[Hetalia] "Good Shots"
Written for octoberwriting
~*~
Title: "Good Shots"
Entry Number: 3
Author: shuriken7
Fandom: Hetalia
Characters: England, Canada, America, France
Rating: PG
Genre: Family
Word Count: 1700
Spoiler Warnings: None.
General Warning: Hetalia deals with the personification of nation-states. Some stories will be dealing with them in a historical context, others as individuals.
Summary: It all began over 400 years ago and it just went from there...
A/N: Posted on the kink meme here
17th Century
America had tried his best, but his patience soon wore thin. He could be persistent about some things, but ancient skills that took some time to master were certainly not one of them. He made one more attempt at hitting the target, but he hadn't waited for the right moment in his breathing to release. The arrow went wide, hitting the edge of the bullseye. England patted him on the head, "You have to slow down, America."
England could see the frustration on the boy's face, "I don't like this." He thrust the bow towards England and dropped the quiver on the ground. Without so much as a second glance he had headed off into the forest. England sighed, America's hard-headedness was going to be troublesome. The boy had been itching to fire a musket, but for now he was still far too small.
He was just about to clean up the materials when he caught sight of a pair of violet eyes peaking quietly from behind a tree. He smiled and waved the other North American forward. Canada came obediently and shuffled his feet a bit. "Do you need something?"
"Mr. England..." the boy said quietly, "Will you teach me, please?" England was a little surprised. Canada never asked for anything, but the way he kept glancing at the bow laying on the ground said he wanted this.
"Alright, lad, let's see what you can do."
Canada picked up the bow and held it as England had been trying to teach America to do. He pulled the string back and let the arrow loose.
It hit just slightly right of the bullseye. England's eyes went wide. Canada set down the bow as if he had done something wrong. "I'm sorry was it not supposed to do that?" he asked, eyes downcast.
England clapped his hands together and Canada looked up at him in surprise. England reached out and ruffled his hair. "That was excellent, now let's see if you can hit the center."
The day that Canada managed to take France's garish hat off his head with an arrow was the day England considered his work almost done.
~*~
18th Century
"I'm going to win this Canada!" America said as he poured some powder into the mouth of his musket. England swatted him on the back of the back of the head.
"This is not a competition and making it one is unbecoming to a gentleman." England scolded.
"Maybe I don't intend to be a gentleman." America said under his breath. England chose to ignore him and turned to Canada.
"Now that you are English, you will learn to fire a musket properly. What France taught you was clearly not enough." He went back to instructing Canada, as America began to pack the ball into the barrel of his own gun. Canada listened attentively.
Suddenly they were interrupted by the sound of musket fire. America had shot before he had been given permission. "Did you see that?" he asked as the smoke cleared.
The shot was fairly decent. It certainly would have killed a man when fired in battle, but as far as a target shot went, it had gone a little wide. The bullet and hit just on the edge of the second circle out from the bullseye. England walked over, "America, you need to work on your posture..."
He had forgotten about Canada momentarily as he instructed America on how his accuracy could improve. He didn't notice Canada watching everything he did and listening to his every word. By the time America was ready to take another shot, Canada was already in position. England gave them the signal and they fired at their targets.
America's was just off center. Canada had clipped the bullseye.
England couldn't be prouder. Just a little more patience for one, a little more confidence from the other and they would be almost as good as he was.
~*~
19th Century
America had come up with yet another firearm. Between Colts, Winchesters and Remingtons there was plenty to go around. Every time the young nation turned around he seemed to have a new pistol or rifle to show off. England could only be grateful that he was no longer at the business end of them. America had invited him out to experience the transcontinental railroad that had just been finished last year. He hadn't been expecting to see Canada waiting for him at the train station with his brother. He looked at England worriedly, "You don't mind do you?"
"No, not at all! I was just surprised."
America threw an arm around his brother's shoulders, "I wanted to show Mattie why my Great Plains are better than his." Canada rolled his eyes at America when the other couldn't see, and England shook his head at the antics. America had certainly bounced back fast from his troubles, or at least was giving on quite the show that he had. He ushered them from the boat dock towards the train station. "I asked for our own car!"
And indeed they did. The trouble didn't start until they had spent the night in a dusty inn in a small town. The saloon had been full of men boasting about their abilities with their choice pistol. It was after America's fifth boast that he could shoot a biscuit out of the sky before it hit the ground that Canada slammed down his shot glass. England nearly choked on his whiskey when Canada challenged America to prove it. They way America just raised and eyebrow and answered with a challenging grin, told England this was not an uncommon occurrence. Before he had time to mull over the implication of that reaction, the younger men were heading out of the bar. He followed them out, not willing to miss out on what they were about to do.
None of the people they ran into were willing to part with food items for target practice, but an old man had given them an incomplete deck of playing cards. They chattered between each other about how this was going to be an even better challenge.
They made their way to the outskirts of town as they discussed how the competition would pan out. England leaned against a lone tree as the two chose a site where no one would be in danger of an errant bullet. It was decided, they would toss a card in the air, one at a time, each would take turns taking a shot. America stuffed the cards into his pant's pocket as he readied his six-shot pistol. Canada began loading his own.
"Shall I flip for you lads?" England asked, wondering if they had forgotten about him. From the two identical stares he received, the alcohol was doing its work. He sighed, hoping the night wouldn't end with one of them shooting the other.
America grinned at him, "Want to join, Arthur?"
"I don't recall being on a first name basis with you, Alfred."
"Well, now we are." America winked at him. England scowled in return. Canada looked a little embarrassed at their lack of propriety.
"Mr. England, we would appreciate it if you would do that." He grabbed the deck from his brother's pocket and offered it to England. He got them ready and with a few direction, America and Canada were lined up, ready for the cards. Each flew up, one by one. Each fell to the ground, tattered by a bullet. They were six for six.
"I don't know, I don't think catching it on the edge counts." England mentioned and they stared at him. America got a competitive gleam in his eye.
"I'd like to see you do better." America challenged. England merely smiled at him as he asked Canada for his pistol. He pressed the card deck into America's chest as Canada handed him bullets. He loaded it and readied his stance. America tossed a card in the air. It fell with a hole in the center. Five more were tossed, all the same.
The looks of shock on the pair of North American faces was some of the best scenery he saw on the trip.
~*~
21st Century
If he had been asked in the last century that he imagined he would be in America's living room with Canada shooting at a television, he would have told that person that they were absolutely mad. During the 20th Century he had probably fired more bullets than he could ever even conceive of. The same went for all of them, that was what unrest brought. However, somehow, playing war games came back into fashion. Only now they were in the safety and comfort of a living.
Here he was, pointing the Wii remote and trying to wipe their characters off the map. This is what Canada and America had decided would be great family bonding. France sat in the armchair nearby, trying to rib England into losing his concentration. He was determined not to let it. He was winning!
There was a lot of maneuvering and then finally the winner's screen popped up. England's character stood victoriously as America's and Canada's pouted in the background. They both looked at him in surprise. "I thought you said you were no good at video games." America said, leaning on his brother to peer at England over the arm of couch.
"You forget, I'm the one who taught you to shoot." England replied, smiling at him.
"You never let me forget it." France teased, causing England to toss a throw pillow at him, "I still have nightmares about when little Canada decided he would show me what he could do." America laughed and Canada tried to push him off. A slight scuffle ensued on the couch ending in both young nations laughing and deciding that their loss required snacks.
When they had exited England glanced over at France, "That's still one of my favorite moments with the boys."
France made a face and tossed the pillow right back at him.
~*~
Title: "Good Shots"
Entry Number: 3
Author: shuriken7
Fandom: Hetalia
Characters: England, Canada, America, France
Rating: PG
Genre: Family
Word Count: 1700
Spoiler Warnings: None.
General Warning: Hetalia deals with the personification of nation-states. Some stories will be dealing with them in a historical context, others as individuals.
Summary: It all began over 400 years ago and it just went from there...
A/N: Posted on the kink meme here
17th Century
America had tried his best, but his patience soon wore thin. He could be persistent about some things, but ancient skills that took some time to master were certainly not one of them. He made one more attempt at hitting the target, but he hadn't waited for the right moment in his breathing to release. The arrow went wide, hitting the edge of the bullseye. England patted him on the head, "You have to slow down, America."
England could see the frustration on the boy's face, "I don't like this." He thrust the bow towards England and dropped the quiver on the ground. Without so much as a second glance he had headed off into the forest. England sighed, America's hard-headedness was going to be troublesome. The boy had been itching to fire a musket, but for now he was still far too small.
He was just about to clean up the materials when he caught sight of a pair of violet eyes peaking quietly from behind a tree. He smiled and waved the other North American forward. Canada came obediently and shuffled his feet a bit. "Do you need something?"
"Mr. England..." the boy said quietly, "Will you teach me, please?" England was a little surprised. Canada never asked for anything, but the way he kept glancing at the bow laying on the ground said he wanted this.
"Alright, lad, let's see what you can do."
Canada picked up the bow and held it as England had been trying to teach America to do. He pulled the string back and let the arrow loose.
It hit just slightly right of the bullseye. England's eyes went wide. Canada set down the bow as if he had done something wrong. "I'm sorry was it not supposed to do that?" he asked, eyes downcast.
England clapped his hands together and Canada looked up at him in surprise. England reached out and ruffled his hair. "That was excellent, now let's see if you can hit the center."
The day that Canada managed to take France's garish hat off his head with an arrow was the day England considered his work almost done.
~*~
18th Century
"I'm going to win this Canada!" America said as he poured some powder into the mouth of his musket. England swatted him on the back of the back of the head.
"This is not a competition and making it one is unbecoming to a gentleman." England scolded.
"Maybe I don't intend to be a gentleman." America said under his breath. England chose to ignore him and turned to Canada.
"Now that you are English, you will learn to fire a musket properly. What France taught you was clearly not enough." He went back to instructing Canada, as America began to pack the ball into the barrel of his own gun. Canada listened attentively.
Suddenly they were interrupted by the sound of musket fire. America had shot before he had been given permission. "Did you see that?" he asked as the smoke cleared.
The shot was fairly decent. It certainly would have killed a man when fired in battle, but as far as a target shot went, it had gone a little wide. The bullet and hit just on the edge of the second circle out from the bullseye. England walked over, "America, you need to work on your posture..."
He had forgotten about Canada momentarily as he instructed America on how his accuracy could improve. He didn't notice Canada watching everything he did and listening to his every word. By the time America was ready to take another shot, Canada was already in position. England gave them the signal and they fired at their targets.
America's was just off center. Canada had clipped the bullseye.
England couldn't be prouder. Just a little more patience for one, a little more confidence from the other and they would be almost as good as he was.
~*~
19th Century
America had come up with yet another firearm. Between Colts, Winchesters and Remingtons there was plenty to go around. Every time the young nation turned around he seemed to have a new pistol or rifle to show off. England could only be grateful that he was no longer at the business end of them. America had invited him out to experience the transcontinental railroad that had just been finished last year. He hadn't been expecting to see Canada waiting for him at the train station with his brother. He looked at England worriedly, "You don't mind do you?"
"No, not at all! I was just surprised."
America threw an arm around his brother's shoulders, "I wanted to show Mattie why my Great Plains are better than his." Canada rolled his eyes at America when the other couldn't see, and England shook his head at the antics. America had certainly bounced back fast from his troubles, or at least was giving on quite the show that he had. He ushered them from the boat dock towards the train station. "I asked for our own car!"
And indeed they did. The trouble didn't start until they had spent the night in a dusty inn in a small town. The saloon had been full of men boasting about their abilities with their choice pistol. It was after America's fifth boast that he could shoot a biscuit out of the sky before it hit the ground that Canada slammed down his shot glass. England nearly choked on his whiskey when Canada challenged America to prove it. They way America just raised and eyebrow and answered with a challenging grin, told England this was not an uncommon occurrence. Before he had time to mull over the implication of that reaction, the younger men were heading out of the bar. He followed them out, not willing to miss out on what they were about to do.
None of the people they ran into were willing to part with food items for target practice, but an old man had given them an incomplete deck of playing cards. They chattered between each other about how this was going to be an even better challenge.
They made their way to the outskirts of town as they discussed how the competition would pan out. England leaned against a lone tree as the two chose a site where no one would be in danger of an errant bullet. It was decided, they would toss a card in the air, one at a time, each would take turns taking a shot. America stuffed the cards into his pant's pocket as he readied his six-shot pistol. Canada began loading his own.
"Shall I flip for you lads?" England asked, wondering if they had forgotten about him. From the two identical stares he received, the alcohol was doing its work. He sighed, hoping the night wouldn't end with one of them shooting the other.
America grinned at him, "Want to join, Arthur?"
"I don't recall being on a first name basis with you, Alfred."
"Well, now we are." America winked at him. England scowled in return. Canada looked a little embarrassed at their lack of propriety.
"Mr. England, we would appreciate it if you would do that." He grabbed the deck from his brother's pocket and offered it to England. He got them ready and with a few direction, America and Canada were lined up, ready for the cards. Each flew up, one by one. Each fell to the ground, tattered by a bullet. They were six for six.
"I don't know, I don't think catching it on the edge counts." England mentioned and they stared at him. America got a competitive gleam in his eye.
"I'd like to see you do better." America challenged. England merely smiled at him as he asked Canada for his pistol. He pressed the card deck into America's chest as Canada handed him bullets. He loaded it and readied his stance. America tossed a card in the air. It fell with a hole in the center. Five more were tossed, all the same.
The looks of shock on the pair of North American faces was some of the best scenery he saw on the trip.
~*~
21st Century
If he had been asked in the last century that he imagined he would be in America's living room with Canada shooting at a television, he would have told that person that they were absolutely mad. During the 20th Century he had probably fired more bullets than he could ever even conceive of. The same went for all of them, that was what unrest brought. However, somehow, playing war games came back into fashion. Only now they were in the safety and comfort of a living.
Here he was, pointing the Wii remote and trying to wipe their characters off the map. This is what Canada and America had decided would be great family bonding. France sat in the armchair nearby, trying to rib England into losing his concentration. He was determined not to let it. He was winning!
There was a lot of maneuvering and then finally the winner's screen popped up. England's character stood victoriously as America's and Canada's pouted in the background. They both looked at him in surprise. "I thought you said you were no good at video games." America said, leaning on his brother to peer at England over the arm of couch.
"You forget, I'm the one who taught you to shoot." England replied, smiling at him.
"You never let me forget it." France teased, causing England to toss a throw pillow at him, "I still have nightmares about when little Canada decided he would show me what he could do." America laughed and Canada tried to push him off. A slight scuffle ensued on the couch ending in both young nations laughing and deciding that their loss required snacks.
When they had exited England glanced over at France, "That's still one of my favorite moments with the boys."
France made a face and tossed the pillow right back at him.