Feet trailing across dirt, dust shrouding the air behind him, Alfred F. Jones ran, allowing himself to enjoy the crisp breeze drifting along his cheeks. Outstretched sky above him, untainted Earth below him, the blue eyed blond continued along the path, his eyes focused forward at the magnificent scene before him. Forests extending past the horizon, land littered with lights of peaceful homes, a castle of unparalleled magnificence centring it all, the young male felt true pride at the fact that this was his home. The Kingdom of Spades.
"Al! We're not allowed to skip training, eh! Come back!"
A voice cut in from behind the blond, breaking through the clear silence of the wind. Alfred glanced momentarily behind, the sight of his brother – his identical twin with purple eyes and curlier hair – meeting his eyes.
"Pfft! No way, Mattie! I don't need any of that stupid training!" Alfred laughed, his voice mixing into the air. "I'm a Hero! No one can beat me!"
Boots propelled themselves along the path, dashing faster than ever as the younger of the twins, Matthew, began to give chase.
"You're going to get into trouble, eh!" Matthew called after his elder sibling, racing to reach the other male. This was the third time Alfred had skipped knighthood training, truancy equivalent to his strength with a sword.
The game of cat and mouse giving birth, Alfred tightened the belt of his dark blue tunic, ensuring that his wooden practice sword was secured at the side of his waist as his pace quickened. His mind no longer focused on his surroundings as the boy barrelled forward, escape from the teen behind him his only thought. He rushed head first along the path, destination unseen. Even a warning made from the younger of the twins went unheard by the elder.
"Alfred! You're going towards the Royal Gardens! Stop, eh!"
Words failed to register as legs carried him forward, his attention on nothing but the wind on his face. Even as the sight of a castle, purely built on stones, adorned with the symbols of spades came dangerously close, a surrounding of bushes and forestry beginning to engulf him; all failed to break past the thoughts of the boy.
"Mattie! You've gotta be faster if you wanna catch me!" The blue eyed male gave a shout behind him, the belief that his brother was still close behind prevalent in his mind. He turned, surprised at the sight of nothing but green in his surroundings.
"Mattie?"
Azure orbs examined his scenario, taking in the details of every tree and plant life as survival instincts began to kick in. From afar, he could see grey, towering over him in the form of Spades castle. The complete sight of the building could no longer be seen in his close proximity. Alfred swore.
If the castle was that close, then he could only be in one place. The Royal Gardens. A forest, bewitched so that the only beings allowed entry were the Face Cards of the Kingdom. Meaning, anyone – absolutely anyone – with the exception of the King, Queen, Jack and Ace, would meet a horrible death upon entry.
Strange.
Why wasn't he dead yet?
Footsteps were heard as Alfred paced along the multitude of plant life, heading back through the direction he first took entry. It was possible he could still leave. Trailing across the cold, damp earth, Alfred froze in his pace as a single, dark green, spade shaped leaf flitted across his eyes. Within the forest, the wind was silent, not the slightest breeze felt. It was odd for a leaf to fall from a tree, when not a single disturbance or wildlife could be sensed. With held breath, azure orbs turned skyward, meeting with green. Though not the colour of the forest.
Surrounded by leaves, two bright emeralds glared down at him from above, in contrast to the dark leaf green, the figure of a man attached to them as he lay across the branches, attention trained on the boy below.
"Wha-" Alfred began, his sight enraptured by the jewel like eyes above.
"ARTHUR, ARU! GET BACK HERE AND DO YOUR WORK!"
A voice broke through the trees whom rustled in response. Footsteps, a numerous amount of them, were prevalent, marching steadily, heading closer to the blue eyed male's position. Green eyes tore themselves from blue at the sound of the voice, before blurring from the young males view as an entire weight dropped down on him. Alfred felt the back of his head hit dirt as his sight unfocussed. His glasses tilted slightly off his face at the fall, a green cloak fluttering above his face, presumably belonging to the person atop him.
"Everyone! Search the area until you find him, aru!"
An order was heard by the blue eyed male, followed once more by the sound of footsteps. Alfred's vision cleared as he saw the green eyed male turn his head to the voice, a scowl prominent on his features, barely hidden by a loose hood. The male rolled himself off the boy he had just used as a shock absorber to his fall, sharply tugging at Alfred's collar, pulling the other standing before grabbing Alfred's wrist, and running deeper through the Royal Gardens. For a single moment, Alfred caught a glance of the pursuer, whom was not far from their position. A robe like uniform of blue was clad on a small, black haired male, a triangular blue hat with a single feather atop it, resting on long hair. Adorned on the robes were spades, making the man easily recognizable.
The Jack of Spades.
Alfred's eyes returned to man who's grip was still on his wrist. Was green eyes a criminal? For the Jack of Spades to be chasing after him?
Sandy blond hair were made visible as Green eye's hood fell back slightly more away from his face. Alfred's captor held a determination in his eyes as they were directed to the path before him. The captive couldn't help but examine that, aside from the emerald orbs, the man's features included a scraggle of soft blond hair, sticking to his face with sweat, dark eyebrows – huge ones – shaping the man's features into something more smaller in comparison. Cute, Alfred would say.
"Hey! What are you doing? !" Alfred yelled the question in hope that the Jack of Spades, or one of the surrounding soldiers would hear. If this man was indeed a criminal, he needed to be captured.
"Keep you bleeding mouth shut!" the sandy haired blond hissed in response, working to silent the other to no avail.
"You guys! He's over-"
Alfred felt a hand fall against his lips roughly, as his back felt the pain of being rammed into the closest tree. A glare pierced through him, another hiss from the sandy haired blond heard.
"You will shut the bloody hell up at this moment boy, or you will regret it immensely!"
An expression of irritation was printed on the emerald eyed man's features, clearly evident in the male's greatly furrowed eyebrows. But, fortunately for Alfred, there wasn't a single trace of wrath beyond the annoyance. Lack of opposing rage renewed his confidence, a sense of duty arrowing through his heart. He was the Hero! Therefore, if this man was truly a criminal then it was his job to bring justice.
Position examined, Alfred slowly reached for his practice sword at his waist, noting how Green eye's attention was purely on his face. It was nerve wracking, yes, but, no matter how disturbing that seemed to him, it gave him a chance to strike.
Sword unsheathed, Alfred swung his arm, wood along with it, grinning as the object connected with the man's abdomen. The hold on the boy released, allowing him to bring his skills into effect. A step forward was taken, Alfred's knee lifting into a hard strike into his aggressors stomach. He smirked, satisfied at the sound of a groan as the man fell back, though he yelped as he felt his collar grabbed, bringing him down along with his opponent. It was merely seconds until both males were laying on the leaves of the forest ground, both groaning in pain. Alfred recovered quickly, taking a calming breath as he brought the tip of the training sword dangerously close to the now evidently smaller male's jugular.
"Who are you?" Alfred questioned, his voice hazardously low. Only a mumble of pain was his response.
"Tell me, or else!"
His voice raising slightly, the blue eyed male lowered the tip of his sword even more. It was then as Alfred focused his attention on the man below him did he notice a pocket watch, the shape of spades, lying uselessly on the earth beside them. A pocket watch recognizably belonging to the Queen of Spades. He brought his focus once more to the man's full features. Under the cloak, the man was clad in a blue jacket, covering a waist coat of a lighter shade, and, like the Jack of Spades, it was adorned with the kingdom's symbol.
Shit.
He just pushed the Queen of Spades to the ground.
Hit him with his sword.
Kneed him.
Threatened him.
Fuck. Alfred F. Jones was a dead man.
Upon realizing this, Alfred lowered his sword, face paling. He was going to die tonight.
"Your majesty! I'm so fu-"
Rustles sounded close behind them, the fact that the Jack of Spades or one of the pursuing soldiers had come to investigate the sounds evident. His arms trapped behind his back, under his own weight, the Queen of Spades did the one thing he could to silence the man above him. Kissed him.
Alfred's eyes widened. Apology interrupted, the blue eyed male froze at the feeling of warm lips on his own, his eyes widening beyond humanely possible as the wetness of a tongue invading him mouth was felt. The taste of Earl Grey and Peppermint tea overwhelmed his senses.
He was kissing the Queen.
And it was nice.
Intoxicated in the heat of the moment, male instincts took over the larger of the two, causing Alfred to shift his position over the Queen, pressing a knee into the green eyed male's groin as he took his place in between the smaller's legs. Dominance of the kiss was over taken by the male with blue eyes, lips pushing harder against each other, tongues forcing themselves deeper.A trail of saliva connected the two as the Royal member, Arthur, removed his lips, sighing in relief at the retreating footsteps despite the pale flush of his face as he gasped for air. He shoved the larger off him, a deadly glare plastered on his face.
"What the bleeding hell do think you're doing, you prat? !" Taking a stand, Arthur clutched at his stomach and side, nursing the blows given by the other – still red in the face.
It was then, after the intoxication subsided, that Alfred decided. Now was the time to beg for his life.
The sunny haired blond fell to his knees in a bow, his forehead hitting dirt. "Your majesty! I'm so fucking sorry for my actions!" He apologized loudly, glancing up only when no response was made. Was the Queen already planning the most painful death possible?
He wasn't.
"Pfft. Are you mental, boy?" Arthur chuckled, laughing a little louder at the sprinkles of dirt that rained from the golden haired blond's forehead. "Don't you have any tact? Have you never been taught how to bow properly to royalty?"
Alfred felt hands on him, tugging him up onto one knee. Arthur grabbed the other's right arm, pressing it against the blue eyed male's own chest, positioning his head to face the ground. " That, boy. Is the correct way of bowing down to me."
Eyes glanced up momentarily, words voicing a question. "Um. Does this mean you aren't gonna kill me?"
"No. But.." Arthur picked up the practice sword that Alfred had discarded in his bow. Then, with Alfred's own weapon, he jabbed the boy on the face. Square on the cheek. "This makes us even."
Doubled over in pain, Alfred clutched his face. "Gah!"
"Now, what to do next?" Arthur turned his head, staring around the foliage. "Ah, yes." He returned his attention to Alfred. "You, boy, are going to assist me in leaving this forest. To make up for what you've done, of course."
"I thought we were even!" His hand to his cheek, Alfred nursed his bruising face, frowning vehemently at the member of royalty , who, in return, only smirked.
"That was only one of the hits. You still need to make up for two and the threat. Even if they didn't amount to much. The kiss as well, of course," Arthur sighed with a shrug of his shoulders. "A shame. But, that's what you get for trespassing on Royal Grounds. Now, hurry up."
"But, this is Royal Grounds, right? Shouldn't you know where to go?" Alfred questioned, his tone of voice rising slightly in sarcasm. There was no way in hell he was going to play the obedient dog knowing that the Queen of his country was an ass hole.
"Of course." Arthur smirked as he walked by the larger male's shoulder, moving past. "But, I need someone to distract Yao for me. And a huge idiot make the perfect bait."
"Hey!" Alfred pouted at the member of Royalty, bringing his lower lip to a child like quiver. Arthur chuckled at the sight. "I'm just joking, boy. I'll need you to be my guide once we leave this forest. Let's go."
The Queen extended a hand to the boy, awaiting for it to be taken. Hand went into hand only moments later as Arthur smiled. "Well then, prat. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name's Arthur Kirkland, the Queen of Spades."
Alfred nodded in acknowledgement, only slightly on edge from the pain on his cheek. "Alfred. F. Jones. "
USUK
"Mattie!" Alfred called out to his brother, leading the Queen of Spades by the hand towards the training grounds. Once steps had been retraced, and a certain Jack of Spades avoided, leaving the forest was an easy task. Now, path retaken, the Queen of Spades by his side, Alfred headed towards the academy with a skip to his step. Throughout the trip, the two had struck up the odd conversation, discovering a little of each other with every word spoken. Arthur had escaped mounds of paperwork forced upon him by Yao, his adviser and the official Jack of Spades. With the absence of a King, Arthur's paperwork was doubled despite the fact that the Country of Spades was within a time of peace – rare, seeing that the Kingdom was known as a land of war. Also, Arthur believed in unicorns.
Upon entrance to the Academy grounds, Alfred yelled out his brother's name, grinning when the the desired result came hurling out the double doors of the moderate two story building. The training academy also known as the Spade's academy was a school for knighthood, educating future soldiers for battle in the forever battle prepared country.
"Alfred! You idiot, eh! Because of you I had to explain to everyone why you were missing!"
Alfred's identical twin dashed out of the Academy's duel doors, simmering with closed off rage. He growled at his immature sibling, huffing at the way the sunny blond's eyed shifted wayward, a nervous whistle playing past his lips. Alfred chuckled nervously at his raging brother. "Weelll! About that, Mattie! I brought something that's definitely get everyone to forgive me!"
"Unless you have a year's worth of maple syrup somewhere, you're not getting off easy, eh!" Matthew scoffed, his anger focused to the American to an extent in which he missed the presence of the second male. It was soon made known when Alfred had the gall to grab the Royal member by the shoulders and force the man in front of himself, as a shield from his blood relative. "This guy right here is called Arthur! He's my ticket to freedom for today!"
The wavy haired twin gave the Queen a one over, not recognizing his country's ruler. "You skipped out 'cause you went on a date with someone? ! What if we had a surprise test today? ! It's a lot more important than having one hour of sex, eh!"
Alfred giggled behind his hand as a dark aura engulfed the shorter of the three blonds. Eyebrows twitched over his eyes as anger took over. He reached up to stretched the insulting male's face. "What bloody hell is this? Is everyone under this sodding bloodline as impudent as the two of you?"
Matthew stumbled back in genuine surprise at the reaction. " E-eh?"
Alfred explained with a shit eating grin. "This is Arthur Kirkland, dude. He's the Queen of Spades."
The wavy haired blond's mouth gaped open as he stared, stunned by the new piece of information, his hand rubbing at his swelling cheeks. It took a moment for the statement to finally sink in.
"Oh, god! You're majesty! I'm so sorry!" Matthew stammered, his eyes wide in panic as the boy roughly fell to his knees on the ground, an exact reaction to Alfred himself. Arthur quirked an eyebrow at the fallen male before side glancing at the male beside him. He alternated his gaze between the two siblings, speaking with an amused expression. "You brothers are close, I take it?"
Alfred shrugged his shoulders, snorting a bit. "Well, yeah. You couldn't tell?"
USUK
All three male's strode side by side as Alfred toured the Queen through the school building, repeatedly taking glances at the smaller male at his side. Arthur, despite the differences in both height and build, was able to match the strides of both apprentice knights without even breaking a sweat. It was surprising, seeing how easily the other had fallen when Alfred had attacked him, believing the man to be a criminal. But, seeing the Queen with his dignified forward gaze along, taking strong steps along side the two of them, Alfred could not help but feel a sense of pride grow within his own chest.
"Alfred! Would you stop that!" Matthew growled at his brother quietly, jabbing the boy at his side in hopes to divert the blond from his Queen. "You're looking at him like he's eye candy! He's the queen, eh! He's out of your league!"
The blue eyed male gazed at his brother momentarily before returning his attention back towards the smaller, who, ignorant to the two sibling's conversation, was surveying the halls with interest. A drop of drool welled up at the corner of Alfred's lips. Damn, Arthur's eyelashes were long.
"Alfred! Don't ignore me, eh!"
Alfred blocked out his sibling's voice unable to share a single piece of his attention with someone other than Arthur. He lit up when the sandy haired blond began to speak.
"So, this is where all the soldiers train?"
Glancing into a worn out wooden door into a large expanse, Arthur examined what seemed like an indoor training ground, laminate hardwood floors and white washed walls filled with years of wear. Students of all ages were littering the ground, positioned in duelling stances with another of their grade. Most carried wooden weapons used for training, while few of the elder students held the privilege to carry swords made of actual steel. The Queen took a step inside the room, examining what would be the future soldiers of his Kingdom.
Forever a war prepared country, the Kingdom of Spades, even in a time of no conflict knew not the leisure of peace. Always training new knights – new soldiers – the country of war was not one that 0other's would catch defenceless.
"Yeah! This is where we train indoors!" Alfred responded to Arthur's question with a grin, proudly overlooking his fellow students. He strutted in with a shout. "Hey, you guys! Sorry I'm late! The Hero's finally here!"
Few residents of the room took the time to pause and glance to the loud new entrant before returning to their duals. A man clad in black, platinum white hair flitting over crimson orbs stood at the other side of the crowded space, barking orders to the students with a smile playing on his lips. Alfred waved at the Albino male.
"YO! Gilbert! Your fave student is finally here, teach!" the teenager hollered at the red eyed male garnering the teacher's attention. Gilbert gave the boy a one over before making his way down towards the door where Alfred stood. Along the way, he snatched a sword, thankfully wooden,from one of his students, and, with a grin, hurled it right at the three blonds. It splintered with a crack on the wall behind them.
"You've got guts to skip my awesome class, kid!" the Albino shouted back at his truant student, promises of punishment lingering behind darkened red orbs. In response, the teenager shrugged his shoulders with a smirk, not anxious in comparison to his brother's fear and the Queen's raised eyebrow. Gilbert drew closer to the blond trio, pausing in his steps to glare down sadistically at his students, Alfred especially. " Now, you've better get started on an awesome explanation here or I'll rip you a new shit hole."
The tallest of the four males refused to back down to his superior's arrogant yet menacing aura as he brushed it off to shrug and nudge his head towards his ticket home - namely Arthur. His gesture was followed by red eyes.
"Queenie?" Gilbert mumbled in Arthur's direction, examining the smaller male with an amused sort of expression, duelled with recognition. His gaze was met with a royal glare, dark enough to make an average person twitch in fear, yet ineffective to the Albino. At the sight of the Queen, Gilbert's sadism dwindled only to be replaced with reminiscence. "Dude! It's been a while! Long time no see!"
The emotion went unshared as Arthur only nodded in agreement, face cringing slightly at the other, his body seemingly on edge. "Yes. It has been a long time, hasn't it?" the Queen muttered, emerald pools tainting a forest green at the meeting. "I've been hoping that I'd never have to see you again."
With the statement, three reactions became identifiable between the four, one being distaste. Next came confusion – an expression shared by the twins – and feigned hurt by the last member.
"Hey, you guys know each other?" Alfred threw out the question, alternating glances between the two elder males. Between them, a strained atmosphere was present, the reason unknown to any other. Alfred's question was answered only a second later by his teacher. "Yeah. We fought in a war together." The mentor glanced at his students momentarily. "Mattie, you and Al start sparring somewhere, alright? You two missed out on most of today's lesson, so just practice sword techniques. I need to talk to grouchy here."
Obediently, the younger of the two twins nodded, beginning to drag the elder away by the hem of his shirt without question. It was surprising that the boy was able to make a distance of five meters before Alfred started to struggle.
"Hey, Mattie, wait! We ain't gonna just leave without knowing what's up, right?" Alfred protested, prying his brother's fingers off the fabric of his clothing. " I mean they're acting weird!"
The blue eyed male sent a glance over to the conversing males that they had left behind. Arthur's face was overtaken with a scowl – one the teenager had familiarized himself with in the last few hours but, unlike the customary expression, Arthur's face was darkened to an extent that could have been considered serious. Alfred felt his heart well up protectively at the sight, and it took much of what he had to prevent himself from rushing over and hugging the male, despite the strangeness of embracing a man that he had just met a short time ago topped with said male being the country's leader. With a touch of his finger to his lips, Alfred felt a surge of heat rush through him at the memory of their forceful kiss. Despite only just meeting the man, the teen wanted to be his Hero, to make Arthur laugh and to be able to do much more things to the green eyed Queen that would make a kiss seem insignificant. His eyes glazed over at the thought of having Arthur laid down on a bed, under him, moaning his name as he touched-
"Al! C'mon, eh!" Matthew cried out towards his brother, brandishing a wooden sword of his own. "Mr. Beilschimdt to us to practice sword training!"
With a glare towards his counterpart, the blue eyed male frowned at the fact that he was out of earshot of the two elder's conversation, but, sighing in resignation, he faced his brother in a faux pas battle. "You're goin' down, Mattie!"
USUK
"What the hell are you doing in my country, Joker? !" the Queen hissed at the red eyed Albino, ensuring his voice remained a low enough volume under the clashes of metal and wood to remain unheard. An expression of false disappointing was painted on Gilbert's pale face as the male stood relaxed in the face of royalty. "Dude, if you haven't noticed, I'm a teacher here. Instead of being an unawesome shit, maybe you should thank me for training these little kids for you."
Arthur's eye gave a barely noticeable twitch as the man himself took a deep breath to prevent himself from slugging the male right there and then. "Hell, maybe if a war didn't start whenever I saw your sodding face then I'd probably be bleeding ecstatic!" With a sarcastic roll his eyes, the emerald orbed Queen crossed his arms, taking a pompous stance as he glared down heavily at the red eyed Joker. As a response, Gilbert merely shrugged. "Hey. I just watch the end results, maybe throw in wild cards every now and then. You can't blame me for starting them. 'Cause I don't. And you're welcome for training these soldiers for you and helping you win a war." A sigh was released into the atmosphere, as the mentor turned his back on the blue clad royal member, returning to the sight of his students before the Queen could even begin to question his motives. "Anyways, I'm only here 'cause I'm killing time for a bit. Luddie always acts all macho in front of the soldiers and he's strict as hell so staying there was a huge no-no, Ivan is insane, and I while being wasted all day long is tempting, staying with Francis isn't a smart option. So, I ended up with you, you unlucky duck."
Arthur tensed at hearing the statement 'killing time', questioning the meaning behind it and ignoring the foolish pet name. Of every face card within the Card universe, the ones who held the position of 'Joker' garnered the most wariness. A premonition of sorts, whenever they appeared in front of ay member of Royalty, whether it be Spades, Diamonds, Hearts or Clubs, a war would be most surely break out. "How long until the next war?"
His back still turned, the white haired male shrugged. "I dunno. All I know is that a war is coming, so say bye-bye to sunshine and rainbows, Arthur. Because like always, Mr. Kingdom of War, you're a part of it."
USUK
Alfred slapped away a bead of sweat from his forehead as he focused completely on his brother's movements, circling around his blood related counterpart, strike position poised.
"You're actually fighting seriously today, eh..." Matthew huffed, fatigue shown within his features after over a half an hour of a constant stale mate. Alfred's expression mirrored that of his younger brother's with the single exception of a smirk. "S-sorry, Mattie. But, I've got an audience,so I've gotta make myself look good." Barely able to keep himself from wheezing out his words, the blue eyed male took in a staggering breath, glancing at the spectating Queen from the side lines. Arthur was leaning his back against the wall, eyes drinking in every one of the younger male's movements, his arms crossed.
"C'mon, man! He's definitely checking me out!" Alfred breathed out, shielding himself from his brother's cross strike. The other could only respond with a roll of his eyes. "You're imagining things."
Ducking under a strike, Alfred jabbed his sword straight through an opening, taking advantage of his brother's need to return into a defensive position after lunging to strike. The stab missed his brother by inches, finding only air but, before Matthew had the chance to jump back, Alfred swung his sword sideways, landing a solid blow to the ribs.
"Point! I win, Mattie!" Alfred exhaled loudly, catching his breath after the extended sparring session as he rubbed away sweat from his forehead, swatting dampened hair from his face. He waved at his most important spectator. "Arthur! Look, I won!"
With the satisfied declaration, the blue eyed male allowed his weapon to slip from his grip, his feet forcing themselves forward in a shuffle towards the green eyed male just metres away. "Did you see that, Arthur? ! I won!"
The sound of his footsteps came to a silent stop, the victorious expression unfading as Alfred stood only inches away.
"Yes. You indeed won." Arthur smiled at the younger of the two, brushing a stray hair that was covering the view to sky blue pools. "Congratulations."
Alfred's aura brightened to a blinding level at the acknowledgement from his country's leader. He puffed his chest out with pride, pounding it with one fist to emphasize his emotions. "It's 'cause I'm strong, y'know! I'm going to be the number one knight in this kingdom!"
Evidently taken back by the confident statement, Arthur tilted his head to examine the one before him. Alfred's smiles and gestures always seemed so innocent and child-like, the only time his bright blue orbs clouding being when he had once thought Arthur and criminal and seemed determined to protect his Kingdom. As a ruler and protector of the country's peace, the green eyed male felt as though it was his duty to preserve such innocence.
"Alfred? How old are you?" Arthur asked, reaching over to ruffle the boy's hair in a childish treatment. The pout that formed over Alfred's face was ignored as he answered. "Seventeen."
The Queen nodded. "The strongest knight in the Kingdom is the Ace. But, there hasn't been one for the last five decades. Why would you want to take on that role?"
Alfred gave his answer almost immediately, grinning down at the Member of Royalty. He spread his arms out wide as he spoke. "I wanna be a Hero and protect my country!" His grin widened. "And even though I thought you were an ass hole at first, you're not all that bad! That's why I wanna protect ya too!"
A small vein bulged from Arthur's temple, ruffle morphing into an iron grip on the golden blond's hair.
"Who's the bloody asshole?" the Queen questioned, frowning at his subject. Alfred simply laughed despite the pain of his hair about to be torn by the roots. "I said at first! You're awesome now!"
Arthur's grip loosened slightly, enough to grant the other reprieve and allowance to slip out from his hold. Alfred changed the subject. "So, how old are you Arthur? I mean I dunno who the previous queen was and I don't remember ever seeing you outside before."
Unlike Alfred's immediate response, Arthur's own answer took a minute to come clean. "Twenty-three."
"I see!" Alfred stared at his hands momentarily. " ...four...five...you're six years older than me then! That means you were six years old when I was born!"
Arthur raised his eyebrows at the male. "You had to you your fingers to do that?" He shook his head when all he received was a blank stare. "It's nothing...but, I was twenty-three when you were born."
Confusion overtook Alfred's expression at the statement. "What are you talking about? That's impo-"
"Don't sweat it, kid. Guys that take the roles of a face card are different compared to the numbers and masses. If you ever turn ace like you say you will, you'll find out." Gilbert appeared from behind, bending over to interrupt the conversation of the two blonds. He addressed Arthur. "There's this angry black haired guy at the front of my school that I think is looking for you, Queenie. "
In normal circumstances, Arthur would have frowned and left the room in search for a second exit to avoid the Jack of Spades, but, with the appearance of the Joker and the new information of an upcoming war, he had no other choice but to leave. With a nod, he headed to the door, glancing at the young teenager. "The time this country will need an Ace will be a lot sooner than you think, Alfred. So, it'd be best if you don't skip class, if you want to reach that goal."
Alfred's face was down trodden at the realization that Arthur was about to leave. "Hey. Are you ever going to swing by here again?" he asked, bringing his puppy eyes to full blast, a watery pool overfilling sky blue orbs. Arthur chuckled. " I will. But, you've better be a lot stronger when I do."
The blue eyed male nodded, grinning. "Of course! I'm the Hero, but, by the time you come to visit I'll be the SUPER Hero!"
Alfred trotted over to the other, just as the Queen was about to leave, and taking the male by surprise, he planted a wet kiss on Arthur's cheek. In response, Arthu's eye's widened slightly, a flush painting his face. It took a moment for him to collect his thoughts to stare at the other with a questioning frown. "What was that bloody for?"
The younger of the two procured his pinky, waving it incessantly just an inch away from Arthur's nose. "Y'know how some people make promises with a pinky? This is myway of making a promise! But you've gotta kiss me too!"
Alfred's obvious attempt to procure another affectionate gesture from the elder was easily discovered as Arthur raised a sceptical eyebrow. But, with Alfred's anticipating stare, he folded, settling for a forehead kiss.
"That's all you're going to get, you git." Arthur mumbled, his face at an increased flush in comparison to only moments before. Alfred's smile only made it worse. "I'll see you soon, Artie!" The blue eyed male jumped up and down, waving at Arthur's back as it disappeared out the door. If it wasn't for Gilbert standing only a metre behind him, the boy would have followed the other out with the excuse of escorting the male to the door. The teacher bent down to speak agains, Alfred's ear.
"Y'know, being the Ace means you have to be stronger than the Queen himself. And he's a pretty awesome sonova if I say so myself. And the Awesome me is always right!" Gilbert told him, his eyes lingering on the door in which Arthur had only previously exited. "Do you really think you can be someone awesome enough to deserve that title?"
Alfred's conviction never wavered at his mentor's question, knowing that Arthur, the Queen himself believed in him, himself. Determined, he answered. "Of course! I'll definitely become a man that this Kingdom – and Arthur – deserves! I'll do anything to prove that!"
Gilbert let out a sigh, scraching at his temple. "Well, Al, you'll probably get that chance sooner than later. 'Cause this peace is going to be over pretty damn soon."
USUK
Part one end:
A/N: Well, this is the secret santa I've been working on for the past month...its for j_sasunaru ( I love you!) on LJ...Well I hope you enjoy!