me: hey it's april fools let's do something special for my fic-
time, the social construct: no
happy april fools, everyone! i'm back.
no but seriously i am. exams are over, had a surprisingly good day yesterday, and bleurghed out 3,500 words before i even looked at my screen. ono.
also - no, we're not in spades this chapter. i'm not that nice ;)
finally we're at 70 chapters. myself you have no life
as always, i do not own the selection nor hetalia. these belong to kiera cass and himaruya hidekaz respectively.
Hearts.
20th of December.
"Your Highness, we've intercepted a message for you."
Kiku rubbed his eyes and sat up in his new, spacious bed, reaching for his wire – rimmed glasses before sitting up to face one of his new butlers.
Ludwig and Feliciano had insisted on him taking on some more attendants – first a new maid, then a new butler who had better dress sense than Kiku ever would. Even before he had woken up, the room was spotless and his maid had a plate of food on the table with a 'Queen Kiku'.
It was intimidating, to say the least.
"Where, um, is it from?" he asked groggily, sliding on his glasses as his other maid fetched a bowl of cornflakes and a spoon.
"Spades, Your Highness," his butler said, leaning into his jacket and fishing out a white envelope. "It lists your name, but not the recipient – do I need to take it away or not?"
"No, please do not," Kiku said quickly, reaching out for the envelope and pausing as it was placed squarely on his hand. "And Ella, please place the cornflakes on the table, I will get to them soon. You are excused for the day."
The two of them scuttled out, and Kiku relaxed with a sigh, staring hard at the envelope.
Arthur hadn't written for a while, had he?
It had been so long since – with the Trials and everything that the three of them had eagerly watched the night prior. Well, of course he had said three, but Ludwig had balanced paperwork onto his left knee and only looked up occasionally or when Feli squealed in excitement.
Kiku had brought a thin stack of paper, but this was to take notes, not work, at least as diligently as his King did. Mostly, until Arthur, tense and worrying, had arrived on his screen for the first time. Feliciano had dropped remarks about 'Kiku's friend', and Ludwig noting something about how 'ah, that's who Alfred's been writing to me about,' but Kiku's focus was all on him, mouth pursued tightly and watching his every move.
Like how he had in the holding facility, he assumed roughly the same stance, although his expression was a lot more different than the child who raced to compete with Kiku while the rest of the class struggled. He seemed like he wanted to do this for someone else that wasn't himself or Kiku, and it changed his stance, the type of magic that flowed out of his hands. Whereas it had been a pale, mint green to match the cocoa of Kiku's, it glowed an azure now.
It was clear that his best friend was in Spades for a more important reason.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed his fingers underneath the paper flap, until all of a sudden; he heard a commotion outside his door.
Quickly abandoning Arthur's letter and shuffling to the door, forgetting his slippers in his haste, he was perplexed to see Ella again.
"Ella?"
"Milord, we must get you prepared for the practice coronation," she said, bowing once. "It is taking place next week, after all."
"Ah, ah, yes," Kiku said, knocking a fist against his head. In all his thoughts and new responsibilities, he had completely forgotten the official finalization of his duties.
She ushered him to change, and he let his mind fade back into his work stupor.
He was a queen of a country now; there was no time to left to be dillydallying about other things.
"Good morning, Kiku!" Feliciano chirruped as soon as he entered. Kiku bowed to him, one of the customs that he refused to get rid of, and patted the Jack's shoulder, the warm velvet of his gloves meshing with the fur cape he had hung on his shoulders because of the cold. Ludwig had helped him to try to subdue Feliciano's excitable hugs that became harder with every passing day.
"Good morning, Feli," he said warmly, his eyes then drifting onto the quite prominent bump that had been part of him for five months now. "How was your sleep?"
"Better, but it was a little cold," came the reply. "Lud refused to come to bed early."
"Good morning, Kiku," Ludwig said, easing into the conversation. "I trust that your rest was sufficient?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Kiku said, trying his best to brush it off as he realized what he had said (he still couldn't shake the formality with Ludwig). To make up for it, he referenced Feli's complaint, and the king actually looked embarrassed for a moment.
"I'm sorry, Feli, I know I should be with you at a time like this, but I had to organize today's events." he said, gesturing to where two soldiers were pulling out a makeshift throne – one that Kiku knew that was of the Ace. There was a side table, draped in red velvet that held another makeshift crown, as his own was being forged as they spoke.
"That's one of Feli's drained amplifiers," Ludwig remarked, following his gaze. "We ordered it to be destroyed soon after his pregnancy was announced."
"Do the amplifiers affect pregnancy?"
"There is a story about the late Queen of Diamonds. Queen Lili's mother, but it's a tale for another day. For now, we must get you ready for the mock coronation." Ludwig said, his expression back to his serious mode. "I wish to go through the news before we have dinner."
"Your Majesty," one of the soldiers remarked as they placed the throne down and ran to the royals. "We've just received a message from the port. Spades, apparently."
"Sent by whom?" Ludwig questioned, him and Kiku exchanging glances as Feliciano waved merrily to the other soldier, who timidly waved back. "If it's the crown prince, I have no urgency."
"The Ace, Your Highness," the soldier replied. "He quoted it as impertinent."
"Wonderful," Ludwig grumbled to himself. "If you don't mind, could you fetch me a port device and get it here before the process starts at two? If Ace Matthew truly had the hindsight to send us a message, then it's not some advice begging from the crown prince." Kiku noticed he seemed a little lighter after he had remarked that.
"Noted, King Ludwig," the soldier said with a curt bow, and ran off.
"Is there…an issue with the crown prince, Your – Ludwig?" Kiku said. If there was a serious issue with the slightly elder male, he would want to contact Arthur as soon as possible.
"Hm? No, nothing of true danger." he replied, letting the smallest hint of a smile drift to the corners of his mouth. "It's just that over a decade of close friendship has taught Prince Alfred that he can practically ask any personal favour or any type of advice, however embarrassing it is, any time and anywhere."
"Ah, I see," Kiku said, relaxing.
"I know you are concerned for your friend over in Spades, but from the messages I've been receiving, he is in good hands," Ludwig said good naturedly, the two of them watching Feliciano scamper over to the table and carefully inspect the mock crown. "You do not know how many late night declarations of love that poor Feli has heard and burst into the room, teary eyed only for me to console him."
"I suppose," Kiku said, sounding amused. "Love does things to all of us, good and bad."
Ludwig turned to face him, eyes lighting with concern. Both Feli and him had been concerned for the younger's health ever since the footage of the Easterns had been brought to their attention. However, at General Antonio, a close friend of theirs, had immediately volunteered for the rescue mission that he had secretly arranged for. Ace Lovino had surprisingly insisted on going, and Ludwig had decided to fib to Feliciano about a diplomatic mission instead of a rescue operation.
"Right – ah, thank you, Harvey," he said quickly, reaching out for the mini port. "You are dismissed for the day, thank you very much."
The soldier bowed in response, lowering his eyes before bowing to Kiku as well before exiting the now vibrant room.
"Lud!" Feliciano said, his head bobbing up as Kiku almost jumped. Ludwig, very used to these sort of accidental interruptions, didn't even flinch and continued to fiddle with the contraption. "What does it say?"
"A message from the Ace," he said, not blinking as Feliciano draped an arm over his shoulder to get a better look and Kiku gingerly leaning in closer to see.
"Greetings from the royals of Spades,
From yesterday evening we encountered a spoil of Joker rebels when our Trials completed-"
"Oh no!" Feliciano cried, and Kiku pursued his lips in worry for Arthur in particular, but he continued.
"To our surprise, these were not aggressive, but instead claimed to be in collaboration with a general, whose name they did not disclose. They were carrying a small nullifier, but this has since been neutralized."
"Nullifier?" Kiku wondered out loud. "What are those?"
"They suppress magic instead of enhance it," Ludwig cut in. "Anyways, Matthew continues on to say that they're…in our lands? Since last night, at least…they claim that they have sent a party to accompany them and reassure that they mean no harm, however-"
"But the general should be Antonio," Feliciano fretted. "And if Anto was going on his rescue mission like he said…"
"Then they could be returning the soldiers," Kiku concluded, hating the little lining of hope in his voice. "And thus mean no harm."
"But then how could they have gotten to the Easterns faster than our troops?"
"The Drift and their hideout are the closest to the Easterns, and we are so far from them. I would not have found this a surprise; however why would they be willing to help?"
"Please…please wait," Kiku blurted, and he gathered up the folds of his kimono that Ella had dressed him in, his heart hammering in his chest as he navigated the Hearts palace once again.
"Your Highness!" one of the soldiers called, looking panicked. "We have intel that there are several hostile forces approaching the castle perimeter..."
"Don't strike, simply deploy forces to bring them in. Wait, Kiku-"
But he had already left.
Could this be true? Could he possibly be alive?
He snatched the letter up, blasting down the stairs until he came face to face to a concerned Feliciano, who merely mentioned something about needing to sit down before he was pulled across the hallway with a strength that was remarkable from a bubbly, pregnant person, to say the least.
"I have a letter from Arthur-" Kiku began, but was ushered onto Lovino's throne and was given a severe look from the king and jack (and the three guards surrounding him) that managed to keep him quiet.
A woman with brown hair and curly ringlets framing her face strode in, looking a little worse for wear. General Antonio strode next to her, behind them a posse of men with varying degrees of wellness.
"Your Highnesses," General Antonio declared, bowing in front of the three of them. "I have fulfilled your quest in bringing back the soldiers home."
"What quest?" Feliciano cried, whipping around to face Ludwig. "I wasn't aware-"
"Jack Feliciano, please wait for me to speak," Antonio said, half pleading. "I have also, um, encountered Ace Lovino as he was returning from his diplomatic meeting, and he is with the soldiers, tending to their care."
"Thank you, General Antonio. And who are you?" Ludwig barked at the woman, but to their surprise she did not flinch but instead looked a little slighted.
"King Ludwig," she said, her tone holding a hint of defiance as she stepped forward in front of the thrones. "I am the leader of the Joker rebels."
A collective gasp rang across the room and several of the guards raised their lances in threat, but Ludwig waved them down with a firm arm.
Kiku's breath hitched. That voice…
"What is your intention here today?" he asked, facing her down. "If you have been found to cause any harm to my people…"
"Nothing of the sort," she said. "I was simply aiding in the rescue that you ordered General Antonio into."
"I have received reports," Ludwig said, "From our allies in the kingdom of Spades. They have cited you as not a threat due to your intentions alone. Do you stand by this claim?"
"Yes…Your Majesty," she bit out, the small fleet she was allowed to bring in with her agreeing. "I have done this to bring these good men home. One is including of my son. Now, they are at the back with your guards, dehydrated and most unable to stand. Several hundred of them have died, thanks to their wounds and the harsh climates of the Easterns. Would you be so cruel to deny their care after they have walked so many weary miles?"
"Of course not," he said coldly in reply. "Antonio, see to them that they are given the best immediate care back in the hospital wing…we will need to notify Dr Julianna about the new influx of patients…"
"Noted, Your Highness. I will arrange for the Ace to be looked after as well-" Antonio said, but was cut off by a commotion at the front door.
Scuffles and shouts came from the entrance as it seemed a handful of men were struggling. The woman came forward, her gaze alarmed, until the circle of guards suddenly parted to reveal a hunched over man, brown hair dangling over his perspiring face and a wrapped, bloody stump where his left arm would have been, slumped over a cane.
"Wait, what are you-" she said, panicked, running forward to shield him from the royals, but Kiku had already stood up, his eyes frozen in place.
"Kiku-" Ludwig began, but Feliciano shook his head, his expression one of shock as he looked at the man.
There, five metres in front of him, was Heracles.
"Let go of me! I don't wish to cause any harm!" he was shouting, his voice ragged and cracking after the months of hardship he had gone through. "There's just someone-"
"You'll infect your arm if you don't stand back – now the Queen's angry, oh gods," the woman said, pressing him back into the crowd, but Kiku couldn't do anything. It felt like he was rooted to the ground, his mind dragging back to that awful day in the port room.
The months spent apart, the worry he had gone through, the way Arthur had so willingly gone into Spades for him but then found something else…
It was all worth it. It was all worth it, for this moment.
"Please!" Heracles was pleading. "I don't know why you decided to help me, miss, or these other men, but I just need to!"
"…" Her expression had faltered, dipped, but Kiku paid it no heed as he waved away a handful of soldiers with a Your Highness.
"Your Highness!" she cried, looking as vulnerable as he had seen her today. "He's simply tired, just-"
"Heracles," Kiku whispered, letting the name fall out of his mouth.
He saw him struggle to get up, heave a breath, but his face was still dithering.
Kiku's heart broke, and he bent lower, boldly brushing the woman aside and letting the guards fan out behind him.
"Don't hurt him, please," the woman gasped, coming out as if it was a sob. "He hasn't done anything-"
"Heracles," Kiku said once more, his tone deliberately gentle. "Do you remember me? It's me, Kiku."
"…Kiku," he said finally, his voice hushed and drooping as all the fight drained from him in an instant. "Kiku…isn't he in a place where it isn't cold? B-Back home. No firearms, it's not so cold, people aren't dying…I could – I could be dreaming. This can't be real."
"Heracles," Kiku said, a tone of desperation creeping into his voice. "Heracles, I'm here. You're not there, any more. Look up, please."
And he did, ever so slowly. Tightly shut eyelids opened to reveal eyes as green as moss, and a fear that he had never once felt before festered in his chest, threatening to overwhelm him as green eyes met brown.
"Ki…ku…" he stuttered, his eyes widening slowly. A trembling, slightly emaciated right hand reached out for him, letting his cane fall to the floor with a clatter.
Two of the guards closest to Kiku tensed, letting the butt of their lances lift from the ground, but he shook his head at them as he shuffled forward, in movements that were heavy but felt like he was moving through clouds.
Not hesitating, Kiku gathered the folds of his kimono, removed his gloves and knelt to gently touch Heracles's face, deterred and scarred from the war. His fingers trembled as he ran them across the bridge of his cheekbones, almost in disbelief that he was touching him, in the flesh.
Kiku's eyes watered at the sight of Heracles, his useless stump, the cane lying on the floor. But the yearning eyes were still there, the tousled brown hair with the odd curl, the marked, tanned skin. He was still himself.
"You're home," he said, his tears brimming over as Heracles nodded, his mouth parting in joy. "You're alive!"
"I don't know how," Heracles said slowly, the words coaxing themselves out of his mouth. "B-Before I fell unconscious, I thought of you. You…you were happy. That was what I needed."
"I wasn't," Kiku said, wiping the tears off his face. "Because you were in trouble. I couldn't sleep with knowing you were out there."
Heracles smiled, but he paused, letting his hair fall in front of his face. Kiku bent down, trying his best to see a snippet of his expression, but he suddenly looked back up, green eyes despairing.
"My Queen, my Kiku…please, I know you see a broken man, a poor boy torn from war, but it is all I have left to give you. I promised you, on that summer day, that I would give you all that I had left, I would give you all that I could. This is everything I am now. If you do not want me as I am, my last wish is that you will find happiness, and find someone who will love you as much as I do."
"I promised you. That will never change, wherever we are in the world," Kiku rasped, feeling tears fall down his face, hearing a soft exhale of breath before he pulled him close, finally feeling his skin, his heartbeat, his lips on his, all of it.
"Kiku…" came the breathless reply, and he started to laugh like he hadn't for months, finally feeling again, tears flowing down his cheeks, grief and bliss mixing together in one sweet touch. Pressing his nose against his, feeling that lime gaze that seemed to ring with the notes of a thousand love songs, the smell that filled his senses after the nights spent in his arms, the days spent outside the window, watching for him. "Heracles…"
Unfortunately, Feliciano loudly sobbing into Ludwig's sleeve ruined the moment.
"Kiku, are you all right?" Ludwig asked, his expression concerned as he entered the hospital wing to see him sat next to Heracles. "I apologize for Feliciano's behaviour earlier on."
"There is no need for that, Ludwig," Kiku said, speaking quietly as to not disturb the sleeping Heracles. He was slowly running his fingers over his bandaged head in rhythmic strokes that would have sent anyone to sleep. "I understand that he was upset."
"No, he was simply too happy. He has been worried ever since…well. He went over the hospital wing not so long ago."
"Ah, I am sorry I did not notice that," he said sheepishly.
"I've noticed the way you look at him," he went on. "It reminds me of us. But I understand that you might have been very occupied." Ludwig said, more warmth in his tone revealing itself as he cast his vision to the sleeping man that held so much of Kiku's love and care. "But yes, Feli and I are very happy for his homecoming."
"…so, what is going to happen now?" the other boy said, tucking a section of his hair back. "Now that I have reunited with him. If you do enact any punishment-"
"Of course not," Ludwig said firmly, "We will not allow that. If you were married to Feli or I, there would be an issue, but as it turns out there is not. So, if you are mentally ready, we will have to proceed with the coronation as planned."
"Are you sure that I'm ready, Your – Ludwig?" Kiku blurted, his expression a canvas of astonishment. "We did not even finish the practice today…"
"No, the rest of the Primary Suit have confidence in you. Even Lovino, who does not show his emotions very well," Ludwig said, looking to the side, "Has faith in you as Hearts's Queen."
Kiku nodded, seemingly stunned by this piece of news, but then straightened his back, facing him with a royal air that he had not felt so strongly before.
"If so, well…there is one person I'd like to invite."
you all thought i was going to kill him - uh...happy april fools? idk lmao
replies
pastaaddict - he's not going away when kiku's all shojo manga for him still. lol
bells - i think he would due to tradition if there was to be a marriage between him and al? he'd vehemently insist against it though. not saying anything...
vivadragnire - sorry for the long wait! it's finally here, so i hope you enjoy it :)
overworldly - *rubbing hands together evilly* they'll come soon haha. and thank you!
russia says hello - thank your fairies for me, i got a pretty good score! i think this chapter is more kiku than arthur, excuse me for that. he'll be back!
mi-chan - i guess being able to write cliffhangers is one of my joys of being a writer? other than getting great reviews, i like to watch my readers react to a cliffhanger lol. (and how did you know?! shhh.)
- "screaming while dancing marimba" this is it. i'm going to frame this. this is my legacy. lmao - and i'm glad you noticed the detail! i hope your brother wasn't too frightened, please send him my condolences. and thank you - i thought it was a sweet (and really cliche) way to end it with a balcony 'confession'! and emma, well...we'll see more of her next week!
hearthorse11 - ah man, i know how it feels when people think you're dating someone but you're not :V good luck with that! and that's the point, i love to hate them ;D
reviews, favourites and follows are what will keep me writing, so please go ahead and leave them!