America x Neko!Reader - Hardtimes (Part 4)

You poked the crispy bacon with your fork, stabbing it and placing it gently on your soft pink tongue. The intense meaty flavour thrilled your taste buds as you chewed your first bite. Your stomach hungrily accepted the meal and demanded more.

You savoured each bite, almost forgetting that Alfred was there. He seemed to have forgotten about you too as he munched away on his own meal. You stared at him, amazed by how fast he devoured his plate and chugged down his orange juice. He caught your surprised eye and flashed you a large smile. You returned the friendly gesture and placed another strip of bacon in your mouth.

“So, __________?” Alfred asked as he grabbed his second load of bacon. “What’s it like being a neko? Like, do your ears and tail get annoying sometimes?” His blue eyes flickered up to your cat-like ears.

“Yes and no. Sleeping is sometimes difficult with the tail. And when I was young I used to always stand on it and trip over,” you chuckled, remember those embarrassing encounters. Alfred joined in on the laughter.

“Wut gud fings bout dem?” Alfred questioned, mouthful of food.

“Hmm,” you thought out loud, rubbing your chin in thought. “I guess the feline in me makes me more determined to get stuff done, you know?” You gently stroked your soft tail that was neatly curled on your lap.

“Hey, um, I’m sorry for about earlier. You know, like, attacking you and stuff,” you mumbled, your cheeks flushing a light shade of pink. Alfred stopped his loud chewing and stared at you, the room growing silent. Leave it up to you to make a conversation awkward. Suddenly, Alfred’s lips curved up into a huge smile.

“It’s no problem, dudette! I’m guessing that was your cat instincts, eh?” Alfred chuckled, trying to lift the mood of the room. You stared into his happy blue eyes. You were slightly jealous of him in a way. He was always so happy; he always seemed to know how to make someone smile. Alfred’s chuckling paused and he stared back at you, his face unreadable. The atmosphere of the room went back down to that of a silent one as you both stared at each other, unable to speak.

Your eyes darted away from his friendly blue orbs and back down to your plate. You could still feel Alfred’s stare on you as you sipped the last of your orange juice. Why did he make you feel so awkward? It was a strange type of awkward – one that felt bad but yet good at the same time.

You could also feel something strange travelling up your throat. You pursed your lips tightly, but it was desperate to escape.

BURP!

You gasped and covered your mouth, your cheeks now glowing like hot coal.

“Oh, whoa! I’m so sor-“

“Bahahahahaha!” Alfred’s booming laughter startled you, making your ears prick up alarmingly. He threw his head back slightly, just like that old man, and clenched his eyes shut. You could see glistening tears forming at the corners of his closed eyes. What was so funny about that rude gesture?

“Nice one, ________!” Alfred cried, re-opening his tearful eyes. He reached for his glass of coke (Which he refilled after he finished his Orange Juice) and gulped down the black, bubbly liquid, his Adam’s apple moving up and down his throat with each swallow.

“Listen to this,” Alfred said, his eyes glazed with excitement.

BUUUUURP!

Alfred burst out laughing at his own burp, tears forming in his blue eyes again. You couldn’t help but laugh too. You covered your mouth as your small giggles evolved into loud chuckles. You knew the whole situation was just rude and disgusting, but you just couldn’t stop.

BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURP!

The laughing stopped instantly and you covered your mouth. You and Alfred both stared at each other, Alfred’s eyes filled with shock, and yours with embarrassment. Did that come from you? You were amazed at the volume of your own burp.  Alfred’s face began to twitch and his booming laughter filled the room again.

“Hahahahahahaha!” you and Alfred both cackled in unison, gripping the table for support. You could feel tears brimming in your own eyes and your sides began to ache with each loud laugh, but it was close to impossible to stop now. You had just met this man this morning, yet here you are, laughing like you have known him a lifetime.

“What the bloody hell was that noise?” a man questioned from the doorway. You craned around to get a glimpse at this new voice. The blonde stranger seemed shocked to see you, and you were pretty shocked to see him too. His messy bed hair stood up in different places, giving him a sexy bad-boy look. There was also the fact that he was wearing nothing but a pair of British flag boxers.

“A-Alfred? Why are you up so early?” the man questioned, hiding his shirtless body behind the door frame.

“Oh hey, Arthur! I got up early to check up on ____________. Did you hear those burps before?! Believe it or not, they came from this girl right here!”Alfred boasted, pointing his finger across the table at you.

“Hey! You did one too!” you muttered. You looked at Alfred, then to Arthur, then back to Alfred. Were they romantically involved with each other? No, they can’t be... can they? You couldn’t help but feel a small spark of jealousy ignite in your heart. The only way of really knowing is to ask.

“Um, are you two... like, uh, together?” you asked, your voice trailing off to almost a whisper. Alfred stared at you, his handsome features puzzled. But Arthur got what you meant. His bushy brows curved down in to an embarrassed frown.

“What? Oh God, no!” Arthur hissed, half of his body still covered by the door frame. His face seemed to twist in disgust at the thought. “He’s my bloody Brother!”

“Oh,” you muttered, fiddling with your silver fork. Well, you felt stupid now. Alfred finally got what you meant and let out a long ‘ewww’, but he still chuckled at Arthur’s reaction.

“So you’re that cat-lady that my dimwit brother saved from the streets, aye?” Arthur said, eyeing you up and down, taking particular interest in your ears.

“I’m a neko!” you growled, sick of being called a ‘cat-lady’. Alfred cleared his throat loudly, capturing the attention of you both.

“Arthur, I left the eggs out for you,” Alfred said quickly, trying to steer the conversation away from an argument.

“Right. I’ll be back in a tick,” Arthur said, his blonde shaggy head disappearing from the door frame.

“Don’t mind him, he’s a bit of a dick,” Alfred chuckled.

“I heard that!” a distant voice growled. You and Alfred both looked at each other, silently laughing.

“Alright, _______! Wanna have a tour of my house? Since you’re going to be staying a while, I think it’s best to know where to go!” Alfred smiled proudly.
“Actually, I think it’s best if I head home,” you said. Alfred’s smile was replaced with a small, pouty frown.

“What? Why?” he questioned in a rather desperate voice. “You still have cuts that need to heal!”

“I’m pretty sure I can look after myself,” you said. “Yet again, thank you so much for helping me, Alfred.”

~Time skip~

After changing back in to the clothes Alfred had washed for you, you headed towards the front door, a quiet Alfred following close behind.

“Are you sure you wanna go home so early?” said Alfred, his voice coated in sadness.
“I need to go to work,” you answered, feeling a little sad yourself. You sucked in a deep breath. “Hey, look, how about you give me your number? So we can keep in touch?”
Alfred’s face lit up immediately.

“Sure! Wait here, I’ll be right back!” Alfred disappeared into the kitchen, leaving you alone at the front door. Alfred’s now fully dressed brother, Arthur, passed you a couple of times as he took out the trash. He flashed you a small smile as he entered the house again, then disappeared down the hall.

You began to grow impatient. You leaned against the wall and began to fiddle with the cold metal doorknob. How to they make doorknobs, anyway? Do they make them with huge machines? You imagined a huge factory of hot metal melting machines forming the many different shapes of the doorknobs.

“Here you go!” Alfred practically yelled. You hissed at the loud voice and spun around, your lips sliding up your teeth and revealing your k-9s. You looked up at Alfred’s shocked face and pulled your ears back apologetically.

“S-sorry. You scared me,” you whispered. Alfred’s face lit up again.

“Don’t worry, it was my fault!” Alfred extended his long arm towards you, his hand clenching a small piece of paper. You took the piece of paper and studied the dark scribbles.

‘Hey! Here’s my number you hot babe!’

You flushed scarlet.

“H-hot babe?!” you choked. Alfred laughed loudly at your embarrassed face and placed his hand on your shoulder.

“Don’t worry, dudette. It’s just a joke,” he chuckled.

“Oh,” you mumbled, feeling both embarrassed and a little scratch of sadness.

“Okay, bye Alfred. I’ll call you sometime.” You turned to leave, but a pair of sturdy hands whipped you around and pulled you close to his chest. Your nose buried into his warm, hard chest, and his arms wrapped around your body in a tight embrace. You breathed in his delicious, warm scent and couldn’t help but let out a small purr.

This man defiantly did not understand what personal space was, but you liked it. You liked his smell, you liked his smile, and you liked his loud laugh. No, you loved it. You loved the way the tears brimmed in his amazing blue eyes when he laughed. You loved it when his face lit up when you said something he liked. You wondered what his warm, pink lips would feel like up against yours.

Your thoughts screeched to a haul when you realized what was happening to you. No, this could NOT happen to you. It happened to you once, and look where that got you. Love is such a dry, disgusting word. Love is all a lie. There is no love in this world, just terrible, lying people who care for no one but themselves.

“I need to go!” you said desperately, your voice slightly muffled by his chest. You pushed him back with all your strength, causing him to lose balance and land with a ‘thump’ on his behind.

“________?!” Alfred said, trying to grab your wrist. You pulled it out of his reached harshly, flashing him a low growl.  His face drooped slightly and his eyes looked sad and desperate for an answer.

You didn’t give him that answer. You turned and ran with all you had. You weren’t even sure where you were going, but you didn’t care. You were going to run and run until your heart stops beating.