Disclaimer: Hetalia isn't mine. Never has been, nor will it ever be.

Love Hurts

"He's hurting me."

He hadn't meant to bring it up, but it was too late now. For so long he had hidden it, hidden it all away. But now it had simply popped out. Like those three words weren't what was currently ruining his entire life. Like he hadn't sworn to himself that relationship issues would never leave the house. Or at least, not his.

Alfred had always been to tactless to hide away his issues. And knowing Al as well as he did, he probably didn't want to hide them anyways.

Francis looked rather shocked. "Alfred? I never pictured him as the abusing type. What with the hero complex and all."

"Not physically, god that would be so much easier." He gave a small laugh as his host got up to get more wine for himself.

"Then would you care to explain what you mean?"

"It's my fault really, I made him lose his temper. At first it was just another talk between us. But when he was telling me he felt that I wasn't open enough with him about my feelings I started yelling. I told him everything, or at least I tried to. I mean, you yourself have known me long enough to know I'm not the best when it comes to being honest with my emotions. But Alfred… he coaxed me into letting myself face them head on. And he still thinks I'm keeping them locked up?" His small laugh got a little louder and desperate. It was either laugh or cry. And he had slipped up once by opening up with Francis, he wouldn't mess up a second time.

"That was too much for him though. He called me a liar and left. He just got up and walked out the door. And after that it was too awkward for me, so I just played the silence game. Which was stupid because everyone knows Al can't handle that. So now… now he's leaving me."

"He told you that?" Francis not only knew Arthur long enough to know very well just how badly he lied to himself about his feelings but also how he took things that did hurt, yes, but he held them closer to his heart and allowed them to damage him more then they should.

"No but I can feel it. He says he's just mad and 'needs time to think'. Everybody who's ever been in love before can tell you that that's not a good sign."

That was true, and Francis knew he couldn't lie to Arthur and tell him it wasn't.

"Nobody's ever loved me better then him, Francis. What am I going to do if he leaves me? God it hurts so much just thinking about it…"

"Maybe you should tell him that then. Maybe you should try explaining that you can't have him leave you. That it would hurt you. He's a good kid, I'm sure he won't leave if you just tell him what you told me."

"I can't. 'Please love me! Please need me! I can't be without you Alfred!' That's what it will end up like. It will just be me crying and begging him, and he'll get scared. He might get too scared, he might reject me. And I can't take that. The only thing besides my physical body that hasn't been hurt is my pride. Do you want that to succumb to the pain as well?"

It was with that awkward question that their 'small chat' came to an end and Arthur left.

A/N: It all started with a song... and then another song... and next thing I knew there was this story that you see here. And it's multi-chapter! *gasps*

The next chapter is from Alfred's POV and shall be uploaded tomorrow (it's pre-written and since there are SO many chapters I don't see the harm in close update times).