"Okay! Let me set the scene!" Alfred stood in front of the group of children and clapped his hands together to gain their attention. A few giggled at his loud and theatrical manner as they settled onto the floor to stare up at him.
Across the room Arthur was stood smirking slightly at the birthday boy. Alfred felt his heart do a funny little squeeze and he drew himself up a bit more as he started to tell his story.
"So it's a dark night all creepy with loadsa fog. This woman is walking home all by herself in the dark..." Alfred kept going with frequent glances up at Arthur to make sure the older boy was still listening and paying him attention.
Arthur came to his party because they were such great friends, even though Arthur was quite a few years older than him, and when Alfred had rushed up with the invite a couple of weeks ago Arthur had smiled down at him and happily accepted. Now all the adults had left the children to play but for some reason Arthur had remained by the door. Alfred thought he was just shy and didn't want to ask to play with the other kids. He forced himself to turn his attention down to his audience of friends as he got to the important part.
"And just as the bad guys think they got away scot-free the Hero comes swooping in and saves the day!" he added dramatic hand gestures with a huge grin. When he looked back at Arthur expecting the other boy to be smiling with satisfaction and pride (and maybe even a little awe) at Alfred's story, his face fell and his hero pose froze.
Arthur wasn't even watching him anymore. His attention had been diverted to another boy about Arthur's own age. Francis, the oldest son of one of Alfred's mum's friend. Instead of listening to Alfred, Arthur was talking to the other boy with a slight frown which dissolved into a grin at something the French boy said. He laughed and leant back against the wall facing Francis.
Alfred's audience meanwhile had grown bored of sitting still and all clambered to their feet at the abrupt end of the story. squealing they ran in all directions calling to Alfred trying to get his attention. Alfred ignored them and decided to go to Arthur's rescue. It was obvious to Alfred that Arthur was not happy with his current company and was just waiting to be saved by Alfred, after all he had been frowning unhappily a second ago.
"Hey Arthur!" he grinned as he reached the two much taller boys.
"Hey Al." Arthur barely spared him a glance as he patted Alfred's head absently. "So what if she said that, I really don't think I'm going to go." he continued his conversation with Francis.
Alfred pouted slightly at the easy way he had been ignored.
"Arthuuuur." he whined.
"Hang on a sec Alfred." he again barely looked down at Alfred, "Are you going to go?"
"Of course I am copain," Francis glanced quickly down at the seven year old before grinning, "There are going to be girls at this party and I think Gil's bringing a little something that always goes down well with girls at parties. No way am I gonna miss that."
Alfred stared up at them wondering what they were talking about. Was Arthur going to someone elses birthday party today? He wouldn't abandon Alfred today of all days right?
Arthur rolled his eyes at Francis. "Whatever. I'm still not going. What Alfred!" this last part was angrily directed down at the boy who was now tugging on his sleeve in an attempt to gain his attention again.
"Arthur were you listening earlier? Coz when I looked over you didn't seem to be paying attention." he glared up at Francis who raised a mildly amused eyebrow at the bold child.
"Yes, yes. It was very good Al. Hey why don't you go play with your friends hey?" Arthur tried to push him in the direction of the screaming children but it didn't seem to have any affect. No matter what was going on around him Alfred never seemed to quite read the hints and social cues.
"I am playing with my friend. Hey Arthur lets go over there. You can't come." he added to Francis moodily. He tugged once more on Arthur's sleeve trying to forcibly drag him away.
Arthur sighed and allowed himself to be dragged over to the pile of toys Alfred had indicated. Francis followed along behind to Alfred's annoyance.
They played for a while, Arthur felt quite embarrassed to be playing with such a young child's toys with his fourteen year old peer watching with a teasing glint in his eye. After a while Alfred got up and rushed off to the other side of the room for something.
"Remind me why you forced me to come to a seven year old's birthday party on a perfectly sunny Saturday afternoon when I could have been just about anywhere else?" Francis asked with only a half joking sigh.
"Oh come on it's not that bad. Free food right?" Arthur sighed as well as he chucked the toy he was examining back down on the pile. "My mum told me I had to come and help out. It's not like I wanted to be stuck watching over a bunch of little kids on my weekend either you know. If I have to suffer through this tedious party then I'm making you suffer too." they grinned at each other and continued to banter blessedly unaware that behind them a birthday boy had come to a halt in his excited run across the room just behind them.
Alfred clutched his newest comic to his chest as he felt a horrible feeling burn through him. It started in his stomach and spread throughout his body until even his cheeks and ears burned with it. Alfred couldn't understand all the words they used, the way Arthur had said 'tedious' though made Alfred want to cry. So Arthur didn't want to be here at all? Unable to really think anymore, Alfred dropped his comic and ran out the room and up the stairs to his bedroom.
"This is all stupid Francis' fault!" he shouted into his pillow before the tears broke free and tumbled from his eyes into the pillow where they soaked into the fabric. A while later a quiet knock broke through his muffled sobs. He stopped briefly in response to the familiar coded rap he and Arthur had come up with years ago. His anger resurfaced quickly pushing his surprise away.
"Go away!" he yelled into his pillow.
"Alfred?" the door opened slowly to reveal Arthur's worried face.
"Go away!" he screamed at his friend throwing his pillow at Arthur's face. He was so upset his face was a bright red and his eyes were sore from his tears as he glared at Arthur.
"What's wrong mate?" Arthur asked confused about Alfred's behaviour.
"You're not my 'mate'! I hate you!" Alfred jumped off his bed and ran at Arthur who was too slow to stop the boy flying into him and proceeding to beat him with tiny fists.
"Ow, hey Alfie, stop it! Come on what's wrong?" Arthur tried unsuccessfully to untangle himself from Alfred's angry punches.
"I. Hate. You." each yell was punctuated with a fist to the chest.
Arthur winced in pain and pulled away. Alfred stood watching him, gasping for breath a tiny glare masking the hurt he felt at the betrayal of his best friend.
Arthur, completely nonplussed took a step back just as their Mum's came running in.
"Alfred, what's wrong!" his mother fussed running to envelope her son in a hug.
"Make him go. I hate him mommy." Alfred sobbed into her arms. His mother looked back at Arthur who shrugged in confusion.
"I found him crying and he started yelling. I don't get it."
The women shared a look and Arthur's mum looped her arms around her son.
"Come on, I think it's best if we leave Artie. Francis is waiting downstairs for us, let's go home." she nodded goodby to her friend as she lead him from the room.
In his mother's arms Alfred sobbed again as fresh tears fell down his cheeks.
No one knew what had happened that afternoon. Alfred never told anyone, he didn't want to admit the hurt and embarrassment he had felt when his little heart had been broken by his closest friend. After that day he rarely saw Arthur Kirkland and when he did, Alfred did his best to walk on by and ignore the older boy.
New story, human AU mostly from Alfred's perspective probably. It kind of seems childishly written at the moment, hopefully this reflects Alfred's age? Whatever.
Oh, not really to do with this story at all, I just wanted to thank everyone who read and reviewed or favourited or followed my first story. It made me so happy for those responses. Yeah. So umm, thanks again and bye. :)