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I hope you enjoy the next chapter!
Arthur inched up against the wall, flinching slightly at the cold stone. He wished he could melt into it, into oblivion, anything to escape the demon in front of him. He eyed Alfred with cold fury.
"What are you doing here?" Arthur snapped, his headache worsening second by second. Funny. He didn't even notice it with the other Alfred.
"I see you had quite the adventure with your friend, there. Did he provide you a good shoulder to cry on?"
Arthur shut his eyes. He couldn't deal with this right now. Everything was so confusing and Alfred clearly didn't care about him anyway. In fact, Arthur was wondering why he was even wasting his time on him. Surely he could have picked up the medicine on his own and gone home.
He stood up suddenly, feeling woozy but powering through it nonetheless.
"It was a pleasure to meet you over the past weeks, Alfred," he said through gritted teeth, his eyes closed. "But I don't have time to talk with you anymore. I have a large amount of work I have to get to. And as I have my freedom," he said, opening as eyes and shooting Alfred another glare. "I suggest you go back to where you belong."
Every word cut into Arthur's heart, deeper and deeper, and he felt as if his words were doing more harm to himself than to Alfred. And it was absolutely infuriating.
Alfred's eyebrows furrowed as his eyes grew dangerous. "Oh?" He took a threatening step towards Arthur, forcing him to back into the wall. "You have freedom? Did you truly think you could escape?"
Arthur knew it was futile, but he returned Alfred's stare evenly. "You bloody brute, I'll show you -"
"Show me what, little lion?"
"I -" Arthur's voice faltered as Alfred suddenly leaned on Arthur, his head resting on Arthur's shoulder.
"I fucked up."
"Alfred...?"
"I fucked up, okay?!"
"What does that mean?"
"It means what it means."
"That doesn't make any sense! What did you do?"
"I...you..." Alfred leaned back, his expression unreadable. "I..." His eyes were averted, avoiding Arthur's gaze.
I'm sorry. The meaning was implicit, and Arthur suddenly understood everything. Alfred didn't know how to apologize. Or he did, and he was just being stubborn.
"And I apologize," Arthur said, his voice stronger than he felt, "for not being the one you were looking for."
Alfred's eyes shot up again. "What?"
"You told me so yourself," Arthur said, feeling uncannily calm. Resigned. At least Alfred knew that he had hurt him and had tried to apologize. "That I wasn't different. Clearly, you three made a mistake. I apologize for wasting your time."
"Shit, you're so annoying."
"Excuse me?"
Arthur didn't know what was happening. One second he was staring at the ground in defeat, resigned; the next, Alfred's arms were around him in a tight embrace.
...What?
He felt no warmth from Alfred, but his heart thudded uncontrollably, warming him from his chest outwards.
In that moment, he felt right. It didn't make sense. Arthur's mind screamed for him to break away, to end this nonsense, but...his body refused to move.
"Never do that again," Alfred growled, his breath tickling the tips of Arthur's ears.
"Never do what again?"
"If you ever cry again, I'll kill you."
"What?"
"It annoys me. You annoy me. I should have just killed you when I first saw you. Now look at the mess I'm in."
"The mess we're in, if I may say so. And the feeling is mutual, I assure you."
Alfred's arms tightened around him, and Arthur found himself leaning towards him.
But he knew it was wrong. It had to be wrong. He couldn't - wouldn't - admit it to himself. He couldn't repeat what had happened with Francis, what his desperation had led him to do.
'I am drawn to you like a magnet...
Even if I left, we would find each other again...
I've touched you, I can never go back and that's just fine...'
Until a sound jarred him from his thoughts, a sound so unbelievable that Arthur froze upon hearing it.
"Alfred..." Arthur stopped suddenly, his eyes growing wide.
"What?"
"Y-You said...you said you're a demon."
"...Yeah."
But the beat was unmistakable. A heartbeat, thudding in sync with his own.
Alfred had a heart.
"I don't feel it!" Alfred exclaimed for the hundredth time. "Are you joking?"
"I'm not!" Arthur reached for Alfred's neck again, gently pressing his finger down. "I feel it! It's there, clear as day!"
"I told you, demons don't have hearts." He reached for Arthur suddenly, putting his hand on his neck, and Arthur froze as Alfred felt for his pulse.
"See, I feel yours. But me, I don't have one."
Was he hallucinating? He couldn't be. It was true that he hadn't sensed Alfred's heart when they had first met, and he was always so cold, but...it was there. Now, at least. He didn't know why he didn't feel it before. Or was his mind just playing tricks on him?
Was it even possible to have auditory hallucinations without being sick? Or maybe these three demons had finally driven him insane.
Arthur frowned, puzzled, as he leaned back. The sun was just beginning to rise, and more and more of Alfred was lit up for Arthur to see.
Alfred looked perplexed, his eyebrows knit in a frown. His hand was on his neck, and soon he moved it to his wrist, checking for some sign of a pulse.
"No. Nice try, though. Giving me a distraction so you could try to escape," he said sullenly, his gaze shifting to Arthur.
Arthur sighed. "How childish are you?"
He knew it was a fight he couldn't win. Was Alfred just denying it? He sighed again, standing up and stretching. "Well, we'd best head over to the pharmacy to pick up medicine for Elizaveta. I wonder how she is." Arthur felt guilt settle in the bottom of his stomach. They would have been back yesterday if they hadn't fought.
"She'll be fine," Alfred responded, following Arthur as he walked out of the alleyway. "Besides..."
Arthur suddenly spotted an eyewear store, and he tuned Alfred out as memories of the other Alfred surged through him.
He said he could see spots of color...Although it was unlikely, Alfred seemed to be able to see blobs rather than being completely blind, as he had told Arthur he was before. Would glasses help his vision? But he would have to bring Alfred in for a vision test, and there was no way he could do that...
"Hey," Alfred growled next to him, jabbing his side.
Arthur jumped, turning on him with a glare. "What?"
"You weren't paying attention."
"...Yes, I was."
"Really? What was I saying?"
"Not now, Alfred."
"What-"
"Ah, there it is."
Arthur hurried into the pharmacy, scanning the shelves.
"May I help you?"
The pharmacist looked up at him shyly from behind the counter. She had gentle, intelligent green eyes, much like Arthur's, with her blond hair tied up in two ponytails. She wore a couple of clips, and she was dressed in a beautiful blue dress with a white apron. She had a name tag on, and Arthur read that her name was Alice.
Arthur smiled at her. "Oh, you see, our friend has a fever..."
"Ah...that's unfortunate," she said, smiling as she rummaged behind the counter. "Hmm..."
A crashing sound caused Alice to jump and Arthur to whirl around in surprise. Alfred had dropped a bottle of oil, and the substance was slowly pooling on the floor amidst the broken glass.
"Oh dear," Alice sighed, rushing over with a broom and pan in hand. Arthur frowned slightly, thinking that she was uncannily calm in the face of an accident. Nonetheless, he was impressed by her professional attitude. She bent down, gently sweeping the glass into the pan. "Are you hurt, sir?"
Alfred snorted. "I don't get hurt."
Alice looked up at him, and Arthur watched them curiously. Alice had a deadpan expression on her face.
"You don't?"
"Nah." Alfred laughed, a lopsided smirk on his face as he watched her. "I'm not weak like the rest of you."
Arthur walked over to Alice, picking up a second broom in the corner and sweeping the rest of the shards into the pan as Alice stood up, her hands on her hips.
Alice's eyes narrowed. "Did you drop the oil on purpose, sir?"
"And if I did?"
Alfred was taunting her now, glee in his eyes. Arthur resisted the urge to smack him. He suddenly realized that, from Alice's view, she probably would have seen Alfred drop the oil. Arthur stood up suddenly, standing between Alice and Alfred.
"Enough is enough, Alfred," he said, his green eyes flashing warningly. "Remember where we are," he hissed quietly, giving him a small shove.
Arthur turned around to find that Alice was still glaring at Alfred.
"I-I apologize, he had a bit too much to drink at the tavern last night. He isn't himself. Do you still have any fever medication in stock?"
Alice was all kindness as she looked at Arthur. The change in her expression was astonishing.
"Of course, sir, I managed to find the last of it before," she said quickly, bending down again to pick up the pan. "I'll deal with the oil stains later, no need to worry about that. I've...had experience with that anyway. Now, how much did you need?"
"Whatever you have left," Alfred cut in.
"How much did you need, sir?" Alice asked again, looking at Arthur expectantly.
Arthur almost laughed. She was actually ignoring Alfred.
"Just one bottle," he managed, stifling his laughter.
Alfred stood brooding in the corner while Arthur and Alice chatted as he purchased the medicine.
"I really do apologize about him," Arthur said, a slight smile on his face. "He's not really...used to dealing with people."
Alice cracked a smile. "I noticed. He reminds me of...an...acquaintance, of mine..." she trailed off, frowning slightly. "A rambunctious girl, really. A troublemaker. She's done that more than I'd like to admit, all to get my attention. Dropping things, knocking into shelves..."
Arthur's eyebrows shot upwards. "What?"
Alice smiled even more as she remembered. "Yes. She finds it frustrating that I never pay attention to her - but really, why should she get special attention? She's not..." Alice trailed off, biting her lip.
Arthur laughed, and he failed to notice Alfred's eyes shoot over towards them, watching them closely.
"You don't say...well, it wouldn't hurt to say hello now and then."
"I suppose so," Alice concurred quietly, handing him the bag. He took it gratefully.
"Best of luck?"
Alice smiled, her expression calm. "And to you as well. I see you have quite the rowdy one to deal with."
"That I do," Arthur chuckled, sighing to himself. Although he hadn't known her for very long, he felt as if they were similar, as if they understood one other in a strange way. Her eyes seemed so much like his, but they seemed calmer, wiser, even though she seemed younger than him.
"We're going."
Arthur felt himself jerked sideways; Alfred had gripped his arm strongly, almost painfully, and practically dragged him out of the shop before he had time to react.
"A-Alice!" Arthur called, wanting to say goodbye. Alice gave him a pitying smile, waving him out.
They walked to the edge of town in silence. Arthur had given Alfred a good scolding, but Alfred ignored him, a dark expression on his face as he frowned. Arthur sighed and gave up, crumpling the bag beneath his fingertips.
What was that all about? Honestly, if he'd known Alfred was going to be a complete child he wouldn't have brought him into the store in the first place!
Trees were coming into view, and Arthur sighed again, turning to Alfred. They were going to have to settle this beforehand; he didn't want Elizaveta to have to deal with the extra stress of seeing them fight.
"What are you angry about, Alfred?" Arthur inquired tiredly.
Alfred turned to face him, his eyes dark. "I don't have time to be worried over humans. I don't care. Do whatever the fuck you want."
"You're angry about something. Something in the shop?"
Alfred's eyes widened a bit - Arthur knew he had hit the mark - and he scoffed. "As if. What a dingy place. With a dumb pharmacist. I don't give a shit."
"Alfred! You should be grateful she didn't make us pay for the ointment you dropped, how could you-"
"Hah! Grateful? To her?"
"Yes! Any normal person would have required us to -"
"Why do you care so much about her anyway? You just met! Are you that desperate?"
Arthur's eyes narrowed as his blood ran cold.
Are you that desperate?
The same words the frog used. The same words everybody used.
Alfred shifted awkwardly. "See? I'm right, aren't I?"
Arthur's eyes went blank as he stared at the ground. "You always are," he responded quietly, although it didn't seem as if he were talking to Alfred.
He didn't have any feelings for Alice, that he knew for sure - and the concept of it was ridiculous, falling in love with a girl he had met for a couple of minutes. He wasn't sure whether Alfred was being petty, jealous, or just irritated, but he was tired of arguing with him. So tired of the confusion, tired of everything. When everything he knew to be wrong felt right, when the rules inverted themselves and left him stranded...
Maybe it would just be best to just stop trying. It would be easy, so easy, to retreat into himself, forget about everything...
No. He would not.
He was Arthur Kirkland, and he would never let anyone or anything break him again.
The world was changing constantly. He couldn't expect the same rules that strangled him as a child to last forever. Nothing did.
Everything had the capacity to change.
And in that, he found strength.
He looked up at Alfred, his eyes burning.
Minutes of silence between them stretched into eternity as they stared at one another, neither backing down.
He knew something was wrong with Alfred. It was painfully obvious, with his transformations and memory gaps. And Arthur was going to find out what it was.
"Are we going?" Arthur asked after a while, crossing his arms over his chest casually. He tried to sound as normal as possible. "Are you going to fly us over there again, or should I attempt another free fall?"
Alfred's eyes narrowed. He shifted again.
"Do you like her?"
Arthur frowned. Was he still hung up over Alice?
"She's a pleasant lady," Arthur admitted, smiling a bit. "Smart. Witty. Pleasurable company."
"Is that a yes?"
"No, Alfred."
Alfred looked at him questioningly.
"Do you understand the concept of friendship? Perhaps empathy? Anyone with a heart..." Arthur trailed off, not realizing his mistake.
Alfred rushed towards him, and the two were suddenly inches apart.
"I told you, I don't have one," Alfred hissed, raw pain and confusion hidden within his dark eyes. He had never looked so unsure before, and Arthur gulped, surprised.
"Alfred..."
"Then tell me why," Alfred continued, his voice low, "Why I feel this...this thing..."
Arthur fell silent, listening.
"It's...unpleasant. Sickening. I feel sick."
"You told me demons don't get sick."
"They don't! Fuck, why is this happening?" Alfred rolled his hands through his hair in frustration.
And suddenly, it all clicked. Alfred was angry when he was with Francis. When he was with Alice. Arthur couldn't believe it himself - he denied that Alfred was interested in him - but if it was jealousy...
"Alfred," Arthur said softly, everything in him screaming for him to stop, to stay back, "Alfred, I'm not in love with her."
Alfred froze, slowly meeting his gaze.
"Then why were you laughing with her?"
Arthur smiled at the memory of their conversation. "Similar struggles."
"What struggles?" Alfred demanded, frowning.
"I suppose that's a secret," Arthur teased, and before he knew it, he had reached out and poked the tip of Alfred's nose. Alfred's eyes widened in surprise.
It was the first time he had touched him.
Suddenly, Alfred let out a large sigh, his hair falling into his face as he leaned over, his head resting on Arthur's shoulder in a familiar position.
"I guess I'll always lose to you, little lion," Alfred whispered, too quiet for Arthur to hear.
"You guys look like you've been through hell and back," Gilbert whistled as they burst through the door.
"Sorry for the wait!" Arthur exclaimed, hurrying over to Elizaveta, who was lying on Arthur's old bed. Her face was even paler than before, though Arthur thought it wasn't possible, and her eyes seemed slightly dimmer. Her long, lush hair was tangled and slightly frizzy.
"Fuck, you sure took your sweet time. Got all your problems sorted out?"
"Hardly," Alfred muttered, though he refused to meet Gilbert's questioning gaze.
"Hmm..." Gilbert shrugged, a smile on his face.
After giving Elizaveta her medicine, Arthur sat beside the bed, while Alfred and Gilbert sat on two chairs opposite him.
"Has she been all right?"
"Not really," admitted Gilbert, coughing. Arthur's gaze shot up.
"Are you sick as well?"
"Nah. I'll be fine."
"Gilbert..."
"Something's wrong with this house," Gilbert admitted, sniffing. "We...I...I thought it was gonna work, but it isn't."
Arthur frowned. "What isn't?"
Gilbert looked up at him, a dark frown forming on his face. "We escaped. The three of us. We don't belong here."
"Escaped from...where?"
Alfred abruptly stood up, walking over to Arthur until he was looking down at him.
"Hell. Where else?"