Two Faces

Quiet Sanctuary

"Jones?" María arched a brow at the strange sight before her. Not only was someone knocking at her door past ten at night, it also had not been Matthew. The only one she would have expected. Instead, she was looking at Alfred, who was still in pajamas and incredibly pale compared to his usual tan. Deciding it was probably best to just let the man in, María unlocked the door and stepped to the side. "What brings you here?"

"Mattie said I could crash here." Alfred answered. His usual spark of life was definitely gone. "Do I take the couch, or is Mattie's bed clean?"

"What? Should be clean. I washed the sheets last night." She turned off the television to hear her guest better. His soft voice was a clear indicator that something was off. "Care to tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing, dude. Just tired." Alfred tried to laugh, but it came out dull.

Having had enough, María grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to look at her. "Mira cabrón. Either tell me what's go you tongue-tied or get out. Go bother your dads." Alfred's face twisted in disgust and María was quick to connect the dots. Her lips twisted and her eyes turned mischievous. "Ya veo, they're already preoccupied, huh?"

"Mary!" Alfred whined and flopped back on the couch. "Ugh, it was so gross! They were all over each other."

María chuckled and sat on the couch next to the one Alfred occupied. "I bet they were going at it hard." Alfred groaned. "Heard Francis pulled out his best wine for their date. Twenty bucks says our gentleman drank some whiskey to get real frisky."

"Could you not?" Alfred shot her a glare. Though, his green face made it somewhat comical. María shot her hands up in surrender. Despite her laughter. "Seriously! Not cool, man. It was gross."

"Sorry, Al. Well, you're safe here. You'll have the place all to yourself tonight."

"Huh? You're leaving?" Alfred jumped up and looked over the back of the couch to where María had walked to.

"Yeah." María shrugged. "Mattie's at Gil's. So, I made my own plans." She shot a wicked grin to Alfred. "I'm hoping it'll end as exciting as your dads'." Another groan. "Sorry."

Alfred clicked his tongue. "Man, everyone's busy tonight. Even Kiku logged off early."

A chuckle escaped María's lips. "I don't know, Jones. You might just have to get laid."

"I'd rather note."

This had the Mexican laughing out loud. "You're such a child, Alfred." She turned back to continue teasing Alfred but was surprised to see tears in his eyes. Alarmed, María froze in place. "¿Y a ti qué te pasa?"

Alfred seemed confused until a tear rolled down his cheek. "Huh? Oh, nothing."

"Funny, never knew you could sweat through your eyeballs." She deadpanned.

Alfred sighed. "It's weird, okay?" María kept quiet for him to continue. He became uncomfortable under her gaze and caved. "I might've had a crush on Arthur."

"Your dad?!"

"He's not really my dad!" Alfred shouted back. "I mean, I never saw him like that. Francis is our cousin, you know? Arthur was just his roommate who helped keep Mattie and me together." He knew anyone would have reacted the way María did, if not worse. Having a crush on the man who acted as your father was weird. Even Alfred had been too shocked to really accept his feelings. "Not like it matters now, anyways. He's with Francis."

"Ay, América. I'm sorry."

Alfred smiled at the nickname she had come up for him. Back when they first met, María had decided to teach the twins how to play soccer. It was then that she started to call him "America".

She sat down next to him and pulled him in a hug. Alfred let himself be cradled in her arms. "Want some hot chocolate?"

"Yes, please."

The two stayed quiet when they moved to the dining table. Neither finding an interesting enough topic to start conversation. María had no issues with the silence, though. It was how most meals went between her and Matthew. Alfred, on the other hand, was dying from it. He was used to loud meals where everyone had something to say. Even Kiku would speak up during meals.

He fidgeted in his seat before looking up at his friend. "So, who's your date?"

María turned a deep crimson as she averted her gaze. It was honestly impressive given her dark skin. Alfred's mood lifted as he barked out a laugh. "No way! Is it Carlos?!"

"Of course not!" María hissed. Her threatening pose fell flat as she hit her head on the table. Trying to hide her embarrassment. "It's..."

"Sorry, what?" Alfred grinned. "I couldn't quite catch that." Alfred may not be comfortable with any kind of display of affection, especially those that Francis caused, but Alfred did enjoy seeing his friends enjoying someone's company. Being able to tease them about it was an awesome bonus.

María's phone rang, and Alfred caught a glimpse of the name before María slammed her hand over it and picked up the call. "Wait, was that—"

"You're here? Great! I'm heading out, now." María sped through her words and hung up. She turned to Alfred, "don't make a mess, text me if you leave, and use Mattie's room." Then, she practically ran out the door.

Alfred sat there dumbfounded. Had he read the name right? Though, now that he really thought about it, it made sense. Who else would be able to handle the completely psycho side of his friend? He laughed and rinsed the mugs they had used before moving back to the living room to watch some television. His smile never leaving his face.

Allistor Kirkland.

~***~
Author's Note

Yes! Alfred had a crush on Arthur because he never did see the Brit as a father. Hardly considers Francis his dad. While Francis practically doted on Matthew, Arthur took on pampering and spending time with Alfred. So they definitely have favorites. However, Arthur did see Alfred as his child. That's why he never hesitated on giving little Al kisses and the like.

Thanks for reading this far guys!! A quick shout out to my lovely fan _FandomLover332_ who never hesitated to leave the sweetest comments in the previous version. Hope you like this revamped version too!!