USUK: Bathroom Blues

        Alfred hummed happily to himself as he grabbed his books and calculator from his locker. He shoved everything into his backpack and grabbed one last thing out of his locker before closing it and hurrying down the hallway. It was finally the end of the week and he and Arthur were going back to his place to hang out for the weekend.
        “Hey Gil!” the American called to his friend as he passed him, “do you know where Iggy’s at?” Gilbert snorted as they both turned and walked backwards towards the opposite ends of the hallway.
        “Kesese! Eyebrows? I zink he’s in one of ze student council rooms! Had to finish a paper or somezing,” he replied. Alfred grinned and waved in thanks. He noticed his brother walking out of a classroom a little farther down and smirked.
        “Hey Mattie!!” Gilbert’s ruby’s eyes lit up and he turned to see Matthew looking back at them. The albino gave Alfred the thumbs up and then ran after the quiet Canadian.
        “Hey Birdie! Vait up!” Alfred laughed as Gilbert nearly tackled the blonde and continued his way to the student council room. The halls were almost completely deserted when Alfred very carefully opened up the door to the class room with one hand behind his back. He saw Arthur with his head in his hands, looking at something on the desk in front of him.
        “Hey Artie,” Alfred said softly as the door clicked shut behind him. The Brit looked up and his face brightened slightly.
        “Hello love,” he said tiredly, letting a small smile make its way onto his face. Alfred walked over and set the rose he’d been holding down in front of his boyfriend. Arthur smiled and picked it up, placing it under his nose as he felt Alfred’s hands go too his shoulders and begin kneading into the tense muscle. Alfred grinned as he watched Arthur loosen up ever so slightly under his ministrations and leaned down and kissed the top of his head.
        “You look worn out babe,” he murmured against the soft locks, “let’s go home and relax for the weekend.” Arthur sighed the American massaged his back but shook his head as he set the flower down on his desk.
        “I can’t. These bloody idiots have no clue what they’re doing and I’m stuck here doing all of it.” He hunched back over, shaking slightly as he tried not to let the stress get the better of him. It had been an extremely long week full of blathering fools who really had no clue what they were doing. Arthur was sick and tired of it and was ready to go home and rest.
        “Shh, hun, it’s alright,” Alfred soothed as he pulled Arthur out of the desk and into a hug. “I know it’s hard dealing with stupid people, but you put up with me all the time right?” The Brit gave a small, hiccupy chuckle and nuzzling into his chest.
        “You’re not stupid, just a dense git,” he muttered, pulling back to smirk at him. The blue eyed boy grinned at Arthur and kissed his nose.
        “There’s my Artie. Now, what can I help you with?” The two boys sat down and Arthur began handing papers to Alfred and explaining what to do. They sat there for a good while, filling out paper and talking about the upcoming weekend before Alfred finally got bored. He grabbed one of the sheets of paper and began folding it. Arthur looked up and quirked a large eyebrow.
        “Alfred, what the bloody hell are you doing?” he asked. The blonde looked up and winked before tossing the paper airplane he’d made. Arthur snatched the thing out of the air and unfolded it quickly. “These are important Alfred!”
        “Sorry Iggy,” Alfred apologized, blushing slightly. Arthur looked up and sighed, grabbing the taller’s large hand and running his fingers over the prominent veins lightly.
        “It’s alright love, it’s just… these are important and-” Alfred pressed a finger to Arthur’s lips and smiled.
        “I know, I’m sorry hun.” He leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Arthur blushed at the contact as Alfred stood up. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom. Be back in a minute,” he said. Arthur nodded and bent his head back down, continuing with his writing. Alfred opened the door and stepped out.
        He froze when he saw that all the lights in the hallway had been shut off. Although he wouldn’t ever admit it, he was still terrified of the dark. He had a Superman nightlight that he kept plugged up in his room unless he had friends over. Arthur was the only one who knew he was scared of the dark. The only thing lighting the hall was a couple of small windows and they only cast creepy shadows on the lockers and billboards. Alfred tried to take a few small steps forward, but heard something a ways off and ran back into the well-lit classroom that Arthur was still in. He looked up as the door opened and cocked his head to the side.
        “That was fast,” he commented, watching Alfred press his back to the door. The blonde blushed pink at the comment, however, and Arthur quirked a think eyebrow.
        “It’s uh… the uh… all the lights are out in the hall now,” he mumbled, straitening his glasses. Arthur had to force himself not to smirk. He held his pen over his paper and gave Alfred the best concerned look he could manage.
        “Would you like me-”
        “N-no!” Arthur jumped slightly at Alfred’s outburst and turned his head slightly, hiding his smile. “I can do it on my own, I j-just have to make myself go out,” he said determinedly. Arthur nodded, giving what he hoped was an encouraging smile and watched as Alfred left. This happened a few more time, Alfred running back into the class room looking more desperate than before, Arthur asking if he needed an escort, Alfred denying and giving himself a short pep talk, and then venturing out again.
        Arthur finally stood up after the fourth time and waited for Alfred by the door. He peeked out once or twice, watching his poor boyfriend squirm as he tried to walked down the hallway. Arthur called out softly and Alfred back in the room and in the Brit’s arms faster than Arthur thought possibly. He calmed him down and took his hand.
        “Come on love, we don’t need you wetting yourself,” he teased lightly as they ventured out of the classroom. Alfred simply blushed and held tight to his hand. “You know it’s perfectly alright to be scared of the dark,” he told Alfred softly as they walked down the dark hallway, running his thumb over Alfred’s knuckles. The blonde shook his head, running a hand shakily through his hair.
        “No, it’s not okay. Hero’s aren’t supposed to be scared of anything. They can’t protect the people they love when they’re scared,” he mumbled, glancing at Arthur. The green eyed blonde’s heart tugged at Alfred’s sweet words.
        “Then that’s what I’m here for. I can help you through your fear,” he replied, stopping them completely and wrapping his arms around Alfred’s muscled torso. Alfred smiled down at Arthur and hugged him tight, burying his face in the other’s soft hair.
        “Thanks Artie, you’re the best,” he mumbled. Arthur smiled and kissed him quickly.
        “I love you too git, now let’s hurry up and get you to the restroom,” Arthur said, pulling back and grabbing Alfred’s hand as they continued to the bathroom. The Brit had to flip the lights on in the dark bathroom before Alfred would go in and he agreed to ‘stand watch’ outside while he waited. Alfred came out and few minutes later, looking very relieved.
        “Better?” Arthur asked, smirking slightly as he headed back towards the classroom. Alfred nodded as he jogged after the blonde.
        “Much, thanks babe,” he replied, lacing their fingers together as he caught up. Arthur chuckled and looked down at their hands.
        “You did wash your hands, right?” Arthur questioned, bumping against the other’s arm gently. Alfred grinned and scrunched his nose at the Brit.
        “Yeah, I did,” he replied, nudging back, “so how about we go pack up and head home? We can do all the crap later.” Alfred unwound their fingers and wrapped his arms around Arthur’s shoulders. The shorts smiled and leaned into the honey blonde.
        “That sounds lovely,” Arthur replied. He leaned up on his toes and kissed Alfred on the cheek as a silent thank you. The blue eyed boy blushed and hugged Arthur tighter.
        “You’re welcome babe. Love ya,” he replied and kissed Arthur’s temple. The Brit blushed crimson but didn’t pull away from the touch.
        “I love you too, git.”