[Fic] Summer Camp: Holding Out - Day 21
Title: Holding Out - Part 14: Road Trip
Characters: America, England, Hungary, Austria, Romania, mentions of Canada.
Rating/Warnings: PG13, Sorta X-men-universe crossoverish kinda sorta except I call 'mutants' 'supers' so maybe The Incredibles crossoverish kinda sorta? Point is, some people have superpowers. And it's a pseudo-police state.
Summary: When Arthur wakes up to find Alfred gone, he does everything in his power to track him down.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13
Arthur expected many things when he woke up that morning. He expected Elizaveta to have breakfast prepared by the time he got downstairs, he expected Roderich to burst in and complain about how he wasted his morning just lying around in bed, he was expecting a cursed ring to be delivered to him sometime that night, but most of all, he expected Alfred to be there at breakfast, like he had for the past 3 years.
Except that he was gone. No note, no warning, no anything, just packed his bags, took a helicopter, and left.
Elizaveta was sitting at the kitchen table, head in her hands, completely silent. Roderich was next to her, looking put out more than anything. Arthur was pacing around the room, brainstorming any and all possible reasons for Alfred leaving.
“Maybe it was something I said,” he tried to recall every word of every conversation he’d ever had with the boy, “Or maybe it was something you said,” He turned on Roderich, who had the gall to look affronted by Arthur’s perfect line of reasoning, “Yes, it must have been you who drove him away.”
“Would you listen to yourself?” Roderich stood and slammed his hands on the table, making Arthur stop his pacing to stare openly at him. Elizaveta didn’t move, “It’s obvious what happened. You said he could stay as long as he needed or wanted. Clearly he does not need nor want to stay here anymore.”
Arthur sat down at the table as well, “But why? There was no warning! He just left, without a goodbye even. Do three years mean nothing to him?”
“You picked him up off the street, Arthur,” Roderich sat down again as well, “It is entirely possible he was simply playing you the whole time. He did steal the helicopter-”
Arthur leaned over to shut him up somehow, but Elizaveta beat him to it with a slap to the face, “Don’t you dare say that, Roderich! You know Alfred wouldn’t have used us like that!”
“And for only a helicopter?” Arthur crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, “If he really was conning us, he could have taken more than that.”
“I am merely saying it is a possibility,” he adjusted the crooked glasses on his face, “It’s just a suggestion.”
“Well it’s a damn poor one.”
The room fell into silence again, the three of them refusing to look at each other as the seconds ticked by. Eventually Arthur stood and made to leave the room.
“Sitting around here isn’t getting us answers,” he said on his way out, “I’m going to find him.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Arthur,” Roderich sighed, “He fled in the helicopter. You can’t chase him down and you have no idea where he went.”
Arthur smirked, “I have other flying transportation, Roderich. And maybe I don’t know where he’s going, but I can easily find out.”
*~~*~
“Oh, Arthur my friend. This is a bad time, so can you call back later?”
“No Vlad, it’s an emergency.”
“Yes, I understand, but now is really not the best-”
“Vlad, for all the times I stayed up late listening to you talk about absolutely nothing, and all the times I accompanied you on one as you followed one of your useless leads searching for whatever, you owe me.”
“I, yes, I suppose I do… what do you need my friend?”
“Alfred’s missing. I need to borrow your tracking amulet, and I know you have one, so don’t bother saying you don’t.”
“I recall you having a tracking ring of some sort?”
“I can’t seem to find it. I’ll be over in a bit to pick it up.”
“Are you taking the Lamborghini? I mean, since you can’t take the helicopter, it will take you a while to get here yes?”
“I have more than one heli- wait, how did you know I can’t take the helicopter?”
“Just a guess! Just assuming, really.”
“I gave you no reason to assume I wouldn’t be taking the helicopter. How did you know I couldn’t?”
“You, mentioned, before, not this conversation but a previous one, how you needed to get someone to look at your helicopter because you thought it was not working.”
“No I didn’t. My helicopter is working perfectly fine.”
“Unless Alfred crashed it…”
“He’s a capable flyer in his own right and - there! Again! How did you know Alfred took a helicopter?”
“I, well, there is a perfectly good explanation for that that does not violate your trust of me in the slightest.”
“Really? Well I’m dying to hear it friend.”
“…Arthur, I am a psychic. I’ve been hiding it from you for years, but I can actually read your mind even over the phone.”
“Yes, nice try Vlad, but I’m not stupid. I’ve known you and your research for years, there’s no way you’re a psychic. Tell the truth now and I might forgive you for whatever misdemeanor you pulled this time.”
“Very well, but please do not interrupt my tale.
"Last night Alfred called me wanting to know how to use a tracking ring he found in your stash. I gave him basic instructions and he asked if it could track someone who was in Nevada. I said no, it only works in a certain area, like the city or even a few meters outside the city, but not a whole different state. I proceeded to ask me why, and he told me that he was looking for someone in Nevada. I assumed he was joking and told him to take the helicopter. After some polite banter and farewells, he hung up the phone and I went about my night.”
“Vlad, next time I see you, I reserve the right to punch you in the face. And you were not going to tell me you sent him to Nevada?!”
“I did not send him; I just told him how to get there. He was going there on his own anyway. I do wonder who he is looking for in Nevada.”
“…Matt. He’s looking for Matt in Nevada.”
“Oh, yes, Matt. Who’s Matt?”
“His, brother, of sorts. He’s been looking for him, and I had tracked him down, and yes, the file’s missing, fantastic.”
“Really? Is Matt a Super as well.”
“Yes, Unhuman Behavior 4C or something, you know the classification system better than I do.”
“Yes, invisibility. Full Body Invisibility with some influence on other objects if he really is a type C.”
“Yes, well, he’s been working for the Bureau to track down other Supers, stationed in Nevada normally, but his newest mission was to track down Alfred, not that he knew it was Alfred. I supposed Matthew is back in Nevada.”
“Ah, the vigilante thing. He really does need to come up with a name so people can stop calling him That-One-Super.”
“I’ll be sure to mention it to him if I ever see him again. His activities have started an underground reform movement. If the Bureau catches him, I doubt even my influence will be able to save him.”
“And as his guardian, you’ll be held responsible for everything.”
“…Really?”
“Well, you can unclaim him if you want, and he’ll be punished with the status of an unregistered Super, but basically yes. Did you actually read over any of the paper work you got when you registered him?”
“Skimmed it a little, but that’s not the point right now! I need to find Alfred before Matthew does.”
“He still does not know Alfred is the Super he is looking for, but yes, you should find him. Fly your alleged other helicopter over here and I’ll come help you. For some reason I feel partly responsible for this whole mess.”
“Maybe because it’s all your fault, but thank you. I, well, I appreciate the help.”
“It is no problem Arthur. That is what friends are for.”
*~*~*~
The flight from Vlad’s house to Nevada took the better part of 5 hours. Once they finally got there, they still had no idea where to begin looking, and contented themselves to flying all across the state, hoping that Vlad’s tracking amulet would be set off by Alfred’s presence.
When it did go off, somewhere in the middle of the desert, Arthur almost dropped it out of the helicopter in shock. With Vlad’s assistance, he was able to land by an outcropping of rocks and begin the search on foot. It didn’t take long for them to find the crashed helicopter nearby and for Arthur to assume the worst, even as the amulet told him a different story.
“Alfred? Alfred!” he started running towards the helicopter, Vlad trying and failing to get him to calm down a few paces behind, “Alfred, where are you!?”
“Arthur,” both men turned to see a dirty, bruised Alfred climb out of a pile of rocks he’d been using for shade, “What took you so long to come get me?”
“You,” Arthur stormed over to him and shoved him back against the rocks, driving all the breath from his body, “I’ve been worried sick about you all day and you just…” he pulled the boy into a hug and held on as if the world depended on him never letting go.
“Sorry,” Alfred remained stiff in his arms, “Why didn’t you tell me about Matt?”
Arthur froze, “I, I’m sorry. I didn’t, you spent so much time and energy looking for him, I didn’t want to disappoint you. Is, did you see him at least?”
“Yeah,” Alfred sighed, still in Arthur’s embrace, still not returning the gesture, “He’s mad at me.”
“What? Why?” Arthur finally let go, gripping Alfred’s shoulders instead, “If anything I assumed it would be reverse.”
“No, I’m not mad he’s working for the Bureau,” he shrugged, “It’s not like he has much of a choice. But, he’s mad at me because, uh, you spoil me.”
“I, what, I don’t spoil you-”
“Yes you do,” Vlad helpfully supplied from the sidelines.
“I think he’s just upset that I found a guardian when he didn’t,” Alfred leaned forward and wrapped an arm around Arthur’s waist, the other around his back, “So, uh, thanks for that. I guess.”
“You’re welcome,” Arthur returned the hug and ignored the heat in his cheeks, “I guess.”
“Arthur,” he muttered more into Arthur’s shoulder than anything else, “Can we go back home now?”
Arthur smiled against his hair, “If that’s what you want.”
“Yeah,” Alfred nodded as Vlad left them alone to start up the helicopter, “I really do.”
Part 15
Characters: America, England, Hungary, Austria, Romania, mentions of Canada.
Rating/Warnings: PG13, Sorta X-men-universe crossoverish kinda sorta except I call 'mutants' 'supers' so maybe The Incredibles crossoverish kinda sorta? Point is, some people have superpowers. And it's a pseudo-police state.
Summary: When Arthur wakes up to find Alfred gone, he does everything in his power to track him down.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13
Arthur expected many things when he woke up that morning. He expected Elizaveta to have breakfast prepared by the time he got downstairs, he expected Roderich to burst in and complain about how he wasted his morning just lying around in bed, he was expecting a cursed ring to be delivered to him sometime that night, but most of all, he expected Alfred to be there at breakfast, like he had for the past 3 years.
Except that he was gone. No note, no warning, no anything, just packed his bags, took a helicopter, and left.
Elizaveta was sitting at the kitchen table, head in her hands, completely silent. Roderich was next to her, looking put out more than anything. Arthur was pacing around the room, brainstorming any and all possible reasons for Alfred leaving.
“Maybe it was something I said,” he tried to recall every word of every conversation he’d ever had with the boy, “Or maybe it was something you said,” He turned on Roderich, who had the gall to look affronted by Arthur’s perfect line of reasoning, “Yes, it must have been you who drove him away.”
“Would you listen to yourself?” Roderich stood and slammed his hands on the table, making Arthur stop his pacing to stare openly at him. Elizaveta didn’t move, “It’s obvious what happened. You said he could stay as long as he needed or wanted. Clearly he does not need nor want to stay here anymore.”
Arthur sat down at the table as well, “But why? There was no warning! He just left, without a goodbye even. Do three years mean nothing to him?”
“You picked him up off the street, Arthur,” Roderich sat down again as well, “It is entirely possible he was simply playing you the whole time. He did steal the helicopter-”
Arthur leaned over to shut him up somehow, but Elizaveta beat him to it with a slap to the face, “Don’t you dare say that, Roderich! You know Alfred wouldn’t have used us like that!”
“And for only a helicopter?” Arthur crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, “If he really was conning us, he could have taken more than that.”
“I am merely saying it is a possibility,” he adjusted the crooked glasses on his face, “It’s just a suggestion.”
“Well it’s a damn poor one.”
The room fell into silence again, the three of them refusing to look at each other as the seconds ticked by. Eventually Arthur stood and made to leave the room.
“Sitting around here isn’t getting us answers,” he said on his way out, “I’m going to find him.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Arthur,” Roderich sighed, “He fled in the helicopter. You can’t chase him down and you have no idea where he went.”
Arthur smirked, “I have other flying transportation, Roderich. And maybe I don’t know where he’s going, but I can easily find out.”
*~~*~
“Oh, Arthur my friend. This is a bad time, so can you call back later?”
“No Vlad, it’s an emergency.”
“Yes, I understand, but now is really not the best-”
“Vlad, for all the times I stayed up late listening to you talk about absolutely nothing, and all the times I accompanied you on one as you followed one of your useless leads searching for whatever, you owe me.”
“I, yes, I suppose I do… what do you need my friend?”
“Alfred’s missing. I need to borrow your tracking amulet, and I know you have one, so don’t bother saying you don’t.”
“I recall you having a tracking ring of some sort?”
“I can’t seem to find it. I’ll be over in a bit to pick it up.”
“Are you taking the Lamborghini? I mean, since you can’t take the helicopter, it will take you a while to get here yes?”
“I have more than one heli- wait, how did you know I can’t take the helicopter?”
“Just a guess! Just assuming, really.”
“I gave you no reason to assume I wouldn’t be taking the helicopter. How did you know I couldn’t?”
“You, mentioned, before, not this conversation but a previous one, how you needed to get someone to look at your helicopter because you thought it was not working.”
“No I didn’t. My helicopter is working perfectly fine.”
“Unless Alfred crashed it…”
“He’s a capable flyer in his own right and - there! Again! How did you know Alfred took a helicopter?”
“I, well, there is a perfectly good explanation for that that does not violate your trust of me in the slightest.”
“Really? Well I’m dying to hear it friend.”
“…Arthur, I am a psychic. I’ve been hiding it from you for years, but I can actually read your mind even over the phone.”
“Yes, nice try Vlad, but I’m not stupid. I’ve known you and your research for years, there’s no way you’re a psychic. Tell the truth now and I might forgive you for whatever misdemeanor you pulled this time.”
“Very well, but please do not interrupt my tale.
"Last night Alfred called me wanting to know how to use a tracking ring he found in your stash. I gave him basic instructions and he asked if it could track someone who was in Nevada. I said no, it only works in a certain area, like the city or even a few meters outside the city, but not a whole different state. I proceeded to ask me why, and he told me that he was looking for someone in Nevada. I assumed he was joking and told him to take the helicopter. After some polite banter and farewells, he hung up the phone and I went about my night.”
“Vlad, next time I see you, I reserve the right to punch you in the face. And you were not going to tell me you sent him to Nevada?!”
“I did not send him; I just told him how to get there. He was going there on his own anyway. I do wonder who he is looking for in Nevada.”
“…Matt. He’s looking for Matt in Nevada.”
“Oh, yes, Matt. Who’s Matt?”
“His, brother, of sorts. He’s been looking for him, and I had tracked him down, and yes, the file’s missing, fantastic.”
“Really? Is Matt a Super as well.”
“Yes, Unhuman Behavior 4C or something, you know the classification system better than I do.”
“Yes, invisibility. Full Body Invisibility with some influence on other objects if he really is a type C.”
“Yes, well, he’s been working for the Bureau to track down other Supers, stationed in Nevada normally, but his newest mission was to track down Alfred, not that he knew it was Alfred. I supposed Matthew is back in Nevada.”
“Ah, the vigilante thing. He really does need to come up with a name so people can stop calling him That-One-Super.”
“I’ll be sure to mention it to him if I ever see him again. His activities have started an underground reform movement. If the Bureau catches him, I doubt even my influence will be able to save him.”
“And as his guardian, you’ll be held responsible for everything.”
“…Really?”
“Well, you can unclaim him if you want, and he’ll be punished with the status of an unregistered Super, but basically yes. Did you actually read over any of the paper work you got when you registered him?”
“Skimmed it a little, but that’s not the point right now! I need to find Alfred before Matthew does.”
“He still does not know Alfred is the Super he is looking for, but yes, you should find him. Fly your alleged other helicopter over here and I’ll come help you. For some reason I feel partly responsible for this whole mess.”
“Maybe because it’s all your fault, but thank you. I, well, I appreciate the help.”
“It is no problem Arthur. That is what friends are for.”
*~*~*~
The flight from Vlad’s house to Nevada took the better part of 5 hours. Once they finally got there, they still had no idea where to begin looking, and contented themselves to flying all across the state, hoping that Vlad’s tracking amulet would be set off by Alfred’s presence.
When it did go off, somewhere in the middle of the desert, Arthur almost dropped it out of the helicopter in shock. With Vlad’s assistance, he was able to land by an outcropping of rocks and begin the search on foot. It didn’t take long for them to find the crashed helicopter nearby and for Arthur to assume the worst, even as the amulet told him a different story.
“Alfred? Alfred!” he started running towards the helicopter, Vlad trying and failing to get him to calm down a few paces behind, “Alfred, where are you!?”
“Arthur,” both men turned to see a dirty, bruised Alfred climb out of a pile of rocks he’d been using for shade, “What took you so long to come get me?”
“You,” Arthur stormed over to him and shoved him back against the rocks, driving all the breath from his body, “I’ve been worried sick about you all day and you just…” he pulled the boy into a hug and held on as if the world depended on him never letting go.
“Sorry,” Alfred remained stiff in his arms, “Why didn’t you tell me about Matt?”
Arthur froze, “I, I’m sorry. I didn’t, you spent so much time and energy looking for him, I didn’t want to disappoint you. Is, did you see him at least?”
“Yeah,” Alfred sighed, still in Arthur’s embrace, still not returning the gesture, “He’s mad at me.”
“What? Why?” Arthur finally let go, gripping Alfred’s shoulders instead, “If anything I assumed it would be reverse.”
“No, I’m not mad he’s working for the Bureau,” he shrugged, “It’s not like he has much of a choice. But, he’s mad at me because, uh, you spoil me.”
“I, what, I don’t spoil you-”
“Yes you do,” Vlad helpfully supplied from the sidelines.
“I think he’s just upset that I found a guardian when he didn’t,” Alfred leaned forward and wrapped an arm around Arthur’s waist, the other around his back, “So, uh, thanks for that. I guess.”
“You’re welcome,” Arthur returned the hug and ignored the heat in his cheeks, “I guess.”
“Arthur,” he muttered more into Arthur’s shoulder than anything else, “Can we go back home now?”
Arthur smiled against his hair, “If that’s what you want.”
“Yeah,” Alfred nodded as Vlad left them alone to start up the helicopter, “I really do.”
Part 15