To say Arthur was not good with the outdoors would be a flat out lie. He was just used to that of England's forestry. It was much tamer in his neck of the woods (no pun intended) and he had yet to see the wildness of America. But while visiting his long distance boyfriend Alfred, he had met the backwoods face-to-face.

Or, rather, foot-to-root-to-face. And that was how Arthur found himself with a twisted ankle and in the arms of Alfred.

"What are you doing?" Arthur squawked. He struggled, but stopped when he felt a sharp pain up his leg. "P-put me down…"

Alfred smirked down at Arthur. "Please. Arthur, you're not fooling anyone. That was a hard fall and your ankle is already swollen and your nose is still bleeding."

"Bleeding?" Arthur moved to touch his face. He pulled away with a hiss at the sting that raced across his cheeks. When his hand moved back, there was fresh blood trickling down his fingers. "Oh hell. Do you have a handkerchief?"

Alfred smirked sarcastically. "Yeah, because everyone in America carries one of those. How old are you?"

"Oh shut up!" Arthur held his hands over his nose, cursing slightly at the slight pain. "This was a stupid idea! How could you think I'd enjoy this? Hiking with you out in this God forsaken land. So ridiculous."

The blonde America was quiet as he easily made his way through the hiking trail. He sighed when they reached a fork in the road. Alfred looked back and forth between the two pathways, sighing in frustration. Arthur looked too, ignoring the serene beauty around him. He looked up at Alfred when the larger man placed him on a flat boulder just off the path.

"Wait here. I don't know which way it is so I'm gonna run on ahead and see if I can find the car." Alfred smiled brightly. He then pulled his shirt off, handing it out to Arthur. "Here, this is for your nose."

Arthur looked away, snatching the shirt. His face heated up to see a bare chested Alfred before him. Not the best idea to have blood rush to his head. He stuffed the T-shirt against his nose, mumbling a thanks to Alfred.

The man gave a quick kiss to Arthur's face before he trotted off. Arthur watched his retreating back (no, it wasn't glistening from sweat) before sighing and looking up. The sun was filtering through the leaves of the redwood trees; trees only seen in the Western states of America. Alfred lived in California and had always bragged about the nature in his area. When Arthur first visited his boyfriend, the man preferred to take his beloved to the city and show him the sights. Second time around, they chose to just stay at Alfred's apartment the majority of the time and be intimate.

This was the third time and Alfred had finally settled on the fact they were just going to go hiking whether Arthur wanted to do it or not. Of course Arthur didn't object to it. He had been curious since seeing photos of the outdoors online. It wasn't until he was fully immersed in the habit that was America's wild frontier that he saw it was a bad idea. His idea of hiking was really just a brisk walk through the country side through a park like the ones he saw online. Alfred, though, saw it more as going off the beaten path and truly roughing it.

A sudden overwhelming sense of pure silence encompassed all of Arthur's body, as if the country of America was apologizing for its wilderness being too rough for the Englishman. Faint twitters from birds not seen in his home country echoed around Arthur. He glanced at the ferns and the soft bark, almost wanting to reach out and pet the fur-like exterior. In the distance was a gentle twinkling of a river.

There was a twinge of a smile that pulled on Arthur's lips. It may not have had everything that his home did, but that was what made it so special. This nature held beauties unlike anywhere else. And it was where Alfred lived and loved to revel in. Even back when the boys met online through an online gaming website, Alfred had boasted about where he lived, probably in hopes of impressing Arthur.

It hadn't worked, but either way, Arthur was here now. With a twisted ankle, a bloody nose, and the urge to have Alfred return to his side. He was growing cold and nervous. What if something had happened to him? Sure the boy could take care of himself, but what if he had tripped and fallen off a cliff?

Arthur gasped, standing up on instinct. He cried out in pain, but refused to sit. Instead, he balanced on one foot and started hopping towards the path that Alfred had run off, but only got three hops before Alfred had suddenly run back.

He stopped short, gasping in surprise. "Arthur! What're you doing? Sit back down!"

Arthur wobbled on his one foot, relieved to see that Alfred wasn't hurt. But his leg suddenly gave out. The ground rushed towards him and a sense of déjà vu struck him. Luckily, Alfred was there with his large biceps to take Arthur easily back into his arms.

"Arthur! What the hell?" Alfred looked so worried, his glasses hanging askew on his face. "I was only gone like five minutes. Did you really miss me that much?"

"N-no." Arthur looked away, his face hot again. "I just…this place…creeps me out."

Alfred sighed, but offered a smile. "Well, I found the car so we can go home. I bet you never want to come back here again."

Arthur felt a small twinge of guilt. Sure, he didn't enjoy the hike and failed to notice the beauty of the California wildlife, but it was still one of the few times he and Alfred were together, unbridled by the restrains of online talking or phone conversations or the rare Skype conversation. He wanted to come back again when he was more prepared and used to the difference.

"I wouldn't say that," Arthur mumbled. "I mean… you like this sort of stuff… I guess if… you could do a few things I like… I could try my hand at this hiking stuff again…"

"You mean like real hiking stuff?" Alfred's grin widened as he hugged Arthur closer to him.

"Yes, yes. Whatever." Arthur then realized he was pressed awfully close to Alfred's chest.

Alfred's bare chest.

"H-hey, why don't you take the long way?" Arthur asked as his finger swirled against his soft skin. "I-I mean, I didn't get to see enough of these redwood trees you kept going on about."

Alfred barked out that laugh sending Arthur into a fit of embarrassment and hiding his face behind the bloody shirt. "Sure thing, Artie. After I wrap up your foot we can take a drive up the mountain or something and watch the sunset. And I'll totally give ya a blow-job or something ."

Arthur smacked Alfred on the chest sending the boy into a fit of loud, raucous laughter, completely breaking the calm serenity that was the forest. However, Arthur found he couldn't complain one bit.

Hoshiko2's cents: Whew, almost didn't make it to today's prompt. Sorry about that, but work and all.

So another homage to my home state. Gotta love the northern part of this place. It truly is a wonder to behold. BTW, the gaming place I mentioned is totally a bump to my pal, kanta, for her series that she wrote for me in response to my story I wrote for her. Check it out here: ht tp :/ / naphathalene. livejournal. com/548. html# cutid1