[Fanfic] Do Re Mi, One Two Three 5 (UKUS, PG-13)
TITLE: Do Re Mi, One Two Three
ARTIST/AUTHOR: bukku_oosa
RATING: T for some things being mentioned that aren't quite child-friendly.
WARNINGS: Innocent-as-fuck!Alfred and Perv!Arthur. Mhm, that's enough warnings, I think. Oh, and excessive fluffy. Get ready for it.
PAIRING/S: UKUS, Arthur/Alfred (England/America)
SUMMARY: He wasn't even real. He shouldn't have been made real. Now his life was completely upside-down, grey things suddenly bursting into technicolour. Damn that idol Jones. UKUS, Idol!AU. Fanfiction.Net Link
Alfred gaped at Elizabeta, who peered at him knowingly as a bright red blush spread across his cheeks.
Now, here, if he wasn’t in such a delicate situation, Alfred would have marvelled at the feel of actual warmth in his cheeks, or anywhere on his body, for that matter, but now maybe gasping for suddenly-needed air is probably more appropriate than giggling at a new discovery.
“Oh, no!” he gasped, backing away from Elizabeta like she was going to attack him. “Wh-wh-wh-what am I-I-I going t-to do?!”
“Hey, it’s okay,” Elizabeta smiled gently at him, lifting her hands to help him calm down. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to judge you,” she took a step closer to him, and tentatively, Alfred calmed down and inched a little closer to her. “I’ve always had this suspicion you weren’t really Arthur and Peter’s cousin, you look nothing like them,” she giggled, “But I’m sure Arthur has a good reason to be keeping you around, so don’t worry, I won’t be kicking you out anytime sooner.”
“… Gosh.” Alfred blinked. “You trust him so much.”
“He gave me a job,” she smiled sheepishly, before gently reaching out to take Alfred’s hand, weighing it in her warm ones, and Alfred’s blush intensified, his ears warming up. “And a home, I owe him so much.” She chuckled. “Arthur’s a really kind person, actually, once you get past that scowl of his,” gently she patted Alfred’s hand, and let it go. “Too bad for him, though,” she said, “You should see him when he’s smiling.”
“I have,” Alfred nodded, and Elizabeta walked away from his side to walk behind the counter. “He looks really nice with a smile on his face, but when I look at him, he always hides it from me or he looks away.”
“Oh, really?” Elizabeta giggled. “That means he likes you.”
“… He likes me?” Alfred cocked his head, “But, uh, he said he has a boyfriend.”
Elizabeta blinked. “… He has a boyfriend now?” she asked, “Who?”
Alfred shrugged. “He didn’t say his name.” he said, and Elizabeta frowned slightly, her pretty scrunching up as she pondered on the thought.
“Hm.” She looked at him, and nodded. “Well, don’t worry, Alfie, dear,” she smiled, and Alfred blinked at her, unused to the nickname she called him. “I’ll help you hook up with him, if it’s the last thing I’ll do!”
“H-hey, hook up? Wh-what?” Alfred stuttered, and she giggled.
“Oh, come on, you want to give him a Saphira Rose? Dearie, that’s basically a love confession.” She winked, and Alfred’s face grew impossibly hotter. She giggled, and her expression softened, her eyes leaving Alfred’s to gaze down at the lily Arthur had given Alfred, running her finger over its velvety petals. “And besides,” she said, “It would do Arthur good to have someone who loves him with him, don’t you think?”
Love?
Alfred blinked. He’s heard this word so many times before, in Matthew’s stories.
Love (n.) - (1) strong affection for another rising out of kinship or personal ties, (2) attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers.
He and Elizabeta stared at each other as he tried to process what was going on.
Lover (n.) - a person with whom one has sexual relations.
His eyes widened.
“I-I-I’m in love with Arthur?” he stuttered, his blush bright red now, as he walked over to where Elizabeta was, flustered thoroughly, tripping over his feet as he tried to make his way over to her.
“I think we’ve rather established that, yes,” Elizabeta nodded, and Alfred blinked at her.
“I don’t know what love is,” Alfred admitted, and Elizabeta giggled.
“Oh, Alfred, dear,” she shook her head fondly, stroking his cheek with her small hand. “We all learn someday.”
“Elizabeta, how do you know if you’re in love with someone?” Alfred asked, and the brunette woman stared up at him, eyes wide slightly in surprise.
“Oh, my.” She tapped her chin in thought. “Well, your pulse races, your cheeks grow hot and there’s this absolutely wonderful warm feeling in your chest, like you’re so happy you could burst.”
“… I don’t understand.” Alfred confessed, sighing, and the woman giggled.
“Oh, you’ll find out eventually. Here, put this on.” She handed him a green apron, and he did as he was told.
He stared at her, confused, and she walked away from him, chuckling as she put on her own apron, to open up shop and start off their day.
---
“Good mornin’, Al,” Matthew muttered, sitting up in bed, groaning as he stretched in bed, yawning. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the laptop sitting on the bedside table quietly, having not made a single sound since he woke up. He raised an eyebrow. Alfred would usually greet him good morning, too, with some new story about whatever he had been up to while Matthew was asleep. “… Al?” the blonde asked, leaning forward to look at his laptop-only the screen was empty, with just the desktop and its usual icons-and Alfred nowhere in sight.
His heart fell to his stomach as dread gripped him, worry knotting around his gut like a thorny vine, stinging pain and shock so powerful it stung.
“… Alfred?” he asked, his voice raising in panic, and Matthew immediately grabbed the mouse, hooking it up to the laptop and double-clicking the shortcut to the folder for the hard drive that held all of Alfred’s data.
His face paled and his eyes widened, his jaw falling slack as the window blared back right at him-
It was totally empty.
Alfred was gone.
---
“Say, Miss Liza?” one young woman asked, leaning over the counter to whisper conspiratorially into Elizabeta’s ear. “Who’s your new boy? He’s a hottie!” she giggled, and her two other friends giggled alongside her.
“Oh, he’s Alfred,” she smiled, “He’s the owner’s younger cousin, he’ll be staying with us for a bit,” she replied, looking over at Alfred, who was talking to one of their female customers, smiling freely and conversing lightly, expression and mood light, his handsome features brightening up as his mere presence lit up the shop spectacularly. The young lady was thoroughly flustered at the attention Alfred was giving her as he talked to her about the beauty of flowers.
“He’s cute,” one of the other girls nodded, giving him an appraising look over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t mind a go at him.”
“Oh, please, do go easy on him, he’s such a sweet boy,” Elizabeta giggled, keying in the flowers the girls bought. “Okay, 51 dollars, please,” she smiled, and one of the girls dug into her bag for her wallet.
“Um, miss?” Alfred came up to them, holding two Saphira Roses in one hand, already wrapped in a blue sheet and tied elegantly with a royal blue ribbon. He tapped one of them on the shoulder, and all three of them turned to look at Alfred, blushes spreading across their faces as Alfred smiled at them sweetly, holding up the two roses. “Here’s your order. I already tied it up and everything,” he smiled, holding them out at one of them to take.
“O-oh, you,” she giggled, taking them from him. “How sweet of you.”
“H-huh?” Alfred blinked, big blue eyes filling up with confusion. “U-um, thank you?” he asked, and the girls giggled.
“Oh, you cutie!” one of them cooed, before leaning up to give him a kiss on the cheek. A blush spread across Alfred’s face as she pulled away, and his hand shot up to cup his cheek.
The three girls giggled some more, and one of them took out a camera from her bag.
“Miss Liza, could you take a photo of us? We want a photo with Alfred,” she said, and Alfred blushed.
“O-oh, I don’t think-I can’t,” he stuttered, and one of them batted him lightly on the arm.
“Oh, it’s fine, you’re handsome anyway,” she winked at him, and Alfred’s blush intensified. “Ohh, look, you’re blushing! You’re so cute!” she gushed, hugging his arm as her friend handed Elizabeta her camera.
The three girls crowded around Alfred, as behind them the bell at the door chimed, signalling someone’s arrival. Alfred tried to look over his shoulder but one of the girls wrapped her arms around his free one, catching his attention and bringing it back to the camera Elizabeta was holding.
“Smile,” she said, and the camera flashed.
Light blared in Alfred’s eyes and he blinked several times, unused to the odd feeling, as he stood there blinking stupidly as the three girls crowded around the camera, excitedly giggling at the photo that they had taken with the handsome new help of the flower shop.
“Thanks, Miss Liza!” one of the girls giggled, before the three of them turned to look at Alfred. “We’ll see you around, Alfie!” one of them winked, and Alfred began to splutter in embarrassment, earning him bright giggles from the girls.
“Now, now, you three, manners, please,” Arthur’s voice spoke up from behind him and Alfred turned sharply around to see Arthur smiling down at the three girls charmingly, and the girls immediately stopped to ogle him too. Alfred’s jaw fell slack at the sight of Arthur smiling like a gentleman at the girls, and he stood there ogling him as well. “Please don’t harass my cousin; he’s just a new bird here.” He smiled at each of them gently, and the one holding the camera giggled and batted his arm lightly.
“Oh, Mr. Kirkland, you know we won’t hurt him,” she said, “And besides, he’s too cute to pass up!”
“Oh, I’ve been replaced now, have I?” Arthur chuckled, and at this, Alfred felt an uncomfortable feeling sink in his chest. His forehead creased in thought and he turned to look at Elizabeta, who met his gaze for a moment, before turning away, giggling knowingly as she turned to address one customer that had approached her. Alfred’s expression faltered and he turned back to look at Arthur’s direction to see the girls leaving, waving goodbye to Arthur and himself.
“Bye, Alfie! Catch you later, cutie!” one cheered, before the three of them walked out of the shop. Arthur, chuckling, walked up to Alfred and patted him on the shoulder.
“Ever the charmer, are we?” he asked, and Alfred swallowed, awkward.
“Um, well, I could say the same for you,” he replied, and Arthur paused, the smile on his face disappearing and a scowl appeared in its place.
“Oh, bugger,” Arthur grumbled, and Alfred felt himself inwardly deflate at the disappearance of Arthur’s smile. “Well, let’s set that aside now. Would you like to go out for lunch?”
“Lunch? Like, we go out and actually eat?” Alfred asked, his eyes glimmering in wonder, and Arthur’s eyes widened, his expression turning panicked. He pulled Alfred close in, making the younger man blush brightly.
“Alfred, please do remember you’re supposed to be human, alright?” Arthur hissed into Alfred’s ear, and Alfred gasped.
“S-sorry,” Alfred apologised, and Arthur pulled away, sighing.
“Well, alright. Elizabeta?” Arthur called for the brunette woman’s attention, and she hummed in acknowledgement as she handed the customer a wrapped bouquet. “Alfred and I will be going out for lunch today. Will Roderich be coming over?”
“Oh, you know he always does,” Elizabeta giggled, “Go on, I’ll be fine. He’ll be here in a little bit.”
“Thank you,” Arthur replied, before looking at Alfred. “Well, then. Shall we?”
“Take me anywhere. I don’t mind.” Alfred smiled, and Arthur returned the smile, albeit a little awkwardly. The shorter blonde cleared his throat, before heading out the door. Smiling warmly, Alfred followed suit.
---
“W-whoa, what is this stuff? This is amazing!” Alfred gushed between mouthfuls of food; cheeks flushed red in excitement as he chewed as fast as he could to eat more of it. “Gosh, I love the real world! This stuff is the best!”
“A-Alfred, that’s just fast food,” Arthur stuttered, picking at his own food-a salad he ordered that paled in comparison to what he had gotten for Alfred-a large burger, equally large fries, a milkshake and a box of chicken nuggets. “And please, don’t talk with your mouth full, that’s very rude.”
Alfred swallowed hard, taking a large gulp of his milkshake before exhaling loudly, a big smile on his face.
“Sorry,” he grinned sheepishly, hunching his shoulders in embarrassment, “It’s just that… this is the first time I’ve ever had anything like this.”
Arthur smiled gently at him, and nodded, before resting his chin on his intertwined fingers. “Hm. I can imagine.” He said absently, and Alfred blushed at the sudden gentleness the man was giving him. To fight off the awkward vibes coming onto him, Alfred stuffed a few more fries into his mouth. Arthur made a little face but said nothing about it. “So, you’re really the virtual rock star? No tricks?”
Alfred nodded, his mouth still full, and Arthur nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer. “So… you really haven’t the faintest idea what it’s like out here, in the real world?”
“Well,” Alfred said, after swallowing, “I played the simulation games Kiku-he’s one of my developers, by the way-makes for me, but nothing beats the real thing.” He grinned at Arthur, and the elder man chuckled, nodding.
“So, this Kiku person’s your creator?”
“No,” Alfred took another gulp of his milkshake before letting out a large burp. Arthur’s eyes widened in shock, and Alfred gaped at him.
“Oh, gosh. What was that, am I going to die? B-but I’m a program-and-and that felt really weird-hey.” Alfred stopped in mid-rant to see Arthur stifling his laughter into a white handkerchief, his face flush red as he kept back his guffaws, his shoulders shaking wildly as he pressed himself against the back of his plush red seat, his eyes tightly shut. “… Arthur?”
Arthur stopped for a moment, cracking his eyes open-but upon seeing Alfred again, he resumed his laughter.
“H-hey, you okay? Was it something I did?”
“That…” Arthur struggled to breathe, “Was the best laugh I’ve had in a very, very long time.”
“… You’re welcome?” Alfred blinked, and Arthur shook his head fondly.
“Alfred, you just burped. You were releasing air from your stomach. It’s perfectly fine, you aren’t dying.” Arthur smiled, patting the younger man’s head.
“… Oh.” Alfred blushed. “Gosh, that’s embarrassing,” he shook his head.
“No, it’s alright,” Arthur waved his hand dismissively. “You didn’t know. I’d have to thank you, though. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.”
Alfred smiled at him weakly, and Arthur chuckled, shaking his head.
“Come, now. Finish up and let’s get out of here, I have a pub to get to later.” Arthur said, picking up his fork and poking at the salad. “Oh, bugger, this doesn’t even look that delicious…”
He continued murmuring as he picked up one leaf and put it into his mouth. He made a face, but Alfred was barely registering anything as his mind was spinning quickly.
Yes, it would seem so.
He looked down at his hands, twitching slightly, as he felt his pulse thundering steadily inside him. He knew his cheeks were warm, warm for more reason than just embarrassment.
Elizabeta’s words thundered in his head:
Your pulse races…
Yes, his pulse is definitely racing. He could feel it warm and vibrant and real, a wondrous feeling he knew he would never ever get used to.
Your cheeks grow hot…
His cheeks have always been hot. The blood rushes there unbidden whenever Arthur is around.
And there’s this absolutely wonderful warm feeling in your chest, like you’re so happy you could burst.
Alfred paused for a moment, sparing a glance at Arthur, who was still eating his salad leaf by leaf, grumbling.
A smile spread across his face, and Arthur looked at him.
“Yes, what is it?” Arthur asked, and Alfred’s eyes widened, his blush intensifying.
“O-oh, it’s nothing,” he replied, and Arthur raised an eyebrow at him, before turning his attention back to his food. Alfred slumped back into his seat, a silly grin on his face, and he sighed inwardly.
Yes. There was that happy feeling that he could burst.
He was in love… or was it just the euphoria rush from the feel of the real world?
It's been more than a month since I've updated because of the summer camp and then all the other RL crazy things and my writer's block (that I managed to forcibly break! Yay!) in the way. I'm so sorry for the delay. m_O_m
I hope you enjoy this chapter, even if it's rather short and a little... odd. ;m;
See y'all next chapter!
ARTIST/AUTHOR: bukku_oosa
RATING: T for some things being mentioned that aren't quite child-friendly.
WARNINGS: Innocent-as-fuck!Alfred and Perv!Arthur. Mhm, that's enough warnings, I think. Oh, and excessive fluffy. Get ready for it.
PAIRING/S: UKUS, Arthur/Alfred (England/America)
SUMMARY: He wasn't even real. He shouldn't have been made real. Now his life was completely upside-down, grey things suddenly bursting into technicolour. Damn that idol Jones. UKUS, Idol!AU. Fanfiction.Net Link
Alfred gaped at Elizabeta, who peered at him knowingly as a bright red blush spread across his cheeks.
Now, here, if he wasn’t in such a delicate situation, Alfred would have marvelled at the feel of actual warmth in his cheeks, or anywhere on his body, for that matter, but now maybe gasping for suddenly-needed air is probably more appropriate than giggling at a new discovery.
“Oh, no!” he gasped, backing away from Elizabeta like she was going to attack him. “Wh-wh-wh-what am I-I-I going t-to do?!”
“Hey, it’s okay,” Elizabeta smiled gently at him, lifting her hands to help him calm down. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to judge you,” she took a step closer to him, and tentatively, Alfred calmed down and inched a little closer to her. “I’ve always had this suspicion you weren’t really Arthur and Peter’s cousin, you look nothing like them,” she giggled, “But I’m sure Arthur has a good reason to be keeping you around, so don’t worry, I won’t be kicking you out anytime sooner.”
“… Gosh.” Alfred blinked. “You trust him so much.”
“He gave me a job,” she smiled sheepishly, before gently reaching out to take Alfred’s hand, weighing it in her warm ones, and Alfred’s blush intensified, his ears warming up. “And a home, I owe him so much.” She chuckled. “Arthur’s a really kind person, actually, once you get past that scowl of his,” gently she patted Alfred’s hand, and let it go. “Too bad for him, though,” she said, “You should see him when he’s smiling.”
“I have,” Alfred nodded, and Elizabeta walked away from his side to walk behind the counter. “He looks really nice with a smile on his face, but when I look at him, he always hides it from me or he looks away.”
“Oh, really?” Elizabeta giggled. “That means he likes you.”
“… He likes me?” Alfred cocked his head, “But, uh, he said he has a boyfriend.”
Elizabeta blinked. “… He has a boyfriend now?” she asked, “Who?”
Alfred shrugged. “He didn’t say his name.” he said, and Elizabeta frowned slightly, her pretty scrunching up as she pondered on the thought.
“Hm.” She looked at him, and nodded. “Well, don’t worry, Alfie, dear,” she smiled, and Alfred blinked at her, unused to the nickname she called him. “I’ll help you hook up with him, if it’s the last thing I’ll do!”
“H-hey, hook up? Wh-what?” Alfred stuttered, and she giggled.
“Oh, come on, you want to give him a Saphira Rose? Dearie, that’s basically a love confession.” She winked, and Alfred’s face grew impossibly hotter. She giggled, and her expression softened, her eyes leaving Alfred’s to gaze down at the lily Arthur had given Alfred, running her finger over its velvety petals. “And besides,” she said, “It would do Arthur good to have someone who loves him with him, don’t you think?”
Love?
Alfred blinked. He’s heard this word so many times before, in Matthew’s stories.
Love (n.) - (1) strong affection for another rising out of kinship or personal ties, (2) attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers.
He and Elizabeta stared at each other as he tried to process what was going on.
Lover (n.) - a person with whom one has sexual relations.
His eyes widened.
“I-I-I’m in love with Arthur?” he stuttered, his blush bright red now, as he walked over to where Elizabeta was, flustered thoroughly, tripping over his feet as he tried to make his way over to her.
“I think we’ve rather established that, yes,” Elizabeta nodded, and Alfred blinked at her.
“I don’t know what love is,” Alfred admitted, and Elizabeta giggled.
“Oh, Alfred, dear,” she shook her head fondly, stroking his cheek with her small hand. “We all learn someday.”
“Elizabeta, how do you know if you’re in love with someone?” Alfred asked, and the brunette woman stared up at him, eyes wide slightly in surprise.
“Oh, my.” She tapped her chin in thought. “Well, your pulse races, your cheeks grow hot and there’s this absolutely wonderful warm feeling in your chest, like you’re so happy you could burst.”
“… I don’t understand.” Alfred confessed, sighing, and the woman giggled.
“Oh, you’ll find out eventually. Here, put this on.” She handed him a green apron, and he did as he was told.
He stared at her, confused, and she walked away from him, chuckling as she put on her own apron, to open up shop and start off their day.
---
“Good mornin’, Al,” Matthew muttered, sitting up in bed, groaning as he stretched in bed, yawning. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the laptop sitting on the bedside table quietly, having not made a single sound since he woke up. He raised an eyebrow. Alfred would usually greet him good morning, too, with some new story about whatever he had been up to while Matthew was asleep. “… Al?” the blonde asked, leaning forward to look at his laptop-only the screen was empty, with just the desktop and its usual icons-and Alfred nowhere in sight.
His heart fell to his stomach as dread gripped him, worry knotting around his gut like a thorny vine, stinging pain and shock so powerful it stung.
“… Alfred?” he asked, his voice raising in panic, and Matthew immediately grabbed the mouse, hooking it up to the laptop and double-clicking the shortcut to the folder for the hard drive that held all of Alfred’s data.
His face paled and his eyes widened, his jaw falling slack as the window blared back right at him-
It was totally empty.
Alfred was gone.
---
“Say, Miss Liza?” one young woman asked, leaning over the counter to whisper conspiratorially into Elizabeta’s ear. “Who’s your new boy? He’s a hottie!” she giggled, and her two other friends giggled alongside her.
“Oh, he’s Alfred,” she smiled, “He’s the owner’s younger cousin, he’ll be staying with us for a bit,” she replied, looking over at Alfred, who was talking to one of their female customers, smiling freely and conversing lightly, expression and mood light, his handsome features brightening up as his mere presence lit up the shop spectacularly. The young lady was thoroughly flustered at the attention Alfred was giving her as he talked to her about the beauty of flowers.
“He’s cute,” one of the other girls nodded, giving him an appraising look over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t mind a go at him.”
“Oh, please, do go easy on him, he’s such a sweet boy,” Elizabeta giggled, keying in the flowers the girls bought. “Okay, 51 dollars, please,” she smiled, and one of the girls dug into her bag for her wallet.
“Um, miss?” Alfred came up to them, holding two Saphira Roses in one hand, already wrapped in a blue sheet and tied elegantly with a royal blue ribbon. He tapped one of them on the shoulder, and all three of them turned to look at Alfred, blushes spreading across their faces as Alfred smiled at them sweetly, holding up the two roses. “Here’s your order. I already tied it up and everything,” he smiled, holding them out at one of them to take.
“O-oh, you,” she giggled, taking them from him. “How sweet of you.”
“H-huh?” Alfred blinked, big blue eyes filling up with confusion. “U-um, thank you?” he asked, and the girls giggled.
“Oh, you cutie!” one of them cooed, before leaning up to give him a kiss on the cheek. A blush spread across Alfred’s face as she pulled away, and his hand shot up to cup his cheek.
The three girls giggled some more, and one of them took out a camera from her bag.
“Miss Liza, could you take a photo of us? We want a photo with Alfred,” she said, and Alfred blushed.
“O-oh, I don’t think-I can’t,” he stuttered, and one of them batted him lightly on the arm.
“Oh, it’s fine, you’re handsome anyway,” she winked at him, and Alfred’s blush intensified. “Ohh, look, you’re blushing! You’re so cute!” she gushed, hugging his arm as her friend handed Elizabeta her camera.
The three girls crowded around Alfred, as behind them the bell at the door chimed, signalling someone’s arrival. Alfred tried to look over his shoulder but one of the girls wrapped her arms around his free one, catching his attention and bringing it back to the camera Elizabeta was holding.
“Smile,” she said, and the camera flashed.
Light blared in Alfred’s eyes and he blinked several times, unused to the odd feeling, as he stood there blinking stupidly as the three girls crowded around the camera, excitedly giggling at the photo that they had taken with the handsome new help of the flower shop.
“Thanks, Miss Liza!” one of the girls giggled, before the three of them turned to look at Alfred. “We’ll see you around, Alfie!” one of them winked, and Alfred began to splutter in embarrassment, earning him bright giggles from the girls.
“Now, now, you three, manners, please,” Arthur’s voice spoke up from behind him and Alfred turned sharply around to see Arthur smiling down at the three girls charmingly, and the girls immediately stopped to ogle him too. Alfred’s jaw fell slack at the sight of Arthur smiling like a gentleman at the girls, and he stood there ogling him as well. “Please don’t harass my cousin; he’s just a new bird here.” He smiled at each of them gently, and the one holding the camera giggled and batted his arm lightly.
“Oh, Mr. Kirkland, you know we won’t hurt him,” she said, “And besides, he’s too cute to pass up!”
“Oh, I’ve been replaced now, have I?” Arthur chuckled, and at this, Alfred felt an uncomfortable feeling sink in his chest. His forehead creased in thought and he turned to look at Elizabeta, who met his gaze for a moment, before turning away, giggling knowingly as she turned to address one customer that had approached her. Alfred’s expression faltered and he turned back to look at Arthur’s direction to see the girls leaving, waving goodbye to Arthur and himself.
“Bye, Alfie! Catch you later, cutie!” one cheered, before the three of them walked out of the shop. Arthur, chuckling, walked up to Alfred and patted him on the shoulder.
“Ever the charmer, are we?” he asked, and Alfred swallowed, awkward.
“Um, well, I could say the same for you,” he replied, and Arthur paused, the smile on his face disappearing and a scowl appeared in its place.
“Oh, bugger,” Arthur grumbled, and Alfred felt himself inwardly deflate at the disappearance of Arthur’s smile. “Well, let’s set that aside now. Would you like to go out for lunch?”
“Lunch? Like, we go out and actually eat?” Alfred asked, his eyes glimmering in wonder, and Arthur’s eyes widened, his expression turning panicked. He pulled Alfred close in, making the younger man blush brightly.
“Alfred, please do remember you’re supposed to be human, alright?” Arthur hissed into Alfred’s ear, and Alfred gasped.
“S-sorry,” Alfred apologised, and Arthur pulled away, sighing.
“Well, alright. Elizabeta?” Arthur called for the brunette woman’s attention, and she hummed in acknowledgement as she handed the customer a wrapped bouquet. “Alfred and I will be going out for lunch today. Will Roderich be coming over?”
“Oh, you know he always does,” Elizabeta giggled, “Go on, I’ll be fine. He’ll be here in a little bit.”
“Thank you,” Arthur replied, before looking at Alfred. “Well, then. Shall we?”
“Take me anywhere. I don’t mind.” Alfred smiled, and Arthur returned the smile, albeit a little awkwardly. The shorter blonde cleared his throat, before heading out the door. Smiling warmly, Alfred followed suit.
---
“W-whoa, what is this stuff? This is amazing!” Alfred gushed between mouthfuls of food; cheeks flushed red in excitement as he chewed as fast as he could to eat more of it. “Gosh, I love the real world! This stuff is the best!”
“A-Alfred, that’s just fast food,” Arthur stuttered, picking at his own food-a salad he ordered that paled in comparison to what he had gotten for Alfred-a large burger, equally large fries, a milkshake and a box of chicken nuggets. “And please, don’t talk with your mouth full, that’s very rude.”
Alfred swallowed hard, taking a large gulp of his milkshake before exhaling loudly, a big smile on his face.
“Sorry,” he grinned sheepishly, hunching his shoulders in embarrassment, “It’s just that… this is the first time I’ve ever had anything like this.”
Arthur smiled gently at him, and nodded, before resting his chin on his intertwined fingers. “Hm. I can imagine.” He said absently, and Alfred blushed at the sudden gentleness the man was giving him. To fight off the awkward vibes coming onto him, Alfred stuffed a few more fries into his mouth. Arthur made a little face but said nothing about it. “So, you’re really the virtual rock star? No tricks?”
Alfred nodded, his mouth still full, and Arthur nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer. “So… you really haven’t the faintest idea what it’s like out here, in the real world?”
“Well,” Alfred said, after swallowing, “I played the simulation games Kiku-he’s one of my developers, by the way-makes for me, but nothing beats the real thing.” He grinned at Arthur, and the elder man chuckled, nodding.
“So, this Kiku person’s your creator?”
“No,” Alfred took another gulp of his milkshake before letting out a large burp. Arthur’s eyes widened in shock, and Alfred gaped at him.
“Oh, gosh. What was that, am I going to die? B-but I’m a program-and-and that felt really weird-hey.” Alfred stopped in mid-rant to see Arthur stifling his laughter into a white handkerchief, his face flush red as he kept back his guffaws, his shoulders shaking wildly as he pressed himself against the back of his plush red seat, his eyes tightly shut. “… Arthur?”
Arthur stopped for a moment, cracking his eyes open-but upon seeing Alfred again, he resumed his laughter.
“H-hey, you okay? Was it something I did?”
“That…” Arthur struggled to breathe, “Was the best laugh I’ve had in a very, very long time.”
“… You’re welcome?” Alfred blinked, and Arthur shook his head fondly.
“Alfred, you just burped. You were releasing air from your stomach. It’s perfectly fine, you aren’t dying.” Arthur smiled, patting the younger man’s head.
“… Oh.” Alfred blushed. “Gosh, that’s embarrassing,” he shook his head.
“No, it’s alright,” Arthur waved his hand dismissively. “You didn’t know. I’d have to thank you, though. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.”
Alfred smiled at him weakly, and Arthur chuckled, shaking his head.
“Come, now. Finish up and let’s get out of here, I have a pub to get to later.” Arthur said, picking up his fork and poking at the salad. “Oh, bugger, this doesn’t even look that delicious…”
He continued murmuring as he picked up one leaf and put it into his mouth. He made a face, but Alfred was barely registering anything as his mind was spinning quickly.
Yes, it would seem so.
He looked down at his hands, twitching slightly, as he felt his pulse thundering steadily inside him. He knew his cheeks were warm, warm for more reason than just embarrassment.
Elizabeta’s words thundered in his head:
Your pulse races…
Yes, his pulse is definitely racing. He could feel it warm and vibrant and real, a wondrous feeling he knew he would never ever get used to.
Your cheeks grow hot…
His cheeks have always been hot. The blood rushes there unbidden whenever Arthur is around.
And there’s this absolutely wonderful warm feeling in your chest, like you’re so happy you could burst.
Alfred paused for a moment, sparing a glance at Arthur, who was still eating his salad leaf by leaf, grumbling.
A smile spread across his face, and Arthur looked at him.
“Yes, what is it?” Arthur asked, and Alfred’s eyes widened, his blush intensifying.
“O-oh, it’s nothing,” he replied, and Arthur raised an eyebrow at him, before turning his attention back to his food. Alfred slumped back into his seat, a silly grin on his face, and he sighed inwardly.
Yes. There was that happy feeling that he could burst.
He was in love… or was it just the euphoria rush from the feel of the real world?
It's been more than a month since I've updated because of the summer camp and then all the other RL crazy things and my writer's block (that I managed to forcibly break! Yay!) in the way. I'm so sorry for the delay. m_O_m
I hope you enjoy this chapter, even if it's rather short and a little... odd. ;m;
See y'all next chapter!