Written for USUK Summer Camp 2012 nonbeta sorry
August 3: Once Upon A Dream
Once Upon a Dream
By HamburgerWithTea
/Summary/
Arthur sees blue eyes in his sleep, blue eyes belonging to a man he's kissing, but he's never seen him before. Alfred, though, sees green eyes instead, but the kissing part is the same. Now what would happen if two were to meet accidentally while working in the same coffee shop?
His eyes shot open and he sat up straight in his bed in shock. It'd happened again; he'd dreamt about that guy, a guy who he didn't know. In his dream they would be kissing, be lovers even, en he didn't know what to make of it.
Arthur had never seen the guy nor had he any ideas where the weird dreams could be coming from, but they seemed to be there every night and it started to get a bit scary. Was this normal, to dream the same scene over and over again for at least five weeks?
The British man wasn't even horrified by the fact it was a guy he kissed, after all he wasn't homophobic and figured he might be gay too –he'd never really fallen in love, but he did find men's bodies sexy.
What bothered him was that, despite the many dreams and meeting so many people in his daily life, he was sure he'd never ever met this man before. He'd never seen such vibrant blue eyes in his life, he was sure he'd remembered if he did.
Arthur wiped the cold sweat of his forehead. He always seemed to sit up wide awake right before he and his 'dream boy' would kiss. The blond glanced over at his night table where the digital clock was located; four in the morning, it read, which meant that this was yet another night with too little sleep.
After a quick rub of his temples, Arthur decided it'd be for the best to just wake up and get an early shower, instead of dwell on the event any longer. He'd have to be at the coffee shop at half past six, in order to open it at seven when the first business men and women would come in.
Today was a normal Tuesday, and as usual everyone would be rushing to work. Arthur, though, lived nearby his work; he just had to walk about fifteen minutes and he'd be there. He was lucky to know the shop owners personally, which was how he'd gotten the job. He'd be suited for other jobs, with his knowledge and diplomas and all, but for now this one was just fine. He didn't mind, as long as he enjoyed his time.
What he didn't know, though, was that today he'd come to meet the man with the bright blue orbs. They were in need of another employee and had put up a paper on the door asking for anyone to help. Which, by accident, was seen by the blond American as he passed by the shop.
Now Alfred, as this blond man was called, was right in need of a job. Up to now he'd only done part-time jobs and freelance work, but it was hard to come by jobs lately and working in a coffees hop sounded like a lot more fun than office work. Alfred just wasn't the type for anything that serious.
The small bell above the quaint coffee shop rang as the blue-eyed blond entered. Apparently the only one working at the moment was a blond male, who was currently facing Alfred with his back. As soon as the bell was hear, though, the slender man turned around and the American had to hold in his breath for a bit to keep himself for making a sound of shock.
It was the man he'd seen in his dreams all these weeks! The emerald green eyes were too special to belong to anyone else, especially when covered with these thick eyebrows. Alfred had never seen very much of the man in his dreams, but the eyes and eyebrows and shade of blonde hair were all too familiar.
Arthur, at the other end of the room behind the bar, experienced the same emotions. He almost dropped the glass he was drying off as he met with the familiar eyes that he'd never seen before –not in real life.
"Uhm," Alfred started, "Hello, I decided to pay a visit after reading the paper on the front, about, you know…"
"The job?" Arthur asked, trying to stay calm. He was probably the only one with these weird dreams, no need to make the other feel uncomfortable around him by his awkward behaviour.
"Yeah," The blond American replied. Arthur just knew he was American the moment he stepped in. He just had a certain aura around him. Maybe it was the way he dressed, or walked, or anything? Arthur didn't know, but he could tell, almost as if he knew the guy…
"That's fine. Good timing, right now there's not much chance for a customer so we can have a quick chat about what the job means," Arthur said. He was practically the owner of the shop by now, as the couple to who it belongs were rather old and they trusted Arthur enough to let him do most of the administrative work. Arthur figured they probably wouldn't even mind if he took over at some point.
And thus, Arthur let the blond American man follow him to the back of the shop, though he kept the door open to hear if someone would enter.
"May I ask your name?" Arthur asked, sitting in a chair and gesturing for Alfred to sit at another one on the opposite of the table.
"Alfred F. Jones," Alfred beamed. His smile really was big, and it was to Arthur's annoyance that it was yet again a familiar action of the other despite never meeting him before.
"And what is your age, where do you live?" Arthur continued to ask questions.
"Nineteen," The taller blonde replied, "I live in one of the nearby apartments, nothing really special but it's a good place to live and close by the shopping mall."
"Hmm," Arthur said, so far Alfred seemed to have potential. His young age and energetic personality would do the shop good and the bright smile of the male would be able to charm quite a few customers, "Had any jobs before this?"
"Hm, sure!" Alfred said, eager to sum up his former jobs, "Did some job at the mall, just selling cloths and uhm I worked as a photographer for a small paper, let's see… I also had a job as postman for quite some time, but mostly I worked freelance!" That didn't sound half that bad. The boy had quite a lot of experience in jobs and the shop could use some of his adaptable nature.
"All right," Arthur said, "Sounds good. How about you come back tomorrow at half past six so I can show you around and see if you're able to adapt to the job. If you do well, we can set up a contract and make it into a proper job."
"Awesome!" Alfred replied, "I'll be there!" And with that he left the shop, waiting for tomorrow to come so he could start experiencing his –maybe- future job.
"Good morning!" Alfred greeted him as Arthur arrived at the coffee shop, perfectly on time. He mumbled a small greeting back, not even near as energetic as the other, as he opened the door.
Arthur wasn't a morning person which made him rather grumpy and irritable at the moment, so he just hoped the other wouldn't be too energetic. Arthur really couldn't handle that now.
"All right," Arthur said, placing his personal belongings in the back and hanging his jacket on one of the hooks on the wall. Alfred followed his lead and stood around awkwardly for a bit as Arthur made a few adjustments to the settings of the tables and chairs.
"Come here," The smaller blond called out for Alfred, "I'll show you around the shop so you know your ways. If there's anything you don't understand, please tell me for I do not wish to end up in one big mess." Alfred nodded, "We'll see how you do and then by the end of the day I'll be able to decide if I employ you. Is that clear?"
"Yep!" Alfred said, excited to start his new job. He'd never done a job like this before, but hey, he was quite adaptable to different jobs thanks to his freelancing and he'd mostly work his way out of problems with a casual charm.
And so Arthur showed the other around, hoping he was clear enough for one unfamiliar with all devices and traditions. Arthur grew up with it all, so for him it was natural, but for Alfred everything seemed to be new.
The first customers arrived by the time Arthur was done explaining, and it gave a great opportunity to show the American the real work. Some of the customers were people who came here daily, so Arthur knew what they wanted without much effort, while others just visited for a small cup of coffee.
In the morning Arthur would even have some nice sandwiches to serve he'd prepared the night before. Cooking wasn't his best ability, but making sandwiches was no problem.
Arthur was quite proud of the small shop. It looked really quaint and British and he just loved everything about it. Some people even seemed to come here just for that. Well, whatever, as long as there were customers, it was all good.
"Alfred," The green-eyed blond called, "Could you make two cups of cappuccino and one cup of hot water," Arthur made it seem like a question, but it was really more of an order. As Alfred made his way to the warm-drinks machine, Arthur collected a small can of milk and a collection of a few sugar cubes put on a plate. Small cookies that fit on the saucers would finish the overall look and by the time Alfred was done and walked up to the counter with the drinks in hand, the customers had already paid. It sure was useful to have a second pair of hands helping out.
The day continued and Arthur noticed that Alfred easily adapted to the new job, as expected. At first he'd as a few questions to make sure he'd not fail, but at noon he was already used to it all and it helped Arthur out greatly.
All seemed well, except for that one little bother still constantly on his mind; the fact that it was Alfred who appeared in his dream. Now, Alfred was a fine lad and all, but it just made Arthur a bit uncomfortable to be around someone who he seemed to kiss every night in his dreams. He didn't even know the other, even though it felt like they'd seen each other daily for year. Arthur couldn't help but be bothered by it.
The American man felt the same way, though he'd never want to admit it. it as just something way too girly and weird to start about. He decided to just ignore it and pretend nothing ever happened. After all, that wasn't even a lie, right? For the only things that happened were dreams, and those weren't even close to reality.
Compared to Arthur's earlier experiences, the day seemed to end rather fast and the help really did make a different. Plus, some company around made the quieter times of the day more interesting as well.
After Arthur closed the doors of the shop, he made his way towards the back, requesting Alfred to follow him.
"Well then," he said, sitting in the same chair as last day, "I think I could use your help around, so hereby I'd like to propose to you a contract. Please read it through carefully, and if you are okay with it, please sign on the bottom of the paper." Arthur handed over the contract.
Alfred was happy to receive the paper; at least it meant he'd done well. He read the paper properly, making sure he fully agreed with the terms and conditions and then signed the paper. A small smile on Arthur's face made it obvious that the man was glad for Alfred to join, and the American smiled back.
He now had a good, stable and nice job, and he even got paid well! What more could he wish for?
Soon, though, he found that there was something more he could wish for. As the months passed and Arthur and he worked side by side in the shop, day by day, he found himself slowly liking the other more and more.
At first he'd thought it was just random emotions and that he just thought of the other as a friend, but at some point he really did feel more than that. Despite the feelings though, he still wasn't sure if Arthur would feel the same and therefore decided to keep silent.
Arthur, though, felt the same. He actually wondered if it was because of the dreams, at first, that he felt this funny around Alfred, but soon he couldn't deny his feelings any more. The worst, or actually best, moment were whenever Alfred and he would accidentally brush hands or other sappy stuff. Arthur didn't know why but he just really enjoyed it and they might not be together or even knew each other's feelings, but it were small things that could make the other happy.
Aside from that, both their dreams started to become more clear. They would be more detailed, filled with more emotions, etcetera. They didn't know if it was a good or a bad thing, but they couldn't do anything about it so for now they would just ignore it.
It was at the end of a mid-week day that Alfred couldn't take it any more. He felt like it was the right thing to do, like it was what his dreams had told him, to just confess to Arthur. He was nervous, but he really, really wanted to do this, he just had a certain gut feeling.
And thus, after the customers had left, he found himself nervously fumbling with the apron he would normally take off by now.
"Is anything the matter?" Arthur asked, honestly worried. He'd never seen the American act like this.
"No," Alfred said, "I'm fine just… nervous." It was weird to tell Arthur about his nervousness if he wanted to tell him about his love later on, it felt like something really unheroic to say, but Alfred didn't know what else to say in order to avoid an awkward silence.
"Then why are you nervous," Arthur asked, "If it's any of my business, because if you don't want o talk about it I can understand and I'll jus—."
"No, it's fine," Alfred now looked down to avoid Arthur's poisonously green eyes, "I just… Wanted to tell you something."
Arthur's head shot up. He certainly wasn't expecting that.
"Go ahead," The Briton couldn't deny he was curious about it all.
"Uhm," The American started, "You see, it probably sounds super silly and girly and like one of these Disney stories but well, since even before we met I had, like, these dreams you know,"
Hearing Alfred say that made thoughts fly through Arthur's head. Did Alfred have the same dreams? Was that possible? Would this make everything even more awkward? And if so, what did Alfred think about it? Did he mind? Did he think it was weird? After all, where did the dreams even come from…
"And, uhm, god this is awkward," Alfred continued, rubbing a hand over his forehead to hide his embarrassment, "Okay so the weird thing is, I've been having dreams about kissing someone with the exact same eyes as you and I can't get it out of my head and now I just really fell in love with you in real life and I don't even know what to do anymore."
Alfred couldn't believe he'd just said that, rambled that even, but it felt good to have told Arthur how he felt. He just hoped the other wouldn't freak out and wouldn't be too put off by the whole dream part, because that would really suck.
"…Alfred," Arthur started after a long silence, and the American flinched at the sound of his voice. This was it. He'd get rejected, celled weird, would lose his job, anything… "Alfred, look at me," Arthur seemed to want his attention, so with a bit of difficulty and hesitation the taller blond looked up, facing the green eyes he'd been avoiding for a while now.
"I…" Arthur continued, "… I experienced the same… The dreams and all… And," A small blush started to form, matching the one of the taller blond, "…And uhm, I think I feel the same about you."
The last part was almost a whisper, and for a moment Alfred thought he'd misheard. Was that true? Arthur had the same experiences? Was this for real?
"…You mean-?" Alfred wanted to clarify but Arthur looked away and nodded, only to face him after that.
"…Yes, I also kissed a stranger in my dream, or well that's what I thought, a stranger with blue eyes, the brightest of blue," Arthur said, "And the most beautiful shade, a colour I'd never forget if I'd met it before, so I knew I'd not met you. But then you just… You just walked into the store and ended up working here and all… I just thought it was coincidence, me having the dreams, but…" Arthur couldn't find the right words to say.
"…It's weird," Alfred helped him, "Almost as if it was meant to be, but that is a girly thing, no way that can be. I mean that would be really weird and unheroic, I think." Alfred wasn't sure what to say, so decided to just ramble on for a bit. Arthur though, had made a few quick steps to get closer to the other, now looking a tad bit up to face the other and look each other in the eyes.
"Maybe," The green-eyed man said, "Maybe it really was destiny… Maybe we were meant to meet once upon a dream, so we'd fall in love in real life." He knew he sounded silly, but it just seemed the right thing to say. As the sentence continued, his voice became softer and the distance between him and Alfred got shorter.
"Hmm," Alfred mumbled, not fully agreeing just yet, "But how would we know?"
Arthur didn't have to tell him. Instead he just pressed his own lips on the other man's soft ones, as he automatically made one hand drift of to the younger blond's hair, as the other hand stayed at the base of the strong neck.
Alfred could feel the other's movements and was surprised at first, but quickly got used to the feeling. It was the same feeling he had experienced in his dreams for months, and it felt wonderful to finally be able to experience it in real life.
His hands found their place on Arthur's lower back and shoulder as they started to rub the other's skin gently. It felt good to hold the frame of the other man's body in his hands, it felt perfect. He was pretty sure he could get used to this all, after all; it was the same as he'd experienced once upon a dream…
/Author's Note/
Lol I put off starting to write this way too long and now it's about 4:30am and I really should get to sleep but I wanted to finish this, so yey.
Ok crappy because sleepy and lazy and what not, oops? ;A;
Also, it's a bit weird writing the word 'coffee shop' for me, since in the Netherlands if you see the word 'coffee shop', 9 out of 10 times it means it's nothing like a coffee shop, but instead is a place to buy stuff like weed and what not. Softdrugs.
So yeah, it's a bit awkward, yet funny XD I FEEL SO BADASS :U
Shoutout to all you lovelies reviewing and giving me a lot of confidence and inspiration! 3 tomorrow will be the last story and all I can say is that writing these stories really made my inspiration grow and motivated me to the fullest. And I hope it also helped improve my writing? I should participate more often, if I find the time :3
Good night, dears, I really need to catch some sleep as soon as I'm done uploading, or my parents will kill me
I do not own Hetalia or the characters, those belong to their rightful (awesome) creator, Hidekaz Himaruya!
(08/03/12)