Admin: Sorry for not updating in a month or so, I've been having personal problems and they are still going on. But it does somehow give me inspiration for this since it is all romance based. Concerning one reviewer's review, this is UKUS so that means Alfred is the UKE here. So he won't really wear the pants in the relationship at most times. If you imagine Alfred as a girl throughout this whole fanfic you can see why. But yeah, he will have some manly moments here and there, as far as I'm concerned that is how it will be.
I'm not a really big fan of USUK. Last but not least, I'm sorry this chapter is only 10,000+ words and yay, we got 70 reviews!
The door started to open slowly as his heart began racing even faster than before. Alfred immediately shut his eyes and knocked the bookshelf to its side, making a few books fall. He had a plan, and he knew it would work in some way.
Once a foot stepped into the office, Alfred opened his eyes in shock playing his role correctly. George Kirkland walked in on the scene, the first thing he saw being his son on top of Alfred, and his head near his neck. Assuming the worst, George looked at Alfred, appalled, and then at Arthur, and then back to Alfred, his mouth stuck in a permanent 'O' shape.
Alfred forgot to make it look like Arthur was protecting him from the falling books. His expression mirrored George's when they made eye contact and Alfred shook his head.
"W-What is this!?" George managed to holler at Alfred, who was still underneath Arthur.
"I-It's not what it looks like!" Alfred replied immediately. He tried to get Arthur off him without waking him up.
"It looks like my son was about to have his way with you."
"No, no, no, no, no, no! Mr Kirkland, please listen to me!" Alfred said frantically, watching as Arthur was lifted off of him by his father. Once George got a hold of Arthur, he started to shake him like a doll. He failed to notice how limp Arthur was and his high temperature.
"Mr Kirkland, please don't do that!"
"And why not? This is unacceptable for someone of his status." George lightly slapped Arthur's face a few times. "Hey, little punk, wake up!" he ordered. There was no reply, but Arthur began to stir.
Alfred went to Arthur's side and took him away from the other, trying to make sure he was alright.
"Give him back this instant, Mr Jones!" George barked out as he tugged his son towards him. With Arthur now in his grasp again, George continued what he had been doing before. Alfred, in the meanwhile, decided to try calming his boss's father down, fearing things would only get worse if he reached for Arthur again.
"M-Mr Kirkland, y-you really shouldn't do that. You're going to hurt him, sir!"
"He was about to have his way with you in my own work place. He deserves to be punished."
"No, he wasn't, trust me!" Just as Alfred yelled these words, Arthur woke up. His fever was still a little high, and his sore throat was bothering him to no end. He lifted his heavy eyelids in an attempt to return to the world of the living and noticed he was in the middle of the dispute.
The next thing he realized was that there was a pressure around his shoulder area, and seemingly wrinkled skin in right front of him. Arthur's blurry eyes could see what he thought was probably a suit, and as he continued to stare his vision soon cleared, and he figured out his father was yelling at someone. Curious, he slowly twisted his head to the side and saw Alfred looking at him worriedly.
"M-Mr Kirkland, the president is awake," Alfred announced in a slightly panicked tone. He pointed and waited for the elder Kirkland to notice.
As Arthur lazily arched his head to see his father's eyes, he could see the flustered and angered twist in them. His father's eyebrows furrowed even more, his face growing redder by the second.
"Arthur, you good for nothing son!" George yelled, bringing up a hand as if he was about to choke him. Arthur quickly escaped from his grasp and stood in-between his father and Alfred.
"OH, what happened here!?" Arthur exclaimed, looking like a helpless animal seeing its last glimpse of sunlight.
"I'll tell you what bloody happened! You were about to take Mr Jones in my work place!"
"W-What do you mean by 'take'?"
"You know what I mean! Have your way, or as the young people would say, 'do it'."
"I did no su-..." Pausing for a second, Arthur tried to remember everything that had happened before he passed out. He ran the tape in his mind back, trying to pinpoint exactly what had occurred.
Arthur could remember feeling terrible; every symptom of a cold had hit him after he had finished his work. Then he remembered Alfred entering his office and asking him something, and then he collapsed. He had fallen on something warm and soft, allowing him to rest for a few minutes.
Now fully aware of what had happened, and how his father could have come to such a conclusion, both Arthur and Alfred blushed when they made eye contact. This, however, made George hostile, and as soon as Arthur's eyes returned to his father, he pounced at him.
Jumping back, Arthur took a deep breath in and out, realizing what had almost happened. He looked at his father and saw it was very obvious he was not happy. George tried the same move again and soon found himself chasing Arthur around the room, Alfred closely following.
"Father, calm down!"
"I shan't! You have disgraced the Kirkland name with your inappropriate behavior!"
"No, I haven't."
"Yes, you have!"
"Prove it." Arthur stepped on his couch and hopped over to the other side, making sure his father couldn't follow him, or at the very least would have a hard time reaching him.
Accepting the challenge, George walked over to Alfred, back backed away slightly. With one swift movement, George brought Alfred in front of him and yanked his shirt's collar down, revealing a bruise.
Alfred looked down in shock. He had completely missed that. …Great. How am I supposed to cover this up? Alfred thought, closing his eyes.
"Is this proof enough?"
"I-I..."
"Then you do not deny it. Come back here, you twit!" And yet again, the cat and mouse chase began throughout the office, with a third party following them.
Alfred stopped running suddenly. That was enough.
"STOP IT!" Alfred yelled. The two Brits froze.
"Mr Kirkland, how can you be so blind? I mean, he's your son and you know him. He wouldn't do anything like that to me. He doesn't love me, so it's fine, and can't you tell he has a fever? He needs to go home right now!"
"W-What?" George looked at his son's face. He walked closer with a softer expression and touched his son's forehead. Arthur did indeed have a high temperature, along with the scent of sickness around him.
"Why didn't you tell me, Arthur? I would have stopped trying to kill you."
"You wouldn't have listened...Too lost in your own little world, having this fantasy that I'd actually want Mr Jones."
Feeling a little hurt by that comment for some reason, Alfred stepped back slightly and nodded.
"W-Well...N-Never mind. I am sorry for my actions. You and Alfred may take the rest of the day off. Now, if you'll please excuse me," George said, trying to compose himself. He fixed his attire before walking out the room awkwardly.
Alfred then rushed to Arthur's side, making sure the other could still stand. "P-President, are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine, just feeling a little drained after w-what happened. Are you all right?"
"Why are you asking me that?! You're the sick one!"
"That bruise on your neck, it must have hurt."
"Yeah, your head is like a freaking brick. Now, come on, I'll take you home."
"No, that's quite all right. I can handle this myself."
"No, you can't."
"Yes, I can."
"Stop being so stubborn! I'm helping you whether you like it or not, so shut the hell up!" Alfred grabbed Arthur's arms and wrapped them around his shoulders. He jumped slightly and began carrying Arthur like a fire-fighter would.
Leaving the office with his boss wiggling in his grip, Alfred made sure to check in with Kiku first. He peaked his head around the corner and called out to him. The Japanese man immediately stopped what he was doing and looked up.
"Alfred-san, do you need something?"
"Yeah, can you hold my and the president's calls? He's sick, so I have to take care of him."
"Hai, I can."
"Thanks, Keeks. You're the best, yo."
"You are wercome."
After arriving at the mansion, Alfred took Arthur to his room and placed him on his bed. He grabbed the pajamas on the desk and handed them to Arthur, and then went outside so that he could change.
As he waited outside, Alfred caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. He immediately ran towards them, tackling them to the ground in a hug.
"TORIS! YOU'RE NOT DEAD!"
"Y-Yes, I-I'm not, Mr Jones; it was just a simple illness."
"I know! But do you know what I had to be woken up by?"
"Your boyfriend...?"
Oh yeaaaaah! "Yup, and he is not exactly happy in the morning, dude..."
"I-I am sorry to hear that, Mr Jones, but you should be happy to know that I will be waking you up from now on."
"You're like a savior! I praise you, man! …Hey, I've got a question. What exactly is the relationship between Arthur and his father? I know they don't see eye-to-eye and all that jazz, but I feel there's more to it."
"W-Well, you do know what happened with his late mother, yes?"
"Y-Yeah, poor guy."
"Well, remember Halloween? The servants have been gossiping about a fight that happened between him and his father while they were at work."
"No way, really!? Do you know what happened?"
"I-I don't know all the details, sir. All I know is it ended with a slap to the face and Arthur storming off."
"So that's why he was so depressed…Well, thanks for the info, and it's nice to have you back."
"Thank you, and I guess I'll see you around?"
"Dude, I live here. You'll see a lot of me."
"Of course." Alfred waved goodbye, giving Toris a closed eye smile, before turning back to Arthur's door. He was a bit hesitant to knock after what had happened. The whole fiasco in the office seemed kind of funny from a third person point of view, but if you were the two Kirklands then it was deeper than a misunderstanding.
These two men have been cold and heartless for so long, not knowing what it was like to have a woman's love in their life. Though Alfred could not provide that, he could always show Arthur the compassion his own mother had showed him, although it would be a long shot for it to actually work. Deciding to take a chance, Alfred came to two realizations.
One, he was going to be the hero and fix their father-son relationship. Secondly, he was going to teach Arthur how to show compassion towards others; he seemed a bit cold.
With a goal now set, Alfred could tell that him being around was good for everyone. Now the only thing he had to worry about was Francis, since he hasn't shown up in quite a while. He had to be plotting. He had proven how evil and malicious he could be at the Halloween Carnival. What else could he know about Alfred?
For a second, Alfred thought of Matthew. He knew he could have been the source of Francis' information. However, he did not blame him. Maybe Matthew just thought they were having a casual conversation about the past. Even the letter said that Francis had plotted without Matthew knowing.
Then another thing came to mind; did Matthew actually ask Francis for love help?
…No, that was impossible. Alfred shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts and knocked on the door in front of him. Being a 4.0 student, Alfred was, of course, considered very intelligent, so that meant he had good critical thinking skills.
With his skills, Alfred had done some detective work in collage, being the hero he is. Each case he had taken up and solved had proved to him that he was more than capable of finding out what he wanted, much like a girl trying to find a new pair of shoes online. If a girl could find those shoes, then she sure as hell could track someone down. That would explain how a woman found Osama Bin Laden. Then again, women proved to be more powerful and capable than anything in a male dominated profession.
Hearing a faint 'come in' from the other side of the door, Alfred twisted the golden knob in front of him and entered. There on the bed was none other than Arthur in his sick state. Alfred strutted towards his boss and sat on the side of the bed. He put his hand on his forehead and then on Arthur's to compare temperatures.
"Still high. How are you feeling, Prez?"
"Terrible. I don't know why my father had to make such a scene with me in this condition."
"Well, he didn't know, and he was kind of fuelled by anger after you accidently gave me this," Alfred said as he pulled down his shirt's collar to reveal the bruise.
"Still..."
"Quit being so stubborn, dude, and let the hero make you feel better. First things first, we have to get that temperature in check!" Alfred stood up and went to the bathroom, finding a clean towel and moistening it with water. He rung it out and folded it into a rectangle to place on Arthur's forehead.
After this, Alfred dug into his pocket and took out a hamburger. He placed it on the Brit's head. Arthur had relaxed when he felt the damp towel connect with his clammy skin…That is, until he smelled something that seemed suspiciously like processed meat.
"Mr Jones, what did you do to me?"
"Well, to put your fever down, I put a cold damp towel on your head. And then I put a hamburger on your head, just for the hell of it."
"Why on Earth would you do that?"
"I saw America do it to England..."
"So, just because you saw it in an anime, that means you have to do it in real life?"
"Pssh, uh, yeah!"
"Honestly, I think I'm going to be sick..."
"Dude, suck it up."
"I am your boss, and you will not speak to me in that way."
"President, I think you need to chill. You're only going to make yourself even sicker if you stress out. You have enough stress as it is. Please, can you rest just this once?"
"And why on Earth should I listen to you?"
"Because."
"Because, what?"
"B-Because I-I...I..."
"You what?"
"I...I...I...I..."
"You what?"
"I-I... I, um..."
"OUT WITH IT ALREADY!"
"BECAUSE I'M WORRIED ABOUT YOU, OKAY!?"
Arthur was taken aback by Alfred's outburst, and the sound of the other's panicked tone. Arthur decided to give in and settled down, staring up at the ceiling. They said nothing for a long while, the ticking of Arthur's Grandfather clock echoing throughout the room.
As each silent agonizing minute passed, Arthur could feel his condition worsening. His fever wouldn't go down, no matter how hard Alfred tried. He was now having trouble breathing properly, wheezing and gasping for air as his sinuses began to clog up. Alfred shot up from where he was after seeing this, deciding to do some extra nurse work for his boss's health.
The first thing Alfred did was replace the towel with a bag of ice he had the servants bring. Shortly after, Alfred remembered a useful saying his mother would say when he was small; feed the fever, starve the cold. In this case, since he was dealing with a fever, Alfred rushed to the kitchen.
He ran back and forth in there, gathering the ingredients to make chicken noodle soup. Soon the half hour it took Alfred to make it passed, and he started to speed walk to his seemingly dying boss. He placed the soup on the night stand before grabbing the thermometer and putting it in Arthur's mouth. It was the only way for him to know how badly Arthur was burning up.
Hearing a beep, Alfred took the device out of his boss's mouth and read the numbers.
37.7 degrees Celsius
Reading the numbers over and over again, Alfred had to make sure he wasn't, for lack of a better word, 'tripping' as Alfred would say. Being born and raised in America, most Americans went by Fahrenheit, not Celsius. He sighed in frustration and had to do the math in his head to figure it out.
"100 degrees…Damn, you're hella hot man…N-Not in that way, but temperature wise. Don't worry, dude, your hero is here and he will stay awake all night to take care of you."
Moving his emerald orbs to look at the 'idiot' who had vowed to watch over him, Arthur couldn't help but smile at the other's determination. It was, in a way, cute and thoughtful. More than anything else, it sort of felt like Alfred was acting motherly towards him. The way Alfred would fuss over him about every little thing, and how he made sure to do everything with love and care reminded Arthur of his late mother.
Arthur smiled and gave him a silent 'thank you'.
Eventually the day turned to night, and Alfred was still awake. Arthur had retired earlier. Alfred stretched and yawned before checking the time.
The clock read one o'clock. Alfred walked across the room and turned on a moisturizing machine for the air. The hot steamy air circulating throughout the room made it easier for the two to breathe.
Yawning again, Alfred closed his eyes to wipe the moisture on his cheeks. Now beginning to feel tired, Alfred sat on a chair next to Arthur and brought a hand up to the other's forehead. His fever had gone done, so Alfred decided he deserved a little shut eye.
Alfred folded his arms onto the bed, using them as a pillow, and quickly drifted off into a blissful sleep. A few minutes later, Arthur stirred, feeling a weight pulling on his blankets. Fighting the urge to tug them back, Arthur checked to see if it was one of the pets. It wasn't.
The pulling force that Arthur had felt was Alfred. His glasses lay askew on his face as he slept soundlessly, his baby blue eyes shut off from the world, and his hair left tussled.
After admiring the young American for a little while, Arthur looked around his room to see how much damage had been caused. Much to his surprise, nothing was out of place.
Arthur glanced to the side, seeing the chicken soup the American had slaved over to make for him. The medicine was there too, and to his far left there was a moisturizer in the shape of a penguin. Smoke was supposed to come out of its beak.
He laughed quietly at Alfred's child-like nature. It definitely wasn't Arthur's.
Looking down at the sleeping figure, Arthur gave a small smile and lightly patted the boy's head. "Thank you. Without you, I would have been much worse." He was still stroking Alfred's hair, as if in some kind of sick daze.
"Why are you doing this for someone you don't even love? Arthur asked Alfred, knowing there would be no response except for the other shifting in his sleep.
"You know, ever since you swept into my life, I have to say it has become much more interesting. I would honestly hate to see the day you leave me for another, or the day this all ends. Will you still be by my side? Will you still shout my name out in that cheerful tone, like you do with everyone else?
I fear for the future, for I feel as though I am starting to grow attached to an idiot like you...I wish I knew what went on in your head, then I might be able to understand you more. At the very least, I would know what you think of me.
However, it has occurred to me that I should no longer be afraid of anyone but myself. For I presume my father might have been correct…Perhaps I am falling in love with you.
…F-Forget it. It's not like I would ever fall for you, what am I thinking?" Arthur asked himself, lying back down and drifting into an uneasy sleep. Much like the rest of their unfortunate happenings, Arthur didn't know that another would occur the second he fell asleep. Because, as it turned out, it was just then that Alfred decided to wake up.
Hearing only the last sentence of Arthur's speech, Alfred felt a pang in his heart.
It's not like I would ever fall for you, these words echoed through his mind.
Alfred got up and made his way to his own room. He plopped down on his bed and fell back asleep with an aching heart.
POV: Abraham (we haven't had this in a while do enjoy~!)
It was late, and my master still hadn't come to bed. Me and my new adopted brother, James, were starting to grow worried. Where did Master go? Did he get hurt? Was he okay? Did master's master hurt him?
Standing at Master's portal to another world, I waited for his familiar face and smell. Eventually I fell asleep, but James kept an eye out for me. I love my little brother, but he's so small. Will he grow?
Anyways, James suddenly sat on me, jumping to try and wake me up. When I finally did, I saw Master was on his bed. I almost jumped for joy and ran to his side to cuddle with him, but something was wrong. He didn't give me a shoot down like always, so I started to grow scared. Maybe someone brainwashed my master!
Nudging my hand on whatever the humans call it (was it an arm?) I tried to get my master's attention. He gave me a weak smile when he noticed my actions and wrapped his arms around me. He said nothing, just lying there silently, but I knew something was wrong. Master's breathing was different, and his flat-thingy (chest) was beating faster.
"Oh, Abraham, I don't know what the hell is wrong with me…Are you worried about me?" Master asked me, and I responded with a faint meow and a nod.
"Don't worry, little dude, I'll be fine. Now, get James up here so we can all get some sleep." I left the bed and found James sleeping on the floor. Biting him by the scruff, I brought him to the bed, next to me and Master. We soon fell asleep…Well, they did. I didn't. I was too busy thinking about everything that had happened since we moved into this new world.
Master had taken me into his portal that rumbles (car), and transported us into this world. It was strange, and so was getting a new brother. But Master has been acting weird lately. His mood always switches when he's with James's master. One minute he's angry at him, the next he looks at him like he's my meow. (Get it cat's meow! HA!)
I don't understand what is wrong, but maybe it's because I'm too young, like Loops says I am.
Loops is a weird cat. Loops always has a sour face on, like James's Master, and he usually hangs around in the shadows. I don't think anyone knows he's there except for me. I'm thinking about telling Master about him so that I can have him in public more.
I like Loops. He's nice to me and I can really connect with him. I wonder if Master will be pleased if he finds out I'm making friends…I'm hungry, will Master give me a snack?
Jumping off the bed, I started to make my way towards Loops. He was in our room most of the time anyway, since he had lived there before Master.
I found Loops asleep and let out a small meow as I made my way towards him. The skinner cat was still asleep when I cuddled up to him, taking in his warmth. I could feel the beating thing inside me move faster as Loops wrapped his body around mine. Maybe this is what Master feels like.
But what do they call it? Did it start with an 'L'…? Oh, yeah, love. I love Loops, and Master must love the other Master.
POV: THIRD AGAIN!
Waking up at seven as usual, Arthur stretched out his arms and yawned. He relaxed and looked to the side, expecting Alfred to still be there, and was surprised to find he wasn't. There was a knock at the door and Arthur immediately directed his attention towards it, hoping it would be Alfred.
"Come in," he bellowed with poise to whoever was behind the door. Hearing the locks shift in the door, Arthur saw none other than his usual butler, Claude.
"Young Master, how are you feeling?" the butler questioned politely.
"Fine, actually. Did you happen to see Mr Jones, by any chance?"
"Ah, yes, he said he had to do something. He will not be back until late, and he has informed me to take good care of you. Also, he has left this for you." The butler clapped his hands together and summoned James and Abraham. The duo rushed into the room and practically jumped onto Arthur's bed, doing their own things.
"W-Why hello, you two," Arthur told the two animals awkwardly, who both seemed overjoyed to see him.
"Will you be needing anything, Young Master?"
"No, not at the moment. I will ring if I should need something."
"Yes, Young Master." The butler bowed and left the room without another word.
"Where on Earth can that idiot be? I have to thank him, otherwise I am no gentleman."
"I'm glad you came," Alfred said with a smile, watching as the person he had invited walked towards him.
Inside, he still was a little hurt about what Arthur had said, but it was time for him to put his plan into action. His main goal; make sure Arthur would be happy and be able to show compassion again. He would soon move onto Arthur and his father, but he was focusing on Arthur at the moment.
Listening to the hustle and bustle of the cafe, Alfred twirled a fork in between his fingers. It wasn't often that he came to cafes, but that was only because he preferred his coffee fast and from Starbucks.
Growing nervous with each twirl, Alfred didn't know to expect. Would this turn out well? Was he doing the right thing? He had tried to picture different outcomes of what would happen, but they all ended in a negative way.
"I am surprised you wanted to talk to moi. Is there a reason why?" Francis asked suspiciously as he took a seat opposite Alfred. He ordered a latte and folded his hand out onto the table, staring at Alfred.
"I'm here to...help you..."
"Help me? Why?"
"W-Well, y-you like Arthur and all, and you know about our situation, so I figured the hero would help, you know?" Alfred said with a straight face. Inside, however, he could feel his heart twisting as he spoke. He knew that doing this would mean he would have to let go…
…He would have to let go of any love he held for the other. It was just a simple deal. Nothing was supposed to bloom from it, but Alfred feared something would. With the way he was feeling, he could confess at any minute.
"I am overjoyed to here this, mon ami, but something makes me think that you don't really want to help me, do you?"
"Dude, I'm just trying to be the hero and help you. Don't question what I say!"
"Calm down. I am not a dumb man, Alfred. I know how you feel, and I'm afraid that letting your love rival have the advantage is not the way to go."
"I-I'm not a love rival, and I don't have feelings for anybody."
"You are so young, so naive, but it is in my character to let love run its course. Therefore, we will fight for him in a civilized way. Whoever wins his heart by the end of your scandal gets him."
"Dude, he's not some prize; he's a human being."
"Non, he is the most beautiful prize to be won."
"No, he's not."
"Yes, he is. I mean, you would understand if you saw his-…"
"I don't want to hear it!"
"I was going to say eyes. What were you thinking?"
Alfred blushed and coughed into his hand, taking a quick sip of his coffee.
"I hate you, dude."
"Same here, but you are helping me."
"Okay, you know what, dude, forget it! You're not an innocent person, you're a villain! And it's the hero's job to save people from villains like you! So I WILL win Arthur's heart!"
"Just what I wanted to hear."
"S-Say what?!"
"Let the games begin." Francis took one last sip of his drink before gracefully leaving through the door.
Sitting there with an odd expression, Alfred wondered what had just happened.
"Oh my gosh…What the heck did I just say!? Geez, Francis you...What the hell should I call him…Jackass is too good for whatever he is!"
-Time skip-
"Well, now what the hell am I supposed to do? I took the day off for nothing, I just challenged the villain! Oh, well, no need to worry about it. Now, time for some fun time with KIKU~!" Alfred shouted as he headed to the designated meeting spot.
As always, Kiku was there early in his Japanese kimono. Sometimes even old habits were hard to break. Alfred started to jog towards him, waving at Kiku wildly.
"KIKU! WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS SO EARLY, DUDE!?" Alfred yelled at his friend, happiness filling his heart and replacing pain.
"It is just force of habit. Are you ready for the karaoke, Alfred-san?"
"Dude, I was born ready! Let's start!"
"Hai." Alfred and Kiku walked into the establishment, finding their own private room like the rest and getting started. They ordered food and a few drinks and began talking before starting the karaoke.
"I hope when I left yesterday it wasn't, like, too much work for you."
"Not at arr, Alfred-san. I enjoy being kept occupied," -That way no one can talk to me,- "How is Arthur-san?"
"Oh, him? Prez is okay. Like the totally awesome hero I am, I took care of him and nursed him back to health. I just needed to get out, you know? Can't be surrounded by those germs all day."
"I understand. How is your rerationship so far? It seems to be having its fair share of rough patches, yes?"
"Yeah, well, I guess it was my own fault for not telling him, you know?"
"I tord you."
"Well, dude, I was right when I said he would start to treat me differently. But besides that, I have bigger fish to fry."
"Why?"
"You know Francis, the guy who planned my scene?"
"He pranned it? I thought it was an accident?"
"No, it was planned for sure. He knows I'm scared and of my condition because of Matthew. He would tell Francis everything when he was small."
"Werr, that is unfair."
"Dude, I know, right? Anyways, I accidentally told him that I would compete with him for the President's heart."
"Nani?"
"You heard me, dude."
"Why wourd you do that?"
"He made me say it by accident, says I might have feelings for the prez."
"Do you?"
"I don't know...I-I just feel a little weird around him, you know?"
"Hmm…Interesting."
"Anyways, dude, do you want to sing first or something?"
"No, I am the one who invited you here, so you can go first."
"Gee, okay, dude. What should I sing?"
"Here is the book. Look for whatever you like."
"You got it!" Alfred took the book from Kiku's hand and skimmed through the pages.
Most people didn't know, but Alfred was actually a bit tone deaf. It wasn't so bad that he totally sucked, but it was still noticeable. Even when he was little he never realized, since Matthew would always tell him he had a lovely voice, even though he secretly wished the other would be quiet at times.
Meanwhile, Kiku was on his smart phone, reading over the text his other employer had sent him.
Mr Honda, I want the newest update on the Kirkland case. How long will you keep me waiting?
Sighing and looking up at Alfred, Kiku's eyes softened with sorrow. If only he didn't have to pay the medical bills for his little sister, Mei Mei, then he wouldn't have to do this. Considering the tough times, Kiku had taken to the media world. He was fairly good at tracking down anything he wanted, and this case in general was icing on the cake.
If he was to see this through to the end, he would receive unlimited benefits he could use to help Mei Mei, since this was the scandal of the year.
Kiku texted his boss back with a heavy heart. In the end, it was a choice between which was more important; his family or a friend he had just met.
I will publish the newest information on Monday at 12:00. I am still investigating, but I will give what I have so far.
With a few finger swipes, Kiku sent the message and looked up at Alfred. Surprisingly, Alfred had chosen a song that expressed his feelings, but he was sure it wasn't on purpose.
The song Alfred had chosen was Crazier by Taylor Swift. It was an old song, considering the year, but it was a cute country song about meeting someone and falling crazy in love with them. Knowing Alfred's past, Kiku knew about Alfred and Matthew's fling and thought of it as simple children love.
For someone as young as Alfred to experience love at such a late yet young age, it wasn't odd for Alfred to be unsure about his feelings. But there was no way of hiding it. For as long as he had known Arthur, Alfred seemed to be falling in love with the other without even realizing.
As Alfred sang, he could only imagine flashes of Arthur's face. At that moment it didn't seem odd to him since he wasn't even aware of what he was doing. When the song finished, Alfred smiled at Kiku softly and gave him the microphone.
"So, how was it, dude? Did it blow your mind with my good ol' country voice?"
"Y-Yes, A-Alfred-san," Kiku lied through his teeth.
"Well, dude, it's your turn! What are you going to sing?"
"I think I wirr sing a Japanese song if you don't mind."
"Dude, no, go ahead. I love anime, anyways remember!"
"Domo arigato." Taking the microphone out of Alfred's hand, Kiku looked in the book and found a familiar song from an anime Alfred would know. He punched in the number for the song and waited for the introduction to start.
"Kiss kiss fall in love~!" Kiku sang.
"OH, DUDE, ARE YOU SERIOUS!? I WANT IN ON THIS!" Alfred immediately stopped what he was doing and took another microphone to sing along with the Japanese man.
They sang together in unison, with rhythm and key. Much to Kiku's surprise, Alfred pronounced every single Japanese word correctly. Continuing the rest of the day just like that, the two of them enjoyed their time together. It was three fun-filled hours of endless singing, drinking and eating various foods they had ordered.
-MEANWHILE IN CANADA-
Matthew lay on the balcony of his hotel room in Vancouver. The light was a bit dull considering the time, and Matthew sighed miserably as he watched the sunset. He wasn't very depressed about the death in his family; he was more upset about not being with Alfred. His family never noticed him, so he wasn't very attached to anyone but Francis.
It had only been two days since he left, and he still had twenty-eight left before he returned to New York. With the constant feeling of regret falling upon Matthew, it was hard for him to relax. His family were mourning for someone he didn't even know that well while he stood in another world. And then there was the fact that Francis had hurt Alfred mentally for his own personal game.
It was a sickening thought, and Matthew felt hurt whenever he found himself thinking about it. His own brother had backstabbed him, knowing the last thing he would have wanted to see was that; Alfred cowering in a corner, crying, with no one there to help him.
Shaking his head to make the thoughts disappear, Matthew looked at the peaceful scenery in front of him to calm him down. A few levels below him, someone was strumming a guitar passionately. Matthew closed his eyes as he listened, taking deep breaths, and soon the tune turned into a mellower one.
Without even realizing, Matthew started to sing whatever came to mind. The only thing he had to worry about was keeping the beat.
"Maybe because I'm a fool, even when you hurt me it's okay.
Even if they make fun of our love, it's because I can't help it; being a fool.
You treated me well, I was happy with just that. If you laugh just once, I'm happy with just your smile.
Until someone arrives beloved to him, I'm going to stay by his side. I'm happy to give everything up to him, with this love; I don't expect anything.
Whenever he needs me, I'll give him a hand; whenever he calls me, I'll hear him.
Without conditions, I'll be there because I loved that guy; because I'm a fool."
As his singing died down, Matthew gave another sigh. The words he sang were true and it stung his heart. He knew that Alfred's love for him was nothing more than friendship, and it would never be as it was back then. So, he was the fool following him around until he realized his feelings out of luck. Matthew would come back in time to help Alfred and then he would see who truly cared for him, and not the Brit.
Yeah, right, like that'll ever happen. I'm just a fool, Matthew thought. But just like he had sung, until that someone arrived and made Alfred fall in love, he would stay by his side.
"Maybe I'm r-right… I'm j-just a fool w-who can't even find someone to like him...M-Maybe I should give up, I mean, when Alfred finds out I asked Francis to help me win his heart, he'll hate me...I don't know what to do anymore.
I wish I was Francis, he would probably know what to do. But I guess I-I'll have to wait until I get back to America…It can't be that much longer.
Please, if you can, Alfred, don't forget me. E-Even if it's just for a second, please, don't forget me.
I-I don't want t-to know what it feels like to be alone, without y-you again…I don't want to be without your love..." Matthew said aloud before stepping into his room, escaping the cold and ready for another day of a family reunion. Hopefully he wouldn't see Francis, but then again, he highly doubted his brother would ever come up and visit the family. He was too busy trying to get Arthur.
"H-Hopefully, just hopefully, s-something w-will go in my favor."
-line break-
"Mr Jones, where on Earth have you been?" Arthur stood at Alfred's doorframe.
"I told Claude to tell you where I was going."
"Yes, but still..."
"Why? Were you worried about me?"
"A-Absolutely not!"
"Dude, shouldn't you be in bed resting? You're sick. I gave you company. Are James and Abraham not enough for you?"
"No, t-they are, it's just..."
"Just what?"
"Never mind. Just know that you are to report to work tomorrow. If you not here to take care of me then you might as well do something useful."
"My God, fine. What the heck is your problem, dude? You're acting like you're the stupid Queen of England."
"How dare you insult me by putting the queen into this; take that back!"
"I don't wanna. Here in America, we can insult the President really badly and no one gives a f**k."
"Still, I feel as though you should show some respect towards people of a higher rank."
"Really? Dude, you're my boss and look at the situation we're in. I'm showing no respect to you right now. Oh, what do you have to say to that?!"
"I…w-well...At least I still have one of my parents with me!"
Realizing what he had just said, Arthur clamped his hands over his mouth, frozen with wide eyes. He looked at Alfred, desperately hoping he hadn't heard that.
But as always, it was not meant to be. Alfred stared at Arthur in shock. There was no reaction for a while, their surrounding quiet and neither daring to move. Seemingly endless seconds passed, and it seemed as if neither one of them wanted to say anything.
A wave of regret and guilt hit Arthur painfully, but for Alfred it was so much more. The man he had trusted with that information had just used it against him, and only because he was angry. Alfred could have easily pulled the mother card, but he knew that doing that would only bring him down to Arthur's level.
Arthur started to move back, quickly retreating to his room. He didn't want to hear what Alfred would say, or see the hurt in his eyes.
"What have I done?" Arthur asked himself. He entered the room and looked Alfred's two pets. The animals seemed to stare are him with disappointment, as if they knew what had happened, and shook their heads. They shunned Arthur and went to Alfred's room, knowing he might need some comfort.
Arthur watched as they left him alone. No matter what, it only ever seemed like things were getting worse. Alfred had been there all night to make sure he was okay, and had only left once to get away from the germs, and here Arthur was yelling at him and bringing up the subject of his parents. Arthur lightly banged his head against a wall, trying to stop replaying the scene in his head and ignoring the weight in his heart.
"I am a horrible person...I should have never said that...Ugh, I need to rest. Maybe a good night sleep will help me calm down." Arthur went to his bed and shut his eyes as quickly as possible. Throughout the next fifteen minutes, Arthur found himself tossing and turning in his bed, the blankets seeming to constrict his movements.
Finally giving up, Arthur just stared up at his ceiling, waiting for boredom to take him and force him into dreamland.
-Next morning-
The next morning was dull. The clouds were covering the sun and the birds did not chirp as brightly as usual. The air seemed to be as cold as ice, since the windows were covered in droplets of morning dew. Arthur yawned as he got up, quickly checking his temperature. Normal.
Twisting his head to his right, Arthur read his digital clock to see how late or early to work he would be. It flashed 7:30 endlessly. Arthur shrugged it off and began to go through his daily routine.
As he began tying his tie, Arthur realized there was something about the house. He moved from his room to Alfred's and opened the door. No one was there. Even Abraham and James were nowhere to be seen. It was empty…
…Except for some unknown cat sleeping on Alfred's bed.
Arthur neared the cat cautiously. It was only then that he realized he recognized it; it was his old cat, the one he had lost after the fire, and who he had affectionately nicknamed Loops.
He picked up the cat and stared at him in shock. "I thought you died in the fire! Where have you been all this time!?" Arthur asked before bringing the cat into a big hug. Surprisingly, the cat merely purred and made no move to struggle out of the hug. Pulling away, Arthur held the cat in his arms as he mindlessly marched to the car.
He was so happy to have found Loops that he forgot his brief case. Once he got to the law firm, Arthur had a big smile on his face. Nothing seemed to faze him as he strutted through the hallways, cat in hand.
And then he saw Alfred. Alfred was at the desk in front of Arthur's office with James and Abraham on his desk. He was currently taking notes and speaking with someone on the phone with a bright smile.
Nervously, Arthur made his way towards his office, hoping he wouldn't be noticed. He glanced at Alfred and saw Abraham chewing on some kind of paper.
Loops meowed at the other cat suddenly, catching Abraham's attention and then jumping the fluffy cat. Taken by surprise, Abraham fell and landed in a trashcan, dragging Loops down with him. Alfred ended his call and watched with an open mouth as his cat was assaulted by another. He eventually snapped out of it and went to Abraham's aid, taking the fluffy cat out of the trashcan and holding him close. Arthur did the same with his own cat, unsure of what to make of the scene.
Being taken away from his friend, Abraham whined trying to wiggle his way out of Alfred's arms. Using all of his strength Alfred held his cat to him wondering what on earth has gotten into his cat.
"A-Abraham, calm down! Who is that cat!?" Alfred asked both Arthur and Abraham, petting his cat in an attempt to calm him down.
"I-It's my old cat. It seems your cat has some sort of obsession with him…And it looks like the feeling is mutual," Arthur replied, trying to calm his cat the same way. Finally, they both gave up and released their cats.
The two cats practically ran to each other, nuzzling and purring as they did so. Their tails entwined together as they moved in a circle.
"W-Well, then...Back to work!" Alfred announced, doing his best to ignore the scene and Arthur. Arthur noticed this and walked to his office without another word. For the rest of the day, they wouldn't even speak to each other unless it was absolutely necessary.
Ever since Arthur's rude and insensitive outburst, the two of them stopped talking to each other. Days turned into weeks, eventually adding up to three weeks of silence, making it now November 24th.
The cool autumn air was stuck in the atmosphere as the two blondes refused to engage in any sort of contact with each other, more so with Alfred than Arthur.
At the end of the day, they left the office together, still ignoring each other as much as possible. Just as they were about to reach the doors, the lights turned off suddenly, engulfing the two of them in darkness. Hands grabbed them, pulling Arthur and Alfred in different directions.
"Arthur!
"Alfred!"
They called out each other's names, fearing the worse. Alfred elbowed the unknown force behind him and tried to get to Arthur, but he was grabbed again, much to his disadvantage, this time with a firmer grip.
He cussed under his breath and let the men drag him away. At least it seems like Arthur's safe… I can't imagine the look on his dad's face if I let him get hurt, Alfred thought.
Eventually the group of men came to a stop. Alfred and Arthur were then propped up on their feet and pushed through what seemed like a door. Stumbling into the room, the two looked up to see hundreds of people surrounding them yet again.
Both men were frozen where they stood, their breathing faint as they tried to adjust to their new surroundings. Flashing orbs of light came and went in an instant as the bickering of people flew in from all directions. To the right of them, the pair saw George Kirkland awaiting them to take the two seats next to him.
Alfred grabbed onto Arthur. Again, he was put in a situation where he felt trapped. Arthur stared at Alfred worriedly and forced the American to look at him.
"Don't worry, Mr Jones, I will make sure you do not have to fear being closed in while we are here," Arthur reassured the younger man as he lead him to the seats, forcing Alfred to sit in his respected seat while Arthur himself remained standing.
After clearing his throat, Arthur grabbed the microphone and blew into it. A loud screech was heard throughout the room, silencing everyone and drawing their attention to Arthur.
All eyes now on him, Arthur stared at the crowd's eager faces indifferently. "Good afternoon, everyone. Please, I must ask some of you to leave the premises. My partner here has claustrophobia, so he cannot be in an overcrowded room such as this. I do hope you respect this. And please leave all exits open, and make sure not to get too close to the stage; thank you."
Arthur sat down and watched as about a quarter of the room left, leaving only a few reporters.
"Thanks, President." Alfred said with an awkward smile. He was still confused about what was happening, but Arthur was acting as if this was completely normal.
"What just happened?" Alfred asked Arthur quietly.
Arthur leaned over to Alfred and whispered back, "My father's goons kidnapped us for a conference. Play along, and remember your job."
"Got it, boss, you can count on me."
"Now, shall we get started?" Arthur announced aloud for everyone to hear with a large smile. This caused an uproar, the remaining reporters all jumping over each other with their microphones in hand, begging to be picked. Though Alfred was an outgoing person, he was very shy when it came to these situations.
He had thought to himself countless times about what it would be like to not have his phobia, and this dream gave him endless bliss each time. The idea of being himself, without the worry of freaking out in a small space was all Alfred wanted. The only way he knew how to could cure himself was with therapy, but Alfred had never had enough money.
Taking a moment to himself as Arthur answered questions, Alfred reconsidered the therapy option. Now that he was working with Arthur, he might have enough money for it, or maybe his insurance would be able to pay for it. Alfred let a smile creep onto his face, closing his eyes and continuing to dwell in his thoughts.
That was until Arthur pinched Alfred out of his trance, sending him spiralling back to reality.
"Pay attention," he demanded quietly, pretending to hug Alfred's shoulders. Alfred awkwardly played along as usual, wanting nothing more than to punch the other in the face.
"I'm sorry, Alfred seems to be a little out of it, please ignore him. Now, where were we? Ah, yes, you over there." Arthur pointed at a short old man who had raised his hand.
"The newest insider says that your firm is three months behind because of you, what do you have to say about this?"
"Well, you see, much like a high school student in love, it is hard to juggle love and work. However, I do intend to make sure I can balance the two out, I assure you."
"What happens if you cannot? What will you do then?"
"Then I'm afraid I would have to spend less time with Alfred."
"But couldn't this have been avoided if you had noticed from the beginning?"
"W-Well, yes..."
"And may I remind you that you just said you can balance the two out, so why didn't you do that from the start?"
"Well, w-with all of these interviews..."
"But wouldn't a professional be able to handle a situation like this?"
Alfred leaned closer to Arthur suddenly. "Hey, I'll help you out if you promise to apologize for what you said."
"Fine! Just please do something." Alfred smirked before taking the microphone from his British companion and holding it to his mouth.
Putting on his best puppy eyes, Alfred looked out to the crowd as they fell silent.
"H-Hiya, everybody," he started slowly. "So, it seems like you've been asking my partner some difficult questions. If you had any common sense, you would probably see how hard it is to juggle a social life and work at once.
Please think before you say things, it's not really nice. If I asked all of you questions about your social life, would you be able to answer?"
The crowd didn't answer. Yes, Alfred had managed to turn the situation around slightly. Being a young lawyer, this type of thing was easy for Alfred. Although, this also made him wonder what had made Arthur so tongue-tied.
With a deep breath and a smile, Alfred eased back into his seat, still staring at everyone.
"Um, are you guys okay?" Alfred asked the press. The interviewer snapped out of his trance and coughed awkwardly, looking away from Alfred.
"No, I suppose not..." he replied awkwardly.
"Good, I'm glad y'all understood," Alfred said with a slight southern accent, courtesy of his mother. "Do you have any other questions?" he added with a smile.
Again, the hustle and bustle for getting their questions answered began. Alfred and Arthur began their series of answers, picking individual reporters to ask their questions.
Question after question was piled onto them with no end in sight. The two blondes had already been exhausted after a hard day's work, and dealing with this as well was too much.
They were eventually too tired to notice that the reporters were now working together. When one asked a question and had it answered, another would immediately take their place.
"Prez, I'm getting kinda tired. Do you think we can stop this?" Alfred asked his companion.
"I suppose I could ask my father. However, I don't know if he would agree."
"Then who should make a scene, me or you?"
"Why is that even an option?"
"Because it gets people off our backs."
"Well, I don't think that is considerate to everyone."
"Dude, come on. It's just a little white lie."
"No."
"Oh, so it's better to work yourself to exhaustion?"
"No, but-..."
"I'm taking matter into my own hands, dude. I'm tired and I miss Abraham and James." Standing up yet again, Alfred cleared his throat and loosened his tie. He looked the audience in the eye, trying to give off a friendly aura.
"Excuse me," Alfred began, "I'm very tired, and I'm sure Arthur and Mr Kirkland need some rest as well. We've answered as much as we can today, so please, can w-..."
"I have one last question," a voice from behind Alfred said. Turning around, Alfred saw nothing but the pitch black room he and Arthur had been held in earlier.
"And what would that be, sir?" Alfred asked ever so innocently, trying to pretend everything was normal.
"Come here." A hand emerged from the darkness and beckoned him.
Wow, that's not creepy at all, Alfred thought sarcastically.
No longer paying attention to the people around him, curiosity took over Alfred and he complied with the voice. Sure, it was a bad idea to follow some unknown person into the dark, but the thrill of it all made Alfred want to do it anyway.
Alfred walked forward slowly as the other's watched in confusion. No one made a move to stop Alfred, so he continued until he was at the doorframe. Just one more step, one small step, and he would be consumed by the darkness and no longer with the reporters or the two Kirklands.
Looking back, Alfred could see everyone was in awe, waiting to see what would happen.
"Hello?" he called out into the darkness.
No reply.
He turned around with a shrug. "Huh…Guess it was just my imagination. Oh well."
And suddenly, before he had a chance to move away, Alfred was grabbed and yanked into the darkness and the door slammed shut.
Arthur rushed over immediately, attacking the door with his fist in an attempt to get Alfred out. His actions, however, proved to be ineffective as the door was locked from the inside. The crowd behind him grew excited and started taking pictures of the scene.
"Father, is this your doing again!?" Arthur barked at his father.
"No it is not. I would never allow such a thing to happen. Whoever is responsible for this may be a threat to him, and we need him, so keep trying," George replied, moving to his son's side to help him.
"Hey, what's the big idea!? I though you said you had to, like, ask a question. Not practically kidnap me! What gives?"
"I would like to discuss something with you in private, that is all," a voice with an unmistakable French accent informed Alfred.
"F-Francis!?"
"Oui, mon ami. It is I, the one and only Francis Bonnefoy."
"What do you want?"
"Well, that's simple. I want-..."
Admin: Again, sorry for the short chapter, but at least I updated. The song Matthew sings is Song for a fool By: Jung Yong Hwa. If you want to hear the acoustic version of this song go on you tube, and paste this link Youtub,com/watch?v=9KuBVfValps. The dot was turned into a comma so you can see the link on here.
PLEASE REVIEW and tell me what's up! I can't wait to see what happens when this thing starts to become a whole big mess where you probably don't know who to ship.