August 11th, 2014 - Boyfriends

AUTHOR: empressvegah

August 11th, 2014 - Boyfriends

It was a bit odd, Arthur thought as he stole a glance up at Alfred's face looking straight ahead. They had been, as what others would call, boyfriends for almost a week already – when Arthur accidentally blurted out that he might have fancied Alfred for quite some time already. Arthur had thought that he would be rejected; he was already prepared for a look of disgust or being made fun of.

Instead, Alfred took the confession well, if Arthur would say so. The American blinked once, and his face morphed into a sober expression, before he nodded and said, "Okay, Artie."

That was how they became… boyfriends.

Arthur was happy, no doubt about it. Alfred had acknowledged and accepted his love.

But…

It had been a week already, and Arthur hadn't felt any form of affection from Alfred. They were just the same as before – they argued a lot, fought over small things. Worst of all, Alfred never showed any romantic inclinations towards him – they never held hands, even when in private. Alfred was too serious lately – he didn't joke around or made fun of him. No kisses were shared between them. Arthur felt that Alfred was just forced to go along with Arthur's accidental confession.

Or maybe it was just fun past time for him.

The sudden possibility of it being a joke made Arthur's heart clench tightly against his chest. Surely Alfred wasn't that cruel, right?

He glanced back at Alfred, who was still focused on his walk, looking forward. He wished he could know what Alfred was thinking.

Arthur then felt something wet against his cheek, and the next thing he knew rain was pouring heavily on them.

Without thinking, he quickly shrugged off his coat and placed it over their heads, tiptoeing in the process (he would hate to admit it, but Alfred was really taller than him). Even if it was just a simple gesture as offering his coat to shield themselves from the rain (though a bit ineffective), Arthur knew nothing would stop him from showing Alfred how much he cared for him.

But Arthur's eyes widened in surprise when Alfred took off his treasured bomber jacket – one of his most prized possessions – and placed it over Arthur's coat, effectively covering them from the rain.

Alfred then smiled tenderly at him and said in a low voice, "I don't want you getting sick, darlin'."

Arthur was almost overwhelmed by the relief he felt swelling in his chest upon hearing Alfred's words. Alfred did care about him. He called him darling. His darling.

Feeling lighter than he'd ever been, Arthur hurried along with Alfred towards their hotel. It was just a few blocks away from the café they went to before.

Upon reaching the lobby, Alfred immediately pulled Arthur towards the elevator. Once inside, Alfred pressed some buttons that disabled other passengers to get inside the elevator until it reached their floor. Perplexed, Arthur looked at Alfred curiously.

"Artie, ah, sorry for the previous days. I think I haven't been a good boyfriend to you, right?" Alfred apologized, the admission making Arthur suddenly nervous. What would he say next? Would it be the end of their relationship?

"It's just… I didn't know how to react. To be honest, I thought I would be the first one who'd confess my undying love to you, but you beat me to it, heh," Alfred confessed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. Arthur's breath hitched – Alfred loved him. "I wanted to do so many things with you but in the end, I let myself be stiff and cold towards you, darlin'." At this Arthur shivered, the endearment was so new to him; he wasn't used to hear it from Alfred's lips.

"But Artie, know that I love you. A whole lot. And I'm sorry for being a cold-hearted bastard during our first week as boyfriends. Can you let me make it up to you?" Alfred's remorsefully determined look made Arthur cling onto his neck and kiss damn fool for all his worth.

Pulling away, Arthur whispered breathlessly, "Stupid idiot, you have to make up for the lost days of intimacy. All I wanted was… to hold hands." Arthur's face then became bright red.

Alfred then grinned and wrapped his arms around the Englishman's waist, bringing him closer against him. "We can always do more than holding hands, darlin'," Alfred whispered back, his voice low and husky. Arthur couldn't wait until they reached their bedroom.