So! A little OC experiment! Little colony Australia (or New South Wales, as he should maybe be known, as I'm counting this kind of... 1772? So Alfred can be a bit of a big brother to the little guy XD) Anyway. So, America's not in the best of moods with England right now, as you'll probably know, and Australia's kind of... just being a rascal? More at the bottom, maybe I'll just leave you to actually read now...
The patter of small, boot-clad feet sounded through the hall. "Hey, America!" shouted a young Australian, trying to catch the older colony's attention. "America~!"
"What?" spat Alfred, with a bite he hadn't intended. He sighed and crouched in front of the brown-haired boy, who was holding his hands behind his back, as he stopped behind him. . "Sorry, buddy," he said sincerely, ruffling his already messy mop. "I've been kinda stressed lately…"
"No worries, mate," replied Zack, huge grin plastered across his face, only to fall before he continued seriously, "…but I want your help."
"Sure, what with?"
"I'm sicka that bloody pom England. Telling me what to do…" Alfred felt his stomach tighten. Was Australia thinking about independence too? Already…?
"Listen, kid…" he started warningly. "It's-"
"We gotta scare him…" interrupted Zack, mischievous smile creeping back onto his face, pulling his hands round, revealing a wooden box with a small hole in the lid. "And since he's not afraid of the dark or ghosts…" he very, very slowly went to take the lid off of the box, revelling in Alfred's anxious gaze, grinning wickedly. "We gotta use what we can…"
The lid was lifted, and, centimetre by centimetre, ever so slowly, quietly, dangerously, a long, hairy leg began to search for Zack's hand, and, limb by limb, a huge black spider edged itself from out of its cell, before the seemingly fearless young man dropped the box, holding it proudly.
"Wharra beaut!" he assessed lovingly. "What d'ya think?" he asked, pushing the creature into Alfred's face. The American gave a manly squeal and sprung back.
"Wh… where did you get it?!" he stammered, eyes glued to the beast now exploring its captor's wrist and lower arm.
"He's from back home! Fed him on bugs from outside 'cause I couldn't let him out of his box."
"Are you trying to kill us?!"
"Aw, he's not a biter…! Well, if he does, he's not poisonous, it's just the girls that are poisonous… I don't want England to kark it," he promised, trying to meet Alfred's eye, but the older colony was still chasing the spider with his stare, "…just teach him a thing or two about messing with me! C'mon, America…" he pined. "You just gotta make sure he stays outta the kitchen while I hide him. I'll only be a jiffy... she'll be apples!"
Alfred managed to tear his eyes away from the perfect specimen of sheer terror on the little Australian's arm and looked at the grin on his face, feeling one stretch across his own cheeks. "I guess… it would be quite funny…"
Looking as though he could wet himself with excitement and gratitude, Zack cried a hurried "… onya, Al, mate…!" and leapt at the American, arms wide, to hug him. He would have succeeded, too, had Alfred not screeched and dived out of the way of the spider flying toward his face.
--
"There I am, ready to spend my precious and very valuable time preparing dinner for you all," ranted Arthur, waving his arms dramatically at his "children", who sat with their heads low at the table; Matthew genuinely sorry, although he was innocent, Alfred guilt-ridden for helping his little Australian friend land himself in such trouble, and somewhat-kind of-almost genuinely sorry, Zack pouting, avoiding the Englishman's gaze just as much as the other two suspects, "…and I find that due to an… occurrence I can't continue. Would anyone care to venture a guess as to what I found in my kitchen while preparing your evening meal?!"
"Some decent food?" muttered Alfred, earning a half-way repressed snigger from Zack.
"No, you ungrateful little shit!" cried Arthur, silencing both the American and the Australian with the same whack against the back of their heads. "Who put the bloody massive spider in there?!"
"Massive spider…?" whimpered Matthew, looking quickly at his brother. "There was a massive spider… in the kitchen…? Near the food?" The Canadian groaned, thinking of the meals he wouldn't enjoy for the next few weeks.
"Who's… thing was it?!" the elder among them asked Zack, very much aware of the boy's strange interest in dangerous… things. He didn't get an answer.
Zack started as a pot was thrown onto the table in front of him with a loud clang, and, upon inspection, found it to be covered in burnt food, stains and… bits of spider.
"You killed him?!" he cried after a beat, snapping his head up to look at Arthur, large olive green eyes wide, starting to cloud. "But… but I brought him from home! I caught bugs for him! I looked after him! No fair, you narkie pom!" Traitor tears began to spill, and he wiped his face furiously.
"Then you shouldn't have left him in the kitchen! I don't care how long you had him, or where he came from., if he's near my food, in my house, I'll do what I need to!" Zack opened his mouth to protest, sniffed, and dropped his eyes to his knees again. "Now," continued Arthur, looking straight at the top of the his head. "There are the remains of a rather large spider in my kitchen and I don't see any reason why any of the rest of us should have to get rid of them."
"No! I don't wanna see him!" protested the boy, his breath hitching on a sob.
"Well, neither do we-"
"I'll get rid of it. It was my fault."
Three stares locked on Alfred, one teary, one in silent awe, and the other bewildered, growing slowly more angry.
"Pardon?"
"Zack told me not to touch the boxes in his room," explained the American steadily, nodding towards the whimpering boy beside him, "…but I was looking for something to read and I just couldn't help myself… his spider got out, but that's the only one I looked in 'cause it scared the crap outta me…" he shrugged before he turned to his indebted little friend. "I'm real sorry."
"You didn't mean it…" muttered Zack, once again swelling with gratitude, but suppressing it with another shaky breath.
Arthur cleared his throat. "Well, Alfred, you've succeeded in making me kill an innocent creature and in reducing a small boy to tears… I hope you're proud of yourself."
"Not particularly," he grumbled.
"Get moving, and I'll be damned if you'll be joining us for dinner tonight."
Alfred let out a heavy sigh and stood, walking to the kitchen, preparing himself for the image that would greet him. If there was going to be spider strewn throughout the food, he wasn't sure he wanted dinner.
…Though he had to admit (and he was sure Zack would agree), the thought of Arthur chasing an eight-legged beast around the room wielding an iron pot did seem to take the sting out of things.
Slang Translations:
pom - slang term for an English person
to kark it - to die (or to stop working, if you're talking about a thing)
she'll be apples! - everything'll be fine!
onya! - Good on ya! (Great! Thanks, that's awesome...etc etc)
narkie - easily annoyed, too short a temper, etc
I was going to use more, but Aussie slang is actually quite graphic... I love it, but Australia's only a kid here... XD
Well! I got to thinking about Australia's character the other day, and thought, "he'd be cocky, a bit loud, mischievous and overly-confident... but really friendly, and his heart is in the right place..." which reminded me a bit to much of a certain someone (cough,cough, Mr Jones XD). Although I don't think he'd be quite as egotistical as Alfred, I still think they'd get on because they'd be so alike (apparently, America and Australia are alike IRL? I've haven't been to either, though, so ahdunno. o_o.)
Oh, and me and my friends were talking about what Australia's name would be the other day, and someone said "Zack" which just seemed to fit. I've also heard him being called Cody? (O_O I KNOW, /wrist XD) So, what do you think he should be called? Review with a suggestion, if you'd be so kind.
Anyway, thanks for reading! (Especially all the boring notes... -_-')
R&R, dumplings ~ :D