Foster Brothers

Liam Scot Kirkland - 22

Patrick & Fiona Aideen Kirkland (Ireland twins) -21

James Kirkland (Wales) -17

Arthur Kirkland- 14/15

Alfred Jones- 10/11

Chapter One

Mrs. Kirkland was distressed. Her second to youngest son was going off to the university and in about three more years her baby boy would too. Her five children where her life, but she didn't realize how fast they grew, leaving her without. Now she wanted one more.

"Are you bloody mad?" exclaimed Mr. Kirkland at the dinner table. "Although still gorgeous, it's too dangerous for another baby," he attempted to amend then looked to his two remaining sons for help.

James, the seventeen year old who'd leave in a few months, nodded as he chewed his food. "That's a lot of responsibility for your age. Could you get up in the middle of the night for a screaming child when your bones are acting up? Besides, what if the baby turns out emo like Art. Could your heart handle it once more?"

"I'm not emo you, twit," Arthur glared at him through his eyeliner. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkland had long given up trying to clean Arthur's vocabulary and allowed him to continue with his opinion. "A pet would be more beneficial, like a kitten or puppy."

"Why? We already have you," James laughed at his fourteen year old brother. "Hold on, why don't you just wait until Scot or Patrick knock up some girl or better yet, Fiona gets pregnant? Then you'll get a grandchild without having so much work to do."

"So much faith in your siblings," Mr. Kirkland rolled his eyes. "Even at twenty-two, Liam has never had a steady relationship while Patrick's single and Fiona doesn't believe in childbearing at the moment. I think we'd have more of a chance with either of you." He knew more than he wanted to know of his children's sex life, especially James's and Arthur's. "But I don't want any from you two any time soon."

As they finished their meal, Mrs. Kirkland clapped her hands, it's settled then! We adopt!"

"No."

"Foster a child? Oh please, Henry. Just one more child. We have plenty of funds."

"Fine, but you have to research and tell me everything," Mr. Kirkland was still very much in love with his wife that he looked way from her with a blush. No matter how hard he tried, he could never resist anything of her.

She jumped out of her chair to give him a kiss and a hug. "Thank you, thank you! Leave it all to me! I know this great little international one where Marie Bonnefoy adopted a cute little Canadian boy." She giggled as clapped her hand once more. "Actually," she couldn't keep it a secret, "I've already asked for a little American boy! His name is Alfred F. Jones and all I have to do is get you to sign it!"

"What?" All three males had either choked on or spit out their tea.

"You aren't going to wait until Arthur's out of Sixth Form?" Mr. Kirkland asked.

"You had this planned all along?" Arthur dropped his fork.

"Why another boy and American?" James asked, calmer than his father or brother.

"Well soon after Arthur was born, I sold most of Fiona's old dresses. I still have Arthur's primary school clothing and toys so a little boy seemed most logical." She sat back down to explain the long story. "Alfred's parents have passed away, but his grandfather actually lives here in England. Unfortunately, he's too old to care for Alfred. I just thought if we fostered or adopted him, he'd still be somewhat close to an actual family member and have a shot at a new family. He was raised as an only child, but now he can have five older siblings who will love him and teach him."

"And he looks so adorable!" She finished, pulling out a small picture of the boy grinning so wide.

They stared at her.

"Mum," James was the first to speak, "that's really nice of you, but Art was raised with four older siblings. He didn't exactly turn out to be the adorably little boy you thought he'd be."

A protest was made by said teen as his mother walked over to him to plant a kiss on his head. "I still love you, poppet."

"Art might even scared the poor boy to death with the tongue piercing," he continued. "Dear eldest brother, Liam Scot, was a strict elder brother to us, so I can only wonder how he'd take to this new member. Twins, Patrick and Fiona Aideen, mostly cared for themselves. When they even tried to be good to little children, they'd scare them for some reason, especially Fiona. And I will rarely be here, but even if I was, I'm a teenager and would rather not hang out with the little lad."

After he finished his little rant, he saw the water in her eyes ready to overfill. "He is cute," he salvaged.

Mr. Kirkland agreed with the last part. "That he is, my love," he soothed. "But since you seem to have everything under control, why not? How old is he and when will he be here?"

Her face brightened and explained as she played with Arthur's hair. "Alfred's ten years old, will be eleven in about three months and he'll arrive on Arthur's birthday! That is if we finish the paperwork soon."

Arthur groaned, he already had plans for his fifteenth birthday and hoped he didn't have to be part of the welcoming comity.

~1~

Twenty-nine days later, Arthur stood next to his father and brother at the airport. His mother had flown over to New York to pick up the boy and would be arriving any moment with a small boy at hand.

He wasn't too glad to be there on his birthday, but at least his parents did get him that electric guitar he had been saving for. Scot had even called to wish him a happy birthday and told him to expect a present from him in the mail.

"Of course, be careful with it around the lad," Scot had chuckled before they parted. Now Arthur was deathly curious as to what his brother had gotten him. Knowing him, however, it was probably more makeup. Fiona and Patrick had sent all sorts of products, including various shades of lipstick and eyeshadow. Haha. They were so funny.

Arthur sighed, looking out at the cold rain through the window. There goes peace and quiet once James is away at the university. The little brat is probably spoiled due to being an only child, Arthur said to himself. Maybe he will be scared of me and leave me alone.

"They're coming!" The father happily exclaimed as he looked at his cell phone.

The fifteen year old tore himself away from the window to stand by two-sevenths of his family, two-eighths now he supposed.

They saw Mrs. Kirkland first through the crowd, but once it parted, they could spot the little boy skipping happily beside her, holding her hand and talking animatedly. She bent and pointed towards her family, letting go of his hand.

Little Alfred took off running towards them and practically tackled Arthur to the ground. "Happy birthday, Artie!" He mumbled into his chest then looked up, revealing his sky blue eyes. "Thank you for coming to see me! I know you could have been with your friends at Chuck E. Cheese or somethin'."

The combination of his cyan eyes and the bright smile was enough to clench his heart and brighten his disposition. "Arthur, my name is not Artie," the teen was surprised at the lack of venom in his voice. Already he had softened up for the American.

"Oh, okay, Arthur," Alfred grinned. "My name is Alfred Foster Jones! Kinda ironrie, huh? Since I'm in a foster program."

"Ironic," Arthur corrected once more. He realized their arms were still wrapped around each other and let go. "I suppose it is a little ironic, but uh..." Arthur could see the joy on his parents' faces that they were getting along. "Don't touch me, please."

Disappointment flashed across his face, but Alfred continued to smile and moved onto the next person. "Hello, you must be James! Thank you for letting me take your spot! I hope you have fun at college."

"What? You little-"

James was cut off by his mother, "Now James..."

Alfred giggled.

The elder teen sighed, "Well I hope you have fun with emo here." His laughter returned when Arthur punched him in the arm.

"Thank you papa Kirkland for fostering me," Alfred unleashed the biggest, most cutest smile Mr. Kirkland had ever seen (aside from his own children of course). "I can call you Papa Kirkland right?"

"Of course my boy," he ruffled Alfred's hair as the adults led him to the baggage claim.

The two teenage boys stared at him with disbelief. The little bugger had already won their parents over and had forgotten their teenage sons. They could hardly imagine how it'd be like in a few more years.

"Well good luck with him," James slapped his little brother's back. "Just don't get so jealous of the lad; it'd be pretty pathetic."

He started to walk away from Arthur when the punk teen smirked. "I know, you guys did look pretty pathetic when mum fussed over me. It was very sad how you broke all those things to get her attention. If only you were a little more like m-"

The punch to his mouth knocked his balance, but not before latching onto his brother's sleeve and pulling him down with him. Fists and kicks were thrown, drawing attention to them. A few security police began to move towards them, causing Alfred to turn while the adult Kirklands gathered the bags.

He could hardly believe it; the scene was just like he had seen in one of his comic books. With adrenaline pumping through him, Alfred shot toward them in an attempt to stop them. As he pushed through the distressed crowd he saw his chance to intervene while the security tried to hold them down and failing.

In a split second he had decided he'd protect Arthur. After all, he was the only one to hug him back earlier and there was something about his eyes that he liked.

Just as James was about to punch Arthur again, Alfred slapped the arm away with two rapid motions, redirecting the fist and giving the officer a chance to detain James and Arthur. The two thrashing boys froze the second they saw the angry looks on their parent's faces. Quietly, so they weren't over heard by their parents, they begged to be incarcerated. The officers chucked, but gave them no liberation. They thanked Alfred for his assistance as well, making him beam as he examined he had been in tai-khan- do for a few years.

The ride home had been an awkward one for everyone except Alfred. He chatted away as if nothing had happened while looking out the windows at the new country. At one point he had turned go look out of Arthur's window when he noticed the bruise forming on the right side of his mouth and spotted the dried blood on his lip. He reached up and pulled on Arthur's chin as to direct him to turn away from the window and towards him. The scowl on his face deepened as he looked at the small boy before him.

"What do you want?"

He didn't answer, but kissed the tips of his fingers then placed them on the bruise and smiled.

Arthur sputtered in shock while James laughed, witnessed it all in the back seat. Alfred swiveled to look at him and spotted another forming in between his nose and eye. "You want one too?" Again he repeated the action and attempted to touch the bruise, but James moved away from him. "My mommy used to do it to make it go away faster."

The fact that the orphan mentioned his diseased mother caused James to stop dodging. Alfred placed his fingers on the beige of his nose, the closest he could get without removing his seatbelt. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkland nearly melted at the scene before them again as the three boys seemed to be getting along. Mrs. Kirkland especially loved it since it was like an indirect kiss between new brothers.

The moment was ruined however when James opened his mouth. "Don't worry; I could have just stolen some of Art's make up to cover it up."

"You never learn do you?" Arthur tightened his fist, threatening him. "I don't have makeup!"

Alfred was about to intervene once more before Mrs. Kirkland sighed heavily. "What happened to my cute little boys who would play together? You and Arthur still get in trouble together now, but at least it was you two against Fiona back when you were younger."

"Oh right," Mr. Kirkland recalled, chuckling. "They used to steal her dolls and play with them. And Fiona would get so furious and chase them around the block. She finally grew out of them and the two of you split the rations evenly."

Alfred snickered. "They played with dolls? Not action figures, but Barbies? "

She smiled at her new son, "You can play with them too I you like. I'm sure Arthur might have a few in the back of his closet, long forgotten. Oh, maybe if you really ask him nicely he'll make new clothes for them as well. He's great with sewing and embroidering."

The little boy blushed and shook his head wildly. "No way, no how. Heroes don't play with girl dolls. Rescue them maybe, but not play with them. But can you make me a superhero costume? Pretty, pretty please with lots of sugar and cherries on top! I'll love you forever !"

Arthur's crossed arms slackened as he watched and heard the small American. He could not believe the boy was already asking something of him, and in such an adorable manner. With a small blush, he tightened his arms and huffed away, "Fine, but not because I like you, want you to love me, or anything. I just get the feeling you'll keep pestering me if I don't do it."

"Yep! I would!" Alfred extended his arms as wide as he could in the vehicle and hugged the teen. "Thanks Art! I'll still love you guys thought no matter what you say."

"Nn," he wiggled a bit as to shake Alfred loose, but he wouldn't move. After a while he noticed the boy had fallen asleep with his head resting on his shoulder. Unconsciously, Arthur ran a hand through Alfred's sandy hair, removing it from his face as the American sighed.

A camera flashed, causing Arthur to pull his hand away too fast and jostling Alfred onto his lap. He glared up at his mother as she giggled, removing the camera from sight. "You were so cute. You can't blame me."

Through out the rest of the drive he remained asleep. Even when they arrived to his new home, no one was able to wake him up. Arthur even shook the boy, but Alfred only latched onto his shirt, snuggling into Arthur's stomach.

"Would you take the boy to his bed?" His father opened the door. "You can carry him right? You know I'm not in the shape I used to be."

Without any other option, he complied and attempted to carry the boy up three flights of stairs. While his parents and brother took up smaller and lighter bags of Alfred's belongings, Arthur took twice as long as them to carry one boy. He was heavier than he looked, but he had no real idea how much an eleven year old should weight. At the end of it however, Arthur was proud he had done it. He had never tested his strength, so carrying the boy without breaking such a big sweat was a great accomplishment.

Once Arthur had dropped the boy onto his new bed, still fast asleep to Arthur's surprise, he looked around Scot's former room. White stars were painted onto the light blue side of the wall his bed rested on. The other two walls were the same blue except for the white wall that the door was on. The wall and the stars were a special type of paint that allowed it to be used as a dry erase board, a new feature to his own room as well.

In fact, the room was mirrored to his own right next to Alfred's room. I hope he doesn't kick the wall in his sleep or else I'll hear it. He continued to look at he organisation of the room. Sigh, there goes my clean bathroom. Perhaps I could train him.

He turned back to look at the boy as he stirred. Slowly, he opened his eyes,then closed them back quickly, a blush forming. When he opened them again he grinned up at Arthur. "Sorry for falling asleep, dude. That was kinda embarrassing... Oh, is this our room?"

Arthur shook his head and knocked on the bathroom door in his room. "No, you have the room to yourself, but we share the bathroom. One warning though, don't go into my room through here. If you need me then I prefer you to walk through the hallway to get to me. If you must go through the bathroom, be sure I give you permission to enter... or else. Any questions? No? Very well. I'll let you unpack.

"One more thing," Arthur grabbed a dry erase marker from Alfred's new desk and wrote on the wall before walking out. "Welcome to your new home."

I amz Mexican-American so I do not pretend to know a lot about English culture... I like to think I've had Anglomania, and I slightly do, but not enough to be accurate. So my apologies. I tried thanks to an English essay I had to write and interviewed wonderful people, and me just looking up stuff when I was younger...

Soooooo...What have I done? I started a new story when I have others I should be working on... Sorries... I couldn't help it, l love their love too much! I think I should stick to reading fanfic instead... But thank you to those who did read this and like it! I'll continue it for you and my own amusement if that the only thing for me to do... soon, well it seems to be flowing out of me a lot quicker than others... Thanks-a-tons agains!

*If anyone wants ideas to write UsUk/UkUs fanfic, I have truck loads of 'em! Although maybe they're not as awesome as I think they are...*

I will never own anything as awesome as Hetalia.