Hi everyone! Thank you for reading.

I hope you enjoy the next chapter, and please remember to review and let me know your thoughts!

As a side note(although this will make sense later in the chapter, I'll explain it here since I won't do a backstory in the chapter itself): As stated in the first chapter, the story takes place in the kingdom of Alar, which was a small, weak kingdom up until a century ago. The republic of Jonek used to be a country that bordered Alar, but a century ago there was a lot of infighting in the government that resulted in the country being split up into factions. Alar and another kingdom invaded and split up the country, resulting in Jonek's demise.

Although the setting/kingdom of the story is not really that important, a lot of references are brought up during this chapter, so reading the above note will be helpful!

"Arthur!"

Arthur's eyes fluttered open, and he found Alfred gazing down at him, his smile a bit different than normal.

Was that Alfred?

"Alfred! Did I wake up late? And you have your meeting today too..." Arthur heard himself groan as he tried to sit up. But Alfred pushed up back down again.

"Morning, darling~"

"Alfred, I told you to stop it with the pet names."

"Awww, why?" Alfred adjusted his blue coat, a spade emblem engraved on his pocket. "Come on..."

He bent down and kissed Arthur slowly, drawing away teasingly as he shrugged. "I actually don't know about the meeting, though."

Arthur felt panic rush through him. "Just wait a moment, I'll check the schedule -"

"Why don't we just enjoy ourselves today?"

...

"Alfred, for the last time, I told you, you can't just walk into a fancy restaurant wearing a T-shirt and jeans."

"Awww, why not?" Alfred stared down at him as he pouted. He was dressed casually, his hair ruffled and unkempt. He was wearing glasses that had a red rim.

"Because it's impolite! Imagine what others will think -"

"I don't care what others think. What do you think?"

"W-Well...you look unbearably handsome. But that's beside the point!"

"Awww...gosh, you really think so?"

"Shut up."

...

Arthur opened his eyes immediately, and he found himself lying on the field with Alfred propping his shoulders up, holding him and gazing at his face with concern.

"Arthur! Fuck, I was freaking out..." Alfred let out a huge sigh.

"Al...fred?"

The difference was jarring. Compared to the starry, blue-eyed Alfred of his dreams, this Alfred was a total change...

He remembered having a similar dream before, but he couldn't remember anymore.

"Roderich!" Arthur exclaimed, remembering everything suddenly as he looked around.

He found no sign of the demon. Even the tree seemed like it had gone back to normal.

"Uh..." Alfred scratched behind his neck. "Long story there."

"I have time."

"He...sort of...escaped..."

Arthur's eyes widened. "Alfred, how could he have possibly escaped? We had him tied to that tree -"

"Yeah, but the thing is, that tree was using your blood. Tied to your life. It sucked all the energy out of you, and you fainted." Alfred poked Arthur's forehead irritatedly. "I told you, you're so fucking annoying. Stop overdoing it."

Arthur sat up, dusting himself off as Alfred crouched beside him. "I'm fine, I assure you. So? Where did he take off to?"

"...I think he said he was going to come back. We weakened him, at least."

"Great," Arthur groaned. "And we can't use the same trick twice."

Alfred sighed sympathetically, before he turned to Arthur with a peculiar look in his eyes.

"What was he talking about, before?"

"About what?"

"He was saying...something that I did to you?" Alfred was frowning now.

Arthur's eyes widened. "Oh...oh, that. Don't worry about it. Not your problem."

"But it is," Alfred insisted, more disturbed now. "And what was he saying about a human turned demon right in front of..." Alfred trailed off, his eyes widening. "Wait."

Arthur looked at him sorrowfully. He didn't want Alfred to have to find out this way.

The morning rays began reflecting off the glistening dew on the plants, signaling the dawn. Arthur quickly took Alfred's hand, smiling at him.

"Shall we take a walk?"

Arthur didn't notice the white feather that had been in his lap before he had woken up. It fell to the ground as he stood up, forgotten as the two walked away.

"So...so you're telling me, all this time, I was part human?"

"Yes. And you both don't remember anything."

"So...that's what all those blackouts were."

"Yes."

"Shit. Shit shit shit. So what the hell did I do that..." Alfred ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "I don't remember any of it."

Their hands were linked, their pulses matched, as they walked on the outskirts of the town. At first Arthur had been embarrassed at his boldness, embarrassed at the concept of holding hands, but now it felt natural and he was honestly past caring.

"But...Roderich was implying that I hurt you," Alfred said after a while, his voice gruff. He turned to Arthur. "And you said you knew. What did I do?"

"I don't know the details, to be honest," Arthur confessed. "I asked...I asked you, at night, and you said that..." Arthur took a deep breath. "You said that you tortured me and killed me."

Alfred froze, his hand rigid. Suddenly, he squeezed Arthur's hand tightly, his eyes downcast.

"Never," he said, in the smallest voice Arthur had ever heard him use. "I would never do that."

"You did, apparently. And that's how you ended up like this. But Alfred," Arthur said suddenly, walking ahead and turning around.

Alfred stopped.

"It's...it's all right, it's...don't worry about me. And don't mull over the past. What is the future you want?"

Alfred looked at him, stunned. "Future...?"

"What do you want to do from here? Are you going to run? Or face it?"

"How can I have a future when my past is a lie?"

Alfred slouched a bit, his eyes dark. "Everything, all this...you're saying...this isn't...this whole thing is a punishment."

Arthur paused, not knowing how to respond.

"No," he said after a while. "It's simply what you've become. You've become a demon. Or at least, partly demon."

"That doesn't even make sense. You're either a demon or you're not."

"Ever heard of half-demon?" Arthur teased, and Alfred looked at him blankly. "...I suppose not."

Alfred ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "What the hell, this is so..." He looked down at his hands. "So am I a mistake then?"

He sounded so weak. So confused, so hopeless. And in Arthur's quest to fix Alfred, he had made him like this.

Suddenly, Arthur spun and around and took both of Alfred's hands in his own. He noticed that Alfred's hands were warmer than usual.

Alfred looked up at him in surprise.

"Alfred. Listen to me." Arthur didn't know where his words were coming from.

But unless he told Alfred now...

"You are not a mistake. You are certainly not a lie, nor an illusion, nor an anomaly. You are Alfred, and considering I know both sides of you, let me tell you this - you are both rash and obnoxious, and can be petulant, insufferable brats - but you are strong, you are confident, you are assertive when nobody else will be and most of all, you are you and nothing will change that."

Alfred held his gaze steadily, his eyes wide. But Arthur didn't stop.

"Honestly, everyone has a good side and a bad side. Good days and bad days. You and the other side of you are essentially two sides of the same coin. Deep down, you're the same. So what if one of you used to make my blood run cold and the other hot?"

He thought he saw the tips of Alfred's mouth twitch upwards into a slight smirk, but he tried to ignore it as he began to blush.

Arthur wasn't used to talking this much. But he had to continue.

"You know, Alfred...I was wrong about you," Arthur admitted, his voice soft now. Gentle. "And for that, I apologize. You're more than just a heartless brute. Because, trust me..." Arthur smiled. "You have one."

Arthur's eyes widened as he saw Alfred's reaction.

Alfred, the pale, brutish, deadly demon was blushing.

Arthur froze, not knowing how to react, as he slowly dropped his hands, his face burning with embarrassment.

Maybe he shouldn't have said that. He was too bold, too stupid and he was acting like he knew everything about Alfred...

Alfred reached for Arthur then, one arm snaking around his waist as he drew Arthur closer to him, and soon their faces were inches apart.

"I told you, little lion. I'll always lose to you."

And then he kissed him. But it wasn't like the last time, when he was forceful, possessive, terrifying - he was still a demon, no doubt, but the kiss was inexplicably human. Without being able to see him, Arthur honestly couldn't tell whether he was kissing the human Alfred or the demon Alfred.

Arthur felt as if fire was running through his veins as Alfred deepened the kiss, and he sought out Alfred's chest, clinging to his shirt as he drew himself closer. Alfred adjusted for him, bringing him closer still, as time seemed to stop.

When they finally parted, Alfred's eyes were glazed over slightly, and Arthur didn't even want to think about what he looked like.

"I love you," Alfred said suddenly, so suddenly that Arthur felt his mouth drop open in surprise.

"A-Alfred -"

"Shit, you're so annoying. I love you," Alfred said again, as if surprising himself. His demon bite seemed to be back as he frowned, trying to understand his feelings. "I don't get it. Fuck."

Arthur laughed. "Alfred...I...I love you too," he said, but he had known it for a long time.

It was hard. So hard to say those words, to admit everything he didn't want to admit. His mind screamed for him to push Alfred away, but he was so tired of that, tired of denying what had felt right the entire time...

And suddenly, Alfred smiled at him, and Arthur could swear he saw echoes of the other Alfred. It wasn't his usual mean or aggressive smirk, but an actual smile, one that he never would have thought Alfred capable of.

"So, do we have to fight over who's gonna be alpha?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know, who gets to be head of the pride? There can't be two male lions."

"You idiot. Alphas are for wolves. Let's get you figured out first," Arthur sighed, lightly hitting him on the chest.

"We'll get through this together, Alfred. I promise."

"So how long are we gonna wait for Rod again?"

"You told me he was coming back."

"Yeah. I said that. I also told him to fuck off."

Arthur groaned. "We don't need him more angry with us than he already is, Alfred."

"I know. So. In the meantime," Alfred said, a sly grin sneaking onto his face. "Nice place you got here."

Naturally, he had taken Alfred to his home to wait, since the weather outside was chilly and they wanted some privacy to discuss their new plans. They sat inside the living room of Arthur's small home, Alfred lounging on the couch as Arthur sat in a chair sipping his warm tea.

"Yes. It's quaint, and it's quite close to work, which is convenient for me."

"I see. What do you do again? You edit or something?"

"Yes, novels and the like."

"Huh."

"And what do you do with all your time, Alfred?"

Alfred grinned. "You curious? I can tell you all about it..." he continued in a low voice. "I used to go into town a lot, got in some fights, might have broken some bones. Not mine. And -"

Alfred hunched over suddenly, grunting in pain, and Arthur rushed over to him, by his side in an instant.

"Alfred. Alfred!"

Alfred let out a sigh, and Arthur watched with undying amazement as black become blond and red become blue.

Alfred sat up, and he immediately looked at Arthur.

"Arthur...you're like...really clear."

"What?"

"Wow," Alfred exclaimed, laughing. "I can see you more clearly now. You're like magic."

Arthur blushed slightly. "W-Whatever, you git. Are you feeling all right?"

"Better than ever!" Alfred chirped, looking around. "Uh...where are we?"

"My house."

Alfred's eyes widened. "Whoa! I need a tour!"

"Oh, shush. I need to ask you something first."

"Yeah?" Alfred's voice wavered.

"I need to ask you why. You know what I'm talking about, and don't pretend like you don't."

Alfred paused. "Uh...no, I don't..."

"Yes you do, Alfred," Arthur groaned. "Please, I can't make this any easier...I need to know. For me, and for you."

"Uh...can I get the tour first?"

"Will you promise to tell me after that?"

"...Maybe."

Arthur sighed. Alfred seemed to want to avoid the subject at all costs. And besides, he had just transformed - it would be nice to spend some time with him before the mood darkened.

Of course, he'd never admit that.

"Well. Come on, then," Arthur said as he stood up. "It's not much, but it's my home."

First, he showed Alfred the kitchen, which was a tiny room with sleek white walls and a small alabaster clock.

"Painted it myself," Arthur muttered, embarrassed.

It was true. When he was little, he had always held an interest in the arts - whether they be literature, embroidery, or even fine art - but the one thing he never was able to do was painting. So, he sought out a bucket of white paint and painted his kitchen walls once he had his own place.

A small rebellion against his parents who thought nothing of him.

"Whoa," Alfred breathed. "It's really neat. Well done. Like you, you know?"

Arthur blushed despite his attempts to hide it.

"I-Is it, now...can you see it clearly?"

"Uh...kind of. Sometimes. I told you, I could see you."

Alfred looked around at the room, and then he walked over to the clock, studying it.

"Huh. Didn't know they had these in Jonek. Alar's the country with all the alabaster mines..."

Arthur froze.

Alfred turned to look at him, a slight smile on his face.

"Speaking of which, where are we?"

"A-Alfred..." Arthur began hesitantly.

It was impossible. But it made sense, at the same time.

"Jonek dissolved over a century ago."

Alfred's eyes widened.

"What?"

"T-The Jonekian court broke into factions and had a power struggle, and Alar...well, Alar took over the western half."

"Alar? You mean that small spat of land you used to call home?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Small spat of land, you say? We're the strongest kingdom on this continent."

Alfred laughed. "Yeah, right. Jonek is the land of freedom, so it's naturally the strongest."

"As I told you before, Alfred, Jonek doesn't exist anymore. It's been over a century since..."

"...oh," Alfred said in a small voice, as if something finally clicked. "So that's how long it's been," he said, his voice deeper and more wistful.

He looked up at Arthur slowly, a sudden sorrow in his eyes. "I've spent a hundred years without you."

Arthur felt his heartbeat speed up as his heart twinged in pain. He didn't know why...after all, he didn't remember anything.

Suddenly, Alfred's eyes widened, and he frowned slightly.

"Wait...you said kingdom? So you guys have, like, a single ruler and stuff?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

"Uh. Dude. Bad idea."

Arthur chuckled. "Yes, our monarch isn't the best and brightest, but..."

"Tell me about it. I can give you a hundred historical examples of why that's a bad idea. I mean, that's why people established Jonek in the first place! For freedom!"

"Alfred, I'm fully up to date on Alar's history; I can give you a handful of examples from this past century alone that highlight Alar's shortcomings."

"That's why you guys should have a democracy. Just overthrow your king or whatever and establish a democracy!"

"Alfred, our problems are not so simple such that we can overthrow a king, and how on earth are we supposed to do that anyway?"

"Uh..." Alfred smiled. "Revolution?"

"And how well do those work out, pray tell?" Arthur retorted sarcastically.

"You got me there," Alfred sighed. "But still. There's a small chance it does work out, right?"

"Alfred," Arthur began gently, "You do understand why Jonek dissolved in the first place, yes? Utter chaos and disorganization."

Alfred frowned.

"Yeah, I mean, that makes sense, but..."

"Besides, how else would you have tricked those soldiers?" Arthur asked with a laugh.

He quickly frowned.

Wait...what?

"What did you say?" Alfred asked, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"I...I don't know. I'm sorry. It just sort of came out."

"You said you didn't remember anything, right?"

Arthur nodded quickly, looking up again. "A-Anyway," he said quickly, wanting to avoid the topic. "Here we go. This is the kitchen." As he turned to exit, he felt Alfred's firm grip on his shoulder, and took a quick breath before turning around to face him.

"A-Alfred..."

"Before," Alfred said, his eyes slightly dimmer, "when you...when I sang the song, you...you said you recognized it."

Arthur's eyes widened. "Yes...yes, I do know...well, I can't recall the lyrics to my mind presently, but I do...I hear it in my head countless times, and...recently, it's always been when I'm around you."

A knock on the door shattered the moment as they both spun around. Arthur quickly made his way to the door, looking through the hole before opening it hesitantly.

"Francis..."

"So you've been home and haven't been to work to see me?"

Francis looked paler than normal, a bit of sweat on his forehead as he pushed the hair out of his face. "You see, I've asked certain people to...to report to me, if they saw you -"

"Francis, you were having me stalked?"

"Non, non, you crazy boy! I simply wanted to know when you would return!"

Francis suddenly froze as he saw Alfred approaching, his eyes widening. "It's...it's you, from the bar."

Alfred seemed to stiffen, his eyes wide and his jaw set hard. "Francis."

For the first time, Arthur heard unmasked menace in the human Alfred's voice. Alfred stood beside Arthur, brooding.

"Wait...pardon me, I must be mistaken," Francis began unsurely, staring at Alfred with a frown. "The gentleman...if he can be called that...I met in the tavern had red eyes instead," he said to Arthur.

"Y-You met Alfred?"

Francis' eyes widened. "You know him?"

Arthur held his tongue. Should he...could he trust Francis with this? Should he tell him everything?

Something told Arthur to keep it to himself.

"So you're here, even now," Alfred accused darkly, his gaze piercing. "Just can't leave us alone, huh, Francis?"

"Pardon me, I don't think I've met you before," Francis said as politely as he could, smiling slightly. "As you know, my name is Francis. May I ask yours?"

"Doesn't matter," he responded in the most hostile way possible, taking a threatening step forward.

Francis stepped back a bit. "A-Ah, well..."

Arthur had never seen anyone bully Francis the way Alfred was doing. It was usually the other way around. "Alfred," Arthur hissed, jabbing him in the side. "Mind your manners."

Alfred seemed to know Francis. Then...was it possible that, in their previous lives, or whatever time Alfred was from, that Francis was there as well?

How had they managed to meet each other again?

"His name is Alfred," Arthur said awkwardly, apologizing with his eyes. "And...he...looks quite similar to the other Alfred, I know. But they're...different."

"You said we were the same," Alfred murmured sullenly. "Two sides of the same coin."

"You...you remember that?"

"Uh...yeah."

"Anyway," he said, turning to Francis. "W-Would you like to come in?"

Francis looked at Alfred, then back to Arthur. "I...I'll take my leave for now. Just...come into the office whenever you're, ah...ready."

Arthur smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry about this, Francis, but..."

"No worries," he said tightly, eyeing Alfred again before he departed.

As soon as he closed the door, Arthur whirled on Alfred.

"What the hell was that?"

Alfred winced. "...he's bad news."

"What?"

"He's not...don't go near him again."

Arthur sighed. "Alfred, will you please explain something for once in your life? And how can I not go near him when he's my boss?"

"Do you like him?"

Again with the jealousy.

"Well...frankly, he annoys me. But he's good at what he does, no doubt, and he's suave in his mannerisms and dealing with people, but honestly -"

"So you do like him?" Alfred pressed stubbornly.

"Well...I have mixed feelings," Arthur admitted. There was something else, though. Something he'd never admit.

No. He knew he needed to quash this now, or else he'd never hear the end of it.

"Oh, but I don't...I don't like him in that way, Alfred."

"What do you mean?" Alfred was teasing him at this point.

"Oh...sod off, you oaf," Arthur said, pushing past Alfred. "Do you want the rest of the tour or not?"

"Yes please!"

"Then tell me how you knew Francis."

Alfred fell silent.

"He was your lover."

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah. But you don't remember, do you."

His voice was cruel. Accusing.

"Why would I...Alfred, how could I ever love that..."

But Arthur knew his words were false. Because he did, once.

When he was lonely. And very, very desperate.

And he couldn't deny that it was good while it lasted - but it had always felt a little false, and both of them knew it. But Arthur had wanted him anyway.

"You did," Alfred continued darkly. "You did, even after...even after everything we'd been through, you still went back to him...and now he's here, too..." His eyes became watery at first, but they suddenly hardened in rage.

"And this time, I won't miss."