Chapter 2: America and England


If you had told Arthur a year ago that a single word could make his heart stop, he would have laughed at you. He thought there was nothing that could affect him that much. He was wrong.

"England." That single word came out of the silence, making Arthur freeze.

He knew immediately that something was wrong. Alfred never called him that. It was always nicknames like 'Iggy' or 'Artie'. Hell it was hard enough to get the guy to call him Arthur. Alfred hadn't even called him by his country name since he was little. Arthur immediately stopped everything he was doing, he put his tea away, put his newspaper down and turned his attention to the one man that meant the most to him in the world. His boyfriend, Alfred.

Alfred sat across from him, fidgeting. That was another thing that made Arthur nervous. Alfred never fidgeted, he was always relaxed, the self-proclaimed 'hero. Yet right now he looked like he wanted nothing more than to disappear just like his brother tended to. Arthur put his elbows on the table, gingerly placing his head in his hands, waiting nervously for Alfred to say what he had to say.

"England, I have to leave." Arthur arched one of his caterpillar eyebrows. That's what was so upsetting? He felt himself relax.

"You don't need to tell me, Alfred. You can go wherever you want." Alfred bit his lip. He looked ready to cry.

"I have to go. This time though I won't be able to come back." Arthurs eyes widened as Alfred finally let the tears escape his eyes.

"You can't leave me. Not again" Arthur whispered to himself, Alfred flinched at the words.

Not a word was said again after that. They sat on opposite ends of the table, reliving memories and trying not to break down crying in front of each other. Arthur remembered how alone he felt after the Revolution, and now he knew he was going to feel just as alone as before, if not worse. Alfred was remembering how long it took to get Arthur to talk to him, and how it took even longer to get him to agree to a date.

Without a sound Alfred got up from the table and embraced Arthur. The older man's reserve broke, and he started crying. They sat there, holding each other and just crying. Neither of them wanted it to end, but they both knew it couldn't last forever. Eventually Alfred would have to leave, just like he did before. Only the difference was, once Alfred left Arthur wouldn't see him again.

Somehow they moved to the living room, where they sat on the couch together, hugging, crying and kissing. If anyone had walked in they would have thought that someone had died. To the pair, it felt like someone had. It felt like their own hearts were being ripped out of their chests. Before either of them were ready, Alfred had to go. He had packed during the night, so that Arthur wouldn't worry or fret. He knelt in front of Arthur who was still crying, but not quite as hard.

"Arthur." Arthur looked at America with tears still pouring down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry that I have to leave again. I love you Iggy." They hugged one last time, kissed, and then Alfred was gone.

Arthur cried when he left. It was like his house was empty, the only words he could find to describe it was that it was like the sun had gone. His sun, his ball of energy that brightened up his day was gone, and he was never going to come back. After lying there for a couple of hours he made his way upstairs, and collapsed on his bed without another thought.

He would have fallen asleep immediately, except he landed on something hard. It was rather uncomfortable to so Arthur rolled on his side, reaching down and grabbing what he landed on. It was a small black box. Arthurs name was scrawled at the top of the box. With a confused look on his face he opened the box. His confused face immediately turned to shock. Inside was a note, and a simple gold wedding band. Inscribed in the band was his name, Arthur Kirkland, and Alfred's, separated by a heart. Slipping on the band he opened the note.

Dear Arthur,

I hate to leave you, and you know that I wouldn't unless I had to. This would have been yours if I didn't have to leave. I love you Arthur Kirkland.

Love,

Alfred F. Jones

Arthur felt fresh tears fall down his cheeks, and with a slight 'oh' he fell back onto the bed. He clutched the note to his chest, almost crushing it.

"I love you to, git."