asakikuweek2

[asakikuweek2]

day 7 - free day - the day of their anniversary

[asakikuweek2]

Asakiku Week 2025 Day 7 - History

Day 7 ー History

Arthur and Kiku have a late night chat about how things have changed over the years.

Looking at his bare back carefully in the moonlit room, it was apparent that his muscles were tensed, and his shoulders were hunched up. Even though Kiku had already drifted into sleep and woken back up that night, it seemed that his partner must not have fallen asleep even once yet.

“You haven't been taking care of yourself,” Kiku murmured, his voice slightly distorted from having just awoken.

He wrapped his arms around the British man's back, pressing his cheek against his clavicle.

Arthur responded in a low voice, slowly picking the words out of his throat. “I don't want to hear that from you.”

Kiku huffed a bit, amused, but not because anything was particularly funny about the situation.

“It's bad, isn't it? Being so old, but not being able to take care of yourself…” Kiku said.

“Like I said, I don't want to hear that from you… You spend most nights sleeping under your desk at your office.” As Arthur spoke, Kiku could feel his voice thrumming through his back.

“It's not most nights. Only some nights,” Kiku said.

Arthur hummed to himself and didn't respond, but Kiku didn't need him to say anything- he already knew how he disapproved of his workaholic ways. With that being said, Kiku didn't really like the fact that he was a workaholic, himself… He didn't put long hours in at various government offices in Japan because he liked doing so, it was simply because he had to do so. Really, he probably should find a way that he could work less hours.

But change was hard- he felt like his back was against the wall more often than not. He hardly even thought about how to get through it, he simply soldiered onwards because he didn't know what else he might do. It was a world that kept moving, and he had to keep moving with it.

But, it wasn't all bad, was it? After all, it used to be a lot worse…

“Still, sleeping under my desk at work is nicer than how we used to sleep back in the Jōmon era… I have a nice floor mat, and we even have heating these days…” Kiku chuckled at his own strange sense of humor, but it seemed Arthur wasn't amused in the slightest.

He fell silent, and listened to Arthur's breathing, as if he could tell what he was thinking just from having his ear pressed to his back. He was very upset about something- that much was obvious, but what wasn't as obvious, was if Arthur wanted to talk about what was bothering him.

However, the question answered itself, as Arthur spoke up. “It's funny you should mention the Jōmon era…”

It wasn't what Kiku had expected him to say. “It is?”

“Yeah… I was thinking about it… Well, not necessarily about the Jōmon period per se… I was thinking all the way back to the 10th century…” Arthur said.

“Ah, when you became a nation.”

While Kiku's earliest memories of consciousness dates back to the Jōmon era of Japan, Arthur's earliest memories dated only back to the 10th century, the Early Medieval period, a time when Anglo-Saxon tribes were finally unifying…

“Well, what about it? What were you thinking about?” Kiku asked.

Arthur didn't answer his question and instead only gave him a vague murmur. “...Isn't it hard?”

Even after thinking for a bit, Kiku couldn't understand what he meant.

“What's hard?”

“How different everything is…” Arthur said, emotion tingeing his voice, “I was thinking about it the other day- everything back then was so violent. If you couldn't stand on your own two legs, if you couldn't fight, it was over for you. We had to learn how to become vicious in order to survive. Be ruthless or be killed… something like that…”

Kiku thought about it for a while. He didn't necessarily disagree that you had to be more violent in previous eras, but he didn't quite know what Arthur was getting at.

“It was hard, wasn't it…?” Kiku tried to console him, but his consolation wasn't what Arthur was looking for.

“...It's the opposite.”

“What do you mean?” Kiku was baffled.

“I think… sometimes I think… I was better suited for the previous eras.”

Kiku sat up, tugging on Arthur's arm until he rolled over to face him. It ordinarily would have been hard to see Arthur's face this late at night, but ample moonlight filtered through the room, illuminating the space. When Kiku saw his face, he was surprised to see that his eyes looked glassy.

“Arthur… What's all this about?” Kiku asked.

“I can't let go of it- the primal feeling in me, the instincts I feel. My urge to fight, I had it in me for centuries because I couldn't live without it. But now, in order to fit into society, I have to erase that part of me. It's hard I guess…” Arthur laughed, “Kiku, I don't know how you've done it. I've only been alive for a thousand years and I feel like I've gone mad, but you've been alive for over two-thousand. I don't know how you do it…”

Kiku thought for a while. How did he do it? He didn't consider himself stronger or better equipped than any of the other nations, even if he was older than most of them. But, he had persevered through a lot of life, and he had experienced a lot of ups and downs in that time.

“Arthur, I'll let you in on a secret… Really, it's not that my mind is stronger or more normal than yours, it's just that I've stopped caring about trying to be human. My existence is one outside of humanity, and I can't change that fact. It feels strange, and I just ride the wave to get through it. My reason for living is to enjoy simple hedonistic pleasures, and that's it. But…” Kiku smiled and stroked Arthur's cheek, “Like this, I'm happier.”

Even though Arthur's mental anguish couldn't evaporate after only a few seconds, he was already looking a bit better after hearing his lover's words. 

It was hard- being outside of humanity while having to still live amongst them. He was human in shape and form, his thoughts and feelings felt human, and yet, what being that had been alive for so long could be called human? He had to play by the humans' rules, live in their ever changing society, and yet he only ever felt like he was a passenger to it all.

He controlled nothing, he simply existed. Even after being alive for so long, he held no true power over anything- that much he had learned. If circumstances changed, it was because other people had changed them… his life was contingent upon theirs, upon the human lives.

In this existence, he felt isolated.

…But, that wasn't completely true. He wasn't alone.

Right now, he was lying next to someone who understood him, someone who experienced this strange, perpetual lifespan, just like he did…

Someone who was outside of humanity.

Kiku continued, “What's more is… you don't have to abandon your old self completely. If you want to keep your will to fight alive, keep it alive. Just express it in different ways than you used to…”

It was just a platitude that Kiku had thought up with his sleep-laden brain, but Arthur had fallen completely silent, an odd look on his face.

That look couldn't possibly mean anything good.

Wait… why did Kiku feel like he had suddenly invited something strange into his life?

“...You have a one track mind,” Kiku said with a sigh.

“You're the same way,” Arthur said.

He couldn't deny it… Maybe they really did belong in the primal era, with how many carnal desires the two of them seemed to possess.

“Well, if it's what you really want, I won't go easy on you next time.”

“You were holding back?” Arthur's eyes had a glint to them.

If Kiku had more, he wanted more- it was part of his selfish nature.

“You boys from the 10th century have no idea how it really was back in the BCE... One day, I'll show you a fraction of what it was like…” Kiku yawned, “But another night, when my back doesn't hurt so much.”

This made Arthur laugh silently, his shoulders shaking.

“You really are old,” Arthur said.

“I never denied it,” Kiku said.

“Well fine. I won't attempt to break your back anymore, tonight.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Tonight was just one night, and this ephemeral night would soon be lost in the sea of all the forthcoming nights that would follow. Just as this night washed away the nights of histories long passed, one day, it too would be washed away by the waves of time. 

But even when this night was washed away…

May there be future nights where they could lay side by side in the moonlight, under the stars, laughing together- whether it was inside of humanity, or outside of it.

...

Happy Asakiku week 2025 everyone! I can't believe it's over already, what a journey. I've been writing Asakiku fanfiction since 2015, so I guess I've been doing this for a decade now (yes really, I'm old). Anyways, I've deleted almost all of my old works, or posted them on other accounts because they were bad, but I'm still grateful I wrote them. I'm still very much in love with this pairing, and who knows, maybe in 2035 I'll still be posting.

I hope everyone enjoyed. And thank you to everyone else who decided to share stuff this year! It's been great~

By the way, I posted this work on AO3 as well.

[asakikuweek2]

🦋🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 A feeble fire is lit at the edge of my heart without my knowing, it spreads into burning passion My butterfly flapped about aimlessly leaving behind some powder on your hand 🦋🇯🇵

( song : magnet lyrics and musics by RyuuseiP ( minato) illustrated by yunomi , sung by Hatsune Miku and megurine luka , english translation by animeyay. , i drew it thanks to the hetalia video uploaded by Ari and heroryo ( they're not for asakiku but it helped me)

It was hard the firsts drawing was a mix between Picasso and casimodo but i tried my best for @asakikuweek2 ( it's for free day , it also fit for secret as my idea is that as men and as nation they're relationship is seen as tabboo and forbidden).

I also made a collage with official art :

Thanks to those who organised this event and all those who participated it was a lot of fun and i'm glad to be able to contribute to the hetalia fandom 🥰.

( i'm glad that i was able to draw for everyday but i have others idea in my mind for others theme ( like others ideas for free day but also to draw for flower for exemple, school too).

[asakikuweek2]

For the last day of @asakikuweek2 i have several project i'll post the others in a separate post as this one is special to me , i choose to draw what got me into asakiku, it's the video on YouTube that we're made by peoples who we're once or still are a part of the fandom, this one is a scene from beautiful name and oyayubi , both the video and music are Amazing ( i also love lion and narcisse noir).

[asakikuweek2]

Day 7: ✧˖° Free Day! ✧˖°

@asakikuweek2 💕

models: makigane

accessory: 山田淀子

stage: ひげにんじん

skydome: 怪獣対若大将P

effects: o_tamon / HariganeP / そぼろ / BeammanP

[asakikuweek2]

Asakiku Week 2025 Day 6 - School

Day 6 ー School

Arthur has been studying Japanese tirelessly for years, despite the fact that it has nothing to do with his specialization in school. Kiku asks him about it.

Arthur waited with baited breath as his boyfriend read over his essay. Even though the essay was relatively short, and even though the language used in it was only at an intermediate level, it felt like Kiku was reading over the paper for ages.

“If it’s that bad, you can just tell me,” Arthur said, feeling his face heat up.

“No, it’s not that it’s bad,” Kiku said, “It’s just a little unnatural sounding.”

“How unnatural?”

“If I picked this paper up off the floor of the school library, I’d think, this westerner is earnestly studying Sōseki.”

Rather than being a verdict, it was more like an execution.

Arthur sighed. Despite the fact that he had been studying Japanese for years at that point, it seemed that his abilities were still severely lacking. “What did I do this time?” he asked.

“Umm… Maybe it would be better to ‘drop the subject’ in your sentences. If you mention a person's name or pronouns all the time like this, it sounds kind of too direct. Maybe it’s a bit…”

A bit rude, it seemed.

Arthur rubbed his bleary eyes. When he was tired, it only got worse. “It’s just hard to wrap my mind around. How do you know who or what’s being talked about if you don’t mention the subject?” It was an honest question, one of genuine confusion rather than of complaint.

“Well, you just have to pay attention, don’t you? It’s all about context clues. And sometimes, you can tell who’s being referred to if passive voice is used.”

Arthur already knew that, he had learned it from the classes he had taken and from the textbooks he had read… But just because he knew it, didn’t mean it made any more sense to his brain that was running on maybe three hours of sleep.

Kiku, who could tell that Arthur was feeling strung out, encouraged him. “But, that’s besides the point. Your handwriting has gotten much better this year- the characters are much smaller than they used to be.”

Which was a good thing, because it meant he was getting better at fitting an unbelievable amount of radicals into one box on the genkō yōshi. Who knew, maybe the next year, he’d even be able to write at a moderately acceptable pace?

But even with these improvements, it somehow still didn’t feel like enough.

Arthur was making a difficult expression. “I’m just…”

“Just?”

“I’m just so embarrassed! Even though I’ve been studying for this long, I still can hardly read books meant for children.”

Arthur pressed a hand onto his head with such exasperation, and it was so dramatic that it almost looked like he was dying. Although he shouldn’t have, Kiku laughed when he saw this. 

Arthur glared at him. “Don’t make fun of me, I’m serious…”

“Sorry, sorry! I know you’re serious, it’s just…” Kiku looked thoughtful for a moment, “I think you’re a bit too serious.”

“What do you mean?”

Kiku rubbed the back of his neck, looking quite awkward. “I mean… It’s great you’re studying so earnestly, but there’s really no need, right?”

In spite of the fact that Kiku had tried to explain himself, he was making even less sense to Arthur.

“What do you mean?” Arthur repeated.

“It’s just that… You’re studying economics, aren’t you?”

Kiku did not elaborate, but the meaning was obvious-

Why was Arthur studying Japanese so devoutly?

The two were university students, and while Kiku’s specialization was in physics, Arthur’s specialization was in economics. They had met in a calculus class their first year. Both boys were surprised to learn that the other had interests similar to each other, such as literature, gardening, and watching old films. They quickly became friends, and eventually they started dating. Although their classes no longer overlapped this far into their university specializations, they still studied together. 

Another thing was, the two of them were more similar than they were different. Their childhoods, which had been thousands of miles away from each other for most of their lives, had been surprisingly similar. The two of them even had suffered the same fate… 

The same fate being that both of their parents had strongly suggested each of their respective specializations. Kiku’s parents had bargained with him, saying that they would pay for him to go study in London, if only he were to get a postgraduate degree in physics; while Arthur’s parents outright threatened- …er, that is, they asked him to earn his degree in economics using very polite and constructive language.

However, unbeknownst to Arthur’s parents, who otherwise had quite a firm thumb placed on his back, he had started taking quite a few extracurricular classes…

That was to say, he had taken multiple Japanese language classes that fulfilled not a single one of his graduation requirements. And even though the classes took up more than enough of his precious studying time, he didn’t seem interested in stopping those classes anytime soon. In fact, Arthur even decided to go for a postgraduate in economics after he finished his bachelors simply because it prolonged his time in university (and, also because it prolonged his time he could spend with Kiku).

Regardless, his parents were quite impressed by him going the extra mile for a postgraduate degree, and they need not know anything of his true intentions.

Just like they need not know that he had a growing urge to throw it all away and become a house-husband in Sendai- for no particular reason, of course.

“It’s true that I’m studying economics…” Arthur said, “But…”

“But…?”

“I wanna be able to talk with you!” Arthur exclaimed.

Kiku looked at him as if he had two heads. “We’re already talking, aren’t we…?”

“Yeah, but, I wanna be able to talk to you in your native language. More than that, I want to be able to understand you, no matter what you say to me!” Arthur grabbed a hold of his hands as if to emphasize his point, but Kiku only shook his head.

Kiku was silent for a while, a contemplative look on his face. This was usually the problem between the two of them. Arthur often became frustrated because he did not possess the skill level to express himself the way he wanted in Japanese, but on the other hand, Kiku spoke English fluently, but he still couldn’t seem to find the words he wanted to say because it was not in his nature to be well spoken or charismatic in any language.

“Even if two people are native speakers of the same language, they can’t always understand each other,” Kiku said.

“I know that! What I’m saying is…” Arthur’s voice faltered.

He couldn’t say it- what he really wanted.

He wanted to follow Kiku no matter where he went. He wanted to be by his side forever. He didn’t want it to end, he didn’t want university to end and for Kiku to go home to Japan and for Arthur to be stuck in England, unable to follow. He didn’t want to be separated by his inability to adapt or learn or change. He wanted to be able to hear Kiku’s voice forever. Even if he couldn’t always understand him, he wanted to hear his voice anyways. He wanted to speak to him, even if they couldn’t always get their message across. He wanted to call out to him, he wanted to be with him, to be by his side, even if…

…The words that actually came from his mouth were a chasm away from the ones in his heart. 

“I just… I think it’d be nice. If I could write you a letter, or something…” Arthur said, his voice sounding dry.

“Well, you can always write me a letter. It doesn’t matter if it’s in Japanese or English.”

“I’m going to write it in Japanese! If I can’t write to you in Japanese, then, what’s the point?”

Arthur crossed his arms as if he were particularly moody, and Kiku laughed.

“You’re stubborn as always,” Kiku said.

“I should say the same to you!”

They fell silent after that. Arthur placed his head on the table, wrapping his hands over his head. He was frustrated beyond belief, and the silence only served to disquiet him. Why couldn’t he ever seem to get his point across? Even though they were speaking in English, Arthur still couldn’t find the words he wanted to say. 

No, it wasn’t that he didn’t know what he wanted to say, it was that he didn't know how to say it.

If he didn’t even have the guts to say what he wanted to say to Kiku in English, how would he ever be able to express how he felt in Japanese?

Coward. He was a coward.

Arthur felt a hand on his head, he glanced over at Kiku with bleary eyes.

“I think you’re too worried about particulars…” Kiku said. Arthur did not say anything to this, so he continued, “You know how I said that even two native speakers will have times where they misunderstand each other? The opposite is true, too. Even though you haven’t said a word now, I can understand you just fine. You’re upset, right…? I don’t need you to say anything to know that.”

“...’m not upset.”

What a boldfaced lie.

“Lying is bad,” Kiku tapped his forehead, and Arthur suddenly found great interest in looking out the window.

Kiku hummed to himself for a while. “You know, there’s a lot of things I know about you, even though you never said anything out loud about it.”

Arthur looked back at him. “...What you know about me?”

“For example… You're extremely easy to embarrass. Your whole face turns red even if you make a simple mistake. Speaking of which, you seem to find most subjects come to you easily, so you get very frustrated when you’re not immediately good at something.” Ouch- that hurt. But Kiku did not stop his barrage there. “Also, you’re really cranky if you skip breakfast, but you’re a picky eater in the morning, so if you don’t have toast you’ll hardly touch your food. And another thing is, you don’t like touching the door handle in public restrooms, so you always cover your hand with your sleeve, unless it’s summer and you’re wearing t-shirts, and even then you never directly touch the door handle with your hands, you always use your forearm. Speaking of which, when you get anxious, I always notice you get hives on your arms, and you scratch yourself nearly to death, even though scratching hives only agitates them-”

Arthur couldn't take it anymore and he interrupted him. “You try not to scratch when you have hives! They’re itchy- it’s unbearable!”

“But my point is…” Kiku said, “I know all of these things about you, even though you didn’t tell me.”

Arthur fell silent again.

“You don’t have to say something to understand someone. Not everything can be encapsulated in words, anyways. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s nice, being able to talk with someone and understand them… But some things transcend language. 

“Even if you can speak flawlessly, none of that matters if you don’t know how the person in front of you feels.”

How the person in front of him felt… That was the problem, wasn't it? Arthur felt like he didn't always know what the person in front of him felt. Even though he loved Kiku so much, even though he didn't ever want to be separated from him, he had no idea if the feeling was mutual.

But how would he know what Kiku thought? Arthur wasn't as good as picking up things like context clues from people. If Kiku loved him or if he hated him… He didn't know. 

And it wasn't that he had any evidence to believe that Kiku hated his guts, or anything, but it was a lot harder for Arthur to read Kiku’s emotions than it was for Kiku to read his emotions- and that was part of the reason why Arthur was so desperate to capture his feelings in words.

But what about the person in front of him?

Understand how the person in front of him felt… 

He wanted to understand how the person in front of him felt.

For Arthur, the best way to understand something was to say it aloud… Even if he was a coward, he wanted to say it- his feelings.

“Kiku…” Arthur opened his mouth slowly, 「出来れば、ずっとそばにいたいよ。」 

No, it didn’t sound right- that definitely came out wrong! His inflections were all wrong, and his accent was heavily laden in English. But even still, Kiku smiled, a happy look on his face.

「それくらい必ずできる。」

...

「出来れば、ずっとそばにいたいよ。」 -> "If possible, I always want to be by your side." 「それくらい必ずできる。」 -> "That much is certainly possible."

I wrote the Japanese lines myself. I also took postgraduate Japanese classes, and I also still can't speak Japanese (haha), so maybe I took inspiration for this fic from my own experiences. So what I'm saying is, I can't make fun of Arthur for being bad at Japanese, when I'm still so embarrassingly bad, myself.

By the way, I posted this work on AO3 as well.

[asakikuweek2]

The moon is beautiful tonight - natsume soseki

Here all my drawing for @asakikuweek2 day 6 stargazing, i was inspired by an illustration ( not hetalia) by simz on twitter and by several fanart of kiku in yukata ( for his hair and teeth) , i decided to draw the image of the two chibi England and Japan of the asakiku week prompt stargazing together.

[asakikuweek2]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Hetalia (Anime & Manga) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: England/Japan (Hetalia) Characters: Japan (Hetalia), England (Hetalia) Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Implied/Referenced Sex Summary:

Kiku was looking at him with a gaze that was so hopelessly forlorn.

Arthur instinctively looked away, feeling his cheeks heat up. Embarrassed at being caught, Kiku also looked away.

It was so quiet that if one listened closely they’d be able to hear the distant sound of waves crashing on the shores, but the only sound Arthur and Kiku were conscious of was that of each other’s breath—in and out, at even, measured intervals. Unintentionally in sync.

Day 6: School / Reminiscing / Starry Night/Stargazing

@asakikuweek2 💕

[asakikuweek2]

Asakiku Week 2025 Day 5 - Letters

Day 5 ー Letters

Office worker Arthur Kirkland tries his hand at penmanship to grow closer to the apple of his eye, Honda Kiku. Hey, why is it that Arthur's heart's beating like he's in primary school again?

When Arthur saw Kiku's eyes light up in surprise, a smile slowly spreading across his face, he knew he had done the right thing. He had been lingering by the water cooler, a spot with a great vantage point of Kiku's desk. He waited for the other to return, casually sipping on his water in a small plastic cup. Of course the observant man wouldn't miss a handwritten letter that had been penned carefully on the office stationary, folded up and placed on his desk. He knew Kiku would see it, it had only been a matter of waiting…

Waiting to see just what his reaction would be.

It was subtle, the change in expression on his face, but it was there. It made Arthur's heart skip a beat in his chest, almost like he was a schoolboy again, and it made him feel a bit silly. How could he have gotten so worked up over leaving someone else a letter on their desk? Was he not a man in his mid-thirties? But, the letter had made Kiku happy, and that was what mattered most.

You see, Arthur was quite limerent for his coworker, Honda Kiku, who worked in the accounting division of the office. Arthur worked in sales, and even though the two never used to pay much mind to the other, after having worked together on a company project a month back, they discovered that there was a good bit of chemistry between the two of them.

Arthur had a newfound longing in his heart to get closer to Kiku, but there was a bit of a problem.

That problem being, Kiku's father was their section manager, and for one reason or another, Honda-kachō didn't seem to like Arthur. The older man already didn't like him even before he saw him fraternizing with his son, but after seeing Arthur place a casual hand on Kiku's back one afternoon, it was like the whole world were coming to an end. Honda-kachō was doing everything in his power to keep the two men separated, and in an office where he held a lot of seniority, he was able to throw his weight around quite a bit.

But in spite of the situation, Arthur was still drawn to Kiku like Eve to the forbidden fruit, and the more he was told he couldn't have something, the more he coveted it. Well, that wasn't entirely true- if Kiku had looked displeased when he received Arthur's first letter, he would have left him be, not wanting to bother Kiku if he had no reciprocal interest in him. But the face Kiku made when he read his letter was not one of displeasure- quite the opposite, in fact.

So, he began leaving him letters. 

Arthur and Kiku had different lunch hours, and while Arthur's lunch was from 11:30 to 12:30, Kiku's lunch hours were from 12:30 to 1:30. Originally, Arthur lamented the fact that the two of them had separate lunch hours, as it was impossible for them to eat together- something that would have been nice, were it possible. But now, Arthur realized a greater possibility. Everyday, while Kiku was at lunch, he would walk by his cubicle and place a handwritten letter on his desk. He treated such a simple operation with the utmost care, always mindful to leave the paper in a safe place until the desk’s owner would return. 

Arthur was a romanticist, and even if his cool exterior didn't show it, his heart skipped a beat every time he delivered the piece of paper.

Of course, not once had Arthur signed his name anywhere on the page, and he did not put any immediately identifying personal information about himself in his letters. When he wrote to Kiku, he would write about mundane things, such as some book or television show he had liked, or perhaps he would write his opinion on some drivel such as office drama, and on occasion, he would write something he appreciated about Kiku. That had been the first letter he had written him, the one that made Kiku smile so- he had told Kiku that his heart felt warmer every time the two had an encounter.

But why did Arthur, who wrote letters with such care, not sign his letters?

Well, it wasn't that he was afraid of being identified as the author of the letters by Kiku. After all, Arthur didn't intend to remain an anonymous author forever. He wanted to get closer to Kiku, and he couldn't do that anonymously. But the truth of the matter was that Honda-kachō watched his son quite closely, and he knew that if Kiku were to get caught with a letter signed by Arthur, it really might cause him some trouble- and that was the last thing he wanted.

And so began this Romeo and Juliet style relationship.

Arthur had written Kiku a letter every few days, and he had done so for about three months or so, and the originally hot weather outside had cooled into a beautiful crisp autumn. Time flew when you were partaking in a forbidden office romance, and Arthur had quite gotten used to the routine of writing a letter during his lunch hour. It was relaxing in a way, and he felt as though his penmanship had gotten better, too.

However, one of those autumn afternoons, close to when work was ending, Arthur received a letter of his own. It was folded up neatly into a square, and it had been stuffed in between the pages of a packet that Feliciano had delivered to Arthur’s desk. 

When Arthur had first seen the square of paper, he had simply thought that it must be a note one of his coworkers had left behind, and he opened it only with the intention of identifying the owner so he could return it. However, when he recognized the handwriting, he knew that this square of paper mustn't be a mistake.

‘They saw you- don’t write any more letters, you’ll only cause yourself trouble.’

It wasn’t finding himself in trouble that Arthur feared; he had never been afraid to invite disaster upon himself when he had something that he really wanted. But, he didn’t want Kiku, who seemed to be someone in a complicated family situation, to end up in trouble. If receiving letters could be troublesome to him, then, Arthur wouldn’t perpetuate leaving them.

His heart sank, and with trembling hands, he began folding that piece of paper back up, ready to set it aside. He had resolved to stop writing the letters in that moment, but he hadn’t decided what he wanted to do yet. Was this the end? Perhaps Kiku were not interested in him, and simply wanted to stop things here. If that was the case, then it really couldn’t be helped.

But then, right as Arthur were folding the square of paper back up, he noticed something. That letter that had been written on the back of a schedule notice. Nineteen o’clock on September 23rd, a meeting arrangement at the corner of Broad Street and Eleventh Avenue… 

Huh…? 

Arthur had lived downtown for years, and thinking of that intersection, there shouldn’t be anything there. Granted, it was a busy intersection, but it was often so fucked with traffic that it was better to avoid that area altogether, and it certainly wasn’t an intersection where one could hold a business meeting-

Ah. Wait, that’s right… 

A smile spread across Arthur’s face.

He had a meeting at Nineteen o’clock on that day, and he had just remembered the location.

…

Even though Kiku had hardly greeted him when he laid a hand on his shoulder, his face was a bright red color, almost like he had a fever. The two had begun walking down Eleventh Avenue, not having a particular destination in mind. Admittedly, it was a bit awkward between them, now that they were together. They both seemed to be holding a tacit understanding of the situation, and really, it was just a matter of who was going to bring it up first. But somehow, it wasn’t easy to broach the subject.

After having walked for a few minutes or so, it was Kiku who spoke first.

“I quite like her- Virginia Woolf…” Kiku said softly. 

Arthur was surprised by this, and he could hardly think of a response. 

“H-huh?”

“The other day, you said that you felt like her books were somewhat overrated, but…” Kiku paused, the tips of his ears were red, and he refrained from looking up at Arthur’s face. “I quite like her. Actually, I think I like her a bit more lately, because the way she writes reminds me of someone…”

The significance lay not on the facet of the statement, but on the subtext. Now Arthur’s face was starting to turn the same shade of crimson.

“Is that so? It’s not that I dislike her writing. But, as far as writers go…” Now that Kiku had said he liked Virginia Woolf, Arthur found that he couldn’t say a word against her. 

“Actually, maybe it’s my tastes that are strange.” Arthur said, glancing down at the pavement below, his face feeling too warm, despite the cool weather.

Kiku laughed softly at that, covering his mouth as if he were embarrassed. “I think you must have strange tastes,” Kiku said, “After all, I think your taste in letter recipients is simply bizarre.”

The two had walked quite a ways away from their meeting point, and the buildings in this part of the town were somewhat shorter than in the center of town. They had come to an primary school, and while school was no longer in session the playground still had a few children who had come to play after hours. A tree in the schoolyard cast gold and crimson leaves down from its branches, a single leaf landed on the top of Arthur’s head and had somehow gotten caught in his hair.

Kiku grabbed Arthur’s arm to stop him from walking further, and he reached up. He plucked the leaf from Arthur’s hair gently, his fingertips brushing his cheekbone as he lowered his hand, the leaf still clutched in his fingers.

“Arthur, you always get to say so many words to me in your letters, but I don’t get to say anything back,” Kiku said.

“Ah, sorry about that-” Arthur started to apologize, but Kiku shook his head.

“No, don’t be sorry. To be honest… I’m happy,” His lips curved into a soft smile, ”I don’t have so very many things to say as you do, and I’m not nearly as eloquent as to write such beautiful letters.” “Ah, but-” Arthur started, “You said that they saw me. I hope it didn’t cause you any trouble.”

Kiku shook his head. “It’s not me that’s going to get in trouble. I was only worried that they might give you a lot of grief if they saw you… But, I’ve been wanting to stop you for a while, anyways.”

Arthur’s heart stopped beating in his chest. “I-is that so?” Maybe his letter had been more unwelcome than he realized.

“Instead of writing me letters and leaving them at my desk, I was thinking, if it’s not too much trouble…” Kiku paused, he put his hands behind his back, and a flash of red suggested that he had not yet let go of the leaf he had plucked from Arthur’s hair. “After work, would you like to start going out with me, on occasion?”

Arthur’s brain short-circuited and his mouth fell open. He looked at Kiku dumbly. Interpreting his reaction as something negative, Kiku tried to explain himself, ”I understand if it’s too much trouble, or if you don’t want to... It’s fine, of course. But I was just thinking, more and more, whenever I was reading what you wrote, I found myself wanting to hear your voice, and-...”

Now it was Kiku’s voice that faltered- he had not intended to say nearly as much as he had. 

The two men looked at each other in silence, completely unaware that if one of the school children on the playground were to look at the two underneath the tree, their faces matched perfectly with bright red the trees leaves falling from above, an amusing whimsy that most adults could no longer understand.

“N-no, I’m happy,” Arthur was grinning from ear to ear, his heart beating wildly in his chest, “I’d be more than happy to go out with you after work. Anytime, I’d be more than happy to…”

Kiku sighed in relief, his shoulders finally relaxing. “Then, would you be willing to meet me tomorrow, at the same time and place? There’s this new cafe, I don’t think anyone at work has found it yet besides me…”

“Alright, consider it a date-” 

Wait, Arthur hadn’t meant to call it a date!

But still, Kiku smiled warmly. “Alright then. A date.”

He held out his pinky finger, and in a haze, Arthur reached his hand out, wrapping his own pinky finger around his.

A promise- a date.

...

I didn't know what to call Kiku's father, so I ended up calling him Honda-kachō 本田課長。If you ever get involved in Japanese business you'll here this word a lot. Also, I made Kiku's father really controlling in this. Maybe one day Kiku will run away with Arthur and be free…?

Hope you enjoyed~

By the way, I posted this work on AO3 as well.

[asakikuweek2]

I tried drawing the theme exchange student ( day 3) + the theme nyotalia and letter ( day 5) for @asakikuweek2 ( it's a picture of them that another exchange student feliciana Vargas took while Alice was studying in Tokyo and that she gave to Sakura)

Here my inspiration ( i was also inspired by several fanart of nyotalia Gakuen) :

[asakikuweek2]

Day 5: Nyotalia / Letters / Royalty

@asakikuweek2 💕

Models: rio / moki

Stage: StarNoodle495

Skydome: 怪獣対若大将P

Effects: o_tamon / ikeno / 針金P / 下っ腹Ｐ / うみ

[asakikuweek2]

Asakiku Week 2025 Day 4 - Secret

Day 4 ー Secret

Arthur and Kiku are just two ordinary university students who became friends with each other. And of course, Kiku's private little hobby is something that he'll take to the grave with him... Or at least, it was supposed to be something he took to the grave with him!

Kiku and Arthur had been friends for about a year at that point- they had met in their first year of university, and the two (somewhat) socially awkward boys had become fast friends. Both having an interest in literature and fantasy stories, they bonded quite quickly. And now, returning to university for their second year, both were excited to find out that their rooms were close to each other in the residence hall. 

As if to celebrate this fact, Arthur had been coming over to Kiku's room more and more lately. The two had been hanging out, and staying up far, far too late watching movies that could not be called good by any particular standards- even if they were, in some sense, enjoyable.

And really, life was good. They had adjusted to university, and both of them seemed to be content with where they were in life.

Well, maybe ‘content with’ wasn't the right phrase. After all, there was a bit of a problem… 

The problem being, that Kiku quite liked Arthur. 

Kiku was an exchange student that had come to London to study at university. Originally, he had only attended a university in England because he wanted to practice English via full immersion, and attending a business university in London achieved this purpose quite well. But, Kiku had spent enough time here that he had become unexpectedly attracted to a certain someone that he was friends with. 

And really there was nothing wrong with being attracted to someone, as long as you handled your attraction in an appropriate way… 

Keyword being appropriate.

You see, Kiku had a hobby, a hobby he'd had ever since he was in middle school. He liked to draw. It was nothing special really, and while he considered himself decent at it, he certainly couldn't be called an expert. He mostly preferred just using a pen or pencil on some paper. He wasn't much of a realist, and had only drawn yonkoma for most of his life. That was to say, if you had to give him any title as an artist, it might be better to say he was a mangaka, or a cartoonist. And while there was nothing wrong with that, Kiku had always wanted to dip his toes into realism, and now that he had some extra time in university, what better time than now to broaden his artistic horizons? He drew from some photos online, just using 2H graphite on a basic sketchpad. And those realistic sketches came out fine, but they were nothing to write home about. If he wanted to get good, if he wanted to get really good, maybe he should practice drawing from memory, as well?

So, Kiku drew the first thing that came to his mind: Arthur.

And the next day, he did the same thing.

And the next day, and the next day, and the day after that…

…It wasn't like he hadn't realized what was happening all along. Really, he knew it was getting bad. But when he counted them all up, over half of his sketchbook pages all had at least one drawing of Arthur… over half!!

Needless to say, this was a secret that Kiku had to take to the grave with him. It was one thing to draw someone you knew in passing… it was a whole other thing to fill an entire sketchbook with them.

Really, Kiku should have been throwing his pages out as he finished them. Then he could have avoided the whole mess. The mess also could have been avoided if he hadn't left the sketchbook open on his desk in his room, and then given Arthur his room key, asking him to go and pick up his trigonometry textbook and bring it to him before class. 

Where was his trigonometry textbook?

It had been left sitting neatly on top of his desk in his dorm, just like he said it would be.

Oh, if only he had remembered just what else he had left out that day. 

Even when Arthur failed to show up at their trig class, Kiku still hadn't remembered where he left his sketchbook yet- it didn't occur to him to even worry about it. Instead, he had only become worried about Arthur, who didn't tend to skip class, and certainly wasn't the type to forget about getting the trig textbook.

So what had happened? Kiku sat through trigonometry without his textbook, and without Arthur, completely unaware of what had occurred.

It was only after he texted Arthur asking if he felt okay, and not receiving a reply for several hours, that Kiku grew increasingly worried. Had he gotten sick? Had something bad happened to him? Did a family emergency come up that he had to attend to? Countless ideas rattled around in Kiku's head as to what could be the matter. Kiku was a bit of a worrier by nature, and when something actually concerning happened, he found it hard to keep from biting his nails- a bad habit he had since he was child.

What's more was, even if Kiku had wanted to ignore the situation he couldn't- Arthur still had his key, so he couldn't return to his own dorm. He would have to find Arthur no matter what.

At six in the afternoon, he finally got Arthur to pick up his phone after calling him three or four times. What Arthur said surprised him:

‘Meet me outside the classroom where we had accounting last term. I want to talk.’

Vague words like, ‘I want to talk,’ weren't great for a guy with an anxiety disorder, but Kiku was very good at keeping a stoic expression, even when he was panicking inside.

But even then, he had yet to remember where he had placed his sketchbook, and he hadn't a clue what Arthur wanted to talk about. 

Kiku arrived at the agreed location, and Arthur grabbed his hand, pulling him inside the currently empty classroom and shutting the door. Wordlessly, he opened his bag, and pulled out something that Kiku recognized in an instance: it was his own sketchbook.

Then, and only then, did Kiku remember just where he had left his sketchbook- beside his trigonometry textbook. He had left them sitting side by side. If someone wanted to pick up the textbook, it would be unavoidable that they would see the sketchbook.

Ah. So Arthur had seen it… what fucking terrible news. 

Kiku covered his hand with his mouth, he blanched as if he were suddenly sick. This was it- he had ruined a friendship. More than that, he had ruined a beloved relationship with someone who he had come to cherish dearly in his heart. All because he had become careless and left out such a strange sketchbook full of bizarrely romantic portraits of his best friend. There probably wasn't a person alive who wouldn't find such an obsessive amount of drawings creepy- and Kiku knew it. Even though he hadn't drawn Arthur in any way that was purposefully distasteful, the sheer amount of drawings alone made the matter unusual.

If Kiku was as pale as a ghost, then Arthur was on the opposite end of the spectrum and his face was a bright red color..

"I- I hadn't wanted to find it, y'know," Arthur started, holding the sketchbook out in vindication. Even though he attempted an assertive stance, he only had the nerve to face the window, not looking at Kiku directly. "What I mean is, I didn't go snooping through your things! You were the one who left it out, and I just happened to see-..."

'I just happened to see my own face staring back at me.'

He couldn't bring himself to say it. It was unmistakable, even if Kiku hadn’t been as skilled of an artist as he was, his likeness was unmistakable. Even if Arthur had wanted to deny the possibility that the boy in the drawing were himself, the sheer number of drawings only confirmed his suspicions as he had flipped through the sketchbook.

"H-how much did you see?" Kiku's voice sounded foreign to himself.

"Everything in this book."

Ah, this is bad.

Seeing Kiku's stunned face, Arthur continued, feeling as if he was the guilty party. "O-once I saw- once I saw that you had drawn me, I couldn't help it! I just, I just wanted to flip through it at first, but you- you really..."

'You’re really obsessed, you're really weird.’ 

…Is how Kiku interpreted his pause. 

And really, how else could it be interpreted? 

He had done something bad. He had made a trusted friend feel uncomfortable because of his strange impulses, and his capricious decisions had led to someone else's misery. It was selfish, and he was in the wrong.

Kiku dropped to his knees and bowed his head low, bowing in a full kowtow, as if he had committed some grievous sin.

"I'm sorry! I've been doing something so strange this whole time, and I've kept it hidden from you."

Kowtowing in apology wasn't even very common in Asian countries, these days, but for Arthur who was native only to the United Kingdom, this was his first time seeing such a thing, and he could only look at the boy at his feet with wide eyes.

"I won't ask for your forgiveness..."

"W-wait-! What are you doing!? Get off the floor!"

Arthur dropped to his knees, tossing the sketchbook on a nearby desk, he grabbed Kiku by the shoulders, forcing him to sit upright. Kiku was surprised that, when his head was raised, Arthur's face was one of frustration. He didn't understand its meaning, and figured that the frustration must be related to the sketchbook.

However, now the two were so close that their knees touched, and as if to keep him from bowing again, Arthur held on to his shoulders. This position was somewhat embarrassing, but neither one felt like he could untangle himself from the other.

Arthur spoke first, "H-How long...?"

He didn't finish his sentence, but he didn't need to. Kiku answered, a guilty look on his face. "Every once in a while, for a few months now. I wanted to get more practice with drawing things other than comics..."

"And you decided to draw me?" 

Arthur's words had sounded more accusatory than he had intended, and Kiku apologized again.

"I'm sorry!"

It was like the two were in completely different conversations, Arthur knew this, but he could only shake his head, feeling overwhelmed.

"You know, you're a good artist, but your talent is wasted. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm flattered and all..." The words 'I'm flattered' surprised Kiku, but Arthur didn't notice this as he continued. "But I don't know why you would waste your time drawing someone as dumb looking as me..."

Kiku hadn't expected Arthur to criticize himself, and he shook his head fervently. "N-no way! What do you mean? You're a wonderful subject." 

Wait, that made it sound like Arthur was only an experiment to him. Kiku changed his words-

"No, I mean, you're gorgeous-"

...That didn't sound any better at all, that didn't sound any better at all!! What was he saying!?

Arthur's breath caught in his throat as Kiku said the word 'gorgeous.' He covered his mouth with his hand, his face burning.

Kiku wasn't in much better shape, himself. 

"I'm sorry, I just said something really weird. And what's more is, I've been drawing you without your knowledge," Kiku cast his eyes towards the floor, "It was wrong of me. You're probably really uncomfortable, right? If you don't want to remain friends after this, I won't blame you-"

"You idiot! Who said anything about us not being friends after this!?" Arthur exclaimed leaning towards Kiku, "I didn't say that! I mean, I- I do feel uncomfortable! But- but it's just, It's just-... Why? Why did you draw me?"

It was as if Arthur genuinely couldn't comprehend it. 

Kiku spoke softly, swallowing his embarrassment. "I said it earlier but, I really mean it. I think you're gorgeous. You're beautiful..."

"What the bloody hell are you talking about...?" Arthur murmured softly, as if he couldn't even articulate his disbelief.

"But it's true… Even before I started drawing you, I always thought that-... that you were beautiful."

"You're weird, you're so weird." Arthur finally let go of Kiku's shoulders and covered his face with his hands.

Even though he had been told not to, Kiku still ended up murmuring another apology.

"S-sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry, but I think you should get better taste."

Arthur removed his hands from his face, shaking his head.

So it seemed that their friendship wasn't ruined. Although Kiku really had done something a bit bad by drawing his friend obsessively without his permission, in the end it seems like no real harm had come to him, even if he was a bit bashful at being called gorgeous. And now that the initial shock had worn off, relief flooded Kiku's body. That sketchbook had been something that he had intended to take to the grave with him, but now that Arthur had found out…

Well, it was actually somewhat of a relief. He no longer had to hide anything.

"Arthur, I promise I won't draw you anymore, since it makes you uncomfortable.”

Arthur was quiet for a moment, and when he finally did speak, his voice was soft. "You don't have to stop."

Kiku was stunned silent, and the look that he gave Arthur was so visceral, that he felt the need to repeat himself.

"You don't have to stop. If it makes you happy…” Arthur paused, his face slightly flushed, “Actually... Maybe I'm happy, too, a little bit. I mean, I don't get why you wanna draw me so badly, but I know you wouldn't have drawn me so many times if you didn't like it. So, if you want to keep doing it..." He covered his mouth with his sleeve as if he couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his own mouth, "Draw me as much as you like."

Kiku was overjoyed. "Thank you Arthur! I'll work hard so I can draw you even better!"

Seeing how happy he was, Arthur felt a strange feeling blossom in his heart. What was this feeling…? He couldn't explain it.

As if to distract himself from his own beating heart, Arthur spoke the first thing that came to his mind. "You know, you can draw me all you like but, if you want to draw something really beautiful, you should try drawing in front of a mirror sometime..."

"E-eh-?"

"Isn't it too sad? I-if you draw me by myself all the time...?" Arthur started slowly, "If you want to draw me so much, then, at least draw you next to me or something, so the drawing versions of me aren't so lonely..."

"Eh-?"

Having all the embarrassment he could take for one day, Arthur untangled himself from Kiku and stood up. He picked up his sketchbook and thrust it in his direction.

"Here. Now, why don't we go and get something to eat? You didn't have dinner, right?"

Kiku pushed himself to stand, and took his sketchbook back, tucking it under his arm. There was an odd look on both of their faces, but the feeling between the two of them had settled, for which Kiku was grateful. Of all the things that could have come from Arthur finding his sketchbook, being able to remain friends was more important than anything.

"Yeah, let's go eat." 

Kiku smiled and nodded. Arthur turned around, leading the way out of the classroom.

The two boys walked outside, the cool air nipping at their faces. To Kiku's surprise, he felt Arthur's hand bump into his own. As if on instinct, he wrapped his index finger around Arthur's pinky finger. Arthur didn't say anything, but he didn't pull his hand away.

Kiku looked at his face. One word came to his mind...

'Gorgeous.'

...

I didn't make them confess their love to each other, like I originally planned. I felt like that would be too sudden, and didn't fit the scene…. orz But still, I don't think they're going to go back to being 'ordinary' friends after this.

By the way, I posted this work on AO3 as well.

[asakikuweek2]

day 4 - secret | skinship

[asakikuweek2]

Day 4 secret

[asakikuweek2]

I struggled as you can see but i tried to draw day 2 vintage ( for England) and day 4 traditional ( for japan) of @asakikuweek2

[asakikuweek2]

Asakiku week 2025 Day 4

Entry to the @asakikuweek2 Day 4

Characters:

England (Hetalia)

Japan (Hetalia)

Additional Tags:

Omegaverse

Words: 1,368

Link to the AO3

When they met, he felt like the spring came anew. Like flowers bloomed in his chest, like buds outside started forming fully grown petals, yet it was just some meeting with someone who will forget about him anyway soon enough. He was petite, true, but his proper and full of pride posture was telling everything – yeah, that guy was at least a beta from some wealthy family that had some weight on the society. Or even an alpha, judging by his mannerisms. Well, Arthur wasn’t one to care that much about that anyway – it was just a small crush on someone who will forget that they crashed into each other the other day. It wasn’t a big deal, he was sure.

He was sure, but then he started seeing him everywhere he went – how could this manager be everywhere? Whenever Kirkland looked... he was there, standing in the corner of his eyes, making him go insane. Arthur never was a person to fall for appearances only, but then Kiku Honda happened. His black, deep eyes were captivating. The way he spoke was charming – calm and cold, but at the same time you could hear some soft notes that were popping up here and there. His silk black hair also was a treat to look at – Honda was looking well after them, it seems. Well, at least he gave Arthur such an impression.

And also, he was a workaholic. And he never ate properly, even if he needed to. Also, he liked to play some mobile phone games. And he was really secretive. He was never attending after work drinking parties, and he always ignored those who tried to look further into him. But... well, Arthur wasn’t like this. He was just his subordinate that loved seeing that super serious man around. It was just a simple, childish crush that Kirkland had a plenty of, thus he didn’t think about it hard enough.

Didn’t think, until the moment he felt some sweet and alluring scent. He tried his best to hide underneath the mask of some simple beta, even using scent masking perfumes to help maintain the beta facade, his real secondary gender. He never wanted to be entangled in relationships anyway. At least, well, judging from his family, relationships were only big mistakes that were never worth all the energy you were giving into nurturing them. So he never had a partner, never had relationships and was perceived as a simple beta, although he was an alpha. It wasn’t something big to Kirkland anyway.

...But that sweet scent of sweets with sakura flavour were alluring him to follow it. Follow it just out of pure interest – who could possess such a sweet scent? Arthur’s interest was stronger than his common sense. Even if his mind screamed “curiosity killed the cat”, his legs were walking to the source of that sweet smell. Though, he had other reasons. Yeah, curiosity was coming first, but second was “why’s someone still here?”. Working hours ended half an hour ago, so almost everyone was home at this point. It was just Arthur that had to print out some documents, thus he couldn’t go home yet...

...But there was someone else, too. And it was probably omega, that was even more troubling – omega in heat and going home all alone? Okay, no, never in Hell Arthur could let that happen. That was the biggest merit of him being perceived as the beta – omegas could rely on him more easily. ...That was probably his older brother's influence. But, even if he was an omega, he was also really strong for one and he always taught Arthur how he needs to be really gentle with omegas.

Thus, he was ready to see some omega from another department or so and ask them if they needed some help or not. But instead he stood there frozen, looking at his manager that was sitting on the floor with closed eyes. Arthur was shocked. Kiku Honda, weakly breathing in and out, was sitting there on a floor, not moving at all, even if he heard someone was coming.

“...Honda-san?”

He finally felt that his mind was ready to finally move from the frozen state, and he started getting closer to Kiku. Omega, it seems, only moved his head a little, looking at Kirkland. He didn’t say anything, just shook his head, closing his eyes again.

“...No, I won’t go anywhere. Should I... C-can I help you? Do you have any suppressants on yourself, or...?” “No.”

It was such a loud, assured “no”, that it made Kirkland freeze up a little yet again. Yeah, even if he was an omega, his personality was remarkable – it was so... so admirable, actually. But Kirkland had no time to swoon over how cool Kiku was. He needed to help him get back home.

“I see. ...U-uh, can I help you get back home, then?” “I don’t know.”

This time it was said in a more tired tone, but Kiku changed his position, looking at the blond man with pained eyes and red cheeks. 

“...I live close by. But... I can hardly walk... without suppressants.” “Ah... y-yeah, I know. Some omegas don’t feel their legs when they’re in heat... or so, right?” “Right. ...I don’t think I’ll be able to get back home on my own.”

But then Arthur only sighed and got closer to Honda. Taking his hand, making him stand up and sit on his back wasn’t hard – he was actually quite light. Even if it was rude of him to do so without asking, Honda didn’t seem to be all that against it. 

“...I see.” “Well then, are there things you need to take with you?” “...I'll leave them here. I’ll get them tomorrow.” “Okay. Oh, but– can I get my suitcase?” “Mhm.”

*

It was really strange – the Honda that he liked, so close to him. Everyone was looking at them curiously, but not for long. And alphas that were passing them were constantly driven away by the stern look of Arthur. He doesn't need someone laying their hand on his manager. And, actually, they got to Kiku’s flat faster than Arthur thought they would. Only twenty minutes – and they’re at their destination. 

“Keys in my pocket...”

Arthur nodded, slowly searching in each of Honda’s pockets. And, thank God – he found them! Car key, some strange small key... ah, that’s probably the needed key. He opened up Kiku’s home and slowly took off his shoes. “...His house looks a bit... messy, to be honest.” thought Arthur, looking around in his tries to find a bedroom. 

Finally, he found an opened door with a bed in it and, well, it was dark there... but even so, it was obvious that the room was even messier than the entrance hall. Arthur slowly put Kiku on his bed and accurately tried to take the jacket off Honda, but the other’s hand stopped him.

“No need. ...T-thank you.” “No problems, Honda-san.”

Honda closed his eyes, probably wanting to fall asleep. But Arthur decided to, before getting out of this flat, get Kiku his glass of water and damned suppressants. It took him some time (because, apparently, Kiku had three medical kits that had drastically different contents) to find them, but he felt like a winner after finding them.

...And then he saw Honda peacefully sleeping. He was different from his older brother, who couldn’t sleep at all during heat. Or was it pre-heat...? Kirkland didn’t know and decided to leave it be. But, before going away, he gently caressed Kiku’s cheek, smiling a little. He was so petite, yet so cool, making Kirkland always look only at him... oh, how funny.

He closed the door and left keys under the carpet before entrance.

...He will keep it a secrets. That he knows that Kiku is omega, that he’s a bit messy and that Arthur gave in, allowing himself to caress Kiku a little. It will be three secrets that he will keep with himself. And he will keep it a secret from Honda – that Arthur was an alpha. Because, if so... what will he think of him?..

...Yeah, better keep it up as a secret.

[asakikuweek2]

Asakiku week 2025 Day 3

Entry to the @asakikuweek2 Day 3

Characters:

England (Hetalia)

Japan (Hetalia)

France (Hetalia)

America (Hetalia)

Additional Tags:

hetalia gangsta

Cameos

america's cameo

france's cameo

Pool & Billiards

Words: 1,849

Link to the AO3

Being here felt strange. He heard about many different games that you can play to spend your time like golf, football, volleyball, tennis... moreover, at least he was somewhat fine at playing these games and, well, he was good at tennis. But he never ever was thinking about “billiards”. Moreover, never had he heard of it or played it, this standing here with that strange stick was making him nervous.

He never intended to participate. He never intended to play. He was just dragged here by Hero, who was really eager to make a poor Japanese young man (or not so?) play into his games. And while Kiku indeed wasn't against going somewhere, he was thinking that they will go bowling.

Well, plans changed, it seems. So now the representative of the 81st district found himself in the most embarrassing position ever. He found himself being lost, while looking at everyone having fun playing this... game. They were trying to put balls into the holes by pushing them with that stick (what's it called...?) and, basically, it was looking almost like golf, but on the table and... with many other strange traits. But the system almost looked like golf. ...At least it looked like.

But then he felt that someone started standing behind him. These sturdy, loud steps were quite familiar, so when he turned back, he didn't feel that surprised – it was Lord with his usual punk fashion sense. He was holding that stick as well, looking quite fond of something, if Iemoto was to judge from that smirk alone.

...Was he winning, perhaps?

“Hey, Iemoto.” “Ah... Go... good evening, Lord-san.” “Lost something or someone? Or...?” “Ah... eh... n-no, no, I didn't. I just... uh...”

It was hard to express what he got himself into. To tell someone that you know absolutely nothing about the game you came to play is foolish. Yet here he was – an idiot standing right before Lord, trying to find the right excuse for his idiocy...

“Can you... put your cue down?” “...Eh?” “Um, the stick you're holding. Cue stick.” “Ah. O-oh, sorry. I'm really sorry.” “No, it's fine. Though... I could never imagine someone holding it like some kind of sword.”

Lord smirked even wider, but then looked somewhere away. Iemoto slowly followed his gaze, stumbling across the... ah. Hero. Was Lord looking at Hero, who was occupied by his game with Korol’?

“You were dragged into this, weren't you?” “...I fear so. I was expecting us to go bowling, to be honest.” “Yeah, I know. It was because of me.” “Because of you...?” “Well, the fact that he changed today's meeting game. I challenged him to play against me, saying that he will never beat me.” “Oh.” “So, as you can see.” “...Did he win?”

Lord looked at Iemoto with contentment in his eyes, now actually smiling.

“I said that he will never win against me, no? I'm second to no one when it comes to billiards.” “...I see. It's actually... impressive, Lord-san.” “...Y-you think so, Iemoto...?”

It was peculiar. Lord, that was looking all prideful moments ago, now was more akin to some shy schoolgirl that asked someone out. He lowered his eyes, moving his hand to the left a little, touching his neck with his hand... Was it because of what Iemoto said? If so, it's unexpected. Unexpected of Lord, yes, but even more than unexpected... It was cute.

“I do. Beating Hero over something is hard.” “Yeah, I know. But also I know this little shit’s moves as my own! So he can only dream about winning against me, ha!” “...Ha-ha. Really? How great.” “...Y-yeah, I guess.”

And then they went silent. Just them standing together, looking anywhere but each other. It was... embarrassing. Embarrassing to just stand with Lord that was, it seems, quite knowledgeable about this billiards game. Yet Honda weren't. He even forgot how this stick is called, although Arthur said its name minutes ago! So it was over. It was better to keep himself shut, not opening his mouth to embarrass himself and–

“Want me... to teach you how to play...?”

The pair of black eyes hastily looked into the pair of green. 

“T-teach? M-me...?” “D-don’t get the wrong idea...! I-it’s not like I want to teach you or whatever! B-but looking at you, standing here all alone– It's making me... u-uh... ...F-forget about it! I-it's nothing!”

He was ready for Lord to dash away or to walk away as fast as possible, but he just... stayed at the same place he was standing before, changing his posture a little. So, was he waiting for Iemoto’s answer? Or something else...? Although, if it's “something else”, Iemoto had no idea what exactly it could be. But even so...

“...Are you sure?” “Huh?” “Lord-san, are sure you won't mind teaching me how to play billiards? Wouldn't it be... troublesome to you?” “What? Never. I said that I'm good, so– Really, I don't mind teaching you. ...And I feel a little bit responsible, since, well, it's because of me you're so lost now...” “I... see. ...It's nice of you, Lord-san. Then... if you don't mind... ...Please, teach me how to properly play billiards.”

Lord gave Iemoto a smile, shaking his head in approval.

“Let's go then. I saw there was one table that was empty and no one used it to play... So let's go. It'll be our playing table.” “Mhm. Gladly, Lord-san.”

*

Feeling someone's whole hands on his own was a sensation he never felt. Yes, Osaka was touching his palms from time to time, trying to pull him somewhere or make Iemoto hurry. It was something usual, and he was somewhat used to such physical contact. But he wasn’t used to feeling someone else’s warmth against his body; he wasn’t used to someone gently holding his hands and palms, changing their position to “more comfortable and correct”. He wasn’t used to Lord that was so gentle, so gentle that it almost felt like a fantasy.

“Here,” he says in a hushed voice so that only Honda could hear him. “You changed your finger's position again. Stop being so unsure, or you won’t make a good strike, Iemoto.”

He takes Iemoto’s palm in his once again, gently helping 81st district representative take cue stick more “confidently”. Yet, in fact, all that could do Kiku was feel how warmth was going straight to his cheeks. And he felt that it was going there even faster when Lord put his hand onto Iemoto’s waist.

“Much better. Now, strike the white ball so that it will hit the yellow. But don’t be too pushy or rushing – find the perfect balance as I showed you before. And don’t forget about the angles, or it will completely change its trajectory.”

Iemoto wanted to say that he understood his objective, but instead could only look at the white ball before him anxiously. Well, if this ball won’t fall into that hole, Lord won’t scold him anyway, right? ...Thus, Iemoto breathed in and struck the white ball with a cue, looking how it bumped into the yellow one and... oh, it fell into the hole. 

“Great.” a blond man patted Iemoto’s back, humming happily. “You actually might be talented at billiards, if you will practice enough, of course.”

“Was he always this touchy...?” were the only thoughts in Iemoto’s mind. He hardly could remember him being this tactile, but it didn’t feel wrong. Just... made Iemoto’s heart beat faster. And it was strange, because Lord didn’t even notice it. But, well, he was here just to teach Iemoto how to play billiards, right...?

That was the moment when someone stepped in with loud steps. It was... oh. Hero.

“Ay yo, ya two having a play-off here or what?” “I’m teaching Iemoto how to play.” “Wow, really? He didn’t know how to play?” “Precisely. Thus, I decided to–” “Cool! Lemme show you how to play, then!”

But instead of agreeing, 81st representative stepped back, holding the cue stick closer to him. It’s not that he didn’t want to play with Alfred, but– he didn’t want to embarrass himself either. So it was a hard choice – to agree or to decline, since it might affect their relationships. Parties like this usually always affect district relationships. And that’s why rarely someone could ignore them. But right now–

“Eh? Iemoto, what’re y–” “He’s still learning, Hero. Back off.”

Lord stepped closer to the leader of the 1st street. Iemoto couldn’t see his face, but a little frown from Hero made Kiku think about that, maybe, Lord will...?

“I’ll be the one tutoring him how to play real billiards. Or should I remind you that I crushed you with only 7 strikes?” “Hey! It wasn’t fair! I never knew there was a scoring system thing, and–” “I won. That’s it. So shoo, leave, go on, there’s Owner waiting for you.” “...Mweh. Killjoy.” “Always a pleasure to be one.”

And then Jones actually left. He was mumbling something to himself, although the farther he was going, the harder it was to hear his mumbles. But then Lord turned around and gave Iemoto a gentle smile yet again. ...It was unbearable, to be honest.

“Shall we continue our lesson?” “...Gladly. Ah, but– what about the scoring system?” “It’s a bit early for you. To get to the scoring part, we need to teach you how to play and some rules first, alright?”

Iemoto shooks his head in approvance, turning back to the table. And then he felt Lord’s body heat against his own yet again and it– it made his head go in circles.

...Lord is so unfair.

*

He was sitting at the bar, looking at how Iemoto was talking to some Asian district representatives. They spent almost two hours together while Arthur was helping him to learn how to play billiards. It felt... really comfortable.

Until the moment Hero said “You two had a nice date there!”. It felt like lightning struck Lord. It struck him even harder when Hero continued: “Sorry I butted in, didn’t read the atmosphere at first! Bur Parrain told me that I got in your way, so, yeah, sorry for getting mad at you, ha-ha-ha!”. Date? Butted in? Parrain said WHAT?!

...But, instead of arguing, they were sitting together at the bar. Francis was drinking some champagne, while Lord decided to stay sombre and just order a non-alcoholic cocktail.

“You're never going to change, are you, cowardly lion?~ ♪” “...What?”

Lord looked at Parrain with disgust.

“Always running away, never understanding the opportunities you have... Even though you actually love him, you stay as silent as stone. Oh, poor soul! Romance was never given to you, and even when you had a chance– you just lost it, pf-f-ft!” “One more word and you'll become roasted frog legs, asshole.”

Yet the 33rd district representative shook his head with the slyest smile ever seen.

“But the one who's cooked here is you, not me, mon amie.” “...Shut it.”

He looks at Iemoto for the last time today, slowly moving his gaze to the violet-coloured cocktail.