a/n: Another Cardverse AU story C: This time it's RusAme, sprinkled with past FrUK/ PruAme/ PruCan/ AusHun/ "RusHun" for now.

If there was one thing Alfred F. Jones despised, it was the idea of loneliness.

Some relished in the personal space and ability to grow to be their own person. They utilized the freedom to spread their metaphorical wings, and while that had always been appealing, it was hard for the future monarch to just accept it.

The future King of Spades readjusted his ascot and smirked as the one cowlick remained defying gravity even with all the hair slick the maids had slathered on his head. He rubbed his eyes out of fatigue and grabbed his bag. He bolted down the halls of his parents' castle, hesitating as he passed by the Queen's chambers. He wanted to say goodbye to his dad, Queen Arthur of Spades, but knew that he was probably discussing legal matters again over the tension with some other Kingdom. Some of t he servants gave the 14-year old pitiful glances, and insisted he get going to the carriage.

The cooks and some of the maids in the foyer gave the young prince hugs and cookies as they waited for the coach to arrive. Today would be Alfred's departure to the neutral Diamonds Kingdom, sent by the King's insistence for education in monarchy. Alfred had been reluctant when his father and dad had brought up the news because somewhere deep down, Alfred knew they were hiding something. But like the child-of-the-royals he was, he went, because he knew it was for his safety. At the same time though, that worried him. What would become of his future inheritance, the kingdom, when he got back?

He was going as a future Ambassador, and not future King of Spades. An alias they told Alfred was necessary for acceptance at the public school.

For the next 2 years, the only thing that would prove he belonged on throne was the Spade-shaped marking behind his ear. And he was smart enough that when the Queen had packed a bottle of makeup in his bag the week before, even that was to be hidden.

And he was going alone.

The King of Clubs never had much patience for those his senior. Alright, so some he could deal with, but others like the tool in front of him were just flat out annoying. He rolled his staff between his fingers and continued to give the King of Diamonds a chilling expression.

Finally, the dramatic monarch of Diamonds got the message and decided to cede the day's meeting. The King of Clubs would be in the kingdom for a few more weeks to lay out a strategic defence system, and Francis felt it better than to get on the young King's bad side. He offered Ivan a new bottle of wine that had been concocted in his Kingdom and got his people to bring his guest to the East Wing of the castle, where all the VIP lodgings were located.

When he was finally left alone, Ivan stripped off his heavy coat and crown, and set his staff under the four-poster bed. From his knowledge, at the moment, the only others in the wing were some scholars coming to learn at some of Diamonds' best schools. They were children of nobles and wealthy landowners that invested heavily in the Diamond wine industry. The 22-year old looked out the window, and noticed it was rather late out.

It was a perfect time for walking out and getting some thoughts out. He was never one to sleep peacefully without clearing his head.

The King of Clubs expected the plethora of security guards in the building, but they mainly kept to themselves. Ivan liked this- he didn't always appreciate being hassled with because of the crown on his head. It was nice to be treated respectfully, but people could do that without suffocating him. He knew that he wasn't the most approachable person in public either, but-

"You got scared, too?" a surprised voice piped. Ivan's head whipped back. Where did that come from?

"Over here," a monotonous voice directed, and this time Ivan turned his body to see one of the guards standing stoically beside a teenager hovering over a large book.

"Hi!" the young teenager waved, a set of teeth showing. They were definitely not perfect, but straight and white enough to appear luminescent in the night's lighting. A mop of disheveled blond hair paired with wide (blue? Ivan guessed) eyes lit up as Ivan approached the duo. It looked as if the guard had been trying to ignore the boy, but still kept an eye out. Given the boy was in the area, Ivan easily guessed he was one of the 'prodigy' scholars attending school in the Kingdom.

"It's rather late for such a young boy," Ivan said, crouching down beside the boy was sitting against a post. The guard guffawed.

"I've been doing this the past 3 days," the boy said proudly, in unison with the guard gruffing "He's been doing this for the past 3 days."

"Why?"

"I can't really…"

Ivan could tell there was something the boy did not want to admit, and the way his cheeks blushed Ivan guessed the secret was along the lines of a fear of something.

"Promise you won't laugh!"

"I promise."

"You have to promise, and cross your heart and swear yourself to the sky!"

"I am Ivan. I promise and cross my heart and swear myself, Ivan, to the sky," the King of Clubs chuckled. Oh, this boy was funny.

"Oh, I'm Alfred by the way…I guess since you promised…" Alfred hesitated, looking up at the guard. The latter simply rolled his eyes and answered on Alfred's behalf.

"He's the youngest of his bunch, and can't sleep alone."

Ivan couldn't contain himself as he burst out laughing at the secret. This boy in front of him, Alfred, couldn't possibly be younger than 13- AND HE WAS AFRAID of something as juvenile as sleeping alone?

It took a while before he noticed a book drop, an exasperated sigh from the older man, and footsteps running that Ivan knew he had messed up.

Oh crap, he had laughed.

"Wait!" Ivan whispered loudly down the halls. He saw the boy dart down the halls, and finally when the boy paused to consider his next move did Ivan grab him by his arms.

"OW!" Alfred yelped, prompting Ivan to cover his mouth. It was late, and people were sleeping!

"Let me apologize!"

"You're being a bully! I'm going!"

But under Ivan's grip, that was kind of not happening.

"I apologize!"

"I don't care!"

"Do you accept my apology?"

"YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE! AND YOU'RE HURTING MY ARM!" Alfred protested.

The King of Clubs really didn't want to resort to this. He hoisted the shorter boy up, and tossed him over his shoulder. Despite the curses and screaming, Ivan stopped his steps when he reached the front of his room.

"I will let you down if you let me apologize. I am a good person…"

"I want to go home." Alfred whispered.

"I am sorry I made you feel bad…" Ivan replied. While he couldn't test himself with adults, he did have a soft spot for those that made the attempt to talk to him. He felt guilty, he did, and his so-called walk to clear his head had been completely disrupted, and now his head was clogged with feeling bad about laughing at Alfred's reason for being up late. He finally grabbed the boy under his arms and set him down.

Alfred wasn't entirely shorter than Ivan, and the King could easily estimate that after puberty, Alfred would probably grow to be close to Ivan's own height. His blue eyes were slightly red from tears and his face flushed, and Ivan found the sight kind of endearing.

"Alfred, I am sorry for laughing at you."

"And breaking your promise, which you made like three seconds before!" Alfred growled, crossing his arms.

"That too."

The blond's face softened and he nodded slowly. "My dad said I could never be mad at someone…he said everyone deserved a second chance. But only a second chance."

Ivan nodded. "Well, I am at my room now. You should probably be heading off, don't you think?"

Alfred froze. Ivan quirked his eyebrows.

"…Do you not sleep?"

The shorter boy twiddled his fingers and rocked on his feet. "…Well…see…I always read back there and when I fall asleep the guy just brings me to my room…I can't-"

It sounded as it tears were going to welled up again. Ivan sighed.

"I really can't sleep alone. This place is too new. I need someone by my side to just be there until I fall asleep…" Alfred mumbled.

Ivan looked at the boy. Alfred blinked a few times in return.

"If you are nuisance, I will throw your weak body out of my room without hesitation."

"You're offering to stand and wait till I fall asleep?" Alfred gasped. No one he had met yet had offered that. He had sort of persuaded the guard with some money…

Ivan kneaded his temples. He didn't know why he felt the need to please the boy, but before he knew words he wished to take back were drawn out. "If you so wish. It's the least I can do for ruining your night." You'll be ruining mine in return, but nevertheless…

"COOL!"

"JUST TONIGHT." Ivan said sternly.

It had not been just tonight.

For the weeks that Ivan remained in the Diamond Kingdom, he found that he grew intrigued by this Alfred Jones.

They spent their nights talking out their thoughts, and in the process admitted their personal biography. Alfred had nearly fainted when he learned that Ivan was the King of Clubs (and he'd almost admitted his true nature). Ivan learned that Alfred's dad had once been a big acquaintance with King of Diamonds, and had sent Alfred alone to learn about the kingdom. The two souls found that they were stubborn as stubborn could be when weaknesses and fears were overlooked.

What scared Ivan a bit was how young Alfred truly was. He was fourteen, almost a decade younger than Ivan himself. In the beginning, Ivan overlooked the growing attraction, but it was when the month ended that Ivan realized he had made a friend he hoped to keep.

And with all his heart, would keep.

The sent letter frequently, because there was never a visit to be had in the first year of the long distance friendship. Alfred hadn't made a single friend he was as close to in his schooling, and kept the friendship a secret. He still wrote to his parents, but he mentioned 'friends' as a grouping, rather than writing out names. Part of that was to keep his parents from possibly getting background checks on his friends, and he knew that it was never good to be close with high-ranking people so young…And he could guess that the King of Clubs was pretty high ranking.

Eventually, Alfred turned fifteen, and Ivan 23 respectively. Their letters somewhat stalled, and both parties questioned the reasoning. For Ivan, it was the looming war that his advisors were getting him ready for. It was the only thing that Ivan kept from Alfred because the bright ball of sunshine that Alfred was would probably fret and worry about all the poor people. But Ivan knew he was a Diamonds boy, and wouldn't be affected by the surprise attack on that over-boast of a Kingdom in Spades.

Meanwhile, Alfred was slowly growing into everything around him. His body was morphing, and along came the mess of hormones and personal questioning. His parents were sending over people to see how he was doing, and bringing in private tutors instead of allowing him to go to the Diamond Academy daily. It was as if he was being more protected by something, and Alfred just couldn't pinpoint what it was. He wrote when he could to Ivan, but then more than in the latter part of the year poured in, like court appearances and meeting nobles. He didn't want to bore Ivan to death with such things.

On the King of Diamond's 35th birthday, just a few days after Alfred's own (he was now 16), nobles from all over were invited for the extravagant dinner. Alfred had hoped that his parents would make an arrival, but that would not be the case due to problems in the market.

Alfred found he wasn't too disappointed when Ivan's latest letter had arrived, because by then he couldn't deny what he felt.

The longing, the adoration…

Alfred sighed, because part of him realized Ivan had stopped any loneliness he would have undoubtedly faced without the latter.

"You will make a fine ambassador, darling," the Queen of Diamonds cooed, patting Alfred's arm. In two years, Alfred's height had shot up, and he now stood several inched above the Queen, rather than at equal height. "Have a fine night, Alfred."

"You, too," Alfred cheered, raising his glass.

It was still early in the evening, and dinner had yet to be served. Many guests from Spades and Hearts, the closer Kingdoms, and arrived and they were all spreading their cheer to the King of Diamonds. Alfred was feeling a bit nervous, and slightly giddy (more so than he had hoped), and he continued to play with his blue waistcoat. He hadn't been so keen on the stuffy attire, but he had to admit he looked pretty good in it. When was Ivan going to-

"You're still under 18, aren't you, Alfred?" a familiar voice laughed behind him. Alfred's eyes shot up and he turned around to see the same jerk who had laughed at him two years ago.

"You're here, you bastard," Alfred smiled. "And I can take wine, perfectly."

"I don't know, you seem kind of weak with alcohol." Ivan retorted. "Still, it's really nice to see you."

As predicted, Alfred had grown. And he'd grown a lot.

His hair was styled more appropriately, and his smile seemed bigger. Baby fat was lost, revealing high cheekbones and some sideburns. He was still shorter than Ivan, but now only about 2 inches or so, instead of 6 or 7. If anything, Alfred just got better with age.

And that made Ivan slightly wary about he approached him.

"Shouldn't you be wishing Franny happy birthday or something?" Alfred asked.

"I left the present at the door. Who cares?" Ivan shrugged. "I came here especially for you."

His cheeked flushed when the comment came out, and Ivan definitely didn't miss it. The pink tint in his otherwise tan skin made Alfred seem even cuter to Ivan than he would have liked to admit.

"C-c-cool…" Alfred said shakily. He was now finding it really hard to keep his confession tight lipped.

"Are you okay?" Ivan asked, nudging his friend.

"I missed you, that's all. It's not the same with letters."

Ivan paused, and the King felt the need to push his limits. "I am actually going to be staying for a while longer. Too much stress in my own kingdom…" it was true. His military was just making the final tests before they invaded Spades. Ivan purposely seeing Alfred also allowed him to steer clear of the Spadian nobles.

"Really? That's awesome!" Alfred exclaimed, his face freezing when he realized he sounded overexcited.

"I enjoy your company, Alfred. I do."

"T-that's cool, because I like you."

"I like you, too," Ivan agreed. He was still pushing. The King of Clubs knew body language, and he could tell how nervous the teenager was. But Ivan wasn't going to make this easy. Nuh-uh.

"..You're looking at me funny…Ivan…"

"I think there is something you are wanting to tell me."

"N-n-no! I just m-missed you, big guy."

"Alfred."

The two stopped when the noticed how far they'd walked. In fact, they ended up near the outside garden of the East Wing, close to where Ivan had lodged at two years ago,

The King of Clubs couldn't take it. He looked down at the shorter man and stared at him intently.

Despite how dense he could be, Alfred's mind whizzed because the look that Ivan was giving him scared him. But at the same time, his heart raced, and his mind whirled.

"…Ivan…" Alfred squeaked. Ivan smiled, bringing Alfred's chin up.

Two pairs of lips met in the middle, and even though Alfred's birthday had passed already, and the two were supposed to be celebrating Francis's, at that moment, Alfred felt he had everything.

This time, when the two knew they would be apart for a while, Alfred knew he had to be left with something strong. Ivan had warned him that the next few months would be tough on Ivan with his government. He warned that letters would be less frequent, and that only furthered Alfred's decision on the last night.

To say Ivan was completely shell-shocked was an understatement, as Alfred revealed himself to his new lover when Ivan walked into his room after meeting with Francis. He nodded that he was giving Ivan complete consent and that his love was strong. At that moment, Ivan knew nothing was more beautiful than his Alfred.

For the younger of the two, it was an experience of nervousness and want. He wanted to make sure the two had as much of each other to last the next few months. He was scared, but he trusted Ivan with all his heart.

As Alfred screamed out his lover's name, Ivan knew that no one could ever hold his heart the way Alfred did. The only way he would truly be happy from now on was if Alfred reciprocated his love.

When they curled up against each other, Ivan wrapped his arms protectively around Alfred's body, peppering him with kisses.

"I love you…Alfred."

"…"

The silence scared Ivan. He looked down at his lover with a hurt expression.

"…Oh, no, Ivan, don't give me that look…" Alfred laughed. He was still tired, but he shifted to lean on on his elbow. "I love you baby…Know that…I'm just scared of what will happen…"

Ivan nodded, and hugged Alfred closer to him.

"I promise, and cross my heart and swear to the skies that I, Ivan, King of Clubs, will do everything in my power to protect you. I will never hurt you, and we will be together. I love you."

Alfred smiled to himself, and kissed his lover affectionately. He knew that sooner or later September would roll around, and he'd go back to his parents' kingdom. Maybe he was finally free of living in Diamonds could he admit his true identity. Alfred felt bad about lying to Ivan about who he was, but he knew his parents had created the alias for a reason. If he followed the rules, and arrived back home in Spades without a tarnished record, it would probably be leeway for Alfred to admit his attachment to the other monarch. He would be over the moon if his parents' accepted it.

When Ivan left the following morning, Alfred received a letter that told him to not return home as expected in September. The note was written rather messily, and he knew that his dad only did that when things were serious. It did not say when to return, but when Alfred had showed the letter to Francis, the latter simply told Alfred to do as told, and rushed out the room.

Four days later, the Kingdom of Clubs invaded the Kingdom of Spades.

For the next three years, blood of his people was shed, and inevitably defeated. His parents were publicly executed, or so he heard from the nearby men. Alfred remained in hiding at nearby lost communities in between Spades and Diamonds. He had money and valuables he occasionally sold to live under the shadows. He watched from afar what his parents had kept him away from. His heart clenched every time he realized who had ruined his home.

When the King of Clubs arrived at Diamonds days after the execution of the King and Queen of Spades, and the Treaty to cede the land to Clubs territory, in hopes to see his lover, he found that Alfred F. Jones had fled the castle.

No one had seen him since.

The only thing he got from Francis was a grave look, and word that he had left on the day of the Invasion on Spades.