KM De-anon: Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Prompt: "America/Any - America is Resigned to Bad Relationships"
That is, he's resigned to the fact that people seem to only want to be with him when they want something from him. This bothers Nation A when he (or she!) finds out, so they set about trying to woo America in order to show him what a good relationship's like and in the process discover the parts of him he usually keeps hidden. The only two pairings I don't want are rusame, which I'm not overly fond of, and usuk, because I really want some over-protective big brother England looking out for America. Although, okay, my firstborn for Scotland, but really, it doesn't matter!
Original: [link]
Notes: For a prompt about a month old. It seemed a pity to let the prompt go unfilled… I wish I'd had time to write a long fill for it. Ah well.
"Heh," Alfred said, shaking his head. "I thought I believed in romance, you know? But every time there was a catch—'Al, can you fix my car?' or 'Al, could you spot me thirty bucks?'—and then they'd dump me. I don't think I'm the sort of person people want to be around long-term."
Lovino flinched, stung.
"That can't be right," Lovino said. He gestured at Al's toned body, not quite finding the words he was looking for, but Al just shook his head again.
"I can get all of the one-night stands a guy could ask for," Al said. "But I'm just not cut out for a relationship."
This didn't sit well with Lovino. He'd almost given up on romance himself—he knew what it was like for someone to take and take in a relationship, what it was like to not be liked for being himself. It just hadn't occurred to him that Al would have that sort of problem. He was brash and maybe a little full of himself at times, but jaded and bitter? Lovino frowned at his ceiling.
He was supposed to be one of the greatest romancers around. Surely he could change Al's mind.
"Dinner and a movie?" Al said, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "That sounds like a date to me."
"How about a concert, then?" Lovino suggested. "That band you like is coming to town, right?"
Al bit his lip, nodding.
"Give me a chance, okay?" Lovino said. Al shrugged.
"All right," he said. "I'll go order the tickets."
"I bought them already," Lovino said. When Al raised an eyebrow at him, he sighed. "I was going to surprise you with them at dinner."
The expression that crossed Al's face was less guarded than before—still hesitant, but curious.
"Sure," he said. "Dinner, a movie, and a concert."
"My treat," Lovino insisted. His expression was serious. Skepticism glinted in Al's eyes, but he shrugged.
"If you insist."
Lovino had intended to go out of his way to make the date as perfect as possible, but he got caught in the rain, a stranger spilled coffee on his suit, and the subway door bit him as he tried to get off. He was bedraggled and limping when he finally made it to the restaurant.
When he got there, Al was already waiting. He took one look at Lovino before worry flooded his face.
"I'm okay!" Lovino said, holding up his hands and panting. "Sorry that I'm running a little late," he said. He held out a crushed box, trying to smile. "I—I brought you a present?"
Al took it, still looking concerned. Unwrapping it, he pulled out a flash drive and glanced at Lovino.
"I had a bunch of ebooks," Lovino said, feeling suddenly flustered. Al had mentioned getting an ereader; Lovino had tried to find as many books as he thought Al might enjoy onto the flash drive. "You don't have to like them."
Al pocketed the flash drive and grinned.
"Thanks," he said. "That was pretty thoughtful of you."
As it turned out, Al was an excellent date; he kept up a good conversation at the dinner table, and he kept quiet during the movie itself. At the end of the night, Lovino's ankle was so sore that he couldn't hide his limp, so Al gave him a piggyback ride all the way home.
"Concert's at eight, right?" Al asked, setting Lovino down.
"Yeah," he said. "I'll meet you at the entrance before it starts."
It was the first of many dates. Lovino had been wrong about Al; he wasn't full of himself—he used self-effacing humor and more sarcasm than Lovino would ever have guessed. He was never late, either, even on short notice. When he gave presents, they were always things that Lovino wanted or needed, and they were usually handmade.
It made Lovino want to throttle the idiots who'd trampled on Al's heart. How could they not see what was right in front of their f***ing eyes? Al was an awesome boyfriend. He was loving and caring and even when he was overexuberant, it was always pretty obvious that he hadn't meant any harm. (Although getting serenaded from his front yard with a boombox had been a touch over the top.)
Who could have ever found it in them to hurt him when he trusted them so wholeheartedly?
Lovino dropped his fork, not even noticing the clatter. It hit him so suddenly that he felt stunned: somewhere along the way, he had completely forgotten that he was dating Al to teach him what a good relationship could be. As some point, he'd lost track of it all—and he'd really fallen for him.
"Do—" Lovino choked on the question, then closed his eyes and tried again. "Al, do you like dating me?"
"Of course I do, Lovi," he said. Lovino knew that concern—Al was getting the urge to Fix Things. "What's the matter?"
"I just," Lovino swallowed hard. "I just realized that I love you."
Al stared at him for a moment, then smiled at Lovino so fondly that Lovino's heart melted a little.
"It's hard to believe that, a year ago, I wouldn't have believed you," Al sighed. He reached across the table to take Lovino's hand and squeeze it. "I love you, too."