Work Text:
August 17, 1923
Knock, knock, knock
Three light taps were placed on the wooden door. Arthur checked his watch with a sigh before looking up at the sky above him. Having arrived a little later than intended, the sun was already beginning to set, leaving the sky an artistic mix of blue and orange hues lightly covered by thin clouds.
It sort of reminded him of the days when the two would sit on the back patio and talk about their wildly different cultures or political climates; West thought one way, East thought another. Shaking his head, Arthur looked back at the door in front of him.
After a few seconds of no response, he knocked once more, this time slightly harder. He shifted anxiously from foot to foot as his eyes wandered around the exterior of the house. A house so familiar, yet nowadays so foreign.
Quick footsteps approached the door, and the soft click of the door's lock being unlatched from inside could be faintly heard. It was then slid over enough to silently signal Arthur was permitted to enter.
Taking off his shoes, he slowly entered the house. It was quiet, though it was always like that; the man inside wasn't the most outgoing person. Strangely, as he bent over to grab his house slippers, they were missing from their usual spot. No matter, he didn't need them. His socks would do just fine.
From within the kitchen, Arthur could hear the beginnings of a screeching kettle. Peeking inside, he found his former partner putting out the stove's fire with the waving of a hand cloth. Then, he transferred the kettle to an unused burner to ease its screaming.
If it were just a few years ago, Arthur would have wrapped his arms around his waist with a soft smile, whispering into his ear about how the tea smelled lovely, or he would have busied himself with getting the cups ready. Now, he could only watch as the man in front of him carefully poured a single cup of tea for himself.
"You're staring, Arthur."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Arthur's eyes met dark, black ones. With a nervous gulp, he leaned against the door frame and looked back at where his slippers should have been.
"Apologies, Kiku, I was just wondering where my slippers went." He dryly pondered, not being able to hide the slight edge in his voice.
"I'm not sure, I must have misplaced them when I was cleaning."
What an obvious lie. Kiku didn't just "lose" things while cleaning. He was meticulous that way, always making sure everything got put back in its original spot. Arthur's mouth twitched into something reminiscent of a smile as he bit back any foul comments threatening to leave his mouth.
"Oh, I'm sure you did," Arthur couldn't help but snark, his gaze shifting away from cold eyes to the warm kettle slowly cooling down.
July 13, 1911
"What do you think about this?"
Splayed across the zataku were documents pertaining to the two lovers' alliance. Though their 1905 revision wasn't meant to expire for another 4 years, increasing tensions between Kiku and Alfred over differences in polices left Arthur feeling a bit weary. If the two were to go engage in war with one another, Arthur would have been forced to fight alongside Kiku, ruining his already tense yet friendly terms with Alfred.
Arthur handed over a semi-crumpled piece of paper that was heavily erased, with only a small fraction of the writing being legible to the average person. Luckily, Kiku was used to Arthur's sloppy way of jotting down ideas. He's been forced to read it plenty of times before.
He could decipher what was written as an additional article to be added, which would make neither him nor Arthur obligated to go to war against a third party if a general arbitration treaty was signed between one of them and the other country.
In essence, Kiku recognized, Arthur just wanted to avoid being pulled into battle against Alfred if he and Kiku were to go to war with each other.
"I see no problem with it, I know you and Alfred are close," Kiku assured as he slid the paper back over. The smile that spread across Arthur's face let Kiku know he appreciated the confirmation. Though it quickly faded into an expression of nervousness as Arthur looked down at the written alliance on the table.
"The other day I overheard my boss talking about our alliance," Arthur mumbled, eyes focused on the plethora of papers rather than the man he was talking to.
"Oh? What did he have to say?"
"He—" he paused, figuring out how to lightly put the matter, "he was just saying he's a bit worried the interests of Britain and the interests of Japan are becoming too diverged for his liking." A glance upwards to gauge if he should continue granted him some comfort, as Kiku sat looking at him with the same gentle gaze he always did.
"He's worried that because of how much you're expanding west, soon you'll start impeding upon our interests in China. He also mentioned how Canada's and Australia's bosses were getting on his ass about their disapproval of Japanese immigration."
For a moment, silence had found an uncomfortable seat among them. Had he said too much? The fact that he was throwing his boss under the bus for having similar feelings of doubt that he did himself was already sugarcoating it as much as he could.
A light chuckle from the left brought him back to the present. With a polite smile and the smoothing of his yukata, Kiku shifted closer to him.
"You trust me, don't you?" he inquired, a hand coming to caress Arthur's hair as he pressed a light kiss atop his head.
He wanted to trust Kiku—he really did—but with how much of a presence he was establishing in China, Arthur couldn't help but think that maybe Kiku was starting to forget one of the reasons for this alliance was to protect his interests in China. Perhaps he was just overthinking it.
"Of course I do."
"Then why worry about what he thinks about us?" he whispered gingerly, his other hand moving to rest on Arthur's chest. "You know what's best for your country, trust your gut. Now, let's polish up these revisions so we can publish them soon."
August 17, 1923
After a deafening silence stretched among them for far too long, Arthur awkwardly cleared his throat. "I'm only here to grab my belongings, then I'll be on my way."
"I see," Kiku muttered, turning to grab hold of the kettle. "Would you like some tea? Grab a cup."
Much less a question, more a demand. Hesitantly, Arthur pushed himself off the door frame to walk over to open one of the cupboards. He grabbed the same cup he always did, a dainty one with a chip in it from when he dropped it the first time he came over. Kiku placed a tea bag inside the cup and steaming water soon flowed down on top of it, but Arthur couldn't care less about that.
Up close, Kiku looked as though he hadn't slept in days. A subtle darkness rested beneath his eyes, while his eyes were stained with a light red tint and a tad watery. Arthur's heart clenched at the sight, but before he could comment, Kiku had already moved to put the kettle down.
Without any acknowledgement, Kiku brushed past him to walk down the hallway, presumably to go sit outside. Arthur let out a light scoff before taking a sip from his cup. His eyes widened as he processed what he was drinking: orange pekoe tea, his favorite. But it couldn't have been, Kiku didn't drink that type of tea, and the last time Arthur was here, he had run out.
On the counter, however, a new imported box sat by the rest of Kiku's expensive teas. 'Maybe some of my preferences did rub off on him', Arthur snickered, taking his second sip.
His gaze shifted from the arrangements of tea to the scenery outside. By now, sun was barely visible over the horizon line, and the deep blue coloring of the night overpowered the softly painted yellow.
After finishing the rest of his drink with a final, third sip, he placed the cup in the sink alongside other various dirty dishes before beginning to head to the room he knew he'd find cluttered with most of his belongings; Kiku's guest bedroom. Though it was practically his personal room, as no one else used it to his knowledge.
Sliding open the door, Arthur was met by an unusually dusty room. Yes, it had been a while since he visited, but Kiku enjoyed keeping every part of his house clean. Perhaps it was just the pettiness of the situation getting to him. Why would he bother cleaning the room belonging to a man he lied to time and time again?
February 18, 1915
"What the bloody hell is this, Kiku?"
Holding the telephone between his shoulder and ear, Arthur angrily gripped the papers Yao practically smuggled to him earlier today.
"What are you talking about?" Kiku inquired, tone as soft as usual.
"The twenty-one demands you burdened his country with! Why wouldn't you tell me about something like this?"
Kiku's breath caught in his throat. How could Arthur have found out about that? He made sure that Yao and his boss would keep it confidential.
"I…didn't think it was that important," he lied through his teeth. "We're in the middle of fighting a war, no? I didn't want to bother you with something so trivial."
"You thought trying to turn China into a Japanese protectorate wasn't important? Don't give me that bullshit!" Arthur spat as he slammed down the telephone back on its stand.
With fast, shallow breaths, his gaze remained on the phone in front of him. He groaned as his hands slid across his face, tugging down on his eyes. As he rested his head down on the desk, he looked over to the black and white photograph framed on his desk. He stood with an arm resting on Kiku's chair. In his partner's hand was a beautiful bouquet of roses Arthur had picked up on his way to the photo shoot.
'What a cheap way of trying to bully one into submission', Arthur thought, a frown spreading across his face as a finger came to tip the photo over. His train of thought was interrupted by the telephone loudly clattering beside him. He lazily sat up, hand already moving to pick up the call.
"Kiku, I—"
"Dude! Have you seen these demands Kiku threatened Yao with?! They're insane!" Alfred shouted over the line.
Of course. It wasn't him. Why would it have been? Kiku would never call back after an outburst like that; he knew that. He just wasn't that type of man.
August 17, 1923
Arthur placed his briefcase on the floor and began collecting the smaller items first, things such as magazines and cigarettes. It felt relaxing—mundane even—a feeling he hadn't felt in a while. His life had been so busy lately that he hadn't had the time to simply relax.
It felt strange being here. Despite visiting frequently, often for unprofessional reasons, there was a tension in the air that made his skin crawl. The more things he picked up, the deeper the feeling seemed to pierce his skin.
It was really over for them, undeniably so.
As he hastily shoved his things into his bag, his eye spotted something off about his shikibuton.
The blanket that should have been lying neatly atop the mattress was instead bunched up and wrinkly. Arthur raised an eyebrow as he walked over to fix it. He was certain he made the bed last time he was here; he never left any bed without doing so. Perhaps Kiku had messed it up in an uncharacteristic fit of rage.
However, he halted as his hand landed on a seemingly damp spot. Was there a leak? Looking up, the ceiling was as dry as ever, so where could this have come from?
The deeper he thought about it, the easier it became to connect the dots. The redness and wetness of Kiku's eyes earlier was likely from crying. Arthur's gut twisted at the thought of that. He'd only seen Kiku cry a handful of times, and even those tears combined weren't enough to produce the same amount he could feel on this blanket.
Another glance around the room to distract himself led his eyes to an unfamiliar box hastily shoved in the corner. He knew he shouldn't have looked—it wasn't his to dig through—but curiosity got the better of him. He carefully unfolded the box's flaps and leaned over to peer at its contents.
Inside, he found copies of the papers that solidified their alliance. Kiku still even had the messy rough drafts they brainstormed together. But out of all the documents to stick out to him, it was a copy of the signed document that brought the alliance to an end—a paper that was also stained with wet patches.
December 13, 1921
"Hey mate, wait up!"
The sound of hasty footsteps pacing down the stairs caused Kiku to falter slightly in his walking on the last few steps, and he turned his head to glance at the person calling for him. Though, there was only one person that it could truly be, with his thick British accent and quick way of speaking.
"Arthur, what is it?" he gritted through his teeth, a fabricated smile finding its way across his face. Arthur put a hand up while bent over, panting as he caught his breath. Exhaling a final huff, he put a hand on Kiku's shoulder.
"We usually walk out together. What's wrong?" Arthur questioned with a small frown. His confusion deepened as Kiku let out a seemingly annoyed scoff.
"I admire your confidence to ask me such a question," he hissed, pushing Arthur's hand off him. "My apologies if this seems rude, but why would I walk with someone who would betray their ally like that?"
"I'm sorry? You act as if I wanted the alliance to be terminated!" he spat back, already knowing Kiku was trying to get under his skin. "I tried getting Alfred to join a similar alliance with us, and he just laughed in my face! It doesn't help that his brother and that stupid country in the corner of the world have also been pressuring me nonstop to end it!"
"And you took their word over mine?"
"I resisted as much as I possibly could. You realize you haven't been the most truth-worthy over the past few years, y'know," Arthur retorted sharply, noticing the way Kiku's shoulders tensed.
"I told you what was necessary. Why inform you of things that wouldn't concern you?" Kiku countered, face contradicting his dry tone. By this point, he was facing Arthur completely.
"Everything you did concerned me! We were allies! Anything you happened to do reflected onto me."
"If that was the case, then you would have realized how much of an embarrassment it is for me and my country for you to allow things to end like this."
"It's not embarrassing!" Arthur argued, "and besides, just because our alliance is over doesn't mean we still can't be together."
With a tight-lipped smile, Kiku turned to face the path he was originally planning to walk down.
"Please, excuse me, I must catch my flight," he muttered before walking away.
'What the hell?' Arthur cursed to himself, hand reaching to harshly grip the stairs' railing. His other hand clasped tightly across his mouth to suppress the feeling of puke moving up his body.
"Coucou, Arthur!" A groan barely escaped his lips as he begrudgingly looked behind him. Francis swiftly wrapped an arm around his shoulder, leaning in towards his ear. "I see there's trouble in paradise," he teased as one of his hands gestured towards Kiku, who was already almost rounding the corner.
Arthur shoved him off, then looked back at the street's corner. "I'm not even sure there is a bloody paradise anymore," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh, that's too bad," he sarcastically pitied, "How about we go out for a drink to mourn the loss?"
After some thought, Arthur nodded, allowing Francis to guide him down the stairs with a hand on his back. He definitely needed a few (dozen) drinks in his system.
August 17, 1923
A soft nagging on the bottom of Arthur's sweater pulled his gaze away from the box. Pochi, Kiku's dog, was yanking at the fabric with an unusual amount of passion. He chuckled and attempted to nudge him away, but to no avail.
"Hey, come on, knock that off," Arthur semi-joked, giving Pochi another nudge. He yanked his hand back as Pochi nipped at him, letting out a tiny bark and hopping slightly towards the door. With a look of concern, he stood up with a small grunt and began following the dog. Pochi was usually such a calm pet, so it was unlike him to be so unruly. Something must have been wrong.
Following him about the house, Arthur was eventually led to the back patio's open door. There Kiku sat, tea—likely cold by now—still in hand. Arthur stumbled out of the house as Pochi gave him a rough push to the leg. Hearing the wood creak beneath unstable footsteps, Kiku looked behind him. He huffed upon seeing the man behind him, turning his attention back to the scenery ahead of him.
"Finished packing?" He asked, believing the strain in his voice would go unnoticed. However, it did not, as Arthur took a seat right next to him.
"You were crying before I came. Why?" Arthur bluntly asked.
"I was not."
"You were, don't lie to me."
Arthur knew he was being slightly abrasive, but he didn't care anymore. If Kiku was crying over him, he needed to know, and he wouldn't stop pressing until he got an answer. His gaze continued to pierce through Kiku as the other kept his eyes anywhere but him. A soft sigh escaped his lips, and his eyes rested on the tea stirring in his cup.
"Okay, I was. I was crying because I missed you," he dryly admitted. Arthur's eyes widened, and a smile broke across his face.
"You missed me?" He teased, leaning on one hand towards Kiku, who gave him a glare out of the corner of his eye. "Need I remind you that you were the one who decided to end things between us?"
"That doesn't mean I can't miss you. A lot of our time was spent together over the past 20 years," Kiku refuted, though the action of him placing his hand on top of Arthur's contradicted his harsh tone.
"Well, if you missed me so bad, prove it," Arthur kidded. He wasn't expecting much to come from it besides silence or maybe a rejection. Instead, Kiku's lips gave a subtle smile, and he finally met Arthur's gaze. His grip on Arthur's hand tightened before tugging him closer.
"Ah! Kiku, what—!"
Chapped lips abruptly met soft ones as he fell on top of Kiku. Kiku's hand entangled itself within his hair, the other slipping lower to grasp his hip. Years of desperation poured between their mouths, and Arthur's hands came to clumsily cup Kiku's face, bringing them into a deeper embrace, while his legs gripped at either side of his hips.
A quick pinch to his side caused Arthur to gasp, allowing Kiku to push his tongue past his lips; it was a trick he knew would work; it always did. He gave his hip a light pat as a silent apology, as his hand, previously gripping his head, found purchase against his shoulder.
They weren't the best kissers, but that didn't matter at the moment. All that did was the feeling of their bodies against one another, the heat that radiated between them in contrast to the light breeze of nature.
The longer it went on, the louder Arthur's whimpers became, his eyes shutting tighter as he attempted to cling on to the little oxygen he still had. Pulling away with a loud gasp for air, he planted his hands on the floor below Kiku's head.
"Did that prove it to you?" Kiku teased, arms wrapping around his neck. Arthur shook his head, chuckling, and leaned back in, placing a quick peck on his lips before leaning to leave kisses down his jaw. Kiku tilted his head up as Arthur made his way to his neck. While one of Arthur's hands rested on his side, the other was busy pushing aside the fabric of Kiku's yukata.
Once his mouth reached Kiku's collarbone, Arthur looked up at his face with the most pathetic expression; his eyes were glossy, and his cheeks were a tint of pink, all while being drenched in a light layer of sweat. It was a silent request for permission to continue, and Kiku gave him an equally silent response with a nod and smile.
He whined as his collarbone was kissed, the skin being pulled in between Arthur's lips. After a few awkward moments, he pulled back, a popping sound cutting through the silence. Wiping his lips, he swiped a thumb over the new mark on Kiku's skin with a grin. Again, his lips found Kiku's skin, this time on his neck. The thought of how difficult this would be to cover up crossed both their minds, yet neither bothered to bring it up.
Kiku hissed as Arthur bit down on him, his teeth catching his bottom lip to prevent himself from yelling out. Arthur's hand moved from Kiku's side to the opposite side of his neck as he leaned further into the bite. When Kiku squirmed a little more beneath him, he finally let go, leaving a beautifully dark magenta colored hickey.
Arthur winced as he checked the time on his watch. If he didn't leave soon, he was going to end up missing his meeting set for tomorrow. Looking back at Kiku, however, he found it hard to restrain himself. His hair was splayed out against the wooden flooring, and his eyes were giving him the softest look he's ever seen.
He closed his own eyes and leaned in for another kiss, but they quickly widened as his lips were met with the skin of Kiku's palms.
"You only check your watch during times like these when you have somewhere you need to be," Kiku teased, pushing Arthur's face back before he shifted to sit up. "You'd better finish packing."
With a frown, Arthur rose from the floor while offering a hand to Kiku, who immediately took it. The two silently made their way to the guest bedroom, and unlike before, this quietness felt much more like a hug rather than a stab in the back. Arthur held the door open for Kiku with a faint bow, his free hand coming up to motion him in, and he smiled once he heard a small chuckle slip from the other's lips.
Kiku quickly made his way over to the shikibuton, folding the blanket into a neat square as he moved to place it in the closet and grab a regular one—or rather one without the United Kingdom's flag plastered on it. After the two's first visit, Kiku had taken the personal liberty of going to purchase it, much to Arthur's satisfaction.
On the other hand, Arthur finished shoving his belongings into his briefcase. After that, he maneuvered over to the right of Kiku, who had been contemplating which color blanket to display across the mattress.
"You ought to go with the blue one," Arthur suggested, barely moving his hand to gesture into the closet. Kiku gave a subtle dip of his head in agreement and swiftly unfolded it as he walked to the mattress. Once laid flat, he gave it a few pats to ensure no air was left underneath.
Giving the room one last scan, Arthur picked up his briefcase and started towards the front door, Kiku following close behind. He slipped his shoes back on while Kiku slid open the door, leaning against the wooden frame. With a small hum of acknowledgement, he slowly stepped outside and was hit with the brisk breeze.
"I suppose…this is where I bid you farewell," Arthur spoke hesitantly, a forced chuckle following after. Kiku nodded, and the same, gentle expression Arthur was so used to seeing made his heart ache. Before Arthur could turn away, Kiku cupped one side of his face as he pressed an assertive kiss on the other. Pulling back, he internally snickered at how flustered Arthur's face had become.
"Goodbye, Arthur," he whispered, motioning for Arthur to get going. Kiku watched as he made his way down the path for a moment before going inside. The door sliding open with a loud bang only a few seconds after entering made him jolt, and he spun around.
Arthur practically marched back up to him, tossing his briefcase to the floor and taking hold of Kiku's sleeve as he mumbled something about that "not being enough." Before Kiku could scold him about his shoes dirtying up his floor, he was pulled into a hasty kiss. He was quick to reciprocate, as his hands wrapped around to grab at Arthur's hair and back.
The two broke apart only to catch their breath. Kiku's eyes bore into Arthur's, and he leaned back in; however, this time, Arthur was the one to put a hand between them.
"If we go any further, I fear I won't be able to contain myself," he confessed, stepping back to retrieve his bag before grimacing at the faint dirt trail on the floor, "and sorry about the floor."
"It's fine," Kiku sighed, much too focused on the man in front of him to care about a few dirt particles.
With a final—although reluctant—wave, Arthur left, leaving only Kiku, Pochi, and the lingering warmth of their lips on top of each others.