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AU USUK

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It was that time of day again; Arthur's favourite. He had everything he needed- a warm cup of tea and his laptop on the kitchen table. His cat, Winston, brushed up against his leg and began to purr for attention. The blond smiled slightly and scooped the animal into his arms and held him on his lap while one hand tickled behind his ear and the other began to type his password on the laptop.

As the laptop began to load properly, Arthur reached over and took a sip of the tea he had prepared. A small yawn escaped him, but he blinked away the sleep- yes he was tired, it had been a long day but he wasn't going to give in. He had waited all day for this moment and he wouldn't let something like sleep get in the way. Besides, it wasn't even that late.

Convinced the laptop had finished loading, Arthur moved the cursor to the Skype shortcut on the desktop and clicked. A small frown made its way to his face; he had never liked how he looked on the webcam. The lighting was never right, his laptop lagged so the image would freeze on rather embarrassing expressions and he thought it was just a nuisance. But... it was free, and the easiest method of contact he had right now.

He typed in his password and waited, then a few minutes later the program loaded. Almost immediately, he received a notification that someone was 'calling' him and that small smile returned to his lips as he accepted. Another screen opened and he felt his heart skip a beat as a smiling blond appeared and shouted, "Hi Arthur!"

"Hello Alfred," Arthur replied, that small smile remaining. He adjusted Winston on his lap then took another sip of his tea, "How are you?"

"Great!" Alfred replied, leaning back on his chair. Behind him was what looked like an office, and to the side Arthur could see stacks of paper and if he knew Alfred- which he did- he could guess that they had been neglected for a long time.

"Good," Arthur replied, "You look well."

This was true. The American was looking rather tan and his blond hair seemed to shine. His blue eyes twinkled happily behind his glasses and he nodded, "Yup! I feel great! How are you?"

"I'm all right, a little tired I suppose... but other than that I'm fine," The British man replied. Alfred nodded and said, "Yeah, it's pretty late right?"

"Mmhm..." Arthur nodded. The conversations always started the same. The usual exchange of 'how are you?' and/or 'how was your day?', then Arthur would sit back and listen to what ever story Alfred had to share that day. He would sit back quietly and listen, like he always would without a single complaint. He would wait until the other had finished talking and if anything interesting had happened to him then he would share a story too, and Alfred would sit back and listen, however he would voice his opinion more than Arthur- he was always the loudest of the two.

Right on cue, Alfred's story had began. It seemed to involve his brother Matthew and that albino German guy he seemed to have made friends with. Alfred's expression proved that he wasn't exactly pleased with this occurrence.

"I mean, he's a cool guy and stuff but... I dunno," The American shrugged, "He seems a little…"

"You're saying you don't approve," Arthur stated with an amused smile. Alfred huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, almost childishly and nodded his head.

"Damn right."

Arthur chuckled to himself, "Matthew can look after himself."

"Don't mean I can't disapprove," Alfred defended.

"I see your grammar hasn't improved… then again, why would it?" Arthur commented and in response Alfred just rolled his eyes, however a small grin was visible upon his lips.

"Shut up."

It was Arthur's turn to roll his eyes and he let Winston jump off his lap and hurry out of the room. The conversation turned mindless after that… they talked about everything and anything, just to pass the time and avoid saying their goodbyes. That was the part they hated the most.

"Hey Arthur, I miss you a lot," Alfred stated finally. Arthur knew… because he missed him too.

"You too. Every minute of every day. Not a second passes where I don't think about you," Arthur admitted. His own cheeks blushed at the sight of Alfred's dusting a light shade of pink. The American grinned and said, "You're so cute."

"Oh shut up, git."

"I still don't know what that is but whatever, you're still cute."

"Alfred, I—"

"You can't do anything! Cute cute cute cute!" The American laughed as he watched the older man's cheeks turn a deeper shade of red. Arthur scowled and placed his hand over the webcam, blacking out the image from the other male. He watched Alfred's smile form into a pout as he said, "Arthuuuur! Move your hand; I can't see your pretty face!"

"I will when you shut up. I'm not bloody cute!"

"But…"

"No buts."

Silence, then a sigh. "Fine! I won't say it anymore. Just move your hand."

Arthur hesitated then eventually moved his hand and Alfred's smile returned instantly, "Yay! I missed you!"

"Ugh, moron…"

"You love it, and you love me."

There was no denying that…

"Yes, yes…" Arthur sighed, a tiny smile of his own returning to his lips after a few short seconds. Alfred grinned and glanced at the time, and then he furrowed his brows.

"I'm sorry, I have to go," he stated, not looking best pleased about this. Arthur's smile disappeared quickly and copied Alfred's frown.

"Oh…"

"I'm really sorry. We'll talk extra long tomorrow, I promise!" Alfred stated with a nod. Arthur nodded too; he would just have to trust that Alfred would keep his word.

"All right…"

"Ugh I hate saying goodbye," Alfred whined. He sighed again and adjusted his position on the chair as he continued to speak, "But I miss you and I love you and I can't wait to see you again!"

"I miss you and love you too," Arthur replied, picking up his now empty tea cup. He sighed lightly, "So I suppose this is goodbye?"

"Yeah… unfortunately, but I really do promise I'll talk to you tomorrow, but I really gotta go!"

"I understand," Arthur nodded, knowing that Alfred would have work to do. The American nodded and kissed his hand, "Bye! Love you!"

"I love you too," Arthur replied and watched as Alfred ended the video call and the screen turned blank. Silence filled the small kitchen and Arthur sighed once again. He was alone until tomorrow evening and the space between them felt larger than ever.

--

On the other side of the world in New York City, Alfred sighed and looked at the computer screen before turning away and starting on one of those stacks of papers.

He hoped he could get home to Arthur soon.