USUK: Failure Chapter 1
"Come on Alfred, it won't be that bad!"
Alfred folded his arms, giving a deep sigh before he turned to face his brother.
"Yes it will! What will become of my reputation when they find out that...retard is coming to my place every Friday evening?"
His words painted a frown across Matthew's face, his eyebrows furrowed in disapproval.
" He's mentally challenged, Al! The least you can do is be nice to him!"
" How am I even supposed to talk to him?! Arthur's a weird kid that carries around a stuffed animal wherever he goes! I can barely say hi to him, never mind explain textbook questions to him!"
"Just use small words. Be nice. Not like you were this morning when you got almost half the school to call him a retard on his way to science..."
Alfred grit his teeth, slumping awkwardly in the silence as his brother's angry fumes drifted through the room.
"Yeah, whatever...I'm only doing this because mom asked. That, and I'm getting paid..."
Ding. Matthew smirked at the chime of the doorbell, slipping into his bedroom as he left Alfred to great their rather...special guest.
"Fucking great..."
Alfred sighed, flopping back into the minty blue cushions before crossing the floor and gathering a grip on the cold, steel handle.
" B-brother, I'm scared!"
The tiny blonde tugged on Ian's sleeve, giving a shy squeak as the door swung open.
"Behave yerself, okay?"
Arthur gave a brisk nod, squeezing the stuffed animal as he waved goodbye to his older brother. Alfred stepped aside, taking notice of his nervous expression as he watched the blonde carefully slip off his shoes and place them in the nearby corner.
" So, uh...just follow me, okay?"
The brit gasped as they entered the kitchen, his eyes filled with excitement as he studied the crisp details of the shimmering clean counter. Alfred lead him over to the table, rolling his eyes at the second gasp that escaped Arthur as his eyes fell to the organized lay out of the notebooks and pens.
" Alright, so if the answer is 12...X must be.."
Arthur nabbed the pen from his fingers, grinning as he scrawled the blue ink along the thin sheet of paper.
" Done!"
Alfred leaned over on his elbow, scrolling his eyes over the neat print as Arthur snuggled up to the fuzzy plush toy that rested in his lap.
" Yeah, it's just about right..."
The brit smiled, flicking his gaze over to him as his legs rocked back and forth in anticipation.
"But since you missed the negatives here...here...and here, your answer would change."
Arthur's face fell as he met the bleeding circles around his answers, a giggle escaping his lips as he went to correct his mistakes.
" Heh, I guess I really am a retard..."
Alfred's ego deflated immediately, the shame perching on his neck as he watched the pen waltz nimbly between the lines. The guilt played him like a puppet, forcing him to clap a hand over Arthur's shoulder before adding a checkmark beside the corrected numbers. Alfred flashed a vibrant smile, turning the brit to face him as the memory of his hateful act haunted them mercilessly.
" No, it's a simple mistake...I do it all the time."
Arthur blinked, bashfully shaking his head as the name stuck to him.
" Yes I am, the entire school called me a retard..."
He paused for a moment, bringing the rabbit closer to his chest. Arthur yearned for security, and Mr. bunny always kept him safe from the mean words of his classmates.
" Even you."
His words pierced a hole through Alfred's chest, his ego shrinking down the size of a pea.
" Well, you're right."
" Huh? What do you mean?"
He jabbed his index finger alongside the checkmarks scrawled across the page.
" You're right. Look, you're answer's correct!"
Arthur's smile returned, his eyes shimmering with joy.
" R-Really?!"
" Yeah, you're right."
Arthur couldn't believe himself, he had never been right before! His cheeks flushed a bright red and he blubbered quietly, his vocal cords tied into knots.
" I-I've never been right before..."
Alfred felt his heart sink, flicking his gaze to the worn plush toy.
" I doubt that's true..."
" It is true."
" No, Arthur..."
The American plastered a smile onto his face, lifting Arthur's gaze up off the ground as he let his thoughts spill into the open world.
" You're a smart kid, don't let anyone tell you otherwise..."
" Th-Thank you..."
Alfred clamped the textbook shut, his muscles serving as a strong breeze that swept it towards the edge of the table.
" So, who's that?"
" Who?"
Arthur follow Alfred's finger, grinning as his gaze flickered down to the stuffed animal caged in his arms.
" Oh this? His name is Mr. Bunny...He's my bestest friend in the whole wide world!"
Alfred frowned, arching his eyebrows in concern as he studied the rabbit's tattered fur. " Wow, I wonder how long he's been friends with that thing..." The tense silence lingered in the air and served as glue to their lips, Arthur shifted his gaze along the cold kitchen tiles, a sigh of relief escaping them both as they heard the doorbell chime.
"Looks like your brother's here..."
He waved the American goodbye, his heart unable to decide whether to sink or swell of happiness as he pulled his shoes on. The tiny blonde struggled with his shoe laces, folding in the loops as he hummed cheerfully.
" Over and under...like a rabbit ears~"
Alfred yanked the door open, chuckling softly as Arthur abandoned his task and threw his arms around the ginger.
" Big brother, I missed you!"
A blush crawled across Ian's face, the worn plush toy serving as a wall between him and his brother.
" How was he? Not tae much tae handle right?"
" Nah, he was great! He picked up the concepts just like that, he'll be scoring A's in no time!"
The Scotsman couldn't help his smile, showering Arthur in praise.
" That's great! Thank ye so much!"
" Yeah, and Mr. Bunny learned too!"
Ian's face fell, his expression matching Alfred's as they struggled to wrench their words out from the tidal wave of pity. He took a step backwards, shifting nervously as he pulled Arthur along with him.
" Alright, thanks again. We'll see ye next Friday, then..."
The two brothers slipped out into the corridor, a pang of uneasiness striking Alfred's chest when the ding of the elevator passed through his ears.
" I've never seen someone so lonely..."
"Comes to show how lucky you are..."
The American jumped, sighing in relief when his eyes finally settled on the source of the voice. Matthew crossed the floor, grinning as he flopped onto the leather couch cushions. He obtained the controller up from the carpet, smoothing his fingers over the round buttons as he held a loose grip around the device.
"It's videogame night, you know what that means~"
Alfred broke into a smirk, diving onto the seat next to him as he snatched the hunk of plastic from under his feet.
"You'll crawl into bed with me again, Mattie! You're such a wuss!"
The room erupted in a soft laughter and they threw their fists at each other, tossing harmless swear words from here and there through the long hours of gaming. Alfred shrieked, his breath cut short by the faceless figure that seemingly pounced out of the screen.
" Eeek!"
Matthew rolled his eyes, shoving away from the muscular body that clung to his arm. The TV gave a sickly hiss, its energy leached away as the Canadian's finger pressed down on the bright red button of the remote. Alfred blinked for a moment, the tension leaving his muscles as he relaxed against the smooth leather.
" That was scary..."
" Who's the wuss, now?"
They giggled, whacking each other with cotton-stuffed shapes before their laughter simmered into silence.
" Hey, Al?"
" Hmm?"
" You know Katyusha, right?"
Alfred's ears perked up, the mention of his big-breasted classmate sparking a flame of interest.
" Yeah, what about her?
" I went to her place on Saturday, you know, after the party? We ended up having sex."
The American greened, his face scrunching up at the bitter taste of envy. He held a tight grip on fabric of Matthew's sweater, shaking his boney frame back and forth as the frustration ruptured through his words.
" What?! You got some before me?!"
Matthew smirked, amused by the flowers of jealousy that bloomed within his brother's expression.
" Yep. Before you, Alfred..."
" H-How?! If anyone should get to fuck chicks it should be me!"
"Make your intentions clear, Alfred...Or you'll end up in the friend zone."
Alfred pulled his fingers away from the bright red fabric, his eyes twitching as he fumed angrily.
" It's because you're an asshole...You never look beneath the surface and you're always judging people."
The blonde felt his heart sink, showered with a mix of jealousy and self-doubt as the lights of the apartment room dimmed. His whispers bounced off the four walls, haunting him without mercy as the hands of the clock passed each other again and again and again.
" Alright, time for bed, lad..."
Arthur frowned, pouting as he turned to face the tall Scotsman that stood by the doorway.
" Already? But it's only nine, brother!"
" Come on, I know ye, Arthur...you're tired."
A yawn escaped the brit's lips and he grinned, watching his brother cross the floor and melt into his embrace.
" Yeah, I guess I'm a little sleepy...Just a little, through."
Ian chuckled, his fingers roaming through the golden jungles that grew from Arthur's scalp.
" No, you're really tired..."
A soft blush dusted over Arthur's cheeks, his words jumbled.
" N-No! It was Mr. Bunny yawning!"
The ginger shifted, pulling open the covers as he went to make room for the scrawny boy that came to join him. The day's stress rested a weight on his eyelids, lulling him into a gentle sleep as Arthur lay wide awake.
"Big brother?"
Ian blinked, the exhaustion muffling the words of his brother.
"Hmm?"
"Remember that time I was sick with pneumonia?"
Arthur felt a tear roll down his cheek, the feeling of worthlessness stirring his emotions.
" I remember mum coming home one night and she, tucked me into bed and...gave me a kiss on the forehead. She told me that she loved me and sang me to sleep..."
Ian felt a blade of conflict stab him, the anxiety pooling in his chest as he processed the words that passed through his two ears. It was rare that Arthur spoke like this, and when Arthur had these moments of sudden maturity, it really worried him. The Scotsman remained silent, shocked by the cold vibe of the phrases directed towards him.
" I wonder if that ever actually happened...Maybe I was just so sick that I dreamt it all and I believed it was real..."
A lump of air traveled down his throat, his heart pounding as he waited for Arthur to continue.
" I would've asked her but...I'm afraid the truth will break me."
Ian grit his teeth, piercing through the skin that protected his lips.
"Because if it never really happened...and it was all just a dream, I don't really want to know."
The exhaustion finally took over, sending Arthur down a river of self-pity as he drifted into the blissful world of sleep. Ian pulled the dreaming body up to his firm chest, giving a deep sigh as the memories began rolling again.
" Don't worry, lad...I'm sure mum loved ye."