Fanfic: Cursed? 2/2
Title: Cursed? 2/2
Author/Artist: jencatd
Character(s) or Pairing(s): Australia, England, and later New Zealand.
Rating: PG
Warnings: Occasional swearing, I guess.
Summary: De-anon from the Kink Meme. After his team loses the semifinal against New Zealand at the Rugby World Cup, Australia is convinced he and his team are cursed so he asks England for help.
Part 1 || Part 2
The sun was setting when Australia and England finally reached Eden Park. It seemed like Australia knew each customs officer at the airport personally, and it took them forever to get through the airport and into a taxi to get to Eden Park. It also didn’t help that Australia insisted that the customs officers search England’s bag thoroughly in case he snuck some kind of magical creature into the country. The customs officers took it as a joke because since when are baby unicorns real? They still searched England’s bag anyway.
They quickly slipped through a gate just after a car left hoping they hadn’t been seen, and set about searching the grounds of the stadium. Every so often they had to hide to avoid being spotted by security, and eventually they’d searched all of the grounds around the stadium. England hadn’t seen or sensed any signs of magic, and wondered if this curse was all in Australia’s head like the first one.
“Just the stadium left, yeah?” England said, and wondered how they’d get into the stadium. Australia beckoned towards a door of the stadium, and pulled a swipe card out of his pocket. He was about to ask Australia where he got the card, and Australia gestured at him to be quiet. He walked in the door and England followed.
“You’re better off not knowing where I got the card.” Australia said softly, and he began to lead England through the inner stadium towards the playing field itself. “Know this stadium like the back of my hand.”
“I don’t see or sense anything unusual in this stadium.” England said, and wondered even more if Australia was right about this curse. Eventually he began to recognise parts of the stadium where the teams went to get ready, and the hallway they walk down to enter the playing field. He and Australia walked down that hallway their teams had walked down many times before, and eventually came to the doors that opened out onto the playing field.
“Maybe the cause of this curse is on the playing field itself?” Australia said as he opened the door to the playing field. England was somewhat concerned now as out in the grounds there had been security guards regularly patrolling, but here in the building he had seen no signs of security at all.
“Wait. Us getting through here has been all too easy.” England said. “I don’t like the smell of this.”
“It’s too late now,” Australia said as he stepped out of the doors, and on to the playing field. England followed him onto the playing field, but he still didn’t feel any kind of magic coming from it.
“I think this-“
“WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING IN MY STADIUM?” Australia and England turned around to see New Zealand standing behind them, and he looked furious! His pet kiwi was sitting on his left shoulder, and his sheep was standing next to him.
“Zea, it’s not what it looks like.” Australia said.
“My Dad and my brother broke into my stadium. What was it supposed to look like?”
“Firstly, we did not break in. We slipped in when a car left the premises. Secondly, we used a swipe card to get into the building.” Australia said as New Zealand reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. “We do have a good reason for it!”
“Really? Do tell.” New Zealand said. “And Dad, I would’ve thought you’d know better than to break into a stadium.”
“We only broke in because I thought you put a curse on the stadium so that my team would lose here forever!” Australia said, and New Zealand dropped the cell phone. A second later the furious expression disappeared and he started laughing. His sheep sniffed at the cell phone, and then started nibbling the grass next to it. New Zealand bent down to pick it up, and eventually managed to compose himself. The kiwi looked completely relaxed through all of this like it happened all the time, and hadn’t budged so much as an inch from its spot on New Zealand’s shoulder.
“Oh man. Thanks for the laugh bro, I really needed that!” New Zealand said.
“So you’re not going to have us arrested?” England said. It was clear to him that New Zealand found the idea of Eden Park being cursed as hilarious as he did.
“So the stadium isn’t actually cursed?” Australia said, and New Zealand smiled.
“No, and no way! Now I’m gonna show you two something you wouldn’t normally be able to see or hear. This goes no further than this playing field, and is for our eyes only. Got it?” New Zealand took the kiwi off of his shoulder, and set it down on the sheep’s back. He then grabbed hold of Australia and England’s hands. “Form a circle, and close your eyes.”
England grabbed Australia’s free hand, and closed his eyes hoping the other two were also keeping theirs closed. He could hear New Zealand chanting something so quietly he couldn’t pick up the words being said and as New Zealand chanted he felt something that was similar to his magic, but not quite the same. He could also hear voices, bits of national anthems, and the hairs on the back of his neck felt like they were standing on end. He wondered if Australia was feeling the same way.
“You can open your eyes, but don’t break the circle or this will all disappear again.” England opened his eyes, and looked around the stadium. It seemed like every seat in the house was filled with some kind of glowing blue spirit, and more spirits were running around on the field passing ghostly rugby balls to each other, tackling each other, and scoring tries, drop goals and conversions. The spirits in the stands were cheering for successful tries and conversions, and making disappointed sounds when attempts to score fell short of the mark. In another part of the field spirits had lined up for the national anthems while another group looked to be performing the haka.
“What is this?” Australia said as he looked all around the stadium. He seemed just as amazed as England was.
“The stadium’s memories. What you’re seeing and hearing are my people’s memories, faith, hopes and dreams that the stadium has taken in and made it part of itself. Everyone who’s ever dreamed of being an All Black has been heard by this place, and the stadium remembers the players and fans who have been here. The fans believe in the team, love this stadium, and some of them dream of one day pulling on that black jersey and representing their country here. The ones who make it and run out onto the field here remember when they sat in those stands or any other stands around the country and dreamed of being an All Black.” New Zealand smiled. “I’m sure there are places that are like this in your own countries. Places where you or your people feel right at home, almost invincible, and know you have the support and love of everyone else.”
“True, I do have places like that back home.” Australia said. “So this isn’t a curse either, just a difficult obstacle to overcome because of all of these spirits adding their support too.”
“The memories of this place don’t just support me, you know.” New Zealand said. “Try finding some memories of your own teams.”
England watched Australia closely as he seemed to try to decide whether or not he wanted to know if there were any Australian memories in this stadium. Finally, Australia took a deep breath, opened his mouth and nothing came out. He then took another deep breath and tried again.
“Aussie Aussie Aussie?” Australia sounded nervous as he said it, but seemed to relax again when some of the spirits replied “OI OI OI!” England took a deep breath and decided to see if he had some support here too.
“LET’S GO ENGLAND!” England said at the top of his lungs and was rewarded by the sound of voices faintly singing. As he listened he realised those voices weren’t just random fans, it was the Barmy Army! His surprise at hearing the Barmy Army sing must’ve been noticeable because New Zealand laughed a little at his reaction.
“Did you think only rugby memories are embedded into this place? There’s cricket memories here too, but at the moment rugby memories are the strongest. GO THE MIGHTY ALL BLACKS!”
England winced at the sheer volume of the spirits’s reaction to New Zealand’s rallying call. The noise in the stadium was now nearly deafening, and when it died down New Zealand let go of their hands and the sounds and the spirits disappeared leaving the three of them in the dark. England felt something soft brush past him and assumed it was the sheep.
“Up we go, girl.” New Zealand said as he picked up the kiwi and placed her on his left shoulder again.
“The kiwi is a girl?” Australia said, and New Zealand nodded. He then pointed at the sheep. “Is the sheep a girl too?”
“Of course!” New Zealand said. “She’s always been a girl!”
“Easier to shag, eh?”
“You sick bastard.”
“Takes-“
“Er, shall we get going?” England quickly interrupted them and his stomach decided to growl again. New Zealand seemed to notice the noise that Australia didn’t.
“Oz, didn’t you two stop for food anywhere? When did you last eat?” New Zealand said, and Oz blushed a little.
“We were planning to hold off until after we’d checked here.” Australia said. “We hadn’t eaten since the trip from London to Sydney…”
“Hmm. Come on, we’re going back to my place for dinner. I have fish fillets, potatoes, and beer that won’t cook and eat themselves.” New Zealand said, and England realised what that meant. Fish and chips for dinner! “Oz, could you make that lemon pepper batter you made last- Whoa! Dad, what the hell are you doing?!”
“Fish and chips…” England said as he clung tightly to New Zealand from behind. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou…”
“You’re welcomewelcomewelcome, and you can stop clinging now! I can’t walk right with you clinging to me like that!” New Zealand said, and England let him go. Australia was laughing at the two of them, and New Zealand glared at him. “Let’s see how well you move with Dad clinging to you like that!”
“Sorry.” England said as they reached New Zealand’s car. He noticed that it was parked in a manager’s spot at the stadium. “You’re a manager here?”
“Yeah, they made me a security manager here after the pool games finished. I was given the night off for each of the games so I don’t have to work during the Bronze Final or the Final.” New Zealand said. "I think they arranged it to take my mind off of what happened to the Rena."
“Then that means…” England said.
“YOU KNEW!” Australia said. “You knew we were here the whole time, and you let us think security would have us arrested if we were spotted!”
“How could I not know? You two’s presence stands out like a sore thumb compared to a human!” New Zealand said. “I’ve been monitoring the two of you since you slipped into the grounds. Didn’t you notice the sudden lack of security guards when you entered the building?”
“I did,” England said. “And after what New Zealand showed us tonight I think I can safely say that the Eden Park curse is all in your head too, Australia. I didn’t see or sense anything magical laid down to prevent anyone from anything.”
“Thanks Dad,” Australia said as he watched the streets of Auckland through the windows of the car. “But we’ll see for sure tomorrow night, eh!”
**Friday night**
“Full time! Australia have beaten Wales 21-18, and have finished in 3rd place at the Rugby World Cup!” The announcer said after the full time whistle blew, and England went over to congratulate Australia.
“Still think you’re cursed?” England said, and Australia shook his head.
“Nah. Thanks again for checking if the curses were real!” Australia said as New Zealand came over to congratulate him on the win. “I think I might even be able to beat Zea here now!”
“Pffft, don’t get ahead of yourself!” New Zealand said. “One match at a time, bro.”
England watched Australia chatting with New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland and Wales with a small smile on his face. He seemed a lot happier and confident than the Australia who was standing on his doorstep a few days ago, and England had found a lizard in one of his shoes this morning so all was right again in the world.
“Hey, are you coming to the pub with us?” New Zealand said. “We’re gonna go have a beer before going home.”
“If that apron comes out, he’s disowned!” Scotland said, and Wales and Ireland nodded in agreement.
“Nah, the pubs’ll throw him out before he gets to that point.” New Zealand said.
“Apron? Wait, what apron?” England said, and everyone stared at him. Then they all started laughing, and England wondered what was so funny. “I mean it! What apron?”
“Another thing you’re better off not knowing.” Australia put an arm around him. “Come on, Dad. Let’s go to the city and have some fun.”
“All right, and you can update me on Neighbours and Home and Away on the way there.”
“Aw geez, Dad.” Australia said. “I don’t even remember where you’re up to over there, but I’ll try.”
England listened to Australia trying to explain where the soap operas were up to as the six of them started walking along the fan trail to the city, and smiled as some of the security staff they passed called New Zealand “Boss”. He could hear his brothers consoling Wales over his loss, and excused himself to talk to New Zealand to give Australia some more time to think.
“You’re awfully quiet about your team.” England said. “Are you nervous about Sunday?”
“Not really.” New Zealand said. “They’ve trained so hard and done their best to reach this point. I believe they can do it.”
“Mind gloating a little to shut the Frog up while we’re in town then?” England said. He had heard from Australia that Francis was acting perhaps a little too confident this week about his chances, and he would love to see that smug smile he knows the Frog would be wearing wiped off of his face.
“Quiet confidence is a bit better than being overconfident and loud.” New Zealand said. “Just think how he’d look if his team lost after he’s talked them up so much.”
“Just think how he’d look if his team won.” England said, and Australia suddenly butted in.
“Zea, you gotta win or we’ll never hear the end of it!” Australia said.
“I know what’s at stake here, but it’s not up to me.” New Zealand said. “It’s up to my team. All I can do is lend them my support, and hope that things will turn out the way I want them to.”
“Yeah!” Australia said. “I’m sure they will, bro!”
New Zealand just smiled in response, and kept walking.
“So how long is this Fan Trail thing anyway?” England said. They had just reached the top of the hill and he felt tired already.
“You’re knackered already just walking up the hill?” New Zealand said. “There’s only about 3 kilometres to go to reach the waterfront.”
“Want a piggyback ride?” Australia said, and England glared at him. He was a grown man, not a child, thank you! Australia just grinned in response, and New Zealand started laughing. Soon all three of them were laughing, and England didn’t feel tired any more. He was just happy to be with his family, and was certain tonight would be a blast.
Author/Artist: jencatd
Character(s) or Pairing(s): Australia, England, and later New Zealand.
Rating: PG
Warnings: Occasional swearing, I guess.
Summary: De-anon from the Kink Meme. After his team loses the semifinal against New Zealand at the Rugby World Cup, Australia is convinced he and his team are cursed so he asks England for help.
Part 1 || Part 2
The sun was setting when Australia and England finally reached Eden Park. It seemed like Australia knew each customs officer at the airport personally, and it took them forever to get through the airport and into a taxi to get to Eden Park. It also didn’t help that Australia insisted that the customs officers search England’s bag thoroughly in case he snuck some kind of magical creature into the country. The customs officers took it as a joke because since when are baby unicorns real? They still searched England’s bag anyway.
They quickly slipped through a gate just after a car left hoping they hadn’t been seen, and set about searching the grounds of the stadium. Every so often they had to hide to avoid being spotted by security, and eventually they’d searched all of the grounds around the stadium. England hadn’t seen or sensed any signs of magic, and wondered if this curse was all in Australia’s head like the first one.
“Just the stadium left, yeah?” England said, and wondered how they’d get into the stadium. Australia beckoned towards a door of the stadium, and pulled a swipe card out of his pocket. He was about to ask Australia where he got the card, and Australia gestured at him to be quiet. He walked in the door and England followed.
“You’re better off not knowing where I got the card.” Australia said softly, and he began to lead England through the inner stadium towards the playing field itself. “Know this stadium like the back of my hand.”
“I don’t see or sense anything unusual in this stadium.” England said, and wondered even more if Australia was right about this curse. Eventually he began to recognise parts of the stadium where the teams went to get ready, and the hallway they walk down to enter the playing field. He and Australia walked down that hallway their teams had walked down many times before, and eventually came to the doors that opened out onto the playing field.
“Maybe the cause of this curse is on the playing field itself?” Australia said as he opened the door to the playing field. England was somewhat concerned now as out in the grounds there had been security guards regularly patrolling, but here in the building he had seen no signs of security at all.
“Wait. Us getting through here has been all too easy.” England said. “I don’t like the smell of this.”
“It’s too late now,” Australia said as he stepped out of the doors, and on to the playing field. England followed him onto the playing field, but he still didn’t feel any kind of magic coming from it.
“I think this-“
“WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING IN MY STADIUM?” Australia and England turned around to see New Zealand standing behind them, and he looked furious! His pet kiwi was sitting on his left shoulder, and his sheep was standing next to him.
“Zea, it’s not what it looks like.” Australia said.
“My Dad and my brother broke into my stadium. What was it supposed to look like?”
“Firstly, we did not break in. We slipped in when a car left the premises. Secondly, we used a swipe card to get into the building.” Australia said as New Zealand reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. “We do have a good reason for it!”
“Really? Do tell.” New Zealand said. “And Dad, I would’ve thought you’d know better than to break into a stadium.”
“We only broke in because I thought you put a curse on the stadium so that my team would lose here forever!” Australia said, and New Zealand dropped the cell phone. A second later the furious expression disappeared and he started laughing. His sheep sniffed at the cell phone, and then started nibbling the grass next to it. New Zealand bent down to pick it up, and eventually managed to compose himself. The kiwi looked completely relaxed through all of this like it happened all the time, and hadn’t budged so much as an inch from its spot on New Zealand’s shoulder.
“Oh man. Thanks for the laugh bro, I really needed that!” New Zealand said.
“So you’re not going to have us arrested?” England said. It was clear to him that New Zealand found the idea of Eden Park being cursed as hilarious as he did.
“So the stadium isn’t actually cursed?” Australia said, and New Zealand smiled.
“No, and no way! Now I’m gonna show you two something you wouldn’t normally be able to see or hear. This goes no further than this playing field, and is for our eyes only. Got it?” New Zealand took the kiwi off of his shoulder, and set it down on the sheep’s back. He then grabbed hold of Australia and England’s hands. “Form a circle, and close your eyes.”
England grabbed Australia’s free hand, and closed his eyes hoping the other two were also keeping theirs closed. He could hear New Zealand chanting something so quietly he couldn’t pick up the words being said and as New Zealand chanted he felt something that was similar to his magic, but not quite the same. He could also hear voices, bits of national anthems, and the hairs on the back of his neck felt like they were standing on end. He wondered if Australia was feeling the same way.
“You can open your eyes, but don’t break the circle or this will all disappear again.” England opened his eyes, and looked around the stadium. It seemed like every seat in the house was filled with some kind of glowing blue spirit, and more spirits were running around on the field passing ghostly rugby balls to each other, tackling each other, and scoring tries, drop goals and conversions. The spirits in the stands were cheering for successful tries and conversions, and making disappointed sounds when attempts to score fell short of the mark. In another part of the field spirits had lined up for the national anthems while another group looked to be performing the haka.
“What is this?” Australia said as he looked all around the stadium. He seemed just as amazed as England was.
“The stadium’s memories. What you’re seeing and hearing are my people’s memories, faith, hopes and dreams that the stadium has taken in and made it part of itself. Everyone who’s ever dreamed of being an All Black has been heard by this place, and the stadium remembers the players and fans who have been here. The fans believe in the team, love this stadium, and some of them dream of one day pulling on that black jersey and representing their country here. The ones who make it and run out onto the field here remember when they sat in those stands or any other stands around the country and dreamed of being an All Black.” New Zealand smiled. “I’m sure there are places that are like this in your own countries. Places where you or your people feel right at home, almost invincible, and know you have the support and love of everyone else.”
“True, I do have places like that back home.” Australia said. “So this isn’t a curse either, just a difficult obstacle to overcome because of all of these spirits adding their support too.”
“The memories of this place don’t just support me, you know.” New Zealand said. “Try finding some memories of your own teams.”
England watched Australia closely as he seemed to try to decide whether or not he wanted to know if there were any Australian memories in this stadium. Finally, Australia took a deep breath, opened his mouth and nothing came out. He then took another deep breath and tried again.
“Aussie Aussie Aussie?” Australia sounded nervous as he said it, but seemed to relax again when some of the spirits replied “OI OI OI!” England took a deep breath and decided to see if he had some support here too.
“LET’S GO ENGLAND!” England said at the top of his lungs and was rewarded by the sound of voices faintly singing. As he listened he realised those voices weren’t just random fans, it was the Barmy Army! His surprise at hearing the Barmy Army sing must’ve been noticeable because New Zealand laughed a little at his reaction.
“Did you think only rugby memories are embedded into this place? There’s cricket memories here too, but at the moment rugby memories are the strongest. GO THE MIGHTY ALL BLACKS!”
England winced at the sheer volume of the spirits’s reaction to New Zealand’s rallying call. The noise in the stadium was now nearly deafening, and when it died down New Zealand let go of their hands and the sounds and the spirits disappeared leaving the three of them in the dark. England felt something soft brush past him and assumed it was the sheep.
“Up we go, girl.” New Zealand said as he picked up the kiwi and placed her on his left shoulder again.
“The kiwi is a girl?” Australia said, and New Zealand nodded. He then pointed at the sheep. “Is the sheep a girl too?”
“Of course!” New Zealand said. “She’s always been a girl!”
“Easier to shag, eh?”
“You sick bastard.”
“Takes-“
“Er, shall we get going?” England quickly interrupted them and his stomach decided to growl again. New Zealand seemed to notice the noise that Australia didn’t.
“Oz, didn’t you two stop for food anywhere? When did you last eat?” New Zealand said, and Oz blushed a little.
“We were planning to hold off until after we’d checked here.” Australia said. “We hadn’t eaten since the trip from London to Sydney…”
“Hmm. Come on, we’re going back to my place for dinner. I have fish fillets, potatoes, and beer that won’t cook and eat themselves.” New Zealand said, and England realised what that meant. Fish and chips for dinner! “Oz, could you make that lemon pepper batter you made last- Whoa! Dad, what the hell are you doing?!”
“Fish and chips…” England said as he clung tightly to New Zealand from behind. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou…”
“You’re welcomewelcomewelcome, and you can stop clinging now! I can’t walk right with you clinging to me like that!” New Zealand said, and England let him go. Australia was laughing at the two of them, and New Zealand glared at him. “Let’s see how well you move with Dad clinging to you like that!”
“Sorry.” England said as they reached New Zealand’s car. He noticed that it was parked in a manager’s spot at the stadium. “You’re a manager here?”
“Yeah, they made me a security manager here after the pool games finished. I was given the night off for each of the games so I don’t have to work during the Bronze Final or the Final.” New Zealand said. "I think they arranged it to take my mind off of what happened to the Rena."
“Then that means…” England said.
“YOU KNEW!” Australia said. “You knew we were here the whole time, and you let us think security would have us arrested if we were spotted!”
“How could I not know? You two’s presence stands out like a sore thumb compared to a human!” New Zealand said. “I’ve been monitoring the two of you since you slipped into the grounds. Didn’t you notice the sudden lack of security guards when you entered the building?”
“I did,” England said. “And after what New Zealand showed us tonight I think I can safely say that the Eden Park curse is all in your head too, Australia. I didn’t see or sense anything magical laid down to prevent anyone from anything.”
“Thanks Dad,” Australia said as he watched the streets of Auckland through the windows of the car. “But we’ll see for sure tomorrow night, eh!”
**Friday night**
“Full time! Australia have beaten Wales 21-18, and have finished in 3rd place at the Rugby World Cup!” The announcer said after the full time whistle blew, and England went over to congratulate Australia.
“Still think you’re cursed?” England said, and Australia shook his head.
“Nah. Thanks again for checking if the curses were real!” Australia said as New Zealand came over to congratulate him on the win. “I think I might even be able to beat Zea here now!”
“Pffft, don’t get ahead of yourself!” New Zealand said. “One match at a time, bro.”
England watched Australia chatting with New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland and Wales with a small smile on his face. He seemed a lot happier and confident than the Australia who was standing on his doorstep a few days ago, and England had found a lizard in one of his shoes this morning so all was right again in the world.
“Hey, are you coming to the pub with us?” New Zealand said. “We’re gonna go have a beer before going home.”
“If that apron comes out, he’s disowned!” Scotland said, and Wales and Ireland nodded in agreement.
“Nah, the pubs’ll throw him out before he gets to that point.” New Zealand said.
“Apron? Wait, what apron?” England said, and everyone stared at him. Then they all started laughing, and England wondered what was so funny. “I mean it! What apron?”
“Another thing you’re better off not knowing.” Australia put an arm around him. “Come on, Dad. Let’s go to the city and have some fun.”
“All right, and you can update me on Neighbours and Home and Away on the way there.”
“Aw geez, Dad.” Australia said. “I don’t even remember where you’re up to over there, but I’ll try.”
England listened to Australia trying to explain where the soap operas were up to as the six of them started walking along the fan trail to the city, and smiled as some of the security staff they passed called New Zealand “Boss”. He could hear his brothers consoling Wales over his loss, and excused himself to talk to New Zealand to give Australia some more time to think.
“You’re awfully quiet about your team.” England said. “Are you nervous about Sunday?”
“Not really.” New Zealand said. “They’ve trained so hard and done their best to reach this point. I believe they can do it.”
“Mind gloating a little to shut the Frog up while we’re in town then?” England said. He had heard from Australia that Francis was acting perhaps a little too confident this week about his chances, and he would love to see that smug smile he knows the Frog would be wearing wiped off of his face.
“Quiet confidence is a bit better than being overconfident and loud.” New Zealand said. “Just think how he’d look if his team lost after he’s talked them up so much.”
“Just think how he’d look if his team won.” England said, and Australia suddenly butted in.
“Zea, you gotta win or we’ll never hear the end of it!” Australia said.
“I know what’s at stake here, but it’s not up to me.” New Zealand said. “It’s up to my team. All I can do is lend them my support, and hope that things will turn out the way I want them to.”
“Yeah!” Australia said. “I’m sure they will, bro!”
New Zealand just smiled in response, and kept walking.
“So how long is this Fan Trail thing anyway?” England said. They had just reached the top of the hill and he felt tired already.
“You’re knackered already just walking up the hill?” New Zealand said. “There’s only about 3 kilometres to go to reach the waterfront.”
“Want a piggyback ride?” Australia said, and England glared at him. He was a grown man, not a child, thank you! Australia just grinned in response, and New Zealand started laughing. Soon all three of them were laughing, and England didn’t feel tired any more. He was just happy to be with his family, and was certain tonight would be a blast.