Misunderstood (England x Reader)

Misunderstood
(England x Reader)

Arthur sat on a bench in the park with his hands folded thoughtfully in his lap.  His eyes were bright and dreamy, his lips curled into a smile that he couldn’t seem to suppress.  The words echoed through his mind like a chorus to some cheesy pop-song.  ‘It’s as easy as that,’ he reminded himself.  His fingers tightened a bit.  ‘Four simple words…’

  “Pondering something, Arthur?”  The Britt immediately stood when he heard your voice.  He cheeks reddened as he scratched his neck nervously.

“S-Sort of,” he said.  Arthur cleared his throat and led you to the bench.  “I actually wanted to tell you something…”

Your eyes darkened a bit.  You knew where this was going.  It had happened so many times before. Your mind immediately flashed back to your first boyfriend.

                                  ~FLASHBACK~
“You’re a nice girl and all…”  The boy rubbed his neck and averted his eyes.  He cleared his throat.  “But I don’t think this is going to work out…”

                                 ~MODERN TIME~
Your eyes narrowed dangerously.  People thought that you were cold, distant.  Boys never seemed to give you a chance and you were sick of it.  As enthralled as you were with Arthur, you had never really done much to show it.  ‘Just when I started getting close to someone…’  Your brows furrowed as you thought.  ‘Right before they get to know the real me…’

“It’s more of a question, actually,” Arthur continued.  He was totally oblivious to your shift in mood.  Finally, you stood and balled your hands into fists.

“Don’t even say it!”  You could feel your throat closing up.  Tears swelled in your eyes, but you tried your hardest to blink them away before they could fall.  ‘Why does this hurt so much?’  You bit your lip.  ‘It’s never hurt like this…’

“W-What are you talking about?”  Arthur stood immediately, his arms spread wide in helplessness.  All of the color in his face had drained, and now he looked completely miserable.  “Did that idiot Alfred tell you?”  Arthur’s eyes narrowed as he muttered a British slang word that you knew the meaning of all too well.

“He didn’t have to.  I know what this is about,” you snapped.  Your skin was on fire.  You were so angry and hurt that even without tears your vision blurred.  Arthur let his hands fall to his sides.  His shoulders slumped.

“I think you might have the wrong idea, Love,” he said glumly.  “I’ve never seen a girl act so angry at a marriage proposal before.  Surely I’m not that bad.”

Your eyes widened.  It took you a moment to fully compute what Arthur was saying.

“Marriage,” you repeated slowly.  You felt yourself wobble a bit as Arthur moved towards you and knelt down on one knee.  From his waistcoat, he withdrew a velvet box and inside was the most gorgeous engagement ring you had ever seen.  There were several smaller diamonds surrounding the central diamond, and the band was white gold.  It looked classy, but very expensive.  Arthur’s lips curled into a sad smile.

“This ring was my grandmother’s, then my mother’s.  I was hoping you’d like it.  I-If it’s not to your liking, though, I can always buy-” You immediately interrupted Arthur by throwing your arms around his shoulders.  He, in turn, pulled you in close and stood.  The way he held you made your heart swell.  As you inhaled deeply, the scent of tea and cloves filled your nose.  It was a soothing scent, one you had grown to love during your horseback riding dates with the Britt.  He kissed your jaw before letting you go.  “Is that a yes?”

You held out your left hand and smiled, a tear sliding down your cheek as he slid the ring onto your finger.  “Yes.  Most definitely, yes.”

 “Hey, dude, I can’t see!”  Alfred grumbled as Francis shoved him to the side.  His eyes were wide and sparkling as he watched the two of you stare happily at one another.  He clasped his hands and let out a shrill “squee”.

“Non!”  Francis shot Alfred a sharp glare as he tried pushing past him.  “The feels, they are too much for you!”

THE END~