Heroes and Damsels
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. Enjoy!
The sun was close to setting but young Alfred had managed to escape Arthur once the other man had gotten into yet another argument with his boyfriend, Francis. Well, at least that's who Francis said he was, although it was hard to tell the way Arthur took verbal swipes at the man. Alfred just shrugged and wandered off to the park down the street.
The air was cooling and the wind swept through Alfred's hair. It was still technically summer but autumn was quickly approaching, taking with it summer's vitality. Alfred often felt lonely but it didn't look like he'd have a playmate anytime soon.
The young blond boy pushed his messy hair out of his eyes, although his little cowlick bounced back, he paid it no mind. He took in the large oak tree that bordered on the edge of the foliage and forest, rubbed his hands on his pants, and began shimmying up the massive trunk. Alfred bit his lip as the sweat beaded on his forehead. The wind picked up for a moment as he shimmied around the opposite side and the boy took a breath. He glanced down and to his surprise, saw a pair of sparkly violet eyes peering up at him. Distracted, he reached for a less than sturdy branch. Snap!
"Ow," he moaned as he fell into the brush. He rolled around and crawled into the clearing to find the other boy gazing at him wide-eyed. The other blond made to run away but Alfred grasped his wrist. Unfortunately, the other boy lost his footing and tripped with a gasp.
"Are you okay? Sorry, I just wanted to ask who you were," Alfred said as redness suffused his cheeks.
The other boy bit his lip, looked into Alfred's eyes and mumbled something quietly.
"What?"
A quiet, lilting voice spoke up, "Matthew."
"I'm Alfred F. Jones! And I'm a hero, you know," Alfred boasted to his new friend. "Just stick with me, and you'll be okay!"
Matthew looked like he didn't know what to say to that. Who was this strange boy with a hero complex? And anyway, it wasn't as if he needed saving. He could take care of himself!
Just as Matthew made to protest, Alfred pulled out his Swiss Army knife and crawled over to the rose bush in the clearing. Matthew frowned and cocked his head curiously.
Alfred grinned and cut off the thorns, thankful that Francis showed him something useful for once. He carefully plucked the nicest, fullest rose and went back over to the other boy looking up at him. He pushed back Matthew's strawberry blond hair and put the rose in his hair. Once he finished, he sat back and gave the other a grin.
Matthew reached up and touched the rose and flushed a deep red. He was not a girl! He glared at the other boy and clenched his fists.
"You're perfect! I can save you from the dragon now," Alfred proclaimed proudly.
The violet-eyed boy arched a brow, "You couldn't before?"
"Nope, you're pretty but the rose shows it off more!"
Matthew flushed deeply and crossed his arms. "I'm not a girl."
"I know," Alfred replied, "But you're my friend now, and you're pretty. Francis, my dad's boyfriend, brings my dad roses all the time, so it's okay!"
Matthew's cheeks burned; he felt grateful for his longish hair and turned his face away shyly.
Alfred gently caught the boy's soft cheek in his hand and gazed at Matthew; he bit his lip nervously and steeled himself. Heroes didn't get nervous! He quickly leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss on the other boy's soft lips. He pulled away quickly, brushed off his clothes, and extended a hand to the smaller boy who was blushing even more than before.
"C'mon, Mattie! The dragon will be here soon!" Alfred told him.
Matthew curled his fingers around Alfred's and smiled a little, ignoring the fluttery feeling in his stomach. He rarely got any attention and this boy, Alfred, wanted to play with him and be his friend! Even if Alfred did girly things like kiss him and put flowers in his hair, Matthew wasn't going to turn down his first and only real friend, even if he didn't need saving. He took a breath to calm the butterflies in his stomach and followed the hero.
fin.