PROLOGUE:

Five Years Old

"Alfred! Stop throwing mud!" The five-year-olds were in the Kirkland's backyard, playing in the patch of dirt that Mr. Kirkland could never seem to grow grass over. It's a hot London summer day, and just cool glasses of lemonade didn't suffice the heat. So the young boys took it upon themselves to find a different option.

Dragging the hose over to the dried earth and dousing it with water, they easily made a mud hole. Ridding their shirts and shoes they quickly dirtied themselves in the cooling mess. Arthur Kirkland was now supporting a nice dollop of mud on top of his head. The thick mud dripped through his blond hair and continued down his back.

Alfred Jones clutched at his waist as he was sent into a fit of giggles. A pair of emerald eyes glared at him. "You git." Suddenly Alfred was tackled backwards. Alfred's head was shoved into a glob of mud and soon his hair was equally, if not more, as mucky as Arthur's.

"Arthur! That is no way to behave." Mrs. Kirkland warned. She sighed as she went back to conversing with the other adults about how the boys will soon start kindergarten.

"Alfred has so much energy; I'm not sure how the teachers will be able to handle him." Mrs. Jones shook her head. They sat on the back patio under an umbrella, out of the sun. "I doubt we could keep him under control if he didn't have Arthur." She sipped her wine cooler.

"Yeah, that kid is like a battery that never runs out." Mr. Jones shifted his beer in his hands. The condensation of the bottle left a trail of water on the surface of the table.

"Sometimes we wish Arthur was like that." Arthur's father chuckled. "He never goes out of his way; unless it's for Alfred, that is." They continued to watch the boys play in the mud until they were both too worn out to continue their festivities. Alfred shuffled out of the pit and up to his mother, going in for a hug.

"OOH nO no no, honey. Have daddy go spray you off." She ushered her son over to the two men waiting with the hose, Arthur followed not far behind. They shivered under the cold spray and the grown men chuckled to themselves. Their mothers gathered their son's rumpled clothing, and bid each other a goodbye and a thanks for their neighbor's company.

"M' cold daddy!" Alfred shivered as Mr. Kirkland turned the hose off. The boys had their arms crossed and both looked wet and exhausted.

"Well, do you wanna crawl into bed with your jammies after a warm bath?" Alfred pouted his bottom lip and nodded, wiping his eye with the back of his hand. Mr. Jones bent down and scooped his son into his arms. "Thanks for the beer, Jim."

Mr. Kirkland waved and picked up his own son. They had just turned to go into the house when Arthur abruptly screamed out, "WAIT! Daddy! I need to say goodbye to Al!" His father sighed and looked over his shoulder to see that Alfred had done the same.

The two fathers walked back towards each other and turned around, so that their sons were face to face. "Goodnigh', Art. See ya tomorrow?" The small boy held up his fist.

"Tomorrow." Arthur met his fist with his own and they both made small "boom" noises. Their arms then fell down and their fathers walked back to their homes.

Seven Years Old

"What? No! That's so gross." Alfred and Arthur rode on their bikes down the damp street as they made their way back home. It was the stormy month of April, and considering they lived in the suburbs of London, rain everyday wasn't anything unusual. School had just got out and the pouring rain lightened up just enough to make it home without being completely soaked through.

"Yeah man! I'm tellin' ya. Ivan just ate the bug. I told him that he would be a sissy if he didn't." Alfred's smirk was complemented with his dimples as he remembered the day at recess. They turned down Winchmore Hill Road and slowed their pedaling. Arthur's raincoat squeaked every time his legs would brush up against the plastic, filling the thoughtful silence. "Why would he be a sissy if he didn't eat the bug?"

Alfred furrowed his brows and slightly pouted his bottom lip. "I don't know…" He said, honestly confused. Light raindrops dampened the top of Alfred's shoulders, making his Patriots jersey appear darker.

"Would you call me a sissy if I didn't eat a bug?" Arthur often worried about his and Alfred's friendship. Alfred was so popular and was constantly surrounded by his peers at school. He was always first pick in P.E. class, even though he wasn't the best football player (soccer that is). Arthur only really had two close friends, Alfred and Kiku. Kiku was the quiet foreign exchange student from Japan and they quickly bonded over comics and superheroes.

But Alfred and Arthur grew up together. The Jones moved to London only when Alfred was a couple months old and their parents had them together almost everyday for a playdate. They lived directly across the street from each other. "No, of course not. Like you said, eating bugs is gross." Alfred stopped at the curb of his driveway. "Do you wanna come in and play some Mario?" Another reason why Alfred was popular. He had the only game console in their class.

As much as Arthur loved Nintendo he had chores to finish. Alfred nodded and grimaced. He secretly looked up to Arthur. He was always so confident in what he says or thinks. Arthur was his only friend that told him how it is. He wasn't discouraged of Alfred's popularity when it came to expressing his opinion.

They bid each other a goodbye with a fist bump, and the little "boom" that they had always done. Alfred drug his bike into the garage and walked in through the washroom's door. His mother greeted him as he stalked through the kitchen to grab a snack. "How was your day, hon?" She chirped.

"Fine, I guess." He shrugged, popping a grape in his mouth.

"Why was it just fine?" She mocked. Mrs. Jones sat at the kitchen table doing, what seemed to be, scrapbooking. A variety of pictures spread across the grain of the wooden table along with decorative paper and a thick book.

Alfred sighed. "I wanted Arthur to come over and play some video games but he has chooooores." He moved over to the bookcase to pick out a game. He decided to go with Mario 64 and pick up where he and Arthur left off the other day. Plopping himself down on the carpeted floor he blew into the cartridge and inserted it into the console.

His mother eyed him from the table and promptly rolled her eyes. "You have responsibilities also, Alfred."

"I know but… whatever." The Mario theme song filled his ears and blocked out his train of thought about his best friend.

Across the street the native Londoner was doing dishes and listening to his little brother giggle while watching a kid's program on the telly. Arthur looked over his shoulder at Peter who was spread out on his belly. Arthur loved his brother, even though he was a bit obnoxious most of the time, but he just reminded him of Alfred.

Once finished with the dishes Arthur went upstairs and started on his homework. He cracked open Because Of Winn Dixie and read a couple chapters. He didn't particularly care for the American novel but it wasn't half bad. After a bathroom break and dinner it was late and the grey sky had turned dark. "Pttst." A crackle of static rang from under Arthur's bed. "PTTST. Arthur."

Arthur rolled his eyes and grabbed the walkie talkie from under his bed frame. He slipped from his bed and over to his window seat. Moving the dark blue curtains away he peered across the street to see Alfred waving. "What?" He spoke into the small black device.

"Your lights been on for a while and it's kinda late, what are you doing?" Alfred bought the walkies on a whim when they went into town with their mothers one day. He thought that they could use them and "be like James Bond or somethin.'" Arthur sighed and paid for his half of the set.

"I've been reading that book for class." Alfred's room was dark but he could see the outline of his figure in the window thanks to the help of a street lamp. They both had their rooms on the second floor. Arthur's house had a rose trellis up the side that ended just below his window. Alfred had threatened multiple times that someday he would climb up it like in the old movies and save Arthur if he was ever grounded.

"OH! Are you at the part where Winn Dixie dies?!"

"WHAT?!" Arthur screeched. He heard laughing from the other end of the talkie and quickly realized what Alfred had done. "You… twit." He sighed in relief leaning back on the window sill.

"Ahh… sorry. I couldn't resist. But you shoulda known that I haven't even started the book."

"We're supposed to have it finished by this Friday." It was already Tuesday and Arthur wasn't even half way through. He could practically hear Alfred shrug and roll his eyes.

"Even if I'm not done you'll fill me in on it right?" It was Alfred's turn to hear the eye roll coming from Arthur. Somehow Alfred had lived in England his whole life and spoke with an American accent. Arthur had told him multiple times how to "properly" pronounce words in a British dialect but Alfred never remembered them.

Alfred watched Arthur move away from the window and disappear. "Where'd ya go?" He asked. His lights suddenly turned out and he saw nothing but the orange-ish tinge of light off of his curtains from the street light below. Feeling a small twinge of hurt that Arthur left without saying goodnight he lowered his talkie.

Suddenly Arthur was back at the window. "Sorry, my parents told me to go to bed." He heard him say in a hushed tone.

"That's alright! I thought you actually left me!"

"Oh, please. I have tried on multiple occasions to leave you, but you just never seem to get the message…" Alfred sensed the sarcasm immediately and smiled widely to himself. This is what he loved about Arthur.

"Heeeeey we all know that in the end you would leave me, right? I can't survive without you Art."

"I told you to never call me that."

"Well I am so shut up."

They both smiled to themselves and sat in a comfortable silence for a moment or two.

"Hey Art- … Arthur." Alfred finally spoke.

"Yeah?"

"You'd… you'd never leave me right?"

He heard Arthur sigh through the tiny speaker. A serious moment between them was rare. "Of course not. You're my best friend. Best friends last forever."

"Yeah… yeah they do."

"Alright then, I suppose I should go to bed, seeing as my parents told me to ten minutes ago-"

"OOOHhHOHOhoh the hoRROR." Alfred exaggerated. He could feel Arthur's glare across the street and giggled. "Anyways." When he finally calmed down he held up his fist to the cool glass. "Nigh' Art."

Arthur sighed again, when will that American ever learn? "Goodnight." He pressed his knuckles to the window. "Boom."

Nine Years Old

Alfred's been acting weird all week and it was starting to worry Arthur. Eventually the frustration growing inside of him started overflowing. Alfred had been avoiding him and wouldn't even look him in the eye anymore. "Alfred." This was the first time Arthur had ever called Alfred on their walkie talkies, it was always Alfred signaling him.

"Yeah dude?"

"Meet me in Grovelands in a half hour." Grovelands Park was a couple of blocks away from their houses, and they often hung out in a particular spot.

"But I haveta-"

"No. Be there." And with that Arthur turned off his talkie and went to get dressed. Across the street Alfred sighed and knit his brows together. He's been meaning to bring it up to Arthur but whenever he opened his mouth to inform him his throat would close around the words. Alfred would always meet with those green eyes and ridiculously large eyebrows and everything that was just Arthur.

He pulled his converse on and sat on his bed, with his face in his hands. The London months of June were mild but the days felt longer than ever. Seeing that it's been twenty minutes already Alfred got up and slumped downstairs with a heavy heart. Dodging the boxes that littered his house he made his way to the garage. Seeing that his bike wasn't packed up yet he dragged it from the garage to the driveway and hopped on.

Peddling his nerves out and making his legs burn he made it to Grovelands. He stepped off his bike and walked it through the paths until he got to his and Arthur's tree; it was this old oak tree that had the perfect amount of branches to climb. Leaning his bike up against the trunk of the tree and looking up he saw a pair of legs dangling.

The sun was setting and the sky was clear with and orange-pink glow. Gripping the bark of the tree, Alfred climbed several branches until he was eye level with Arthur. Sitting on a branch opposite of him he looked up at his best friend.

Arthur was looking to his right at the sunset. "Arthur I-" Alfred began.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Arthur's voice was hard and his eyes cold as he brought them to Alfred's.

Alfred looked down at his shoes in shame. "I'm… I'm so sorry. I just- I didn't know how to tell ya."

"Yeah well…" Arthur's voice trailed off. He swung his leg over the branch so he was straddling the tree. He picked at the trunk's bark where he and Alfred carved their initials into last summer.

"It wasn't my decision… well that's what my parents told me."

Arthur looked up at him with anger in his eyes. "Your parents? What did they have to do with this?"

Alfred pouted his lower lip in confusion and narrowed his eyes. "They… wait. What are you talking about?"

"The fact that you don't want to be mates anymore."

Alfred released the breath he didn't know he was holding. "That's not true. I'd never want to not be friends with you!" Alfred bounced over to the next branch so he sat between Arthur and the trunk of the tree.

"Then why have you been avoiding me all week?" Arthur's mind was flooded with confusion and his eyes grew wide with wonder.

"I… I'm…" Alfred looked down at his hands and swallowed. Bringing his gaze to meet Arthur's. "I'm moving."

Arthur held his breath and it seemed as if the whole world stopped turning on it's axis. The air between them was still and nothing could be heard besides the light rustle of leaves as the soft wind blew through them. The pink light of the sky made Alfred's features look softer as his nervous eyes stared at Arthur, waiting for a reaction.

Leaning forward and wrapping his arms around Alfred he felt his best friend lose the tension in his body. "Where?"

"America."

"Why?"

"Apparently I have a brother." Arthur leaned back and looked surprised. Alfred continued, "Yeah. My dad knew someone before my mom back in highschool and they had a kid together. He didn't know until a couple weeks ago though… cause' she's dead now and the kid doesn't have any family."

Arthur nodded. "Are you coming back?" Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes but he blinked them back.

"I… I don't know. Apparently the kid is really good at hockey, and they want him to finish school in the U.S." Seeing as they were still in primary school Arthur figured they wouldn't be seeing each other for awhile. "I don't wanna go." Alfred shook his head.

"I don't want you to go." Alfred's eyes met with Arthur's again and he stumbled on finishing his sentence. "I mean, who's going to watch Doctor Who with me?"

Alfred giggled and pushed Arthur's shoulder. "Shut up. You're gonna miss me more than you think." They sat in a comfortable silence and watched as the sky turned purple. "We're leaving in a week."

Arthur sighed. "Well in that case." He hopped down to the soft grass in one fluid motion and watched as Alfred climbed his way down. "Let's make this the most memorable week of our lives."

Laughing, Alfred got on his bike and Arthur stood on the back pegs, gripping Alfred's shoulders so he wouldn't fall. They rode around till dark, laughing and joking. Arthur went to bed with a smile, but then quickly remembered that they only had a week left together. Arthur and his best friend.

§~§~§~§~§~§~§~§~§~§~§~§~§~§~§~§~

"Alfred! Come down so we can say goodbye to the Kirklands!" Alfred's mother shouted up the empty stairwell, her voice echoing through the house. Alfred sighed and took a final look around his bare bedroom. Arthur had joked earlier that it was the cleanest he's ever seen the room, which was true. His walls that were once covered with posters of cars and football teams, now gleamed painfully white at him. His closet was bare, and he even seen some parts of his room that he's never seen before… like the floor of the closet.

Slipping down the stairs and out of the house without a single glance back he walked across the street with his mom and dad. Walking into the Kirkland's house for the last time. "Oh, Alfred darling, Arthur's in his room." Mrs. Kirkland directed him upstairs. Without knocking Alfred entered his best friend's room.

Arthur was sitting on his window seat, staring out across the road at Alfred's window while hugging his Union Jack pillow. Alfred closed the door behind him and went to sit across from him. They both sat for what seemed like seconds compared to the rest of the world. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Shut up." Alfred chuckled at the familiar sarcasm.

"I'm gonna miss that the most I think." Arthur turned to face his best friend. Moving the red and blue pillow away, Alfred pulled his friend in for one of their final hugs. Arthur fisted Alfred's shirt and sniffed. The tears that he had been holding back were finally coming to the surface. "I lied."

"About what?" Arthur's voice cracked.

"I'm gonna miss this the most." Alfred closed his eyes as he let out his own tears. They held each other and cried silently. The summer weather was too beautiful for such a sad event. The sun was high in the midmorning sky and a few fluffy clouds were being blown across the blue, gently. Today, Alfred and Arthur would've been riding their bikes to town to get some ice cream, or going down to Grovelands to play some football.

They separated and wiped away their tears. "Here." Alfred stood up and started fumbling with something around his neck. Arthur followed Alfred to stand next to him. Alfred pulled out a chain with two dog tags on it and draped it around Arthur's neck. "I want you to have something to remember me by." Arthur looked down at the tags and studied them. "They were my grandpa's. He fought in World War II."

"Thank you, Alfred. I'll cherish them." Arthur tucked the tags in his shirt and looked around his room. "I want you to have something too." Alfred's look of excitement made Arthur nervous, he hadn't planned this. He moved over to his bookshelf and looked up and down the titles. Something caught his eye and he smirked to himself. Pulling the book out and handing it over to Alfred without a word he watched he gawk.

"Are you freaking kidding me?"

"Nope."

"I didn't even finish it." Alfred was holding Because Of Winn Dixie.

"Well maybe now you will." Alfred shook his head but couldn't hold back his smile for long. They both laughed. Mrs. Kirkland's voice interrupted their fit of giggles; calling for them both to come downstairs. They trotted down the stairs and outside where they were all gathered.

Arthur received a hug and a kiss on the cheek from Mrs. Jones and a handshake from Mr. Jones's. As the adults exchanged their final goodbyes, Alfred and Arthur walked back to each other's side.

Alfred held up his fist.

Arthur met his knuckles with his own.

"Boom."

CHAPTER ONE: Whoa. Wait. What?

Alfred held on tightly to a pan of brownies. "It's been so long since we've seen the Kirklands!" Mrs. Jones chirped happily as they walked across Winchmore Hill Road. "It'll be so nice to see them again!" He glanced up at the familiar windows where he spent countless nights staring at. The curtains were still dark blue.

Mrs. Jones turned on her heel as Mr. Jones rang the Kirkland's doorbell. "You look nervous, honey. Is something wrong?" Alfred shook his head and coughed. "Okay then." She turned back around.

"Yo bro, you okay?" Matthew elbowed his half-brother.

"Yeah. M' fine." He stared straight ahead. The brown door swung open to a slightly aged Mrs. Kirkland. Some squeals of excitement came from the middle-aged women as they hugged. Alfred wondered if he and Arthur would hug today. Why was Alfred so nervous? It was just his best friend that he hadn't seen in ten years. His chest clenched in a way that he's never experienced before.

"Oh! Alfred! When did you get so handsome?" Mrs. Kirkland smiled brightly and Alfred blushed. He had grown in the ten years they were gone… actually more like grown a lot. He was nearly six foot and puberty had clearly done him right. With broad shoulders and a well defined jaw line he could be considered hot. Mrs. Kirkland turned around. "Ah, Arthur! The Jones are here!"

This was it. The moment Alfred couldn't stop thinking about since he heard that they were moving back. His hand were sweaty and the tray of brownies felt as if they weighed a million pounds. What if Arthur didn't recognize him? Well, the only thing that's changed was that he got glasses. And the fact that he looks like a supermodel now.

Suddenly a young man about his own age appeared at the door. His hair was dyed three different colors and he had multiple piercings. Ripped black skinny jeans and a band tee that clung a little too snugly to his chest complemented his slim figure.

Then his eyes. Two emerald jewels stared into his own.

It was Arthur.

Aye... wad up.

I saw this AU idea on tumblr from Lolo Loco . tumblr . com annnnnd I kinda ran with it. So please praise her and check out her account.

This is my first Hetalia fic, so please be gentle. USUK is one of my many ships in the fandom. I'm probably gonna continue with this so stay tuned.

Rated M for language and possible smut ;)