Disclaimer:
I do not own Hetalia.
Note: I would be using their character
names, mostly. I'm not really sure if this is really an AU type of
fic or something else, but this was meant to be an AU fic. Also, I
would like to apologize early for any out of character behaviour
and/or poor plotting.
..
Walking a bit more inland in the gardens, he felt someone behind him. As he looked back, it was the person he was both expecting and not expecting it to be. It was the host himself, Arthur Kirkland.
"I apologize for what happened earlier." Arthur told him. As the Japanese man assured the other that it was alright, the other walked a bit closer to Kiku. The man in front of him knew of Kiku's old habits; he knew that the Japanese man preferred to walk out here at times. This somewhat proved to be a disadvantage to the smaller of the two—he couldn't be completely left alone in this place when he wanted to. Only the two of them dared to walk out into the forest like garden at night and not be frightened easily. The only time they rushed back inside was when they heard something crash in the building. Fortunately, it was just the small dog Kiku owned. Sadly, the small animal tipped over one of the expensive jars that Arthur had.
"I thought I told you that women should be the ones to wear the gowns." The Englishman smirked at the smaller man who, in turn, apologized quickly. "Though, you actually look good wearing one." He added almost unknowingly. Kiku's eyes widened a bit and looked down uncomfortably soon after. Realising the reason of the other's reaction, Arthur's face tinged red and glanced away in embarrassment to what he had said.
A small silence surrounded the both of them almost mercilessly. "I-I only said that to my benefit. It was to amuse myself, really." Arthur still had not turned from whatever he was looking over at one side of the garden. "I understand." Kiku replied without looking up to the Englishman. He fiddled with the white gloves he wore up to his arms nervously.
More silence enveloped the both of them, and Arthur kept glancing at the smaller man's direction. "You shouldn't really be walking around here while wearing everything white— your clothes would get dirty easily." He finally said as to start another conversation. "I understand." Kiku repeated again.
Moments
after another abrupt end, Kiku excused himself and walked towards the
building. As he was about to go past Arthur, the latter suddenly
asked him to stop for a moment. "How are you doing?" The
Englishman finally asked. Both of them knew what they were talking
about, and they also knew that it was one of the few things that
they'd rather not talk about. "I'm doing fine." The Japanese
man replied with a somewhat dull tone in his voice.
"That's
good. You got me worried about not being able to come tonight,
actually."
"May I ask why?"
"I thought that you weren't
going to make it; you just got a discharge from the hospital, after
all."
"I'm sorry to have worried you, and the discharge was
weeks ago."
"I'm sorry to have asked." He tried to smile,
but the atmosphere only seemed to have become heavier.
Arthur knew he had just struck a nerve of the person next to him. He thought so after seeing the other grabbing a handful of his gown and unclenching his fists almost immediately.
He's seen Kiku lying unconscious on that hospital bed; he listened closely to the sounds of those machines accompanying him. He would try to visit when he could, and he would always bring some flowers with him—those big white ones. At every visit, there would always be some sort of routine. He would knock on the door twice then let himself in. Arthur would then replace the flowers he had previously set on the table near the lying other.
The taller man then took the other's hand as if to make sure that nobody was to move from where they are currently standing. The Englishman tried to make eye contact with the other, but Kiku continued to look down in that uncomfortable manner. It was a disconcerting gesture to Arthur, but he understood why the smaller man was reacting as such.
They were together at one moment, and they soon went against each other the next. It's reasonable why their recent moments together would be full of dense atmospheres and displeasing silences.
Their previous relationship had been a long one, but it was strained at the beginning. There would always be some sort of boundary between them as they would walk together over at each other's home lands. As they were on the verge of breaking apart, Arthur saw something in Kiku that he'd want to hold on for a little longer. After his efforts to opening up to the other person—twice, they were able to lengthen their relationship's course for quite a while. When they finally broke up, they were able to find new friends.
Unfortunately, those new friends played a major role as being one of the main reasons why they became enemies.
Arthur
then released his hold on the other's hand and fully faced him with
his hand out. The Englishman bowed a bit and smiled slightly as he
noticed that Kiku looked at him with a lightly flushed face. "May I
help you back to the palace, my lady?"
"…Y-you may."
The other accepted hesitantly.
They
were walking slowly; their arms linked together as they strolled. For
the both of them, it felt like they were still together. It was all
amusing, awkward and nostalgic at the same time. Wanting to break the
silence this time, Kiku tried to start another conversation between
them. The only problem, though, was that he didn't exactly know
what to say. As if attending to the other's distress, Arthur began
talking. "How did you get the dress?"
"Elizaveta made me
wear it."
"So it's hers, then. She's
taller than you, isn't she?"
"She told me that this
dress was for me."
"A gift?"
"Her amusement—"
"I
see."
The two
of them were almost near the building until Arthur came to a slow
stop. Kiku looked up at the other and asked if anything was wrong.
The Englishman smiled and looked down at the smaller man with a
smiling expression. "Have you ever seen a snowflake here in the
middle of a summer's evening?" He asked as if he were about to
tell a story. Kiku expectedly replied that he has not seen any of the
sorts and asked if the other really saw such a thing. "I have.
That's why I'm asking you." Arthur laughed.
"Is there
something wrong with your weather?"
"I don't think so."
"Has
anyone else seen such a thing?"
"They already had." The
Englishman said with a confident voice.
The both of them soon started walking again. Even as they entered the ballroom, their arms were still linked together. Kiku's mind was still on what the other had said, so he did not bother letting go of the other. Some people noticed the two of them together, and they soon filled the room with whispers. Even the orchestra could not completely mask the quiet discussions of the other guests. Most of them was about the fact that they got back together.
"This
room is always ruthless with its hearsays." Arthur sighed but
smiled soon after. His smiled widened as he noticed that the smaller
of the two was still wondering about the topic earlier; he almost
laughed when the other jerked as a response to his name being
called.
"Would you like to dance with me, Kiku?"
"Hm—"
"It's
for my gain, of course. I'm not doing this for you."
"I do
not know how to dance."
"No. You forgot how to dance.
Let me remind you."
"…Alright."
