Fake (Hetalia: FrUkUs)

.8.

Eventually, they stopped pounding on my door. They stopped calling my name. And they stopped speaking altogether. They were still there, on the other side of the door, but they had fallen silent. I had my head dropped in my arms, and I was staring at the bathroom floor. The tiles were a pristine white. Perfect, like my mother wanted.

"Alfred." I sighed.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you do it?" That wasn't Arthur. I sighed again.

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters!" That was Arthur.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why does it matter?" I waited for a response. None came. We lapsed into another silence. I began counting the tiles of the bathroom floor.

"How long have we been sitting here?" I asked.

"About a half an hour." Francis answered me.

"Will you please leave?"

"No." Arthur persisted. I gnawed at my lip.

"Can I come out?" I heard them stand up from the door. I stood slowly and unlocked the door. When I opened it, Arthur was standing right in the doorway, waiting for me. I expected more yelling from him, but he didn't yell.

Instead, he slapped me. Hard. I clutched at my cheek, and he hugged me tightly.

"Bloody fucking idiot," He said into my chest. "You're so stupid." He held me tighter. "Fuck," He let out on a breath, and I felt his chest heave slightly. "Goddammit." He refused to move, "I'm so stupid." I was confused.

"... Can I sit down?" He nodded into my chest, but didn't move for a few moments. When he finally released me, he left the room, and I heard him descend the stairs. A door slammed.

I dropped onto my bed and looked up at Francis. "Do you have anything you want to say? Or, will you leave as well?" He sat down in my computer chair.

"Alfred, do you remember what happened last night?" He asked as he held my gaze. I thought for a moment.

"Well, not everything... Arthur already asked and I told him what I remember."

"Care to repeat it for me?" I didn't see why it mattered.

"Well, I remember getting drunk, as well as Igg's. I remember making out with Darryl, and then... I know I was dancing with others, and eventually I went outside. From there I hung out with some people, and then I was waking up in my bed." He dropped his eyes. Did something else happen? "Am I forgetting something?" How important could it be?

He let out a slow breath and ran a hand through his hair, "Well..." He sat up a bit straighter, "I don't know how else to say it, so... You tried using heroine last night." I felt my jaw drop, "And I stopped you." I felt something warm flood my eyes, as something cold flooded my mind.

"No," I said, "That's a lie. I would never-" I stopped. It was suddenly cold and I felt something wrap tightly around my arm, and something cold pressed against my arm. I grabbed at my arm, my hand closing around the fabric of the bandages. I dug my nails into them, and faintly felt them open the cuts in that area.

"Hey," A voice said softly. Someone's hand wrapped around my own, and it was bright again. "It's alright. You didn't do anything." He removed my hand, and placed his own on my arm. "You're okay." But, I wasn't. I wasn't okay at all. I had tried to... My mind went numb as that warmth overflowed from my eyes.

He let go of my arm, and instead sat beside me and held me. I didn't return the embrace. I didn't even understand why he held me in the first place, but I didn't push him away. I needed someone, anyone, to hold me. To help me.