Live for Tomorrow
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
Chapter 2: Promises
The end came far sooner than America or Alfred could have predicted, in their mixed state it was so easy to fall into old patterns, to be happy and just enjoy the moment. The minute Arthur's name left his lips when talking to England he could feel his world crashing down around him.
England stared at him blankly. "Is this a joke to you America?"
America could feel the words on the tip of his lips, opening and closing his mouth in soundless replies as he tried to explain himself, but England kept speaking, the words spat out in such disgust and hatred Alfred and America could feel the world he had built around him crumbling away piece by piece. "Who's Arthur? Why are you with me if you have someone whose name you speak with so much love."
America flinched back at the amount of contempt the word held. "No, wait, England it's not…"
But the slam of the door was all that met his words as he tried to reach out after his lover…his ex-lover. The only man he had ever given his heart to and now he'd failed to keep him. His promise was to love him forever. His promise was to stand at his side…he promised there would be no regrets. He didn't regret their love, the time spent together, and all that England had been able to give him. He could never regret that. There had been a promise of a life together, a future, and if there were ever any misunderstandings Alfred would go talk to him. Arthur had asked Alfred not to leave him again, and he had promised.
…But that had been Arthur. Arthur who had loved him back so unconditionally and forgave him, Arthur who hadn't known he was in love from the beginning. This was England, yes England had the same traits as Arthur, but deep down England was a country. England would never want America the way America wanted him, forever. England would not listen to America anytime soon because he was hurt and would rather hurt America in return that listen and hear him out. England was the one who walked away and left, without listening, without answer, and worse without hesitation. Who was to say he would not do it again even if they did fix this mess that was a mangled relationship?
America could feel his and Alfred's combined hearts breaking. There would be no more love in the life they had managed to build from the scraps of the relationship England and America had held together for so long. This time they doubted there would be any pieces of a relationship to pick up, because no matter how much they loved England and Arthur…England was not Arthur. No matter how they sought Arthur in England, England was only himself, a country, the human life that he had been was lost to them. England would never glance at them in the same way Arthur had. Those stolen glances and moments that had kept their heart held together were falling apart with the hope of a relationship.
They couldn't protect Arthur or England, he would have hated them just for the thought and dismissed their worries as insignificant. But the threat was real, and even if they couldn't protect him, even if he had cast them away without knowledge of any of those promises, they could still keep the promise they made to Arthur. They could still change the world and prevent it from falling to chaos and causing irreparable damage to the people they cared for, to the people that had been part of their kingdom and they had grown to care about. They could still keep the promise to love and never forget the price, because this was the chance to do things right. This was the chance they had needed so desperately to keep the promise out of all of them that mattered most. Even if Arthur, England, was no longer part of their lives to see it through completely.
The first step to keeping that promise was to set up a meeting.