Why so serious?

Alfred wound his arms just as tightly around Arthur, breathing in the scent of his hair and allowing his eyes to slip closed for a moment. Arthur smelled like sweet shampoo and newspaper ink, and he couldn't think of any combination of scents that he liked more. He could easily have sat there all day, just holding Arthur on his bed, forgetting about the rest of the world.

"I'll be happy," he breathed into Arthur's hair, right above his ear. "I'll be happy, knowing that you're happy. That's all I need." His grip tightened just slightly, pulling Arthur closer to himself, reveling in the closeness- the closeness that could soon become normal between the two of them.

Reluctantly, he pulled away to smile down at Arthur. He lifted one hand to brush a strand of hair behind the man's ear, his smile only widening as he took in how wonderful Arthur looked right then. Everything was amazing. He would never, not even in his wildest dreams, have believed that it could all work out this way. But now that it had... Well, he wasn't about to let it slip away from him. "Tell Jones, and tell him soon. It'll work out. I know it will."

"Soon? Like, you mean, right now?" Arthur didn't know if that's what Coyote Soldier meant but he didn't think that he could be able to tell Alfred soon. He was too scared. He knew what would happen anyway so he didn't see the point in telling him... But! Arthur had promised! And a true gentleman never breaks his promises!

"I hope that we could still be friends even after all of this..." Arthur knew that things would never be the same between him and Coyote Soldier. It would be a little awkward but it seemed that Coyote Soldier didn't really mind when he knew that it was Alfred whom he was in love with.

"Are you going to leave soon? You don't have to go..."

"But I do need to leave soon," Alfred replied softly, though he made no move to get up. "I'm a superhero, remember? I need to keep a close eye on this city so no one tries to blow it up or something." He winked. "But don't worry. If you ever need me again, I'll be there right away."

Which reminded him... Alfred dug into a small satchel on his belt, bypassing the extra ammo and seizing something small and round. He pulled it out into the open and extended it towards Arthur. "Here. It's just a little thing I've been working on- a signal. For if you ever want to call me." Flipping the little badge over, he pointed at the small button on the back. "All you need to do is press this right here, and I'll hear a little alarm coming from my suit. Then I'll know to find you right away, because the alarm has a little tracking device in it."

He paused, realizing just how badly that could be taken, then began to flail his hands around as he tried to correct himself. "I mean, it's not like I'll be tracking you or anything! It only turns on when you press the button. I swear!"

Arthur knew that. He knew that Coyote Soldier was a superhero and that he had a lot of things to do than to lie down and relax with Arthur. "Yes. The city needs their hero. I think that I may have taken you away for far too long."

Arthur blinked as Coyote Soldier gave him a small, round object. "You made this? Wow! you're really good at making things like these." It looked just like any other brooch so it wasn't suspicious-looking at all. But, why would Coyote Soldier give him this?

A signal? An alarm? A tracking device? In this little thing? Arthur was really impressed. He'd have to try it out sometime.

Arthur chuckled as Coyote Soldier flailed. "Silly. I know that. I know that you won't do anything to hurt me." Arthur knew that Coyote Soldier won't do anything bad to him. Arthur blushed. What was he thinking? It's not like Coyote Soldier even wanted to do anything like that, right?

Breathing a light sigh of relief, Alfred allowed the tension to slide out of his body. He glanced out the window again. They would be expecting him back at the paper, and though he would really have liked nothing more than to relax in Arthur's house for the rest of the day, Alfred knew he had responsibilities to attend to. With another sigh, he pushed himself to his feet.

"I'm glad we got this all cleared up, Arthur," he said with a smile, reaching out to grasp Arthur's hands gently within his own. "I was a little worried that you hated me, to be honest. But if you love Jones... I'd be a horrible person to get in the way of that." He squeezed those hands slightly. "I really do want to stay friends, if you think we can do that. I'd miss being able to talk to you like this."

Reluctantly, he pulled away and turned back towards the open window. As he climbed over the sill, he shot another look back at Arthur, trying to burn his appearance into his mind. No matter what happened now, whether Arthur had the nerve to tell him his feelings or not, whether Alfred would be forced to do the wooing, he knew that he would always remember this.

"Bye for now, Arthur. I'll see you soon!" With that, he lashed out with his whip and proceeded to make his way back along the city's skyline. His heart was pounding a joyful rhythm in his chest, and he couldn't stop smiling, and this day had really turned out to be wonderful, hadn't it?

"Yes. I would miss being able to talk to you like this too. Let's stay friends." Arthur didn't want to lose the few friends that he had managed to make. Besides, Coyote Soldier was a really nice guy.

Arthur felt really bad. It seemed that Coyote Soldier really did like him. But, it wouldn't be fair to Coyote Soldier if Arthur had told him that he liked him when it was Alfred who he truly liked. But, if Coyote Soldier gave him some time, Arthur was sure to fall in love with him too.

"Good bye, Coyote Soldier..." Arthur held the badge that was given to him and placed it on his suit. "I'll make sure to bring this wherever I go!" Arthur gave him a smile and watched Coyote Soldier leave through his window.

Once he was left alone, he wondered if he should go back to the office and tell Alfred how he felt about him. But, he didn't. He couldn't. He was too afraid. Maybe, he'd be able to tell him tomorrow? Oh, God. This was too hard.

Alfred wasn't really expecting Arthur to show up at work again, not after all that, but he couldn't seem to stop glancing towards the elevators and stairs every time he left his office. It was understandable- learning that man he might possibly have been in love with loved him back was an exciting discovery indeed. He wished Arthur would just pop up and confess. Then everything would be perfect, he was sure of it.

But that familiar face never entered his line of sight, even though he took a look or two into Arthur's office, and so it was with a sense of vague disappointment that Alfred bid his coworkers farewell and headed towards home. And yet not even that could take away the utter elation that had filled him all day. He treated himself to a nice dinner along the way, and left a generous tip for the young waiter, and then nearly skipped up the stairs to his apartment door, twirling the old landlady around when he came across her on the way up.

Two of his favorite movies and a bowl of popcorn later, Alfred was just about to settle into bed with a stack of comic books when his phone rang- a new one, after he'd lost the last on the sidewalk. He glanced down at the screen and grinned. He knew that number.

"Hey, Matt, what's up?"

Matthew's voice, though, did not share the same happy excitement. "Turn your TV to channel five, Al."

Confused, Alfred got up and did as he was told, flipping to channel five. The phone nearly slipped from his fingers again at what he saw.

That face... He would recognize that face anywhere. A maniacal grin, wide violet eyes, a shock of platinum blonde hair- Dr. Ivan Braginsky. But it wasn't that alone that made Alfred's joy twist into despair within his chest. No, it was also the words of the news announcer.

-gest story, Dr. Ivan Braginsky escaped from the mental institution where he was being held. The newslady frowned, and another face popped up on the screen, this time of a young woman with long, equally platinum hair. He was aided by this woman, who appears to be related to him in some way. This man and his accomplice are armed and dangerous- I repeat, armed and dangerous. If anyone has any information, please call the anonymous hotline at-

Alfred swallowed heavily. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all.

So much for his wonderful day.

Arthur stayed the rest of the day inside his house. How was he supposed to go and tell Alfred his feelings? Should he just say it and get it over with? Or should he try and woo him? But, he didn't know how to woo Alfred. He didn't even know what he liked! He pondered on what he should do.

Arthur's face lit up. Maybe, he should cook him something! There was a saying that food was the way to a man's heart, right?! He'd just have to go and cook Alfred some scones and everything would be alright! But then he remembered that one time with Coyote Soldier. He didn't like Arthur's cooking so that must mean that it was bad. Arthur frowned. Cooking was out of the list. What else was he supposed to do?

Maybe, he should write him a letter? He saw Antonio do that to Romano once but he ended up being punched. What if Arthur did the same? What if Alfred punched him in return? That would hurt. A lot. So, writing letters is also out of the list.

Arthur was about to give up when a leaf fell down inside his room. He had forgotten to close the window. He went over to close the window and saw that the leaves were starting to fall.

Autumn is here. And soon, it would be Winter. It was going to be so cold. Then, it hit him. He should make something that would keep Alfred warm! He should make mittens! Or a scarf! He didn't think that there could be any consequence to this. He was actually good at sewing. Arthur went to his closet and got the box that contained all of his sewing materials and sat on the couch to get started.

Arthur wondered what colour Alfred would like. Maybe, he likes the colour blue since it was the color of his eyes? Arthur smiled. He really loved Alfred's eyes. He loved when they would look happy and excited. Arthur made up his mind. He would knit a blue scarf for Alfred.

He didn't really know what design Alfred would want so he just made a simple one. He'll just embroider Alfred's initials when he was done.

Since he got went home early, Arthur managed to finish the scarf by dinner time. He was quite happy the way that it had turned out. It was a long scarf and Arthur was sure that Alfred would be warm whenever he would be wearing it.

Arthur got some thread and started to embroider a letter 'A' on the lower right corner of the scarf. When he was was done, he placed the scarf inside a plain brown paper bag. It wasn't the nicest scarf out there but he hoped that Alfred would like it.

He couldn't wait for tomorrow.

When Alfred woke up the next morning, his mind was immediately struck with a sense of confusion as it attempted to both be elated by Arthur's semi-confession and frustrated by Braginsky's escape. He shoved his covers aside and headed for the bathroom to take his morning shower. As the warm water sluiced down over him, he allowed that stress to wash away with it- there was nothing he could do about Braginsky, not yet, so he would just need to be prepared to deal with the doctor when he showed his face again. For that morning, though, all he had to really focus on was Arthur.

He took the road to work a little more discretely this time, not so much bouncing on his heels as he had been the day before. Still, his brilliant smile never once slipped off of his face. Once his bike was good and parked behind the Gazette building, he took a moment to smooth out his appearance. Arthur was the kind of guy who liked neat and tidy, and so Alfred was going to be as neat and tidy as he could damn well be.

The elevator felt like it was going slower than usual, or maybe that was just Alfred checking his watch every few seconds. He didn't want to waste a moment being single when he could be dating Arthur Kirkland. Finally, the elevator doors shuffled open, and he stepped out onto his floor. Instead of moving straight towards his office, though, he paused for a moment just outside of Arthur's door. Fixing his hair one more time, he knocked once and pushed it open.

"Good morning, Mr. Kirkland!"

Now he just needed to wait and see whether Arthur would confess, or whether he would need to make that step first.

The next morning, Arthur woke up earlier than usual. He went to the office 30 minutes earlier and waited for Alfred to go to work. He was getting so nervous. He didn't know whether he should still go and keep his promise to Coyote Soldier.

He brought the scarf with him and hugged it close. Very soon, Alfred would be going in his office. Would he be able to give it today? Would he be able to give it to him at all? Arthur tried to be optimistic about it but he just can't help but to feel insecure about everything. What made him think that Alfred would actually like him? What made him think that Alfred would like the scarf that he made? It was ridiculous!

Arthur was starting to feel afraid. He didn't think he could do it anymore. He wished that he wasn't such a coward.

"Good morning, Mr. Kirkland!"

Arthur flinched. He hadn't expected for Alfred to enter his office this early in the morning. Arthur blushed. Alfred was there. It was now or never.

"G-good morning, Alfred... I have something to tell you..." Arthur looked away, trying to hide the blush on his face. "I-I... Well, you see..." He could do this! He knows that he could! He would tell Alfred that he loved him! And, Alfred would reject him and they would laugh it off and then probably won't speak to each other for months! Oh, God. He can't do this.

"I really like... you-r tie!"

Arthur was opening his mouth. Arthur was about to speak. Arthur was going to do it! He was going to-

"I really like... your tie!"

And he'd chickened out at the last moment. Alfred fought back the sigh that struggled to push past his lips, instead moving forward into Arthur's office and letting the door swing shut behind him. He tugged at his tie. "This one? My mom gave it to me a few years ago. Brings out my eyes, doesn't it?" Grinning goofily, he held the blue fabric up next to his face.

Come on, Arthur, he urged mentally. You can do it. You just need to say it!

"Yes, it does. I really like it. You should wear it more often!" Arthur laughed awkwardly. This was so embarrassing. He doesn't want to show his face to Alfred anymore. Alfred was probably starting to get suspect something. And he would probably be right.

"Uh... We have such lovely weather today, don't we?" Arthur was stalling. He wanted to say it but he just couldn't. What were the chances that Alfred would like him back?

Arthur remembered the scarf that he'd made for Alfred. Should he give it to him now? "I-I've heard that it was going to get cold..." Arthur held the paper bag tighter and pushed it towards Alfred. "I-I mad-bought this for you!" He didn't want to say that he made it because that would be too embarrassing.

"I hope that you like it..."

"Lovely weather?" Alfred couldn't squash his chuckle. Arthur was really stalling for time now. "Yeah, I guess so. Winter's coming, though."

He took the paper bag that was offered to him and peered inside. Whatever was in there looked very long and soft... He drew it out, smiling as it revealed itself to be a beautiful blue scarf. "You bought this for me? Nice! Thanks, Arthur." Running his fingers down over the material, he cocked his head slightly at the texture and distinctive knitting. "Wait, where did you buy it? It seems like it was handmade or something."

Then it connected. Had Arthur made this for him? Had he really taken the time to knit him such a fantastic gift? The thought warmed his body, and he felt his face flush slightly. "Thanks, Arthur," he repeated, more quietly this time.

"Uh, you're welcome." Arthur smiled. It seemed that Alfred liked it. "I... bought it... somewhere... just some random place, really!" Darn. He forgot about that. Of course Alfred would ask where he bought it. Arthur just forced out a laugh and hoped that Alfred won't question him any further.

"A-Alfred?" Arthur looked up at him and went closer. "P-please don't hate me." Arthur clung to Alfred's suit and pressed his head to Alfred's chest. Tears started to gather in his eyes. He wanted this man to love him so badly. He wanted for Alfred to care for him and only him. Arthur wanted Alfred. But, he knew that it wasn't possible. He was just going to break his own heart if he confessed. Why did love have to be so difficult?

"A-Alfred..." His tightened his grip on Alfred's suit and looked up at him, blushing with tears in his eyes. "I-I think that I love you..." There. He said it. He finally said it. Now he closed his eyes and waited for Alfred to push him away and tell him to never speak to him again.

And there it was. Alfred swallowed heavily, staring down at the head of messy blonde hair pressed against his chest. It was amazing, that he'd been expecting this, that he'd known it was coming, and yet he was still so elated to hear it being said to him, really to him. "Arthur..."

Smiling, he lifted the scarf in his hands and wrapped it gently around Arthur's neck, in the process coaxing Arthur's gaze upwards to meet his own. "Hey, Arthur." His smile was soft, trembling, and so full of emotion that he thought he was going to burst. "How could I hate you? You're so... You're so... Man, Arthur, I don't even have the words to describe how great you are." He chuckled lightly.

"Arthur." Oh, how he loved that name. It rolled off of his tongue so easily, and felt like the most natural thing in the world. "Arthur, I could never hate you. Because I... Well, I can't say that I love you, not yet, cause I've never been in love before and I don't know what it feels like, but I do know that I like you. Like, I really like you. And if you want to try something, believe me, I'll go all in."

Lifting one hand to run it shakily through his hair- this was ridiculous, how could he be so nervous when he had known this was coming- he laughed again and stared down into a pair of beautiful green eyes. "That was kind of rambling, wasn't it? What I meant to say- What I mean is, I really, really like you, Arthur." He averted his eyes, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Why did words always have to escape him at important times like these?

"Don't feel like you have to like me, Alfred." Arthur frowned. Alfred didn't have to lie to him. He already knew that Alfred liked somebody else. "You don't have to say those things to make me feel better. I've actually accepted the fact that you won't ever like me."

Arthur pulled away from Alfred and wiped his tears away. He ran outside the door and made his way to the restroom. He locked himself up in a cubicle and cried. He didn't want to be selfish. He knew that Alfred just said that so that he wouldn't hurt his feelings. But, it still hurt no matter what Alfred does.

He tried to keep his sobs quiet so that nobody would hear him. It was already embarrassing that Alfred saw him cry. He didn't think his pride could take it if his employees did too. It was a good thing that nobody was in that area.

"Arthur!" Alfred reached out to catch him but missed, and was resigned to chasing after him down the hallway towards the bathrooms. He ignored the curious looks they garnered from his coworkers- not to mention the knowing wink Elizaveta sent his way- and pushed open the door.

"Arthur?" he called. He knew the man was there. He could hear the tiny, quiet sounds of his heartbroken sobs, and it wrenched at Alfred's heart. "Arthur, please, just listen to me. I wasn't lying, and I wasn't forcing myself. I meant it. I mean it! I really, really like you."

Pressing his hand against the cubicle door from behind which the sobs were coming, Alfred sighed. "You're not giving yourself enough credit. I'm so, so happy that you love me, Arthur, and I want the chance for this to grow into love on my side, too. Because I think it will. No, I know it will! And it's not because I'm forcing myself. I've liked you for a long time, Arthur, a really long time."

He stared down at the scarf in his hand, then lifted it up to his face and pressed it against his nose. "Please, Arthur," he mumbled, voice slightly muffled now, "please, just give me a chance. I want to prove it to you. How can I prove it?"

Arthur didn't know if he should believe Alfred or not. He hasn't experienced being in love before and he's so afraid of it. He wanted to believe in Alfred. He wanted to believe that everything he said is true. And he knows that Alfred would make him happy but he didn't know if he could make Alfred happy.

Arthur opened the door and clung onto Alfred. "Alfred..." Arthur was confused. He didn't know what do to. "I love you! I love you so much, Alfred! But I'm so confused!" Arthur sobbed. He didn't want to sound so weak and pathetic in front of Alfred but he couldn't help it. Alfred was so sweet. And hearing that Alfred liked him for a long time made him so happy but he was still afraid. He was afraid that maybe after this, Alfred would realize that he didn't really like Arthur after all.

"I don't know what to do! I'm so scared!" He sobbed, still clinging on Alfred.

Alfred stepped away from the door when it opened, and then suddenly found himself with an armful of Arthur Kirkland once again. He wound his arms around the shaking form, holding on tight, and pressed his lips against the crown of Arthur's head. "I'm scared, too," he murmured. And he was, even if that fear was due to different reasons. "But this way, Arthur, we can be scared together. I'll do everything I can to make sure you're happy."

Pushing Arthur away slightly, just enough so that he could peer down into that tear-streaked face, Alfred tried his best to give a soft smile. "We can do this, Arthur. I know we can, if you're willing to give it a chance. I know I am." He rubbed his thumb against Arthur's cheek. "And even if I can't promise you forever, I'm aiming for it."

He lifted up his scarf and wound it around Arthur's neck, this time making sure that it wouldn't fall if Arthur ran off again. He really hoped that wouldn't be the case. "So, are you willing to give this a shot?"

Arthur relaxed in Alfred's arms. He felt relieved to know that he wasn't the only one who is scared about this. He loved the feeling of being held by Alfred. He felt so safe. He felt like nothing could hurt him.

He was glad to know that Alfred was willing to try this with him. But, he wondered if he would be too. It was too scary. "A-are you sure that you want to try this with me?." Arthur looked down. "I don't think you need me in your life. I don't think I can make you happy..."

"I know that there are others in your life, Alfred. They are better than me! They can give you more than I ever could! I don't deserve you, Alfred. You deserve someone who is much much better." Arthur gave Alfred a sad smile and pulled away.

"Don't worry about me. I'll get over this..."

"But you don't get it, Arthur." Alfred grabbed his shoulders, keeping his touch gentle, and pulled Arthur close again. "Yeah, maybe there are other people out there, but I don't want them. I don't want what they can give me." He shook his head. "I just want you. I want you, and I want to make you happy, and I want to try this."

He'd known Arthur for too long now to expect him to just give in like that, so Alfred tried a different tactic before Arthur could respond. "Tell you what. Tonight, you and me are going out for dinner. It'll be nice, semi-formal, and then afterwards we can see where this is going. Okay?"

Running one hand up and down the side of Arthur's arm soothingly, Alfred gave his best smile. "Just one date. Can we just try that?"

Why is Alfred trying so hard? Does Alfred really like him? Does he really want him the way that he wanted him? Was he telling the truth?

Arthur wanted to believe in Alfred. And he will. If Alfred was sure that he wanted Arthur, then Arthur would be his. Alfred didn't need to prove himself any further.

"I-It's alright. You don't have to do this." Arthur lifted his hand to touch Alfred's face. "I.. I believe in you. I know that you won't hurt me." Arthur really wanted this work out. And for this to work, Arthur needed to trust Alfred.

"I... I want to go on many dates with you..." Arthur blushed. "Not just one..."

Leaning into the hand upon his face, Alfred allowed his smile to grow into the brilliant, joyful grin that it so wanted to become. Arthur liked him, and he liked Arthur, and they had confessed, and now... And now...

"So, is this official?" Alfred asked, running one hand up to rest against the nape of Arthur's neck. His skin was so smooth to the touch, his hair slightly coarse but perfect to run fingers through, and Alfred counted himself so incredibly lucky to have such a chance with such an amazing guy. "Are we... Are we dating now?" It was a foolish question, one that sounded as though it belonged in a high school, not an established business, but it needed to be asked.

He knew, faintly, that they would have to keep this secret from the other employees. Business relationships always seemed to bring about favoritism and jealousy. If the newspaper wanted to keep running smoothly, they couldn't be open about their newfound relationship, no matter how much Alfred wanted to shout it to the clouds.

Official? Arthur felt his face flush brighter and his heart beat faster. Oh, how he wanted to hear those words from Alfred. It almost seemed to good to be true.

Arthur was not used to having someone touch him like that. He was afraid that once he got used to it, he might not be able to live without it. But, he really wanted to try this. For now he wanted to be selfish, he wanted to to be with Alfred.

"Y-yes. We're... official." Arthur chuckled. He had never imagined that his first love confession would happen inside a restroom. And he never imagined it to be with a guy. But, he doesn't regret anything. He was truly lucky to at least be liked by such a wonderful person.

Arthur knew that Alfred would leave him in the future. Alfred was a young man after all. He still had a lot of things to do with his life. And someday, he would look for a beautiful young lady that he would spend the rest of his life with. He shouldn't be stuck with a man like Arthur.

But right now, he wanted to believe that Alfred loves him and only him. He wanted to believe that Alfred would never leave him. He wanted to believe that Alfred would forever be his.

Official. Official. The word ran through Alfred's head over and over again, repeating itself like a mantra, reverent and wonderful. Official. If Alfred had been a teenager, he might have squealed and pulled Arthur into a hug. As it was, he settled for a beaming smile and a gentle squeeze to the back of Arthur's neck.

"That's great. Really great. Amazing." He chuckled. "Wow. This is all just... Wow." Words were escaping him again- they seemed to do that a lot when he was around Arthur. But that didn't mean he was going to give up on trying to use them.

"So... You want to go on dates. Lots of dates." Running his free hand through his hair, he let out a relieved burst of laughter. "That's- That's awesome. Because I want to take you on lots of dates. Anywhere you want to go. How about that dinner tonight? We can go wherever you like. I'll pay. I'll treat. Pick somewhere nice, I'll take you anywhere!"

He was rambling, and he knew it, but he was so happy and relieved and everything was fantastic and Arthur was right there, touching him, wearing his new scarf- which had been given to him by Arthur himself. That moment was perfect, and he wouldn't have given it up for anything in the world.