Teacher, Teacher《UsUk》

Face it.

Arthur gulped. He was standing in front of the school gates, taking baby steps with his sister keeping an eye on him from an abandoned table tennis table with her friends. Alfred was in plain sight, grinning and laughing at his friend's jokes to avoid being spotted as watching Arthur. Arthur held his arm down, hand clutching the torn fabric of his jeans. He took a deap breath and continued his walk accross the yard.
People started to stare.
He carried on walking, staring straight ahead. He saw Antonio fall silent and take a step away, earning an odd look from his friends surrounding him. One friend laughed until he heard the dead silence of everyone in the yard. He turned around with his long blonde hair bouncing at his shoulders as the small brit flung himself into him, latching his arms around the frenchman's chest so no matter what Francis did he couldn't shake him off.
But Francis didn't even lay a finger on Arthur. His arms remained up in the air and he stared at the top of Arthur's head where his wild mess of hair begun. He failed to understand, Arthur despised Francis. Ever since the incident he would avoid him at all costs.
"What the fu-" Francis began but got viciously cut off by a mess of words being flung at him from Arthur who had detatched his face from Francis' shirt.
"I'm sorry! I never got to say it! I'm sorry I felt like you were going to leave me behind like mum and I'd be all alone and I'm sorry I drove the people you fell in love with away because I was sefish and I'm sorry I made you hate me!" Arthur gasped for breath. "So go on! Do what you always do and hit me across th head or something because I'm not thinking straight!" Arthur forced Francis' hand up to his collar and made him grab onto it.
"Just stay in my life! Thats all I ask!" Francis grabbed on tighter to Arthur's collar, a dark glint in his eyes. He pulled Arthur's collar downwards and Alfred, who was watching closely to make sure he didn't hurt Arthur, stepped forewards. Arthur panicked, he thought Francis was about to hit him on the back of his head to try to give him a concussion or something. He heard a soft whisper of those familiar french words he'd heard all through his time being close to Francis.
"Va te faire foutre" He was awkward about it, sleek eyebrows pointing downwards as he glared at Arthur.
"Mon dieu cut your hair." Francis looked disgusted but Arthur was exploding inside his mind, he was back. Even if he looked uncomfortable and still had that "I want to bash your head in" body language Arthur had brought back that part of Francis that was still living on without Arthur to balance it out as his rival.
"Arthur, I held a grudge and for once, I think all these years was a bit too much. But don't try to get this close to me ever again or I'll kick you to the floor. Pour l'amour de la baise!" This threw a strike of fear through Arthur's heart, but he knew Francis wouldn't dare. The whole school saw this and he wouldn't risk beating him up after this.
Arthur's heart was pounding as he watched the Frenchman he'd learnt to fear walk away calmly, a pissed and fake smile plastered excessively onto his face. This time there was no blood blocking Arthur's view of him and he swayed on his feet, feeling lightheaded and the burning stares of open-mouthed students around him making him topple forwards. He expected the solid, painful concrete to dig into his skin but instead felt the oddly soft sleeve of Alfred's signature bomber jacket.
"Arthur?" He asked carefully, worried the boy was going through what he did the night before. Arthur smiled softly and whispered just loud enough for Alfred to hear.
"I need to talk to you, where no one's listening to me." A chill went through Alfred's spine wondering what on earth could be so important at this time. Even so he took him through to the library.
As soon as the pair were in the library and Alfred was beside himself panicking and worrying about what could be wrong, Arthur burst out laughing. Alfred just stood there, frozen and confused.
"Arthur are you okay? Should I take you to the nurse? Should I take you back to my house?" Arthur wouldn't stop laughing.
"Only-   if I break something-  laughing!" He said, gasping for air. "Alfred did you see the look on his face? Priceless! He was so uncomfortable and confused- I scared him so much!" Alfred took a sigh of relief and smiled, chuckling at the weird fake smile on Francis' face.
"On a more serious note, some of him is back... I can feel it in the way he touched me." Arthur paused. "He was almost the person I used to look to for protection..." There was a moment of silence.
"Of course I'm not ever going to rate him over you. Ever." Alfred smiled and looked at Arthur's face, happiness physically visible and written across all his features, even the scar where his jawline meets his neck, the bruises fading still, the small twist to his once perfect smile from a punch. He looked happy.
"Good." He replied. Arthur looke over at a worn book, gasping at the cover and diving on it, pulling it out of he unsteady shelf and dusting off the pages.
"I used to love this! I'd never finish a book, but I borrowed this one from the library until my sister put it back and I never read it after that." Arthur stroked the page admirably. Alfred sat down, leaning against the shelf next to Arthur's feet, patting the floor next to him.
"Sit. I'll listen to you read it." Arthur's face lit up and he stumbled over his own feet to sit down. Once he sat down, he opened the book and began to read out in that special voice Alfred remembered one time in his first year of high school. Arthur in his huge jumper and white shirt, hair messy and every item of clothing ironed. H had read a passage from a book in an English lesson and Alfred had fallen asleep from his voice.
"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense." Alfred was worried he's fall asleep, he loved Arthur's reading voice and how calm it sounded.
Arthur read on, leaving Alfred to wonder what the story could be about.
""The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard -"

"- yes, their son, Harry -"

Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it." Alfred opened his eyes and asked,
"Hey, this is that Harry Potter book isn't it?" With a smile on his face. Arthur scowled.
"You haven't read the books?" Alfred shook his head.
"But I watched all the films when they came out!" This made Arthur groan.
"I bet you watched the films for Hunger Games without the books too." Alfred smiled sheepishly.
"I've never really gotten into a book before." Arthur became deadly serious amd stood, placing the book next to him and standing. He wandered around the library, picking up three books at once, another along the way down he second bookshelf. Alfred followed him awkwardly, not knowing if he should say anything. Arthur picked up one final book on the last bookshelf too. He took them to the till and as the tired-looking voluntary student scanned them all Alfred read the names.

Hunger Games

Catching Fire

Mockingjay

A Street Cat Named Bob

And finally,

Maze Runner

Arthur shoved them into Alfred's hands.
"Hunger games is a trilogy so read them in order, A Street Cat Named Bob is touching and I only got you the first of the Maze Runner books because its hard to get into the story of the books." Alfred was overwhelmed but wanted to make his boyfriend happy.
"Sure! I'll read all of these and I bet you I'll come back for the other Maze Runner books!" Arthur smiled brightly. He honestly thought he would have to torture Alfred into even touching a book but he seemed pretty eager.
The two were calm, Alfred was balancing the pile of books on their way home, Arthur having to catch one when he nearly dropped it.
The cold breeze was lovely against Arthur's skin which, he could say boldly, might finally get a chance to heal.