Gold and Blue 5/?
Title: Gold and Blue
Pairings: UKUS
Rating: M (This chapter is PG)
Warnings: Eventual sex
Summary: The King of Spades has no power in politics, until he meets the catalyst that sparks his desire to be great.
This chapter: Yao and Arthur go to war.
Alfred was walking out of the maze feeling different than before. It wasn't a bad different in the slightest. The colors around him were brighter and the smells of the gardens had intensified. The greens of the ivy walls of the maze were overwhelming, like Arthur's eyes, and the distant smell of roses now seemed closer, like Arthur's own scent. Everything was beautiful and reminded him of Arthur, of their time in the maze and that kiss, and then the one after that sealed their mutual affections. It was nothing short of riveting.
Before they left the maze together to re-enter the real world, Arthur pulled Alfred back and out of sight. He cupped his face and kissed him on the lips. Alfred's hands settled on Arthur's shoulder as he kissed him back. It felt too close to a good-bye kiss.
"We will keep this a secret affair?" Arthur asked breathlessly. He ran a hand through Alfred's hair, smiling up at him with those bright, affectionate eyes.
Alfred nodded. "Yeah… But…can we still see each other?"
"Yes, of course. Just call on me and I shall come to see you."
Alfred brightened considerably. "Good. I thought this was…"
"Hush now." Arthur smiled in a relaxed way Alfred realized he had never seen before. "Shall we go?"
There was a part of Alfred, a young, childish, clingy side that said no, that wanted to hold Arthur until the next day and possibly longer so that he wouldn't feel alone, even if it meant staying outside in the cold all the while. But he learned at a very young age how to let go, even if it was with a promise of a future meeting.
"Okay…" Alfred managed a smile and released Arthur. He followed him back out to the world, facing it with a renewed strength he hadn't felt in years.
It felt like self-esteem.
"Sir, does the King seem different to you?" Yao's servant asked him.
Yao, having been looking down at some papers, turned to look at Alfred down the opposite end of the hall. He was on his cell phone and chatting casually with someone on the other end. He was laughing. Yao realized he didn't like that all that much.
"Yes… Who is he so friendly with?" Yao asked.
"The Duke of Blue. There are pictures of them everywhere in the tabloids," the servant said. "Rumor has it that…"
"That what?" Yao asked sharply. He shoved the papers in the servant's chest when the servant only smiled in reply. Then, he marched over to Alfred. "Um, Sire?"
Alfred held up a finger to Yao. "No way! That didn't happen! You're lying! YOU'RE LYING! HAHA!"
Yao cleared his throat, but Alfred was laughing too loudly to notice him. The Jack felt foolish standing there with his arms dangling by his sides and the King paying him no attention. Slowly, he became annoyed with waiting.
"Alfred," Yao stressed. The King smiled at him and then nodded.
"Okay, I'll call you late. 'Bye Artie. Haha! I'm gonna still call you Artie even if you yell at me."
"Alfred!" Yao snapped. Alfred instantly hung up the phone, but smiled innocently. The Jack sighed, and then composed himself. "I was thinking that you could sit in on a Parliament meeting with me today."
Alfred's smile vanished, replaced with a look of shock and awe. "You… you mean it? Like… I really get to do something?"
Yao nodded. "I would listen to your advice if you had an opinion on a matter. I see you've been taking care to be involved recently, so we should let such thoughts be nurtured."
Alfred's face brightened more than Yao had ever seen. More than that Duke could do, Yao thought confidently. He smirked as he mentally congratulated himself. The King began to chatter constantly about the ideas he had for the kingdom, some of which Yao was amazed he had even considered, but agreed he would look into for everyone's sake.
The Duke of Blue was called to the Clock Room to meet with the Jack. He was anxious as to what the Jack could possibly want to discuss with him. Perhaps it was to approve certain requests regarding the Blue Area. He had been having frequent chats with Lord Blue and he had passed along everything to Parliament if he deemed it important enough to talk about. Arthur really hoped this was concerning that.
The Jack was standing by the window when Arthur was admitted into his office. It had a definite Oriental feel to the room with a crisp, sleek lines and simplistic design to the wooden furniture and open shelves. A long golden Chinese dragon was hanging on the wall directly behind Yao's desk and ornate drawings were carved into the legs of his desk. The Duke was highly impressed, but expected no less from such a powerful man.
"Please, sit," Yao said. The Duke did as he was told. Yao stayed by the window a moment longer, looking over some papers, before he moved to stand behind his desk chair. He stared down at Arthur seriously. "You seem to have gotten very close with the King as of late."
"Yes, the King and I have quite a lot in common," Arthur said. There was a hint of a smile in his eyes. Yao didn't like that.
His fingers twitched as he moved around the chair and picked an envelope up from his desk. "It seems the King feels differently."
Arthur quirked an eyebrow as he was handed the envelope. He opened it and found a letter inside. Yao watched him as he mentally reread the message.
Arthur,
In these past few weeks we have grown close, and I thought it was fun, but I can't lie to myself anymore. I was only pretending. I'm over your selfish and bossy attitude. Everything I said was a lie. I guess it was to get a rise out of you or something, but I'm bored with you now. I don't even want to see you again. I'm keeping this short because I can't spend another minute thinking about you.
King Alfred
Arthur didn't react right away. He continued to stare at the letter. Yao noticed the Duke's hands had begun to shake.
"Is…is this from the King himself?" Arthur asked slowly. "Why didn't he send this to me directly?"
"I'm not sure," Yao replied. "But, yes, that is from the King himself. He gave that to me this morning while we had breakfast together."
Arthur looked up at Yao with suspicious eyes. He folded the letter back up and then stood. Yao hid his surprise at the Duke's abrupt movement. There was something hidden in the man's eyes, almost as if he were reigning in all of his emotions just to keep up the façade that he was fine. Yao felt quite sure of himself then.
It was only a few moments later that the Duke asked to leave, of which the Jack granted it, and then he watched from the window as Arthur got back into his car hurriedly. He could only imagine that Arthur was perhaps crying in pain or wallowing in his own misery. It tasted so sweet. Yao was known around Parliament for being quite vicious in politics and was never one to hold back when he wasn't particularly fond of a person. There had been rumors that he had ruined some people's time in Parliament, but Yao made sure those had stayed rumors.
Later that day, Yao walked down the hallway to the King's game room. Even before he reached the door he knew Alfred was inside. He could hear him yelling and screaming in joy at beating whatever foe he was facing. It sounded as if he were talking to someone; most likely the Queen of Hearts.
The Jack came into the room, pleased to see Alfred being just as he always had been. The man never truly grew up, and he was still the same little boy that clung to Yao's pants with imploring eyes to play. Yao felt a pang of regret that he hadn't paid Alfred more attention, hadn't held him tightly enough to shield him from all of that pain when his parents were killed, hadn't cherished more of their time together. Now he was older and craving someone else's attention. Yao knew what would happen if someone came between them.
They would leave Alfred. They'd hurt him. He'd cry alone again, and become numb to the world. The only reason he even showed his face outside of the palace was because of Yao. Yao who had taught the man to stand up again, to walk and breath, to remember that the world wasn't always full of sadness. Alfred always forgot that. He never saw Yao as anything more than a friend. He would never consider Yao as his savior or someone he'd look to for comfort should someone leave him again.
Yao was never to be that person, so he'd work to be someone else; a guardian.
"Alfred, I have a letter for you from the Duke of Blue."
Alfred jumped up from his seat. "Hold up a sec, Kiku. I got a letter."
The King joined Yao by the pool table. He was drinking a soda, but put it down to take the letter. Yao moved away to give him some privacy. His letter was almost the same as Arthur's had been, only instead of selfish and rude he had been called immature and stupid. Yao wanted to feel bad for writing such words, but he couldn't help but feel that way about Alfred sometimes.
This time, Alfred had a much more emotional reaction. He crumpled the letter and bit his lip until the skin broke. Yao moved over to comfort him, immediately regretting his decision to play such a game, but Alfred moved away. It was Yao's worst nightmare coming alive. He wasn't needed anymore.
"Who does he think he is…?" Alfred whispered. He began to cry, and then pulled Yao close.
Yao was safe. He was still needed.
Arthur sat at his desk reading all of the papers. He had been driven from Court and the short-lived friendship between the King and the Duke was over. The media was all up in arms about the ordeal. Many people had theories, but no one knew for sure. No one save for the Duke himself. He still held onto that letter and thought over every line that was written in there.
He questioned all of it. Arthur was not a stupid man. He already had an inkling of a doubt that it was all a ruse, that possibly Yao had played him for a fool, but if that were true then why hadn't Alfred contacted him? If it was simply a lie Yao had created by this empty message then surely Alfred would have wanted to see him too, but for two weeks now the King had remained silent. Arthur thought that perhaps he should try calling first, but if Alfred didn't answer it would only create more of a torrent of suspicion within him.
There came a knock at the door. Arthur hid the letter in a drawer and said, "Come in."
His secretary walked in. She smiled at Arthur, but saw he did not return it. This wasn't unusual, but at least Arthur greeted her.
"Sir, um, if I may, might I tell you something I overheard?" the secretary asked.
Arthur sighed. "Victoria, I hardly have time for gossip."
"It is about something the Jack said to his servant." Arthur's eyes flashed to her, and Victoria felt it safe to continue. "The Jack was heard thanking his servant for writing a letter to the King, but to…next time not to make it so harsh. He specifically said, 'that man is horrible, but that might have been almost too much. We're lucky he didn't suspect anything'."
Arthur scoffed at this. "Victoria, you are a kind woman, but I hardly doubt the Jack was heard saying that. He wouldn't be so careless. I know you're just as suspicious of this as me, but I cannot charge up to the King without indisputable proof."
"Why would you charge him?" the secretary asked.
"I… Well if you are wrong and I go to the King with this information, he might become offended I had gone against what he had said." Arthur looked out the window at the trees. He thought back to the gardens and the last time he had gone with Alfred. They had kissed and held each other, held hands and enjoyed the sun warming their skin, filling with the scent of roses and late summer.
"Sir… Do you know the King still doesn't read the papers?" Victoria pressed. "Maybe he doesn't know what's being said about all of this. Maybe he received a different letter."
"A different letter?" Arthur looked over at her with his brow furrowed. "Where did you come up with such a mad idea?"
Victoria produced a crumpled piece of paper and put it on Arthur's desk. "The Jack's servant found it and wanted it delivered immediately. And he wanted you to know the King stopped reading papers ever since you left."
Arthur stared at the letter. Somehow he knew what it said without having to actually read it.
The Duke liked to think of himself as someone with more class than most. He wasn't one to publicly hold a grudge and he never seemed to go out of his way to cause any sort of pain. So, when he confronted Alfred about this letter mishap, he never mentioned that it was from Yao. He never expressed his fears as to what the Jack could possibly be scheming. Instead, he took Alfred out for a walk in the gardens as they always had and made sure to keep him in the maze until well past dinner.
He knew that the Jack was fuming with rage and jealousy that Arthur had him here in his arms and was kissing him, holding him, treating him in a way that Yao never could do. Alfred wouldn't let him. There was no romance for him in his old friend. The sooner he stopped trying to reach that goal, the better, Arthur thought.
So instead of getting revenge or getting even with him, he would pretend that nothing happened and celebrate in the glory of Alfred.
That was the day Yao declared war on Arthur.
Hoshiko2's cents: Short chapter that I'm not entirely proud of, but it's a good start for what is to come next. G&B will update once more before Hoyle has a huge update. The next update for G&B will be short as well, whereas Hoyle will be a very long chapter. I hope to see you all there.
Pairings: UKUS
Rating: M (This chapter is PG)
Warnings: Eventual sex
Summary: The King of Spades has no power in politics, until he meets the catalyst that sparks his desire to be great.
This chapter: Yao and Arthur go to war.
Alfred was walking out of the maze feeling different than before. It wasn't a bad different in the slightest. The colors around him were brighter and the smells of the gardens had intensified. The greens of the ivy walls of the maze were overwhelming, like Arthur's eyes, and the distant smell of roses now seemed closer, like Arthur's own scent. Everything was beautiful and reminded him of Arthur, of their time in the maze and that kiss, and then the one after that sealed their mutual affections. It was nothing short of riveting.
Before they left the maze together to re-enter the real world, Arthur pulled Alfred back and out of sight. He cupped his face and kissed him on the lips. Alfred's hands settled on Arthur's shoulder as he kissed him back. It felt too close to a good-bye kiss.
"We will keep this a secret affair?" Arthur asked breathlessly. He ran a hand through Alfred's hair, smiling up at him with those bright, affectionate eyes.
Alfred nodded. "Yeah… But…can we still see each other?"
"Yes, of course. Just call on me and I shall come to see you."
Alfred brightened considerably. "Good. I thought this was…"
"Hush now." Arthur smiled in a relaxed way Alfred realized he had never seen before. "Shall we go?"
There was a part of Alfred, a young, childish, clingy side that said no, that wanted to hold Arthur until the next day and possibly longer so that he wouldn't feel alone, even if it meant staying outside in the cold all the while. But he learned at a very young age how to let go, even if it was with a promise of a future meeting.
"Okay…" Alfred managed a smile and released Arthur. He followed him back out to the world, facing it with a renewed strength he hadn't felt in years.
It felt like self-esteem.
"Sir, does the King seem different to you?" Yao's servant asked him.
Yao, having been looking down at some papers, turned to look at Alfred down the opposite end of the hall. He was on his cell phone and chatting casually with someone on the other end. He was laughing. Yao realized he didn't like that all that much.
"Yes… Who is he so friendly with?" Yao asked.
"The Duke of Blue. There are pictures of them everywhere in the tabloids," the servant said. "Rumor has it that…"
"That what?" Yao asked sharply. He shoved the papers in the servant's chest when the servant only smiled in reply. Then, he marched over to Alfred. "Um, Sire?"
Alfred held up a finger to Yao. "No way! That didn't happen! You're lying! YOU'RE LYING! HAHA!"
Yao cleared his throat, but Alfred was laughing too loudly to notice him. The Jack felt foolish standing there with his arms dangling by his sides and the King paying him no attention. Slowly, he became annoyed with waiting.
"Alfred," Yao stressed. The King smiled at him and then nodded.
"Okay, I'll call you late. 'Bye Artie. Haha! I'm gonna still call you Artie even if you yell at me."
"Alfred!" Yao snapped. Alfred instantly hung up the phone, but smiled innocently. The Jack sighed, and then composed himself. "I was thinking that you could sit in on a Parliament meeting with me today."
Alfred's smile vanished, replaced with a look of shock and awe. "You… you mean it? Like… I really get to do something?"
Yao nodded. "I would listen to your advice if you had an opinion on a matter. I see you've been taking care to be involved recently, so we should let such thoughts be nurtured."
Alfred's face brightened more than Yao had ever seen. More than that Duke could do, Yao thought confidently. He smirked as he mentally congratulated himself. The King began to chatter constantly about the ideas he had for the kingdom, some of which Yao was amazed he had even considered, but agreed he would look into for everyone's sake.
The Duke of Blue was called to the Clock Room to meet with the Jack. He was anxious as to what the Jack could possibly want to discuss with him. Perhaps it was to approve certain requests regarding the Blue Area. He had been having frequent chats with Lord Blue and he had passed along everything to Parliament if he deemed it important enough to talk about. Arthur really hoped this was concerning that.
The Jack was standing by the window when Arthur was admitted into his office. It had a definite Oriental feel to the room with a crisp, sleek lines and simplistic design to the wooden furniture and open shelves. A long golden Chinese dragon was hanging on the wall directly behind Yao's desk and ornate drawings were carved into the legs of his desk. The Duke was highly impressed, but expected no less from such a powerful man.
"Please, sit," Yao said. The Duke did as he was told. Yao stayed by the window a moment longer, looking over some papers, before he moved to stand behind his desk chair. He stared down at Arthur seriously. "You seem to have gotten very close with the King as of late."
"Yes, the King and I have quite a lot in common," Arthur said. There was a hint of a smile in his eyes. Yao didn't like that.
His fingers twitched as he moved around the chair and picked an envelope up from his desk. "It seems the King feels differently."
Arthur quirked an eyebrow as he was handed the envelope. He opened it and found a letter inside. Yao watched him as he mentally reread the message.
Arthur,
In these past few weeks we have grown close, and I thought it was fun, but I can't lie to myself anymore. I was only pretending. I'm over your selfish and bossy attitude. Everything I said was a lie. I guess it was to get a rise out of you or something, but I'm bored with you now. I don't even want to see you again. I'm keeping this short because I can't spend another minute thinking about you.
King Alfred
Arthur didn't react right away. He continued to stare at the letter. Yao noticed the Duke's hands had begun to shake.
"Is…is this from the King himself?" Arthur asked slowly. "Why didn't he send this to me directly?"
"I'm not sure," Yao replied. "But, yes, that is from the King himself. He gave that to me this morning while we had breakfast together."
Arthur looked up at Yao with suspicious eyes. He folded the letter back up and then stood. Yao hid his surprise at the Duke's abrupt movement. There was something hidden in the man's eyes, almost as if he were reigning in all of his emotions just to keep up the façade that he was fine. Yao felt quite sure of himself then.
It was only a few moments later that the Duke asked to leave, of which the Jack granted it, and then he watched from the window as Arthur got back into his car hurriedly. He could only imagine that Arthur was perhaps crying in pain or wallowing in his own misery. It tasted so sweet. Yao was known around Parliament for being quite vicious in politics and was never one to hold back when he wasn't particularly fond of a person. There had been rumors that he had ruined some people's time in Parliament, but Yao made sure those had stayed rumors.
Later that day, Yao walked down the hallway to the King's game room. Even before he reached the door he knew Alfred was inside. He could hear him yelling and screaming in joy at beating whatever foe he was facing. It sounded as if he were talking to someone; most likely the Queen of Hearts.
The Jack came into the room, pleased to see Alfred being just as he always had been. The man never truly grew up, and he was still the same little boy that clung to Yao's pants with imploring eyes to play. Yao felt a pang of regret that he hadn't paid Alfred more attention, hadn't held him tightly enough to shield him from all of that pain when his parents were killed, hadn't cherished more of their time together. Now he was older and craving someone else's attention. Yao knew what would happen if someone came between them.
They would leave Alfred. They'd hurt him. He'd cry alone again, and become numb to the world. The only reason he even showed his face outside of the palace was because of Yao. Yao who had taught the man to stand up again, to walk and breath, to remember that the world wasn't always full of sadness. Alfred always forgot that. He never saw Yao as anything more than a friend. He would never consider Yao as his savior or someone he'd look to for comfort should someone leave him again.
Yao was never to be that person, so he'd work to be someone else; a guardian.
"Alfred, I have a letter for you from the Duke of Blue."
Alfred jumped up from his seat. "Hold up a sec, Kiku. I got a letter."
The King joined Yao by the pool table. He was drinking a soda, but put it down to take the letter. Yao moved away to give him some privacy. His letter was almost the same as Arthur's had been, only instead of selfish and rude he had been called immature and stupid. Yao wanted to feel bad for writing such words, but he couldn't help but feel that way about Alfred sometimes.
This time, Alfred had a much more emotional reaction. He crumpled the letter and bit his lip until the skin broke. Yao moved over to comfort him, immediately regretting his decision to play such a game, but Alfred moved away. It was Yao's worst nightmare coming alive. He wasn't needed anymore.
"Who does he think he is…?" Alfred whispered. He began to cry, and then pulled Yao close.
Yao was safe. He was still needed.
Arthur sat at his desk reading all of the papers. He had been driven from Court and the short-lived friendship between the King and the Duke was over. The media was all up in arms about the ordeal. Many people had theories, but no one knew for sure. No one save for the Duke himself. He still held onto that letter and thought over every line that was written in there.
He questioned all of it. Arthur was not a stupid man. He already had an inkling of a doubt that it was all a ruse, that possibly Yao had played him for a fool, but if that were true then why hadn't Alfred contacted him? If it was simply a lie Yao had created by this empty message then surely Alfred would have wanted to see him too, but for two weeks now the King had remained silent. Arthur thought that perhaps he should try calling first, but if Alfred didn't answer it would only create more of a torrent of suspicion within him.
There came a knock at the door. Arthur hid the letter in a drawer and said, "Come in."
His secretary walked in. She smiled at Arthur, but saw he did not return it. This wasn't unusual, but at least Arthur greeted her.
"Sir, um, if I may, might I tell you something I overheard?" the secretary asked.
Arthur sighed. "Victoria, I hardly have time for gossip."
"It is about something the Jack said to his servant." Arthur's eyes flashed to her, and Victoria felt it safe to continue. "The Jack was heard thanking his servant for writing a letter to the King, but to…next time not to make it so harsh. He specifically said, 'that man is horrible, but that might have been almost too much. We're lucky he didn't suspect anything'."
Arthur scoffed at this. "Victoria, you are a kind woman, but I hardly doubt the Jack was heard saying that. He wouldn't be so careless. I know you're just as suspicious of this as me, but I cannot charge up to the King without indisputable proof."
"Why would you charge him?" the secretary asked.
"I… Well if you are wrong and I go to the King with this information, he might become offended I had gone against what he had said." Arthur looked out the window at the trees. He thought back to the gardens and the last time he had gone with Alfred. They had kissed and held each other, held hands and enjoyed the sun warming their skin, filling with the scent of roses and late summer.
"Sir… Do you know the King still doesn't read the papers?" Victoria pressed. "Maybe he doesn't know what's being said about all of this. Maybe he received a different letter."
"A different letter?" Arthur looked over at her with his brow furrowed. "Where did you come up with such a mad idea?"
Victoria produced a crumpled piece of paper and put it on Arthur's desk. "The Jack's servant found it and wanted it delivered immediately. And he wanted you to know the King stopped reading papers ever since you left."
Arthur stared at the letter. Somehow he knew what it said without having to actually read it.
The Duke liked to think of himself as someone with more class than most. He wasn't one to publicly hold a grudge and he never seemed to go out of his way to cause any sort of pain. So, when he confronted Alfred about this letter mishap, he never mentioned that it was from Yao. He never expressed his fears as to what the Jack could possibly be scheming. Instead, he took Alfred out for a walk in the gardens as they always had and made sure to keep him in the maze until well past dinner.
He knew that the Jack was fuming with rage and jealousy that Arthur had him here in his arms and was kissing him, holding him, treating him in a way that Yao never could do. Alfred wouldn't let him. There was no romance for him in his old friend. The sooner he stopped trying to reach that goal, the better, Arthur thought.
So instead of getting revenge or getting even with him, he would pretend that nothing happened and celebrate in the glory of Alfred.
That was the day Yao declared war on Arthur.
Hoshiko2's cents: Short chapter that I'm not entirely proud of, but it's a good start for what is to come next. G&B will update once more before Hoyle has a huge update. The next update for G&B will be short as well, whereas Hoyle will be a very long chapter. I hope to see you all there.