Okay, wow. First fic I'm actually posting. Please don't be too harsh. I know I'm far from a professional writer, but, just give me some time, mkay?
This is AU with a somewhat nerdy Alfred.
Fail title is fail.
And rating M for the future when I plan to post a smutty epilogue to this.
;3
And the spacing for this is kind of odd, so I hope it doesn't bother you too much because I'm too lazy to fix.
:U
I do not own Hetalia, it is own by Himurya, blah blah.
Anywho, enjoy! And please give some feed back, if you can!
He fiddled around with the key to the apartment before finally opening it up. Well, he hadn't expected too much in the first place. And he was right not to. It was rather plain, and it looked like it was cleaned up on a moment's notice. He sighed quietly and set his bags down in the main room. It wasn't much, but it was somewhere close to the university to live. And the owner was renting the room out for a cheap price. There was no way he could turn it down.
Making his way towards the kitchen, he saw a note sitting on the counter addressed to him.
Arthur!
Glad you accepted my offer to rent out the room. Sure, we haven't formally met yet, but I'm sure we'll get along just fine! I have classes until three, so I won't be back until then. Feel free to make yourself at home!
-Alfred
Arthur glanced to the time. It was about an hour until his new roommate got home. It was true. They'd never actually met. He only knew the other's name, and they'd only exchanged a few emails before Alfred allowed Arthur to come and live with him. He told him where he had hid the spare key and the directions to get there, too. Arthur picked up his bags again and found his way to the spare room to get situated.
He had finished unpacking, setting his guitar on its rack. He loved to play his guitar and Alfred assured him he'd have no problem with it before he accepted the room.
There are still twenty minutes before he gets home... Might as well look around and explore the house.
He had managed to find his way around pretty quickly. He could tell which room was Alfred's, and he thought a moment before entering. If they were going to be roommates, he shouldn't be hiding anything, right?
The first thing Arthur noticed was the shelves upon shelves of movies. They were full of DVDs, VHSs, and even some Blu-Rays. It looked as if he had owned every movie ever made. They completely filled the shelves to the brim, and there were even a few stacks piled up on the floor for those that wouldn't fit in beside the others.
"Bloody hell..."
Arthur had to stop himself from gapping, glancing at some of the titles. Figured. Most of these movies were American-made, aside from a select few. Arthur couldn't help but roll his eyes. Typical American.
Looking around some more, he saw Alfred's computer, a laptop, sitting in the corner of the room on his bedside table. Geez, it looks like such a massive laptop. Who needs a computer that big? It was then he realized why: Alfred had a ton of computer games too. They were stacked up beside his computer, and Arthur would have easily mistaken them for more movies. Fallout New Vegas? Skyrim? These didn't sound too appealing to Arthur. Probably shooter games or something like that. No doubt Alfred also had console games somewhere in this mess of a room, too...
As he continued his search of Alfred's room, he came across his closet, opening it up without thinking much about it. Suddenly, an avalanche of comic books fell over on him. There were hundreds—no, thousands—of comic books! The weight of all of the comics made it difficult to move. He heard a loud and obnoxious laugh though, and Arthur flushed in embarrassment. That was no doubt Alfred. Thankfully, though, he felt the weight of the comics start to lift as Alfred shoved them all back into his closet. Once the last was in, he quickly closed the door before it would avalanche out again.
"Aheheheh! That has to be karma for snoopin' around, hm?"
The man grinned at him and extended his hand for a handshake, which Arthur quickly accepted so he wouldn't look rude.
First impression? Alfred looked rather... messy. He didn't seem like he had a particular style, just sporting a plain brown t-shirt and some jeans. He had blonde hair, but there was a long annoying strand of it just sticking up straight. His bright blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of glasses. What was there to say? He looked... American.
"It's nice to meet you, Alfred." Arthur plastered a smile on as he released the other's hand. He wasn't planning to focus on friendships while he went to college in America. He just wanted to get his education then go on back home to England.
"Now for some rules!" The younger looking man tried to put on a serious face. "First, every night after dinner is Movie Night."
"...Every night?"
"Yeah." Alfred nods and grins at him.
Oh good god.
"I'm sure it won't be a problem to me. If you could tolerate my music playing, I can put up with your movies."
"Okay!" He keeps grinning as he continues on. "And every Friday night is McDonald's for dinner."
Oh no. Oh no no no.
Arthur just nods, deciding to hide his disgust, not wanting to seem rude to the other. It will be difficult, but he does need this room...
After a week, Arthur started to get used to the routine. He'd quickly learned that if you ask Alfred to turn down the television, he won't. So, while he watches his movies, Arthur decides that would be a good time to practice his guitar.
As Arthur was studying for a history test tomorrow, he heard a quick knock at his bedroom door.
"Hey, Artie! You wanna watch a movie with me?"
Arthur groaned and set down his books, opening up the door to reveal a very excited American.
"Don't call me Artie. And I'm busy studying, as you should be doing."
Alfred pouts and crosses his arms, like a little kid would.
"You're always studying! Just one movie? Please?"
"...Fine. Just one." How could he say no when he's begging for him to watch a movie with him like that?
Alfred grins and hurries off to choose a movie to watch, looking rather excited.
With a sigh, Arthur leaves the quietness of his room and plops down on the couch. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad to watch a movie and relax... Alfred soon darts into the living room with a VHS tape, and he sets it on the VCR before heading to the kitchen to make up some snacks. It wasn't too long before he came back with a bowl of popcorn and a bag full of potato chips. Alfred shoved the tape into the VCR and sat down right beside Arthur. The couch was smaller than what Arthur was used to so they ended up sitting rather close together. Alfred had already turned off the lights, and now the movie was starting.
Arthur would recognize that opening anywhere. The dramatic sunrise with the chorus in the background. What—Why did he choose to watch this, of all things? He had to stifle a laugh as he looked to Alfred.
"Why are—"
"Dude, don't diss Lion King." Alfred pouted at him. Arthur couldn't help but laugh at his face, shaking his head as he focused back on the movie. He hadn't seen this movie in years... What a nostalgia trip...
At the part after Mufasa's death, Arthur glanced at Alfred, who was sniffling a bit.
"...Alfred?"
"Y-yeah?"
"Are... Are you crying?"
"No! N-no way, man! I-It's just..." Alfred wipes at his eyes quickly, trying to hide the sudden tears. "Doesn't it just break your h-heart to see little Simba snuggle with his dead father?"
Arthur couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head again. Though, his face flushed in embarrassment as Alfred buried his face against Arthur's shoulder.
"H-hey.." He started to worry that he had actually offended the other. Sure, teasing him is fun, but...
"I-I'm fine." He lifted his head back up, wiping at his eyes again.
Arthur frowned and reached for the remote, pausing the movie.
"No you're not. What's wrong?"
"It's nothing." He reaches to turn the movie back on, but Arthur just moves the remote away from him.
"Come on, you can tell me."
After a few minutes, Alfred sighs quietly and looks down.
"When I was younger, about seven years old, I was heading down the street to my school bus stop. I didn't notice when a truck came rushing down the road..." he sniffled a few times before continuing. "My father noticed, though, and pushed me out of the way, but he got hit. He... He didn't die, but he lost a leg and an arm..."
It took Arthur a few moments to absorb what he had told him.
"...Your father must love you a lot."
To his surprise, Alfred shook his head.
"He told me he regretted doing it. He said he wouldn't h-have done it if he knew his son would be... W-would be..." Alfred started to tear up again.
"Be what?"
"N-nothing.." He shook his head, wiping at his eyes, dismissing the topic. Arthur sighed, but didn't pry, knowing he would tell him if he felt the need to.
"I'm sorry.."
Alfred shrugged and put a smile on. "Let's continue, okay?"
Arthur nodded and pressed play, though he couldn't help but wonder what he was going to say...
After that night, Arthur had agreed to watch movies with Alfred every night. After all, it was as he said: he was working too hard. Arthur usually gets good grades anyway, so it's probably good to take a break from it all anyway.
Though, after three nights in a row of the original Star Wars trilogy, with Alfred quoting almost every line, Arthur started to regret his decision. But, at least he knows one more thing about his roommate now: he's a total nerd. When he isn't watching movies, he's in his room reading his thousands of comic books. And if he isn't doing either of those, he's on his computer doing who-knows-what. Hopefully video games and not other things.
And today, Alfred is supposed to be bringing his friend Kiku over for movie night too. From what Arthur knew about Kiku, he was on a certain nerdy-level as Alfred, though he hoped that it wouldn't be as bad. There's no way he could deal with two dorks at once.
Though, luckily for them, while Alfred was out retrieving Kiku from his home, Arthur decided to be nice enough to cook them dinner. They should be grateful! It'd been a long while since he's cooked. And it looks delicious too! Maybe.. Well, aside from that floating fish head in the soup... But—But that's supposed to be there! Arthur is confident that they'll like it nonetheless.
"Yo, Artie, Kiku is—Oh god what is that smell..." Arthur hears Alfred cough and soon enough he heads into the kitchen, followed by a short Asian man.
"I made some dinn—"
"What have I told you about using my kitchen? Dude, come on, as if you don't remember the burnt ramen incident."
"Nani? Burnt ramen...?" Kiku tilts his head, looking at Arthur in confusion.
"It was not burnt!" Arthur huffs and turns away, clearly offended by his roommate's accusations.
"Well, good thing I picked up pizza on the way! Ahaha!" Alfred grins and sets down a large box on the table, unveiling a super greasy, super cheesy pizza. Arthur wrinkles his nose in disgust, shaking his head.
"After all the trouble I went though to make this for you..."
Kiku holds his nose as he heads over to the soup. "...Th-this can't be good for anyone..."
"Fine!" Arthur growls in annoyance and storms off to his room, slamming the door shut.
Seriously, he worked damned hard on that soup. They should show some respect.
After about an hour of sulking and studying, Arthur finally leaves his room, wondering what movie they're planning to watch. He peeks into the living room and sees Alfred putting a tape into the VCR. So it's an older movie again, hm...?
"Yeah, I haven't watched this movie in ages! And I figure that you'd like it!" Alfred laughs as he puts the tape in, waiting for it to rewind back to the beginning.
"And why do you say that?"
"Because you're Asian!" He laughs and grins at his smaller friend, who seems like he's having trouble deciding whether to laugh too or not.
"What movie is this?" Arthur finally decides to walk into the living room to join them.
"Ah! Cool, I was just about to get ya! We're gonna watch Mulan!"
"...Alfred, you are aware that Mulan takes place in China, hai?"
"Yeah, like you!"
"..." Kiku shakes his head in disappointment, despite the small smile appearing on his face.
Once the tape stopped rewinding, reaching the beginning, Alfred takes a seat down on his small couch. Arthur instinctively sat down to his right, and Kiku stood there awkwardly for a moment before deciding to take a pillow and sit on the floor with it.
"How rude of me. Do you want to sit here?" Arthur felt bad for making Alfred's guest sit on the floor, but Kiku shook his head.
"No, I don't mind sitting here."
Arthur got comfortable in his seat beside Alfred again, and the movie started up.
Though, not even halfway through the movie, Kiku had to excuse himself to leave. He had a test in one of his classes the next day and wanted to study and rest, not wanting to risk getting a bad grade, although Alfred assured him he'd be fine if he stayed longer. But, he left, which left Alfred and Arthur alone once more.
It wasn't anything new to Arthur that Alfred was singing along with some of the songs in the movie. But, he had to admit, Alfred was a terrible singer. Well, he wasn't the worst, but he definitely wasn't good at it. He looked like he was having fun singing along, but after listening to him sing through "A Girl Worth Fighting For", Arthur was starting to get irritated with his singing, especially since it was loud, obnoxious, and right by his ear.
"Alfred, have you ever uhm..." Arthur thought for a moment, trying to put it nicely, "Thought of getting singing lessons?"
Alfred looks to him in confusion for a moment before grinning.
"Why? You think I'm good and have potential?"
"Well—"
"Hey, I said to stop criticizing me and my movies. Which means my singing too." Alfred pouts, cutting off Arthur. "And I haven't heard you sing, so you shouldn't be talking."
Arthur thought that he himself wasn't too bad of a singer, although he preferred to play the music instead of sing along with it.
"I'm decent enough."
"Decent? As in how you cook—!" Alfred was stopped by a punch to his shoulder. Sure, it didn't really hurt, but it was actually kind of fun to see Arthur get all upset over that. He just laughs and brushes it off, and Arthur turns away from him.
"St-stupid bloody American..." He huffs and shakes his head, soon turning back to him, "Don't insult my cooking, and I won't insult your terrible singing."
Alfred soon has a smile on again, looking at him. "Y'know, I've never actually heard you play your music."
"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow at him, "And are you saying you're interested?"
Alfred laughed a bit and shrugged, playing with the zipper on his jacket to keep himself busy. "I might be."
"Well, I guess I can play something for you sometime, If you want me to, anyway." He turned his attention back to the movie. By this point, it was when Mulan was revealed to be a woman. And it wasn't a surprise to Arthur to see a frown plastered on the other's face.
"What is it this time?"
"Gender shouldn't matter." He crosses his arms and turns to Arthur.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah! Let her do what she wants!" Alfred looks back to the television. "She shouldn't be in trouble just because of her gender. She was a good fighter, so that's all that should matter!"
Arthur watched him complain, a bit amused. He knew Alfred adored Disney movies, but he always had to point out problems with them.
"And it isn't just war where gender shouldn't matter! It shouldn't matter with work or love or anything like that!"
"You seem rather fervent about this."
"Huh?" Alfred paused, looking to him in confusion.
"Fervent? You know, passionate? Worked-up?"
"Oh! Well, duh, aren't you? Gay rights are important."
Arthur shrugged, which seemed to make Alfred more pissed off. "You don't think people should be allowed to marry whoever they want?"
"A-ah, no. I mean yes. I mean—" Arthur sighs and rubs the side of his head. "I mean it isn't that big of a deal from where I come from. People can be together freely in England, among other European countries as well."
"O-oh.." That seemed to have calmed him down a bit.
"Why are you making such a big deal out of this? It's not like you're—..." Arthur stopped himself, studying Alfred for a minute. The way he was reacting to all this... Is he really...
"...You are, aren't you...?"
It took him a moment, but he nodded slightly.
"So now I suppose you're going to leave and find somewhere else to live?" Alfred sounded really upset, as if he was speaking from personal experience of it happening to him.
"Wh—no! Why would you think that?" Arthur frowned. He knew he was mean to him at times, but in the end, they were friends, right?
Surely enough, a smile returned to the younger man's face.
"You mean it?"
Arthur nodded and Alfred seemed to be a lot more relaxed now, and they continued to watch the movie.
So, Alfred is gay then? Knowing that, it made Arthur start to see him in a different way. Not judgmentally, but... Well, Alfred seemed rather cute to him now. But there's no way he could tell him that, even though he had just shared it about himself.
Arthur hadn't told anyone yet, and he intended to keep it that way. Even if neither of them fancied women, it wasn't a reason to Arthur to go around, skipping happily in a field of rainbows. He was determined not to let anyone know, so he tried not to make it seem like he thought of Alfred differently now.
Switch the topic, switch the topic...
"Alfred?"
"Mmm?"
"Well, you are aware that your friend Kiku isn't from China, right?"
Alfred turned to him, shocked. "Wh—what?"
Arthur couldn't help but laugh a bit, even allowing himself to discretely move closer to the other, as Alfred quickly called up Kiku to apologize.
So, maybe living with an American wouldn't be so bad...
By the end of the movie, Alfred realized that Arthur had managed to fall asleep. That on its own wasn't a big deal, but Arthur had fallen asleep with his head against Alfred's shoulder, and he ends up blushing at that fact.
He looked cute when he was asleep. Then again, he looked cute when they argue, or when he is studying, and even when he is attempting to cook. Alfred found himself liking Arthur more and more with the time they spent together. Though, he tried to hide the fact that it was true.
It's not like Arthur could ever like him back anyway.
Arthur seems completely straight. He could probably have tons of girlfriends easily. He plays music, he dresses nicely, and he even has that amazing accent. Alfred had heard British accents in movies, but they were definitely a lot more sexy in person.
But, thinking about him wasn't going to get him to bed. Alfred very carefully maneuvers to lift Arthur up in his arms without waking him. Thankfully, he didn't wake up. But, he moved closer to Alfred's chest when he lifted him up. Arthur seems to delicate and cute like this...
Alfred gently brings him to his room and sets him down on his bed, under the covers. He glaces around Arthur's room, never really having taken the time to see how he had set it up.
He had allowed Arthur to set up his room however he pleased. His guitar was sitting in a stand right beside his bed. It really must be important to him, since that's where Alfred keeps his midnight snacks in his own room. And those are pretty damned important to Alfred.
On the shelf above his bed was some music things. Lyrics, notes, things such as that. There were a few guitar picks, but four of them stood out. They looked especially important to Arthur. After studying them for a minute, that's when he realized why they were important. Arthur had told Alfred that they were signed from The Beatles themselves, and they were his most prized possessions. He never left the house without them, fearing that someone would break in and steal these valuable picks. He smiles a bit and decides to keep them where they are, not touching them, since they are so important to the Briton.
There were a few posters on the wall, mostly being of rock bands and whatnot, although he noticed there was one of Harry Potter. Alfred loved those movies! Apparently Arthur does too! He laughs quietly to himself, making sure not to wake the Briton.
Among the music things, there were tons of books. Probably textbooks and 'rubbish' like that.
Hah! Rubbish! A British word!
But he also noticed a very old looking book under all the others. Curiosity taking over, Alfred carefully moved the textbooks off until he saw the book. It was hard to read the title, since it was faded, but he could almost make out the word 'magic'. Even more curious than before, he quickly flips it open to a random page. He read it over and laughed quietly again. Spells? A spell book? Alfred never took Arthur for the kind of guy who was into magic. He looked nothing like a magician or a sorcerer!
He looked it over a bit longer before putting it back where he found it. As he continued his search, he came across a small mirror hanging on the wall above a small table. Hm? What's that on the table?
"Ohmygod." Alfred had to quiet his laugh again. He actually tries to wax his eyebrows? Dude! That's such a girly thing to do! And it doesn't seem to work well at all, seeing as there were always those two massive eyebrow-caterpillars above his eyes. Unless, maybe, they're even bigger before he waxes them, and they tower high past his forehead! Alfred started laughing again, and he heard Arthur make a sound, so he quickly shut up.
Well, it wasn't as if he didn't like the guy's eyebrows or anything. They made him look really cute in Alfred's eyes.
Even though he wanted to continue looking though Arthur's room, it was too secretive for his tastes, so he went to go leave.
But before he left, Alfred walked back over to Arthur's bed. He really doesn't have a problem with him... He accepted him, despite the rude things they'd say to one another when they're upset. Alfred kneels down beside his bed, watching him sleep. He really is so cute when he sleeps...
He very gently runs a hand through Arthur's messy blonde hair, and his heart leaps when he feels Arthur lean against his hand. He keeps messing with his hair a bit, trying not to look at the other's lips. But as he moves his hand away, he catches sight of them. There they are. So warm looking, and so inviting. They've even parted a little too, which makes Alfred move a bit closer.
He's really attractive...
Unable to stop himself, he closes the small space between their lips. His lips are so soft feeling, he just doesn't want to pull away. He tries his best to keep the kiss light, but the fact he hadn't kissed anyone before makes it difficult. Sure, Arthur was asleep so he wouldn't end up kissing back, but it was still so nice... He gently puts his hand to Arthur's cheek, kissing him still.
At feeling something on his face, Arthur's eyes start to slowly flutter open. What the bloody hell is going on? Why—why is Alfred so close? And why is something on his lips— He's kissing him.
He's kissing him!
A dream.
This is surely a dream or something. He relaxes a bit at thinking that, and he even allows himself to kiss back. After all, it's just a dream, so if something is wrong he can just wake up.
Alfred's eyes open wide when he feels Arthur kissing back, feeling his cheeks get hotter. He feels his heart start to speed up a bit from the fact of that. He's kissing back! Does that mean that Arthur is also... He must be, if he's kissing him.
They continue kissing a bit longer before Arthur gently wraps his arms around Alfred's neck to get him closer.
Dude!
Alfred happily obliges and moves onto his bed as Arthur moves over. They continue their kiss, neither seeming to want to break away. Though, Alfred soon ends up breaking it off to catch his breath. He looks into Arthur's bright green eyes, his heart still racing. Those eyes start to flutter closed again though, and even though he wants to keep kissing him, Alfred wants him to get some sleep.
He goes to get back up, but Arthur whines and clings to his shirt, wanting him to stay there with him. How could he say no to him? Alfred smiles a bit and lays back down beside him, holding each other close.
"Good night, Arthur." He gives him another kiss before drifting off to sleep as well.
Arthur felt warm when he awoke. Since it was nearly winter, he was thankful for that warmth. Had he put the heater on before he went to sleep? No... He fell asleep during the movie. So why is he back in his bedroom? He blinked a few times to clear his vision, and he nearly jumped at the sight.
Why is he in my bed?
His first instinct was to shove him way, but he stopped himself, remembering his dream. Maybe it wasn't a dream at all... Wh—which means...
"Bl-bloody..." I really kissed him?
Arthur inwardly groaned. It wasn't that he didn't like Alfred, but he didn't think Alfred would like him in the first place. He wasn't prepared for something like this at all.
What do you do when you kiss someone you like, but aren't prepared for the consequences?
What does this mean for their friendship? Will they stay friends, or... more than friends, or maybe even neither! Right now, the only thing Arthur knew is that he felt so warm and safe in Alfred's arms, and part of him wanted to just stay there asleep with him.
And Alfred's lips were so warm and soft too. Inexperienced, yes, but it was good. Even Arthur wanted to kiss him again.
But there was still a strong feeling in him to tell him to get the hell out of his own room and make it seem like it never happened.
Unfortunately, that's the part he listened to.
He held his breath as he tried to shimmy out of Alfred's grip. That was difficult since Alfred was holding tightly to him. Thankfully, the American turned over in his sleep, releasing Arthur from his hold. He quickly gets out of the bed as Alfred clings to a pillow to take the place of him.
Arthur stops to rest once he reaches the kitchen, and he takes a deep breath. What can he do now... He told Alfred that he wouldn't leave the house because of what he had shared with him. If he goes to find somewhere else to leave, he'd think it was because of that reason. The Briton groans again, putting his head in his hands to try and relax.
But he really kissed him... He really did, and it wasn't a dream...
It was so good, but so bad...
It wasn't until he smelled the terrible smell that Alfred finally woke up. What was that horrid smell? Alfred opened his eyes up and quickly noticed that he was hugging a pillow. Why is there a pillow there? Arthur is supposed to be there, right?
Then it hit him.
That terrible smell was none other than Arthur, attempting to cook, no doubt.
Alfred quickly hops out of bed, stumbling a bit as he works his way to the kitchen. Surely enough, there was Arthur, trying to cook something.
"Dude, what are you doing?" Alfred goes on into the kitchen, fixing his hair a bit.
Arthur turned to him, huffing in annoyance.
"I'm making breakfast, so now go and sleep for another ten minutes."
"What are you making?"
"Breakfast!"
"Well what kind of breakfast?" It was Alfred's turn to huff in annoyance this time. Why does he seem like he's avoiding the question? Avoiding him...?
"Delicious breakfast!" Arthur turns to him, then shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "Fine, whatever. Make it yourself."
And with that, Arthur goes to leave to head back to his room.
"H-hey, hey..." Alfred frowns and catches Arthur's wrist before he can leave. "Why are you upset?" He never usually got upset like this over anything...
Unless, maybe, it was last night...?
Arthur hesitates when Alfred grabs his wrist. He looks down to his hand around his wrist, biting his lip. This is the roommate that he's spent so much time with and has gotten to know over these weeks. He never would intentionally hurt Arthur, so why should this time be different? After all, if they do like each other...
"Artie?"
After a minute, Arthur looks up into Alfred's eyes, and seeing his beautiful blue eyes was enough to make his heart start pounding. His eyes were so amazing. They're the most gorgeous blue he'd ever seen. And right now they looked so sad. It was his fault he was making Alfred sad, wasn't it?
"...Alfred." He went to stop himself, but decided against it and stood up on his toes to kiss Alfred.
It was against, and for, everything Arthur was feeling now. He wanted to be with Alfred so badly, but worried about what it would mean if things didn't happen to work out. He feels Alfred kiss back almost immediately, and Arthur can't help but hug him tightly as Alfred does the same. He didn't want to get away from this American. Hell, Arthur hadn't even told anyone that he likes men, but this is probably enough to prove it.
The deeper the kiss got, the more thoughts started to run through his head.
It can't work out.
You'll never actually be together.
It'll end in failure.
He won't love you.
The more he thought, the harder it was to kiss him back. Soon enough, Arthur had to pull away, wiping at his eyes as he hurried off to his bedroom to try and get his mind off of things.
Did... Did Arthur just kiss him? Then run off crying? What happened? Alfred gently puts his finger to his lips, remembering the kiss. Arthur had been the one to kiss him this time, so last night obviously wasn't some fault, right? But then if it wasn't a fault, then why did he run off and away from him...
Then the smell got worse, and Alfred quickly turned back to the food(?).
Whatever was being made, it was cooking in the waffle iron.
And it definitely did not smell like waffles.
He looks around the kitchen in confusion, wondering what Arthur could have possibly been making. There. Empty egg shells.
Good god.
Alfred quickly opens the waffle iron, and surely, there they are. Those eggs, burning in the waffle iron.
Eggs.
In a waffle iron.
Good.
God.
He pulls out the plug of the waffle iron out of the wall, trying to decipher if it's even edible. Alfred scrapes the egg remnants out of the iron, putting them onto a plate. He takes a fork and goes to have a bite, but stops himself. He'd probably, like, die if he tried to eat this. Alfred sighs and puts the fork down, looking towards Arthur's room.
What had he done wrong? He kissed him, so why was he the one to run off? He groans and goes to take a seat down in the living room, trying to decide what happened.
Alfred turns on the tv, putting in a movie to get his mind off of things. Sure the movies were usually for after dinner, but he thought this as a special occasion. He goes to Arthur's room and knocks on the door.
"Hey, Artie, gonna be watching a movie. Do you want to join me?"
No answer...
"Arthur?"
Suddenly the door opens on up and Alfred sees Arthur putting on a jacket.
"I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back later." He pushes past the other and quickly hurries out, leaving Alfred confused as to what he did wrong.
Arthur wasn't sure where he was going off to. He just needed to get away from that American for a while.
After walking around aimlessly, he came across a small, but busy, cafe that many students liked to go to. Arthur walked in and ordered himself a cup of tea, Earl Gray, and went to take a seat at an empty table.
He took a few sips and sighed. He liked Alfred. He couldn't deny that, no matter how much he wanted to. The younger man's carefree attitude was just so easy to like. Sure he was a bit nerdy, what with those comics and video games and whatnot, but he had a charm to him that Arthur found appealing.
"Ah! Arthur-san!"
Arthur looked up from his tea to see Kiku standing by his table with a small smile.
"Oh, hello." He returned the smile before glancing down to his cup again.
"Is something troubling you?"
"O-oh, it's just Alfred being Alfred." Arthur laughed lightly, trying to play it off like it wasn't that big of a deal.
"He really is a nice kid, hm?" Kiku smiled again, allowing himself to take a seat with Arthur.
"Yeah?"
"Hai." He nods, "So what's the matter?"
Arthur looked back to him, biting his lip a bit. Kiku wasn't really a stranger, nor was he a best friend, but he definitely needed some outside guidance.
"I just feel confused about him..."
Kiku studies him for a moment, trying to figure him out.
"In what way, may I ask?"
"He... he just..." Arthur sighs. "I think I might.. l-like him..."
"How so?'
"W-we kissed, but—"
"Alfred talks a lot about you." Kiku interrupts, knowing it must be uncomfortable to say such things.
"Huh?"
"Hai. He really is fond of you."
"I-is he really...?"
"Whenever he talks about you, his face lights up. Even if it's complaining about an argument you two had, or about a recent movie you watched together."
Okay, so Alfred does like him. It wasn't too hard to guess.
"So if you like him like he likes you, tell him. Let him know."
Arthur hesitates, but as he goes to retort, Kiku suddenly gets up.
"Excuse me for being rude, but I need to go. I have a date." His smile brightens a bit, and Arthur turned to where Kiku was looking to see a man with brown hair and some plain looking clothes heading over towards them. Kiku hurried off to him, and the man smiled and leaned over to give the Asian a kiss on his forehead, which made Kiku start blushing in embarrassment.
Arthur couldn't help but to smile a bit at that. They looked cute together. And they were in public and didn't mind who saw them..
Maybe Alfred and I could— Arthur shakes his head quickly.
Why is he thinking that? No one else should know about what happened. It was already bad enough that he told Kiku...
It wasn't too much longer before he decided a cup of tea wouldn't get his mind off of this. He finished his drink, and soon left in search of a bar.
Arthur walked on into the nearest bar, taking a seat at the counter. The bartender was occupied with talking to other guests, who Arthur had recognized from college. There were Antonio and Gilbert. It didn't surprise him to see them here, drinking, presumably before a big test. What did surprise him was seeing the bartender.
Francis.
Why did he have to work here, of all people? He got enough of this Frenchman during school...
"Ah, if it isn't Arthur! Didn't think I'd be seeing you here."
"Screw off, Frenchy. Just give me some gin."
Francis raised an eyebrow but did as he asked, setting the shot down in front of him. Arthur drank it down in one gulp before holding out his glass for more.
"What seems to be the problem, mon ami?" Francis chuckled a bit, pouring some more out for him.
"It's no concern to you, Frog." Arthur downed that one as well, and Francis got an amused look on his face, seeming to have a plan in mind.
"Ah, bon. Slow down a bit."
"I can do whatever the bloody hell I want!" And as if to prove it, Arthur drank down that shot as well, Francis pouring him some more at his request.
Four shots later, and Arthur was starting to get rather tipsy. Since business was rather slow at this time of day, Francis sat beside him and sipped at some wine.
"So why don't you tell me why you're upset?"
" 't's awl that bloody 'merican's fault!" Arthur huffed, downing another. "He thinks 'e's sooo bloody charmin'! Well bollocks t' 'im!" He drinks more, Francis having poured more for him while he spoke.
"American? You mean Alfred, ouais? Your roommate?" He sounded rather interested in what the Briton had to say.
" 'e thinks I h've ta like 'im since we live together! Buggah that! Ah can move out 'nytime I wanna!" Arthur hiccuped, banging on the counter and looking around a bit. "More ale, bartender!"
Francis chuckles quietly in amusement, giving him some more.
"Why would you want to move out? Alfred's a nice boy. Rather cute, too." He smirks a bit, imagining the American.
" 'ey! Back offa 'im, Frog!" Arthur pushes at Francis's shoulder, not really doing much to him though. "Alfred's my bloody stup'd 'merican!"
"Yours?" He raises an eyebrow in amusement again.
Arthur huffs and nods, continuing to drink. "All m'ne!"
Francis goes to pour him more, but soon finds out that it's empty.
"Je suis desole, Arthur, mais this is the last bottle of this we have here. I have some more at my apartment if you care to join me."
Arthur looked at him, studying him, then rolled his eyes. " 'nly fer one more drink." He stumbled to his feet and grabbed Francis's shoulder to keep himself from falling over.
The Frenchman smiles and stands up as well, putting Arthur's arm around his neck to help support him. He turned the sign on the door to 'closed', assuming this will take a while if his plan works out how he wants it to.
He soon takes off to his apartment, the drunken Briton in tow.
After the second time of watching Aladdin that day, Alfred started to get extremely worried. Arthur hadn't come back, and it was nearly dinner time. He's been worried sick, and since he has yet to come back, the worry has only gotten worse. He's been coming up with all sorts of different crazy scenarios in his mind. For all he knows, the Green Goblin could've come and taken him away!
Alfred stands up from his seat, shaking his head quickly.
I'll save you, Arthur!
Where to start... Maybe one of his classmates saw him?
Alfred pulls out his phone and calls up a few friends.
Toris hadn't seen him, and neither had Matthew (who seemed thrilled just to have gotten a call from someone). Francis wasn't answering his phone. But Kiku had a lead!
"Kiku! Kiku, dude, tell me you've seen Arthur!"
"Hai."
"Yeah, yeah, hello to you too. Have you seen him around?"
"...Hai."
"Kiku, you're so not helping!"
"Hai means yes, Alfred-san..."
"Oh... Well, where did you see him?"
Kiku sighs before continuing. Americans... "I was at the café with Heracles and he was there. But he wasn't there for too long before he ended up leaving."
"He left?" Alfred frowns, already ready to hang up.
"He seemed distressed. Did something happen?"
Alfred stays quiet for a minute, trying to think. What was wrong? What had he done...?
"I... I think so...?"
"I see." It was Kiku's turn to be silent for a bit, but he soon continued on. "He really does like you."
"Then why is he running from me...?"
"He doesn't see it yet. He knows he feels something for you, but doesn't know what to do and it is confusing him."
Alfred looks down, gripping his phone a bit tighter.
"...D-do you think that I moved too quickly?"
"Hai. Maybe. But if you hadn't, Arthur-san wouldn't have known what you feel for him."
Kiku has a point... If he'd waited any longer, who's to say that Arthur wouldn't have a girlfriend by the time Alfred was ready to ask him?
"Thanks... I'm gonna go keep looking for him. See ya in school!"And with that, he hangs up, a bit more clear on what's going on. He quickly takes off towards the café to search for any clues, like a good detective would.
When Alfred got there, he looked carefully around for any signs. When he found nothing, he went inside and asked the worker if he had seen a man with messy blonde hair and big eyebrows that came in. Sure enough, he had. He said that Arthur had taken off and went out to the right when he left. Alfred thanked him and quickly headed the way the worker had mentioned.
He slows down when he reaches the bar. Something seems off here... It's a Saturday night, and the bar is closed? Did Francis take a vacation or something? No, he would have been bragging about it.
Just in case, Alfred calls him again.
Still no answer.
He groans and stops to think. Maybe Arthur went somewhere else. After all, Arthur had told him he was never a big fan of drinking.
But he stopped when he saw the picks on the ground not too far from the bar.
Those guitar picks...
Alfred picks up the four of them and knows immediately that they belong to Arthur. They had those signatures on them, and knew how much these meant to him. He would never intentionally leave these behind. It must have fallen out from a pocket.
He studied them for a minute, before quickly going the way they were facing, hoping that he was going the right way.
He will save Artie!
"Where are we?" Arthur rubs at his eyes, trying to stop the room from moving. Francis chuckles in response, closing the door behind him.
"Chez moi."
His apartment wasn't too big. A bit cozy. But it had a certain charm to it. It seemed nice.
"Matthew is out tonight with a study group."
"Matthew...?" He turns to the Frenchman in confusion. Matthew... Who was that... Oh! Francis's roommate, right? He's a nice boy. Related to Alfred, he thinks.
Alfred...
Arthur starts to sober up at thinking of his name. Alfred really likes him, and he's been gone for a while... He's probably worried about him.
"I... should be heading back home." He stumbles towards the door, trying to open it. But the handle keeps moving...
Damn doors, having door knobs.
"Ah? Why we just got here! Come. I'll get you some tea."
Tea...
Tea is nice.
Tea is good.
Arthur nods a bit, his mind still hazy from the alcohol he consumed.
Francis leads him into the kitchen, which was actually really big. Then again, that frog did enjoy cooking, so it wasn't that big of a surprise.
Arthur sat at the table, trying to clear his head.
Damn alcohol, being alcoholy.
It wasn't too long before the Briton received his tea from Francis. He sipped the tea, which tasted a bit off, but it wasn't too bad. More than likely some kind of French tea. Before he knew it though, he had finished up the tea, but started to feel a bit odd...
"So, let me ask again. What's on your mind?"
Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "I like Alfred."
Francis's eyes widened for a moment, but soon a smirk returns to his face. "Ouais? Is that so? Why don't you let him know?"
"Can't."
"Pourquoi pas?"
Arthur frowns again. Why not? Well, it's complicated... What if it ruins their friendship? What if things don't work out...?
"I need to focus on school work.." Arthur yawns, feeling a bit sleepy.
"What if I can guarantee you two will be together, if you just go along with what I say and do?"
That easily would've gotten Arthur's attention that something was up, but he just felt so tired...
He just nods, not comprehending what he agreed to though. As he starts to fall asleep, he hears Francis's chuckle.
After what seemed like too long, Alfred frowns and stops running.
Where is Arthur...?
As he looks around again, he notices Francis's lights are on in his apartment. That means he's home...! So why has he been ignoring his calls? Getting annoyed, Alfred heads over to his door and knocks.
As expected, no answer.
"Goddammit, Francis." He kneels down in front of the door, ready to lock-pick it. After all, his lock-picking skill in Fallout and Skyrim are both high, so it can't be that difficult to do! He wiggles the doorknob a bit then frowns again.
The door is unlocked.
He mentally smacks himself as he gets up, putting his lock-picking set back in his pocket, but also a bit disappointed he wasn't able to do something cool.
He opens up the door and barges into Francis's house.
"Why are you ignoring m—"
Alfred was cut off by what he saw.
There, he saw Francis and Arthur.
Francis was undressing him.
Arthur seemed drunk, or drugged. Maybe a mix of the two.
"Ah, mon petit American! Care to join us?"
It took Alfred a moment to understand what was going on.
"...G-get away from him."
The Frenchman just laughs and removes Arthur's shirt. "Well, he hasn't told me to stop. He isn't complaining for once. It's nice, non?"
Arthur was just sitting there, looking half asleep and not attempting to stop Francis in any way, as if he didn't realize what was going on.
"What—What did you do to him?" Alfred takes a step closer to them, worried about Arthur.
"Just made him a bit more willing." He smiles as he starts to remove Arthur's pants. "It's no fun if he doesn't enjoy it."
"So just don't do it! Leave him alone, Francis!"
"But I want to." He laughs again, discarding Arthur's pants, along with his shirt, on the floor.
"Leave him alone or I'll—I'll...!"
"You'll what?" Francis raises an amused eyebrow, seeming to taunt Alfred.
Alfred was far from being really strong. He was, but he wasn't sure how strong Francis was, and he didn't like losing.
But Arthur is at risk here... If he loses, he won't be ab;e to save him... But if he doesn't even try to—
Alfred runs to Francis and punches him right across the face, being fueled by adrenaline.
Francis is pushed over towards the wall, his grip on Arthur letting up.
Yet the Briton just keeps sitting there on Francis's bed with that distant look in his eyes.
"A-Arthur..." Alfred walks towards him, but is soon pushed off his feet by the Frenchman.
"I won't give in that easily!"
He should've known. Strong bosses are obviously going to need more than one hit to be defeated.
What are his options?
In his inventory he only has that lock-picking set, Arthur's guitar picks, and the wrapper from the McDonald's cheeseburger he got on his way over.
None of those would help.
He wishes that he had magic.
Or at least was secretly a Dragonborn, like in Skyrim, and could just Fus Roh Dah the shit out of Francis.
But he has to be realistic.
He looks around for anything he can use to his advantages.
Nothing he could use as a trap...
But he can't give up!
He grabs the umbrella sitting by the door and holds it up like he would a sword.
Francis counters by grabbing a broom and holding that similarly.
"Give up now, Alfred." Francis smirks, twirling the broom around to show off.
An opening!
Alfred quickly lunges at him with the umbrella, but Francis swipes it away from him before he can hit him.
"Try again, American!" he laughs, taunting Alfred some more.
He growls in annoyance and opens up the umbrella, attacking with it open. Might not be as blunt, but the sides are a bit sharper, and he might be able to use it as a shie—
Mistake.
Francis jabs the handle of the broom through the delicate umbrella and rips it, causing it to collapse on itself.
Not a good shield.
Crap, what to do...
The Frenchman laughs and walks towards him threateningly, backing him up into a corner.
"Do you give up yet, Alfred?"
Arthur slowly starts to regain his senses. He feels as if he's had the worst hangover...
Which is probably partially true.
It takes him a minute to clear his thoughts and his vision, but when he does, he sees Alfred standing in front of him, opening an umbrella aimed at Francis.
Alfred...?
What's going on? Why are they fighting?
Arthur shivers and looks down at himself, blushing in embarrassment.
Where are his clothes?
Why is he nearly naked?
He spots his clothes on the floor, out of his reach.
Goddammit.
"N-no! I'll save Artie!"
Huh?
He looks back to Alfred and Francis.
Save...? Save him?
As he looks around some more, Arthur comes to realize that they must be in Francis's apartment, due to the french flag hanging on one of the walls.
So that means...
"Al-Alfred!" Arthur quickly gets up and pushes past Francis to stand beside the American.
"Artie?" He blinks in confusion, and Francis laughs.
"Arthur, mon ami, why don't you drink some more tea? I've made plenty!"
"Bugger off, Frog!" He scowls at him, grabbing Alfred's arm. "L-let's just go."
"No." He shakes his head. "He was going to take advantage of you. I-I can't let him get away with that!"
"But I'm fine. He didn't do anything. Now let's go before you two idiots hurt yourselves."
It takes him a minute, but Alfred soon starts to calm down some more. "Fine.. But I don't like it." He pushes past Francis and Arthur follows, but is stopped by Francis, handing him his clothes and grinning a bit, whispering in his ear.
"You're welcome, Arthur."
The entire walk home, the two of them were quiet. They stopped to let Arthur get his clothes back on, and Alfred handing him his guitar picks back. But aside from that, they were silent as they continued on to their apartment.
The first few minutes they were safe home was awkward. They just sat beside each other, still neither speaking.
Arthur's mind was racing.
Alfred had come to his rescue... He tried to save him... No doubt Alfred likes him. M-maybe even loves. Maybe they could have a relationship without ruining this friendship...?
"...Alfred."
"Mmn?" The American looks to him, blushing slightly at the look on Arthur's face. Arthur looked like he had something important to say, but was smiling and had such a beautiful softness in his eyes...
"Thanks..." He smiles a bit more at him, moving closer and finally giving him a gentle kiss.
It doesn't take too long for Alfred to kiss him back.
His lips feel so soft... And kissing this American he's grown to like so much just feels natural.
Alfred deepens the kiss, holding the Brit closer to his chest. He feels so safe when he's close to Alfred like this...
He really had come to his rescue.
So that's what Francis was doing. He wasn't trying to rape him...
He was getting us together...
Arthur soon has to pull back to catch his breath, still hugging Alfred as the other holds him tightly.
"Artie... I-I really, really like you... Like, a lot..."
Hearing that makes Arthur's heart flutter happily, and he just hugs him tighter.
"I really, really like you too.." Arthur snuggles close against his chest, smiling slightly.
He wanted to focus on school work while he was here, but a relationship with Alfred is too good to pass up.
"Movie night." Alfred grins and gives him a tight squeeze before getting up to get a movie and make the usual snacks.
Arthur grabs the blanket off of the back of the small couch, wrapping it around himself to keep warm while he waits for his nice and toasty heater to come back to him.