This wasn't how it was meant to be.

Cold, morning kisses and fake smiles.

Something had to happen and now Ivan had taken the decision. Ivan had decided where Arthur could not. England was someone who was left, he was not someone did the leaving. So many times he'd hovered on the edge and pulled away at the last second because he couldn't.. he just couldn't put the knife in.

This wasn't how it was meant to be.

The snow prince and his dark knight. Together. Their fairytale of broken people finding happiness in together. The knight would stand fast and protect his noble king and the king in turn would greet the sun for the first time in decades. Together. The snow prince had desired the sun though, he had stretched towards it and been burnt. The knight had run away and left his king to flounder.

Arthur was a small man in many ways. The neat privet hedge, the organisation of his tea bags. Small things because he couldn't dream big anymore. Ivan had been his big, far away dream. The situation had become too big for him, it had crushed him. Arthur couldn't get past the second betrayal, it had ground him to a halt.

Ivan had smiled glassily at him. The key was cold in his hand. Goodbye.

Everyone always said goodbye.

Everybody.

Every time it was his fault. Arthur was disposable. Even his own brothers wanted barely anything to do with him, they wanted to get away. It was understandable.

So though every single thought in his mind screamed at him to go after the Russian, at least talk to him he remained frozen.

Because this was something he understood.

This was something to be expected.

This was all his fault. All of it.

He'd left it too long, said too little.

Now he was the frozen prince.

—

In the moments that followed somehow he managed to get into his home. He'd complained had been too crowded, to the point he'd left. Now it hung silent, empty. Drawers half full where Ivan's clothing had been and now only his remained.

A shaky hand tapped a swift text.

[Francis] Back home. Staying here. Feed cat.

And so began his period of splendid isolation.