Twilight's Last Gleaming - Chapter 11
I'm back! Sorry that it took a while, but just trust me when I say that this chapter will be worth the wait. ;) I still do not own Hetalia or its characters. I also did not write the Star-Spangled Banner. Enjoy!
Alfred's brilliant blue eyes blinked slowly as he stared at Arthur. Arthur's breath caught in his throat as soon as the other man looked at him. His gaze is hypnotic, I can't look away, Arthur realized. Suddenly Alfred spoke up, breaking Arthur's train of thought.
"My leg is doing well today if that's what you meant."
"N-no. Actually, I was wondering why you didn't join us for dinner tonight. But I'm glad to hear that."
Alfred sighed and diverted his gaze. "Don't worry, I got something to eat out of the food storage tent earlier. I guess you could say that I don't enjoy celebrating the Fourth of July. I know it sounds a bit ironic since I am America after all. All of my men love celebrating it, but I don't usually join. They always try to get me to but I don't want to. Freedom was a different experience for them than it was for me. For me, the date marks when our friendship ended. I was forced to end it, I didn't want to, so it's a bad memory for me."
"But Alfred, that's in the past isn't it? We're on good terms now. Why would today still make you sad?"
"...Are we on good terms?"
"Yes."
"Then why aren't you talking to me? I thought that something must be wrong. I thought maybe you changed your mind and didn't want to be friends anymore. So I stopped talking to you too. I thought things were bad again but I didn't know why."
He's so dense, thought Arthur. Dear God this is so awkward to explain. Arthur felt heat rise up into his face. He clenched his fists and looked down at the floor.
"I promise it's not that. You just made me feel...um...made me feel a bit awkward recently and I umm...I..."
"What do you mean?" Alfred interrupted.
Arthur opened his mouth, then closed it again. Damn I can't even look at him...
"OH!" exclaimed Alfred suddenly. Arthur whipped his head around to see Alfred covering his mouth with his hand cutely and blushing. He looked up at Arthur and gave a guilty grin. "Sorry Artie, I know what you're talking about now."
Arthur's blush was now spreading to the tips of his ears. His palms were sweating as he looked nervously at Alfred.
"I'm sorry that I made you feel uncomfortable. I'm glad to know that that's all it was. Aww, Arthur you're so shy it's adorable! I guess I'm going to have to embarrass you more often so that I can keep seeing you blush like this!"
"Wait w-what?!"
Alfred laughed. "I'm just joking, don't worry!"
"Ok good. You scared me you idiot."
There was silence for a moment before Alfred spoke again. He smiled, and looked up at Arthur from his seat on the bed.
"I like you a lot Arthur. I have for a long time now. It started a couple of years before I declared independence. I just can't help it. You'll do anything for me, even sneak into my camp at night. And you always take such great care of me. When I had that really bad fit, you took my hand and held my face in the most tender and loving way possible. When I was younger you always acted the same way. In fact, I know this sounds weird because we're not even together or anything, but I think I might even love you."
Arthur's mouth fell open in shock after hearing Alfred's words. Arthur could tell he was being sincere from the way that he was smiling at him. OH MY GOD, this is beyond anything I ever expected, thought Arthur. I can hardly believe this. Not only is he apparently not straight, but he actually likes me! He's liked me for so long and I didn't even know it! This explains why his freedom from me hurt him so much. And he might even love me! Every atom in Arthur's body sang with excitement and Arthur's heartbeat sped up until the pounding was loud in his ears.
"I-I really like you too."
Arthur stared at the other man with a dumbfounded expression on his face as Alfred's face lit up into a huge smile. Next, Arthur said something that surprised both of them.
"Alfred I want to help you make new memories of the Fourth of July. And then, you will think back to tonight instead of thinking of the past."
Now it was Alfred's turn to feel shocked. Alfred's eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened. Arthur was feeling very nervous, but now that he knew that Alfred felt the same way, there was no going back. He found himself walking over towards Alfred, who was still sitting down on his bearskins and staring at Arthur. Arthur sat down next to Alfred on the bed. They were sitting with their legs dangling over the edge, and with their bodies facing towards the main entrance of the tent. Arthur stared intensely at Alfred's face, which was bathed in the soft glow of candlelight. Nearby on the nightstand, there were several candles slowly burning down. Arthur saw a flicker of orange fire reflected in Alfred's eyes, as if it was showing how he was feeling at the moment. Arthur's heart pounded faster and faster as he thought about what he wanted to do. Oh fuck it, he thought. Then he leaned in and placed his soft lips on Alfred's. Alfred's eyes widened more, and his pupils dilated with excitement. Arthur placed one hand on Alfred's broad, muscular back, and used his other hand to cradle Alfred's head lovingly. Arthur kissed the other man softly and tenderly. He had to stretch his neck up a bit since Alfred was taller, but to Arthur it still felt perfect. Alfred relaxed after getting over his initial surprise, and quickly wrapped his arms around Arthur's smaller, lithe body. He dipped his head down to deepen the kiss and also so that Arthur wouldn't have to reach his head up so much. Arthur considered slipping his tongue inside of Alfred's mouth, but he decided it was best to just take things slowly, and save a kiss like that for later. This was already heaven anyway. Arthur was enveloped in Alfred's strong, warm, arms and he felt so safe, more safe than ever before. Alfred's lips massaged his slowly, sending tingles up his spine and sparks into his bloodstream with every movement that they made. Eventually, Arthur realized that he was running out of breath. He withdrew from the kiss, panting slightly and still holding Alfred. Alfred looked down at him, his blue eyes fixated and filled with love for Arthur. Alfred's hair was now a disheveled mess, but Arthur found it quite attractive. A light dusting of pink covered both of their faces as they caught their breath and stared at each other once more.
"Not going to lie Artie, that was amazing. I've wanted to do that for a long time."
Arthur's blush intensified and Alfred smirked.
"I know you loved it too, I can tell," Alfred said when he realized that Arthur was not going to respond. "Artie can we cuddle again?"
"Uhhh...y-yes."
"Yayyyyy! I loved it so much when we cuddled before! Thank you!"
Arthur smiled at Alfred's youthful excitement. He then let go of Alfred, and moved himself so that he was lying down on the bed. Alfred followed him, and positioned himself so that he was facing Arthur. He wrapped his muscular arms around Arthur and pulled him tightly. Arthur smiled softly, feeling very relaxed, and closed his green eyes. He rested his head against Alfred's chest, and entangled his legs in Alfred's. He realized that he could smell Alfred's scent, which seemed to be a mixture of hay and earth. It was a masculine scent, and Arthur liked it very much. He also noticed that he could hear Alfred's heartbeat from this position. His heart was still beating quickly after the kiss. It beats fast for me, Arthur thought to himself. Arthur nuzzled his nose on Alfred's chest and placed a light kiss on it.
"You will never be alone on the Fourth of July again Alfred", Arthur mumbled.
Alfred did not respond, but Arthur felt Alfred wrap his arms more tightly around his frame. Arthur sighed in contentment, and realized that Alfred's heartbeat was starting to slow down and become more relaxed. Suddenly, there was a loud boom. Arthur and Alfred jumped, and turned their heads in the direction of the back door, where the sound had come from.
"Oh it's just the fireworks starting." Alfred stated. He then turned to Arthur and smirked. "They scared you too didn't they?"
"N-no of course not!"
"Right," Alfred said, still smirking.
Then there was the faint sound of men singing in the distance, about 100 feet away from the tent.
Oh say can you see by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there.
Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?
Arthur looked back towards Alfred as the song ended and the men started sending off more fireworks.
"This is a perfect Fourth of July Artie. Thank you," Alfred said over the fireworks.
Arthur smiled up at Alfred, then returned his head to Alfred's chest. The two men stayed in that position all night, as the fireworks crackled and exploded overhead in the night sky. As soon as the fireworks ended, both drifted off into a deep and peaceful sleep.