[FANFIC] Lucid Memories 8/20
Title: Lucid Memories
Author/Artist: Rain_Sonata
Character(s) or Pairing(s): America/England/America or US/UK/US
Rating: PG-13, might raise up later
Warnings: boy love, occassional swearing, confusion of what's happening, longer chapters later on, hints of the existence of state-tans
Summary: Rev!America is brought back to the present, replacing the current America. By chance, England was there when all of this happened. Why is he here? What about his broken heart from the Revolutionary War?
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( Link to Previous Chapters )
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Lucid Memories
Chapter 8: Carrying
*Just to make this clear, in this story, nations only use human names with each other if they're in public with humans or if they are close to each other, like family or lovers.
*Older America is US; younger is referred to as America. Both are called Alfred.
Summary: Rev!America is brought back to the present, replacing the current America. By chance, England was there when all of this happened. Why is he here? What about his broken heart from the Revolutionary War? US/UK, based on Kink Meme on Livejournal.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia! Hetalia Axis Powers is copy write by Himaruya-sensei! I'm glad he thought of Hetalia, or else I wouldn't have gone back to fanfics! Thank you for your inspiration sensei!
*past*
It has been a few hours since he and England had left the barn that has been sheltering them. The bright sun was hovering above them, kissing the wet dew on the grass. The corn blue skies were clear, except for the occasional light clouds or a flock of fowls that would pass by. There were signs on the field that suggested violence, such as the blood stains that patched certain areas of the environment, or the remnant smells of rotting flesh that has not yet been washed away by the rain. The seemingly peaceful scenery mocked the soldiers who have endured the long lasting battle that has finally come to an end (1).
The nations and their men have left almost as soon as the sun has risen, but have only made it through several miles. For the most part, the two groups merged into one as both sides were heading for the same direction. They have come to fight. The war for over. Their duty was done. There was nothing left to fight for. Only half of the group had horses. Because of that, many of the men, including US and England, had no chose, but to travel by foot.
"England?" US called out to the British nation. The American man was right behind him. For a small nation, England sure walked fast.
"Don't call me that." England corrected the young nation. The British man was walking in a rather brisk manner, never looking back. "The humans may hear us." It was risky to reveal to the humans of who they were. None of them knew of their existence.
"Okay, okay." US clicked his tongue. "What should I to call you then?"
"Call me Arthur."
"King Arthur." Alfred played around with England's human name.
"Don't play around with a King's name!" England chided.
Alfred didn't seem to take much notice of the scolding. "That is a beautiful name." The American dreamily said. "Arthur…" He didn't notice England's face ting slightly pink.
"W-where did you get your name from?" England asked the young man. He was hoping to find out more about the stranger. To get the stranger to trust him more. Start with the easy questions, than start to slowly build up to a closer relation. It was like taming a lion. Earn the creature's trust before jumping into the process of teaching the animal how to take food from your hand. Failing to do so, would result in getting attacked or killed by the lion's claws. England certainly wouldn't want to fall under Johnson's anger of mistrust. The young man held a strange aura of power and strength.
If there was one thing England was reliable on, it was spying and praying out information from his enemies. But… Johnson was not an enemy. At least the empire hoped that the young nation was not an enemy. He seemed too happy. Too nice. Although a certain Russian's seemingly cheerful composition seems to say otherwise, but it seemed unlikely that Johnson would wound up to be another Russia.
"Who? Me?" US pointed to himself. Who else would England ask?
"Of course, you! Who else am I to talk to, you git?" England snapped. Who was he talking to? A six year old?
"You know that that was a rhetorical question, right?" Alfred pointed out.
"Oh, sod off." The empire mumbled.
"I was named after one of my bosses." Alfred brightly answered. "He died awhile ago."
"I'm sorry to hear that," England apologized. "Was he a good man?"
"He was a good man." America said. Although in his mind, Alfred numbly added that Andrew Johnson was actually considered a traitor by many of the American politicians. US didn't want to think about him. The man had shades of grey. He was one of Alfred's presidents. He wasn't the best leader for a nation, but someone had to carry out the job after poor old Lincoln was shot.
Alfred finally caught up to England. "England, can you slow down, man?" His raised his eyebrows. "You're walking too fast."
"Sorry," England shortly replied. He was doing a fast walk rather than a march. The younger nation was now walking side by side with England. They were nearly the same height. The American man was probably at least one inch taller than the British empire.
"If you keep walking at this pace, you'll get tired soon." The American noted. Both of them had to walk at a decent pace so that their men could keep up with them.
"I won't get tired…" England insisted, but began to slow down. "Some of us have horses."
"And some of us don't." Alfred added.
"We're not that far from the next town. We must be close!" England was losing an argument. He was trying to find a reason for his rush. He just wanted to get over with this. The British man was unsure if he could tolerate being in America for another month. He had just lost his little brother!
"I don't think so." US replied. He gave England a smirk. "But if you want to, you can go ahead…"
Their conversation was starting to get pointless. What were they bickering about? England even began to forget why he was arguing with the American to begin with. England mentally pouted. Oh wait. No. England mentally groaned. Yes. Not pouted. He was the bloody English empire. Empires. Don't. Pout. Period. His mind wondered off. Where was Alfred? After that bumbling fool shot the American boy, he hasn't seen him since. Arthur remembered searching for Alfred when the British nation retrieved to the barn where the rebels were resting. He couldn't help but feel disappointed and a bit distressed when he didn't see Alfred with the other American soldiers. Alfred…
"Alfred?" US's voice popped up. "America?"
England snapped back into focus. "America? Where?" He glanced around the trail in search for the dirty blond haired boy. Where was the git in blue? "Alfred?"
US gave England a stern look. "You were saying his name." He sounded almost bitter.
"I-I was?" England frowned. He didn't mean to say that out loud. "I guess I did..." He couldn't believe it that he was already calling out America's name, and they haven't even signed the official papers for the American's independence. Most people probably didn't even realize that the war was over.
"You must be tired." US tried to shift England to another topic. "Are you worn out, England?"
"No." England calmly replied. "No. I'm not." It was barely noon! Or was the other nation just asking to spark a conversation between them?
"If you get tired, I'll carry you!" Alfred cheerfully told England.
The British nation snapped. "You will NOT carry me!" No. Just no.
"HAHAHA!" US loudly laughed. "We'll see!" The American sang. That stupid prat!
"Damn it, Johnson!" The British man roared. "When hell freezes over, you'll be carrying me on your back! If that's the last thing you'll every do!"
"I hate you…" The English nation grumbled. He wanted to take back that comment he gave to Johnson. The British man didn't mean it. He didn't think that he would actually get worn out that easily.
Surely enough, US's prediction came true. After stopping for a brief lunch, the group of men continued to march towards their destination. As the sun angled at four o'clock, England collapsed in the middle of taking a step. Tired and out of breath, the British empire could not walk for another minute.
How pathetic, England thought. The great British Empire could not walk the same amount of distance as his own men.
"Awww, cheer up England." US happily chirped. "At least you have me here!"
"Yes, I'm so glad…" England sarcastically proclaimed. The American man was carrying England. On his back. How embarrassing. The British nation was definitely blushing. England felt heat reach up to his ears. When has he become so vulnerable to such silly emotions? England attempted to push away his squirming feelings.
US beamed. He didn't seem to pick up England's dry tone. When the English man collapsed on his knees, the American nation offered to carry him bridal style, much to England's horror.
"Fuck no!" England cursed, jerking away from US. He wanted to punch the idiot. "You will not carry me like that!" Fuck it all. Stupid Ameri-. Wait, that's not America. This was Johnson, right? Until now, England never stopped to realize that the two looked somewhat similar… It must be the eyes. Yes. It was the eyes. Although England recalled that a few of Alfred's children had the same eyes. Wait, does that mean the Johnson was one of Alfred's children? But Johnson was so big. England didn't recall any of Alfred's children to be fully grown up yet at this point.
"Heh," Alfred chuckled. He scratched his head. The American man wanted to grin. He was right. The younger England was fun to mess around with. US couldn't help but note that the empire weighed more than he remembered. How much did the old man eat?
"You know," US paused before he picked up England again. "You're sure heavy. How much do you weigh?" He gently took hold of England's hands and slung them over his shoulders. England squawked at the slightly touch of the American. Did the nation not know what a personal bubble was?
"You do not ask people for their weight!" The empire grinded his teeth. "And I do not weigh that much!" He was not happy to be carried by the younger nation.
"You know," US told England. "It would make the trip easier if you were to pull your feet up."
England ignored Alfred. Alfred thought he heard England softly murmured, "Sod off."
The rest of their journey remained rather quiet. Many times, the American attempted to start their conversations again, but England would just grip onto US's broad shoulders and just listen rather than participate in their talk. Most of Alfred's talk were random and made no sense what so ever. One minute, he could be talking about food in different areas of his place, and then, in the same breath, talk about whales. Whales? England just listened to the man rant; he would nod and give a few sighs.
"You wouldn't believe it!" US exclaimed. "These burgers were so good! It was a double sandwich with bacon and mushrooms. It was so hard to eat though…"
"You know," England finally decided to speak. "For someone who complains a lot, you seem to don't mind carrying me."
US smiled. "I'm not weak."
"I realized that." England trailed his eyes at Alfred's body. Even the modest American military uniform couldn't hide US's muscles. "Funny how Europe has never talked about you, since you seem to be so strong…" He looked at Alfred for an explanation.
Crap.
Alfred's dropped his smile. "Well…um…" US tried to think of something to say.
"Let's rest here!" One of England's men announced.
After the men hastily set up camp for the night, the soldiers of both sides headed out to do their tasks. Some were to collect firewood for the fire; others were assigned to hunt for game, while others, like England and US, just chose to stay at the site to make sure that the fire was kept from being blown away.
"America…" The grumpy Brit grumbled. "You can set me down now…" The American was still holding onto England.
"I know that!" US grinned, but he set England down to sit near the warm fire. England faced the fire to hide his fuming face at the sight of the American's smile. Why did he have to smile so much? The man's grin reminded England of Alfred's smile. It was almost painful for the empire to see that smile again…
The sun was no longer above their heads. The sun has set. Spectrums of red, yellow, green, and blue stretched across the sky. Each color was softly blended with the next, until the upper part of the sky was a dark shade of liberty blue, like the strokes of a paintbrush on a canvas. Clusters of stars scattered in the heavens, lighting up the sky for the soldiers to find their way through the night. Trees and bushes inhabited their rest area, rodents and birds nested in the tall trees, the chorus of crickets chirped in the nice cool evening. Like the stars, flowers gleamed in the night, twinkling on the damp floor of the soft earth. A breeze blew through the lush grass of the field, stroking each grass blade with the flick.
"Johnson…" England whispered. He was careful to make sure that the other humans didn't hear him.
"What is it, England?" US asked. England felt slightly sad when US still mostly referred to him as England. Didn't he tell the American to call him Arthur?
"Thanks for worrying about me." England thanked the American man.
US blinked at the British nation. "Why wouldn't I worry about you?"
England was not too sure of how to answer. "To care for a complete stranger like me. The enemy. So you Yankees aren't all bad…" What was meant to be an insult came out almost as a compliment.
"England…" Alfred stared at the empire.
Dinner consisted of dry biscuits and thin slices of meat. England watched in slight disgust as US devoured the meal like there was no tomorrow.
"Honestly, are you that hungry?" The British man nearly lost his appetite when US began to lick his every inch of his plate (2). The America still had slight pieces of meat hanging out from his mouth. How revolting.
"D'd y'ou s'y s'm'th'ng 'ngl'nd?" US's mouth was full.
"Don't talk with your mouth full!" England scolded. "Didn't your mother teach you any manners? Slow down!"
US was greatly amused by the English man's antics. It was just like old times. "Who are you? My mother?" The younger nation shrugged, but took England's advice and slowly chewed his food with his lower back jaws, allowing the food to properly slide down his throat. He took a long drink of water before he finally grinned at England. His smile widened as England turned red again. England was such a mother hen.
US heard the Brit mutter to himself, "Inconceivable git."
"Besides," Alfred passed insult and chose to pretend he didn't hear it. "I don't have a mother." His words were strangely empty.
England almost regretted touching that subject. "You have no mother?"
"Do any of the nations have a proper mother?" US wondered. "My mother disappeared a long time ago … (4)" His eyes were glassy. Alfred's vision slightly blurred; he was crying. England could not explain why he felt a sudden chill down his spine when he heard the last few words.
England felt pity for the man and patted him on his left shoulder. "I'm sure your mother is out there." England quietly assured him. The English nation was curious of who the other nation's parents were.
"Is she?" Alfred asked himself.
England allowed the American nation to cry out his sorrows. In between short periods, Alfred occasionally opened his mouth as if to say something, but to only close his mouth again. US refused to release a single whimper from his lips. He was determined to stop himself from making a big scene. He had to keep himself together if he didn't want to worry England any further.
England realized that US has been crying for awhile. It looked like the men were finished with their meals and were prepared to get to bed. England gently told US that they would have to move to find a good spot to sleep for the night.
"Let's not go." Alfred told England. "Let's stay here for a few more minutes."
"Is there something you wanted to say?" England asked.
"I'm sorry for crying like that." US formally apologized. "I'm not the type that normally breaks down like that."
The American continued. "It was rather childish of me to think of a mother who I'm not even sure existed." US looked so forlorn when he had spoken his doubts of the mysterious woman he had never met.
Now England was the one that felt his eyes begin to water. "Don't think of that as childish." England thought of his own mother, who has been decreased for over a millennium. "That is not something to apologize for."
"While we are in the subject of family," The English man tried to switch the topic. "Are you...one of Alfred's colonies?" He was quite aware of all of those affairs Alfred might have went through to produce several children, although Virginia (4) would always be England's child, whether the girl liked it or not.
"It's the eyes." England answered, when he saw US's confused face.
"I guess you could say that." US replied. He was still not ready to tell him.
"Which one are you?" Perhaps England had met him before?
Alfred paused. "Kentucky." US feared of naming an actual colony. He didn't want England to realize that he may have been lying. It would be safe to answer with a state that hasn't come into existence (5). Technically, he was Kentucky, because Kentucky was a part of the United States, therefore, he was partly Kentucky, right? US hoped that Kenny wouldn't get mad at him for borrowing his name for awhile.
"Kentucky?" The empire pronounced the name of the state with brunt effort on the 'uck'. His tongue curved to the back of his mouth. "I have never heard of that colony before."
"Well, there are a lot of us." Alfred was referring to the states.
"I guess there are," England agreed. Kentucky, eh?
"I think we made lots of progress today." US declared.
England added. "We're getting closer." The Brit looked at his surroundings. He was surprised how cooperative the American and British me were. There were no violent quarrels, all of them worked hard to help each other. There were the occasional verbal fights between them in minor things such as how to cook a certain meat or how to address to one another, but other than that, it was peaceful. There were talks of politics, but the subject itself rarely popped up. England somehow had a feeling that these men no longer wanted to think about the government at all. They just wanted to get home to the families. They did not want to think anymore. They just wanted the nightmare to come. To think about the future seemed almost impractical to them. Pain has only made them look at the present and to value the present.
"We have been following this stream for awhile," US told England. "There must be a village nearby. I think I saw lights a few miles away."
"Let's worry about that tomorrow," England uttered. He was tired. "Let's first worry about making it out alive after this night."
"It can't be that bad." US tried to comfort his former guardian.
England's face grew dark. "I don't know. We might get attacked by the other American troops. Do they know we have surrendered?" He was scared for his people's lives. The empire wouldn't be harmed by the attacks of mere humans. He was just worried about the sake of his men.
The Brit's face reflected off of Alfred's bright eye. "Don't worry, England." The American's determined look just made him look fiercer. US's messy hair gave England the impression of a lion's mane. "If anyone tries to hurt you, I'll protect you."
Silence hit England in the head. He was again, unprepared for US's answer. The man was no doubt, a person who believed in justice. It was pure. Something about US told England that the younger nation really meant it. There was something about the man's aura thought told England that US would kill someone with his bare hands if it was necessary to protect the ones he loved.
"Let's sleep." US broke England's mind track. He turned to the English empire. "By the way, I think I might have to sleep with you tonight!"
"W-why?" England demanded. What kind of bloody nonsense was this?
"A hero is always on a lookout! Even if it means that they have to sleep on the floor!" He exclaimed, as if his answer was the most logical explanation of the century.
"I-idiot!" England whacked the American in the head with his left fist. Oh great, just when he thought Johnson was a decent person. Until he opened his stupid mouth about heroes. Someone was being full of himself.
US moaned as he rubbed the spot where the English man hit him. "Geez, England, so violent."
"Just go to sleep, you wanker."
"What ever you say, England~!" England groaned as he buried his face into his blanket. What has he gotten himself into?
Author's Notes:
(1) - The Revolutionary War officially ended in 1783, but the fighting continued in some areas because the speed of spreading news was rather slow. This is true for many wars until later technology improved the speed of transportation.
(2) - You know, I think it's just gross to watch people eat in general. At least if you were to watch the way they digest their food. It's disgusting. Maybe it's just me.
Yes, you heard me right. Virginia is related to England, the same Virginia that New York seems to fear so much. And no, England did not conceive Virginia with America. Virginia was named after Queen Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen. No matter how I look at it, I will always see Virginia as a state originally found by England.
Actually, a fair number of Alfred's states were originally British, and I'm not talking about just the 13 colonies. The original 13 colonies are the present 18 states. About half of them are directly related to England while the other half are either related to Alfred or are the children of other nations and were adopted by Alfred. As US continues to grow, he keeps adopting and conceiving more children, meaning more affairs. My US, you are such a player.
England is definitely very aware of US's sex life, although lucky for him, only half of Alfred's kids are actually related to him. At least that doesn't mean US had 50 or more nights with a stranger. How jealous Arthur must be. The rest of the remaining states are adopted from other nations like Sweden, Netherlands, Spain, Mexico, France, Russia, England himself, one nation (Hawaii), and several republics that succeed from their original parents (CA, TX, VT, etc.).
(3) - I believe that Alfred's mother was North America, but I won't go into details about her. Is England feeling guilt here?
(4) - The Colony and Dominion of Virginia was present day Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Kentucky became its own state after the War of 1812 and West Virginia succeeded from Virginia during the American Civil War in 1860.
Notes: Sorry for taking such a long time to type this up. Ideas were coming rather slowly to me this week. I had the ideas in my head, but it took awhile for me to know what words to use. The heat is not helping either.
I struggled with trying to keep this chapter entertaining, but serving its purpose. Nothing exciting so far. The next chapter will definitely have some action. Probably. I had trouble balancing out US of being between annoying and being serious. I hope I did okay. I am posting this chapter on a Friday because I will not be here on Sunday. I am going to be on vacation for a few days, so enjoy the chapter.
Please drop by a review. I like to see what you guys think of the story so far. I know the story is confusing, but I'll eventually explain it in later chapters.
While you're there, can you guys please go to my profile and answer a poll for me? It won't take that long to answer the question, I promise.
Author/Artist: Rain_Sonata
Character(s) or Pairing(s): America/England/America or US/UK/US
Rating: PG-13, might raise up later
Warnings: boy love, occassional swearing, confusion of what's happening, longer chapters later on, hints of the existence of state-tans
Summary: Rev!America is brought back to the present, replacing the current America. By chance, England was there when all of this happened. Why is he here? What about his broken heart from the Revolutionary War?
------
( Link to Previous Chapters )
------
Lucid Memories
Chapter 8: Carrying
*Just to make this clear, in this story, nations only use human names with each other if they're in public with humans or if they are close to each other, like family or lovers.
*Older America is US; younger is referred to as America. Both are called Alfred.
Summary: Rev!America is brought back to the present, replacing the current America. By chance, England was there when all of this happened. Why is he here? What about his broken heart from the Revolutionary War? US/UK, based on Kink Meme on Livejournal.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia! Hetalia Axis Powers is copy write by Himaruya-sensei! I'm glad he thought of Hetalia, or else I wouldn't have gone back to fanfics! Thank you for your inspiration sensei!
*past*
It has been a few hours since he and England had left the barn that has been sheltering them. The bright sun was hovering above them, kissing the wet dew on the grass. The corn blue skies were clear, except for the occasional light clouds or a flock of fowls that would pass by. There were signs on the field that suggested violence, such as the blood stains that patched certain areas of the environment, or the remnant smells of rotting flesh that has not yet been washed away by the rain. The seemingly peaceful scenery mocked the soldiers who have endured the long lasting battle that has finally come to an end (1).
The nations and their men have left almost as soon as the sun has risen, but have only made it through several miles. For the most part, the two groups merged into one as both sides were heading for the same direction. They have come to fight. The war for over. Their duty was done. There was nothing left to fight for. Only half of the group had horses. Because of that, many of the men, including US and England, had no chose, but to travel by foot.
"England?" US called out to the British nation. The American man was right behind him. For a small nation, England sure walked fast.
"Don't call me that." England corrected the young nation. The British man was walking in a rather brisk manner, never looking back. "The humans may hear us." It was risky to reveal to the humans of who they were. None of them knew of their existence.
"Okay, okay." US clicked his tongue. "What should I to call you then?"
"Call me Arthur."
"King Arthur." Alfred played around with England's human name.
"Don't play around with a King's name!" England chided.
Alfred didn't seem to take much notice of the scolding. "That is a beautiful name." The American dreamily said. "Arthur…" He didn't notice England's face ting slightly pink.
"W-where did you get your name from?" England asked the young man. He was hoping to find out more about the stranger. To get the stranger to trust him more. Start with the easy questions, than start to slowly build up to a closer relation. It was like taming a lion. Earn the creature's trust before jumping into the process of teaching the animal how to take food from your hand. Failing to do so, would result in getting attacked or killed by the lion's claws. England certainly wouldn't want to fall under Johnson's anger of mistrust. The young man held a strange aura of power and strength.
If there was one thing England was reliable on, it was spying and praying out information from his enemies. But… Johnson was not an enemy. At least the empire hoped that the young nation was not an enemy. He seemed too happy. Too nice. Although a certain Russian's seemingly cheerful composition seems to say otherwise, but it seemed unlikely that Johnson would wound up to be another Russia.
"Who? Me?" US pointed to himself. Who else would England ask?
"Of course, you! Who else am I to talk to, you git?" England snapped. Who was he talking to? A six year old?
"You know that that was a rhetorical question, right?" Alfred pointed out.
"Oh, sod off." The empire mumbled.
"I was named after one of my bosses." Alfred brightly answered. "He died awhile ago."
"I'm sorry to hear that," England apologized. "Was he a good man?"
"He was a good man." America said. Although in his mind, Alfred numbly added that Andrew Johnson was actually considered a traitor by many of the American politicians. US didn't want to think about him. The man had shades of grey. He was one of Alfred's presidents. He wasn't the best leader for a nation, but someone had to carry out the job after poor old Lincoln was shot.
Alfred finally caught up to England. "England, can you slow down, man?" His raised his eyebrows. "You're walking too fast."
"Sorry," England shortly replied. He was doing a fast walk rather than a march. The younger nation was now walking side by side with England. They were nearly the same height. The American man was probably at least one inch taller than the British empire.
"If you keep walking at this pace, you'll get tired soon." The American noted. Both of them had to walk at a decent pace so that their men could keep up with them.
"I won't get tired…" England insisted, but began to slow down. "Some of us have horses."
"And some of us don't." Alfred added.
"We're not that far from the next town. We must be close!" England was losing an argument. He was trying to find a reason for his rush. He just wanted to get over with this. The British man was unsure if he could tolerate being in America for another month. He had just lost his little brother!
"I don't think so." US replied. He gave England a smirk. "But if you want to, you can go ahead…"
Their conversation was starting to get pointless. What were they bickering about? England even began to forget why he was arguing with the American to begin with. England mentally pouted. Oh wait. No. England mentally groaned. Yes. Not pouted. He was the bloody English empire. Empires. Don't. Pout. Period. His mind wondered off. Where was Alfred? After that bumbling fool shot the American boy, he hasn't seen him since. Arthur remembered searching for Alfred when the British nation retrieved to the barn where the rebels were resting. He couldn't help but feel disappointed and a bit distressed when he didn't see Alfred with the other American soldiers. Alfred…
"Alfred?" US's voice popped up. "America?"
England snapped back into focus. "America? Where?" He glanced around the trail in search for the dirty blond haired boy. Where was the git in blue? "Alfred?"
US gave England a stern look. "You were saying his name." He sounded almost bitter.
"I-I was?" England frowned. He didn't mean to say that out loud. "I guess I did..." He couldn't believe it that he was already calling out America's name, and they haven't even signed the official papers for the American's independence. Most people probably didn't even realize that the war was over.
"You must be tired." US tried to shift England to another topic. "Are you worn out, England?"
"No." England calmly replied. "No. I'm not." It was barely noon! Or was the other nation just asking to spark a conversation between them?
"If you get tired, I'll carry you!" Alfred cheerfully told England.
The British nation snapped. "You will NOT carry me!" No. Just no.
"HAHAHA!" US loudly laughed. "We'll see!" The American sang. That stupid prat!
"Damn it, Johnson!" The British man roared. "When hell freezes over, you'll be carrying me on your back! If that's the last thing you'll every do!"
"I hate you…" The English nation grumbled. He wanted to take back that comment he gave to Johnson. The British man didn't mean it. He didn't think that he would actually get worn out that easily.
Surely enough, US's prediction came true. After stopping for a brief lunch, the group of men continued to march towards their destination. As the sun angled at four o'clock, England collapsed in the middle of taking a step. Tired and out of breath, the British empire could not walk for another minute.
How pathetic, England thought. The great British Empire could not walk the same amount of distance as his own men.
"Awww, cheer up England." US happily chirped. "At least you have me here!"
"Yes, I'm so glad…" England sarcastically proclaimed. The American man was carrying England. On his back. How embarrassing. The British nation was definitely blushing. England felt heat reach up to his ears. When has he become so vulnerable to such silly emotions? England attempted to push away his squirming feelings.
US beamed. He didn't seem to pick up England's dry tone. When the English man collapsed on his knees, the American nation offered to carry him bridal style, much to England's horror.
"Fuck no!" England cursed, jerking away from US. He wanted to punch the idiot. "You will not carry me like that!" Fuck it all. Stupid Ameri-. Wait, that's not America. This was Johnson, right? Until now, England never stopped to realize that the two looked somewhat similar… It must be the eyes. Yes. It was the eyes. Although England recalled that a few of Alfred's children had the same eyes. Wait, does that mean the Johnson was one of Alfred's children? But Johnson was so big. England didn't recall any of Alfred's children to be fully grown up yet at this point.
"Heh," Alfred chuckled. He scratched his head. The American man wanted to grin. He was right. The younger England was fun to mess around with. US couldn't help but note that the empire weighed more than he remembered. How much did the old man eat?
"You know," US paused before he picked up England again. "You're sure heavy. How much do you weigh?" He gently took hold of England's hands and slung them over his shoulders. England squawked at the slightly touch of the American. Did the nation not know what a personal bubble was?
"You do not ask people for their weight!" The empire grinded his teeth. "And I do not weigh that much!" He was not happy to be carried by the younger nation.
"You know," US told England. "It would make the trip easier if you were to pull your feet up."
England ignored Alfred. Alfred thought he heard England softly murmured, "Sod off."
The rest of their journey remained rather quiet. Many times, the American attempted to start their conversations again, but England would just grip onto US's broad shoulders and just listen rather than participate in their talk. Most of Alfred's talk were random and made no sense what so ever. One minute, he could be talking about food in different areas of his place, and then, in the same breath, talk about whales. Whales? England just listened to the man rant; he would nod and give a few sighs.
"You wouldn't believe it!" US exclaimed. "These burgers were so good! It was a double sandwich with bacon and mushrooms. It was so hard to eat though…"
"You know," England finally decided to speak. "For someone who complains a lot, you seem to don't mind carrying me."
US smiled. "I'm not weak."
"I realized that." England trailed his eyes at Alfred's body. Even the modest American military uniform couldn't hide US's muscles. "Funny how Europe has never talked about you, since you seem to be so strong…" He looked at Alfred for an explanation.
Crap.
Alfred's dropped his smile. "Well…um…" US tried to think of something to say.
"Let's rest here!" One of England's men announced.
After the men hastily set up camp for the night, the soldiers of both sides headed out to do their tasks. Some were to collect firewood for the fire; others were assigned to hunt for game, while others, like England and US, just chose to stay at the site to make sure that the fire was kept from being blown away.
"America…" The grumpy Brit grumbled. "You can set me down now…" The American was still holding onto England.
"I know that!" US grinned, but he set England down to sit near the warm fire. England faced the fire to hide his fuming face at the sight of the American's smile. Why did he have to smile so much? The man's grin reminded England of Alfred's smile. It was almost painful for the empire to see that smile again…
The sun was no longer above their heads. The sun has set. Spectrums of red, yellow, green, and blue stretched across the sky. Each color was softly blended with the next, until the upper part of the sky was a dark shade of liberty blue, like the strokes of a paintbrush on a canvas. Clusters of stars scattered in the heavens, lighting up the sky for the soldiers to find their way through the night. Trees and bushes inhabited their rest area, rodents and birds nested in the tall trees, the chorus of crickets chirped in the nice cool evening. Like the stars, flowers gleamed in the night, twinkling on the damp floor of the soft earth. A breeze blew through the lush grass of the field, stroking each grass blade with the flick.
"Johnson…" England whispered. He was careful to make sure that the other humans didn't hear him.
"What is it, England?" US asked. England felt slightly sad when US still mostly referred to him as England. Didn't he tell the American to call him Arthur?
"Thanks for worrying about me." England thanked the American man.
US blinked at the British nation. "Why wouldn't I worry about you?"
England was not too sure of how to answer. "To care for a complete stranger like me. The enemy. So you Yankees aren't all bad…" What was meant to be an insult came out almost as a compliment.
"England…" Alfred stared at the empire.
Dinner consisted of dry biscuits and thin slices of meat. England watched in slight disgust as US devoured the meal like there was no tomorrow.
"Honestly, are you that hungry?" The British man nearly lost his appetite when US began to lick his every inch of his plate (2). The America still had slight pieces of meat hanging out from his mouth. How revolting.
"D'd y'ou s'y s'm'th'ng 'ngl'nd?" US's mouth was full.
"Don't talk with your mouth full!" England scolded. "Didn't your mother teach you any manners? Slow down!"
US was greatly amused by the English man's antics. It was just like old times. "Who are you? My mother?" The younger nation shrugged, but took England's advice and slowly chewed his food with his lower back jaws, allowing the food to properly slide down his throat. He took a long drink of water before he finally grinned at England. His smile widened as England turned red again. England was such a mother hen.
US heard the Brit mutter to himself, "Inconceivable git."
"Besides," Alfred passed insult and chose to pretend he didn't hear it. "I don't have a mother." His words were strangely empty.
England almost regretted touching that subject. "You have no mother?"
"Do any of the nations have a proper mother?" US wondered. "My mother disappeared a long time ago … (4)" His eyes were glassy. Alfred's vision slightly blurred; he was crying. England could not explain why he felt a sudden chill down his spine when he heard the last few words.
England felt pity for the man and patted him on his left shoulder. "I'm sure your mother is out there." England quietly assured him. The English nation was curious of who the other nation's parents were.
"Is she?" Alfred asked himself.
England allowed the American nation to cry out his sorrows. In between short periods, Alfred occasionally opened his mouth as if to say something, but to only close his mouth again. US refused to release a single whimper from his lips. He was determined to stop himself from making a big scene. He had to keep himself together if he didn't want to worry England any further.
England realized that US has been crying for awhile. It looked like the men were finished with their meals and were prepared to get to bed. England gently told US that they would have to move to find a good spot to sleep for the night.
"Let's not go." Alfred told England. "Let's stay here for a few more minutes."
"Is there something you wanted to say?" England asked.
"I'm sorry for crying like that." US formally apologized. "I'm not the type that normally breaks down like that."
The American continued. "It was rather childish of me to think of a mother who I'm not even sure existed." US looked so forlorn when he had spoken his doubts of the mysterious woman he had never met.
Now England was the one that felt his eyes begin to water. "Don't think of that as childish." England thought of his own mother, who has been decreased for over a millennium. "That is not something to apologize for."
"While we are in the subject of family," The English man tried to switch the topic. "Are you...one of Alfred's colonies?" He was quite aware of all of those affairs Alfred might have went through to produce several children, although Virginia (4) would always be England's child, whether the girl liked it or not.
"It's the eyes." England answered, when he saw US's confused face.
"I guess you could say that." US replied. He was still not ready to tell him.
"Which one are you?" Perhaps England had met him before?
Alfred paused. "Kentucky." US feared of naming an actual colony. He didn't want England to realize that he may have been lying. It would be safe to answer with a state that hasn't come into existence (5). Technically, he was Kentucky, because Kentucky was a part of the United States, therefore, he was partly Kentucky, right? US hoped that Kenny wouldn't get mad at him for borrowing his name for awhile.
"Kentucky?" The empire pronounced the name of the state with brunt effort on the 'uck'. His tongue curved to the back of his mouth. "I have never heard of that colony before."
"Well, there are a lot of us." Alfred was referring to the states.
"I guess there are," England agreed. Kentucky, eh?
"I think we made lots of progress today." US declared.
England added. "We're getting closer." The Brit looked at his surroundings. He was surprised how cooperative the American and British me were. There were no violent quarrels, all of them worked hard to help each other. There were the occasional verbal fights between them in minor things such as how to cook a certain meat or how to address to one another, but other than that, it was peaceful. There were talks of politics, but the subject itself rarely popped up. England somehow had a feeling that these men no longer wanted to think about the government at all. They just wanted to get home to the families. They did not want to think anymore. They just wanted the nightmare to come. To think about the future seemed almost impractical to them. Pain has only made them look at the present and to value the present.
"We have been following this stream for awhile," US told England. "There must be a village nearby. I think I saw lights a few miles away."
"Let's worry about that tomorrow," England uttered. He was tired. "Let's first worry about making it out alive after this night."
"It can't be that bad." US tried to comfort his former guardian.
England's face grew dark. "I don't know. We might get attacked by the other American troops. Do they know we have surrendered?" He was scared for his people's lives. The empire wouldn't be harmed by the attacks of mere humans. He was just worried about the sake of his men.
The Brit's face reflected off of Alfred's bright eye. "Don't worry, England." The American's determined look just made him look fiercer. US's messy hair gave England the impression of a lion's mane. "If anyone tries to hurt you, I'll protect you."
Silence hit England in the head. He was again, unprepared for US's answer. The man was no doubt, a person who believed in justice. It was pure. Something about US told England that the younger nation really meant it. There was something about the man's aura thought told England that US would kill someone with his bare hands if it was necessary to protect the ones he loved.
"Let's sleep." US broke England's mind track. He turned to the English empire. "By the way, I think I might have to sleep with you tonight!"
"W-why?" England demanded. What kind of bloody nonsense was this?
"A hero is always on a lookout! Even if it means that they have to sleep on the floor!" He exclaimed, as if his answer was the most logical explanation of the century.
"I-idiot!" England whacked the American in the head with his left fist. Oh great, just when he thought Johnson was a decent person. Until he opened his stupid mouth about heroes. Someone was being full of himself.
US moaned as he rubbed the spot where the English man hit him. "Geez, England, so violent."
"Just go to sleep, you wanker."
"What ever you say, England~!" England groaned as he buried his face into his blanket. What has he gotten himself into?
Author's Notes:
(1) - The Revolutionary War officially ended in 1783, but the fighting continued in some areas because the speed of spreading news was rather slow. This is true for many wars until later technology improved the speed of transportation.
(2) - You know, I think it's just gross to watch people eat in general. At least if you were to watch the way they digest their food. It's disgusting. Maybe it's just me.
Yes, you heard me right. Virginia is related to England, the same Virginia that New York seems to fear so much. And no, England did not conceive Virginia with America. Virginia was named after Queen Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen. No matter how I look at it, I will always see Virginia as a state originally found by England.
Actually, a fair number of Alfred's states were originally British, and I'm not talking about just the 13 colonies. The original 13 colonies are the present 18 states. About half of them are directly related to England while the other half are either related to Alfred or are the children of other nations and were adopted by Alfred. As US continues to grow, he keeps adopting and conceiving more children, meaning more affairs. My US, you are such a player.
England is definitely very aware of US's sex life, although lucky for him, only half of Alfred's kids are actually related to him. At least that doesn't mean US had 50 or more nights with a stranger. How jealous Arthur must be. The rest of the remaining states are adopted from other nations like Sweden, Netherlands, Spain, Mexico, France, Russia, England himself, one nation (Hawaii), and several republics that succeed from their original parents (CA, TX, VT, etc.).
(3) - I believe that Alfred's mother was North America, but I won't go into details about her. Is England feeling guilt here?
(4) - The Colony and Dominion of Virginia was present day Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Kentucky became its own state after the War of 1812 and West Virginia succeeded from Virginia during the American Civil War in 1860.
Notes: Sorry for taking such a long time to type this up. Ideas were coming rather slowly to me this week. I had the ideas in my head, but it took awhile for me to know what words to use. The heat is not helping either.
I struggled with trying to keep this chapter entertaining, but serving its purpose. Nothing exciting so far. The next chapter will definitely have some action. Probably. I had trouble balancing out US of being between annoying and being serious. I hope I did okay. I am posting this chapter on a Friday because I will not be here on Sunday. I am going to be on vacation for a few days, so enjoy the chapter.
Please drop by a review. I like to see what you guys think of the story so far. I know the story is confusing, but I'll eventually explain it in later chapters.
While you're there, can you guys please go to my profile and answer a poll for me? It won't take that long to answer the question, I promise.