Chapter 9
The day of the London outing had Arthur racing around like a chicken with his head cut off. Alfred, even with his boundless energy, could barely keep up with him. All morning it was, "Alfred, go check this," or "Alfred, where are those tickets?" And so it went until (staggered twenty minutes apart) all four groups departed from the school as smoothly as a ducks slipping into a pond. Each group was accompanied by members of the Student Council, in case anyone had questions, and Arthur had even recruited some parent volunteers to serve some shifts in the underground, giving students directions.
"Arthur, you did an amazing job organizing all this," Alfred praised, as the big red bus pulled up to the school to transport the fourth group.
"Thank you. I worked very hard on it," Arthur replied, watching in delight as his excited classmates ooh-d and ahh-d over the traditional-looking bus. There was only one thing that marred his otherwise flawless morning.
"There he is, luv! Take a photo, will ya? Smile, Prince Arthur! Look! It's two for the price of one! That's the president's kid!" a reporter shouted, as soon as Arthur and Alfred emerged from the school gates.
Having been raised with paparazzi clamoring for his photos, Prince Arthur left his classmates to board the bus and stepped closer to the gate, offering a small wave and formal smile. Alfred trailed after him, looking unsure, flinching from the camera flashes and hiding behind the fuzzy collar of his too-large jacket.
"Where ya headed, Prince Arthur?" A reporter shouted out.
"We'll be touring the sites of London, today. First up is the Changing of the Guard ceremony," Arthur said politely. He then subtly grabbed Alfred by the elbow and guided him towards the bus, where a mysterious swarm of teachers and some random people Alfred had never seen before on campus surrounded them. In the shuffle, Alfred was confused, but Arthur finally just took his hand firmly and pulled him around the bus, to a plain black car waiting nearby.
"Go on, get in quickly," Arthur said, ducking in as well.
"What's going on?" Alfred asked. Two of the burliest of the men entered the car with them, and for the first time, Alfred saw they were armed with hand guns. One of the men flashed Alfred a glimpse at his CIA badge. The other man was British, and Arthur seemed to already know him.
"Some of the students traveling today, including us, require special arrangements," Arthur said. "Alfred, meet Agent Timothy Andrews, and Officer Shaun Preston. Shaun has been working with my branch of the family for five years now. Your father sent Agent Andrews."
"Oh, hi guys!"
"Hello, sirs, pleasure to serve today. You kids ready to roll out?" Agent Andrews asked. He was dressed sharply in a black suit, armed with a badge affixed to his belt as well as a small radio. Officer Preston had a similar model on his own hip.
"We're ready. Thank you for looking out for us today," Arthur said politely. Alfred flashed a smile and nodded, and Officer Preston tapped on the glass that separated them from the driver as if they were in a taxi. They went a different direction from the bus, leaving behind the paparazzi with the exception of one particularly sharp-eyed journalist, who followed in hot pursuit.
"I can't lose him safely," the driver said. The bodyguards frowned and monitored the trailing car closely, with hawk like eyes. It made the interior of the car feel very tense, and Alfred felt a little disappointed that he and Arthur couldn't ride on the big bus with everyone else.
"So...are you excited to see London?" Arthur asked. Alfred glanced awkwardly at the bodyguards before he replied.
"Yeah, it should be fun. Who all won the raffle?" Alfred asked.
"Well, I meant to tell you earlier...but you did, actually. Kiku won a spot as well. Thank god that Meghan girl didn't. The others are students I've never met before—mostly girls. I think they were more interested than the boys. Still, we raised a lot of money for the council."
"What? I'm meeting your grandma today? Dang it, Arthur, you should have told me to wear something nicer!"
"Why? You look perfectly fine." Truth be told, with everything that was going on, it had merely slipped Arthur's mind. All the other students that would be meeting his grandmother were far more dressed up. In his jeans and rugby jacket, Alfred would look slovenly by comparison.
"I'd let ya borrow my jacket, kid, but I think it'd look even weirder," Agent Andrews offered sympathetically.
"Oh...err, thanks, but it's okay I guess. Do I have to go, Arthur? I'm just gonna embarrass you."
"Well you don't have to go, of course, but I rather hoped you'd want to come meet her. I told her I'd be bringing my best friend. Honestly, she won't care if you're wearing jeans. She's not that stuffy."
"She didn't hear about the painting, did she?" Alfred asked, sinking down behind his collar in embarrassment. Arthur frowned primly.
"I made sure that she didn't. That would certainly offend her."
"Oh...sorry," Alfred said again. Arthur just shrugged. No matter how hard they tried to ignore their presence, it was awkward having the body guards listening on every word, and they ended up driving in near silence to the first destination, while their classmates had rowdy fun on the bus ahead of them.
When the paparazzi got too close, and nearly rear-ended them, Officer Preston used his radio and soon a police car was on the tail of their pursuer, not flashing his lights yet but letting him know he was being watched.
All in all, Alfred felt like he was driving with his parents to some stuffy gala. The impending meeting with the Queen made him nervous, and Arthur grew more and more frustrated as the second passed. He'd wanted this to be a fun day for his roommate, but it seemed the oppressive security measures and the tea visit with his grandmother had made Alfred a nervous, preoccupied wreck. Arthur flipped open his cell phone, pressing a speed dial button. On the other end of the line, Yao answered quickly.
"How's it going on your end?" Arthur asked. Yao was with the first group.
"We are right on schedule. We are leaving Trafalgar Square and heading to the Guard Ceremony. How is it in the car?" Yao asked. Arthur glanced at the stone-faced body guards and then at Alfred, who had pulled out his iPod.
"Uneventful...though we are being tailed by a reporter. They've got a police car on him, though. We're almost at the palace, so I'll let you go," Arthur said. Yao said goodbye and they hung up. Despite the awkward car ride, Alfred perked up upon seeing the Queen's residence.
"Wow! It's beautiful!" He said, peering out the tinted windows. Arthur felt a proud smile tug at his lips and he leaned over, to glance at the view. He was very close to Alfred, and a sudden speed bump sent him tumbling onto the other boy. They untangled themselves awkwardly while their bodyguards exchanged smirks.
It was then that Alfred spotted some of the other students that needed escorts. A huge man roughly the size of a small car, his burly arms covered in tattoos, stood alongside Ivan at the edge of the crowd. They spoke to each other quietly, as if not very interested in the ceremony taking place and merely using it as a cover to exchange information.
"Woah, check out that guy with Ivan!"
"Yes, his father insisted Ivan have a bodyguard of his choosing. He flew in from Moscow this morning."
"Think he's in the mafia?"
"Yes," Agent Andrews said shortly. Alfred's eyes widened in excitement.
"Cool! I'm totally gonna go talk to him," he declared. His guard smirked and shook his head.
"You're totally not...sir," he tacked on the 'sir' at the end as if he'd almost forgotten it. Alfred looked put out, but Arthur sent the secret service agent a grateful smile.
"Who's that girl protecting?" Alfred asked, pointing to a sharply dressed woman wearing dark sunglasses.
"She's here for Francis. I know her, too," Arthur said.
"Francis has a hot, sexy female bodyguard. Why am I not surprised?" Alfred asked. The question earned a smile from both bodyguards, and an exasperated sigh from Arthur.
"We aren't planning to stand near her, but I'd watch what you say if we do happen to cross paths. Officer Dubois is very...err...professional."
"That's an understatement if I ever heard one," Officer Preston commented.
"Alright, let's go," Agent Andrews said, opening the door and scanning the area before Alfred was allowed to emerge. A press barricade had been constructed in advance, and Alfred felt fairly safe from the cameras due to the distance. He and Arthur walked side by side towards their pre-determined spot, protected in the rear by their burly guards. Matthew caught sight of them and waved, but he remained standing next to Francis and Officer Dubois. Alfred waved back.
"Hey, cool guard Alfred! Ask him to let me see his gun!" Mike bellowed from somewhere nearby. Arthur scowled. He should have shredded all the permission slips belonging to the rugby team, but they were in attendance as well, spread out over the various groups.
"Sorry, maybe some other time, Mike," Alfred called back. They took their spots just as the ceremony began. Arthur watched it with an obviously bored expression, but Alfred was impressed by the decorous uniforms. Much to Arthur's embarrassment, having been made aware that he was in the crowd, the guards altered their normal route in order to salute to him as they passed. Arthur tried not to blush, while Alfred snickered at him.
"I told grandmother not to give them special instructions," Arthur muttered in displeasure. Still, when Alfred assured him how cool it was, his embarrassment cooled some. When the ceremony was over, the group that would be having tea with the Queen congregated near the gates and were quickly whisked inside. The bodyguards relaxed considerably once they were in a secure area, and they finally dropped back some, giving the boys space to breathe.
"You really shouldn't be nervous," Arthur said. "She's very nice, and even if you do offend her, she won't let on that you have."
"I'm still nervous. I'm really bad in these types of situations. I always say or do something totally embarrassing!"
"You'll be fine. If in doubt, just don't say anything. I'm sure the rest of the group will do the majority of the talking," Arthur soothed. Sure enough, the girls seemed ecstatic. Despite all of them being very wealthy and accustomed to such sights, they pointed and gasped at everything they passed, and they were all dressed impeccably. Alfred shoved his fists into his bomber jacket and kept his head down. Quietly, Kiku appeared at their side.
"Do you mind if I walk with you? I do not know anyone else," Kiku said. Alfred offered him a bright, welcoming smile.
"Sure dude! Are you nervous, too?"
"A little bit. My parents are very excited that I won, however."
"It's probably best my parents don't know. Otherwise, they probably would have shipped in a stunt double for me."
"Oh come off it. It's really not that big of a deal," Arthur said. "I've told grandmother all about you in my letters. She knows what to expect."
"You write her letters?" Alfred asked.
"Sure I do. I call her, too, but she and I both enjoy writing letters more."
"My grandmother's in a special home. She's got dementia and she pees every time she sees me. The nurses don't have a clue why," Alfred said. Arthur was beginning to suspect what Alfred's problem might be with high pressure situations, but he didn't share his observation just yet.
"Err...I am very sorry to hear that, Alfred-san," Kiku finally replied, somewhat awkwardly.
"It's okay. I never really knew her before she got dementia. So does this mean I'm not gonna get fish and chips today?" Alfred asked. His face had begun to drain of any color, and the further they walked into the palace, the whiter he got. Before Arthur could reply that no, his grandmother was unlikely to serve fish and chips for brunch, Alfred continued talking, as if unable to stop himself.
"Because I was really looking forward to that. Do you guys call the fries fish or chips? I can't remember now. If the fries are the chips, then do you really eat fish with it? Like fish sticks or is it fancier than that? Speaking of fancy, this isn't going to be one of those things where I have to hold my pinky out while I drink tea, is it? If there's more than one fork I'm gonna get really confused. Who came up with that stupid idea anyway? One fork is all you need during a meal!"
"Alfred!" Arthur said, finally resorting to grabbing the other teen by the shoulders and giving him a little shake. "You babble when you're nervous, don't you?" he asked. The taller teen winced, and nodded.
"I can't help it. It's like word vomit. Please don't make me go in there. It's gonna be bad! All those girls are gonna see me look stupid, and they're gonna spill to the press, and it'll be all over the papers next week how I pissed off the Queen of England. My mom's gonna kill me!" Alfred pleaded.
Assessing the situation, Arthur made a hasty decision.
"Come on. We'll go in before anyone else does and you'll see that she's just my grandmother—nothing to be scared of."
"O-okay," Alfred said weakly. The guards remained in the hallway as they entered one of the palace's dining rooms.
"Here we are. Hello Grandmother," Arthur said. The Queen was dressed in a very pretty blue suit, and she sat at the table with a needlework project. Upon seeing her grandson, she put the project away and stood, hugging Arthur close and patting his cheek affectionately.
"I'm so glad you've come to visit finally. Are your school friends here?"
"Yes, and this is my roommate, Alfred."
"H-hello," Alfred said nervously. He started to shake her hand, then aborted that motion and was going to bow, but then he just stepped forward and hugged her.
"Oh my! Friendly, aren't you?" the Queen said with a light chuckle.
"Hello, mam. It's nice to meet you. Arthur talks about you a lot," he said.
"He talks about you a great deal as well. This must be your new rugby jacket. He told me all about how you were accepted onto the team this past week. You must be very proud. Are you hungry? There are some cookies on the table."
"Did you bake them?" Alfred asked innocently. She chuckled again.
"Goodness me, no. I can't bake to save my life. Arthur gets that from me, I'm afraid. But I've taught him how to handle a needle and thread. Has he shown you some of his embroidery yet?"
"Yes mam! He's gonna make me a superhero cape for Halloween!" Alfred enthused. The Queen smiled again, liking how innocent and sweet Alfred seemed.
"I'm glad my grandson got such a sweet boy for a roommate. Now come sit down and have some cookies while we wait for your friends, dears," she said.
"See? Nothing to be nervous about. She's just like any other grandmother," Arthur couldn't help saying. Alfred blushed.
"Thanks for letting us have tea with you. I still might do something really embarrassing and awkward. Please don't be mad at me, though!" Alfred forewarned. The Queen took her seat beside Alfred and patted his shoulder comfortingly.
"My dear, I find I like you very much. You needn't worry about trying to impress me," she said soothingly. Arthur sat on her other side, and then the others were let inside.
The brunch went remarkably well. The girls asked all kind of polite, informed questions to which the Queen was happy to answer. Alfred was relieved that the food was not too terribly fancy, and he contentedly ate the little cakes, cookies and finger foods with his best manners as everyone else sipped their tea and chatted. Alfred was just beginning to think he might survive the experience with his dignity intact when he had to get clumsy. Something furry streaked between Alfred's legs under the table and bit his leg, and in alarm, he stood up, stumbling forward. Arthur, who had just been about to pour himself a cup of tea, missed the cup and spilled it on his crotch instead. The Queen's beloved little dog (who was responsible for the mayhem) began to bark aggressively at Alfred, who stumbled out of his chair in order to help Arthur, who was hissing as the tea burned his lap.
"You're junk's gonna get burned! Just take 'em off!" Alfred explained, hurrying forward to take the situation in hand and help his roommate, who was now tearing up as the hot liquid seeped through his thin dress trousers. Before Arthur could stop him, Alfred "solved" the problem...by effectively stripping him. Getting tangled in his trousers in an attempt to escape Alfred, Arthur tripped and fell backwards, pulling Alfred down with him, into a rather suggestive position. All the while, the yappy little dog barked and growled at Alfred, till it finally darted forward and bit his hand. Trying to get it off, Alfred shook his arm and sent the dog flying—onto the table, where it crashed into everyone's drinks and plates and knocked over the towering vase of roses.
"My goodness! Precious, my darling, are you alright?" the Queen said, scooping up the angry little rat-dog and smothering it with affection.
"Get off, Alfred!" Arthur roared, but not before a girl in attendance hastily snapped a picture with her phone.
"Sorry! I'm really sorry! Are you okay, Arthur?" Alfred asked. Arthur hastily tugged his pants back up, wincing at the wet spot and the tenderness it caused. Flustered, Arthur surveyed the situation.
"I'm going to my room to get a change of clothes, grandmother. I'm terribly sorry. Alfred, come with me." Alfred exited the room with his roommate, cringing the entire way.
The two boys escaped into a different hallway, one void of bodyguards, where Alfred winced, waiting for the yelling to start. Instead, Arthur began to laugh. He laughed until he couldn't stand up anymore and he sunk to the carpet clutching his sides.
"Did you...see my grandmother's bloody face? I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to hurl that stupid little dog out of a second story window. Good god, that was hilarious!"
"You're not mad?" Alfred asked. Arthur just laughed again, and hesitantly, Alfred joined in.
"I can't believe I said talked about your junk in front of the freaking Queen!" Alfred realized, his horror turning into absolute hilarity.
"I look like I've wet myself...and the way you fell on me!" After the boys had their fill of giggling like idiots, Arthur stood up and extended his hand to help Alfred stand as well.
"Come on, I'll show you the room I use when I'm here."
"Thanks for...well...just being you, I guess," Alfred said, still smiling. Another small chuckle escaped Arthur as he gazed up at his painfully awkward roommate.
"I don't think I'm ever going to miss a formal function with you ever again. That was the funniest tea I've ever had."
USUK
The boys all sat in Alfred and Arthur's room, recounting the day's adventures.
"Then he threw my grandmother's dog—you know the one, Francis, that little rotter that always bit us as kids?"
"—and it knocked over everything, and tea went flying everywhere, and Alfred's grandmother looks like WWIII just broke out in her tea room," Alfred added, not even realizing he was finishing Arthur's sentence. Matthew giggled, and Ivan grinned at just how spectacularly bad the tea had gone with the Queen. Francis just shook his head.
"I'm glad you boys had fun...because it's already all over the internet. One of the girls must have snapped some photos," Francis said, spinning his phone around to show the rather embarrassing photo of the two of them in a compromising position, with the Queen's horrified expression in the background.
"Oh god, I think I'm just gonna ignore my parent's phone calls for like...the rest of the year," Alfred groaned, laughing all the same at the hilarious picture. It even captured the awful little ankle-biter smacking against the vase of roses.
As if on cue, Alfred's cell phone began to ring insistently.
"Just don't answer. I'm ignoring my parents' calls as well. On a positive note, Emily, the Student Council President, said I did a fantastic job. She said usually the freshman fall apart and can't accomplish anything, but we're the first year of students who not only planned it all, but raised over a thousand dollars for the club."
"You were really awesome, Arthur. Everybody had a great time," Matthew praised. He smiled at all the council members present. "You were all great, actually. I've never been on such a fun school trip before! Do you guys wanna see the pictures Francis and I took?"
"Sure!" Alfred said brightly. He silenced his phone, and tossed it somewhere onto his bed. For the first time in his life, he honestly didn't care what the rest of the world thought about his meeting with the Queen. Arthur kept catching his eyes and smiling, as if they'd had the most epic time ever, and somehow, that was all that mattered.
USUK
Two weeks flew by, and Arthur and Alfred remained happily oblivious to the outside world, safe in the protective walls of World Academy. The boys were busy, but they still made time to play their computer games together, study with their circle of friends, and somehow squeezed in time for sports, music, and the council.
They had just exited a council meeting, where they had been planning the Halloween ball, and Alfred was about to head to rugby practice.
"Wanna come watch?" He asked Arthur casually. Arthur nodded.
"Let me swing by the room to pick up my project, and then I'll be along," Arthur said. Since Alfred was never included in any plays, he mostly just hung out by the sidelines, armed with towels and water bottles, and chatted with Arthur until practice ended or the guys went on break. Arthur had relaxed about the rugby team somewhat, since once the fun of hazing week was over, they seemed to forget all about Alfred. Nobody really teased his roommate anymore, except there had been one incident with some boys on the wrestling team, but Alfred's rugby mates had showed up and talked a lot of smack, and nothing really came of it. Still, they had kept their word and stood up for Alfred, even though most of the time it was them giving him the most flak.
Alfred, however, didn't seem to mind. The team had warmed up to him in the same way Arthur had, and while they still called him spaz and four-eyes, it seemed to be in a fond sort of way, as if he were their mascot. Still, they were rather crude boys, and they were always encouraging Alfred to get laid. Worse, they also frequently told him to "just come out of the closet already" and screw Arthur, who they insisted on calling "Princess." Even worse, they bowed mockingly whenever they saw him. Still, Alfred spent so much of his time at practices that Arthur had to learn to deal with the boys if he wanted to spend his afternoons with his roommate, and he most certainly did.
On campus, Alfred and Arthur were getting quite the reputation as a not-so-secret couple, an idea seemingly proven by the pictures that had leaked to the internet. Alfred had finally faced his parents and explained the situation in an e-mail, but by the time he talked to them, they'd cooled down and didn't seem to expect anything different from him. Arthur's own mother, embarrassingly enough, had asked if they were really together, even though she'd gotten the story from her mother-in-law about what had really happened.
If Alfred was more observant (but he wasn't) he might have noticed that Arthur had no qualms with the school mistakenly thinking they were a couple, even though he'd been highly annoyed when it had been Matthew and Alfred under suspicion. Matthew even pointed this out, but Arthur just scowled and told Matthew to mind his own business, and that the two situations were entirely different. Matthew had just grinned, and smiled knowingly at Francis. As for Matthew and Francis, despite an annoying tendency on Francis's part to flirt, the two of them had been together for nearly six weeks now, which was practically forever for a couple in the ninth grade.
Arthur had been steadily working on Alfred's Halloween costume for nearly three weeks now, and it was almost perfect. The taller boy couldn't wait, and was chomping at the bit to see it, but Alfred kept it secret and only worked on it during craft club meetings.
"What are you gonna dress up as?" Alfred asked one evening. They were lying on their beds, already dressed in their pajamas, just talking as they often did. Arthur smiled mysteriously.
"Oh, you'll see. I'm sure you'll like it, though not many students will probably get the reference. I hear Matthew's going as something special for Francis."
"Huh? You mean his bunny costume?" Alfred asked.
"All the girls in the French club are going as playboy bunnies...so Matthew's going as a sexy bunny, too, right?" Arthur asked. Alfred winced for his friend.
"Err, I don't think so. Matty just heard Francis talking about how some girls were going as bunnies and he thought it was a great idea, so he ordered a big bunny costume. He looks really cute in it, though. Maybe I should warn him Francis was talking about playboy bunnies?" Alfred fretted. Arthur just smiled and shook his head.
"Let Matthew go in a costume he feels comfortable in. He's not the slutty type. Francis will like how he looks no matter what he wears."
"If you say so...I hope he's not mad at me afterwards, though."
"I promise, it'll work out just fine for Matthew. Do you know what Ivan's going as?"
"Well, he wasn't planning on going at all, but then I told him he had to come. The school counselor has been working with him and encouraging him to participate more in school activities. Now I think he's dressing up as a gangster."
"He encourages his bad image, I swear he does," Arthur replied.
"What about Yao?" Alfred asked. As of late, the super-organized Chinese boy and Arthur had become fairly close due to council meetings.
"He's going the cute route, like Matthew. So...are you asking anyone?" Arthur questioned, with fake disinterest.
"It'd be a shorter list to say who I didn't ask...which mostly consists of Ludwig and Ivan."
"You've got a date then?" Arthur said in surprise.
"I didn't say that. I asked at least fifteen girls and I've been shot down by each one...pretty brutally, I might add. One even got mad at me for cheating on you," Alfred laughed, as if he found the misconceptions floating around tragically amusing. "The Captain said he can get me a date, but I think it's some sort of practical joke. Still...better to have a date than not, right?"
"R-right. I s-suppose I should ask someone, too. Do you think Emily would be interested?"
"Going for a senior girl? That's hardcore man! You've got guts! But I totally could see her saying yes. Ever since you pulled off the London trip, I think she's got the hots for you more than your fanclub. As long as you don't take Meghan, I'm happy." Alfred shuddered in mock disgust at the idea of Arthur's biggest fan, a girl that had become quite the stalker, and Alfred's enemy in student council meetings.
For some strange reason, though, Arthur was most decidedly not happy. He had no idea who the rugby team would hook Alfred up with, but considering they hung around some very attractive girls, Arthur was feeling a bit nervous about it.
"You know...I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people expect us to go together," Arthur said, fiddling a bit nervously with the yarn for his knitting project.
"Why? Cause I pantsed you in front of your grandmother? And because we spend all our time together, and finish each other's sentences, and you come to all my practices, and we're friends with all the other gay kids in school, and—"
"Yes, because of all that...no need to continue," Arthur said crisply. Alfred just smiled and shrugged.
"Arthur, I've been meaning to ask you for awhile now, but I guess it just never seemed like the right time. Are you gay?"
Alfred sat waiting for his answer, blue eyes sweet and understanding. Arthur knew no matter what he said, Alfred wouldn't judge him for it. Absolutely nothing would change between them, but what if he said he didn't know? He'd always thought he was straight until Alfred had become his roommate. Plus, he'd never had a best friend before. How was he supposed to know if his feelings for Alfred were normal best friend feelings or something more?
"I admit I've thought about it, but I don't really know. I guess I'm still figuring it out. Honestly, I don't really think about it much," Arthur said, leaving off the 'unless I'm with you' part at the end. Alfred stared at him for a long moment and then shrugged carelessly again.
"I've kinda been wondering, too," Alfred said.
Arthur's eyes shot open wide in surprise.
"It's the guys in the locker room. I know that sounds bad, and they'd kill me if they knew, but they're just so built, ya know? I can't figure out if I keep staring because I'm, ya know, into them or if I just want to look like them."
Arthur felt an almost crushing disappointment. So Alfred's curiosity had nothing to do with him after all, and worse, he was drooling over the tall, muscular athletes, who were pretty much the total opposite of Arthur.
"I honestly wondered a bit, what with all the time you spend drawing those superheroes you like so much," Arthur finally said.
"I thought about asking Matty to kiss me, so I'd know for sure," Alfred admitted, biting his lip. "But it would be my first kiss, and I don't want my first kiss to be with a guy, ya know? I was thinking I could kiss my date to the Halloween ball at the end of the night."
"I hadn't thought of kissing anyone," Arthur said flatly. 'You liar!' he thought with a glum frown. He'd most certainly thought about kissing Alfred. His roommate seemed oblivious to his darkening mood, and pulled his blankets back to crawl into bed.
"Well, I guess we'll figure it out eventually. I'm really glad I'm not the only one who's a little confused about it. Man, Arthur, you always make me feel better about stuff!"
"Anytime, Alfred. You can always talk to me, about anything. You know that right?" Arthur said quietly in the darkness. His best friend yawned, snuggling further into his bed.
"'Course I do. We'll always be there for each other. Night, Arthur," Alfred mumbled, almost falling asleep the second his head hit the pillow. Arthur noted how his friend had seemed to abandon all his skin care rituals and was a little grateful for it, though he'd grown accustomed to the scent of cocoa butter before he fell asleep.
"Goodnight, Alfred. Sleep tight," he replied softly, slipping into his own sheets with a troubled little frown.
A/N: Aww, I'm so mean to poor Arthur! Of the scenes that didn't make the cut, I think my favorite was Alfred asking out the girl who accused him of cheating on Arthur, lol. Also, I didn't bother going into Alfred begging for his jacket back. It was just your typical, run-of-the-mill humiliating incident for Alfred, lol. I'm sorry if I skip over a scene I allude to, and leave you to picture it yourself, but the first part of this fic is spanning two years, so if I want to get to the good parts any time soon, I gotta pick up the pace!
Well, these are the first two days of my vacation that I haven't had a crapload of stuff to do, so expect updates all throughout tonight and tomorrow as well. I'm writing as much as I can before I have to go back to being a responsible adult. XD On to chapter 10! (Don't know if any of you watch Naruto as well, but I feel a little like Gai right now. 'If I can't defeat you, I'll write 100 pages in one night! Spirit of YOUTH!')
Oh, and we cracked a hundred reviews! Thanks a ton guys! So I'm finally gonna cave and write a bit about PolLiet just for those who requested it (at the Halloween ball, probably) and the SuFin is still looming on the horizon. Now you guys get to vote. RussiaXChina or RussiaXBelarus? It's up to you guys, but if it's gonna be RussiaXChina, I need to do some fic-reading research. I've never really understood why they make a good couple, so rec em if you know of a good fic that could help put me in the mindset...