Arthur Kirkland nervously walked along, watching his feet. He replayed the memory through his head a few times, trying to come to some sort of conclusion.
Alfred had been sitting at his desk talking to his brother, Matthew. Arthur had finally plucked up the courage to ask if they could hang out. He had timidly walked up to Alfred's desk and said shakily, "H-Hey, um, Alfred…"
Alfred, with his usual, cheery smile had turned and said, "Oh, hey Arthur! What's up, dude?"
Blushing, Arthur managed to choke out, "W-Would you like to… You know, um… H-Hang out… Sometime?" Alfred was blank for a moment, and then he had broken into a wide grin.
"'Course, dude! When?"
"U-Um, c-could we m-maybe meet on the corner of Passaic Avenue tomorrow? F-Four o'clock?"
"Sure! See ya then!"
Arthur sighed to himself. What if he doesn't come? W-What if he's laughing about it right now? About how I was such an idiot believing he would actually hang out with me, of all people… What if he…Arthur stopped in his tracks and looked up. Relief washed over him as he saw the tall, blond teenager standing on the corner, just like he said he would. His back was turned and he was watching the sky, a thoughtful look on his face. His breath was rising in little puffs of mist in the cold, still air.
He came… Arthur exhaled happily and his tense shoulders sagged. Alfred turned his head, noticed Arthur, and trotted over with that huge grin on his face.
"Hey, Arthur!" he said excitedly. "What's up?"
Arthur's eyes immediately went to the ground, the tension returning. "H-Hi, Alfred…" Alfred laughed kindly.
"Dude, you don't have to be so shy! We're buds, right?" He gave Arthur a wink.
"Y-Yeah…" Arthur could feel himself turning red.
"Sooo…" Alfred spun around and looked over his shoulder at the shorter teen. "What do ya wanna do?"
"U-Um, I was thinking we could maybe s-see a movie, or something…"
"Sounds great! I know this great movie theater right near by! Let's go!" Alfred grabbed Arthur's hand and started pulling him enthusiastically in the direction of the movie theater. Arthur, blushing furiously, tried to get Alfred to let go, but didn't succeed. Finally, he gave up after a few attempts.
It isn't so bad…
"So, Arthur, what movie do ya wanna see?"
They were standing outside the movie theater, looking at the posters of the various movies playing there.
"U-Um, it doesn't matter," Arthur replied quickly.
"Huh…" Alfred looked thoughtfully at the posters, before eagerly pointing at one. "Let's see this one!" Arthur followed Alfred's sparkly gaze, and gasped. He had picked the scariest movie on the list, a scary movie said to top all others.
"T-That one? B-But Al-" he started to protest, but Alfred cut him off.
"You're not scared, Arthur?" he asked slyly. Arthur's face went pale and then quickly changed to deep red.
"N-No way!" he replied, trying to sound confident. "I'm not scared! I've seen way scarier things than that! I was worried it would be too scary for you!" Alfred gave him a concerned look.
"Dude, it's okay if you're scared. We could see something else."
"No, I'm fine. Let's see it!" Alfred grinned and nodded in reply. Arthur felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.
What have I gotten myself into?
"D-Dude, are you sure you're okay with this?" Alfred's face was pale and he laughed nervously. It confused Arthur to no end.
"Yes, Alfred, I'm fine," Arthur lied. Alfred grinned weakly, looking anxious. "Alfred, are you okay? Are you feeling ill?"
"N-No, I'm fine! Don't be silly, Arthur, heroes like me don't get sick!"
Arthur frowned. "Than why are you acting so jumpy all of a second?" Alfred tensed.
"J-Jumpy? I'm not jumpy!" He laughed awkwardly again. Arthur just nodded, unconvinced.
They walked into the movie theater and found seats a few rows from the front. They settled in, Alfred anxiously sucking on his Coca-Cola straw. Arthur tapped him on the shoulder and he jumped in surprise. He glared at Arthur when he started to giggle.
"You're not jumpy, eh?" Arthur smirked. Alfred turned bright red and looked away, mumbling some excuse. Arthur shrugged dismissively. What's up with him?
As the movie started, Arthur began to relax. It wasn't actually so scary, once he got into it. He found he was actually paying attention, and didn't even notice Alfred's freaked out expression. Suddenly, something jumped out on the screen and Alfred grabbed Arthur's hand and squeezed it hard, eyes glued to the movie. Arthur jumped at the contact and a shiver ran through him. He was glad it was too dark for Alfred to see him blushing.
As the movie progressed, Arthur found himself glancing more and more at Alfred. He was fascinated by the other teen's horrified expressions, although the death-grip he had on his hand was starting to hurt. At one of those moments when Arthur was looking away from the screen, something really scary must have happened. Alfred gave a little cry and let go of Arthur's hand, choosing instead to hang onto his arm, and he buried his face into the shorter boy's shoulder. Arthur was shocked to realize Alfred was sobbing.
"O-Oi! Get off!" Arthur tried to shove Alfred off his arm, but he wouldn't budge.
"I'm scared," he whimpered, his voice muffled by Arthur's sleeve. Arthur sighed and patted Alfred's head reassuringly.
"It's just a movie," Arthur murmured, finally understanding Alfred's strange behavior.
Alfred didn't move at all the entire rest of the movie. When Arthur tried to get him to move, he just silently tightened his grip. By the time it was over, Arthur had a nasty bruise on his arm.
"Sorry about that, Artie," Alfred said afterward as they were walking (or in Alfred's case, stumbling) out. He grinned nervously, his eyes still red from crying. He looked quite shaken.
Arthur blushed and looked at the floor. "It's okay," he muttered. Alfred looked relieved.
"Good. I was worried you were gonna sue me, or something!" he chuckled and added, "Thanks, dude." Arthur's blush increased.
"Well, it's not like I had much of a choice, your grip was stronger than a boa constrictor's," Arthur grumbled defensively. Alfred rubbed the back of his neck, giggling softly. They walked outside in silence, Arthur's face still red.
"Hey, Arthur," Alfred said when they reached Passaic Avenue. "This was really fun! Thanks for asking me to come." He gave Arthur a heartfelt smile that made him melt inside.
"It was nothing…" Arthur said quietly. "I… Had fun, too…" They stood awkwardly for a moment, neither quite sure what to say.
"Alfred, why did you want to see that movie if you were so scared?" Arthur finally asked. Alfred stared at him for a moment and chuckled to himself.
"I guess you still haven't grasped that part of American culture yet, huh? That's okay, I get it." Alfred shrugged dismissively. "I dunno, it's just something we tend to do, y'know? We go to scary movies with people we like…" Alfred's cheeks were becoming progressively redder. "I guess it's 'cause we know we'll be okay if we're together, even if it's scary…" He stared deeply into Arthur's eyes, green clashing with blue. "I feel safe with you, Arthur," he whispered, caressing Arthur's face gently. Arthur shivered again in response. Why did he always do that when they made contact?
"I… Like you too…" he mumbled. Alfred narrowed his eyes.
Suddenly, Alfred put his arm around Arthur's waist and pulled him closer in one, swift movement.
"Alfred, what the hell are yo-" Arthur's cry of protest was cut short as Alfred forcefully pressed their lips together. Arthur's first instinct was to push him away, but he couldn't – Alfred was just too strong. When he realized that, he relaxed into Alfred's embrace and was surprised to find out that he was actually enjoying it.
It scared him to death.
With a shocking amount of strength and Alfred's arm relaxed, Arthur finally put his hands on Alfred's chest and pushed him away.
"What the hell was that?" Arthur screamed. Alfred looked dazed.
"A-Ah…" He seemed as surprised as Arthur was by what he had just done. "A-Arthur… I-I didn't mean…"
Arthur's face felt like a furnace. He whipped around and started to stomp away, but Alfred grabbed his hand and pulled him back.
"Alfred, let me go!" Arthur hissed dangerously.
Alfred shook his head. He stared mournfully into Arthur's eyes. "I-I'm sorry, Arthur, I don't know what came over me…" Arthur could feel his heart racing in his chest under Alfred's gaze. "I'm sorry…" The poor boy seemed to be at a loss for words. "Please Arthur, can we… Still be friends? I would hate it if I ruined our friendship over something stupid like this…" Alfred broke off and looked down at his feet. Arthur's eyes widened as he repeated the word in his head.
Friends? They were… Friends?
Trembling, he took Alfred's chin and gently lifted his face so they were eye to eye.
"Idiot," he muttered. "Friends? I don't want to be friends." He pressed his lips softly to Alfred's before he could speak.
I want to be more…
Wee, fluff~! XD Just for the record, they aren't nations in this story. I hope that's obvious...? R&R, please~!