All Hallows Eve

An AsaKiku One-shot by: Hospitable-Insanity

Disclaimer: Insanity-chan doesn't own Hetalia

The moon is full, its haunting glow casting looming shadows on the forest floor. Kiku liked Halloween, he really did, when he went to a party that was held indoors and not dragged into a cemetery by a few of his friends from school. Feliciano had begged and begged him to come with him and Ludwig the day before, and at the time Kiku found no harm in it and accepted the invitation. Looking now, at the fifteen foot tall wrought iron gates covered in rust and groaning in the wind guarding the decaying bodies of the deceased, Kiku felt extremely nauseous.

"Feliciano-kun, I changed my mind," Kiku takes a step back from his companions.

Feliciano grabs his hand, pulling him closer to the gate, "Ve- don't be scared Kiku! It will be fun, you'll see!"

Kiku shakes his head, "I don't see how walking around head stones for a few hours will be fun…"

"It's not, that's the point," Ludwig runs his hand over his hair, making sure it was still neatly gelled down.

Feliciano drops Kiku's hand and runs up to the gate. The space between the bars is wide enough for the three boys to easily slip in without being noticed. Feliciano goes first, jumping with unsuppressed giddiness at being in a place like this after hours, followed by Ludwig, leaving Kiku on the other side, alone.

"Come on Kiku, it's not scary at all. Ve- it's exactly the same as on that side," Feliciano reaches a hand through the bars, trying to pull Kiku to his side. Kiku takes another step back.

Kami please forgive my insolence for what I am about to do. Kiku prays silently to the gods before taking his friends hand and entering the cemetery. The distant howl of a dog echoes off the trees and into Kiku's head, making him jump. He follows Ludwig and Feliciano deeper into the mass of shoulder high grave-marks, each is worn by weather, the names unreadable, the stone angel's faces flat and blank like the dead they guard. The hairs on the back of Kiku's neck stand on end when he hears whispering from behind him.

"Nani? Ludwig-chan, d-did you hear that by any chance?" he asks, drawing his arms closer to his body.

Ludwig turns around but continues to walk; he looks confused, "hear what? I didn't hear anything Kiku, maybe your hearing things… like the wind, or the gate. Be logical Kiku, there are no such shenanigans as ghosts lurking in this grave-yard." He turns back to Feliciano, who is attempting to scale a seven foot high stone angel. The statue is missing a wing, and the one that's left is so decrepit looking that it could pass of more as a demon than an angel. It's looking down at its folded hands, the stare blank and unsettling. Kiku looks away from it and back to Ludwig pulling Feliciano off the statue by his shirt.

Feliciano falls off and lands on his bum with a grunt. A wide smile creeps up on his face and he runs deeper into the cemetery. Both Kiku and Ludwig chase after him, not wanting their simple-minded friend to get lost. They find him standing in front of a small stone building surrounded by monoliths, a catacomb; some families use them to store their dead instead of burying them in the ground, or burning them for cremation. He takes a step forward and presses on the door.

"What are you doing?!" Ludwig yells, he pulls Feliciano back to Kiku and smacks the back of his head.

Feliciano blinks away the tears that have begun to brim his eyes, "I was just curious." He rubs his head where Ludwig hit him.

Ludwig sighs and crosses his arms over his chest, "Don't do that, it's rude."

Kiku leans down beside Feliciano, "hai Feliciano-kun, would you like it if your burial place was disturbed?"

"No…" he sniffs.

Another howl, closer this time, inside the gate, bounces of the headstones. Kiku tenses and flips around towards the direction of the fear-enlisting sound. A feral growl soon follows after, and the noise of fighting dogs makes its way to the three teenagers. From the opposite side of the cemetery, fast approaching, comes the undeniable trample of more animals running to join the battle. Fearing being caught in the middle of a dog-fight, Ludwig and Feliciano take off running to the gate, Ludwig stops and yells back at Kiku.

"Kiku! Run, now!"

And run he does. Kiku runs slower than his friends, and not to mention they had a fairly good head start. He soon loses them in the midst of chaos and granite, and tries picking around the headstones alone. He picks up speed, and frequently trips over the uneven ground. Kiku catches the sight of a sneaker rounding a corner and pushes against the grass in an attempt to catch up. A root snakes out of the grass and catches his foot in its embrace. Kiku falls forward, his arm shooting out to break his fall. The wet grass makes his hand slip and he crashes into one of the headstones. He tries to stand, but black dots encompass his vision and he sways. Warm blood pours into his eye from the gash on his forehead, in the end he collapses into a defeated head on the cold ground. Kiku looks at the sky, and he sees an angel, its hands outstretched with open palms, its face kind. He smiles, before the darkness envelopes him and pain from his head drags him under.

~Arthur adjusts the collar of his costume. For Halloween this year he was going as a member of the Pink Police, complete with pink hat and pink pistol. He and his little brother Alfred had met up with their friends Francis and Gilbert earlier that day, but Arthur soon trudged off in anger once the taunting started.

"Hey gay-boy. Now that you discovered this new side of yourself, what are you going to do with it?" Gilbert had asked.

Francis had tossed his hair, "direct it towards moi I hope."

"Shut your mouth you frog!" Arthur had yelled, he really wished that the gun strapped to his thigh was real at that moment. Yes he had just realized that he was gay, but that didn't mean that he wanted to be teased because of it. He had stormed off, now finding himself in the cemetery, surrounded by trees and shadows.

"Damn git! The nerve of him, thinking I would want to be his bought and paid for sex toy," Arthur mutters to himself as he weaves expertly between the tall headstones, trying to find the one that marks his parents grave. He hadn't visited them in quite some time. The grave was marked by a tall stone angel; its hands help out in a welcoming manner, just like his mother's arms used to be. The memory brings tears to his eyes and he has to stop to compose himself. Yards away to his left, Arthur can see the backside of his angel, guarding over his mother and father in their eternal slumber. The threat of crying overcome, he walks up to it, but stops mid-step when he sees what lies under it.

A boy, a teenage boy, probably around his age, but he can't see his face to know for sure, lays still on the grass, a small pool of blood surrounds his head. Arthur kneels down beside him, shaking his shoulder.

"Hey, a-are you okay?"

The boy doesn't respond, the blood pool grows larger the more the minutes tick by. He shakes him again, and the boy rolls over onto his back with a whimper of protest. Arthur recognizes him now, the injured boy in front of him. His name is Kiku Honda; he is in Arthur's class in school. What was he doing out here, in the middle of the night alone? And more importantly… why is he lying unconscious at Arthur's feet? He shakes his head vigorously, (H-I: stop asking questions Arthur this boy needs your help not your third degree!). Arthur unties the neck-tie to his uniform, and after propping Kiku's head onto his lap, starts wrapping the black cloth around the wound. Kiku's hand comes up to grab Arthur's, stopping him from touching his forehead. He's still out-cold, and probably doesn't even know what's going on, but Arthur can't help it when his heart skips a beat and pink touches his cheeks at the contact. He would be lying if he had said that he didn't have a bit of a crush on the Japanese boy, in fact Arthur liked him a lot. That was why he figured out he was homosexual, the feelings he had for Kiku where a bit more than friend-zone oriented. There wasn't a thing Arthur disliked about Kiku; not the stoic expression he wore most of the time, not even the quiet and refined way of speaking he has, the intelligent words formed by his oh-so-soft looking lips that Arthur wanted nothing more than to just kiss. Though the two had never been that close, Arthur still noticed these things about him. Kiku lets go of Arthur's hand, his own falling limply onto his chest. Arthur ties a knot in his tie and uses his sleeve to whip some of the blood from Kiku's face. He didn't have his cell phone with him (there were no pockets on his Pink Police costume) and the hospital was on the other side of town, his apartment was close however, so Arthur positions Kiku on his back and carries him the half mile to his home.

~Kiku rests on Arthur's couch, a light blanket tossed over him while Arthur rummages through his medicine cabinet until he finds the first aid kit he keeps in his bathroom. He returns and sits on the floor by Kiku's head. Arthur carefully undoes his tie/makeshift bandage, and dabs gently at the gash with a damp cloth. With the gore removed it doesn't seem to be too deep, it had even stopped bleeding on the way over. Fishing in the first aid kit Arthur retrieves a tube of antiseptic cream, and applies it to Kiku's cut with trembling fingers. He tapes a piece of gauze over the ointment and covers it all with a bandage. Using the cloth again Arthur cleans the rest of the blood from Kiku's face, in the time it took to dress the wound color has returned to his complexion and he looked loads better. A small smile turns up the corners of Arthur's mouth when Kiku's brows knit together in concentration. It vanishes however, when Kiku's eyes open, they land on Arthur with a mixture of fear and confusion, and Kiku yelps in surprise.

"Arthur-san… wha-where am I? What happe-OW!" Kiku's attempt at sitting up backfires when his wound opens up and he falls back onto the couch. He raises a timid hand to his forehead, yanking it back quickly, wincing in pain.

"I'm not positive what happened, but I think you fell in the cemetery and hit your head on a gravestone. I found you lying there, bleeding on the ground. You're in my apartment; I kind of brought you here to fix your head…" Arthur explains.

Kiku nods… slowly, "that sounds familiar. I tripped on something while running from… something, then… this?" He looks at Arthur for answers.

"I heard dogs or something fighting when I was there," Arthur offers.

Kiku closes his eyes. "Mmh, hai, the dogs. I remember now, more were coming and Ludwig-san had told me to run. He and Feliciano-kun were ahead of me… I think." He bites his lower lip, trying to remember, but his head just hurt too much to think right now.

Arthur puts up his hand, "it's fine Kiku, you don't have to remember now. Leave that for when you're not so tired… or bleeding again, let me get that."

Kiku lifts his hand to the bandage, just as Arthur had said, his fingers come away covered with fresh blood. Arthur wipes it away with his sleeve since the cloth he used before was too saturated it would do no good. Kiku's heart starts to race and his palms start to sweat, Arthur had leaned close to wipe his head… he was so close… so close it made Kiku flush, his breath catch in his throat. The two lock gaze for a few seconds, their faces less than a foot from each other but slowly gravitating closer. When Arthur eventually sits back Kiku lets out a shaky sigh.

Arthur laughs, the look on Kiku's face was just too cute, "don't worry, you're fine. It's not even that much blood."

Oh, so Arthur didn't hear his pounding heart. He thought Kiku's sigh was because he was scared. That was good; Kiku's feelings were still held safely inside his heart where they should be. Yes, Kiku had feelings for Arthur Kirkland, but no one knew about them, not even his older brother Yao. Soon after meeting him, Kiku had fallen for the boy with the short temper, the bit of arrogance he used as a shield to keep others at bay. Kiku found the attributes that others would find annoying quite charming. He also liked the chivalrous way Arthur opened doors for other students and teachers, when he would lend his younger brother Alfred his jacket in winter when the younger boy forgot his at home leaving himself helpless to the elements, when he would always say good morning to Kiku, or especially when he would say good bye to him like he truly didn't want to go away. But of course he wanted to leave; no one in their right mind would love Kiku. He was small and quiet, didn't stand out at all. There were no features about him that would mark him as interesting; at least that's what Kiku thinks. When he was younger he had been the most outgoing child, a social butterfly to say the least. When his parents had died in a car accident three years ago and he started living on his own however, Kiku slowly but surely withdrew from most forms of social interactions with others, except his really close friends like Feliciano and Ludwig whom wouldn't let him retreat into his shell completely. Though in the past year he had made some new friends, Arthur, Feliciano's brother Lovino and his boyfriend Antonio, he still kept to himself most of the time.

Arthur stands and walks to the bathroom to put the first aid kit safely away for future use, the way Kiku had looked at him… the look in his eyes, made his stomach fill with butterflies. And was it his imagination, or had Kiku been leaning closer to him? And that blush, that blush mixed with the wanting Arthur had seen in his face, could it be possible that Kiku liked him as well? (H-I: Arthur Kirkland! Stop this mental rambling and go find out for yourself! That's the only way!) What was this voice that frequently told Arthur what to do? (H-I: I am your conscience… hehe…) That makes sense; of course his conscience would tell him to do the most logical thing (H-I: *kitty face* Kiku's a logical thing… you said so yourself…). Arthur shakes his head then catches a look at himself in the mirror; he looks determined… and extremely nervous.

Finding that he is less light-headed than he was, Kiku sits up on the couch without much difficulty. His head is pounding in time with his heart and he jumps clear out of his skin when Arthur sits beside him.

"Are you okay?"

"Hai, I'm fine, just fine," Kiku mumbles softly. Why is he being to jittery?

Neither notice, but as they are talking they have begun magnitating towards each other. Centimeter by centimeter, until their knees touch and their fingers brush against one another's.

"If it's not too rude of me, may I ask why you were in the cemetery so late?" Arthur queries.

Kiku shakes his head, "Iie, you're fine. I was with two other friends and they thought it would be interesting to walk around there in the dark on Halloween." He cocks his head to the side, "can I ask why you were there?"

Arthur looks at a photograph hanging on his wall, "I was visiting my parents. They- they died a few years ago in this traffic accident."

"Was it the one that the semi-truck drove on the wrong side of the road?"

Arthur looks at Kiku suspiciously, "yes, how did y-"

"Because my parents died in that crash too…"

Arthur stares at Kiku, Kiku stares at Arthur. Their eyes meet again, but this time they don't flit away. Each holds their gaze, and then slowly, Arthur leans across the few inch gap towards Kiku. Kiku moves forward too, his cheeks practically glowing. Their lips meet in a chaste kiss briefly, before they both jerk their heads back.

"I'm sorry…" Kiku mutters.

Arthur smiles, his own face flush with color, "uh, y-you're okay. I-I didn't mind at all."

Kiku blinks, surprised by this turn of events, "really?"

"Yes. Kiku?" Arthur looks down at his hands.

"Nani, what is it Arthur-san?"

"Can I… can I kiss you again?"

Arthur looks up at Kiku, his expression so innocent looking it was adorable to Kiku's eyes. Like a small child asking for just one more story before bed-time. The request was cute too, with the blush and the averted gaze, seeing that made Kiku feel warm inside. And Kiku wanted Arthur to kiss him, so much so that he himself takes the initiative and leans in, connecting their lips again. Arthur tenses his body, and then relaxes into the kiss. He opens his mouth and traces Kiku's lips with his tongue; he wraps his arms around Kiku's middle and pulls him close, their bodies flush in contact. Kiku's hands come up to cup Arthur's face, and he hesitantly opens his mouth to Arthur. Arthur leans back on the couch, positioning his hands on either side of Kiku's hips so he doesn't fall, then runs his hands up Kiku's spine. Kiku moans, breaking the kiss for air. His vision is starting to blur from lack of oxygen and he rests his forehead on Arthur's chest, only then does he notice the position he has found himself in. His left leg is locked between Arthur's and the back of the couch, his right resting between both of Arthur's and there isn't even a millimeter of space between the rest of their bodies, Arthur's hot pink clothing contrasting with Kiku's black ones radically. His muscles tense and he can feel Arthur's stare, waiting to see what he would do, to see if he would get up and leave or continue where they left off. The seconds tick by like hours until Kiku regains control over himself and raises his head to look Arthur in the eye.

"You can… kiss me again... if you wa-"he's cut off mid-sentence by Arthur's lips pressed firmly to his.

From the back of Arthur's throat comes a sultry groan that makes Kiku's insides melt like butter, he is surprised that he finds the sound… highly erotic, and wants to hear Arthur do it again. Kiku tries to mimic Arthur's movements from earlier, but with sloppy and inelegant repercussions. Arthur doesn't mind however, he relishes in the actions Kiku preforms and adds his own to the fray slowly. He sucks on Kiku's bottom lip, nipping it once, gaining a pleasured moan from him. Tightening the muscles in his thighs around Arthur's, Kiku squeaks when he feels Arthur's hands traveling down his hips and into his back pockets, squeezing his bum. He whimpers ecstatically when Arthur's hand grabs his crotch.

Arthur is struck with the immediate desire to taste Kiku without boundaries, his skin, everything. He sits up and lays Kiku on his back on the couch, seeing his frown from the loss of contact. Arthur pulls up Kiku's shirt around his head, only the lower half of his face visible, his arms tangled in the cloth, and his chest now bare. He kisses Kiku on the lips swiftly, moving from his lips to his jaw, down to his neck, past his collar bone. Sucking here, licking there, and claiming every inch of Kiku the lower he goes.

Kiku gasps loudly and arches his back, Arthur's kisses, his touches… they were so hot, wondrously so. He never wanted this to end, it felt… amazing. Halloween is known for its candy, its sugar, but nobody could have told Kiku about the delectable sweetness it could have when ones love was returned in such a way as this.

~End~

~Happy /early/ Halloween~