CC101- Hey guys! New chapter, Yay! So I would like to give my condolences to all the people in the terrible shooting in Connecticut.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Everyone looked at each other then at Ivan. Clearly, the King of Clubs had gone too far. And they were right. The group flinched as the Brit reacted to the choice words.

"That's it!" The Queen of Spades climbed across the table towards Ivan with fury, papers flying either way, but was pulled back by his feet. "I'll fucking kill him!"

Alfred pulled Arthur back and then held him back in a bear hug. "Shh, calm down Arthur!"

Ivan tilted his head. "What did I say?"

"Don't play dumb with me you arsehole!" The Queen shouted, struggling as much as he could to break free from the hold. He threw his legs back, hoping to kick away whoever was holding him back; he didn't care who was behind him.

Alfred forced Arthur back into the chair. "Arthur! Look at ME!"

The older male glowered menacingly and angrily at his King. "Whot?!"

"You need to calm down." Alfred whispered in the smaller's ear. "Ivan is just trying to cause trouble, don't fall for it." The Queen let out an aggravated sigh, not answering the King and only staring straight into his eyes. Alfred gave a huge smile. "Thank you. Now if I let you go, will you say put?"

Arthur nodded solemnly and angrily. The King of Spades nodded in return and stood back. The Queen glared at the other King, quietly but with a deadly glare.

"Can we start?" Kiku asked quietly and quickly.

Ludwig looked over to the Spades. "Are ve done creating distractions?"

"Da, it's annoying," Ivan said with a smile.

Alfred glared at the Russian as he sat down in his seat. "We are done if you are."

Ivan grinned. "Da, I'm done."

Ludwig breathed out in frustration. "Danke Gott."

The rest of the meeting stretched on for nearly three hours, each King taking approximately thirty minutes to state their ways on how to bring the alliance closer. It was quite aggravating for everyone to deal with, having to sit through the entire meeting, but they at least had one thing settled: the four Kingdoms would have an alliance that prevented future wars and assisted them in several ways through trade, economics, and natural difficulties.

Alfred smiled widely as he stood up and stretched out his back. There were several cracking noises. "Ah, that felt good!"

Francis, who was the last one to speak and currently standing at the podium in the front of the room, turned to the Spades. "So, you two are ze 'osts. When should we gazer to sign ze alliance?"

Arthur also stood. "We have yet to agree to all the terms. Today was a huge step forward. Everyone needs a night to reflect on it. Tomorrow we shall agree on terms. If we can figure it all out by the day after that, we will sign. If not, we will add an extra day to work out all the kinks in the plan."

The King of Diamonds pointed at Alfred's Queen's wrists. "Mon ami, sere are rope markings on 'is wrists. Explain zat."

Arthur pounced up again. "We. Did. Not. Have. Sex!"

Alfred nodded in agreement while Francis sent them a look.

Arthur blushed, but held his glower. "We did nothing inappropriate, Frog."

Alfred laughed. "That wasn't from me dude! Arthur tripped by the docks!"

Francis laughed lightly. "Do you take me for a fool? You do not receive an injury like zat from falling. Zey go perfectly around 'is wrists." He winked at the other King. "I bet a gag was involved too, non?"

"Fine," Alfred said already tired of the topic already. Francis was always trying to either get the King and Queen of Spades together or attempting to get in Arthur's pants, which never went well for the Frenchman. "You want the real story?"

"Whot?!" Arthur glared. He was shocked that Alfred would do such a thing.

"Oui, I would love zat!" He grinned.

"Well you see, Artie here was in such a bad mood, he summoned a dragon. Of course as the hero, I set out to save my Queen. I quickly defeated the creature and found my Queen. However he fell in love with his own reflection so I had to tie him up to bring him back. As soon as he ate one of his scones, he snapped out of the spell."

Francis laughed. "Because zat is very true, Alfred!"

"Well, it happened," the Queen of Spades commented, going along with the game.

Alfred smiled and began to walk away from the group of royals. "Well, I am off to do more Hero's work! Arthur, are you coming?"

"Do I have a choice?" The Brit muttered as he followed Alfred out the door.

"You always have a choice Arthur. Always," Alfred repeated, stressing his point. "I won't force you to do anything, unless of course it's for your own good."

The Queen shook his head with a sigh. "Alfred, of course I'm coming with you. I'm not going to stay in there with those idiots, and Yao obviously wants to be with Kiku right now, judging by the way they were eyeing each other." He presented a tiny smile. "Besides, I don't think I'd ever leave your side, no matter whot may happen."

Alfred gave a huge smile as he wrapped his arm around Arthur's shoulders. "You'd get sick of me eventually."

"I doubt it. Although we don't spend every second of the day together, since we do have other things to do besides being in the other's company, but if I were to get sick of you, I'd leave and you'd be alone." There was a strange seriousness in Arthur's emerald eyes that changed the mood drastically. "I know whot it feels like to be alone. And until my dying breath, I don't ever want you to feel like that."

Alfred stopped in front of one of the large windows. He felt deeply moved by Arthur's confession. "I-I-... Thank you Arthur. That means a lot." He gave his Queen a hug. "I don't want you to be alone either."

Arthur embraced the tall male back with a smile. "Thank you. I'll do the same for you, I swear to it."

Suddenly, Alfred felt as if he was at his wedding again. Six years ago, he pledged his love and loyalty to a man he barely knew. They were just words to him. Now? Now, this promise? This was real. This mattered, it had to be genuine. Could he swear to never leave Arthur or would he repeat his earlier mistake and make an empty promise?

Alfred tightened the hug. "I swear to make sure that you are never and never feel lonely again."

The Briton didn't know what it was, but he could feel the truth in his words. Alfred and him never could agree on things, but for once they were in one state of mind. He could remember their vows to one another six years ago. Arthur remembered the promises he made and how he would continuously be faithful and loving to his King. But it wasn't until now that he had meant it when he said it aloud. He wanted it to be true, and he could tell it was with every part of them. The promise was full of truth and a bright future ahead of them, and he hoped it stayed that way.

The Queen hummed, feeling the comforting warmth embrace him once more. "Thank you so much. I will make sure you never have to suffer from it."

The King of Spades frowned as he remembered Peter's words again. He didn't love Arthur as a lover but as a best friend! And he would prove it by being the bestest best friend that anyone had ever had!

"I'm trusting you extremely," the shorter whispered. "Please don't lose that."

Alfred hummed. He understood how much Arthur was putting out there. The Queen had already had his heart broke by him once, but still Arthur trusted him again. "Arthur... Arthur, I want to tell you about...about Texas..."

Arthur stood back a little to gaze at the taller blond. "Are you sure you want to do this? I know it's a sensitive subject for you."

"You trust me, I want you to know I value that trust."

He nodded. "Alright." He was nervous; he didn't know what to expect from this.

Alfred looked around. They were still in the middle of a hallway. "Why don't we take this to your room?"

He nodded. "That's the best thing to do." He took his King's hand and started to walk slowly, the two quiet on their way to Arthur's room.

It was a nice quiet though, comfortable would be a better term. Several servants bowed and those that were female, started to giggle. The two eventually hit their destination. The two slipped in quietly, Arthur shutting and locking the door as Alfred made sure no one else was in the room. Thankfully, they were. The Queen removed his jacket and hat by his temporary desk before sitting on the edge of the bed with a relaxed yet prepared sigh. "Alright, I'm ready when you are."

Alfred sat next to him. The younger's normally bold behavior was reduced to nervous looks. "I can only say don't judge me. I have done something in my life that I am not proud of and things I am proud of. This story combines each of these."

Arthur nodded and he reached over to grab both of Alfred's hands. "I promise. I will never judge you, no matter whot may happen."

Alfred smiled. "Thank you." He paused before telling his story.

"When I was thirteen, a year before I was chosen to be King, I was working on the horse farm I told you about. Luckily for me, I was one of those people who came into puberty early. All the ladies loved to talk to me. They would line up at the fence to talk to me. All except one girl."

"Her name was something I couldn't pronounce, no one could. So everyone just called her Mex. I just got finished talking to a group of girls when I saw her feeding the geese. Walking over, I started to talk to her. Within a week, I made her my first girlfriend. We had dated for a shocking four months before we had our first fight."

"Mex didn't like that I went drinking with my boss. I told her that it was nothing really. Then she punched me, so I hit her back. Eventually we both calmed down and got back together for another two weeks. After that I discovered that she wanted my job, my money, and my life. Mex had several plans to injure me, but though luck, I missed all of them. Therefore, she had to do it herself."

Alfred gave a sad smile. "It's kinda cliché...how it turned out: a dark stormy night, raining, and harsh wind. Mex approached me with a dagger. We fought for several moments. We were about equal because we both were really strong. Then the King of Spades died. All of his super strength was passed down to me at that moment." Alfred looked away as tears started to collect in his eyes. "I-I couldn't control it, so when I w-went to turn the knife away, I stabbed her right in the h-heart."

"She died in my arms... The b-boys later found us as a witness ran for help earlier. I was cleaned up and told it wasn't my fault. I w-was allowed to have her things in accordance to the law as she had no family, but she didn't have anything. So I took her glasses, and have worn them ever since."

Arthur, as soon as Alfred was done, pulled him into a comforting hug swiftly and tightly. His mind was thinking of this and that so quickly, he couldn't even decipher what it was he was thinking. His throat was also clogged with tears that he refused to let his King see. For right now, he just needed to calm Alfred and have him know he wasn't alone.

The King practically curled up in Arthur's lap, slowly letting out the tears he had held back for so long; Alfred tried to calm down his sobbing. His body shook from the action, but Arthur did not stop his ministrations. The Queen rubbed his back and was quiet; he had experience with usually young children crying- like his brother Peter or Yao's cousin Leon (Xiang when at home) when both were much younger. He did what he would have done with him, and allowed Alfred to sob everything out, no matter how loud it was, as Arthur- so enraptured by the current events- followed suit quietly.

It took Alfred several minutes to calm down. He inwardly cursed himself for crying. It wasn't what Kings did, especially heroes like him, "T-Thanks."

"Of course," the Queen replied, wiping at his own eyes. "It's very heartbreaking to lose someone like that. I know it must have been difficult, but...thank you for telling me."

The American looked up and saw the tears. His stomach dropped. "A-Are you afraid of me?"

Arthur smiled weakly. "You can only be afraid of monsters. You can't be afraid of heroes." He inhaled with a sniff. "I feel your pain, Alfred. That's why I'm crying."

Alfred, content with the answer, curled up to Arthur again. "I am glad." That was a bit of an understatement but Alfred was content with it. Arthur would understand.

The older's hands carted through the other's hair absentmindedly. "I don't mean to ask, but...does that mean you don't have problems with your eyesight?"

"...Yes."

"That's fine." He looked down at his close friend. "You wear them in memorial for someone close to you."

"I do have slight problems but they're like cheaters."

Arthur nodded. "You didn't have to tell me, but you did...and like I said, I thank you, Alfred. I appreciate the fact that you did, and...and I feel as if we're...on a new level of understanding the other. But, mostly, I am sorry that it had happened to you."

Alfred sat up; a little sad he was missing the warmth the other gave off. "Like I said a year ago, I want to change our relationship for the better." He leaned against his Queen and wrapped his arm around Arthur's waist. "I think it worked out well for us."

"It has." He smiled sweetly at him. "I'm very proud of you...of us. We went from despising one another to creating a strong friendship."

"We never hated each other, at least I didn't. I just thought you were always trying to bring me down."

Arthur looked at his King as if he was crazy. "Are you serious? I never wanted to bring you down. I didn't like how Yao and I had been left to do your work. I always thought you hated me."

Alfred shook his head. "I already told you why are you acting so surprised? I only dish out what I receive. You were always yelling for everything and that just made me even more reluctant to do my work."

The Queen was quiet for a second before nodding. "That's true. I was quite, eh...a bit of a hard-ass on you, wasn't I?"

"But now I see why you were yelling. You had the right, I was being the real ass," Alfred stated as he pushed them both down towards the bed. Lying down, Alfred kept his arm around Arthur.

The older gave a quiet hum as his cheeks lit up in scarlet. "I-I'll admit to that, you were being quite lazy for a majority of the first three years. But I shouldn't have been as rude to you as I was; you were still a teenager, even though you didn't look the part."

"It's fine," The King dismissed as he settled comfortably into the bed. "We didn't play our twenty questions yet."

"We haven't asked them in two days, I noticed. Do you want to play?"

"Well, I don't want to leave. You start."

Arthur gave a small smile. "Who's your least favorite person in that conference room?"

"Ivan..."

The Queen quirked up an eyebrow. "Next question, whot about Francis?"

"He is a close third," Alfred said bluntly.

"Hm...A ridiculous question, but whot is it that you dislike about Ivan?"

"Everything. I hate the way he looks, the way he acts toward people, and I hate the way he speaks! Always seeming so innocent but filled with malice. What I would give for another fight with him."

"Don't fight him, Alfred; it'll only start trouble with Clubs. I want to charge him too, believe you me, but I'm holding back. We need to if we want whot's best for the kingdom."

"I meant a spar Arthur. I already fought him once as a 'friendly' match. We broke each other's right pinky finger."

"I don't care; I'm not letting you get into a 'friendly' match with another Royal Deck Member, unless it's something similar to the Spades Blades."

"...Fine...for you."

The older blond smiled. "Thank you. Now...about Yao and Kiku...whot do you think about them and...whot we saw before?"

"It's nothing new to me."

Arthur shifted onto his stomach, still remaining in Alfred's hold. "Whot do you mean by that?"

"Well, they have been like that for years. It's nothing new to me..."

"Hm..." Arthur didn't know why, but he had expected something different from his friend. "Whot's your worse fear...as a King and as an ordinary person..."

"Marmalade. The stuff freaks me out."

"Anything else? Ghosts? The dark? Enclosed spaces?"

At the word 'ghost', Alfred brought Arthur a little closer. "Y-Yes, sometimes, and not normally."

Arthur looked down at the other's hands when he was pulled close, and then looked up at Alfred again. "Whot do you mean 'not normally'?"

"As long as I know where I am going or where I am, I am fine. I have an irrational fear of being buried alive."

"A... Alfred." The Queen sat up to gaze at his King. "That's...I'm so sorry." His hands, unbeknownst to him, grasped and entwined with the younger blond. "I really am..."

Alfred looked confused. "Why are you sorry?"

"Because I bet it's pretty horrible to suffer from a fear like that. I don't have many fears, besides loneliness and losing those dear to me, but it certainly sounds terrible."

"Not really, I never have to deal with situations like that."

"You're lucky." Arthur relaxed against Alfred, shutting his eyes as he listened to the King's heartbeat. "I find my two fears following me wherever I go. They never stop...and they never will."

Alfred hummed. He felt sleepy as his body was used to a siesta at noon. Shutting his eyes, the taller cuddled into Arthur. "Sorry..."

"When I was a child, perhaps...four or five, my...my two oldest brothers and sister had brought me to the middle of a field. I had wanted to go see the fairies that were living there- they could see them only when they were younger- and talk to them, and I did, but...when I turned to say that we could go home, they...they were gone. I thought I had died-" His voice became slightly muffled at this point, and it sounded as if he was holding something back from Alfred.

"...but the worse was when I lost a small pet bunny I had kept for myself. She was lost, we assumed, and my mum and I took her in. She was so tiny and all fluffy and white with gray spots on her forehead." The older grinned. "I named her Snowflake. She always came to me and jumped here and there and wiggled her nose when she was happy and followed me around faithfully." Slowly, however, his smile started to fall and disappeared completely. "But that's whot killed her. My older brother found her early one morning...placed her on the steps outside...a-and h-h-he..." Arthur started to tremble, his hands curling into Alfred's jacket.

Now wide awake, Alfred pulled Arthur into the cuddle now. "Shhh, it's ok. Your brother is an ass but there is one good thing. I am here, and no sibling of yours could ever take me away from you."

The blond Queen hid his face into the younger's jacket, his quiet weeps the only sound in the entire area. "I-I...I didn't sleep for days...my mum punished my brother but all I could see were those brown, dead eyes..." He refused to look up at his King, scolding himself for being so weak.

"I really don't know whot I would do without you...and that's whot I think about every day...a second without you walking the earth."

Alfred frowned. "Shhh, I am here, always here." He cuddled Arthur closer. "I wouldn't let myself die; I still need to be the hero!" Alfred stated, trying to cheer the other up. "Besides, I have too much to lose in this world."

Arthur lifted his head, eyes red and nose stuffy but still managed a watery smile. "You...whot I would do to keep you here." He shifted so that he could hug him around his neck properly, slightly straddling his hips unbeknownst to him. "Thank you...for being here for me, whether I need someone or not."

Alfred blinked in surprise as Arthur moved on top of him. Moving his hands to support Arthur's hips, the King brought the Queen closer. "Of course. Why don't we take a nap? We'll both feel better."

He nodded weakly, eyes already closing and head resting on his shoulder. "That sounds nice..."

Smiling, Alfred shut his eyes, "Night."

Arthur was already in a slumber, and they both slipped into a quiet, peaceful sleep.

Kiku softly knocked on Arthur's door. The Queen of Spades was missing their usual tea time.

"Arzur?" He knocked quietly after a minute or so. There was no sound or a call to enter from the room, which was unusual. Arthur usually answered in some way, whether it was a call to come in or opening the door, even sometimes accidentally bumping into each other as they went to the same door. But this time, there was nothing. Curiously and quietly, the Queen of Hearts turned the knob and peeked inside.

There seemed to be no one in sight! Sighing, Kiku walked in farther and to his unparalleled glee, he found the older Queen...lying on top of his King!

The small and now shocked Queen covered his mouth, holding in a surprised sound as he smiled uncontrollably. So they really had been doing something "inappropriate"! This discovery- to catch the two in the small lie- was amazing! He wondered how they got away with it, yet it didn't matter if they would now.

Then he noticed something disappointing. Both of them still had their clothes on. Instantly, he frowned at his discovery, but then quietly grinned once more. The two were still in an embrace of one another; they were still touching and in a rather sexual position. It looked like they had started, but became too tired and decided to sleep instead. No matter; it was still a satisfying view.

Yao quickly got to his lover's side. "What take you long?"

With a sly smile, Kiku gestured towards the couple sleeping with a grin. "The position is quite amusing," he replied.

"What you m-" The Jack was quiet as he took in the sight, but then started to giggle quietly. "Wake them?" Yao asked softly.

The Queen shook his head. "I cannot do zat! Zey deny zeir rove but it is too obvious zey have feerings for one anozer."

"They stupid," the Jack stated agreeing with his Japanese partner.

"Hai; very. I have za berief zat zey wirr never rearn." He tilted his head to rest it against his lover's. "Zey are cute when zey are not yerring, zough."

The Chinese male nodded. "Those eyebrows though..."

Kiku laughed quietly. "Zey are very big. But I zink Arfred roves arr of him unconditionarry."

The Jack nodded. "I agree, aru."

"Shourd we reave zem?"

"Shi."

Kiku reached for his lover's hand, which was taken with a smile, and the two walked out, quietly shutting the door behind them.

Ok, so information for this chapter! Each of the royals of the Kingdoms have a special power.

Kings- Super strength

Queens- Magic

Jacks- Wisdom

Aces- A super sense if their royals are in danger.

And now for the reviews:

Dear bestie,

It seems that a lot of people want that!

Love,

CC101

Dear British Nut,

That's okay.

Love,

CC101