Now that I See You
Title: Now the I See You
Genre: Fluff/Romance
Word Count: 1,107
Rating/Warnings: PG
Summary: It took a while for Arthur to see Alfred as a man.
Alfred had always been the boy- the brat, the insufferable loudmouth whose head was far too full of crazy, adolescent ideas to hold the kind of power that he had- who had broken Arthur’s heart all those centuries ago. He was the ignorant child who had run away before he could properly stand on his own. The little boy who still cried in the dark after frightening stories. Arthur had never stopped loving him- not really- but that only made things worse, because he still cared for the idiot boy and got pulled into his inane plans too often for comfort. And ever since the First World War, he had always been there to bandage the young nation’s wounds. Almost like they were friends, or brothers again.
After that, Arthur began to warm up to his former colony. The crash of ’29 made things a little chilly, but the recovery was not as slow as it could have been. Then the second war happened, and Arthur- while cursing Alfred’s slowness to join- could see that the American government had a point. And, if he knew Alfred as well as he did- he knew that the boy was itching to swoop in and save the day.
Alfred was still a boy to him when he stepped off the first plane over from America in ’42. A boy bent on revenge, and maybe just a little bit of needing to show that he could play with the bog boys, too. As in the last war, Arthur saw him grow into his role as a nation, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling of watching over a younger, wayward brother- which conflicted nastily with other feelings that were beginning to stir within him. The juxtaposition nauseated him. He was a sick, sick old man.
It wasn’t until a decade later, after Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the occupation of Kiku’s country, when Alfred stopped over for a visit that things changed.
“You really didn’t need to come here,” Arthur huffed, hurrying to prepare tea for his guest. He wasn’t sure if he was being passive-aggressive or just too flustered to ready coffee for his visitor, “You could’ve just gone on to your west coast. Or did you forget that the world is round?”
“I wanted to see you,” Alfred said, and Arthur’s heart did a whirling flip-flop, “I wanted to make sure that you were doing okay. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Yes, well, I understand that you’ve been busy,” Arthur sniffed as he handed over a cup of tea. Alfred accepted it graciously without a word of complaint. Wonders never ceased. “You needn’t check up on me. I’ve been through wars before.”
“Not like this,” Alfred said, bringing the cup to his lips. Arthur wasn’t sure that he had even drunk anything, but his lips were wet and oh…
“Well, I’m still not your responsibility,” Arthur snipped. Good Lord, the boy was being caring and responsible for once and he was being bitchy. What the hell was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he be a normal person and just thank Alfred for making sure that he was recovering well and perhaps offer him a guest room if he was tired and a home-cooked meal?
“Have you checked up on Francis? Yao? Ivan?” he continued, “You and I aren’t the only ones who fought this. If you’re going to be the world’s hero, you can’t just look after whoever happens to be closest.”
Alfred only shook his head and Arthur scoffed. The boy still had so much to learn about being a superpower.
“I don’t want to be- I mean, I do want to be everyone’s hero…” Alfred murmured, looking down at his still-full teacup, “But I… I realize that that’s not always possible. Sometimes to save the majority, you have to hurt someone else.”
“Oh, good. I was worried you’d come out of this not learning anything.”
“Sh-shut up! I’m trying, okay?”
Alfred took a deep breath to steady himself after his sudden outburst.
“L-look, what I wanted to say was… I-I didn’t come here because I felt responsible for you as a hero. I know that you can take care of yourself. Wh… what I wanted to say was that I… I was worried about you more than anyone else, ‘cause… ‘cause… you’re my friend and uh, the Special Relationship and…”
He sighed and looked away, a dark blush on his cheeks as he nervously ran his fingers through his hair.
“Damnit, I had this all planned out…” Arthur heard him mutter, and it suddenly all made sense.
“Alfred, were you checking up on me because you have… romantic feelings for me?”
“Yeah,” Alfred mumbled, “But you… you probably don’t want me or anything because I’m just your little brother to you. I-I just wanted to tell you. In person.”
At that, Arthur smiled warmly. Alfred really wasn’t his little brother any longer, nor was he a little boy. No, some how in just a little less than two hundred years, his precious darling had grown into a man. He leaned forward and kissed the other nation’s cheek.
"Er… thank you?” Alfred said dazedly. Arthur only continued to smile, so the taller nation cleared his throat and continued.
“I’m sorry. I-I’ve known for a while I should’ve told you before, but I was just…”
“--scared,” Arthur finished. Alfred nodded. He opened his mouth to say more, maybe bluster, but Arthur cut him off.
“I was too,” he said quietly, “But now… I’m not so scared any more.”
The both gave shaky smiles at that and leaned forward to kiss. In what might have been the most unromantic climax of all romantic confessions, they crashed together. Inwardly, Arthur swore he had chipped a tooth, but didn’t mind overmuch when Alfred repositioned them for a second try. Nor did he much mind the b- other nation’s sloppy enthusiasm. At least he was enthusiastic, unlike some lovers Arthur had had over the centuries. Arthur did his best to show him how it was done, but pulled away before it got too heated. Old pervert he might be, but he was still a gentleman.
“Hey, what’d you d-- ”
“Alfred,” Arthur said gently, “Why don’t we… go out to dinner? I’ll treat. I just need some time to wrap my head around the fact that you… that we…”
“Huh. Everyone in Europe said you were really fast, so I- ”
“Sh-shut it. Y-you’re not like them. I don’t want…”
Alfred beamed.
“It’s okay, Arthur,” he said softly, “I’ve been waiting for you all these years. I can certainly wait for that.”
Genre: Fluff/Romance
Word Count: 1,107
Rating/Warnings: PG
Summary: It took a while for Arthur to see Alfred as a man.
Alfred had always been the boy- the brat, the insufferable loudmouth whose head was far too full of crazy, adolescent ideas to hold the kind of power that he had- who had broken Arthur’s heart all those centuries ago. He was the ignorant child who had run away before he could properly stand on his own. The little boy who still cried in the dark after frightening stories. Arthur had never stopped loving him- not really- but that only made things worse, because he still cared for the idiot boy and got pulled into his inane plans too often for comfort. And ever since the First World War, he had always been there to bandage the young nation’s wounds. Almost like they were friends, or brothers again.
After that, Arthur began to warm up to his former colony. The crash of ’29 made things a little chilly, but the recovery was not as slow as it could have been. Then the second war happened, and Arthur- while cursing Alfred’s slowness to join- could see that the American government had a point. And, if he knew Alfred as well as he did- he knew that the boy was itching to swoop in and save the day.
Alfred was still a boy to him when he stepped off the first plane over from America in ’42. A boy bent on revenge, and maybe just a little bit of needing to show that he could play with the bog boys, too. As in the last war, Arthur saw him grow into his role as a nation, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling of watching over a younger, wayward brother- which conflicted nastily with other feelings that were beginning to stir within him. The juxtaposition nauseated him. He was a sick, sick old man.
It wasn’t until a decade later, after Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the occupation of Kiku’s country, when Alfred stopped over for a visit that things changed.
“You really didn’t need to come here,” Arthur huffed, hurrying to prepare tea for his guest. He wasn’t sure if he was being passive-aggressive or just too flustered to ready coffee for his visitor, “You could’ve just gone on to your west coast. Or did you forget that the world is round?”
“I wanted to see you,” Alfred said, and Arthur’s heart did a whirling flip-flop, “I wanted to make sure that you were doing okay. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Yes, well, I understand that you’ve been busy,” Arthur sniffed as he handed over a cup of tea. Alfred accepted it graciously without a word of complaint. Wonders never ceased. “You needn’t check up on me. I’ve been through wars before.”
“Not like this,” Alfred said, bringing the cup to his lips. Arthur wasn’t sure that he had even drunk anything, but his lips were wet and oh…
“Well, I’m still not your responsibility,” Arthur snipped. Good Lord, the boy was being caring and responsible for once and he was being bitchy. What the hell was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he be a normal person and just thank Alfred for making sure that he was recovering well and perhaps offer him a guest room if he was tired and a home-cooked meal?
“Have you checked up on Francis? Yao? Ivan?” he continued, “You and I aren’t the only ones who fought this. If you’re going to be the world’s hero, you can’t just look after whoever happens to be closest.”
Alfred only shook his head and Arthur scoffed. The boy still had so much to learn about being a superpower.
“I don’t want to be- I mean, I do want to be everyone’s hero…” Alfred murmured, looking down at his still-full teacup, “But I… I realize that that’s not always possible. Sometimes to save the majority, you have to hurt someone else.”
“Oh, good. I was worried you’d come out of this not learning anything.”
“Sh-shut up! I’m trying, okay?”
Alfred took a deep breath to steady himself after his sudden outburst.
“L-look, what I wanted to say was… I-I didn’t come here because I felt responsible for you as a hero. I know that you can take care of yourself. Wh… what I wanted to say was that I… I was worried about you more than anyone else, ‘cause… ‘cause… you’re my friend and uh, the Special Relationship and…”
He sighed and looked away, a dark blush on his cheeks as he nervously ran his fingers through his hair.
“Damnit, I had this all planned out…” Arthur heard him mutter, and it suddenly all made sense.
“Alfred, were you checking up on me because you have… romantic feelings for me?”
“Yeah,” Alfred mumbled, “But you… you probably don’t want me or anything because I’m just your little brother to you. I-I just wanted to tell you. In person.”
At that, Arthur smiled warmly. Alfred really wasn’t his little brother any longer, nor was he a little boy. No, some how in just a little less than two hundred years, his precious darling had grown into a man. He leaned forward and kissed the other nation’s cheek.
"Er… thank you?” Alfred said dazedly. Arthur only continued to smile, so the taller nation cleared his throat and continued.
“I’m sorry. I-I’ve known for a while I should’ve told you before, but I was just…”
“--scared,” Arthur finished. Alfred nodded. He opened his mouth to say more, maybe bluster, but Arthur cut him off.
“I was too,” he said quietly, “But now… I’m not so scared any more.”
The both gave shaky smiles at that and leaned forward to kiss. In what might have been the most unromantic climax of all romantic confessions, they crashed together. Inwardly, Arthur swore he had chipped a tooth, but didn’t mind overmuch when Alfred repositioned them for a second try. Nor did he much mind the b- other nation’s sloppy enthusiasm. At least he was enthusiastic, unlike some lovers Arthur had had over the centuries. Arthur did his best to show him how it was done, but pulled away before it got too heated. Old pervert he might be, but he was still a gentleman.
“Hey, what’d you d-- ”
“Alfred,” Arthur said gently, “Why don’t we… go out to dinner? I’ll treat. I just need some time to wrap my head around the fact that you… that we…”
“Huh. Everyone in Europe said you were really fast, so I- ”
“Sh-shut it. Y-you’re not like them. I don’t want…”
Alfred beamed.
“It’s okay, Arthur,” he said softly, “I’ve been waiting for you all these years. I can certainly wait for that.”