A/N: There are three arcs planned for this story so far. I will warn you though, the timeline is completely disjointed, so nothing will ever be in order. There will always be hints to tell you where Alfred (America) and Arthur (England) are in the timeline.

Points for anyone who can figure out:

(1) Where the chapter titles are from

(2) Who all the human countries are based on name

(3) The general concept of this fic

Reversal

[Chapter 1- Morning]

"Artie, time to wakey wakey, eggs and bakey."

The cheerful voice drifted into the quaint room. Gentle sunlight poured over the floors in puddles from between the thick, forest green curtains. The faint light accented the shimmery green wallpaper and light brown carpet. A single beam of light managed to reflect off the mirror on the cherry-wood dresser directly into the sleepy eyes of the being under the thick green quilt.

With an irritated grunt, the human rolled over and buried his face in his pillow.

The white door to the room creaked quietly as it opened. A tall blonde in a black muscle shirt and camo cargo pants leaned against the door frame. His silver dog tags caught the sunlight.

"Come on, Artie~!" He teased quietly. "Didn't you want to go to the park today?"

An incoherent mumble sounded from the pillow.

"What was that?" The man mocked lightly, grinning like an idiot. He crossed his arms playfully and waited for the inevitable response.

Grumpily, the bed's inhabitant sat up with a sleep-ruffled appearance. "It's too early for the park," he muttered, a slight British lilt to his voice.

"Yeah, it is. But you still need to get dressed and come down for breakfast," the adult smiled warmly. Artie was so cute with his little flannel pajamas and fluffy, uncombed hair.

"Fine." The six year old sleepily made his way to the closet and stared at the clothing with a blank expression. "Well?"

"Too tired to make the hard choices, huh?" Alfred teased and finally made his way into the room. He easily scooped the small boy up and settled him on his hip. "What were you thinking?"

"My vest," Arthur replied tiredly and laid his head against the man's shoulder. "And my boots."

"And the boots. Of course," the man replied with fond exasperation. "Why don't you wear a button up shirt with the vest, some shorts because we'll be at the park, and those long socks you like?"

"I guess," the child yawned.

"Man, you really are tired," Alfred snorted and shifted the boy so he could gather the correct pieces of clothing. "Must of been all that partying you did last night."

"I did no such thing!" The six year old cried, indignant. "Mint Bunny would never allow such a thing, and Brownie would worry terribly!"

"I'm kidding, kid. Geez, loosen up," the taller blonde laughed lightly. Artie could be a real snot sometimes, but only when they were in private. It just showed how far he had come...

When Alfred had the correct pieces of clothing, he stood Arthur on the bed and started to help him get dressed. The boy moodily pushed his hands away, struggling to do the buttons himself.

"I'm six now. I can get dressed by myself," he snapped quietly. Eventually, he got his pajamas off, and the twenty-year old passed him his clothing for the day. The boy tried hard, and he would have done it too if he hadn't missed a button and done his whole shirt incorrectly.

Al just laughed and helpfully pointed out the problem. The smaller blonde blushed furiously and went about fixing the buttons. When he was finally dressed, he hopped down from the bed to pull on his bright yellow rain boots. They were a gift from Uncle Mattie since his birthday was a few months ago, and he wanted to wear them every day.

Arthur then went to wash his face and brush his hair. Finally, the blue eyed man scooped him up and carried him down the stairs to their cozy kitchen. The walls were a warm, pale yellow- a suggestion from Ivan who lived down the street- and their oak table took up most of the space in the middle of the room. The boy was set down by the silverware drawer; he went about setting the table as Alfred dished their plates.

Inquisitive green eyes watched the man's movements. "What are we having this morning?" Their owner asked.

"Mattie finally sent me his pancake recipe so I thought I'd try 'em out, ya know?" The bespectacled blonde placed Arthur's portion in front of him. Before taking his seat at the table, he spun the dial on the old-fashioned radio and pleasant music flooded the quiet atmosphere.

"You wanna pray today, Artie?" Alfred questioned when they were both seated. Whether God existed or not was yet to be determined, but the blondes had agreed it might be smart to do so anyway.

"Um, sure," Arthur agreed quietly. He clasped his hands together carefully and bowed his head. "Uh, Dear Lord, thank you for today and for everything you've given to us. T-thank you for giving me Alfred and Mattie and all the nice people. Thank you for our food and our house and all our other things. Um, please bless this food to our bodies. In Your name, Amen." The six year old stumbled awkwardly over the words and he was blushing by the end, but Alfred just quietly said 'Amen' in agreement and thanked him.

The blondes let the radio's music wash over them as they are their breakfast in silence. If they had been at Alfred's ma's house, the table would have been full of the neighborhood's children and happy conversation. It always felt weird to eat quietly after being raised in such a way, but Al respected that Arthur wanted to eat in silence. (Hence the radio, or else Al would have gone absolutely nuts.) Apparently, in England, it was rude to talk at the table, and that's how Arthur had been raised. Al had accepted that fact and let the six year old do as he pleased.

Breakfast was over in a few minutes, and the duo cleared the table together. Alfred washed the dishes and passed them to Arthur to be dried. A new song came on the radio.

First, Al just bounced a bit, swaying to the beat. Then, he was humming which of course led to singing. Eventually, he was dancing around the kitchen amidst Arthur's giggles. Halfway through he song, the man picked up the boy and began to dance with him. Shrieks of delight filled the house.

The song ended, but the playful mood remained. As they finished washing the dishes, the blondes occasionally flicked water at each other or made shapes with the soap bubbles. It made Alfred feel lighter than air to see his little brother so happy.

After the dishes were cleaned and the counters and table wiped down, the blondes retreated to the couch for some Saturday morning cartoons. Arthur sat on the floor in front of the TV, and Alfred was tempted to tell him it was bad for his eyesight just like his own ma had done. He knew it wasn't true, but still...

Fifteen minutes into a re-run of Danny Phantom, the twenty year old's phone rang. With a sigh, he excused himself from the room and answered the call.

"Hey-lo," he greeted somewhat brightly, somewhat tiredly. He slid a hand under the silver frames of his glasses to rub at his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Al, is this a bad time?" Mattie's quiet voice came across the phone. Alfred perked up immediately.

"No, of course not! I was just expecting it to be my boss or something," he responded easily. Silently, he peeked back into the living room. Arthur still sat attentively in front of the tv. Alfred always laughed when Arthur asked to watch the 'telly.'

"Oh, what were you doing?"

"Just watching cartoons with Artie."

"Yeah? How is he doing?"

"He's great! He wishes his Uncle Mattie would visit more from Canada, though."

His twin laughed.

"Of course. I'll come down as soon as I have some time. Did he like the boots?"

"You betcha," Alfred grinned. He leaned into the doorframe again and watched Arthur kick his little yellow boots back and forth. "Doesn't go a day without them."

"Oh, dear." Matthew laughed again. "And you haven't had anymore problems?"

"No, we've been good. Hey- and I'm not trying to be rude or anything- but why'd you call?"

"I just wanted to check in, hear how you were doing. It's gets lonely up here all by myself."

"Well, you've got Emil and Tino and the gang up there with you, right?"

"Of course, but Mathias is such a handful sometimes I hardly seem them anymore."

"I'm sure he'll grow out of it. You know how kids are. What did he do this time?"

"Tried to get into some of Lukas's beer." Alfred let out a startled laugh. "He swears it was in a locked cabinet. That kid..."

"Hey, it doesn't sound nearly as bad as the time with Berwald and the axe."

"I don't think anything could ever be as bad as that," Mattie chuckled. "What about you? What's the latest, the happenings?"

"Don't try to sound cool, Mattie. It's awful."

"You're ruining my fun!"

"Like all good brothers should!" The blue eyed man thought for a moment. "Arthur's doing well in the first grade. The bullying isn't nearly as bad as last year, and Ms. Vogel seems to be handling the class better, I hear."

"Really? Vash isn't causing too much trouble for her?"

"Of course he is! When has that kid ever stopped being trouble? At least he's staying out of fights. Doesn't start 'em and doesn't end 'em."

"He's got a good heart. Loves his big sister with everything's he's got."

"Hm-mm."

The brother's were silent for a moment. The Phantom theme song played in the background, and Al could clearly hear Arthur trying to sing along to the quick lyrics.

Mattie came up with another topic. "How's work?"

"Fine."

"Uh-oh, what's that mean?"

"How are you so perceptive?"

"Don't change the subject. What happened? Is your job okay?" The older twin fretted.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Al sighed. He rubbed wearily at his forehead. "I had a small, tiny really, confrontation with my boss."

"Mr. Galante?" Matthew sounded surprised. "But he's so timid!"

"Exactly! He was letting some of the newbies push him around, and I tried to talk to him about it."

"Is he alright? What did he say?"

"He was fine. He told me he could take care of himself. Turns out he's amazing at poker."

"What? What does that have to do with anything?"

"The company game? In the break-room? Haven't I told you about this?" Al scratched his head as he tried to recall.

"No, you haven't," Mattie confirmed.

"Well there's a poker game every evening at nine," Alfred explained. "It's been going on for years. I don't go myself; you know how Ma feels about gambling, and it would be a terrible example for Artie."

"And?"

"And so every night, some of the guys get together and play poker. The newbies showed up and tried to get everyone's money. They almost did too, but Raivis stepped in and won all of it back in a snap. For all his shaking and shivering, the guy's got a mean poker face."

"That sounds cool. What did he do with the money?"

"Gave it back to everyone!"

"Wow!"

"It earned him some real respect and points with the ladies. I heard from Feliks that he's got a date with Ms. Vogel this Saturday."

"That's good. I hope they're happy," the lighter twin's voice was warm. "I heard from Feliks too."

"Yeah? What did he say?" The blue eyed man grinned and let himself lean against the wall.

"He caught up with Toris again."

"No! No way!" The twenty-year old was instantly off the wall again. He let out an excited laugh. "What happened? Did he tell you?"

"They made up. Toris agreed to leave his stupid girlfriend and move back in."

"Thank the Lord," Al sighed contentedly and leaned back against the wall once more. "I was afraid we'd lost him there for a while. It's good for him to get out of a relationship like that."

"I'm sure Feliks will give him the familiar support he needs right now. It's going to be hard," Matthew agreed.

"Hey, if you heard from Toris, just tell him he's always welcome here. We've got a spare room I always keep open."

"I know you do, Al."

There was another brief silence before Arthur bounded out into the hall.

"Alfred!" He whined. "You're missing the whole program!"

"Arthur, I'm on the phone," Alfred gave him a pointed look, and the boy blushed at his own rudeness. "It's Uncle Mattie. Do you wanna say hi?" The six year old immediately perked up and nodded eagerly. "Okay, Matt, I'm putting Artie on."

The American handed the phone over to the shorter blonde.

"Hullo, Uncle Mattie," Arthur greeted, suddenly shy. He scraped his boot covered foot across the carpet. "I'm doing well, thank you. How are you?" He smiled, and Alfred couldn't help a grin of his own. "School's good. The frog and his toads are leaving me alone." The Brit blushed, and the twenty-year old could just make out Matthew's laughter on the other end. "Yes! I love them!" The child smiled happily down at his boots. "Thank you so much!" There was a slight pause before Arthur quietly said, "I miss you, Uncle Mattie. When are you coming to visit?" He face fell a little. "Okay... Yes... Okay... I-I love you too! Bye-bye!" The boy quickly handed the phone back to Alfred and ran into the living room.

"Gosh, I know it's only been a few months, but he sounds so much older!" Matthew whined into the phone. Alfred laughed heartily.

"We've been working on his conversation skills," he informed lightly. "And his manners."

"Yeah, I can tell. Any other news we can gossip about, or should you get back?" The twins laughed.

"Well," Alfred thought for a moment before his blue eyes lit up. "Oh, how could I forget!"

"What?"

"You remember my co-worker, Ludwig, yeah?"

"The tall blonde with the organization issues?"

"That's the one. And you remember how he was looking for a roommate for his apartment?"

"Yeah?"

"Someone moved in."

"Really? Who?"

"This cute little Italian guy! He's really, really short, with these big ol' eyes, talks about pasta and art all the time! Luddy and I were talking at the water cooler about his little brother, you remember Gilbert, right? Anyway, all of the sudden, this little blur runs in and gives him this kiss on the cheek!"

"Oh no!" Matthew managed amidst his laughter. "What did he do?"

"He just turns bright red. Then, this guy, he just hands Ludwig this paper bag and is like, 'Ve~ Luddy, you forgot your lunch'," Al's impression was pretty good, but not quite perfect enough to relay the intense hilarity of the situation.

"The poor guy!" Mattie smiled.

"Ludwig just thanks him, and I'm standing there staring, ya know? So he turns to me and introduces me to Feli," Alfred emphasized the name, waiting a beat for his twin's reaction.

"No. No!" Matthew sounded delighted despite his words. "You don't mean-?"

"They're back," Alfred confirmed. "The crazy Vargas brothers have made their dramatic return."

"Maple, it's been so long!" Matthew exclaimed quietly, as lost in memories as Alfred had been.

"I was surprised I didn't recognize him," Al added. "I thought for sure we'd never see them again after Grandpa Julius passed away."

"And then they adopted the kids..."

"Do you think they've even reached first grade by now?"

"I couldn't say. We only knew them for a month before they left town..."

The brothers sighed in unison.

"Well, next time Feli comes to work I'll make sure to ask."

"Anyway, what happened?"

"Well, I introduced myself of course! And Feli recognized me- who could ever forget me?- but he had to go to his own job, so we didn't get a chance to talk."

"Aw. Well, if all else fails you can always ask Ludwig."

"True. I should probably get going. Arthur's getting impatient."

"It was nice talking to you! I'll try to come down again soon," Matthew assured.

"Don't sweat it! Love ya, bro," Alfred smiled sweetly.

"Love you too. Talk to you later."

The call ended, and Al tucked the phone in his back pocket before returning to the living room. Arthur was curled up at the base of the couch, a small nesting of blankets and pillows surrounding him.

"You call that a pillow fort?" Alfred teased. The six year old glared at him and turned his nose up haughtily.

"I think not. It's my own Ghost Portal," he announced.

"Really? And why is it on the ground?"

"Then you have to fly to get out."

"What if you can't fly?"

"Then you have to stay and become friends with a ghost."

"Yeah? What would you do?"

"I'd fly, of course!" Arthur sounded insulted, and Alfred tried hard not to laugh.

"Well maybe we better make sure!" The American cried as he scooped the boy into his arms. He held the boy up like Superman and ran around the room, powered by the child's happy squealing.

The rest of the morning was spent in a similar manner.

A/N: So what did you think? This is only the first chapter, but I like it a lot. I actually had this idea a while ago, but I didn't feel like I could do it justice until now.

The alternate name for this chapter was Routines and Interruptions. I decided against it because it clashed with the arc theme.

Also, I need a little cheering up. T^T College classes suck. I thought I did really well, but I didn't. Hopefully my essays will turn out better.

QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: Which Hogwarts house are you? I've recently gotten into Harry Potter (who will likely be mentioned at least once in this story) and I love it so much! I'm a Hufflepuff. I even have one of the house pride beanies. It's so cute! If we have to do any kind of random box making or sketching in art, I want to do the Hogwarts symbol with the four sections for the four houses. Wouldn't that be cool?