Song and a Ship request: UkUs to the song I Want You To Know by Zedd featuring Selena Gomez
I would suggest reading the wikipedia page to this song as well as watching the music video AND paying attention to the lyrics as I pulled details from everywhere.
Also, if you don't like seeing France in a bad light, I would suggest not reading this. He was just a tool I used to create conflict this time. I tried to avoid making it directly known it's him, but that's who I'm imagining honestly. Sorry for giving it away, but I wanted people to know.
I have the smut portion separated. I will post on Tumblr where they don't care because apparently they don't like it on this site? (when that happened, I have no clue because I read smutty crap on here all the time)
I'm basing suave Arthur off of people like Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston. Also, Alfred is a virgin. Because really. With the abysmal education in the US, he was probably taught abstinence.
The music blared into Arthur's ear, making his head pound as he tried to make his way past the throng of people, but the crowd was unyielding as they enjoyed themselves and danced to the music, completely oblivious to their surroundings and the fact that Arthur was trying to push through.
He should have known better than to confront the man with the blonde ponytail who had grabbed his ass not five minutes ago. Having not been in a relationship for a while and it had been an immediate reaction to turn around and tell the bloody git off. It hadn't occurred to Arthur that the guy might then try to continue his advances resulting in a battle of wits which ended when Arthur said that he was there with someone much more interesting than ponytail head to which the man had pointed out that Arthur was now in fact standing alone.
Alfred had run off.
Arthur knew immediately what had happened. When the man with the ponytail had started boldly flirting with Arthur, he'd completely dropped his attention on Alfred giving him time to slip away. What he didn't know was what had upset him and caused him to run out.
He pushed past a group of people, rolling his eyes as one of them started grinding up against him. Suddenly, he felt a large pair of powerful hands on his shoulders. They guided him through the crowd and brought him to a quieter part of the dance floor, closer to the exit.
"What happened?" It was Ivan, the guy who had originally set Arthur up on a date with Alfred a month or so ago.
"I don't know, he ran off! This pervert grabbed my ass and distracted me. Something I said to him must have upset Alfred, but I wasn't paying attention. Did you see which way he went?"
"Yeah, he ran out the door." Ivan pointed to the exit that was closest to them.
"Thank you! I'll fix this." Arthur really didn't want to upset Alfred. The poor boy acted all tough, but he had this inferiority complex and Arthur knew that it sometimes got the better of him. Like the time Ludwig picked on Alfred for being a messy eater. Alfred acted like it didn't matter towards Ludwig, but when they had gotten home, he'd poured a tidal wave of insecurities onto Arthur which he attempted and make better. In all honesty, Arthur didn't mind the boy's manners at all. He was polite and said "yes sir" and "yes ma'am" to strangers as he waved and smiled at them. Arthur always greeted people politely, but the way Alfred did it always seemed to brighten people's day. So what if he sometimes got a little ketchup on his chin. He ate so much and so quickly anyway, but that was because he worked out so much and was just always hungry.
Alfred just couldn't see that he was perfect the way he was. He sometimes saw the joy he brought to others, but often took it for granted. And Arthur had been there to point it out later when he needed it. Actually, Arthur didn't understand why Alfred didn't think as much of himself as he boasted to the outside world sometimes. Maybe he wasn't as quick witted as some people, but there was a charm about Alfred that Arthur loved more than anything. It was so genuine. So pure. Arthur doubted he'd meet someone who wanted to please others as much as Alfred did.
Without Alfred, Arthur wouldn't have ever thought about going to a gay dance club. But, it had been fun showing off his dancing skill. What sort of gentleman didn't know how to dance anyway? Alfred had a more enthusiastic approach. In the end, Arthur's skill combined with Alfred's emotion had brought a new life to dancing which Arthur found highly engaging and pleasantly entertaining. Even if they were at a tacky loud club with bright lights.
Arthur finally managed to break free of the club and stepped outside into the cool night air. He looked around frantically in search of his blonde boyfriend.
He saw Alfred's signature stray blonde hair above some pedestrians on the sidewalk. How he managed to make that thing stick up like it did every day and yet still make it look attractive, Arthur would never know. He ran towards the blonde hair as fast as allowable in the still crowded street. The single lock of hair bounced slowly up and down.
"Alfred!" Arthur shouted, trying to get the man's attention.
The crowd broke enough and Arthur caught a glimpse of Alfred's face as he turned towards him. The dejected look gripped at Arthur's heart. He kept jogging until he had caught up with Alfred.
Arthur came to a stop a meter or so from Alfred, his lungs burning from the cool air and the slight unexpected exertion. He took a moment to catch his breath. The pained look in Alfred's eyes was breaking his heart. What on earth had happened to upset him this much? Arthur swallowed as he prepared himself for the story.
"What's wrong, Alfred?" Arthur asked as gently as he could, given the fact that he was breathing slightly harder than normal. Alfred looked Arthur full in the face, pain and agony washing over Arthur as Alfred inhaled sharply so he could talk.
"It's just, you were smiling when you were telling that man off. Almost like you liked it." Alfred looked at his feet as he said the words, embarrassment covering his face now as a small blush touched his cheeks.
"Alfred, no! I mean, sure it's nice to have attention, even if the stranger is out of line. But why would I prefer that guy over you?" At that, Alfred's blush deepened. Arthur held his breath waiting for a response.
"Because…because I don't always know what I'm doing. I've never…." He didn't have to finish. Arthur knew where this was going.
"Alfred, it doesn't matter to me that you're inexperienced. I don't like you for those reasons. I like you because you're fun to be around and you make people around you happy wherever you go! Sure, you're silly sometimes, but we all need more of that in our lives. I'd much rather wait until you're ready than try and force things. I want to be with you! I can wait for the rest."
They'd had this conversation before. Arthur was dying to get the idea through Alfred's head that it was perfectly fine that he'd never done anything intimate with anyone before. But when Alfred found out how many people Arthur had been with, it had slowly started to eat away at his self-confidence. However, Arthur didn't quite understand why Alfred didn't believe he was willing to wait for him.
It took Alfred a few moments before he spoke again. The pain had still not left his eyes even after Arthur's words though. "It's just, I've been left before for this you know."
That was not something Arthur had heard before. "What do you mean?"
"I dated one other person before you. I know I never told you. I don't like to talk about it…."
"Alfred, it's OK. Whatever happened, I'm not them!"
"But what if you get tired of waiting too? What if I lose you because I can't come to grips with the last relationship?"
It wasn't totally making sense to Arthur. The new information was clearly the key to getting Alfred to stop fretting, but tonight was not the time to confront these fears directly. Arthur knew Alfred could suck it up for a little while. Maybe Arthur would get a small chance to prove that he wanted to be there too.
"Hey, don't worry about that for now. Look, if it makes you feel any better, I was a virgin once too. I do know how scary the first time can be." Finally Alfred looked Arthur in the eyes. The deep blue sparkled in the faint flashing lights of nearby clubs as he dared to hope that maybe Arthur was telling the truth.
"You mean it?"
"Of course I do. I'd rather it be pleasant for you anyway. I will wait as long as it takes." At that moment, Arthur felt a raindrop fall onto his nose. "Now come on. We've got to show that blonde ass-grabber what we're made of." It was easy to lead Alfred to a challenge where he'd gladly follow.
"Oh alright. Can I try a lift though?" The light of excitement returned to Alfred's eyes at the thought of showing off. The skies rumbled in the distance.
"Umm, how about we practice that somewhere not in public first."
Arthur led Alfred back onto the dancefloor, guiding him with a steady hand. Once they were back inside, Arthur turned to face Alfred who's gigantic, crowd pleasing grin was back in place. Let's show them what we've got this time.
It started off slow, with both of Alfred's hands in Arthur's own. At first, Arthur spent the time guiding Alfred through the motions, leading him through the steps of the dance. It didn't take Alfred long to figure out the steps, which amazed Arthur. It had taken him a full week to learn the basics of the Lindy Hop. But dancing probably came more naturally to those who were more in tune with their emotional side. Especially if they were bright and cheerful like Alfred normally was.
They began rotating a little more quickly, Arthur letting go of one of Alfred's hands and swinging him in wild circles. Alfred had a look of utmost joy as they picked up the tempo, beginning to match the beat of the song. Once Alfred had gotten the hang of the basic step, Arthur began to kick his legs, making Alfred's face light up even brighter, if it were possible, as he tried to imitate Arthur. A giddy feeling started to form in sync with Arthur's heartbeat. He spun Alfred around with a flourish, causing the man to start laughing which sent Arthur's heart into a flurry. He lived for that laugh.
Arthur loved the Lindy Hop. It was an excellent way to dance with someone in public. He was used to seeing the awful grinding that the kids did nowadays. Could you really call that dancing? This was a much more mindful task, making the leader aware of their partner so they created intricate patterns over a wide area of the floor. There were some things the Americans actually did get right. Like Alfred.
A quick glance over into the crowd and Arthur saw the man that had grabbed his ass, slack jaw and staring at the two of them. That's right, eat your words, ponytail. My date is better than you'll ever be.
The Lindy Hop is an American dance that was started because of Jazz and it can be danced to anything in 4/4 rhythm. I actually watched a video of people dancing this way as I listened to the song at the same time, I just turned off the sound to the video of the dancers.
Just as a note, I do have an idea of who Alfred was dating the first time and what happened, but I figured it'd be better not to include it since I'd probably make some people mad. For the record it was Ivan. But clearly Ivan isn't mad at Aflred. I have a feeling that Ivan probably did something that scared Alfred. Maybe he was too pushy. Anyway, they broke up and Ivan set Alfred up with Arthur unbeknownst to Alfred. Clearly, he's not all that bad.
As for France. I do apologize. He'd have his own story. May as well fall in love with Matthew if we're doing UsUk here, Franada fits. So Matthew probably teaches Francis to be less of a crude pervert. End up with the characters as they are now.