If Arthur’s breakdown had been good for anything, it seemed to have released his tongue along with all those pent up emotions. Alfred even entertained the vaguest notion of hope when Arthur began to talk as he had once done. Although things were not quite the same, at least he was not as cold was he was before.
However, if Arthur was calming down, the atmosphere in the city was growing more violent. The tenseness threatened to snap. It came to a point when Alfred could not walk outside without running into a horde of protesters.
The peaceful protests would turn into riots and the police would be called out with tear gas and riot gear. Alfred only barely managed to escape getting caught up in one when he went out shopping for supplies.
“What’s going on?” Arthur was curious enough to break his silence when Alfred came diving into his room, cursing and wiping off bits of banana peel from his coat.
Alfred turned wrenched his gaze away from him. Ever since he was little, he was never able to lie with a straight face, especially not to Arthur of all people, who had an uncanny sixth sense for these sorts of things.
“Arthur, no matter what, it’s going to be okay!” He wished he did not have to yell that at the floor.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s crazy! They came out publicly about reforming the government and returning to a monarchy. My boss is against it because it’s not democratic but you’ll be surprised how much support it has both nationally and internationally. People are desperate. Right now, public opinion in the UK is divided between the Royalists in favour of the change and the Civils who are standing by the government.”
As flustered and unable to think properly as he was, Alfred’s blood ran cold when he heard Arthur say the two words he had never thought he would hear.
“Civil war.”
“What?” Alfred turned to him, horrified.
“I have a feeling that things will probably amount to a civil war,” Arthur repeated, strangle calm.
Alfred stuttered trying to find the right words to express his fear. “No...why?!” he demanded, angrily punching the nearest wall. Arthur flinched at the moment of contact, turning away from the sight of bleeding knuckles.
“This is...too much! This is too much! Can’t they see how much this is tormenting you?” Alfred hissed, shaking out the pain trilling up his hand.
A bitter smile tugged at Arthur’s lips. “Humans are selfish, didn’t I say so?”
Alfred turned to him and bit his lip. He did not want Arthur returning to his hatred and disgust of humans, not now when it seemed to have simmered. There was no need to awaken that sleeping lion.
“Even if they are you still can’t turn your back on your nation! Even Russia loves his own people!” he cried, gripping Arthur’s shoulders though he could not run anyway. “When you were betrayed, it hurt, didn’t it? You still care for people deep down though! If you didn’t why would it hurt when you confronted the queen? Why did you ask her why? Why did you plead with her if you really didn’t care?”
Arthur glared at him. A small bubble of anger rose to his throat. What did Alfred know about anything? How could he lecture him as if he had any idea what he went through and yet why did it hurt to hear those words?
“Stop it,” he said curtly, staring at Alfred in warning, though Alfred was never one to read the signs properly.
“You hesitated,” he continued obliviously. “You didn’t kill her because you still cared for her! Because you were worried what would happen to your people if their queen suddenly died!”
“Shut up,” he hissed, hoping a fiercer tone would halt Alfred’s tongue.
“It hurt, didn’t it? Thinking about what would happen to your people. It hurt didn’t it?!”
“Shut up.”
“That was why you were crying last night, because you still cared!”
“Shut up!” Arthur finally cried, flinging an arm at him to push him away. Only Alfred could make him snap the way he did. Only Alfred and his idiocy. “God dammit, you insensitive git, can’t you shut up for a minute?!”
Alfred jumped back to avoid the blow and hovered around the bed trying not to look worried. “Arthur...” he breathed, only barely stopping himself from reaching out again lest he be cruelly shoved back again.
Re: If you find me...[25/28]
However, if Arthur was calming down, the atmosphere in the city was growing more violent. The tenseness threatened to snap. It came to a point when Alfred could not walk outside without running into a horde of protesters.
The peaceful protests would turn into riots and the police would be called out with tear gas and riot gear. Alfred only barely managed to escape getting caught up in one when he went out shopping for supplies.
“What’s going on?” Arthur was curious enough to break his silence when Alfred came diving into his room, cursing and wiping off bits of banana peel from his coat.
Alfred turned wrenched his gaze away from him. Ever since he was little, he was never able to lie with a straight face, especially not to Arthur of all people, who had an uncanny sixth sense for these sorts of things.
“Arthur, no matter what, it’s going to be okay!” He wished he did not have to yell that at the floor.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s crazy! They came out publicly about reforming the government and returning to a monarchy. My boss is against it because it’s not democratic but you’ll be surprised how much support it has both nationally and internationally. People are desperate. Right now, public opinion in the UK is divided between the Royalists in favour of the change and the Civils who are standing by the government.”
As flustered and unable to think properly as he was, Alfred’s blood ran cold when he heard Arthur say the two words he had never thought he would hear.
“Civil war.”
“What?” Alfred turned to him, horrified.
“I have a feeling that things will probably amount to a civil war,” Arthur repeated, strangle calm.
Alfred stuttered trying to find the right words to express his fear. “No...why?!” he demanded, angrily punching the nearest wall. Arthur flinched at the moment of contact, turning away from the sight of bleeding knuckles.
“This is...too much! This is too much! Can’t they see how much this is tormenting you?” Alfred hissed, shaking out the pain trilling up his hand.
A bitter smile tugged at Arthur’s lips. “Humans are selfish, didn’t I say so?”
Alfred turned to him and bit his lip. He did not want Arthur returning to his hatred and disgust of humans, not now when it seemed to have simmered. There was no need to awaken that sleeping lion.
“Even if they are you still can’t turn your back on your nation! Even Russia loves his own people!” he cried, gripping Arthur’s shoulders though he could not run anyway. “When you were betrayed, it hurt, didn’t it? You still care for people deep down though! If you didn’t why would it hurt when you confronted the queen? Why did you ask her why? Why did you plead with her if you really didn’t care?”
Arthur glared at him. A small bubble of anger rose to his throat. What did Alfred know about anything? How could he lecture him as if he had any idea what he went through and yet why did it hurt to hear those words?
“Stop it,” he said curtly, staring at Alfred in warning, though Alfred was never one to read the signs properly.
“You hesitated,” he continued obliviously. “You didn’t kill her because you still cared for her! Because you were worried what would happen to your people if their queen suddenly died!”
“Shut up,” he hissed, hoping a fiercer tone would halt Alfred’s tongue.
“It hurt, didn’t it? Thinking about what would happen to your people. It hurt didn’t it?!”
“Shut up.”
“That was why you were crying last night, because you still cared!”
“Shut up!” Arthur finally cried, flinging an arm at him to push him away. Only Alfred could make him snap the way he did. Only Alfred and his idiocy. “God dammit, you insensitive git, can’t you shut up for a minute?!”
Alfred jumped back to avoid the blow and hovered around the bed trying not to look worried. “Arthur...” he breathed, only barely stopping himself from reaching out again lest he be cruelly shoved back again.