Don't Fall For Anyone Else! [USUK]

Chapter 19: A Day Too Late

But no reply came.

Well, he'll try to check on him later... He still has a family reunion to attend to for a day and a half.

*Next Day... (Sunday Evening)*

Alfred comes home with his parents and Alfred is surprised to see Arthur sweeping the front lawn. Alfred feels his blood rushing and his heart pounding.

"Arthur...!"

He gets out of the car and dashes towards the other teen, running as if his life depended on it.

"Arthur! Arthur!" Alfred yells out, his heart racing faster and faster.

Arthur turns around and sees him. "Alfred...?"

Once Alfred reached Arthur, he crashes on to him, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him tightly.

And God did they fit just right.

"God... I missed you..." Alfred confesses and God, it was true. Five days of no sight of him was just hell.

Alfred tightens his grip on Arthur, "Arthur, I'm so sorry for everything. I'm so sorry for hurting you and breaking you all this time..."

"Alfred..." Arthur mutters and Alfred feels a shiver run through his spine.

"I never meant to. You had always been my best friend ever since that I blinded myself with it. But now... I can see it." Alfred says, leaning back and looking straight into those emerald eyes that he now knows he's always loved.

"I can see it now... My feelings for you." He confesses and his heart races.

"I love yo-"

"Don't say it." Alfred's eyes open wide when Arthur suddenly cuts him off.

"W-What...?" Alfred was shocked. Why did Arthur stop him...?

"Alfred, I'm sorry." At these words, Alfred feels his heart crack.

"Maybe that kiss last time made you confused with yourself but... I can assure you that you don't feel anything for me." Alfred couldn't believe what he's hearing. Why is Arthur saying all these?

"No! Arthur you don't understand! I've always-"

"NO! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND, ALFRED!"

Alfred steps back, his dented heart just breaking futher and his hopes start falling.

"You never understood me at all! You never understood how I felt and how you affected me! You never have!" Arthur bites and Alfred feels himself stuck on the grass.

"You played with my feelings without even realizing but now I'm not going to fall for that! Not anymore!" Alfred can see the tears falling from Arthur's face and he breaks even more.

"...you don't love me. You only think you do but you don't. And I won't fall for your stupid little games anymore."

Arthur starts walking away but Alfred unfreezes himself and chases after him. Tears start welling in his eyes.

"Arthur, I'm not confused... please... I love you." Alfred pleads, his voice shaking.

"...go check yourself at a hospital, you're probably just feeling a bit sick right now." Arthur tells him coldly, pulling his hand away.

"...and I'm already dating Antonio so you need to back off if you want to stay "friends"."

That nails the coffin.

Alfred watches Arthur as he enters his house. Once he had disappeared from his sight, Alfred turns slowly to his own home. He walks slowly and blankly, his heart empty.

Alfred hears his parents ask him but he doesn't hear them. Just mumbled words.

He heads to his bedroom and there, he locks his door and lets his legs give, dropping on to the floor with a loud thud.

He sniffs. And then again, until the tears start falling down from his eyes.

And like that night at school and three years ago, he sobs.

Maybe even worse.

He cries so much he's lost his voice and all energy within his body. Everything in his body hurts, stinging with pain but the most damaged part was his heart.

It was just... Broken. To a billion pieces. And Alfred doesn't think that he'll be able to recover and glue them all together.

***

Feeling droopy and all drained out from everything, he turns to look over at his closet.

...is it time to finally accept this...?

Arthur's Side:

Once he had closed the door, he breaks down and just cries.

It's the most painful cry he's ever had in his life, even more than when he had lost his father.

He just drops to the floor and hugs himself, shaking uncontrollably and tears never seeming to stop anytime soon.

Arthur was upset, disappointed, regretful, guilty, and sorry.

Never would he have thought to finally hear those exact words come from Alfred. Those words he had been wanting to hear for the longest time.

The words he would've wanted to hear before he brought himself into this mess.

"I love you." Once Alfred had said those exact words, Arthur felt magic course through him. His heart flutters and his whole being lighting up, like he had just found meaning in his life.

But that only lasted for a moment.

Because, he shouldn't be feeling this way anymore. Not when he's promised himself to Antonio that he'll love only him.

Alfred... Alfred was just too late.

No one was there to comfort him. His mother still wasn't home, Allistor had gone back to England, and Dylan had a trip somewhere.

Arthur could only hug himself tighter as he sobs.
Alfred was... A day too late.