now, but I didn't want to tell you because I don't even know if you're gay, and what if you're not? Then I'm going to feel stupid! But you just had to know, Artie! I couldn't keep it inside my head any longer!"
Arthur was frozen. Had he heard right? Alfred F. Jones, the object of his desire, was in love with him? Actually in love with him?
Apparently some time had passed since Alfred's confession, because he said, with a crushed expression, "You don't like me back, do you? Oh, I knew his would happen! Why did I have to go and tell you how I felt! I-"
But he didn't get to finish that sentence, because Arthur had suddenly leaned in and kissed him.
After only about a second or two, he pulled back, looking the shocked American right in the eyes. "You talk too much, git."
Alfred's eyes widened, and then he broke into the widest smile Arthur had ever seen on him. It was a contagious smile, so Arthur couldn't help but smile back.
"Artie! You do like me back!"
He scoffed. "Obviously, you twit."
Alfred was still grinning like a lunatic. "I don't know what that means, but I really don't care!" And promptly crashed his lips into the Brit's once more.
While they were kissing, Arthur could have sworn he heard a clicking noise, but he brushed it off and enjoyed his kiss with Alfred, the second of what was, hopefully, many more to come.
Hidden in the bushes, out of sight of the new couple, Elizaveta Hedevary smirked as she put her camera back in its bag.
"I guess following Alfred out here wasn't a mistake after all," she muttered to herself. "Wait until I show Kiku that picture…"
I loved writing the end of that. Hungary is such a yaoi fangirl.
Hope y'all enjoyed! This was my first decent try at writing USUK, so feedback is appreciated!
Goodnight! Or good morning, whatever time it is where you are.