A Word From the Author: I must say, I'm quite the hardcore fan of the Arthur Kirkland X Alfred F. Jones (UK X US) pairing. Quite honestly, I'm really nervous about publishing my first fanfic, but I might as well. I've pretty much went into the insane asylum when I wrote this. Ohohoho~ Kidding. Actually I stayed up a whole night to write this story when I didn't intend to. I do not blame anyone for being unable to understand my writing. Especially since I'm really terrible with grammar and lack a wide range of vocabulary. Nevertheless, I hope all you viewers enjoy this one shot. If I were to go on any further, I'm afraid I'll soil this story, which I prefer not to. I hope I can gain much encouragement and help with grammar corrections from now on. Please and thank you.
With Winter's Touch, I Feel Your Warmth
By Lady Madquida
"That's it, Arthur! I'm leaving," Alfred pouted as he slammed the door behind him. He then shoved his hands into the pocket of his pants to reveal a clump of keys. His arms struggled between hiding the tears welling up from his eyes and jabbing each key one by one into the the car lock. All he wanted to do was to get out of this place. Away from that guy. By the time Alfred could open the car door, the door he once closed was immediately swung open by Arthur who was obviously fuming from frustration, but there was something behind those green eyes that revealed a tint of guilt and regret. "I don't need someone like you either, you bloody git," Arthur shouted out before Alfred slammed the car door and drove off in a rush without looking back. "Good riddance..."
Alfred soon regretted driving his car out and about without remembering to take his jacket along with him. The winter's cold crept upon him mercilessly. "C-Cold," The blond bit his lips and observed his surroundings. The only thing he saw was traffic and the airport was still miles away. Alfred cursed under his breath since he was stuck outside in the middle of winter. "This is all Arthur's fault," He muttered as he rested his head lightly on the wheel and huffed short breaths of air.
Beep! Beep! The sound of car honks filled the air and forced Alfred to instantly shoot up from his small doze. Alfred panicked until he calmed himself down and concluded that the honking came from the other lane. He gave a sigh of relief since there was no trouble, but that was the least of his future worries. After a few seconds, a pair of dull blue eyes were staring at the same blocked road in front of him, only something was different. The roads began to bend and twist on their own and everything else was getting blurry. With much effort, Alfred shook off the eerie feeling and hugged himself to keep warm, "It's so cold..."
Steam danced out from the freshly brewed tea as it was being poured into an antique-looking tea cup. The teapot settled on the table with a Clang!, but the blond paid no mind to it because his mind was fully occupied. "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Hamburger loving idiot," Arthur cursed a few times before taking a sip of tea. "Ah! Damn..." It was still hot. Placing the tea cup down, he found himself staring blankly at the same old ceiling of his house with his hands scratching the back of his head. Not even freshly brewed Earl Grey tea made him feel any better. How did this happen, the Britain sighed in thought and recollected what happened earlier.
"Where did you go," a voice demanded. Arthur turned around to find Alfred's deep blue eyes gazing straight at his own forest green ones. "Nowhere of the sort. It's late. Go to bed," he excused himself while trying to loosen his black tie. In a blink of an eye, the man was shoved to the wall and faced an American demon. "Arthur, I'm serious. Where do you go every night? Whenever I come home, you're not there and I'm worried. I mean, what if a hero like me isn't there to protect you," Alfred's frown immensely increased with the prolonged silence.
"Where I go is of no concern to you. I'm old enough to take care of myself. Besides, you probably just want me back because you're afraid of the ghosts that will come to get you," Arthur shot back in his monotone voice. "Now if you'll excuse me. I'm tired Alfred and I want to go to bed." If only Alfred could notice the small details, but then again, he was probably the most dense there ever was. There were deep bags under Arthur's eyes and it was in plain sight that the poor chap was struggling to keep his eyes open.
"I'm not afraid of ghosts! And monsters... And... Vampires... But that's besides the point! You haven't answered my question and you can't leave until you do!"
"... Very well... Have it your way. Work kept me late."
"What kind of work?"
"You already have your answer, Alfred. Now let me-" Before Arthur could finish, Alfred sealed his mouth with a forceful kiss. "What are... You! Nhnn... Doing?" Truth be told, the Britain did enjoy this sign of affection, which he hadn't had for weeks. Mustering whatever strength he had left, Arthur pushed Alfred away and glared at him. "You bloody wanker... You happy now," Arthur hissed and began heading towards his room. It's already late into the night and the fatigue placed Arthur in a fowl mood. If only Alfred would just understand that and leave him alone for today.
"Arthur... Arthur," Alfred whimpered as tears began to form around the corner of his eyes. Clenching his fists, the blond stomped quickly towards the door, but halted to face his lover once last time. "Britannia! I hate you! You promised not to ever leave me again and now you're doing it again! You lair," Alfred yelled with much disdain. Arthur halted in his tracks when he heard his former name,"Britannia". It displeased him greatly since it reminded him of the lost glory days he once had and now even more that it came from none other than his Alfred. "Alfred. We promised not to mention that name. Stop acting like a child and go to bed," the Britain ordered. "Stop being an idiot and turning this situation into one of your bloody Hollywood dramas."
"That's it, Arthur! I'm leaving," Alfred pouted as he slammed the door behind him...
Pacing back and forth, Arthur kept glancing back from the clock to the door. "What am I doing," The blond questioned himself and rubbed his temples. The guilt was consuming him and the wait was making him even more anxious. "Why today? Why now," he sighed and glanced back at the door again. Wait, the Britain paused. Something caught his attention... Something brown that rested on the cream colored sofa and clearly stuck out like a sore thumb. It couldn't be, Arthur reasoned to himself, but it was no use in denying it. It was Alfred's bomber jacket. He felt his pulse slowly accelerated as everything started to click into place. Alfred drove off with an used, old rental car, left his jacket, and probably slipped into the garden sandals, which is a really stupid thing to do in the middle of winter in England. Then again, he shan't also forget that Alfred wasn't the smartest out there either... "It's no wonder how he got into the car so bloody fast," Arthur commented. After a moment of silence, a pair of emerald eyes immediately widen and tremble with fear. "No... Alfred! That stupid git," the Britain clenched his teeth and raced out of the house. Knowing Alfred for so long, he knew that idiot couldn't stand the cold one bit and if he couldn't reach him... He really didn't want to think about it.
"Oh look... It's snowing," Alfred mumbled as his eyes turned dimmer as time went by. Every breath he took became increasingly difficult as the air temperature grew colder. To make matters worse, the car gave away, which placed the blond in the situation he was in now. Stuck in a car parked at the side of the highway. With whatever strength he could find, Alfred searched for a phone to use and call some car company to come pick him up. Unfortunately, there wasn't any sighting of a phone booth around. "Ah. I know. I'll just use my cellphone," Alfred reached for his pocket, but no luck. "Tch... I forgot it's in my bomber jacket. Damn it..."
Even if the poor guy want to get out of the car to find a phone, Alfred knew he couldn't. If he stepped out into the cold now, he'll definitely just freeze all over and drop dead into the snow. "Why is it so fuckin' cold," the blond cursed as he turned his attention to the front mirror of the car. Many cars have passed by and the chances of one stopping would be zero. Alfred laughed at the fact that soon the agony would be over and his body would naturally go numb. In this moment of defeat against winter, Alfred allowed the heavy burden on his eye lids to just disappear as he drifted off to sleep. He didn't care about what would happen to him anymore. After all, his lover didn't care about him either...
"Where am I," Alfred looked around the place. He wasn't in that damn freezing car and was wearing his usual, proper attire. Despite the fact he wasn't in the hell of a freezer, Alfred still felt cold for some odd reason. Every corner of the area was white, pure white, and he was all alone. That is until a small voice called out from behind him, "Bwig bwotha?" Turning around, he found something astonishingly surprising in the lonely atmosphere. The little boy tugged on Alfred's bomber jacket and asked again,"Do you know where my big brother is?"
Gripping the wheel tightly, Arthur quickly drove out of the driveway as fast as he could. "Knowing that idiot, he'll make a break for it to the airport," he reassured himself and scanned the roads as calmly as he could. After all, if he panicked, he'll never be able to find Alfred as quickly as he wanted. "... You better be alive... Dammit... The snow is getting worse," Arthur said quietly as he bit his lips.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know where your big brother is," Alfred smiled his brilliant and famous goofy smile. The kid stared down at the ground with dissatisfaction and a pout formed on his lips. "Hey... Um," Alfred tried to make a conversation. "How about we look for him together? After all, I'm a hero and always there for the needy! Unlike someone I know..."
"Really? Thank you, mister," the boy returned a smile. "Um... Mister, who is that someone you know?"
"Huh? What? That someone," Alfred scratched his head for a bit and replied. "Actually, I don't know who that person is myself. Haha... Anyway, let's start walking that way."
"You mean towards those golden fields?"
"What are you talking about? There's nothing..." Before Alfred could continue speaking, he soon realized that both the kid and he was standing on a golden field that seemed to stretch endlessly for miles and miles. Above them was a clear blue sky that welcomed the sunshine that gave the fields below its gloss. "Never mind... I guess you're right. Well, let's go."
After walking for awhile, the conversation between Alfred and the kid continued. "So... What's your big brother like," Alfred asked out of curiosity. "Is he like a hero who saves you from all the bad things?"
"Hm... I guess you can say that. My big brother is really nice. He feeds me and plays with me, but sometimes he can be a bit of a nag," the kid replied. "For example, he would always complain about me being dirty, not obeying the rules, and a bunch of other stuff."
"Wow... He must be a stick-in-the-mud."
"Yeah... He is, but I don't hate him because I love him so much."
"Haha. I hear you, kid. You already told me a bunch of times. To a point where I want to cry..."
"Hey, mister. Do you have someone you love?"
"Me? Well... I... I don't exactly remember... To be honest, I don't know. Funny, huh?"
"You're weird, mister. Haha. You know, in my life, there are two things I want to forget, but I doubt I will be able to forget them."
"What would those two things be?"
"My brother's awful cooking," the boy laughed joyfully until the laughter died down. A frown then formed on the boy's lips as his blue eyes turn icy cold and hurt with pain. "And... The big fight I had with my brother." In a blink of an eye, Alfred found himself alone in a place of desolation and destruction, where only corpses exists and the smell of iron was strong. "Why? Why? Why? Why! Why! WHY,"The cries echoed into his mind and corrupted his thoughts. His right hand clutched his stomach and the other covered his mouth. The blond closed his eyelids tightly and felt like he wanted to puke. There was this agonizing pain in his stomach that made him remember. The deaths. The screams. The tears...? Was he crying? No... It was someone else's tears, but who? Who did it belong to? Alfred opened his eyes slowly and found a lone person on the ground along with a new found tug on his heart. The guy was soaked to the bones and the coat he wore was soiled from the mud and blood stains. "Hey... Are you okay," he asked and reached for this person, but that person only slapped his hand away. Despite the fact that Alfred couldn't see his face because of the dirty blond locks, he could still feel the strong malice meant for him. "Don't touch me traitor," the person spoke with a hoarse voice. Was he crying?
Alfred couldn't understand why, but a burning hatred grew inside of him when he heard those words coming from that person's mouth. " You... You have no right to call me a traitor! The traitor is you! You! You left me all alone! You always promised to come back to me soon, but you never did! I waited for you... I waited and waited and waited and waited and waited! But you never came back! You are the traitor! The lair! You! You! I hate you! I hate you... You," Alfred felt salty drops sliding down his cheeks and into his mouth. "Who are you?" All in that moment, he felt despicable and wanted to just disappear. I... I didn't do anything wrong, but why? Why does it... Ache, the blond rolled into a ball and sobbed.
"Hey, sir. Why are you here crying when the ocean view is beautiful," a young man sat down by Alfred and stared out into the rich blue of the sea. The seagulls soared in the sky freely and called out to each other like they were merrily playing around with the sky as their entire playground. The golden sun was reaching the edge of the world and disappearing into the ocean little by little. Enabling the night to fall gently and embrace the world in darkness. "What? Oh," the blond quickly wiped his tears and blushed a bit of embarrassment since heroes don't cry in public. "Actually... I don't know. I really don't know..."
"Really? Hm... You know, I have always wanted to ask. Why did you choose the ocean?"
"What?"
"Why did you choose to come to the ocean?"
"Well... That's because I wanted to expand my borders and see the rest of the land. The ocean just means I've reached my goal and-"
"Liar. That's not why you came to this ocean."
"Haha. It's not a lie. It's the honest truth."
"Sir, I'm afraid you're confused. This is eastward. Not westward. You miss him, huh?"
"Wait... What? Miss who?"
"Haha... You don't have to deny it. I miss mine too. My big brother."
"I don't understand..."
"What in bloody hell do you mean you don't? You, git," a voice called out to Alfred. It was so familiar yet so distant at the same time. He couldn't move. His heart was trembling with fear? No, it was joy. He could feel his pulse racing and his throat turning dry. Who in the world could make him feel this way?
Feeling a tap on the shoulder, the young man smiled a similar brilliant and famous goofy smile at him. "Looks like you found him. Or rather, he found you. Your big brother? Your lover? No, your hero..."
Alfred could feel someone shaking him, very violently. He could have sworn he was also smacked around a couple of times too, but then again he was so numb he couldn't feel anything. "Al... Alfre... Alfred! Alfred," he heard someone calling to him. Subconsciously, a small smile formed on the boy's face. He knew who the voice belonged to and strangely, the cold didn't feel cold at all...
"Tch... No response. I've got to get him to some heat and fast. Come on you bloody wanker," Arthur pulled Alfred out of the old rental car and into his own car with a decent heater. The struggle was difficult considering the terrible blizzard and Alfred's heavy weight, but Arthur miraculously managed to get both into his car before the real disaster occurred. After he turned on the heater to full blast, the Britain sat by Alfred's side in the back and felt the warmth coming back to his unconscious companion. Pulling out Alfred's bomber jacket from the front seat, Arthur covered Alfred as best as he could and waited for him to wake up. He could have drove the both of them home, fixed some decent soup, and nursed Alfred back to health. However, he didn't want to break his promise to his America again. This time, he will stay by his side and be there when he has awaken. It amazed Arthur that his little America have finally told him his true feelings after all these years. "Stubborn idiot," the Britain chuckled and stroked Alfred's hair that were similar to his own.
"Who's an idiot," a muffled voice replied to Arthur's comment. "That can't be me since I'm a hero..."
"For someone who is sick, just shut up," Arthur looked away to hide a steam of red making its way to his cheeks.
"Haha... I'm sorry."
"..."
"Hey, Arthur?"
"... Yeah?"
"I'm still cold."
"You'll just have to wait until your body adjusts to the heat."
"... Arthur, I'm cold. I'm not just cold. I'm super cold."
"Okay. Okay, already. Sheesh. What to you want me to do?"
"Find some way to warm me up. I'm still freezing."
"That's your fault for driving away without preparing to head out."
"That was your fault. You wouldn't even tell me why you keep going out so late."
"You-," Arthur almost shouted, but refrained from doing so because he knew that this would happen all over again. "... I was out late because... Because... I was working to earn enough money to buy this for you... Happy now?" Alfred instantly sat up and stared at Arthur who was completely red and obviously turning away from Alfred to hide the humiliation. Speechless, Alfred blushed and stared at the precious metal with two, recognizable names, "So... You weren't cheating on me?"
"What in bloody hell? Why would I cheat on you," Arthur replied, flabbergasted.
"I don't know... I love you, Arthur."Alfred smiled his best smile and hugged his Arthur with much content.
"I... I love you too,"The Britain made out a small smile and eventually returned the hug, which made them both warm.
The flames burned brightly in the fireplace and kept the house quite warm. Earlier, darkness was consuming the place since the lights have already died out when the couple reached home. Luckily, Arthur still kept the fireplace when he remodeled the house. Of course, Alfred objected to keeping it at the time since he believed it was old-fashioned and didn't match with the rest of the house. The ending result was weeks and weeks of bickering between the both of them.
Neither of them said a word as they sat next to each other on the couch, which have been moved near the fireplace. "Hey, Arthur," Alfred interrupted the moment and leaned closer to place his head on his lover's shoulder. Both have never been happier as they kept their fingers intertwined with each other. "What is it this time," Arthur glanced towards the other blond.
"I'm still cold. Warm me up."