Paper Heart - FrUK

"Okay, class, cut out the shape that is on your piece of paper," the teacher announced. "This is for Mother's Day, so make it look pretty!"

Arthur Kirkland, the grumpy kid from England, raised his hand. "Teacher, I don't have a mom!" he complained. "Do I still have to do this?"

The teacher nodded. "You could give it to a special girl, or-"

Arthur interrupted her. "Girls have cooties! I don't want to be a gentleman like my dad," he said. "Because that means that I'll have a kid that doesn't have a mum."

His teacher sighed. "Just... make it for somebody special, okay? Your best friend, or something."

Despite being in first grade, Arthur looked like he was constantly grumpy and irritated with the world. Even then, however, he quickly made friends – as well as enemies. Francis Bonnefoy was the only one who was both Arthur's enemy and friend. They met one day when Arthur was playing in the forest behind his house, and he found Francis admiring himself in the small river.

"Hey, get out of here!" Arthur said.

"Hm?" The other child looked up. Upon seeing Arthur, he smiled and waved at him to come over. Hesitantly, Arthur lifted up his cape a bit, not wanting it to get wet as he crossed over to the other side, sitting down next to Francis.

"Je m'appelle Francis. Comment tu t'appelle?"

"What? Stop speaking that weird stuff, I can't understand you."

The other boy giggled before sitting up. "My name is Francis. What's your name?"

"...Arthur."

And from that moment on, the two had a love-hate relationship at such a young age.

"Okay, fine. I'll make it for my... my friend." At the last second, he added, "The one that I hate."

After everyone in the class had cut out the heart, the teacher set a bucket of markers at each table group. "Now write something nice on there, something that'll make your mommy smile. Or best friend, if you're Arthur."

The class started scribbling  all over their heart, but the only colours that Arthur picked out were red, blue, and black. The small blond decorated the heart to make it have the French tricolours on the front side, a failed Union Jack on the back. He picked up the black marker, trying to think of something to write on the front. After pondering for a while, he wrote "Deer Francis, I hayte u!", adding an angry face to emphasize his "hayte" for the French child. Flipping it over, he once again wondered what he should write on the back.

"Miss?" Arthur raised his hand.

"Yes?" The teacher walked over to the Brit, and then smiled when she saw his heart. "That's so cute! Is it supposed to be the Union Jack?"

"Miss, how do you say 'I love you' in French?"

His teacher blinked twice. "In French? I do believe it's 'je t'aime. Why?"

"Okay, thanks," Arthur replied hastily, ignoring the last part of her question.

"Do you need help in spelling it?"

"No."

After she left, Arthur wrote "but juh tem aneeway. Love Arthur.", drawing a heart to emphasize it.

Arthur brought his heart with him to recess, even though his teacher told him not to. He looked around until he finally found Francis, who was playing with Alfred and Matthew. The Brit walked over to them, and waited for Francis to stop talking to the twins and finally turn around.

After a while, Arthur began to get irritated, tapping his foot a bit. "Uhm, Francis?" Matthew, the shyer one asked. "I-I think Arthur wants something..."

The oldest child turned around, noticing Arthur at last. "Ye-- What's that?" Francis asked, staring at the paper heart, reaching toward it, only for Arthur to pull it away. "Is that the French flag?"

"You can't see this if they're here," Arthur said, pointing to Alfred and Matthew.

"L-let's go, then..." Matthew grabbed onto his brother's hand before the two of them ran off to the swingset.

"So~?" Francis mused, smiling a conceited smile that Arthur would grow to know and love. "Are you going to give that to me, mon petit lapin?"

"I-I'm not a rabbit...! But yes." Arthur shoved the paper heart into Francis' hands. "Here, just... Just take it, okay?" He turned around, his face bright red.

"Wait!" Francis read the front side, frowning to himself for a bit.

"Yes?" The English boy turned around again. "What do you want?"

"Why would you give this to me? You don't really hate me, do you?"

Arthur sighed and snatched the heart away, flipping it over before giving it back to the French child. "No."

Francis stood there, looking confused. "I can't read this."

"S-sound it out, then! I'm not saying it out loud!"

"J... Oh! Je t'aime?" Francis asked, and Arthur nodded. The older child's face lit up in a bright smile, and he held the other child close. "Je t'aime aussi," he giggled. "And merci for your heart. I'm going to keep this forever, I hope you know that."