Autumn Wings

Chapter 1

By HamburgerWithTea

Summary

Alfred has studied 'Magical Creatures' at Uni. Once graduated, he and his best friend Matthew get asked to help with research on fairies and other creatures who are believed to live in the UK. It's at a boring, autumn day that he en up meeting one of these magical creatures, who changes his life forever. AU,HumanNames,USUK

A new story! It'll not be a very long fic, I should not start it with all others unfinished and it'll probably not be updated regular, but it's just that my hands are ITCHING to get it started!

So sorry for my relatively long absence, no replies so far, etc.

So, please read this, and wait for other fics to be updated asap, but you know how life can fully be against writing…

(Oh, and if you want to ask me something or stay updated about fics, please follow the Tumblr I recently made! My name's HamburgerWithTea , same name as on FanFiction. Thanks!)

See this as some sort of Autumn fic… It'll be written with chapters around 5k to 7k (which is long for my standards) but won't have too much chapters. That's why updates will seem to go slower.

Alfred could clearly see the seasons had changed.

The usual green and other colours from the grass and flowers were now starting to transform into shades of red and brown as leaves fell off, leaving only the trees themselves standing.

It made him a bit sad, knowing the summer actually came to an end and he'd have to wait a year before he could swim in the lake again. After all, it wasn't likely his job over here would be finished soon.

Alfred was an expert on magical creatures and anything related. As a kid he'd wished to be a superhero when older, but as time passed he realised there were no such things as super powers in the world, and thus he also didn't own any. And so he had to decide on another type of job.

He'd been looking, he really had, but he hadn't seem to find anything interesting and therefore he decided to stick with the easiest studies ever; Magical Creatures.

He really was a smart guy, he'd passed high school with no problems at all, and this had seemed interesting.

It wasn't a too random decision, unlike one would think. He'd thought about it several times, considering he loved the Harry Potter movies –no way he'd ever read the books, books were boring- and started to become a bit more interested in myths and magical creatures. He had been surprised to find an actual studies over them and decided to just sign up, since he didn't really have another option.

The tests and exams had been very easy; all he had to do was talk about some magical creatures he claimed to see and write down some things he knew about them. Sometimes they were completely made up, or they were based on lose facts he found in the very few books he read and the internet.

Of course he didn't see them for real. Some kids in his class claimed they did, but for him and some other students it was just purely their own fantasy. Alfred figured the ones that really 'saw' them, most likely just had too much imagination.

So after he graduated from his university at the age of nineteen –he'd skipped quite a few grades in his full school life-, he'd been asked to go to the UK to search for Fae and pixies some other investigators believed to live there. Alfred had decided it wouldn't hurt to join. After all it'd make him gain money and that was all he was caring about at the moment, now he had to pay the bills of his studies.

A week later, after accepting the invite, he and his bets friend Matthew, who had been his study partner for the past few years, took a plane straight to London.

The jetlag had been a living hell, especially around dinner time in Alfred's opinion, but in the end they had gotten used to the time zone and continued their trip.

They were picked up by an average car that was driven by a Frenchman names Francis, who later seemed to be one of the fellow investigators, and were driven all the way up to the England-Scotland boarder in North Thumberland.

Matthew and Francis had, much to Alfred's annoyance, been talking in French most of the way. Matthew was originally from Canada after all, and he seemed to be happy to finally speak in his second language again, after a long time.

Alfred had decided to just play some Tetris on his cell phone and listen to some music.

After the few hour trip to the north, they eventually stopped at a small village in the middle of Kielder national park, built from wood and other natural items. For a moment Alfred had been scared they would have to live without any access to the outer world, but the village had soon seemed quite modern despite its colonial looks.

He and Matthew shared a two-person cottage that looked almost as a caravan from the inside; consisting of only the basic things.

There were two separate bedrooms, a small living room, a stove, bathroom and a small storage room.

The first part of his stay had been in summer, and since the investigators expected the magical creatures to only show up at night, they were given the days off. Alfred had spent these days swimming in the lake or hiring a small boat and paddle over the water, taking small naps while letting the boat float around.

Most of his nights were spending sitting in the woods in pairs, hoping they would see or sense anything related to magic or magical creatures.

Alfred would mostly pair with Matthew, except when it was his turn to stay on his own, considering they were one member short to be all paired up. Up to no they hadn't found any real creatures yet, but there had been a lot of signs of their existence, some of the investigators claimed. Things like weird, sparkly glitter of which they couldn't figure out what it was, or prints of hooves on places where they'd not seen or heard a horse and it was very unlikely for riders to take a path that was so far away from the ranch, even when lost.

Alfred also had seen his share of magical appearances, such as small, green lights suddenly showing up, but when he'd tried to sneak up on it to look; they were gone in a millisecond.

Alfred hadn't really known what to believe; if it was just his imagination or if there were real magical appearances.

In the summer it'd been kind of fun, spending nights together with his best friend in a dark and silent forest. Without Mattie he'd have died of fear for ghosts and the like, though he'd never admit it to the more timid blonde; he had too much pride.

But right now it was autumn, and by watching the falling leafs Alfred felt like the whole world, and thereby it's fun and happiness, was going back to sleep. He barely saw any animals around lately, and if he did, they were only looking for food to save up for winter.

The wind's gotten colder, and the overall feeling of the air's gotten somewhat damped.

By now it was starting to become darker, and within half an hour the darkness had settled in pretty well.

Today Alfred would be by himself again. He didn't like it, not at all, but he didn't have a choice really. So despite his fear, he was still wandering on, being as silent as possible, while holding his small lamp close to him.

A weird breeze got his attention. He didn't know what it was, but it had a weird feel to it, and without thinking he moved his head to look.

He was scared, he'd expected something very evil after all, some ghost or demon or something, but instead he was met with small lights.

It was as if fireflies were zooming around him, but for some reason they were much prettier.

And it wasn't the season for fireflies anyways.

Without realizing what to do, he started to follow them. It just felt rightto do so, even if he strayed off the path and into the deep forest. These must small guys must have been the tiny glitters he'd seen every night.

Maybe magical creatures really did exist? Maybe these were really special, magical creatures that seemed to trust him, trying to get his attention?

He didn't notice as he got closer and closer to the lake, strayed far away from the rest of the group and not feeling scared at all. Instead he started to feel calm and peaceful, as if nothing in the world could go wrong.

He was certain he could trust these creatures, after all, they were the most beautiful ones he'd ever seen.

So much light, so much energy…

"Don't." a voice called from behind him, and suddenly he broke out of the enchantment.

He hadn't realised someone had followed him and by hearing the voice his whole body stiffened.

The creatures in front of him had been beautiful and captivating, but now they were gone, hidden as soon as the voice spoke. Alfred felt alone and somewhat vulnerable in the huge forest, at a place he didn't know, far strayed from his mates.

For a few seconds he doubted if it was wise to turn around, look the unknown man –yes, his voice was obviously a man's- or just stay looking at the lake, trying to find a way to escape.

But he decided on the former, being the hero he was, and facing his fears. And thus he turned;

It took him a while to see who it was that had been talking to him, for all he could see were trees. That was until he found a young man staring at him, his body hiding behind a tree and only popping his head around to look at the unknown American, emerald eyes wide.

The man's eyes glowed even in the darkness of the night; they were like lights that would never stop shining.

Despite Alfred's amazement, he decided introducing himself properly, for the man didn't seem to think of doing anything to him.

"Who are you?" Alfred asked, still a bit insecure about the other's intentions he realised after he asked. The man kept silent, but did move a bit more forward from behind his tree.

As the man showed more of himself, Alfred found the man wearing no shirt, but his arms were covered in cloths tied up by though straps. His pants seemed to be fixed at several places, and the cloth they were made of looked though.

A wider strap covered the man's chest, probably holding a weapon of some sort. The rest of the small straps around the man's hips seemed to be having small bags hanging on them, probably used to save small items in. There was also an object sticking out which looked like a dagger of some sort.

Alfred couldn't see the man's full body yet, but he'd already figured the man probably has been living in the woods for quite some time.

The green eyes were still fixed on him, huge and distrustful. Alfred figured the man probably was just as afraid of him as Alfred was of the man.

Alfred took a small step closer, trying to see more of the special man, but as soon as he did, the man backed off. It was as if he was a wild animal, curious but also ready to jump away and hide at the second he was in danger.

"Don't be afraid," Alfred whispered, making sure not to scare the man away, "I'm not gonna hurt you." And again he made a step forward, this time a bit slower, while keeping his eyes focussed on the wild man.

It seemed to work, as he was now able to approach him. Slowly but surely he got to the part where he was standing only a few metres away from the man, eyes still locked with the other's green ones.

"So, what's your name?" Alfred asked again. The man just kept staring, still giving off the feeling of distrust, but then a slow whisper was heard. A hoarse one as if the man didn't talk often or was just too amazed to speak properly.

"Sorry, didn't really catch that." Alfred said with a smile on his face. He figured the awkward of the moment would best be solved by just being his friendly self. Smiles always made people more open.

"…Arthur." could be heard. The voice was still a whisper, and it was as if the night was broken by it, but Alfred was sure of what he'd heard this time.

"Well, hello Arthur! My name's Alfred!" the American male replied.

"I know that." said the green eyed man. This time he sounded a bit louder and more confident. Alfred stared at him for a bit. He knew?

"I've been watching you and your folks over the past few weeks," Arthur now explained, "It seemed the fae had targeted you and that friend of yours to enchant and lead to death. Don't ever trust them again, they're cruel creatures."

Alfred just stared at the guy who was still holding onto the tree, his huge eyebrows furrowed as he kept his distance.

"…Fae? You mean like, the ones in the books? But they were supposed to be nice!" Alfred said in reply.

"Don't trust these so called 'books' then." Arthur replied, a bit annoyed by the American's obliviousness.

For a moment they just stared at each other, both not knowing what to say or do until Alfred, again, spoke up.

"Hey, dude, how about staying together tonight. Don't wanna have that happen again, now do we?" again a grin crossed his face.

Arthur just stared at him, looking as if he were mad, before turning around and walking the opposite way, storming away fast.

The American was stunned for a bit, he'd expected Arthur to be a bit more in for company for some reason. To him it seemed the guy was lonely and a good friend wouldn't hurt, right?

"Hey, dude, wait up! I dunno where I've gotta go to get back to where I came from!"

Arthur seemed to hesitate a bit, making a little, almost unnoticeable, miss-step, but still barged on.

"Hey, for real, man! Don't be so mean!" Alfred said after the man. Not too loud, but in the silent forest everything sounded loud. The American was ready to cast another sentence until the man, now a few feel before him, stopped abruptly. It didn't take long before he turned back around, facing Alfred, with the same strong, green glare in his eyes as before.

"Promise me one thing," Arthur said, then pausing.

Alfred gave a quick nod, just wanting to know what he had to promise.

"Don't run away. Don't abandon me. And don't you ever dare to deceive me,"

The American male automatically nodded his head and promised to do so. Why would he want to run away from the man? It wasn't like he was some scary creature who wanted to kill him!

And deceiving… Alfred would never do that either. That would be so un-heroic…

Arthur hesitated only for a moment until he turned back, slowly this time, and continued walking in a slower pace. Now he finally got a good view of the boy, Alfred decided to walk behind him a bit longer to observe the guy in front. He just stared at Arthur in amazement;

The man was built strong but not masculine; he looked rather skinny actually. His ears were fairy-like, pointy at the top, and body was covered with small scars. Alfred figured he'd probably gotten them while, obviously, spending a long time in the woods.

The man's eyebrows were rather… Fascinating, but Alfred decided not to make a comment about it. Not yet.

His pants were, as Alfred ad already seen, made of a piece of cloth, patched up at some points, and sewed together with what looked natural material, such as long grass tied together.

The shape like a dagger turned out to really be a dagger, and so were the small sacks around the belt-like strings around the man's hips.

But all the remarkable clothing totally were unseen the moment Arthur stood in the moonlight of an open area in the middle of the forest;

At the back of the man were two wings attached. One would expect wings like an insect's or maybe even angelic wings, but these were different. They were made as if they were part of the trees around them; they were like leafs.

First Alfred had thought it was just his eyes joking with him, accidentally messing the background up with the man in front of him, but after he'd blinked a few times with his eyes, he figured there was no doubt;

This man hadto be one of these magical creatures.

Alfred stood still bit. Though as soon as he did, Arthur seemed to notice and stopped walking. Arthur just stood there, not really knowing what to do.

For a moment Alfred felt like running away, scared to meet yet another beautiful –since yes, this man sure was beautiful-, but dangerous creature, but it was as if he was nailed to the ground.

The amazement and the captivating sight kept him at his place, not able to move. Not even as the man backed away, obviously worrying that he scared the American man too much.

They just stared back, either looking surprised or alarmed, until Alfred decided to break the awkward moment.

"Cool wings," he shrugged the amazement off. He figured it was probably one of the lamest comments ever, and would regret it for ever if it hadn't been successful in making the other become less self-conscious.

The man's wings weren't just 'cool', they were outright beautiful.

"I guess I should take that as a compliment then?" Arthur asked, probably not really familiar with modern day spelling, Alfred figured. As to answer the other's question, he nodded assumingly.

Again, Arthur turned, facing the forest which seemed to not have any path in sight, just trees and dark bushes. He stepped forward with a confident yet alert air around him, right into the darkness of the forest, out of the moonlight.

Alfred, when looking in the same direction, decided to follow the other man closely. After all, you never knew what kind of creatures would be walking around at a night like this, in a dark forest.

Arthur seemed a bit annoyed by the American man following him so closely, but he decided not to say anything. Not even as the man grabbed his arm when they heard a small crack in the depth of the forest.

They had been walking for a while now. Alfred didn't dare to move his glance away of the trees for a moment to check his watch, but it'd seemed to him it'd already been more than an hour. That was until they came to a stop by Alfred crashing into Arthur.

The green-eyed male looked up a tree; a pretty big tree, wide and strong branches several feet of the ground. One would not be able to climb the tree easily, though it seemed steady enough to make a nice home. So Alfred figured this was probably the Fairy's –was that the right word for the man's kind?- hideout.

Alfred was still staring at the tree, trying to find any shape that looked like a house, while Arthur was already looking around the tree, almost as if he was checking if they were followed.

"I don't want anyone to find this place, so hurry." Arthur said, setting his feet on the ground firmly, readying himself to jump off and fly up the tree. But before he could do so, Alfred grabbed the cloth that was bound around the other's arm.

"Hey, dude, I'm okay with flying and all, but really, I don't have wings or something." Alfred stated, but Arthur was already off in the air.

But he didn't fly away. Instead he stayed around Alfred, gesturing to grab Alfred's hands. The moment the American boy grabbed the other's wrists hesitantly, Arthur grabbed also grabbed the other's wrists, moving his wings up and down in a quick motion to both lift his and the American's weight of the ground, still facing each other.

Alfred, as he looked up to the man flying above him, saw a tiny bit of restrain in the green eyes, but before he could define it, his feet already landed on a branch way up in the sky.

Alfred hadn't focussed on the leafs moving past him when he was lift up; he had been focussing on the green eyes only, and now he found himself standing on a branch, in the middle of a tree, high above the ground.

The moment it hit him, Alfred could feel his balance fail on him a bit, almost falling over to his right, until he could feel a warm body hold him steady.

Arthur was still flying around, making sure the American didn't fall off –the man sure looked dense enough to fall.

"You steadied yourself now?" Arthur asked, now hovering a few inches above the branches under him. "You'll have to climb the last part, as it's got too much branches to fly while holding you." Arthur continued as he found the American nod slowly.

But the moment he said so, Alfred looked at him as if he were crazy. No way would he be doing that, he knew that if he'd fall in this darkness he sure as hell would fall down all these branches, hit his head, and die at the spot.

Arthur gave a quick sigh. "Don't look at me as if I've just asked something impossible, I'll be there to catch you. Now walk on, it's still not save here," he added in a quiet whisper, still glancing around.

Alfred suddenly questioned himself why he'd followed the man; yes, he may have saved him from the Fae, but that didn't mean he'd just done that so he could kill Alfred by his own hands.

Despite his doubts, though, he bent down, ready to crawl closer to the tree's base to then make his way upwards, following the Fairy's direction.

It took a bit of effort of Alfred to get used to climbing in the dark, barely seeing anything around him, as the fairy guided him upwards.

By now it was pitch dark, Alfred was sure the night had finally settled fully, and the others were probably still looking for dull magical creatures, while Alfred was actually being lead to the hideout of one the fairy like creatures that were expected only to be found in fairy tales. This was the real stuff though.

Alfred, lost in his thoughts, hit his head to something which seemed far too flat to be a branch. He looked up to find a small, wooden house in-between a lot of branches.

It looked like it'd been there for quite a while, the tree fully adjusted to its shape, and the fairy – who was now standing at the small piece of wood sticking out serving as a veranda- looked rather proud of it. Alfred had to admit it; the house was special, magical even, and perfectly hidden from the world most people knew.

They both made their way inside, Alfred still being amazed by it all and Arthur pressing his wings closer to his body in order to fit in the small room, and shut the door. Arthur let a sigh of relieve.

"Now it's okay, we're safe." He stated. When Alfred looked at him with a weird expression on his face, Arthur decided to explain; "It's got a barrier. Most magical creatures want to keep out people, and therefore it's not safe to get involved with one."

Alfred just nodded, still in trance. He wanted to know why the fairy in front of him allowed Alfred to see all this if it was so dangerous, but before he could ask Arthur had changed the subject of conversation.

"Would you like a piece of Sweet Apple?" the green-eyed blond asked. Before Alfred could answer vocally his stomach started to rumble. He nodded quickly, a bit ashamed by the sound his stomach had made.

Arthur turned to grab a small kettle, which seemed a bit out-dated and most defiantly over-used, and put a bit of water in it from the wooden bucket in the corner of the room. He them put it above a small fire, which he seemed to have enlightened by a quick snap of his fingers.

For a moment Alfred was scared the wooden house would start to burn the moment the fire was enlightened, but it seemed almost as if the fire and its smoke were surrounded by an invisible barrier, keeping it from suffocating them or setting the dry wood of the floor on fire.

The moment Arthur had done so; he turned to a small box next to the bucket. As he walked back to the American again, who was still standing in the hut, not sure was to do, he opened the box. The box which, Alfred saw by the light of the fire was made of wood and engraved with all sorts of magical creatures.

In there, Alfred saw as he was distracted by its contents, were small apples, tipped with a bit of sugar. Alfred grabbed one without even considering the possibility of Arthur wanting to poison him –as in all these fairytales- and put it in his mouth.

It seemed the apple had be boiled, but kept its apple-like taste.

Alfred decided to take a good look around the house; it seemed to exist of just one room with a ceiling just high enough for Alfred to stand, in which very few items were kept; of course the bucket and the box were there, there was a small hammock in the corner which Alfred figured was used to sleep in, there were a few plants in pottery standing around the house, all being taken care of very well it seemed, and some small pile of fur and pillows.

The man seemed to have little very little stuff, but he had all necessary facilities. Although nothing was really modern; most stuff seemed handmade by Arthur himself or as if they weren't used in the normal world for centuries. Alfred figured Arthur had probably taken them from the people who camped in the parks nearby around summer.

By now the water in the kettle was boiling, and Arthur made his way towards it to grab two mugs –which seemed to have been made of clay-, put the boiling water in them and added, what seemed to be, dry leafs. Not long after that, the aroma of herb tea spread through the room. It made Alfred think of his grandmother's house, back in America.

After all that, Arthur made his way back to the American. By now Alfred had found a few pillows –which seemed to have been made of a soft sort of leafs and animal skins- and had sit down on them. Arthur did so too.

"So…" Arthur started after a few seconds of silence, "What makes your folk look for us, 'magical creatures' as you like to call us, so badly?" he asked.

Alfred had to get back to reality for a bit, but he quickly grinned towards the smaller blonde and composed an answer;

"Uhm, it's kinda just cause they wanna know more 'bout you guys?" Alfred said, "Most people don't even believe you guys are real. I didn't either, at first, but I kinda had to learn about it all for studies and the like." He continued.

"We mostly don't show ourselves to adults. Most of them want to use our power for their own benefits," Arthur explained, "So what made you think we would stay here? I know most adults aren't even able to feel the magical feeling around the forest, only kids can." Arthur asked eyes still big and curious as the moment they met.

Alfred thought about it for a bit. He didn't know either actually. And so he said;

"I dunno. After my studies they just asked me to come here and all, and I really needed a job to pay for stuff, so I figured I should just take the job."

Arthur nodded to show he understood, a bit of disappointment showing on his face after noticing the guy he'd brought down here to ask didn't know much about this whole project of the people a kilometre away from his house.

There was a silence again, Arthur just sipping his drink –which Alfred figured was probably tea- until the American decided to speak up.

"So these… Uhm… Sweet Apple thingies, did you make them?" he asked awkwardly. Since really, the stuff was delicious; sweet and all.

"Uhm," Arthur tried to come up with a proper answer, "…Not really."

"Then…?" Alfred asked, but before he finished his sentence Arthur already continued;

"They were made by the Fairies. The ones that come visit me sometimes. They disallowed me to cook ever again after I almost set the forest on fire…" the last part was mumbled, cheeks flushing a bit, "I-It's not my fault, they won't believe it when I tell them I've improved!"

Alfred gave a small chuckle, amused by the smaller blonds' denial.

"It's okay, dude. I normally let Mattie bake pancakes or something, I can cook but I find it lame," Alfred explained. "It's more of a woman's thing."

"Who's 'Mattie'?" Arthur asked as soon as the name was spoken.

"Well," Alfred replied, "He's kinda like a little brother to me. We both studied all this magical stuff. He's also in the UK." A small grin spreading on the American's lips, while scratching he back of his neck awkwardly.

Arthur just nodded, "What is this 'pancakes' you speak of?" he asked hesitantly. It made Alfred snicker.

"You don't know pancakes? Damn, dude, your life must suck!" Alfred replied, fully laughing right now.

"My life doesn't 'suck'! It's very well, thank you very much! Now tell me what pancakes are before I use my magic on you!"

"So you do have magic?"

"Sod off, git, just answer my question!"

It took a bit of time before Alfred was able to calm down his laughing so he could answer the blond in front of him.

"Pancakes are delicious. I dunno what Mattie uses to make them really; I guess the usual butter-milk-egg mix-thingy," Alfred said, "How about I bring you some next time? Since really, your life suck sooooo bad without pancakes." a grin on his face now.

"There's no 'next time' if you keep acting like a prat! Now belt up and drink your bloody tea." Arthur said in reply and decided to keep his mouth shut.

A few minutes of silence passed until a voice could be heard outside, only a few feet away from the tree the two males were in. It took a moment for Alfred to hear what was being shout and where it came from.

"Alfred!" could be heard by a voice which Alfred recognised as Matthew's, "Alfred! Where are you? It's time to go back, the sun's almost rising!"

Alfred looked up at Arthur, who also heard the yelling, and made a quick movement by looking out of the small hole, serving as a window, in the hut. It seemed his Canadian friend was right; he could see the orange, early-morning sun reflect on the tree's leafs.

"I gotta go." Alfred murmured, while Matthews shouting got more silent as he walked on, past the tree. He checked if he didn't forget his stuff and then headed towards the door. Arthur seemed to get up as well, ready to help the other find his way back off the tree.

The trip back down went in silence, Arthur just flying around Alfred whenever Alfred seemed to fall, but now the sun was shining through trees it was a lot easier for him to see where the branches were located.

The last part Arthur helped him get down on the ground again, quickly and silently, the only sound being his wings making the leafs around his rustle with every movement.

Arthur decided to stay flying, hovering above the American as he put him on the ground when the American made a quick, silent goodbye –making sure Matthew didn't hear him just yet, considering the purple eyed man would freak out at the sight of Arthur (either of excitement or fright).

Alfred turned around, towards where the Canadian was still calling his name, until he felt something tugging at his sleeve.

He turned around, only to drown into the bright green of Arthur's eyes. Eyes that were green as the forest surrounding them, even more beautiful now the sunlight made its way into them, making them shine even brighter. Alfred was sure it had to be part of Arthur's magical side.

"Wait!" Arthur demanded and Alfred was tugged back to reality, "Make a promise." the smaller blond demanded. Alfred looked at him with a blank expression.

"Promise 'bout what?" he asked, as the man kept looking him straight in the eye, making him scratch the back of his head nervously.

"Promise to never, ever tell someone about me or my hideout. Never." The fairy's eyes showed pure emotion.

An emotion Alfred couldn't really describe; it was mixed with a poisonous look of a risky vow, a bit of fear if the American decided to just leave and tell his friends, and also that tiny bit of despair which made Alfred wonder just why the man had been so hospitable to him, even though the man hadn't seem any like the social kind –considering both the male and his house had a lonely feel about them.

"Yeah, sure dude. No reason for me not to." Alfred grinned and turned around once again to make his way towards the trees after which Matthew was searching now.

Arthur's eyes still had a bit of doubt in them, but he let go of Alfred any ways.

"Who are you talking to?" Matthew suddenly asked. It seemed Alfred's Canadian friend had turned back around, now standing by one of the trees surrounding Arthur's tree.

"N-no one!" Alfred reassured him, scratching the back of his head, "I kinda wandered off path. But now it's light I can see where I'm going again." He continued to explain as they made their way towards their small camp, following the compass.

Matthew decided not to ask any more questions, though he still doubted his friend a bit.

Alfred turned around one more time, just to see if Arthur was still there, as they walked off. He wasn't sure, since it were gone the moment he saw it, but he could've sworn he saw a pair of bright green, shimmering and curious eyes watching him from between the leafs.

He decided to pay Arthur a visit another time. The male had really fascinated him.

The rest of the day and the upcoming night went without seeing Arthur.

Alfred had spent most of the day sleeping after the eventful night, and at night he was accompanied by Matthew to stay watch.

Alfred had kept his promise and hadn't told anyone about his encounter with Arthur. He was determined to keep his promise, showing the man who sounded so bitter over adults, that even adults could be trusted. Especially a hero like Alfred.

But today he wasn't sleepy. He'd woken up early, being the usual active man as he'd always been, and decided to pay Arthur a visit.

Considering Arthur's tree, it'd take a bit of effort to make his way up there, so he silently grabbed some supplied he could use to climb up the tree. After all, heroes were also capable of walking up walls and the like by a strong rope and just good shoes, with a rough sole and all.

Leaving a small not for Matthew saying he'd make a small stroll, he made his way out of the small house and into the forest, making sure no one saw him or followed him. After all he'd promised Arthur to be careful about that stuff.

He walked up to the East side of the forest, following his compass closely. He remembered that Arthur's tree was located straight to the east of their village, as Matthew and he had walked back to the West of the forest to get back to their camp.

It took half an hour to find the right tree, and it was a bit hard to make out in between the others, but Alfred noticed a small object he recognised; a small, green gemstone he'd seen Arthur wear. He picked it up and for a moment Alfred wondered if Arthur put it there on purpose so Alfred would be able to find his way back.

But before he could think about it, he heard a rustle behind him.

Alfred turned around, a bit panicked just in case someone actually had followed him, only to meet up with green.

The green he hadn't noticed he missed to much until he saw it again. Arthur's green eyes stared at him, hidden under the hood of a long cape. He hold a knapsack in his hand and a small rat was sitting on his shoulder.

"W-what are you doing here?" the surprised smaller blond asked.

"Uhm," Alfred started, a bit distracted by Arthur's fascinating appearance, "Just checkin' up on ye?" Alfred said sheepishly, while scratching the back of his head. It was hard for him to formulate his words once he was around the Fairy. Alfred shrugged it off as a side effect of Arthur's magic.

Arthur just gave a quick nod, glancing around him and murmuring something to the rat on his shoulder. He then stepped forward, continuing his path up the tree.

"I'll put my stuff inside and then come to pick you up," Arthur said hastily, "Hide in between the dark trees for a bit. If someone sees you I'll get in trouble." And after saying so Arthur flew up in the air, towards the branches where Alfred knew was his house.

Alfred quickly did as Arthur said, not wanting the other to get in trouble, and hid in between other trees. It didn't take long before Arthur came to pick him up. And it took even less time before they were both settled in the small tree house.

Alfred sat down, figuring Arthur probably wouldn't mind. Arthur, though, went to the corner of the hut where the rat was. He seemed to mumble in himself, but Alfred saw the rat's ears move and it seemed almost as if they were communicating.

Alfred was amazed by the man and his abilities. Whether it was to fly, talk to animals, taking care of plants so well, fly…

Suddenly Alfred noticed he had been staring at the small blond for as the time, and now he saw his shoulders shake a bit.

For a moment Alfred thought something was wrong with Arthur, but then he found out the man was smiling.

A small, gentle smile. Adding just the right amount of glimmer in his green eyes, and making it seem as if the man was shining like the sun itself. Or the moon, since Alfred could see him being more of the nigh-type of person.

Arthur turned around, back to facing Alfred, with a small grin still visible on his face. It seemed the small talk with the rat had brightened up his mood.

"Would you like tea?" Arthur asked. Alfred nodded without thinking; he didn't really like tea that much, but he was still a bit unfocussed on anything but the fairy in front of him.

Again a small silence settled, but this time Arthur broke it.

"You can help yourself on getting a Sweet Apple if you want one," he said, "It's in the same box, in the corner."

Alfred stood up to get one, but then realised that the hut really was rather small. In order to get the candy-like food, he'd have to move rather close to Arthur. For some unknown reason it make him nervous.

Alfred just shrugged it off as being nervous just in case the man wasn't as hospitable as he seemed, even after all that happened, and decided to still continue grabbing the box.

The moment he moved past the man, Alfred could've sworn Arthur stiffened up a bit. He looked towards the smaller blond to check if he minded Alfred's close presence, but then realised a small leaf in the man's hair.

Completely distracted by the –rather cute, he had to admit- leaf sticking out of the smaller man's hair, he moved his hand to take it out. The moment his hand touched the other's hair, he realised what he was doing.

Shit.

"W-what are you doing, git?" Arthur turned around, eyes furious, yet face a tiny bit blushing. Alfred figured the man probably wasn't used to human contact.

It made Alfred himself blush a bit, though he'd never admit it.

"Uhm, j-just getting this leaf out of your hair," Alfred said as he showed Arthur the leaf. Arthur just scratched his head at the spot where Alfred had touched him, then turning back to the kettle.

"Just get your bloody sweets already."

They'd kept a bit of distance for the rest of the day, not really sure how to act but eventually deciding on both keeping silent, pretending nothing ever happened.

That night, as Alfred had left Arthur again, Matthew looked at him in a strange way.

Normally the American would spend his day playing random games on the internet, or doing some sort of activity, but never before he'd left to the forest, and without letting Matthew join him – after all, normally he'd be too scared to go into the dark depths to the forest.

It was only by dinner though that the violet-eyes boy decided to confront Alfred with his strange behaviour.

"You sure nothing's up, Al?" the Canadian friend asked. Alfred just nodded while continuing to eat his dinner.

"Yeah, sure Matt!" he said, wanting to change the topic as soon as possible. He was sure he'd tell Matthew some day, but not now; first he'd have to ask Arthur if he was okay with it, and he most definitely shouldn't mention it in the middle of the others; he didn't trust them enough.

That's how it continued over the next few weeks, and slowly Alfred started to visit Arthur every day, even showing the man pancakes made by Matthew.

The rest of the staff had started to notice too, though…

/Author's Note/

Hjgbjhgjhfb FINALLY IT'S DONE. I started this several weeks ago, but got busy. Sorry for the long wait on chapters and updated and all, and eventually I start a new story (but I've got this plot fully figured out, except for the very final end, so it should be okay).

I'll try uploading HwRT soon, since I know you guys are waiting for the chapter and Artie's 'embarrassing song' and I am still trying to figure out what to do about the 2nd chapter of Antique Love which sucked bad. I can't continue until I feel satisfied with it.

Once I finish this fic, which will have, as mentioned above, very little, but very long chapters, I'll start the sequel of ICL! :D

But busy times are busy. Though my good grades, like, top of my class orz (so proud), does help me; If I get enough money, I'm allowed to go study in the UK (or any other country, but I chose Artie xD) when I finish my high school. I'm looking forward to it, and it makes me work even harder! :D

Well that was my author's note I guess? I'll try uploading more soon, with any fic really, but for now school's kicked in again, and you know how busy it gets around this time of the year up to end march, with holidays, birthdays, schoolwork, etc. Sorry for not replying fast, some day I'll finish it all!

Byee 3

Oh and thank Katie, my 'hero of the day', for helping me out by inspiration-filled conversations on msn, doing a bit of beta-work, and keeping me writing.

Also thank Haxelo for having awesome conversations with her, who I admire a lot for her artworks. She even made fanart already. Really, guys, you're all great (readers as well! 3)

I do not own Hetalia or the characters, those belong to their rightful (awesome) creator, Hidekaz Himaruya!

Also I do not own the song.

(11/12/11)