What's in a Name

Chapter 18

"Ah! Finally!"

Gilbert slumped back on the sofa, massaging the twinge that he still got in his side every now and again, and picking up a very comforting looking bottle of beer.

"Honestly, the only time when you're not supposed to exert yourself you insist that you're too bored not to help! What's the matter with you?" Arthur took his usual position in his chair next to the sofa, nursing his own mug of tea.

It had been three weeks since the fire at the gang leader's house, and they were just beginning to be able to get back into their normal routine of things. Arthur had decided that it was about time he tidied up his apartment (he had a horrible habit of losing things in there…) and despite the groans and complaints from the others, he had roped them into helping him, including Gilbert who was still meant to be resting (Stupid git…).

The apartment itself had seemed rather lonely during those couple of weeks. Peter had opted to stay with Tino and Berwald for a lot of it, leaving Arthur alone there once he had finished work, although frequent visits from Alfred and the others helped things along a bit, though he still found it strange not having his little brother darting around all the time. It was also weird not going up to Alfred's apartment every day to pick the boy up. It was… unnerving in a way. As if he had nothing left to do.

He was, however, spending a lot more time with Alfred, evening helping the student with his studies (Literature really wasn't his area of expertise even if he was majoring in it, especially when Shakespeare was concerned).

At that particular moment in time Alfred had left the room to heft a large box downstairs to the trash, ready to be picked up with the next rubbish collection. His arm had finally started to show that it was definitely healing, though like with the scar on his waist, Alfred preferred to keep it bandaged and out of sight at all times.

"I always forget how much stuff you've got." Antonio heaved himself onto his usual position on one of the kitchen counters, Lovino not far from him, still sorting through a box of utensils.

"Yeah, well a lot of it is sentimental stuff." Arthur took another gulp of tea, relaxing further down in his seat. He briefly glanced over a box of old looking ornaments, smiling at the memory of them all positioned around the walls and on the mantelpiece of his parents' old house when they had moved to the States. He could even remember glimpses of some of them in their home in London before they had emigrated. He chuckled, batting away the thought that he was getting old.

"Is it alright if I make coffee?" Lovino moved further into the kitchen without waiting for a response from the other man, busying himself instantly (much to Antonio's amusement).

"Hey, make us some too?" Alfred reappeared through the door, yawning and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He stretched, striding across the room before flopping onto the floor at Arthur's feet, leaning back on the older man's knees.

Lovino nodded, his expression unchanging as he added more coffee to the machine so that there was enough for the blonde.

"Tired?" Arthur chuckled softly, letting his free hand play with Alfred's hair where it fell across his legs.

The blue eyes looked up at him, untainted by the shadow his new glasses cast across them. His gaze had become gentle again, finally returning to the more carefree nature that Arthur had become used to before all the mess had happened.

A hot mug was passed to him, causing Arthur to wrinkle his nose at the strong smell of the liquid, coffee never surpassed a good cup of tea in his books, however Alfred started gulping it down appreciatively. He sighed, looking down at the top of the blonde head at his feet, wondering just how long it would take before the caffeine would kick in, making Alfred as hyper as he usually was.

"Dude, stop looking so down in the dumps." Alfred was now staring up at him, his head resting back on the small gap on the chair next to where Arthur was seated. He grinned, reaching up to poke the corner of the older man's lips, pushing it up into a lopsided smile, while Arthur's brows gave away his disapproving frown, but couldn't keep it up for long before he smiled back at the teen. "That's more like it!" Alfred cheered, pumping his fist into the air in triumph.

"Alright, alright. Calm down." Arthur pushed the excitable man's back down, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "Remind me not to give you coffee anymore."

"What are you? His mother?" Gilbert sniggered from the sofa, taking another swig from his bottle before discarding it to one side. "The guy's old enough to look after himself, Artie."

"Damn right I am!" Alfred agreed wholeheartedly, nudging Arthur's legs with his shoulder. "I'm just that awesome!"

"A ten year old could look after themself better than you could." Arthur retorted, kicking Arthur in response to the nudge.

"And the only awesome one in this room is the awesome me!" Gilbert chipped in, laughing at his own remark.

"You wish!" Alfred stretched, nearly pouring the remainder of his coffee over Arthur before leaping back up off the floor. "I could take you on any time!"

"Oh you are so on!" Gilbert started getting up, smirk set firmly upon his face, before he was pushed hard back onto the sofa.

"Ooh no you don't." Antonio scolded, wagging his finger mockingly at his friend, not showing the slightest bit of sympathy for the pain he had just caused him. "You're supposed to be resting. And Alfred, don't encourage him. You know what this lump is like." He rolled his eyes then stole the last of Lovino's coffee, much to the younger man's annoyance.

A hand rested on Alfred's shoulder and he turned to find Arthur stood behind him. "You got a minute?" His expression was more stern than usual, which was saying something considering how stuffy the man could be when he decided to be stubborn.

"Yeah, sure."

He let Arthur take the lead, following the other man out of the apartment and down the stairs. Neither of them spoke, letting their footsteps echo down the stairwell as they walked and not really noticing when they exited the block into the light of the early dusk.

The orange light settled on both of their faces, the shadows of the buildings on the opposite side of the street not quite reaching their side of the road.

It was quiet even for a weekend. Usually there was a small group of children from down the street that would be playing out in the road, not have to worry too much about cars driving through the small neighbourhood.

Arthur had his back to him so that Alfred could only see his silhouette is the low sunlight. His hands were folded together behind his back like he was thinking, though about what Alfred couldn't fathom.

They'd only just managed to get back into a regular routine of things but Arthur already seemed distracted. Over the last few days he would go quiet at random intervals, not speaking to any of them for several minutes until one of them would catch his attention. Occasionally he and Antonio would be seen muttering to each other when they thought no one was watching, but Alfred was pretty sure he had caught them every time. It was… troubling, to say in the least.

"It's getting colder." Alfred commented, brushing off the shiver that was itching its way up his back.

And then he was pulled forwards suddenly, Arthur pressing his lips hard to Alfred's in a rough kiss. He was gripping onto the neck of Alfred's (new) bomber jacket as if his life depended on it, not moving even when the other's stronger arms lopped themselves around him as Alfred attempted to relax the contact between them into something more comfortable.

"What brought that on?" Alfred continued holding Arthur even when the kiss was broken, letting the smaller man remain pressed against his chest, clinging onto the front of his jacket. "Not that it wasn't nice or anything." He added quickly.

Arthur nuzzled further into his jacket, brushing up against the fleeced lapels. He sniffed, but didn't look up at the man who was holding him. It was comforting how well they fit together. They were just the right heights for Alfred to be able to hold Arthur in such a way, despite how much the older man hated being called short by his friends (it was always their favourite way of teasing him).

"I've been thinking." He sighed, voice muffled in Alfred's chest before he moved away, turning his back to the younger man once more. "A lot of things have happened recently."

"Yeah." Alfred agreed, chuckling at how Arthur's ears were the slightest tinge of red.

"And I kind of thought it would be nice to have a break." Arthur continued, ignoring the laugh that had come from behind him.

"It's nearly Christmas, y'know."

"Not that kind of break, idiot." He glanced over his shoulder, frowning quickly at Alfred before looking ahead again. "I thought… well… I thought that maybe I'd like to go back to England for a while." He rushed the last part, not quite sure how to say it.

"What?" Alfred thought he had misheard the man; his sentence had been rather unclear after all. But he was almost one hundred per cent sure he had heard right.

"It's 'pardon', not 'what', twat." Arthur corrected him by habit, finally turning to face the other blonde. His face was now shadowed by the setting sunlight on his back as it seeped lower behind the houses on the other side of the road. "And I was just thinking that I needed to get away for a while, you know? See if things have changed since I left. It's not that I'm tired of things here or anything, I just thought that going back for a while might be good and that I could visit family or something and maybe get some things from there to show Peter because he's never been to England even though we're British, and-"

"Arthur." Alfred cut him off, pressing his hand against the Brit's mouth to silence him. "You're rambling again." He smiled, then moved his hand away again, allowing the other man to breathe. "When are you leaving?"

"Huh?" Arthur stood wide-eyed in front of him, his mouth gaping comically at Alfred's question.

"Well you've already planned it all, haven't you?" Alfred rolled his eyes, shaking his head in a mockery of Arthur's tone when he was annoyed with him. "I'm not as dense as everyone thinks I am, you know."

"No." He smiled, brushing the other's hair out of his eyes. "No, you're full of surprises that way." He pressed another chaste kiss to Alfred's lips, brushing softly against them. "In another couple of weeks."

Arthur looked away upon answering Alfred's question. He knew only too well what expression the teen would be wearing. His bright blue eyes would be wide and his mouth would be gaping open slightly in that child-like manner that he often adopted.

"That soon, huh?" Alfred finally stuttered out, tripping over his words slightly.

"Yeah." He spoke shortly, still not looking around.

"For how long?"

"I don't know." Arthur's voice was breaking, and he knew that if he turned around just the mere sight of the other man would wreck his façade. "I haven't thought that far ahead. A few months, maybe. My older brother is lending me his flat in London while he's living in Scotland."

"The others already know?"

"Yeah."

Arms flew around Arthur's neck, pulling him backwards into the other blonde. Alfred rested him forehead on the other's shoulder, hiding his face as his hair flopped over it.

"'This is something you need to do for yourself'" He muttered, his voice muffled through Arthur's clothes. "Isn't that what you said that time?" He swivelled the smaller man around, still keeping hold of his shoulders but now locking eye contact with his amazingly emerald eyes. "Wait, you have an older brother?"

Arthur choked out a laugh, letting his hands grip onto the back of Alfred's jacket. "Yes, I do recall saying something like that. And yes, I have four older brothers actually."

"Wow, and I thought it was tough having one brother…" Alfred thought back to his relatively quiet home life, inwardly shuddering at the thought of it suddenly being ambushed by four older versions of him and Matt. "Anyway, there's no need to worry then." He nuzzled into the other's lighter blonde mop, memorising the scent of his (flowery) shampoo. "It's not as if we won't be able to contact each other."

"I suppose."

"Well then there really isn't anything to get worked up about!" Arthur could feel Alfred grinning into his hair, and chuckled in response, knowing full well what the other man was like when his mind was set.

He shivered, realising that he had come outside without any form of outer clothing when something rather large and heavy was slung around his shoulders.

"What're you-?"

"You're cold, right? Why'd you come out without a coat? And they say I'm stupid." Alfred scolded him, wrapping his arm back around the smaller man and guiding him back towards the building. "Come on! Back inside before we both freeze."

Alfred woke up to the usual blue of his bedroom all in its blurry glory without his glasses. The gap in the curtains let the cool morning light in, showing that it truly was winter now.

He rolled over in the bedcovers, feeling the weight next to him shift as his arm unconsciously drooped over the second person in the bed before pulling the smaller man closer.

Arthur was still very much asleep, snuggled down low under the duvet (yet had still managed to loop one leg around it and tie himself in a knot). He looked peaceful in his slumber, the crease between his large eyebrows disappearing completely. Alfred could see every detail in the man's face even without his glasses with how close they were together.

But this was a scene that he was only just getting used to, and would soon have to learn to be without it again.

The older man murmured in his sleep, opening his eyes rather blearily to see Alfred staring at him. A small smile appeared on his face as he allowed his head to loll forwards and rest on the other's chest, enjoying the extra warmth his body provided.

"Morning." Alfred chuckled, giving Arthur a quick squeeze and pulling the covers further both of them.

"G'morning." Arthur echoed him, sounding as if he was falling asleep again.

"Today's the day, huh?" Alfred sat up, encouraging Arthur to wake up more.

"It is." He refused to move, staying firmly in his place lying across Alfred's lap.

"And a certain Frenchman downstairs will start causing problems if you make him wait when you're the one who practically ordered him to take you to the airport." Alfred nudged him, propping him up on his leg.

"All that frog every does is moan." Arthur scoffed, finally sounding like he was fully awake. He waved a hand in Alfred's direction when he looked like he was going to start talking again. "I'm getting, I'm getting up. The last thing I want is to try and understand that twat's poor excuse of the English language this early in the day."

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes (a gesture which Alfred found adorable but didn't point this out in favour of not being beaten to a bloody pulp by the other man), and moved to find his discarded clothes, removing his pyjama shirt as he did so.

"I'm gonna miss your early morning rants." Alfred laughed from his position sprawled across the bed, watching the Brit get dressed.

"And I'm not going to miss your perverted eyes. Stop watching me!" Arthur whacked him with his jumper before pulling it over his head.

"Hey! It's not as if I can see anything properly!" He grinned, pointing out his lack of glasses.

"Whatever." The Brit huffed, though Alfred could still tell that he was smiling, even if he couldn't see it properly. "Anyway, if you want to come with me to the airport, you'd best be getting ready too. I've still got things to do this morning. Do you want me to make breakfast while you're getting dressed?"

"No!" Alfred recalled the last time Arthur had 'surprised' him with breakfast. It wasn't pleasant memory. "I mean, no, it's alright. I'm not hungry yet." He lied. He was actually starving, but didn't want to hurt the other man's feelings on the day he was leaving.

"You're still the world's worst liar, but okay." Arthur pulled his shoes back on and leant down to talk to the teen, "I'll see you downstairs in a bit."

"Yeah." Alfred tilted his head up, planting a kiss on Arthur's lips (and thoroughly enjoying the resultant blushing), before watching him show himself out of the apartment.

He couldn't remember the last time he had gotten dressed so fast. Alfred had showered and pulled on his jeans and hoodie within a few minutes of Arthur leaving, scoffing down a bowl of cereal in record speed. He could practically hear the older man's voice scolding him for it ("You'll get indigestion, idiot!").

There was a distinct sound of a certain Frenchman shouting from outside the window and a few thumps as something was thrown, causing Alfred to chuckle to himself. He could picture the scene without having to look at what was going on.

He finished up, practically throwing his bowl into the sink (and flinching slightly at the clang it made) before grabbing his bomber jacket and keys and hurtled out of the door, hair still damp.

"You're in a hurry." Kiku caught him on the way out, smiling politely as always. "Seeing him off, are you?"

"Yup." Alfred grinned at the Asian, pulling his jacket on over his hoodie. "How's your brother?"

"Exasperating, as always." The smaller rolled his eyes in the direction of his door, a slight frown appearing on his brows. "You'd best be off. Francis was getting… agitated…"

"Ah, yeah. Right." He scratched the back of his head, laughing lightly. "I'll see you around then."

Upon arriving downstairs, Alfred had been tackled by what at first glance looked like a blonde streak wearing clothes, which, as it turned out, happened to be Peter. Glancing around the boy he could see Tino leaning out of a car window, speaking happily to a rather disgruntled and tired looking Francis, while Arthur loaded his suitcases into the back of the Frenchman's car. He ruffled the small blonde's hair before placing him back on the ground, grinning when he was offered a high-five from him.

He moved over, hefting up the second suitcase and sliding it in next to the first, while Arthur fussed over whether he had everything.

Peter had climbed into the passenger seat of the car, only to be pulled back out by Francis after Tino had driven away again, instead placing him in the back and fastening the seatbelt so that he wouldn't try to move back (although he did anyway).

"Sit in the back with your brother." Francis sighed, ushering Arthur to help him. "You're not going to see each other for while after today, so you need to spend some time with him."

"But-!"

"No buts, Peter." Arthur placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, smiling down at the boy, "C'mon." He closed the boot-lid and climbed into the back of the car with Peter, while Alfred peered back at them from the passenger seat, secretly passing the boy some chocolate to keep him happy.

The trip to the airport hadn't been what most people would call pleasant. Francis spent most of the time grumbling in French about the traffic (Alfred guessed, he wasn't actually one hundred per cent sure what his landlord was saying), while Arthur and Peter argued about England in the back of the car, mostly about the stories Arthur was telling about his childhood in London with their other siblings. Peter seemed to be jealous about the time Arthur had spent with them, even if the tales were true and they bullied their second youngest brother to no end.

Alfred had resorted to pulling out a pair of headphones and was drowning out the noise with his music, occasionally nodding if a question was passed his way.

Another thing Francis had decided to moan about was the price of parking at the airport and had demanded that Arthur pay for it, which had ended in more fighting between the two before Alfred sought up the courage to break them up ("For Christ's sake! Can't you two put a lid on it for five minutes?").

He took it upon himself to find a trolley for the suitcases just to get away from their bickering, deciding it was better that he hadn't learnt French like Matt had because some of what Francis was saying sounded violent.

It was only when they got inside and Arthur had checked his luggage in that the Frenchman finally fell silent.

"Don't get all sentimental, frog!" Arthur scolded, rolling his eyes at the older man. "I won't be gone forever."

"That is why I am upset." Francis's accent was thicker than usual, making it even harder to understand his English. "The prospect of you coming back is simply terrifying, mon cher!"

Arthur scoffed, the frown reappearing on his face. "Just make sure you don't sell my room or there really will be something to be scared of."

"Will you two cut it out?" Alfred sighed, leaning on Peter's head, much to the pre-teen's annoyance as he batted him away.

"Oui, he is right. Give big brother a farewell hug." Francis took a few steps closer to Arthur, who in turn took several paces backwards.

"Not on your life!"

The Frenchman chuckled, instead ruffling Arthur's hair into an ever messier state. "Tell your brother I say hello."

"Same here!" Peter finally chirped up, bounding forwards and clinging to his brother's waist.

Arthur chuckled, leaning down and placing a hand atop of the boy's head. "Be good for Tino and Berwald, okay? I don't want any complaints when I get back."

"Yeah." He sniffled, wiping his face against Arthur before he was pulled backwards by someone.

"And how come we weren't invited to the leaving party?"

Gilbert glared into Arthur's face before breaking into his usual sly grin. He jerked his head backwards, motioning to Antonio and Lovino, to whom Peter was now complaining loudly about the German.

The Brit chuckled, running a hand through his hair and holding it up in a lazy wave to his other friends, before returning Gilbert's smirk. "I didn't think you could take all this emotional pressure." He clapped the taller man on the shoulder, noting that he no longer flinched at the sudden movement. "All healed up now, then?"

"Good as new. And what do you mean 'emotional pressure'?" He placed his hands on his hips in mock displeasure.

"You'll be causing trouble in no time." Antonio was, as ever, looped over Lovino's shoulders, smiling warmly at the two. "You sure you're going to be alright on your own?"

"I'm not a child." Arthur huffed, but returned the smile. "And my brother will be around some of the time when he's not working up north."

"That's good then." The Spaniard held out his hand, grasping Arthur's and pulling the blonde into a bear hug (much to Lovino's outrage as he ended up sandwiched between the two). "Oops! Sorry Lovi!" He laughed, finally letting go of the Italian. "Make sure you call once in a while. I won't forgive you if you don't."

"Yeah, yeah." Arthur grinned, nodding to Lovino as he turned to leave.

"See ya." He returned the gesture, holding his arm up in a poor excuse for a wave as he and Antonio walked away, stopping only to say goodbye to the others and to shout at the Spaniard ("For God's sake, you can drive then! Bastard!").

"See you later, Artie!" Gilbert pressed down on Arthur's head, laughing madly. "Don't piss off your brothers too much, yeah?"

"Git." He pushed him off, shaking the hair back out of his eyes before smiling at the albino. "See you when I get back?"

"Would you expect anything short of a party?"

"Nothing too extravagant, if you please."

"That's the snooty guy we know and love!" Gilbert cackled, thumping Arthur once more before following after Antonio and Lovino. "Later, Artie!"

Arthur watched his friends go, noting that their bikes were parked outside rather than in the car park, and that the German was now having a heated argument with one of the airport's security guards.

"Call to let me know when you're coming back." Francis spoke up again, Peter tucked under his arm.

"I will." He bent down to give his brother another hug, before shooing the two them away. "I just want to talk to Alfred for a minute, alright?"

"Don't take too long." Francis gave him one of his all-knowing smiles, before patting the Brit's arm and guiding Peter towards the doors, leaving Arthur alone with Alfred.

Alfred fidgeted, not sure of what to say to the other man. He hated awkward silences, and this was definitely not helping the whole 'saying goodbye' thing.

"This is it then." Arthur broke the silence, smiling a little sadly up at the taller blonde. He unstrapped his shoulder bag, rummaging inside before pulling out a set of keys. "Look after my flat for me? My bike keys are there too if you want to use it."

"Sure thing." Alfred pocketed them, letting one hand stay lingering on Arthur's, glad for the contact between the two of them.

"Oh come now, buck up." Arthur laughed squeezing the hand, "I'm not dying or anything."

He was suddenly pulled forwards as Alfred rested his head on the smaller man's shoulder, pressing the hand that wasn't clasped in his against Arthur's back so that the gap between them disappeared entirely.

Arthur could feel that other man's breath tickling against his ear and cursed at how much he knew he was blushing. Public shows of affection really weren't his cup of tea.

Alfred let out a long breath, moving his head slightly so that he could speak and only Arthur would be able to hear him. Even the older man's ears were turning scarlet with his growing embarrassment and Alfred had to quickly swallow a laugh or he knew he'd never get the chance to say what he needed to.

Another breath.

"I love you."

It was spoken so quietly that Arthur didn't register what had been said at first, or that was what he told himself anyway. He stood there for a few seconds, his arms fallen limply to his sides, completely unable to digest the words.

Then it twigged in his mind.

Arthur sighed, bringing his arms up to rest on Alfred's shoulders, slapping the man lightly over the back of the head. "Selfish bastard."

Alfred spluttered. That was not the reaction he had hoped for. Sure the returned embrace was nice, but there was no need for a comment like that! Wait. Arthur was smiling. Does that mean that he was happy, or that he was, once again, showing his eviler side? "Wha-? What?"

The older man chuckled, leaning his forehead on Alfred's and letting their eyes lock together. "I wanted to say that first."

He smiled, enjoying the pink tinge that had appeared on the teen's face (although he knew that his own face was equally as red). Alfred had taken to opening and closing his mouth in a similar fashion to a fish, completely lost for what to say until he felt the grip around his neck tighten as he was pulled forwards.

Their lips met gently, giving Alfred time to realise what was happening. It was soft, and if not anything else, held more emotion than any of their previous times.

Arthur felt Alfred grin into the kiss as he returned it, deepening it as he took control. Then he caught sight of the clock on the wall.

"I've got to go." He pulled away, his sad smile returning. "I'll call you when I get there?"

"You'd better." Alfred squeezed the smaller man one last time before letting him go.

Arthur took a few steps away before turning back, scratching his head as he thought of what to say. "That- That was a one off, okay? I'm not one for public shows of affection. But you should know that already. Just bare it in mind for when I get back, okay?"

Alfred laughed, seeing the Brit's cheeks flush again. "Love you too."

He turned away again, this time only glancing over his shoulder to speak. "Oh, and Alfred, you really are dense."

He grinned (knowing he looked like a fool for it) and turned the corner, leaving the spluttering man behind as he headed for the plane.

Notes:

This is the second to last chapter guys!

I can't believe this is actually happening now (or that I was able to right so much on so little in this chapter... or that's what it feels like anyway). I've actually already written the final chapter, so for me this has actually ended now.

Anyway, I've gotten a good lot of people asking what happened to Ivan and to be honest, at first I didn't want to tell anyone. But then I decided to be nice, so you'll find out in the next chapter.
This one was surprisingly hard to write, so be nice people!
I'll decide when to be nice and post up the last chapter soon =P

(Also, to natcat5: you'll have to wait and see what happens in the next chapter!)

I've never really thanks you guys for all the reviews I get, so I'll do that now. Thank yoooou!

They really do make me smile. I love hearing what you all think! ^-^