Alfred Jones vs The World- Ch7

Winter was finally in full swing. The snow fell softly from the grey sky and ice set on the paths making them perilous to walk on... as Arthur found out that Saturday morning.


He cursed and huffed as he walked to Alfred's house; the American was forcing him to come over so they could watch a movie and cuddle and do 'couple-y' things, as he had described it.


"Come on Artie, come over and we can cuddle and be couple-y!" Alfred had begged, clinging on to Arthur's arm with that adorable pout on his face. Arthur would have to build immunity to that. The Brit scoffed and shook his head.


"Alfred, it's cold and icy outside, what if I slipped over?" he questioned. Hopefully Alfred would consider this and he could stay in and have a cup of tea while reading a book. But no, it wasn't to be because Alfred had shaken his head and declared with a big smile, "No way! That won't happen! You'll be fine!" he cuddled him some more and asked, "So you coming over or what?"


"Oh fine. You're a git, you know."


"But I'm your git, right?"


"I suppose so..."


Arthur grumbled to himself and wondered how he'd managed to let himself get wound around Alfred's finger like that. He pulled the collar of his coat up higher and adjusted the scarf around his neck in a poor attempt to keep warm. The British man was used to cold weather, but this was ridiculous.


He walked slowly in order to keep his balance and when he arrived at the American's house, he was greeted with a beaming smile and a cup of hot chocolate that Alfred had prepared while he waited for Arthur to arrive. Shocked by this, he smiled and took the cup from him and he felt the irritation melt away. Alfred knew that he'd done something right because he smiled that big smile of his once again and planted a kiss on Arthur's head.


"Come on!" he said when Arthur had taken his coat, scarf and shoes off and followed Alfred into the living room. Alfred sat down on the large plush couch and patted the seat next to him with a cute smile. Arthur rolled his eyes and sat next to him.


"I don't know why I let you persuade me like this..." he said and sipped the hot chocolate. It tasted amazing, but he wasn't going to tell Alfred that.


"Like what?" Alfred asked, obviously puzzled.


"Walking all the way here in the ice and snow, risking my life—"


"Arthur, you live ten minutes away.  Stop being so dramatic!" Alfred smiled, "You're alive, aren't ya?"


"Yes, well—"


"Then there's nothing to complain about!" Alfred said and jumped up again, "So I was thinking we could watch this movie!" he ran over to his DVD collection and picked up Superman. Arthur wrinkled his nose.


"No."


"Wha...?" Alfred looked dumfounded that someone could actually decline Superman! He huffed and pouted but when he saw that Arthur was not going to budge with his decision, he put it back and went to find something else. Arthur sat on the couch and waited and while he did so, he sipped the hot chocolate and looked around. That was when he realised that he'd never really noticed much about Alfred's house before. It was cosy to say the least, and on top of the fireplace were pictures of Alfred and his brother and presumably their parents. Arthur smiled a little and he thought of his own mother. Just wait until she heard about his new boyfriend...


Arthur turned his gaze to the coffee table and he noticed some papers sprawled out over the top. Curious, he set the cup down and looked through them and he smiled when he realised they were doodles. Obviously in a typical comic book layout, Arthur moved the papers to see if he could figure out a storyline. When he managed to get the papers in order, Alfred turned around and asked, "This one! You'll love it, I promise!" he held out X-Men to the Brit and Arthur shook his head. Alfred let his hand fall to his side and his eyes widened.


"Why not? Don't tell me you hate X-Men too! Look at Wolverine! Look at how badass he is! Look at him!"


Arthur wasn't paying attention anymore. He was looking through the doodles and when Alfred realised he was being ignored again, he looked down to see what Arthur was looking at.


"Oh hey, I didn't realise I'd left these here," he said and went back to Arthur.


"You drew these?" Arthur asked with a raised eyebrow. Alfred pouted.


"Don't look so surprised!" he stated and continued to pout, "A hero can be talented too, y'know!"


"Yes, yes, I don't doubt that for a minute," Arthur smiled a little and he picked up his cup again, "They're very good."


"Thanks!" Alfred seemed to glow whenever he was praised. He was very much like a child in that respect and Arthur found it adorable. He paused for a moment then continued, "Hey! There's one you haven't seen!"


"Oh?"


"Yeah! It's of me and you!" he said beaming. He stood up and ran upstairs to his room and a few moments later, he came back with a piece of paper, "It's not done yet," Alfred said and he blushed a little, "But here..." he passed him the paper and Arthur looked at it.


There were five panels; the first was nothing but a tree and a doodle of a man who looked very much like Arthur. Alfred had drawn him wearing a sweater vest and he'd shaded the pants in black. Arthur's eyebrows were very over exaggerated, which irritated him a little. He noticed that the doodle of himself was sitting in the tree. The next panel was the same but with Alfred this time. He noticed that Alfred had drawn himself in an outfit similar to Superman but instead on the S there was an A in its place. Arthur finally started to figure out the story. In the third panel, the hero Alfred realised that Arthur was stuck in the tree and he flew- yes, flew- up to the tree and picked him up. The fourth panel had Alfred set Arthur down on the floor and the doodle of Arthur was looking very grateful. Hero Alfred looked pleased with himself. The fifth panel had them both kissing which made Arthur blush a little. He cleared his throat and smiled a little.


"That's very good," he commented and handed the paper back. Alfred shook his head and said, "You keep it. It was for you anyway."


"Really?" Arthur asked and looked down at the paper again as Alfred nodded eagerly. The Brit looked at the paper again and said, "You told me it wasn't finished..."


"Yeah, well I think it looks okay like that!" Alfred insisted and smiled. Arthur smiled a little more, "Thank you..." he folded it carefully and slipped it into his pocket. Alfred beamed and jumped up again to find a movie to watch.


Eventually, Alfred decided on Batman and that was when Arthur realised that they would be watching a movie of this genre and there was nothing he could do about it. But he didn't mind Batman... to an extent. Alfred popped the DVD in the player and jumped back to the couch. He slipped an arm around Arthur's shoulder and held him close. Arthur sipped the rest of the hot chocolate and leaned forward to place it on the table then he settled back into Alfred's embrace. The American shifted his position slightly and adjusted his body so he was lying on the couch instead of sitting up. Arthur did the same and he was quite happy to cuddle with Alfred while they watched the movie.


Nestled in Alfred's embrace, Arthur felt warm and protected. He let his head rest against the American's chest and after a half hour, he started to feel tired. He tried to keep his eyes opened but the more he tried the harder it became. Eventually he fell asleep.


Arthur dreamt. He dreamt of what life could be like when all of this was over. He dreamt of spending the rest of his life with the man that had fought so hard for him. It made him smile. Arthur loved Alfred- there was no doubt about that. Obviously he knew that no one else would go to all this trouble for him. It was very touching and his heart fluttered when he realised that this nightmare would soon be over.


A loud snore ripped him from his dream and his eyes widened. He blinked the sleep away and raised a hand to rub at his eyes. He glanced around the room and he realised that the TV was now off and the room was darkening considerably. The snore sounded again and Arthur jumped slightly. What the...? He looked at Alfred and a small smile crept to his lips when he realised that Alfred had fallen asleep too. The American still had his arm around him and he snored once again. Arthur couldn't help but laugh when he saw that Alfred's glasses were askew. Whenever he had stayed the night, Alfred had never snored like this. He didn't mind though. Arthur shifted slightly and looked at his watch- his eyes widened when he realised that he had slept for most of the day. When he tried to move, Alfred whined in his sleep and his grip around his waist tightened. Arthur scowled and he tried to move once again but Alfred held on. Eventually, he was left with no choice but to wake him up.


"Alfred," Arthur said and shook his boyfriend's shoulder lightly. The American did nothing to show he was about to wake up. Arthur scowled once again, "Alfred, wake up!"


Another whine escaped from Alfred but he did open his eyes slightly. Arthur smiled and placed a kiss on Alfred's head, "I need to get home, it is rather late."


Incoherent mumbling came from Alfred as he pulled Arthur to his chest. The Englishman spluttered and pushed at him but with no avail.


"Stay here..." Alfred said when he was feeling more awake. Arthur shook his head.


"No, I need to go home... now kindly release me, I'm finding it hard to breathe..."


Pouting but complying with Arthur's request, Alfred finally released him and sat up. He straightened his glasses and stood up. He stretched and ran a hand through his hair then shuffled to the kitchen, "Want anything?"


"No thank you..."


Alfred came back a few moments later with some soda and sat next to Arthur again. He smiled sleepily, "You're cute."


"I am not," Arthur insisted and crossed his arms.


"You are when you're trying to stay awake," Alfred snickered. The Brit blushed and huffed.


"I am not..."


"Are too!"


"Whatever," Arthur sighed, "When did you fall asleep?"


"After the movie..." he said and finished his soda, "Figured I'd take a nap too, y'know? Since I wasn't gunna make out with you and stuff."


Arthur blushed and stood up, "Well..." he said and paused. Alfred was just smiling at him; his blue eyes sparking brightly. Arthur blushed, "I should leave."


"I'll walk you home," Alfred said and jumped up too. He ran to find his bomber jacket but Arthur shook his head, "No... I can get home fine by myself."


"No way, it's dark outside and it's cold and icy and stuff!"


"You had no problem with that before..." Arthur huffed but moved to get his coat and scarf. He put his shoes on and Alfred led the way out. The cold evening air hit them like a brick wall. Arthur shivered and he pulled the scarf closer to his skin as Alfred took his hand. He laced their fingers as he led the Brit away from his house. They stepped on to the path and started to walk to Arthur's place.


They walked in a comfortable silence for half the walk. Arthur had to tell Alfred to slow down so he didn't slip but as usual the American didn't listen. He almost slipped a few moments later and it was after that moment he decided to listen to Arthur's advice.


Out of no where a large piece of metal came towards them. Arthur, having spotted it just in time, pulled Alfred away from their attacker but caused them both to slip. Alfred hissed in pain but looked over at Arthur, "What the hell? Are you okay?"


"Don't worry about me, just pay attention to him!" Arthur said and backed up. Alfred got to his feet and saw their attacker was a very large man wearing a long scarf. His light blond hair gently moved with the light breeze. He wore a long tan coat and heavy boots. The most striking feature about him was his eyes; a light violet colour that seemed to glow in the early evening light. It made the sinister feeling about him ten times stronger.


He smiled, but it wasn't a normal smile. Alfred felt a shiver run down his spine; it was a seemingly innocent smile... almost childlike in the way it presented itself, however Alfred knew it was anything but.


The tall man said nothing. He just studied Alfred, as though he was a predator stalking its prey. It was almost like he was analysing the best way in which to hurt him. Where to strike, where not to strike and how to go about it and it scared the American. He knew exactly what this man was here for and he knew that he would have to defeat him.


"You're one of them, aren't you?" he asked. Of course he knew that, but he was just asking out of confirmation. If this was just a random attack, Alfred would beat the crap out of them anyway, but he asked so he knew what he was dealing with.


"Da," the man replied and tilted his head to one side slightly. He paused for a moment then spoke again, with laughter in his voice, "You are strange..."


Alfred detected a Russian accent and he scowled. Were all of Arthur's ex-boyfriend's foreign? He ignored the statement about being strange and he prepared himself, "Well, if you're gunna do this then let's get it over with. It's cold and Artie here doesn't wanna be waiting around."


"My name is Arthur..." the Brit sighed in agitation.


His comment went unheard and before Alfred knew what was happening, the metal was back and he moved just in time or else it would have made contact with the side of his head. It would have caused a serious injury.


"Ivan!" Arthur shouted, "You'll kill him if you fight with that!"


Ivan looked at the metal pipe he held and then to Arthur. He smiled that smile again, "But is that not the point?" he asked, "To smash his skull in and win would give me great pleasure."


Alfred stared at Ivan. Forget Kiku, this guy was nothing but insane!


"Arthur, I really don't get what you saw in him!" Alfred said and dodged yet another attack from Ivan. Because he kept missing, the Russian's expression seemed to darken.


"Kolkolkol..."


"What the fuck?" Alfred looked at the man and managed to dodge him again. He kept swinging for him and eventually Alfred moved too late. The metal pipe came in contact with his head. He heard Arthur shout something but he didn't comprehend. Stars exploded into his vision and he staggered to one side to lean against the wall. He clutched his head and when he removed his hand his palm was red with his own blood. Before he knew what was happening, a searing pain shot through his body as the metal pipe came in contact with his stomach. Moving an arm to protect his gut, he squinted up at the grinning Russian. Ivan held his pipe above his head and moved to bring it down on him. Alfred managed to move just in time and he forced himself to stand up straight. He ignored the blood gushing from the wound on his head; he would deal with that later. Ivan came for him once again and Alfred forced himself to move. He grabbed a lid from a near by trash can and used it as a shield. Ivan slammed the pipe into him as Alfred moved the lid to protect himself but even then he felt himself stumble backwards. Alfred knew he was strong but this guy was something else.


He quickly moved the lid and had it collide with Ivan's face. He saw he'd done some damage so he moved it again. Ivan grabbed hold of the lid and tore it out of Alfred's grip. The American gaped at him then decided it would be better if he moved away. He ran down an alley way in search of something to use as a weapon. He pushed boxes and cans over in an attempt to slow the Russian down but it didn't work. Alfred found himself cornered. He looked to his left and found a large brick. If only he could reach it...


He moved and Ivan moved with him. He swiped with the pipe and it came into contact with Alfred's arm. He refused to cry out and he started to make his way over to the brick. His vision was blurry and the world was spinning. He forced himself to stay awake.


Soft snow started to fall from the dark sky above them. Ivan smiled that innocent smile and said, "You try to run but you know that you will not win, da?" he started to advance, "Hurting you is making me very happy..."


"You are so fucked up," Alfred said and leaned against the wall. He grabbed a bottle and threw it at Ivan. The Russian dodged it and continued to smile. Alfred didn't know what was more frightening; the fact that the Russian was trying to kill him or that he was smiling while doing so. As though he didn't know it was wrong.


Alfred definitely questioned Arthur's choice in boyfriends.


Ivan moved again and this time he had a new weapon. He picked up the smashed bottle by the neck and held the jagged part out. He moved forward and Alfred realised that if he stayed where he was for a moment longer, he would be seriously hurt... more so than he was now.


He moved just in time and Ivan followed him. How Alfred managed to keep dodging the attacks, he would never know, but he didn't stop. Sweat started to for on his forehead and the beads of moisture rolled down his temples. He raised a hand to his wound and realised that it had stopped bleeding. It wasn't as bad as he had thought. He was lucky.


Alfred lunged forward and grabbed the brick he was looking for and he picked it up. He held it tight in his hand and when Ivan came at him again, he swung it as hard as he could in hope he could hit the Russian. He dodged it, and grabbed Alfred's wrist. He smiled again and said, "It would be better if you just gave up now."


"Never," Alfred spat. Ivan just chucked and chanted 'kolkolkol' once again and he tightened his grip on Alfred's wrist. He tightened it so much that the American thought that his wrist might actually break. Alfred bit his lip and winced but he kept hold of the brick as best he could. He moved his other hand and punched Ivan as hard as he could in the stomach. The Russian hissed in pain and released Alfred's wrist. The wrist was weakened so he dropped the brick. He punched Ivan across the face and kicked him in the chest. He watched the large man tumble backwards and fall down. Alfred smiled a little; he might be in with a chance of wining now.


He moved forward again and threw more punches. Ivan tried to push and kick him away but Alfred delivered the final blow. He punched Ivan as hard as he could and the Russian was rendered unconscious. Alfred fell to his knees and sighed heavily. He heard Arthur hurry to him and before he knew it, arms were wrapped around his neck and a frantic accented voice spoke to him, but he had no idea what it was saying.


Alfred blinked and moved forward, resting his head on Arthur's shoulder. The Brit gently hugged him and kissed his forehead, "I'm so sorry..."


"I'm cold..." Alfred said weakly and Arthur nodded. He helped him to his feet then knelt down again to find Ivan's phone. Alfred watched him as Arthur typed a message then put the phone back.


"What're you doing?" he asked and Arthur led him away from the alley.


"We can't leave him here. I sent a message to his sister to come and collect him."


"Are they crazy like him?" Alfred asked and Arthur paused for a moment, "Just one of them. I informed the sane sister of his situation..."


"Oh... 'kay then..." Alfred mumbled. Arthur glanced at him worriedly and slipped his hand into Alfred's and called a cab to take them to the hospital.


-------


When they arrived back at Arthur's house, Alfred was taken straight to bed. He fell asleep almost immediately. Arthur felt so guilty. Alfred was lucky; the hospital had determined that no real damage had been done (they said he'd been attacked but they didn't see his face) and that he was just bruised. Alfred had come home with a headache and because of that he went straight to bed.


Arthur got changed ready for bed and climbed in beside them American. He saw Alfred shift his position and rest his head against Arthur's chest. The Brit felt another wave of guilt wash over him as he noticed the head injury Alfred had was starting to bruise. That would hurt for a few days.


He wrapped an arm around Alfred's sleeping form and sighed as he looked out the window. The snow was falling from the sky, thick and heavy, and there was no doubt that Alfred would want to play in it in the morning. Thinking of Alfred's happy smile made Arthur's heart flutter.


He gently ran his fingers through Alfred's blond hair and he looked at the wall ahead of him thoughtfully. Today had been the worst attack that Alfred had endured and Arthur wondered why he still bothered. He had almost gotten himself killed for what? Just so he could date him? Arthur shook his head slightly; he wasn't worth it. He had told himself and Alfred many times that he should just leave him and find a decent, normal man to spend the rest of his life with. Alfred would always shake his head and insist that there was no one else he wanted to be with. He would be with Arthur or he would be alone for the rest of his life. Arthur looked down at the sleeping blond and his grip around him tightened slightly as a nervous feeling bubbled up inside of him. He bit his lip. The nervousness was accompanied by relief.


Just one to go.