[Fanfiction] An International Affair 3/?
Title: An International Affair
Author/Artist: Theos99
Genre: Romance, Adventure/Action, AU
Pairing(s): AmericaxEngland
Rating/Warnings: T
Summary: Prince Arthur Kirkland, heir to the British crown, is pushed into a world in which way too many people try to kill him when he stumbles across a certain annoying American.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Hetalia.
Author’s Notes: Charlie and Ethel are OC’s (and not nations). Hopefully updates will come faster now that some craziness with school has finished...
Chapter 1: http://theos99.livejournal.com/5906.html; Chapter 2: http://theos99.livejournal.com/6612.html
Chapter Three
The Soho Hotel*, London
10:42 PM
It was a chilly night.
Charlie Evans dug his hands deeper into the woolen pockets of his long coat, resisting the urge to escape back into Soho’s well-heated halls. Mindful of guests, he directed a glare up at the ridiculously large bronze cat preening in the lobby. The nerve of it, basking in that expensive warmth while a fine gent like him had to stand outside in this blasted weather! He rubbed his fingers together. He had half a mind to quit and just be done with this nonsense…!
But the pay here was nothing to sneeze at, and with Ethel moving in in a few months - well - he would take whatever extra there was to be had, no matter what sort of tomfoolery he had to put up with.
Knuckled-headed gits, the whole lot of them! Charlie snorted contemptuously. He’d be blasted if any of those dimwits had a lick of sense, cavorting around -
Footsteps thudded across the courtyard.
Turning back towards the street, the doorman peered beyond a meticulously cut shrub. As he caught sight of a golden head of hair, with a familiar lock flopping about, making its way towards him, Charlie broke into a grin. “Mr. Jones!” he called out, ignoring the disapproving stares that his raised voice drew.
“Hey, Charlie!” Alfred beamed, waving back as he bounced to a stop before the glass doors, “Did Ethel arrive yet?”
Charlie laughed at the boy’s honest enthusiasm. “She’ll be here soon.” Lovely, lovely Ethel…he cleared his throat. “But enough about me. So, you young scoundrel, how was the lucky girl?” Charlie inquired, slipping a sly smirk across to the American, “Win her over with that charm of yours, boy?”
Alfred reddened and laughed, rubbing his head shyly, “I hope so…”
Ah, Charlie smiled, young love...a vision of a dappled, moonlit path, a lovely girl by his side…he shook his head. Drawing back the door with a practiced flourish, he ushered the younger man towards the lobby equipped with all the wonders of modern heating.
“Good-night, Mr. Jones. Better rest up so you can impress her next time.”
“Aw, thanks, Charlie! And how many times do I have to tell you, it’s just ‘Alfred’!” He waved back at the doorman before jogging towards the elevators.
Charlie closed the door, a faint smile lingering on his face as he heard a lilting tune emerge from the same direction the American had headed. Couldn’t hold a tune to save his life, but what a good lad! His simple, good-hearted nature was so refreshing in a place such as this…
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The elevator doors opened. Still whistling, Alfred F. Jones strode out, hands in his pockets. He winked at a middle-aged businessman and his noticeably younger companion. While the former shot him a scandalized glare, the latter covered her mouth with a gloved hand, stifling a small smile.
As Alfred passed them, she winked back before gently guiding the spluttering man down the hallway.
Alfred grinned, loping lazily towards his room. He paused at his door, digging into his right pocket for his key - the old fashioned metal kind, of course. He rolled his eyes. Why did all British people have to be so stuffy? Except a certain prince; he had been sure that he would be shoved away, but Arthur had pulled him closer and…a smile broke out on his face.
He opened the door and stepped into his room. This trip had proved to be far more enjoyable than he had - the newspaper hadn’t been on the doormat
Every sense sprung to alertness, scanning the area around him -
There was someone in the living room.
Adrenaline coursed through his veins. Shit! How could he have crapped up on one of the most basic lessons of his training? Gilbert would kill him if he survived this. His body propelled itself backwards; the hallway was too narrow, no escape routes except the door - the door had been locked, it was locked and he couldn’t get out -
Hey little boy, isn’t it past your bedtime?
No
How naughty, naughty, naughty. Cold hands wrenching his chin out. Too bad for you your daddy wouldn’t cough it up when we asked him so nicely
Shut up!
Someone screaming - Mattie, Mattie
His gun slid out in one smooth motion as Alfred threw himself forward towards the living room, slamming through the door. A blur from the couch -
Alfred slammed the intruder against the wall. Alfred He shoved the gun at his neck Alfred! They wouldn’t, they couldn’t win this time ALFRED! Hands stilling, Alfred blinked away the red haze obscuring his vision. A set of eyes identical to his own except for their darker, violet hue, blond strands of hair, a long, curling lock trailing down a familiar face…
“Alfred, you can put that down now,” Matt said gently, reaching out a hand tentatively towards the gun pointed to his - to his -
Alfred thrust himself away from the wall, rubbing at his eyes roughly. He tore his coat off, throwing it on a table nearby, and strode off towards the coffee maker he had requested a few days ago from the front desk.
“You’re late.” Matt shuffled his feet, twisting his hands. “I thought we had agreed to meet at ten - Alfred!” His voice rose in volume. “What were you thinking, sneaking out to gods-knows-where for a date?” Do you know how worried I was?
Silence.
His voice was too loud for the small room. He lowered it and stepped carefully towards his brother, “Alfred, the Boss wants us to close the deal with Sadiq soon. He thinks we might have a few agents on our tail. We’ll have to start pushing him to set up a meeting place as soon as - ”
“Is he going to eliminate them?” His voice was flat and emotionless.
Matthew hesitated. He spoke slowly, turning the matter over in his mind, fumbling for words, “I’m not sure. I think he’s definitely considering it, but even if he wants to, he can’t - not yet - ”
“Then we’ll start tomorrow.” Alfred pushed himself away from the counter and strode off to his bedroom.
Matthew sighed. He hated having to ruin the few moments of fun that his brother managed to snatch for himself, but their boss had been increasingly insistent that they move forward, now. Leaning over, he picked up the coat his brother had discarded, draping it over his arm to hang up.
It was too light.
Reaching into the hidden pocket sewn between the lining near the beast pocket, Matthew felt around. Nothing. A wave of panic hit him. The watch had meant everything to Alfred; if he knew he had lost it -
“I gave it to my date.”
Matthew shot an incredulous look at his brother, who was lounging against the doorframe between the two rooms. “You gave away Pa - your watch to someone you barely know? Why would you - ”
Alfred looked away.
Oh.
He glanced at his brother’s stiff posture and focused his gaze downwards, busying himself with the books on the table.
“Matthew.” Alfred’s voice was quiet, hoarse.
He looked up. His brother was staring directly back at him, his face lined and tired beyond his years. “I promised us.”
It had a note of finality, of acquiescence.
“I promised.” A whisper.
----------------------------------------------------HETALIA----------------------------------------------------
Buckingham Palace
A few days later
Arthur sighed deeply, letting his head to fall on his desk.
It smacked against the wood with a muffled thud. Cursing faintly, he rubbed at the sore spot, glaring at the paperwork piled around him. While he didn’t actually have to finish all of these documents by the end of his stay here, it afforded him some respite from the constant pestering and teasing Elizabeta and Peter dished out (the former with disturbing single-mindedness, the latter with gleeful malice).
Honestly. It was just one date! Even if they had…kissed…it was not as if they had been proposing to have their wedding in a few months (which completely trumped his cousin’s need to construct rather detailed wedding dinner arrangements). He huffed in indignation. It was completely, utterly ridiculous! As if he would ever succumb to someone that quickly, even one as attractive as Alfred could be - at times…sometimes
His mobile vibrated. Snatching it up, Arthur flipped it open.
Hey, babe! Wazz up?
One formidable eyebrow twitched.
Nothing much out of the ordinary. And could you please refrain from using such an absurd nickname?!
Aww, Iggy! ;__;
…well? Is there something that you wanted to ask me?
Nah. Just wanted to say hi :)
Arthur felt a smile tug at the edge of his lips. He smothered it, then glanced back at the screen as it vibrated again.
Wanna hang out sometime?
Well, seeing as he had finished most of his work….his phone buzzed again (Christ - how fast could that man type - )
R u free tom? U pick time and place :) :) :)
D’abrazzo’s Diner. Be there at noon. Sharp.
Can’t wait to c u there, doll-face! ;)
Arthur let his now blazingly red face hit the desk again.
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*The Soho Hotel is an upscale hotel in London and a favorite with business trips. The appearance of it was based off pictures from this: http://www.firmdale.com/index.php?page_id=7. Some details were made up.