A/N: Okay, so this is for my very good friend as a present for the 6th of December (Nikolaus) but I hope you enjoy it as well!
"Arthur. Arthur wake up." Alfred's voice drifted through his consciousness. "We have a major problem. Arthur."
"Wha?" Arthur blinked awake and rolled over to squint at him. "Alfred? What's wrong?"
"There's an emergency." Alfred said seriously.
"What kind of emergency?" Instantly, Arthur was more awake.
"We're out of ice cream."
"...Alfred." Arthur glanced at the clock. It was 1:38.
"Yeah?"
"Are you insane? It's the middle of the bloody night. Why the hell are you looking for ice cream in the first place?" Arthur sat up and rubbed his eyes, glaring at the other when he could.
Alfred shuffled slightly on the bed. "Weeeeell...I couldn't really sleep so I went downstairs to get some ice cream cuz I was bored and didn't wanna be creepy by starin' at you for too long." He gave a sheepish smile. "So I went down but there was none!" His blue eyes widened with panic.
Arthur shook his head in resignation, knowing that Alfred wouldn't leave him alone until he had his ice cream. "Love, are you sure you didn't just miss it because you don't have your glasses on?"
"Oh. Didn't think of that." Grinning, Alfred grabbed his glasses from the bedside table and ran out of the room.
Sighing softly, Arthur fell back and closed his eyes, burrowing deeper under the covers, practically shoving his face under a pillow. He enjoyed the blissful silence for as long as he could, and he had almost fallen back asleep when Alfred came running back.
"There's nothing, Artie." he said mournfully.
Arthur groaned, both at the nickname and the rest of the words. "Too bad." he said brusquely.
The mattress shifted slightly and then the Englishman felt warmth on his back and arms slipping around his torso. Alfred curled right up to him, his head right next to Arthur's neck and breathing gently onto him. Arthur squirmed a bit, but then settled down when Alfred didn't do anything else.
"No, not too bad." Alfred whispered to him giddily after a moment. "We gotta go get some."
"You're not serious." Arthur muttered back to him. "Just go to sleep, we'll get the ice cream in the morning."
"No, but I want it now!" Alfred whined, nuzzling to him. "C'mon, Artie, please! I might not want it in the morning."
"Your loss."
"Why're you so mean?"
Although it was dark in the room, Arthur could almost see Alfred's certain pout. "I am not mean, I'm logical. We are not going to get ice cream at nearly two in the morning."
"...I hate you."
Alfred looked over at him in the passenger seat and laughed. "Nah, you still love me. And 'sides, that was fun!" He grinned broadly at him.
Arthur scowled in return. "You slung me over your shoulder like a sack of common potatoes and went crashing down the stairs, screeching at the top of your lungs." he said flatly.
"I was singing!" Alfred was pouting again.
"Keep your eyes on the road." Arthur told him, and the American's gaze obediently snapped forward. "That was not singing, that was painful."
"Well I can sing."
"Mhm." Arthur looked out the window for a moment. "So where exactly are we going?"
"There's this small convenience store a few miles out. I've gone there a few times before, they've actually got tons of variety!"
"We are getting one box."
"What? No, c'mon, why only one?!"
"One. Box."
Alfred pursed his lips but didn't argue anymore for the moment being, though in his mind he was going through scenarios of how he could sneak in an extra box or two. It took them another ten minutes' driving on the empty roads to get to the store, and once they pulled into the parking lot Alfred started bouncing again. Arthur smiled softly at him, but made sure he didn't notice.
"So I'll just go get the ice cream, and you can just like, look at tea or some-"
"Nice try, but no." Arthur smiled at him. "We're staying together." he said pleasantly. He didn't really want to think about the various methods Alfred would think up to smuggle some more ice cream home- or where the ice cream could possibly be hidden.
Alfred forced a smile back at him, but he didn't look angry. Or surprised. "Right. Let's go, then?"
"Of course." Arthur got out and drew his coat a bit tighter around himself. "Ice cream in December, I swear..." he muttered.
Alfred laughed and linked arms with him as they entered the store. He pulled them off to the fridges in the back, where the ice cream trove was. Arthur stepped back then and watched with much amusement as the American man fluttered around the glass case, peering eagerly at all the different flavours.
"Which one?!" About five minutes later, Alfred turned to him with two cartons of ice cream. "Double Fudge Marshmallow Brownie, or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough?" He peered more closely at the second container for a moment. "Whoa, with extra bits of cookie dough!"
"They both sound like heart attacks in the form of excessively sugary cream." Arthur commented.
"C'mon, pick one!" Alfred thrust both boxes closer to his face.
"Tch. Oh fine, I suppose the Chocolate Chip...whatever it is, will be the less likely one to give you as stomachache."
"Hah, I wouldn't get one anyway. Y'can't get a stomachache from ice cream!" Alfred announced, putting the other box back with slight sadness.
"Right." Arthur said disbelievingly. He was turning away when he suddenly froze, staring at a certain spot on the fridge. Was that...? He moved closer. It was.
"Uhh, Artie?" Alfred, who had taken a few steps down the aisle, looked back now and frowned.
Arthur didn't even take notice of the nickname as he reached out to open a freezer and grab a box. "Let's go, shall we?" He then started the aisle himself.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Alfred stopped him with a hand on his chest. "What's that?"
"Ice cream." Arthur looked at him like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Yeah, but what-" Alfred took a closer look at the name. "Rum Raisin? Okay, first off, you said only one thingy of ice cream, and two, I don't need you getting drunk off that."
"One box each." Arthur smiled, but then huffed. "Do you know how bloody hard it is to find Rum Raisin ice cream? And I will not get drunk off this. The percentage is so low- I doubt there's actually any alcohol in there. It's more just flavour."
Alfred laughed at him defending it and mussed up his hair. "Well all right. I'm never against more ice cream." He led the way to the register- well at least until Arthur tugged him off to the side.
"Tea."
"Tea?"
"Yes. Since you so kindly reminded me, we're running low on tea." Arthur steered him to the tea and coffee aisle. Immediately he picked up a few boxes of Earl Grey, and also some non-caffeinated sleeping tea.
"All right, let's go before the ice cream melts!" Alfred took the basket and dashed off to the register to pay. Luckily they were the only ones in the store except for the bored cashier, so he wasn't disturbing anyone.
Arthur followed at a slower pace. He happened to glance at a clock he passed- it was 2:26- and his tiredness returned full force. Yawning, he finally reached the registers. By that time Alfred had checked out and paid, so Arthur just nodded tiredly to the woman working and followed his lover out.
"Hey, ya seem extra tired all of a sudden." Alfred slung an arm across his shoulders, the bag swinging slightly in his other hand. "You okay?"
"You woke me up in the middle of the night and dragged me here, of course I'm bright and chipper." Arthur muttered sarcastically.
"You did get your rum ice cream." Alfred pointed out.
The Englishman just grumbled some more until he got into the car, where he quieted in favour of watching the streetlights zip by. He had almost slipped into a light doze when they arrived back at the house.
"I'll take the bag and park, you just go." Alfred offered.
Arthur nodded and stepped out. He entered, fumbling around the lock for a few minutes, and then went straight to the kitchen. He knew Alfred would definitely want a bowl, and he supposed a small scoop wouldn't hurt him. So he prepared two bowls, spoons, and the scooper and waited.
Alfred burst through the door moments later, his eyes lighting up when he saw the table. At Arthur's stare he carefully put the tea away first before scooping out the ice cream. He put a scoop of the Rum Raisin for Arthur, tasting it along the way. "It's good, I guess, but it could be a bit sweeter." he commented.
"Hmph. You just can't appreciate a harmonious balance of flavours." But nonetheless he thanked Alfred when he received his bowl.
"Sure. Wait for me on the couch?"
Arthur nodded and went over, settling down on one end and starting to eat his portion. Alfred joined him a few minutes later with his own bowl. "Alfred."
"Yeah?" Alfred got comfortable right next to him and flicked the television on to some random show, turning the volume down so it was merely a droning noise in the background.
"You couldn't possibly fit any more in there?" He was staring at the American's overflowing bowl with shock, amusement, and just a pinch of admiration.
"Huh?" Alfred examined it closely. "Well, now that you mention it...coulda probably gotten another half scoop in there." He started to rise.
"Stay put." Arthur's hand clamped down on his wrist. "You'll eat the whole thing now in that fashion."
Alfred grinned cheekily at him. "But Artie, then we'd have to go get some more! Wouldn't you wanna~?" Taking advantage of Arthur's mouth opening into a perfect O of rage, he quickly slipped a spoonful of his own ice cream into it.
Arthur blinked a few times and swallowed, though his foot moved to knock against Alfred's shin as a reprimand. "Oh God, that's so sweet!" He wrinkled his nose.
"Pfft, you just can't handle it!" Alfred received a smack for his laughter, and was still quietly snickering as he watched Arthur angrily eating his ice cream.
"You are such an arse." Arthur muttered.
"I've got a great one, too!" Alfred laughed again as he ate more of his ice cream and watched Arthur redden. But the Englishman didn't deign him with a response, so he shrugged and continued munching through the bowl, eyes flicking to the TV screen to watch the characters move around. His fingertips and hands had frozen (or at least it seemed that way to him), but his side was warm from where it was pressed against the other blond.
Arthur finished his ice cream not long after and simply set the empty bowl on the coffee table, leaning a little more into Alfred as he leaned back.
"Hmm?" Alfred glanced down and licked his lips clean before pressing a kiss to the top of his head with an overexaggerated "Mwah!". He grinned broadly when Arthur chuckled and snuggled a little closer to him.
Arthur was watching him out of the corner of his eye and frowned slightly when Arthur finished. "Tch. Look, now you've made a mess of yourself." He lifted Alfred's hand to show him his sticky fingers.
"What?" Alfred had finished licking his mouth clean a second time when Arthur did that. "Oh." he said, leaning forward to lick those clean too, but Arthur stopped him.
"Allow me."
Alfred swallowed and nodded ever so slightly, shifting closer to him.
Arthur smiled and drew Alfred's hand closer to his mouth, his tongue flicking out to wrap around the fingers. He finally placed them into his mouth, sucking lightly to remove the sticky sweetness while at the same time tugging the slightest bit. He paid close attention to each finger, and then kissed them when he was satisfied they were clean. Then he started on the other hand, which was equally as sticky.
Alfred didn't look away from im for one moment. He couldn't- Arthur's half-closed eyes were absolutely enthralling, and the feeling of his tongue over his own fingers sent heat tingling all over his body. His pajama pants became slightly tighter and his breath shuddered for a moment, but the look in Arthur's eyes informed him he'd be getting no action that night. The Englishman was teasing and doing incredibly hot things with his tongue- Alfred's thought process cut off for a moment here as he let out a soft moan- but it was just for the teasing's sake, not sex.
"There..." Arthur said in a low tone as he finally let go of his other hand, using his tongue to gently push it out "Much better."
"Nngh..." Alfred let out another tiny moan as he pushed himself even closer to Arthur, dipping his head down to rest it on Arthur's shoulder. "You're mean." he muttered, freezing when Arthur rested a hand on his hip.
Arthur smiled and gently pressed his thumb down on a spot on the inside of the hipbone, a place he knew was highly sensitive. "Am I?"
The breath rattled out of him, and Alfred felt himself reacting even more. "Yea- holy shit ahh..." He trembled slightly and then suddenly bolted from the room. "I'm gonna go take a shower!" he yelled loudly over his shoulder.
"Consider it payback for waking me up!" Arthur called after him, chuckling. He shook his head and gathered up both bowls, taking them to the kitchen and washing them before going back to their bed.
Slipping under the covers, he sighed in bliss and relaxed. Half of him was listening to the quiet thrum of shower water while the other half was trying to fall asleep. He had almost drifted off when the water stopped and a few minutes later Alfred wandered in, a pout on his face.
"What are you waiting for?" Arthur muttered, throwing the covers open for him. "Get in here."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Alfred slipped under them and curled up next to him, turning him around so they could spoon. "But Artie?"
"What."
"It wasn't that bad, right? I mean, there's a kind of thrill that comes from doing stuff in the middle of the night."
"...I suppose so." Arthur eventually admitted, snuggling deeper into Alfred's arms. "Good night now, love."
"Night, babe." Alfred pressed a kiss to the back of his neck and then, after a few minutes, drifted off.
"Uhh, Arthur? Artie?"
It was two days later, and Arthur half-woke with a soft groan. "What is it, Alfred?" The light from one of the streetlights made Alfred's eyes shine even more intensely, or at least that's what Arthur thought.
Alfred cracked a hesitant smile. "We're out of ice cream again."