A Day in the Life [3/?]
anonymous
June 7 2009, 06:17:13 UTC
Breakfast was more or less quiet, broken only when Marianne couldn’t hold back an escaped giggle or two. Arthur was doing a superb job of avoiding eye contact with everyone, and the boys were perfectly playing the part of “children should be seen, not heard.” In fact, Matthew was playing the role so perfectly, that his plate was taken away while he was still eating, his quiet protest falling on deaf ears.
With Arthur away from the table with the dirty dishes, Marianne got a devilish smile on her face and leaned forward so that she was closer to the boys. “So, mes fils, your father told me something très intéressant. He said-”
“Marianne,” Arthur growled, having returned from the kitchen. “Look at the boys,” He gestured, and Matthew and Alfred seemed to be doing their best to blend in with the furniture, hoping that they would become invisible and the embarrassing topic would be dropped. “They’re scarred enough for now. Do you really want to add to it?”
Marianne pouted before standing gracefully and moving to throw her arms over Arthur’s shoulders. “Mais, Arthur, surely the boys are old enough for ‘The Talk.’ Both of us were even younger than they are now when we learned about-”
Alfred and Matthew couldn’t take it anymore. It was bad enough that their parents’ nightly habits kept them awake, but did it really have to spread into and after breakfast? “Maman! Please!” Alfred shouted at a spot on the table. “Pas aujourd’hui, pas-” His horribly accented French was cut off when his mother swooped down and gave him a wind-pipe crushing hug.
“You spoke French! French!” She cried, motherly pride swelling. She pulled away, looking him in the eye, and Alfred could see the poorly contained happiness in her eyes. “Have you finally realized how horrible it is to speak English all the time? I’m so proud of you! We’ll have to work on your accent, bien sûr, but small steps, oui?” She was back to giving him a bone crushing hug. Over her shoulder, Alfred could see his father rolling his eyes, but Matthew was giving him a thumbs up. He had managed to avert a disastrous and mentally scarring topic, and with any luck, he could keep it up for the remainder of what was going to be a long, long day.
-- Another short one, sorry.
Before I go into the French translations, I just want to point out that in my head canon, Alfred can sort of speak French. It's an unofficial language of Louisiana (not to mention the Louisiana Territory in general was purchased from the French), and is actually the third most-spoken language in the country. So while he may not be as fluent in the language as others, I still think he would know a few words...especially if he was growing up living with France as his mother :)
Translations: Mes fils = My sons Très intéressant = Very interesting Mais = But Pas aujourd’hui, pas = Not today, not Bien sûr = Of course Oui = Yes
With Arthur away from the table with the dirty dishes, Marianne got a devilish smile on her face and leaned forward so that she was closer to the boys. “So, mes fils, your father told me something très intéressant. He said-”
“Marianne,” Arthur growled, having returned from the kitchen. “Look at the boys,” He gestured, and Matthew and Alfred seemed to be doing their best to blend in with the furniture, hoping that they would become invisible and the embarrassing topic would be dropped. “They’re scarred enough for now. Do you really want to add to it?”
Marianne pouted before standing gracefully and moving to throw her arms over Arthur’s shoulders. “Mais, Arthur, surely the boys are old enough for ‘The Talk.’ Both of us were even younger than they are now when we learned about-”
Alfred and Matthew couldn’t take it anymore. It was bad enough that their parents’ nightly habits kept them awake, but did it really have to spread into and after breakfast? “Maman! Please!” Alfred shouted at a spot on the table. “Pas aujourd’hui, pas-” His horribly accented French was cut off when his mother swooped down and gave him a wind-pipe crushing hug.
“You spoke French! French!” She cried, motherly pride swelling. She pulled away, looking him in the eye, and Alfred could see the poorly contained happiness in her eyes. “Have you finally realized how horrible it is to speak English all the time? I’m so proud of you! We’ll have to work on your accent, bien sûr, but small steps, oui?” She was back to giving him a bone crushing hug. Over her shoulder, Alfred could see his father rolling his eyes, but Matthew was giving him a thumbs up. He had managed to avert a disastrous and mentally scarring topic, and with any luck, he could keep it up for the remainder of what was going to be a long, long day.
--
Another short one, sorry.
Before I go into the French translations, I just want to point out that in my head canon, Alfred can sort of speak French. It's an unofficial language of Louisiana (not to mention the Louisiana Territory in general was purchased from the French), and is actually the third most-spoken language in the country. So while he may not be as fluent in the language as others, I still think he would know a few words...especially if he was growing up living with France as his mother :)
Translations:
Mes fils = My sons
Très intéressant = Very interesting
Mais = But
Pas aujourd’hui, pas = Not today, not
Bien sûr = Of course
Oui = Yes
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