Crumbs and Scones Shall Lead you Home
Synopsis: US/Uk Muliti chapter, Hurt/Comfort story beginning with American Revolution. This is a story I've wanted to develop for a long time, but this is only my second fic overall, so bear with me. I've wanted to write a story concerning the classic scenario of America's weight insecurities. However, I want to steer away from the scenario where, America gets teased in a World Meeting about his weight, then runs home crying and/or developments an eating disorder. I don't want to write a feeding fetish story either. Rather, I want to develop a scenario where America battles a lifelong (well centuries long) psychological dependency on food, and subsequently developments insecurities regarding his body image. But rather than have him develop a full blown eating disorder, I'm working on a more complex development of American resorting to food as a coping mechanism, due to experiencing long periods of isolation, especially with his Guardian/Parent being away for so long, and watching his friends grow up and grow away from him. The prologue highlights much of the backstory behind England's established relationship with Young America, as well as the years building up to the 1760s, where tensions grew with Parliament. I admit I'm rather rusty on American History, it seems like APUSH was so long ago...
Anyhow, again, this is my first multi chapter story, so reviews and critique regarding consistency, dialogue and development will all be greatly appreciated. :)
Warning: Body shaming, emotional abuse.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. Characters are own by Himaruya Hidekaz.
Prologue
In a lovely little townhouse in the New England countryside, not far from Boston Harbor, there lived a curious little boy by the name of Alfred F. Jones. He was a robust, rosy, and plump young lad, who appeared to be no more than seven or eight years old, with an enormous appetite for food, for adventure, and for life.
For many years, it seemed that the boy may have been orphaned, or perhaps taken on as an apprentice of some sort. But curiosity naturally aroused among colonists, as the boy never seemed to age. If anything, the boy seemed to grow a bit rounder every year, instead of taller. Rumors of witchcraft, though greatly subsided since the reign of Puritan hysteria, still persisted in the fledgling colonies.
Eternal youth…was it truly possibly to attain? Or was Leon's vain quest for the Fountain of Youth merely a legend spurred by the hysteria of witchcraft? But this world was young, was different from the Old World. The borders of nations, of kingdoms and empires, which seemed so clearly defined in the Old World, did not persist in this one. Indeed, it was not until the establishment of the thirteen American Colonies that borders even began to exist in this new world.
And the notion of identity in this new world…Indeed, how were the colonists to identify themselves? What were they to call themselves? Englishman hailed from England, and spoke English, Frenchmen from France, and so forth.
But the men and women of the new world, they were different. They resembled the Europeans in dress, appearance, and in language, yet, generations emerged whereupon fair skinned descendants of Europe could no longer call themselves Europeans, as they were born and raised in this new world, not in the old….
As such, there was something about this curious lad, Alfred, that no longer roused suspicion, but wonder… No longer did young Alfred seem exotic to them, but rather he seemed to emulate them. A pale blonde boy, with blue eyes that seemed to reflect the American skies.
Before England officially settled and seized control of the thirteen colonies, young Alfred spoke in a nordic dialect that has long since died out, a dialect even he no longer remembers.
It was then that the American colonists began to understand that this boy exemplified a new land, with new customs and identities, and perhaps one day, a new nation.
Though he now embodied a new identity for the people inhabiting his lands, young Alfred was very difficult to contain. Though he frequented the outskirts of Boston the most, Alfred was also known to gambol about the entire New England Countryside, as well the scenic towns along the Hudson in New York. Indeed, Alfred preferred to roam Colony to Colony, seeking adventure.
But for this New World to thrive, the colonists would have to contain this young representative, and require him to settle down according to the norms of civilized society.
It was then that young Alfred was forced to attend…school, which really frustrated the poor boy. Though he was considered a darling among the ladies of the town, Alfred struggled to get along with many of the children in the village in which he lived, and at the schoolhouse at which he attended. In those days, children of all ages were thrust into the same school room, though generally provided age appropriate lessons. Though this one room school house set up was initially comforting to Alfred, given that he himself had been around for over a century, and did not mature at the same rate of normal human children. Even so, Alfred was often teased by other children. He was rather slow to learn, and formal lessons with geography, arithmetic, and all that rot was incredibly difficult and boring to him. Indeed, the boy much preferred to hear tales of adventure and heroism, and to learn by exploring and experimenting.
As such, Jolly Olde England himself agreed it was high time the boy receive a proper education, and it no longer had time to take it upon himself to do so as his presence was required in his homeland, and thus could no longer detain himself for months at a time in the colonies.
At first, young America complied, but as the years went on, England's visits became shorter and less frequent. The young colony grew weary of lessons and grammar, as the more tutors attempted to bombard him with instruction, the more insecure he grew about his lack of ability. And unfortunately, this insecurity only escalated when Alfred was forced to attend school. Even the younger children seemed to grasp these new concepts more quickly than he, and many of them would quickly move on to more advanced lessons. Alfred, as such, remained in the same school room, whereupon months turned years, and the once cheerful and outgoing young lad became withdrawn, and very depressed.
And upon returning to his lovely New England country home, Alfred found solace in food.
Indeed, England saw to it that the boy was looked after. Every morning, he was provided a solid breakfast of bacon, eggs, grits, and flapjacks. He would secretly munch on fruit and pastries throughout the school day, and then return home to delightful feast of whatever he wanted.
He could pack away seven lamb chops, eleven helpings of potatoes, at least half a loaf of bread, a whole basket of dumplings, and 5 helpings of strudel for dessert.
The servants preparing his meals simply chocked up his enormous appetite to his being a growing boy and all. After all, sooner or later he would grow into a powerful man, perhaps more powerful than Great Britain himself. But perhaps, they did not realize, or did not want to, that the rosy, robust lad was growing into a fat little butterball, which led to his being teased at school, his inability to keep up with active play with other children, and more profoundly, a dangerous cycle of depression, indulgence, and shame.
By the 1740s, England's visits always brought with them a sharp sense of urgency and expectation. Both at which, filled young America with a deep sense of foreboding.
Whereupon one time, the island nation would, upon seeing his charge rushing toward him, hold out his arms with a brilliant smile, and receive the boy in a gracious tackle hug.
But now, it seemed that, upon seeing his charge when he returned to the American Colonies, Great Britain became more distant and reserved. Indeed, young America became rather uneasy under the gaze of Sovereign Nation, especially with the way those penetrating green eyes would fixate upon him during meal times. Needless to say, young Alfred was well aware that he was….well fed. But food and toys became his crux. His interactions with other children became less frequent what with the constant teasing, and watching his few friends grow up and grow away from him.
Needless to say, in the present year of 1764, The young American Colony had become very anxious about seeing Mr. Britain again. He had grown quite a few inches, but his tummy bulged quite noticeably beneath his sweater, and his bottom wobbled whenever he walked. And he was behind in his schooling. He hated maths, and refused to learn cursive. What was the point in learning all new letters, when he already knew how to read?
Oh well, the lad hardly had time to worry about that now. The ships were docking soon, and the old Englishman would soon be in a rather cantankerous mood, so the household servants were scrambling to get everything in order upon his arrival.
The American Colonies were no longer just a haphazard string of villages, struggling to survive.
No, they were now subordinates to the Mother Country, Great Britain. And they had to represent and answer to Great Britain as such.
Order and proper government were required, and Ladies and Gentlemen were to present themselves as such. Though they were eager to please and present themselves accordingly to Britain himself, there was a great deal of discord regarding tensions with Parliament, regarding the Stamp Tax the year prior. However, the American Colonists now eagerly awaited the Great Brit himself, as he always brought goods tidings from England and the outside world.
And that is where our story begins, regarding the dawning of the American Revolution, a war for Independence, and a rift between parent and child.