Theme One: Underwater
Alfred & Mathieu
I felt the rush as I sprinted towards that open, sparkling plain, empty save for Alfred. I felt the sickening, energizing dip as my feet left the solid, comforting dock with a tremendous creak, and I leapt out over the rippling sky-mirror. And then I felt it. As the water closed over my head, an inexorable curtain drawing me deeper into the grasp of the lake, it was there with me. For a moment, a glorious, beautiful, wonderful, amazing moment, I was suspended in that diamond clear fluid, being reborn from the womb of the world, cradled with such comforting pressure by the lake's arms. My eyes, open all the way, blinked once, twice, as I was held there, halfway between the depths that beckoned beneath me and the light that shined from above. I could vaguely hear Alfred's panicked shouting, muffled by the glory of those glassy hands that held me tight. And then, in an unexpected move (though really, I should have expected it; Alfred, despite knowing that nations cannot die, always overreacted to any sign of danger for me), he was there with me, his arms like wings, bringing him closer and closer until we floated inches apart. His eyes, bluer than they had any right to be, held sparks of anger, concern. Love. Laughter. They steadily grew wider, lighter, as he assessed my wellbeing. I smiled weakly at him. Forgive me? I mouthed. His dopey grin and two thumbs up replied.
Alfred grabbed my hands, pulling me playfully forward. And, by all rights, we should have surfaced. Our lungs should have burned, protesting the heavy abuse. But they didn't. And, as I followed Alfred deeper, swirling and spinning like young otters set free, I was so very, very glad. Our hair fanned out, spun golden clouds balanced in a nimbus about our faces. The light caught it in fawn-spots, illuminating one strand and throwing the other into deep, brassy contrast. Nantucket still stood stubborn, resisting the pull of the lake's currents. My own stubborn curl simply trailed behind me, wild and uncaring. When his azure eyes caught my own violet ones once again, I could not help but smile widely at him, shy but sure in this underwater world where nothing truly affected me. There was no Ivan to sit on me, no Gilbert to hassle me, no Papá Francis to make maudlin innuendos, nor Arthur to force burnt scones upon me. And, though I loved my family very much, sometimes…
Sometimes I just wanted to pretend I was a merman, frolicking in the depths of a lake deep in my own wilderness, without anyone to bother me except Alfred and Kumajirou. It was a blissful escape from the constant bickering of Gilbert and Elizabeta. A beloved detour from the barely resolved sexual tensions between Francis and Arthur, from the loud cussing of Lovino, to the alarming groping habits of Yong Soo.
And I simply loved this blessed silence, with water blocking out everything I didn't want to hear. I simply loved Alfred. And when he tangled his fingers with mine, tugging me towards the light that sparkled, elusive, beyond the cap of the calm waters, mouthing I love you, all the way, I loved him even more.
The surface of the lake was disruptive, a sudden burst of clear air into my senses, a world where I could see clearly, and hear everything. Alfred broke the surface only centimeters away, his remarkably quiet laugh almost right in my ear.
"Well, Mattie?" he asked, breath a warm breeze across my cheeks as we tread water together. "It's pretty beautiful, isn't it?" I only nodded, flipping onto my back to stare up at that summer sky that looked so much like Alfred's eyes.
"It's exactly what I wanted when I said that the Summer World Conference was driving me insane." His warm hand, soft and large, settled on my gently moving stomach as he swam closer. I opened my eyes to see him right above me, smiling in that uncharacteristically soft way of his. Though nobody expected it of the big, brash America, the self proclaimed hero, he had this sweet side to him that caught everyone off guard. They did not seem to forsee those times when he gently bandaged Sealand's scraped knee, Berwald standing beside him with a bemused expression, ready to intervene if Alfred did something wrong, and Tino crying more than even Peter was. When he picked Feliciano up with the greatest of care after he and I had fallen asleep watching Ouran Host Club, and placed him in the guest bedroom when Ludwig and Feli were at our house for one of their frequent visits. Or if he presented Seychelles with a beautiful red flower at Austria's annual summer ball, spinning her around the dance floor while she giggled, just to make her feel special, just so someone other than France would twirl her about. Those were the things I loved about Alfred.
But I loved those underwater moments the best. Just him and me, all alone, suspended in that cool embrace deep below the surface of the world. He leaned down to kiss me lightly, arms bracing me up from beneath.
Yes, I loved those underwater moments the most.
I decided to start writing for a One Hundred Themes Challenge. So here's theme one, Underwater! I love the idea of Alfred being a nice guy underneath his idiocy. ;_; I'm also completely obsessed with Mathieu.
