A/N: Random idea, but it's a tribute to one of the best years of my life. Now, for the very long disclaimer that will apply to all chapters of this story ^-^
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hetalia, Kuroshitsuji (aka Black Butler), Demyx Time or Kingdom Hearts, 1337 speak, A Christmas Carol or the Disney adaption of it, Ford, 1920s slang, Doctor Who or Google. *whew* that was a mouthful.
The sun was barely over the horizon on this cold February day, but that didn't prevent it from lighting the sky and throwing golden light through the trees and onto the moving form of a red pickup truck, driving through a suburban neighborhood, and containing a certain Englishman and his companion.
Said Englishman currently had a hand covering his eyes, as if a face palm was a permanent fixture to his features. "America, how in all the seven realms of magic did you talk me into going with you on your 'Casual Friday'?"
"C'mon, you old man, this is going to be fun!" The cheerful American said. Ironically, it seemed like he had dressed up for this 'Casual Friday' since he was wearing a collared dress shirt with a tie in place of his usual bomber jacket.
"Okay, the drive was a few hours, but you like Virginia, don't you?"
"And by 'like' you mean have painful memories resurface then yes, I suppose I 'like' it quite a lot. It doesn't help that there's a bloody historical marker every two feet." As he said that, they passed one on the side of the road. "See?"
"Don't be that way, Mr. UK." America said, driving down the misty morning road with practiced ease, before slamming on the brakes, causing his passenger to jolt forward before the seat belt caught him.
"Oh bloody hell, what now?" England grumbled before looking directly out the windshield and seeing…
Geese. Crossing the road.
"Yeah, there's always a lot of them around this house. Maybe cause it's got the pond out front." The American said nonchalantly, but England looked at the house in question and was slightly shocked.
On the other side of the road, small ranchers with neat lawns populated the side of the road. This one was a different tale altogether. Sitting on top of a hill, the building was roughly three or four stories tall, made of brick, with the windows overlooking a water feature bigger than most of the other homes on the street, with a small sandbar where some one of the avians was resting. The only way across was via a small bridge off to the side.
"Cool, isn't it?" America asked, a bright smile on his face. "I was thinking about buying it when it goes up for sale. My old Virginia home is a bit, well, destroyed from Irene since it was oceanfront."
"It's a lovely home, but isn't your debt high enough?" England said, looking at the bespectacled country.
"Well, yeah, but…C'mon, all the geese passed, let's go to the school." Expertly avoiding the question, America hit the accelerator and sped up the pavement to their destination.
"Not so bad, huh Artie?" The American said as he pulled up in front of the school. The full view was obstructed by a tall magnolia tree, but the Brit could see plenty of it. Bright yellow school buses were already lining up on the bus ramp, nearly blocking a sign that proudly announced the next holiday. A few students were trickling up a walk that led across the school's large front lawn, chatting with each other as they tried to dash to the heated building under the weight of their backpacks.
"I suppose it's all right." As a more isolated country, England usually felt a little uncomfortable around so many people, but since they were children instead of feuding nations, he thought he could cope. They got out of the car and continued up the walk past a set of flagpoles, displaying the nation, state and county banners as they flapped in the slight breeze.
"Well you better like it, 'cause part of it's a really cool international program and they get really good grades. A thousand kids go here, did you know that? I sub here when I can, and it's a good example of how my public schools kick ass."
"Language, Alfred." The Englishman rolled his eyes.
"Sorry, Arthur." A blue eye winked back, confirming the change in aliases.
"You had better not start cursing in the middle of a class of children." Arthur said as Alfred pushed the metal bar on the door, allowing them to go in as the lock mechanism opened up. He held open the door and bowed.
"Welcome to the main hall, your highness." He said grandly, gesturing for his companion to enter and receiving a quick punch in the shoulder.
"Oh come off it, you. Just because I still have a monarchy…" Arthur grumbled, stepping through the door.
"It's fun, Artie. Let's go to the office so I can get to my class." The pair climbed a set of interior steps, right into a hallway filled with a steady stream of kids ranging from four to six feet tall. Some clocks, displaying international times, were mounted on a wall decorated by colorful murals. The loud hubbub of passing kids and teens blurred into a dull roar. As Arthur entered, he would have stopped to take it all in if it wasn't for the impatient American at his side.
Alfred quickly led then to a room with a large glass window making up its wall facing the hallway, and the sign that hung bear it read Main Office signaled that they were in the right place.
A few parents and kids sat in chairs, waiting for assistance. As the duo approached the desk, a woman with a nametag that read "Parent Volunteer" inquired as to their business at the school.
"Oh, well, I'm Mr. Jones, the substitute teacher for the 7th grade today. I didn't get a particular teacher because of some reason."
"Yes, that's because…one second I have the paper right here…ah yes, the English teacher is out for the first part of the day, and the Humanities teacher is out for the second part. Are you all right with subbing for both?" The lady handed him a slip of paper to sign in on.
"Sure, of course." Alfred replied brightly, making a flourishing signature appear on the paper.
"And is this the visitor you mentioned in the email?" She asked, indicating the Brit standing beside him.
"Oh yeah, Mr. Kirkland's visiting from London and he wanted to look at the school. I'll be chaperoning him, so he's okay." He reassured the receptionist.
"Okay well, sign here too and I'll make a visitor sticker for Mr…"
"Kirkland, Arthur Kirkland. Thank you." Arthur stepped in to finish her statement.
"Right, one second, and Mr. Jones, do you need any directions to your rooms?"
"Nope. I've been here enough so I know my way around. The teachers left lesson plans, right?" He looked slightly nervous, and Arthur suspected that the American's grammar was about as strong as his Greek.
"I assume they did, and they're usually on their desks. Here you are, Mr. Kirkland, have a good one!"
"You too." Alfred said before upholding his chaperoning duties and pulling Arthur out the door.
" 'Have a good one'? It sounds oddly suggestive. Quite the farewell your country has developed." Arthur said sarcastically as they walked down the hallway.
"Oh come on, we say it all the time here! Get your mind out of the gutter, Artie." Alfred poked him the shoulder, evoking a glare from the Brit.
"It is secondary school, I suppose they've all got their minds in the gutter." Arthur grumbled as they wove through the crowd of boisterous students who barely noted their presence.
The American led the way for his friend, but right before they turned the corner he stopped, pondering how to explain the next set of hallways. Which was ineffective because the Brit just kept walking.
"No, wait, stop…" His words were too late. In front of a pair of wide green eyes was one of the thinnest hallways in the county. Lockers on both sides squeezed the herd into a tight line about two people wide, which completely ignored the sign stating "Single file zone!" that hung overhead.
"Well," Arthur said, "that'll be a tough one."
"I hate it when you make understatements like that." Alfred said glumly.
Navigating the cramped space was surprisingly easy. Most of the kids found a way to give them a berth just wide enough to pass by. Alfred was rapidly trying to explain the hallway before the Brit started proclaiming how much nicer it was back on his island.
"Y'see, first it was a high school, so they built it and it wasn't so crowded, then they turned it into a middle school, and most of the 7th grade classes got shoved down here. So about 300 kids have their lockers and classes here." He scratched his head, "Really, I should talk to the board about this; it's gotten worse since I was here last time."
"This truly is ridiculous. I can barely breath." Arthur said as he sidestepped a trifold display which seemed to move of its own volition down the cramped passageway, if it wasn't for the pair of feet sticking out from under it.
Alfred looked slightly confused. "This part? No, this is the wide part. It gets narrower."
No curses or base language were strong enough to describe how the Brit felt, but he gave it a shot anyway. "Oh, bugger."
A/N: I am not well acquainted with British curses, so excuse the ineptitude on my part. Or correct me, I really do want to learn how to write cursing for Arthur :)
Most of the students are people I chose to randomly cameo because they're interesting personalities to bounce off each other. Though a few are…more specific. Anyone who's read my fic So Let's Set the World on Fire will probably figure it out. This is the school that I based my Highschool AUs off of, but technically this is in a somewhat canon-verse, so…MINDS BLOWN XD This whole thing is partially an excuse for me to talk about school and the strange people I've met along the way.
On another note, this should update regularly, because I wrote quite a bit before I published this chapter. Rejoice, and click the Follow Story button XD
