Sunny Day Life
Disclaimer: I don't own it, but probably for the better...
Warning: AU, strong language (in Chibimano's defense, Arthur has a mouth on him too), boy x boy pairings (but not for awhile), and adorableness overload.
This is a gift fic for pandahero2P, who was the 100th reviewer for Iris Zero. You wanted "cute chibis," I'll give you "cute chibis." Thanks for inspiring this!
Friendly reminder that everyone is human in this. Alfred is four years old and Lovino is five years old. The age of their crazy-good-looking caretakers is up to your imagination.
Go To Sleep?
In the depths of a dark room, lit only by the flames of several candles, a hooded figure stood in the middle of a magic circle. Each symbol was intricately drawn with pure white chalk, surrounding the inset pentagram.
The flickering light of the candles shone brilliantly on the athame in the magician's right hand. He traced a pattern of magic symbols in a perfect circle, starting with the incense burning in the east to denote air. The blade twisted into another small, yet elaborate design above the red candle burning in the south, to represent fire. It danced over the chalice in the west for water and finally a dish of salt in the north, signifying earth.
Someone had made the mistake of crossing the wizard and now they would pay the ultimate price. Slowly and meticulously, Arthur began casting his ancient spell.
"Santra ba~dra winza~rana~ wonpa~to~rana intrakantera…"
He tossed a handful of mysteriously colored sand into the flames, creating an eerie bluish glow. His words of power continued…
"…Jack~Latoya Janet~Michael Dumble~dora the Explorer…"
"Daddy!" A tiny voice called out from the top of the stairs.
With a simple push on the basement door, the room was flooded with florescent lights spilling in from the kitchen. Arthur was interrupted right in the middle of his curse, but this was hardly the first time.
"Yes, Alfred?" he tried not to hiss at his son or the blinding light.
"I had a bad dream…" the small boy rubbed his eyes, slowly walking down the stairs in his Batman footie pajamas and blanky. "…I can't sleep…"
Arthur quickly shoved the hood of his cloak off his head and faced his son. Perhaps the real magic was how he went from being unspeakably evil and hate-filled, to warm and reassuring in less than 15 seconds.
"No worries, my boy," the older blonde smiled kindly. "I'll make some tea to soothe your nerves. Would you like extra milk in it?"
Alfred nodded sleepily and allowed his father to pick him up and carry him back to the kitchen. The boy wrapped his tiny arms around Arthur's neck and snuggled closer to him.
"Will you read me a story?"
"Alright, tea, one story, and then back to bed with you young man, you need rest!" he sighed.
"Will you read the one about the Super Panda Hero Squad?"
"Sure, sure…"
Wake up!
If there was one thing Lovino liked to do, it was coloring on the walls. However, as he was quick to point out, he was actually very good at it. He'd created several masterpieces in the few months he'd started living with Antonio. The Spaniard's landlady didn't appreciate them though and would often lecture him about it. Antonio always felt terrible getting rid of them, but couldn't blow his safety deposit on it either.
Which led to his current predicament – scrub-resistant crayons.
Antonio had tried everything he could think of this morning – soap, magic eraser sponges, and even peanut butter (which was an attempt he never cared to try again). Nothing worked, so he found himself on the phone with Bella while getting breakfast ready for a sleepy Lovino.
"Hola, Bella~! I'm so glad you answered!" He sliced up some oranges for Lovino to munch on while he finished the eggs and toast. "The sound of your voice is lovely as always~!"
"What do you want, 'Toni?" she asked with a humorous tone.
"Well…" Antonio chuckled, setting the bowl of oranges in front of his nephew (who looked about ready to fall asleep in his bowl). "…What do you know about scrub-resistant crayons?"
Bella ran a daycare with her brother, so she was always giving him tips about his nephew, Lovino. She had practically grown up with Antonio, so the two were close friends even before the Spaniard enrolled Lovino at Happy Smiles Daycare (a name Bella insisted was 'All Abel's idea').
Antonio listened to her recommendation for which cleaning product to pick up the next time he went shopping, as he flipped the eggs. He turned to check on his sleepy nephew and saw him wobble a bit. The brunette covered the mouthpiece of his phone and addressed him.
"Try not to fall asleep in your oranges, chiquito," he smiled. "Breakfast is almost done."
He knew from experience how hard it was to wake Lovino once he's out. From the other line he heard a distinctly feminine 'Awww…'
"If you stay awake, I'll make churros for lunch after the park, Lovinito~!"
"R-Really, bastard?!"
"Language!" Antonio felt compelled to call him out on it with his daycare teacher on the phone.
Lovino pouted. He really wanted those churros. Antonio barely contained his squee long enough to get off the line with Bella and glomp Lovino.
"Get off me, jerk!"
"But you're so cute!" he cooed.
"I am not!" the tiny Italian snapped, cheeks turning red. Feli was the cute one; he wore girl's clothes, after all. "I hate you!"
"Don't say that, Lovi…you'll make me sad!" Antonio pretended to cry.
"Then cry! I don't wanna go to the park anymore!"
"Then who's going to help me eat all of the tomatoes when I get there?" the Spaniard smiled knowingly.
"Okay, I'll go," Lovino responded quickly and began eating breakfast.
Antonio smiled. It wasn't every day he didn't have to go into work. He tried to spend as much time with his nephew as possible on his days off. Whatever it took to keep his young mind off the situation that led to Lovino coming to live with him… It was still difficult for Antonio to fully accept himself and he was an adult. He could only imagine how his little sobrino was taking it.
Yer A Wizard
That bright, sunny morning also found Arthur and Alfred taking a trip to the park. The boy's favorite park was on the other side of town, which was just a quick ride away in the van…Of course some days it felt like ages to the Briton. Today, Alfred was informing Arthur that the family picture in rearview mirror was silly.
"I'm not even wearing my Captain America shirt or anything!" he complained.
"…You were still a baby when it was taken."
"I didn't have a Captain America shirt when I was a baby?!" Alfred gasped at the very thought.
"I didn't know I had a superhero on my hands until you started talking," sighed Arthur.
"That's too bad."
"Why's that?"
"I could have told you that your face looks all silly in that picture."
Arthur tried not to grind his teeth and silently counted to ten. He happened to think he looked very gentlemanly in that picture. It was one of his favorites. The blonde had donned his favorite jumper and proudly stood behind his late wife, Amelia, who looked brilliant in her pale blue summer dress. In her arms was an infant Alfred, carefully wrapped in a white blanket. He had such a peaceful, angelic smile on his face back then…if only Arthur knew what was to come.
"I'm glad you keep our picture up, Dad…" Alfred said in an uncharacteristically soft tone.
"Oh?"
"That way Mommy gets to go places with us too…" he smiled softly and returned to playing with his Avenger's action figures (which were totally boy toys and not dolls at all).
"I-Indeed…" Arthur felt something prick at the corners of his eyes. Must be allergies or something.
"I think she kinda looks like me. Do you think she kinda looks like me?"
"It's true; you have your mother's eyes…"
"D-Does that mean I'm Harry Potter?!" Alfred nearly jumped out of his carseat at the revelation.
"Er…"
"A-Are you taking me to Hogwarts?!"
"We're going to the park, remember? The park!"
"A magic park?!" Alfred's eyes twinkled. "Will your imaginary friends be there?"
Arthur sighed at the irony of a child thinking an adult had imaginary friends. Flying Mint Bunny, Uni, and the others were quite real, thank you very much.
"You're a bit barmy, even for a child…"
"Dad, your British is showing!" giggled the boy.
The Briton recognized it as a phrase his American wife always said. As they pulled into the parking lot next to the park, he couldn't help but smile. Responding like any true father, he opened the sliding door, undid his son's seatbelt, and began tickling him mercilessly.
"Then I'll have to bake you into scones!"
"No fair! The Hero wasn't ready!" Alfred laughed and squealed from the sneak attack. "Cheeeeeeater!"
Wanna play?
Antonio and Lovino lived within walking distance of the park, so it was often a favorite place to visit (even if the little tsundere never would admit it). Lovino was so excited about the tomatoes and churros for lunch he forgot to yell at Antonio for holding his hand the entire way there. Of course when they arrived, Lovino was quick to attack his uncle for a tomato.
"Ah! Lovinito! Please stop climbing me!" the Spaniard tried to balance his tote bag in one arm and his squirming nephew in the other. "I'll get this set up and call you over in a minute. You go play for a bit, okay?"
Lovino pouted once more, but accepted the tomato Antonio handed over to pacify him. He huffed, but obeyed. Stupid Antonio would probably drop their lunch and ruin it otherwise. The Italian wandered over to the unoccupied sandbox, avoiding the swings that were already taken by some big kids. Like hell he wanted anyone taking his delicious tomato!
"Bastardos…" He plopped himself down and began eating the red fruit, watching a van pull into the parking lot with little interest.
The very instant Alfred was set down he became a human tornado, running laps around his father, who pulled his backpack out of the van with practiced ease. If there was one thing he could count on, it was for his son to have an endless amount of energy from the crack of dawn to bed time. It was almost as if he ran on batteries some days.
"Okay, Alfred, we're crossing the parking lot, so I need your hand, please."
"Roger that!" the tiny blonde saluted and held his father's hand.
Arthur had learned long ago that Alfred tended to listen better if he thought he was helping out or playing the hero. To this day, the Briton was convinced his son thought he was holding hands for his father's safety, not his own. Whatever kept him from running into traffic…
Alfred led/dragged Arthur over to their favorite spot underneath a large oak tree near the slides. It was shady, relaxing, and provided a good view of the park. It was also close enough for Arthur to quickly dash over to any of the play equipment for those times Alfred tried to 'fly like Superman' off the top of the jungle gym or swing set.
"You can go ahead and play while I sort things out here, Alfred," Arthur patted his boy on the head and set the backpack down, digging out their designated 'park quilt.'
"Okay!"
When left to his own devices, Alfred eyed up the playground. There weren't very many people here today. Two big boys on the swings and a boy around his age building something in the sand. Potential playmate in his sights, Alfred excitedly bounded over to the lone boy in the sandbox. As he got closer, the brunette eyed him cautiously, so Alfred offered him a hand to show his good intentions.
"Wanna play?"
A/N
Hope you liked the first chapter, there's loads more cuteness and moe moments where that came from! I know this chapter was quite short, but it was supposed to be more like a prologue. After the little cuties start playing together, chapters will get longer.
Now then, about when Arthur said "Then I'll have to bake you into scones!" …Cute fatherly saying or legit threat? Is Chibimerica so cute he could just gobble him up?
-Rajikka
Translations
Chiquito – Little boy (Sp.)
Bastardo – Bastard (It.)
Tsundere – A type of character seen in anime or manga known for appearing cold or hostile, but having a hidden sweet side. "Tsun Tsun" is the aloof or irritable side, while "Dere Dere" is the lovey dovey side. (Jp.)
Churros – Cinnamon sugar-coated crack. Okay, not really, but I dare you to eat just one. Some people call them "Spanish Doughnuts" since they're basically a fried dough pastry.
Sobrino – Nephew (Sp.)