Welcome to my newest fic! This is a series of one-shots that will be randomly updated! Okay, so you know how everyone LOVES to hurt poor Artie? Well, I do too :D So, here's a oneshot series we can all love!

All stories will involve Arthur and usually Alfred. Most will end with the pairing USUK. So, I hope you enjoy!

Way 1: Fire

Summary: It was supposed to be a drill. It wasn't supposed to happen! Schools didn't burn. And yet, the unthinkable had happened. Now, Alfred must really prove that he is the hero.

Warnings: Yaoi

Words: 2366

Rating: K+

Genrea: Hurt/Comfort, Fluff

It was just a normal day in the small town just outside of San Francisco. The air was warm, but the wind was a little chilly due to the ocean being so close by. The birds were chirping and Spring was well underway.

The students at United Memorial High School came to school that day without a second thought. Sure, one or two tried to fake sick like they did every day. There might have been two who really were sick and didn't come. The only thing that made the students not want to go to school that day was Mrs. Reese's English test and Mr. Shill's suicide History test that were on the same day. Plus, all the drama and social stuff that surrounded every school

Still, there was nothing that would make the day seem out of the ordinary. So, the students came to school with little care.

Now, this school was very culturally diverse. Students from all over the world attended, probably because the cultural center that was San Francisco was so close by. In a single Geometry class, on the top floor—room 227—you could find an America, a Brit, a German and his brother (who claimed to be Prussian), two Italians, a Chinese boy, a French boy, an Austrian, a Russian, a Hungarian, a Swiss, a girl from Lichtenstein, a girl from Belgium, and many more. Oh, and a Canadian, but no one ever remembered him.

The first two—the American and the Brit—were very close. Now, Arthur, the English boy, would deny it, but Alfred, the American, would totally agree with anyone who said they were best friends. Truly, they were, though they fought like a married couple. Some even said they were dating, but they would deny it. Still, they were like black and white, night and day, oil and water. And yet, they were still the best of friends.

On the particular day, a math test was supposed to be underway, but the teacher was late... Again. So the students (especially the males) were taking full advantage of the situation. In short: they were loud.

"I hope she never shows up," Alfred declared.

"You just don't want to take the test because you didn't study, right?" Arthur asked, rolling his bright green eyes.

"No. No I didn't, Artie," Alfred smirked back with confidence that really shouldn't have been there.

"Well, that's your own fault!" the boy glared, "And my name is Arthur, wanker! Not 'Artie!' Now, belt up and fail this test like a man!"

Alfred rolled his eyes, the smirk still present. "Whatever... Artie." His smirk deepened and Arthur audibly growled.

Finally, the teacher bustled into the room, looking frantic. She immediately started passing out the papers, not bothering to take a breath.

"Bollocks! I left my calculator in my locker!" Arthur sighed, "May I got get it?" The teacher nodded and told him to hurry.

Alfred stared blankly at the test in front of him. Nothing. He knew nothing. It looked like just a bunch of letters and numbers mushed together in some stupid soup. He had no clue how to solve anything—not even the problems from the first part of the chapter.

Just as he was about to give up and fill in random answers, a shrill, piercing sound filled the air.

"A fire drill?" the 'Prussian,' Gilbert scowled as everyone stood up. "We had one two weeks ago! And I don't have my sweatshirt. So not awesome!"

The teacher then reminded everyone to be quiet as they filtered out the door. Alfred looked around, glancing down the hallways. He didn't see Arthur anywhere. The Brit had probably gone with another class closer to where his locker was.

Suddenly, there was a yell and the smell of smoke filled the American's nose. Smoke? N-No! There wasn't supposed to be any smoke, right? This was a fire drill. Just a simple, silly fire drill that would get them out of a test... Right? I mean, fires don't really happen, do they? This had to just be a fire drill.

But it wasn't. It was real.

The cool air bit at them and made the students shiver. The wind was blowing the cold ocean air over the school. Few had sweatshirt on as they had left them in their lockers. Alfred shivered and tried to keep close to his Geometry class.

"Guys! Fire!" Elizaveta, the Hungarian girl shouted. Everyone turned and looked where she was pointing. Sure enough, there was smoke coming from the building. A small flame was burning out a few of the windows in different areas. This really wasn't a drill... This was completely real.

"Well... Now we don't have to take that math test," Alfred laughed weakly. The kids nodded reluctantly in some-what of an agreement, but the teacher sent him a glare.

"My iPod is in my locker!" Roderick, an Austrian exchange student shouted.

"Oh darn," Elizaveta sighed, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "All that classical crap down the drain." Roderick glared at her. Really, Elizaveta was just trying to get a rise out of him. She wouldn't deny that she sometimes listened to him play 'classical crap' on the piano in the music room after school.

"The fire department will probably be here soon," a Japanese boy named Kiku said quietly.

"Hopefully..." Alfred breathed. He looked around at all the other classes. Then he noticed the absence of a snarky, but lovable, Brit. Arthur probably would have said something by now, especially at the comment Alfred made about not taking the math test.

"Hey," Alfred started in a calm voice, though a sense of dread was rising. "Where's Artie?" A few people just ignored him or didn't hear, but Alfred's friends turned to him.

"He left at the beginning of class," Elizaveta recalled.

"So, is he with another class?" Kiku asked. They started to look around, but didn't see Arthur in the crowd.

Just as Alfred was about to really freak out, the teacher came over to them looking confused. While she usually looked confused, the students couldn't help but notice what was obviously worry and fear in her eyes.

"Have any of you seen Arthur Kirkland?" she asked, looking at her clipboard with the names.

"We were just wondering the same thing, Sensei," Kiku replied. Because he was from Japan, he tended to address his teachers as 'Sensei.' Some were confused, others just simply didn't care.

"None of the other teachers have him..." the teacher continued, her eyes widening.

Now, Alfred wasn't one for well thought out decisions. He was known for rash, impulsive, stupid choices that could get him killed. Everyone looked at him, knowing what his next words would be.

"I'll be right back," Alfred shouted, bolding for the burning school.

"Alfred-san!" Kiku cried, grabbing his arm. Alfred shook him off and continued to run.

As Alfred ran back into the burning building, he heard people shouting after him. Some told him to get back, others called him idiot. There were only a few that he could pick out who were actually cheering him on.

Bursting through the doors, he was instantly greeted by a wave of heat. His chest clenched at the sudden warmth, but he pressed on. It was hot, very hot. He ran through the halls, not seeing much smoke yet.

"Arthur! Artie! Do you hear me?" he cried, approaching the hall where the British boy's locker was.

Alfred gasped. The whole hall was engulfed in flames. "Arthur!" Alfred cried more frantically. He stopped and shifted on his feet, glancing through the fire and smoke. He didn't see anything, but he had a lingering feeling that someone was down this hall. He didn't have time, though. If there was no one there, he had to check the whole school. There was no telling how long the building would last. The fire was already starting to lick at the supports.

He was about to go to another hall when he heard a small cough. It was soft and had the fire snapped a moment sooner, he would have missed it,

"Hello?" Alfred called timidly, turning back around and facing the burning hall.

There was a pause. Then. "... A-Al?"

"Artie?" Alfred cried. "Where are you?"

"T-The bathroom" he called, chocking and coughing violently. Alfred looked down the hall and noticed that the bathroom was engulfed with smoke, but no flame.

"I'm coming!" Alfred shouted, running through the smoke and bursting into the bathroom. Arthur was against the wall, his hand covering his mouth as he coughed. Alfred ran to him and instantly scooped him up.

"Wha-What are you doing, you idiot! You'll get bloody killed!" Arthur glared, but curled into Alfred's broad chest and coughed.

"I'm saving you!" Alfred responded as he ran out the door. "What happened? Why were you in the bathroom?"

"In the excitement, I got pushed in and hit my head against the blasted wall. When I came to a few moments later, the smoke was already in and I felt fire on the other side of the door."

Alfred nodded as he ran through the school. Arthur's breathing was heavy and laced with pained coughs. "You breathed in a lot of smoke," Alfred commented, "Just hang on." Arthur simply nodded as he felt his eyes grow heavy.

Alfred looked down at him for a moment. "Artie! Don't fall asleep on me," he pleaded, "You've got to stay awake!" He didn't dare say it out loud, but he was afraid that if Arthur fell asleep, he wouldn't wake up again.

Arthur nodded again and tried to stay awake, but his eyes slipped closed and he passed out. Alfred grunted in determination and worry as he quickened his pace. He raced down the hallway, praying that Arthur would be alright.

He hadn't realized how much smoke had been in the building until he was greeted by the fresh air. He took in a grateful and greedy breath of air and ran towards the paramedics as people surged towards them.

In a whirlwind of shouts and people, Arthur was placed on a stretcher and loaded into the ambulance. Alfred jumped in with him at the request of a nurse who saw that they were friends and also wanted to check on Alfred's own injuries if there were any. Alfred swore to himself that he would have found a way in anyway.

As the door closed, he heard the murmurs and whispers, even some shouts from the people outside. Some called him crazy, others called him stupid.

Most called him a hero.

Arthur woke up, feeling pressure on his upper lip. A rush of cool air filled his lungs and he realized that he was breathing. Without even opening his eyes, he could tell that he was lying in a bed. As the events of the day rushed back to him he was able to put two and two together and figured that he was in a hospital.

"Artie...? You awake?" a worried voice asked. Arthur slowly opened his eyes and looked up. After blinking the blurriness away, he saw two bright blue eyes filled with worry looking down at him.

"A-Al?" Arthur started to ask, but he quickly started to couch before he could finish the name. Alfred helped him sit up and patted his back.

"Don't try to talk if it'll push you, dude," Alfred told him as the coughs quieted down. Arthur nodded and looked up at the American. For a moment, he found himself thinking about how handsome the blonde looked. He had a bandage on his upper left cheek, probably covering a burn or scratch. Other than that, he was unharmed. Arthur shook his head, but that caused a wave of dizziness to come over him and he found himself slumped against Alfred's arm. He blushed but didn't move. He probably couldn't have if he wanted to.

"Where's my mum?" Arthur was able to chock out.

"Work," Alfred said softly, "She was here all night, but had to go to work, so I came and stayed with ya. And Peter is downstairs in the cafeteria." Arthur's mom was a single mother of two after her husband died. She had to go to work no matter what everyday to support them.

Arthur nodded and settled back. There were a few minutes of silence aside from the whooshing of the breathing machine, but it wasn't an awkward silence. It was nice; almost peaceful.

"You saved my life," Arthur said quietly, breaking the silence. He blushed and looked away so he didn't have to look at his best friend.

The taller thought for a moment before smiling. "Yeah!" he said. "I guess I did!" Arthur sighed.

"I never thought I'd be in debt to someone like you," the Brit mumbled. Alfred laughed and held Arthur closer. Arthur's cheeks turned as red as humanly possible.

"You don't owe me anything, dude," Alfred laughed. "A hero is a hero for free!" Arthur rolled his eyes. Alfred paused for a moment before smirking a little. "But you know... There is something you could pay me back with..."

"And that is...?" Arthur dared to ask with a groan. Alfred's smirk deepened.

"A kiss," he sang. Arthur glared and Alfred got a pillow to the face so hard it left a mark. But when the pillow left his face, it was replaced by a soft kiss to the lips.

Alfred's eyes widened, realizing that Arthur was kissing him. He then closed them gently and wrapped his arms around the Brit. No, it wasn't the best kiss in the world. The breathing tubes forced Arthur away from the American a bit and it took a few moments for their lips to find the right position. When they did, though, Alfred swore he saw fireworks. Arthur was blushing like mad, but neither wanted the kiss to end.

Finally, Arthur had to break away to prevent coughing again. He took in a deep breath of oxygen and looked up at Alfred. "Happy, 'hero?'" he asked, a small smirk dancing on his lips.

Alfred smiled back and pulled Arthur into a huge, but gentle, hug. "Yes. Yes I am."

This will be updated very irregularly, but please feel free to send in ideas. I have a list made up, but almost nothing written. So, I'm begging you guys for ideas~ Thanks for reading :3 And review, pretty, pretty please if you have time ~