"Strength" - Hetalia UKxUS [Oneshot]

Strength
My first shot at a fanfic and my first ever try at a pairing.

"Alfred had once asked him what he would give up if he were ever in peril but neither he nor Arthur were truly aware of or ready for the answer." Oneshot. ArthurxAlfred. UKxUS.

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Standing in the open field, now overflowing with mud and rain water, thunder clapping together like a pair of cymbals overhead, he remembered back to the previous battle. A battle similar to this. However, the one who looked back at him at that time, eyes dimmed by sympathy and pity, now stood behind him, looking on with eyes now filled with fear and a small eching of admiration. As the rain continued to pour, Arthur opened his arms wide infront of the opposing team. "Go on! Show me your strength!". Despite his face showing no signs of fear or sorrow for himself, his eyes showed a completely different side to the powerful nation. There was a piercing and overpowering cry from a few metres infront of him but all he could do was close his eyes. His ally stepped forward, his face stained with tears which were barely visible from the downpour.

"Arthur!"

His eyes shot open. Alfred was leaning over him, shaking him violently. All Arthur could do was look at him for a moment then he quickly shot himself up from the settee and smacked the other man's hands away.
"What the hell do you want?"
"Sorry. I didn't want to wake you so soon but-..."
"Then why did you?" He rubbed his head and groaned, still attempting to clear his sight from the clouds hovering infront of his eyes.
"I just...well, I have to tell you something. You see..."
"Yeah? Well, spit it out." He sat and stared at his fellow nation, becoming more and more frustrated the longer that it took for him to receive an answer. After a short while of impatience he rubbed his shoulder with his opposite hand and sighed.
"Well, that was wonderful news, Alfred. Now, if you don't mind-..."
"Hold on!" Arthur was quickly pulled back down as he had just managed to get up and catch his balance. He winced slightly and forcefully pulled his arm away from Alfred. Just as he was about to throw all kinds of verbal hatred and abuse at the other man, he noticed how he had his head lowered, his eyes barely visible through the locks of hair that hanged over his forehead. Instead of going through with his intention to hit him, Arthur just slowly and gently moved the locks away and tried to look his friend in the eye with a small bout of success.
"Alfred, what is it?"
There was a silence, a tense silence that was so thick that even one of Kiku's swords couldn't break through it. Slowly, Alfred raised his hand and placed it gently ontop of Arthur's which now rested on his cheek. He looked up and lifted his head, smiling.

"I'm going to leave." Alfred continued to smile as the other nation lowered his hand and stared at him before he quickly got up.
"Idiot, you woke me up just to tell me that? Seriously..."
"I mean that I'm leaving for good!". Arthur, who had already started walking away, stopped in his tracks. He didn't turn around. Instead, he stood in silence for a moment.
"For good?"
"Something has come up and...I really have to leave for a while."
Arthur slowly turned and started to laugh. The laugh was fake but in his mind he thought that the younger nation would be naive enough, stupid enough, to believe that it was natural. When he noticed that he wasn't laughing back, Arthur stopped. After a moments silence, he began to speak.
"Well, why tell me something like that? It doesn't matter to me. Your business is not mine anymore so you really don't need to tell me anything like that, right? So what is it this time? A meeting with Russia again? Or maybe you're going through another economic crisis. I don't see how they wou-" He was quickly cut off as he suddenly felt a warm heat surround him. He looked down to see two arms wrapped around him, his sides being held tightly as though to stop his body from falling in half. "Alfred?"
"It does matter to you."
"I told you that it doesn't."
"But it does. You say that it doesn't but it does, am I right? It always matters when I never tell you so I tell you and it doesn't?"
"There's a difference in there..."
"What is that difference?" They stood in silence, Arthur feeling the heat from Alfred more and more. The air became thick once again. It got thicker until it felt like the older nation was going to collapse from the lack of natural air.

"I'm going to go fight." The silence was finally broken. "I was challenged and I couldn't step down so I must go fight."
A new war. It was the last thing that Arthur had expected to hear. He quickly turned around, making sure that the other mans arms were still around his waist, and locked his own emerald orbs with the others blue ones, his thick eyebrows furrowed. "You would accept such a stupid challenge with no real reasons behind it? You really are an idiot."
"It's because of the economy collapse.."
"I don't care what it's about. It's stupid and there is no need for it. Why would you accept such a stupid challenge?"
"Because I'm The Hero who accepts all challenges thrown at him!" The American nation posed proudly, hoping to gain some cheap laugh from the smaller man infront of him. Instead, he was disappointed when he turned away slightly and let a small release of air escape from his lips.
"Idiot. You really are an idiot."
"I'll be fine! You can be sure of that!"
"How can I be?"
"Because I learned from the best!" He put his hand on Arthur's shoulder only for it to be brushed off and for him to turn and walk away and head towards the kitchen, probably for a new cup of tea in order to properly waken himself up.
"Well, how would you feel?"
"What are you talking about?" He had reached the kitchen by now and the teapot was slowly being prepared, delicately so that the right amount of tea leaves were mixed with the correct amount of sugar.
"If I were in danger. How would you feel?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"Please, just answer it."
Arthur slowly emerged from the kitchen holding his new cup of tea. He raised the cup and slowly let some of the warm liquid slip down his throat before he paused in thought.
"I dont know. I guess you never know until you're in that situation. However, I am certain in that I want to protect you."
"So, you'll help me if I need it?"
"I suppose that I would have to, yes."
"Thank you!" The younger nation raised his arms in glee, a huge grin sliding from ear to ear. Arthur groaned and turned away slightly in an attempt to head for the kitchen to fix his tea which was nowhere near strong enough for his taste. He must have confused the measurements for the sugar and tea leaves.

"Hey, Iggy" Alfred started, letting the annoying petname fall towards the small nation. He turned, an irritated glare in his eyes, and Alfred made a gun motion with his hand "I'll definetely win." He raised his hand with a "pow" sound effect made by his own mouth and Arthur felt a sharp pain in his chest.

He fell. The rain continuing to pour, the mud surrounding him slowly soaking him in. The sky above him was grey with small hints of a very dark blue and some paler shades, slowly going towards white. He could see someone over him. They were speaking, at least it looked that way from how the mouth was moving, but there was no sound. He could barely feel the weight of the younger nation as his shoulders were grabbed and shaken, just as before. Arthur's eyes became heavy. So that was how it all started. That was why he was here, lying in the slop created by water and earth. His eyes became heavy. The pain faded.
"I'm sorry, Alfred, that I couldn't protect you like I promised..."
The pain disappeared.