England X Reader- Pride

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Hetalia related…Neither do I own you…

******

You sighed happily as you sat on the bench in the park. It was one of those rare sunny days and you were enjoying it very much as you waited for your boyfriend to show up.

That's right…Your boyfriend…

You were always one of those people whom others assumed would never find "the one". You didn't talk much to those outside your little group of friends. Also, unlike the average person, you didn't change who you were in order to be accepted by more people. This was how you always were…So everyone believed you would never find your match.

Then, not long after you moved to London following your twenty-second birthday, you met him. He was handsome, with messy, dark gold hair and brilliant green eyes that seemed to capture your soul. He had unusually thick eyebrows, but you felt they added a certain charm to him. He was far more courteous than any other man of your generation whom you have met. He was awkward but in an adorable way. He had a bit of a drinking issue but he was never violent towards you or caused any harm.

Oh, and did you forget to mention that he was the personification of England?

There were moments you still couldn't believe it. You were actually dating the anthropomorphic representation of England. Arthur Kirkland was the codename he put on all official documents and the name you were to call him by in public.

"Ha!" you laughed softly as you breathed in the cool air, "Who would have thought that my first boyfriend ever would turn out to be so…unique! I must have done something right in life!"

Ah…But there was one little issue you had with England, and it had nothing to do with his lack of cooking skills.

"____!" you heard a familiar English voice call out to you.

"Nice of you to finally show up, Arthur," you said teasingly as the man walked up with a picnic basket.

"It wasn't my fault," England insisted, furrowing his brow slightly, "Blasted Parliament can't seem to run one day without me…"

"Well, who cares?" you said in a bright tone, hooking your arm in his, "We've got some picnicking to get to!"

"What did I tell you about using proper English?!" England replied as you dragged him towards your picnic spot.

******

"So, how is it?" England asked curiously as you bit into an incredibly burnt scone.

Having dated England for a year, you had mastered the ability to hide your desire to hurl, scream and cry all at once when he offered you food he cooked himself. Instead, you swallowed and smiled gently at his eager face.

"It's good," you replied in a convincing tone, "…I appreciate you volunteering to make the food for this picnic…"

"At least someone I know has proper taste!" England said with a grin, "How dare those blasted fools say my cooking is poisonous?"

You nodded at his little rant before downing your tea as quickly as possible to rid your mouth of the horrible taste. At least the man could make tea…

After a few moments of peaceful silence, you slid yourself closer to England, trying to make sure he didn't notice your actions. Once you were right by his side, you leaned against him lightly. He tensed the moment you made contact.

"_-___?" he stuttered, "What are you doing?"

"I'm snuggling," you replied, not moving away, "The weather's perfect, for the first time in a couple weeks, you and I had a…wonderful…picnic, we're sitting here together…"

Despite that, England scooted away a bit. You sighed in slight frustration.

"Oh, c'mon, Arthur!" you said, "It's not like I was trying to kill you!"

"It's alright, dear," he answered, not meeting your gaze, "I'd rather we just finish this meal and head off."

You rolled your eyes secretly. This was the one little problem you had with England…The man was not the affectionate type! Honestly, if you tried to simply cuddle up to him or offer a hug, he would act as though you were approaching him with a snake wrapped around you. Whenever he kissed you, it was for a short time, at most five seconds. And God forbid you try to do anything in public.

He hasn't even told me he loved me yet…you thought sadly. I've told him so many times so why won't he say it back?

******

"So, England," you said casually as he walked you back to your apartment, "You're free tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Yes," he said, skillfully avoiding your attempt to hold his hand, "Quite odd that I was given the day off. I was assured that I would not be called in once."

The smug smirk on your face disappeared before England could notice it. Yes, you had a hand in his day off.

After all, tomorrow was Valentine's Day.

You had the luck that England was called into work last Valentine's Day, so, thanks to the connections you made in the British government over the course of your relationship, this would be the first time the two of you would be together on the holiday.

But how could you enjoy the day with a man who had yet to make it clear how he felt about you?

"Well, goodnight," you said once you reached the door of your apartment building.

"Goodnight, ____," England replied.

You pressed your lips tenderly against his. As you expected, he pulled away within seconds.

"I love you," you said, mentally crossing your fingers.

"Y-yes, well, I will see you tomorrow then," England said nervously before turning to go.

You stepped in the apartment and let out the breath you had been holding…

Maybe tomorrow…

******

You practically skipped to England's house the next day. You had always enjoyed Valentine's Day and dreamed of having someone to spend it with. Plus, you were certain that this was the day you would get England to say he loved you…Or at least kiss you properly.

You rang the doorbell and hid the gifts you had brought behind your back.

"Oh, hello, ____," England greeted upon opening the door, "What brings you-?"

"Happy Valentine's Day!" you interrupted cheerfully as you revealed the first gift you had brought.

England stared silently as you held a bouquet of roses before him.

"Umm…" was all he said.

"Aren't they lovely?" you asked as he slowly took the bouquet, "I know how much you love that garden of yours, so I thought some pretty roses would be a nice gift."

"…I feel like we're going through a role reversal," England muttered as you entered the house.

You saw him eyeing the plastic bag that was hanging off your arm. It was time to set your little plan in action. To England's surprise, you set out two scented candles on the table in the living room. You retrieved a lighter from the bag and lit them. You then pulled out a classic romantic film you loved and popped it in the DVD player.

As the film started, you sat on the couch and motioned for England to join you, which he did reluctantly.

"It's only noon, ____," England said, laying down the roses on the table, "The candles aren't necessary."

You quickly ran to the windows and pulled the curtains closed, making the room as dark as possible.

"That's better!" you said cheerfully as you sat down again.

As the movie got to the point where the leading man was making a tear jerking confession to the leading lady in front of a lit fountain, you realized that England was fidgeting and acting as though he was about to run at any second. You frowned slightly.

"I'm kind of cold," you said innocently, adding a little shiver in for good measure.

"I'll fetch you a blanket," England said, making a move to stand.

You made sure he stayed where he was and simply wrapped his arm around your shoulders and cuddled up to him.

"This is enough," you sighed happily, trying to ignore the man's tenseness.

"A-ah, I s-see," England replied, trying to remove his arm from your grip.

"England? Did you know that there's a Valentine's Day festival in the park later today?"

"Oh, is there?"

"Yep," you said, giving him a pleading look, "There will be food and live music…Sounds nice, right?"

England simply nodded and turned his head away from you. You were getting a little annoyed.

"I gave you a present," you continued, "Don't I get something in return?"

"I didn't expect you to come over-" England began to explain.

"Oh, you don't have to buy me something! Just do something…"

England looked at you in confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, I would really like to hear three certain words from you," you replied in a musical tone.

Your boyfriend continued to stare at you blankly.

"Words that are kind of synonymous with Valentine's Day…" you went on.

You could almost see the light bulb go off in England's head. A light blush appeared on his face and he slid his arm off of you and shifted his body away.

"You know, I think I should put on some tea!" he said suddenly, getting up and walking towards the kitchen, "Yes, tea would be lovely right about now."

You went after him and blocked his way to the kitchen.

"It doesn't have to be those words though!" you said, an awful feeling building in your stomach, "Something just as nice would be fine!"

"I can take you shopping for whatever it is later, ____," England said, trying to step around you to no avail, since you kept moving to block him.

"It's not something you buy!" you cried, that horrible feeling threatening to overwhelm you.

To show him what you meant, you flung your arms around England's neck and slammed your lips against his. He froze for a moment before trying to pull back, but you moved a hand to the back of his head to keep him in place. You were running out of breath but you didn't back off.

England suddenly grabbed your shoulders and ripped you off of him. He held you at arm's length. You were both red in the face and breathing hard. He stared at you as though he didn't know who you were while you were struggling not to cry.

"What the bloody hell was that, ___?!" he said after a moment.

"…Why…?" you whispered, "Why can't I kiss you like that…?"

"Because that was so sudden-"

"We never properly kiss!" you interrupted angrily, "I can't hold your hand or hug you without you acting like I tried to choke you or something! And you know what else? You have not once told me you loved me!"

England was obviously surprised by your outburst. As were you, since it wasn't in your nature to scold someone. But you were tired of wondering. You needed to know…

Did he love you?

"Well, I'm so sorry that you feel that way…"

You looked up at England with a glare. Was that sarcasm he used? He stared at you, appearing nearly as angry as you felt.

"I'm sorry, but are you upset with me?" you asked in shock.

"So, apparently I'm not a proper boyfriend in your eyes," he replied, "I apologize for not being as romantic as the man in this movie of yours."

"England, I'm not asking you to be like him!" you said, "I'm asking you to do something, anything, that will prove that you love me!"

Without another word, England strolled towards his closet and grabbed a jacket. He took his wallet and headed out the door, slamming it shut and leaving you alone.

You shut off the television furiously and threw yourself on the couch. You finally let out those tears you had been holding back.

******

It was nearly six and the Valentine's Day festival in the park would be starting in about half an hour. However, you were in no mood to go anymore.

You wandered the streets of London, looking in pub after pub for England. You knew he would always head out for a drink whenever he was really mad. You wanted to find him so you could have one last conversation with him.

You wanted to discuss the future of your relationship.

To think it would come to this…you thought, your eyes still red from crying. Was I asking for too much? Was everyone else right and I'm incapable of finding love?

You slowly strode into another pub and spotted a familiar mop of blonde hair sitting on a stool. You snuck off to the other side of the room, keeping England in your sights but making sure he wouldn't notice you. You didn't want to speak with him if he was drunk.

When you took a look at his face, you were surprised to see that he appeared rather sober. You had seen him drunk many, many, many times and knew that he must have barely touched alcohol since the moment he stormed out of the house.

You also raised an eyebrow when you noticed that, sitting beside him and laughing at him, was the personification of France. While the man creeped you out on many an occasion and was England's self-proclaimed eternal rival, you didn't think he was too bad…

"Quel dommage!" France laughed loudly, "So, the lovers had a little quarrel, huh?"

"Go to hell, frog," England growled as he took a long sip of beer.

You saw France look up at catch your gaze. You silently freaked out and motioned for him not to reveal your position. He simply winked and gestured for you to sit and listen without England seeing.

"So, since you two have broken up, that means I can go after ____!" France said gleefully.

"We have NOT broken up. You stay far away from ____, you wanker!" England yelled furiously.

"But, pourqoui?" France asked, enjoying riling England up, "You must not love her."

England suddenly grabbed France by the throat and pulled his face close. You shuddered at the expression on the former pirate's face…

"Don't you dare say that again…" he growled.

France pulled himself free of England's viselike grip and rubbed his throat.

"Did I touch a nerve?" France asked playfully, "How am I wrong? You haven't told ____ that you love her, oui?"

England frowned and turned away at that, his silence only proving France's point. You didn't know how long you wanted to stay and hear things. What if they said something that would truly shatter you?

"No, I suppose I never said it…" England admitted quietly after a moment.

"Have you done anything romantic for ____?" France asked, his voice more serious.

"………I would say not……"

England, apparently realizing that he had looked vulnerable in front of France, suddenly switched into his, what Japan had told you was called, tsundere mode.

"B-b-but why should I have to say a word?!" he yelled, "She should already know how I feel. Why do I have to say it aloud for her to understand? I'm not some overly emotional, lovey-dovey git like you!"

Were it not for the situation you were in, you would have thought that the way England was flailing his arms and blushing was cute…

"Ah yes," France said, sipping from a wineglass, "You have a hard time saying how you feel, especially since this is the first time you have been involved with a girl since Elizabeth I…But you don't understand l'amour very well…"

France stood up and ruffled England's hair, earning a glare from the Englishman.

"Tell me, mon ami…Is this silly pride of yours worth losing ____?"

With that, France left England behind, offering you a quick smile as he passed. You turned your gaze towards England, who was staring intently at the ground. You took the opportunity to slip out of the pub.

******

The Valentine's Day Festival was in full swing and you had no idea why you were there. It wasn't like you had a date or were enjoying yourself as everyone danced or talked or cheered on the band playing on the open air stage.

No, you were drinking a cup of punch by the buffet table, wondering what made you come to the festival.

"Hey there."

You glanced up and sighed as a man made his way over to you. You were not in the mood to deal with this…

"Please, go away," you said.

"C'mon, don't be like that," he said.

"I said-"

"Sod off."

You were surprised when England suddenly appeared behind the man, a glare on his face.

"Why don't you sod off, Big Brows?" the man replied, getting in England's face.

England chuckled wickedly and said something in a voice so low, you couldn't hear what it was. Whatever it was must have been rather horrible because the man's face turned deathly pale and he practically sprinted away.

Sometimes, you wondered just how bad England was back in his pirate days…

"Eng-I mean, Arthur," you said softly.

"Hello, ____," England said in an equally small voice.

You waited, your hands wringing the bottom of your shirt, memories of what England had said at the house and the pub running through your mind.

"____," he began, "I…"

"Yes?" you replied when his voice trailed off and he turned his gaze to the grass.

He looked up at you, his eyes filled with so much emotion that you were a bit taken aback. England let out a breath of air.

"____, I-"

He was interrupted as the band on stage talked into the microphone. Perhaps it was a bad idea to stand so close to one of the many speakers that had been set up in the area.

"What did you say?!" you said loudly after the two of you had moved away from the speaker.

"I was saying," England said, stilling rubbing his ears from the noise, "I-"

His voice was drowned out by the loud cheers of the crowd around them. He looked frustrated when you motioned you couldn't hear him.

"I-you-____!"

You could hear snippets but most of England's voice was drowned out by the overwhelming noise surrounding you two. You shook your head, wanting desperately to know what he was telling you. England then pushed his way through the crowd. You wondered what he was up to so you made your way back to the buffet table, where it was far less crowded.

You dropped your jaw in shock as you watched England force his way onto the stage. The band stopped playing and the crowd grew quiet as the man ripped the microphone from the utterly confused lead singer's hands.

"I LOVE YOU, ____!!!!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs into the microphone.

Your eyes widened and you slowly brought your hands to your lips. A few chuckles broke out from the crowd.

"I love everything about you!" England continued, pushing away the singer, who was trying to take back the microphone, "I love your kindness! I love how intelligent you are! How you never stray away from your beliefs."

England's face grew more and more red with each word and you knew that he was aware of the security guards that were trying to maneuver through the crowd to get to him. Many of those who had attended the festival were murmuring about the strange man on the stage while others laughed at him.

Still, he went on…

"At times you act far too romantic. But I think that you're cute at those moments. No matter how many times I brush off your advances, you keep trying…I respect that! And you never get mad when I show up at your apartment pissed and rambling. You just let me sleep it off on the couch."

The guards had finally made it to the stage and were about to grab England. He kept his grip on the microphone and said his last few words.

"I know you hate my cooking! Don't think I'm so dense that I can't see that! But…But you still eat it every time and say that it's delicious! You don't know how happy that makes me! I love you so much, ____! Don't ever doubt that!"

One guard finally took away the microphone while the other threw England on the ground. You stood frozen in shock. England tried to search for you but couldn't see you.

You watched as he ran from the laughing crowd after having confessed to you for the first time…

******

You smiled softly as you found England sitting against a tree at the spot the two of you had picnicked at yesterday. You silently walked up to him and sat across from him. He met your gaze, his cheeks still pink.

"Was that just a spur of the moment thing?" you asked.

He lifted an eyebrow, not understanding what you were getting at.

"Did you say that out of pity?" you clarified.

"No!" he stated strongly, "I meant every word I said!"

A smile grew on your face and you let out a small laugh. It had happened…You had received the gift you had wanted most from England.

England's eyes widened in fear as tears streamed down your face. He quickly reached into his jacket and pulled out a small hanky.

"C-c-come now, love," he said, reaching out and wiping the tears away, "Don't cry! Did I embarrass you back there? I just thought that's what one of those blokes from your romantic movies would do so-"

He stopped when you pulled his hand that he held the hanky with away from your face and gently kissed the palm. The soaked hanky dropped to the ground as you pressed his fingers against your lips.

England pulled his hand free. You were confused, wondering what was the matter. You gasped as he grabbed you by the shoulders and pulled you against him. England rested one hand on your back while he used the other to brush some loose strands of hair from your eyes.

You blushed at the unexpected actions. You weren't used to this…

But it felt right.

You leaned your head against England's chest and listened to his racing heart. You knew…He loved you. He had loved you all along.

"____," he whispered.

You pulled your face back to look at him, only for his lips to press against yours. This time he didn't pull away. One of his hands lightly stroked your back as the other was placed against the side of your neck.

You closed your eyes as he deepened the kiss. After a few more moments of bliss, the two of you pulled apart. But your faces were still so close that you could feel each other's breath. You felt your heart swell at the gentle smile England gave you.

"Happy Valentine's Day, ____," he said.

"I love you, England," you replied before you leaned in for another kiss.

Happy Valentine's Day, indeed…