Chapter 37
On Thursday, with only two days left before the Sweetheart Ball, Laura finally tracked down Alfred. Of course, by that point, it was already too late.
"Hey Laura! The calendar looks great—they seem to be really selling!" Alfred said happily, though it was obvious he was slightly distressed. Laura looked a little sheepish.
"I tried to find you to warn you," she said, even as a girl Alfred had never met before came pushing between them, jabbing a pen in Alfred's face.
"Hey sexy! Sign my calendar!" she requested girlishly, as her friends down the hall burst out in high pitched giggling. Blushing dark red, Alfred gave her a hesitant smile and accepted the pen, hastily scrawling his name across the front of the calendar. That had been what Laura was trying to warn him about. She had cropped a photo of him from his shoot with Mattie and it graced the cover of the calendar. He was dressed only in his jeans, shirtless, biting a little nervously on his lip, but still managing to flash a hesitant smile. The camera loved him, and Laura had used photoshop to erase his few pimples and the shine of his braces. He looked good—more like his mother than he ever had before.
"I was going to warn you beforehand that you're on the cover, but you're a hard guy to track down!" Laura said, elbowing back in front of the next girl that had darted up with her marker extended.
"No, it's fine! You made me look really great," Alfred said, a little entranced by his own image.
"MOVE!" a loud voice boomed as suddenly Arthur appeared at Alfred's side, scattering the hopeful girls and slapping a copy of the calendar against Alfred's chest. "These aren't your real photos." He directed a pointed glare at Laura, who shifted uneasily.
"Well, not exactly—I only altered small things, really," she defended.
"Relax, Artie. Photographers alter their photos all the time," Alfred said, accepting another request to sign the calendar from a dreamy eyed freshman. He was clearly beginning to warm up to all the attention.
"I know that, but these idiots don't. Now all the girls on campus have your picture pinned to the inside of their lockers when before they didn't even look twice at you! Doesn't that annoy you? They're capricious affection is—"
"Hello Alfred," Kiku said softly, interrupting Arthur's miniature rant. Feeling the tension double, Laura cleared her throat awkwardly and gave a calendar to Alfred from the big stack in her arms.
"I'll just be going. Here's your free copy, Alfred. You really look great in these photos—you should totally look into modeling!" she said before darting off, safe from Arthur's further reproach.
"Oh, hey Kiku!" Alfred said with a big smile. He nodded to the calendar Kiku held. "Want me to sign your copy, too?" he joked. Kiku, however, pushed it forwards with a shiny marker balanced on top.
"Actually, I did," Kiku said, a light blush on his cheeks. Arthur scowled. Laughing, Alfred took the calendar and wrote, in big, loopy letters 'To my sexy friend Kiku! Love, Alfred!' followed by a huge, ridiculous smiley face. Arthur's glare faded into a frown and he glanced away. More freshmen girls in their class pressed in around them, trying to get Alfred's attention, and it was simply too much to take for Arthur. Surprising Alfred, Arthur pushed his way out of the throng and disappeared into the crowd of the hallway without another word.
"He does not seem to like it when you get attention," Kiku observed calmly. Alfred sighed in worry, but was quickly distracted by another girl shoving a calendar at him.
"He's been really moody this week over the strangest things. I haven't figured out what's really bugging him yet. I'm sure he'll tell me after class today," Alfred said.
"Alfred, could I talk with you before lunch?" Kiku asked. Alfred nodded.
"Sure! I hope nothing's wrong…"
"No, it is nothing like that. I just wanted to ask your opinion on something," Kiku said. Alfred flashed his friend a smile and was distracted by yet another request to sign his name over his airbrushed photo.
"Okay, well, we can meet up on the football field. How about that?"
"That sounds good. I will see you there."
Alfred's day only got more hectic as he went to his morning classes. He was worried to note that Arthur was absent from the one class they shared in the morning, and the calendar seemed to be everywhere. He got a chance after third period to check his phone and saw (in addition to several missed calls from his parents) he was apparently tabloid headlines again—though for once, they were positive.
Alfred Jones is the Sexy Star of Valentine's Day!
Goodbye Awkward, Hello Gorgeous!
Teen Heartthrob Alfred Jones is Dating a Prince!
The photos were all over the internet, and the calendar sales were already through the roof. Laura had been quoted in a few articles explaining that they hadn't printed enough, but that more of the calendars would be available soon.
It was strange, having people who had never noticed him before suddenly stare at him so intently. He'd known for awhile now what it felt like to be a celebrity—to be constantly supervised and hounded by cameras, but now he was getting a taste of the rest of it. Everyone wanted to talk to him, to compliment him, and to ask him if he had any plans for Valentine's Day. He had to be extremely sneaky to make it out to the football field to meet Kiku when the time came.
"Man, today has been so crazy!" Alfred said with a laugh. Kiku gave him a smile and led him to the bleachers, where they sat fairly close together. Kiku began to unload a strange little lunchbox from his bag, which turned out to be full of homemade snacks.
"Are we having a picnic? Awesome! Your cooking is the best!" Alfred praised happily, smiling at the chopsticks handed his way and the containers filled with yummy Japanese foods.
"I am glad you like it," Kiku replied with a blush. Alfred popped open his rice container and dug in heartily. "So what did ya wanna talk about?" he asked in between bites.
"Ah…I wanted your advice," Kiku said. Alfred looked surprised.
"My advice? You know I'm like the worst student here, right?" he said with a self-depreciating laugh. Kiku just smiled a little, and took a bite of his own food.
"It is not school advice. You see…I have a friend…and he has a crush on someone."
"Ooooh, is he gonna tell her on Valentine's Day?" Alfred asked.
"Actually, he is a boy, and his crush is a boy, too," Kiku said. Alfred blinked in surprise but smiled.
"Well that's cool. It's kinda weird how many guys have come out this year, don't ya think?" Alfred mused. "I mean, I felt like me and Mattie and Francis and Arthur were the only ones, but now I know a lot of gay guys here."
"It isn't so uncommon anymore. There is less reason to hide," Kiku replied. "Even if…one's family…might not be entirely supportive…don't you think it is worth it to find love?"
"Totally," Alfred said with a bright smile.
"So you think this friend of mine…should tell the boy how he feels?" Kiku asked.
"Well, I mean, he should be smart about it. If it's one of the guys on the rugby team, probably not," Alfred joked. "They're fine with me and Berwald, but they can be dicks about it sometimes."
Kiku smiled mysteriously. "What if…this person…is already in a relationship?"
"Oh…well I guess that makes it harder," Alfred said, chewing thoughtfully. Kiku merely nodded.
"But my friend thinks he might…well…he feels like he might really love him," Kiku said. Alfred gave him a sad smile.
"Well, then he's gotta speak up! Maybe nothing will come of it, but if he's really in love, he should say something. Maybe his crush isn't happy and he's been waiting for your friend to make a move—maybe they really belong together. Ya never know!"
Unseen underneath the bleachers, Arthur felt his heart constrict as if a giant fist was squeezing it as hard as possible. Brushing away the tears from his eyes, he fled the field, leaving his boyfriend and Kiku to their romantic picnic and the confession that was sure to come any moment. His heart couldn't bear to hear it.
USUK
When Alfred finally made it back to the dorm, his things were in the hallway. Only this time, as fast as Arthur was chunking it out, random girls were snatching up his T-shirts and his jerseys, crowing loudly that they were going to sleep with them and then sell them to the tabloids.
"Hey! Give me back my stuff! Arthur, what the hell are you doing?" Alfred said. Arthur, however, merely chunked out another armful of clothing, kicking it as it fluttered to the hallway floor. Mattie stood nearby, looking worried, while Francis half-heartedly tried to fend off the girls trying to steal Alfred's things. Scooping his stuff up, Alfred forced his way inside the bedroom and dropped his armload onto the floor before slamming the door behind himself. Arthur moved to the bed and sat, completely tense, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"What the hell is going on?" Alfred demanded.
"Don't yell at me! You're the one being stupid and selfish and self-absorbed! One lousy, fake picture and all the sudden you're signing autographs and…and…"
"Are you serious? You're angry because people like my photo? If I had screwed up, I could understand you getting mad and throwing my stuff around, but I haven't, and now girls I don't even know are snatching up my boxers out there!"
"Shut up! I don't want to hear about the girls, or the stupid photos, or—or—or about any of it! Just leave me alone!"
"Ugh, fine! You're not making any sense, and you know what? With all my crap in the hallway, I don't exactly wanna stay in here and listen to you yell at me when I haven't done anything! When you're done PMSing, you can come find me," Alfred shouted, slamming the door after he exited.
"Alfred…" Mattie began, but Alfred would hear none of it. Angrily, he began to snatch up his things and stuff them into his gym bag.
"I don't want to talk about it. Just help me get my stuff, okay?" Alfred demanded, stuffing his clothing aggressively into his bag.
"But Alfred…tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Do you really want to be fighting with him like this?" Matthew reminded gently. Alfred, however, was still far too upset. Stuffing the last of his clothing into his bag, he swung it over his shoulder and stormed off down the hall, towards Ivan's room.
"Ya know what? I'm starting to really hate Valentine's Day!" Alfred said over his shoulder.
Francis looped a supportive arm around Matthew's hips and kissed the shorter boy's golden waves.
"Come on, mon ami. They will have to fix this on their own."
"They're both idiots," Mattie fretted. Francis nodded.
"Yes, but that is simply how they are. Don't worry yourself over it. I'm sure they'll be back to normal in a few hours—if even that long."
Biting his lip worriedly, Mattie shook his head.
"I don't think so…but I hope you're right."
USUK
Arthur adjusted the too-short cupid robe for the millionth time, trying to tug it further down over his arse without much luck. His sandaled feet slapped angrily along the hallway as he marched along, looking more like a demon than a cherub. Spotting his prey, he pulled back the arrow and launched it skillfully from his glittery bow.
"Merde! What the hell?" Francis shouted, already massing his aching head. Smirking in satisfaction, Arthur stomped the rest of the way down the hall and retrieved his arrow.
"Mattie says he loves you even though you're a flirtatious, womanzing ponce," Arthur spat. Francis scowled.
"I am fairly certain that was not my boyfriend's message."
"You get the general idea," Arthur ground out, before continuing down the hallway. With no small amount of frustration, he managed to work a silky teddy bear free of his large sack and hurled that at Francis's head, too.
"You should make up with your lover boy soon, Arthur! You are a dick without him!" Francis called out loudly down the hallway. In response, Arthur flicked up his middle finger. Then he adjusted his glittery wings.
The rest of his afternoon went in a similar manner until finally, he found the one person he was really looking for. His sack was almost entirely empty now, as he'd done his duty and delivered all of his share of the stupid valentines for the council. The one remaining in his bag was personal, and now he almost didn't want to deliver it at all.
But a pained, heartbroken, desperate part of his heart insisted, so there he was.
Alfred stood in the empty hallway with his backpack over his shoulder, eyeing Arthur with one slender, raised brow. He still looked a little annoyed, but there was a smile tugging at his lips.
"Did it hurt when you fell out of heaven?" Alfred asked cheekily. Arthur glared.
"Shut up, you stupid tosser," Arthur snapped. Alfred rolled his eyes.
"I guess you're still mad at me for whatever it is I've done that you won't tell me about?" Alfred assessed. Arthur's scowl only deepened. Its effect was somehow less because of his ridiculous costume.
"I'm here to…to give you your valentine. I made it myself, in craft club." Arthur's voice had changed, and now he sounded on the verge of tears. Alfred sighed, clearly uncomfortable seeing Arthur so upset.
"Arthur—" he tried, but it was useless. Arthur shoved the gift into Alfred's chest, much in the same way girls had been pushing calendars at him all week. Alfred looked at it and smiled, remembering the photo inside the frame as one that he had snapped with his phone a long time ago, when he and Arthur had been lying in bed studying together, and they'd gotten distracted taking silly photos instead. The frame was decorated with movie stubs and little mementos of their relationship that made him smile. In this particular photo, Arthur was being crushed against Alfred's side, who was grinning boyishly. Pressed against his Alfred in the circle of his arm, Arthur was hiding a soft, loving smile. They hadn't been dating back then, and seeing them like that—him so oblivious to what he was missing out on, and Arthur wearing that smile that made it so obvious…
"If you were going to dump me for Kiku, I wish you'd done it then. I wish you'd done it before I fell in love with you. I wish you'd left me before it didn't hurt so damn much to see you leaving," Arthur accused.
"What? Is that what this is about? Arthur, that's ridiculous. I'm not dumping you for anyone!"
"Don't tell me it's ridiculous! I saw, Alfred. I was there on the field when you sat in the bleachers together. I've spent more time talking to your voicemail this week than I have talking to you, and on top of all that, thanks to a stupid airbrushed photo that doesn't even do you justice, all the stupid girls in this school that you wanted to date so badly at the start of the year now are begging for your autograph. I'm not dumb, Alfred. I see where this is going. I just wish it didn't hurt me so badly," Arthur turned sharply on his heel then and ran, tearing off his cupid wings as he did so, flinging aside his bow and arrow as tears streamed down his cheeks.
"Arthur! Wait!" Alfred cried, but it was too late. The other boy clearly didn't want to talk about it further, and all Alfred could do was pick up his angel's discarded wings with a weary sigh. The auction was tomorrow, and at this rate, he didn't even know if Arthur would stay in town.
USUK
The loud music thrummed in his ears—a sporty, popular song played at games that made everyone in the audience go wild stomping and cheering. Alfred tugged at the tiny shorts one last time before forcing a bright smile and emerging onto the runway. The student body was dressed up for the ball, and the party had been going great with one teeny, tiny little flaw. Arthur had left for home on Friday, and so Alfred was at the dance solo.
Now it was time for the auction, and his boyfriend was still nowhere in sight. Arthur hadn't answered any of his calls, but Alfred had left him a long voice message reassuring him that he was not cheating on him, nor was he leaving him, and he hoped that Arthur would come to the dance so he could give him his valentine.
All of these thoughts tumbled around in his head as he went through the motions—he gave his butt a little shake, he flexed his muscles, and he smiled at all the cheering girls. He had a duty to the club, and no matter how sad he was on the inside, he needed to do his fair share of the work.
He just hoped Kiku didn't bid on him. Arthur's words had finally clued him in, and now he was worried about what his friend might say to him at the end of the night. It seemed no matter what he did, he was going to hurt somebody's feelings before Valentine's Day was over.
He really didn't like the holiday.
"Let's start the bidding at thirty pounds. Do I see—we have thirty! How about forty? Forty! To Kiku! Do I see fifty? Fifty pounds?" Already, that was far more than what anyone had bid on the other "slaves." The snooty girl that ran French club had won Francis for only twenty pounds. Not willing to spend his limited spending money on something he got for free, Matthew hadn't even bid, though he'd had a lot of fun laughing at Francis in his skimpy sex kitten costume.
"One hundred pounds," a clear voice rang out loudly, silencing a lot of the chatter from the students watching the auction.
Alfred dropped his silly pose and smiled genuinely at Arthur, who pushed past people until he stood directly beside Kiku.
"He's mine, and I won't share him with anyone, not even for a silly auction. So give up now. You already lost," Arthur said with a rather terrifying expression. Kiku narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, but realized the position he was in and nodded his head briefly before leaving the crowd in his quiet way. On stage, Alfred winced. As the sale was finalized, Arthur met his eyes unsurely, his earlier confidence draining out of him in a fast rush. With the auction over, Alfred hopped down off the stage and made his way to Arthur's side. The other couples began drifting back to the dance floor, leaving them standing relatively alone by the catwalk.
"I've thought about it…and I've come to the realization that…just perhaps…I should have put more faith in you."
"Yep," Alfred agreed with a smile. Arthur shifted uncomfortably, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well? Don't you have anything to say?"
"It's cute that you get all possessive of me?" Alfred tried. Arthur glared weakly. His grin broadening, Alfred tried again, "You made a really adorable cupid?"
"Thanks…I think…but that's not exactly what I'm fishing for. Why all the secrecy this week, Alfred? Why the date with Kiku?"
"I didn't realize that's what he was trying to do. I honestly didn't know, okay? Kiku's my friend, and I'm sad that he's got feelings like that for me because I don't return them, but I never purposefully led him on."
"So nothing happened when you went to the movies?"
"We didn't even go to the movies together—I was planning stupid valentine stuff with Feliciano and I didn't want to say what we were up to, 'cause I would have ruined the surprise. You know I can't keep a secret to save my life."
"You…you were doing something for me?" Arthur asked, sounding once again on the verge of tears. Finally hopeful that he'd actually be allowed to touch him, Alfred wrapped his boyfriend up in his arms and squeezed him reassuringly.
"I love you, Artie. Come on. Let's ditch the dance and go back to our room. I can put some clothes on and give you your valentine."
"I love you, too, and getting out of here sounds good," Arthur agreed, wiping at his eyes discreetly as Alfred laced their hands together. Across the room, dancing elegantly with Francis's arms wrapped around him, Matthew watched them go with a smile.
After Alfred had put on some pajama pants and an old T-shirt, the boys sat cross-legged on their bed and Arthur waited for his gift. With a nervous smile, Alfred pulled a simple book from behind his back.
"Artie, you're the only one I want. That hasn't changed this week, and it won't ever change. That's why I finally decided this was the best valentine to give to you."
"Hey! This is my book. You borrowed this at the start of term and never returned it. I've been looking for this. You've had it all this time?"
"Yeah. It's gonna sound really dumb, but at first I kept it because you left this note inside—guess you were using it as a bookmark. It was one of your to-do lists that you're always making, but this one was about all the things you were going to do at school to be the best. Remember it?"
Arthur blushed slightly at the note dangling from Alfred's fingers that now seemed childish in hindsight. He'd written it the summer before coming to school, back when only grades and accolades mattered to him. It said things like 'Join Student Council' and 'Make Good Grades.' He'd honestly forgotten all about it.
"I remember it, but what does that have to do with us?"
"At first, I thought I had a secret advantage by having your list. That's why I didn't give the book back. If I returned it, you might notice that your list was gone. I thought if I did all the things you said, I'd be as awesome as you."
"Alfred..."
"But I kept screwing up the list, and I kept screwing up at being your friend, and so I almost gave it back to you, back around Christmas time." Arthur sighed and a few stray tears clouded up his green eyes.
"Why didn't you?"
"Because I added my own goal to the list, and it was something I just couldn't give up on," Alfred said, a determined smile lighting up his blue eyes.
"What? Winning a game?" Arthur asked, his confusion and some of his hurt from the past week evident. Alfred just smiled and shook his head as he shifted his thumb to reveal what he'd added to the list, at the start of the year.
"Be Arthur's...best friend?" the British royal read in surprise.
"See, I realized that none of the other stuff you put on the list mattered to me after awhile. All I've cared about this year—the only thing that really matters to me now—is being important to you. When I saw how jealous you got, I realized I'd somehow done the most important thing on the list. So you can have your book and your bookmark back now. Whenever you doubt if I love you, then you can look at the to-do list and see that out of all the things I could be doing at this school...being your best friend, being the boy you love...that's the only thing that matters to me."
"Alfred...I..."
"And don't get mad at me, but I wrote something in your book."
"What?" Arthur blurted, momentarily distracted from the most romantic moment of his whole life so far. He took the book and flipped it open like a parent worried that harm had been done to his baby.
Sure enough, words were scratched on the inside cover in the best penmanship Alfred could manage:
At the start, you gave me your book. Now I'm returning it with my heart.
The to-do list drifted into Arthur's line of vision, allowing Arthur to see that 'Be Arthur's Best Friend' was checked off. Then Alfred flipped the little note, and revealed the carefully drawn heart on the back of the paper. He tucked it safely back inside the pages of the Shakespeare volume, and leaned forward to kiss Arthur's choppy bangs.
"Did I do good? You're not gonna dump me because of a terrible valentine, are you?" Alfred asked hopefully, his nerves finally showing. Clutching the book to his furiously beating heart, Arthur slung his free arm around Alfred's tall shoulders and pulled him into an ardent, adoring kiss.
"That was perfect, Alfred. Please…I want to be with you. I was so scared this week—I felt like you were slipping through my fingers. I never want to feel like that again," Arthur pleaded, in between pressing desperate little kisses across Alfred's jaw. The taller boy smiled lovingly at him and caught his lips, begging entrance and caressing Arthur's tongue with his own.
Arthur leaned back on the bed and Alfred followed him, settling his weight on top of the smaller boy so that he felt just how there he was—so that he knew that Alfred belonged to him and wasn't going anywhere. Just to make doubly sure, Arthur hooked his leg around Alfred's hips and pulled him in impossibly closer. They began working each other's clothes off desperately, sliding against each other's skin with pure need, sucking, licking and biting at whatever parts got too close to their mouths.
"Arthur…I want you to know how much I'm yours…I want you to…"
"Alfred—"
"I'm sure. I'm ready," Alfred reassured, rolling so that now Arthur was sprawled on top of him, still held securely in the circle of his arms.
"I know you're uncomfortable with the idea of—"
"Arthur, just make love to me, okay? Please? I trust you."
Arthur slanted his mouth over Alfred's in a desperate, loving kiss, simply unable to get enough of the other boy. His fingers tangled in Alfred's hair and Alfred's hand slid between them to undo the button on Arthur's jeans. Soon, they were clothed in nothing but sheets and a light sheen of sweat. Alfred parted his legs, a dark stain of color making his cheeks pop in the darkness. Lovingly, oh-so-carefully, Arthur slipped the first finger in after slicking it down with lubricant.
"Alright, love?" he asked, his voice deep and husky. Alfred was panting, and his eyes were unfocused, but he nodded. His erection strained between them, and Arthur roughly palmed it with his free hand, knowing just how Alfred liked it. The action earned him a needy moan, and he slipped in another finger.
"Urgh! Arthur!" Alfred gasped as Arthur's fingers curled and pressed deep inside him, in time with Arthur's tugs on Alfred's beautiful, reddened cock.
"I'm putting it in now. Tell me if I need to stop, okay?" Arthur said. He saw nothing but trust and adoration shining in Alfred's cerulean blue eyes, so he swallowed thickly and lined himself up. With a blissful moan, he slid into Alfred's tight heat, feeling the muscle flutter and stretch around him, drawing him in even tighter. A ceaseless stream of pleasure noises escaped his wet lips, while Alfred gasped and rocked against him as he took over fisting himself with hard strokes.
Arthur didn't last long with such stimulation, and he slammed into Alfred hard as his balls tightened and the muscles of his legs seized up in a moment of pure bodily bliss. He came deep inside the other boy, every inch of their bodies pressed together, so close that not even air could come between them. Sparkling blue eyes, wet with tears, filled Arthur's vision and he cried, too, because what he had with this boy was something bigger than they could even understand. It didn't matter that they were young, or that sometimes they fought and hurt each other senselessly, because there were moments like this, when they knew with every fiber of their beings that what was between them was love—unwavering and ever-true.
Arthur knew then, without any need for more reassurance, that Alfred was his…just as he would always be Alfred's.
A/N: And that's a wrap! Not for the story, but for the Kiku arc. I still have to cover March through May before the first year of this story officially concludes. I haven't yet decided if I will continue on into second year. My plan is to wrap up year one with a happy ending, but leave it open to continue if I so chose after taking a break and working on some other fics. Also, I know I didn't show Feli serenading Ludwig, but you'll just have to use your imaginations. That's one couple that I like watching, but I have no interest whatsoever in writing them. Though, I did have fun writing Feli and Alfred teaming up, because the two of them are so adorably airheaded.