AN: Hey, guys, AJ here. :3 This is my first posted story. It's a little short, but it was fun to write~ You can look at it as pre-USUK or just family fluff, I guess. Feedback would really be appreciated-thank you guys so much for taking the time to read this!

Arthur solemnly swore to himself that next time the bloody American would not drag him into this. He would not be taken in. He would not be coerced. It was all Alfred's fault. Yes, all his fault, Arthur repeated to himself, as he made the treacherous leap into the giant black Suburban, America's senseless babbling filling his ears as he thought longingly of his hotel room.

Earlier that morning, he had arrived from his overnight flight to Washington, where America was holding that month's conference. He had thought it might be nice to see his former colony, but then Alfred caught him on his way out of the meeting room.

"Hey, Arthur!" the American said, a childish expression plastered across his features. "I was, uh…kinda planning to watch some of those movies I got from Kiku tonight. Do you wanna come over and hang out?" The git had then given him a sheepish grin. "Not that I'm s-scared or anything, but I could use the company…"

Arthur had merely scowled. "It's 'want to,' and I actually had plans tonight. Sorry to burst your bubble, Alfred." He had then turned and made to walk out the door—

—and Alfred had promptly tugged at his sleeve, a petulant whine making its way into his voice. "But Arthur….Please? Don't make me watch it alone!" Oh, lord. The American looked as if he was about to cry. Arthur sighed, stopping in his tracks. Please stop, please stop, I can think of a million other things I'd rather be do—

Alfred, his eyes still watery and distressed, leaned in and whispered, "This one's got zombies. You remember what happened last time I watched one of those alone, right?" His voice took on a tone of urgency Arthur had not heard in months.

Arthur did remember, as a matter of fact. And he never wished to repeat the experience. He shook his head and glowered up at the hopeful nation next to him. "Fine. But I'm not staying up all night listening to your whining afterwards." The green-eyed man practically spat the words out, crossing his arms and glaring at the floor as he did so.

Alfred's eyes lit up. "Really?" He excitedly pulled the shorter British man into a fierce hug. "Thanks so much! Just let me get the car and we can stop by McDonalds on the way home. Mmmmm…McNuggets…" The American's eyes glazed over as he stared off into space, a small thread of saliva falling from the side of his mouth. Arthur merely rolled his eyes. There goes my night.

"Come on, you. We need to get out of here before the frog locks us in the conference room again," Arthur snapped, grabbing the daydreaming nation roughly by the elbow and dragging him out of the room to the parking lot.

And that was how he had ended up where he was now, holding onto the armrests of his seat and silently praying to survive the next five minutes as Alfred sped through the streets of his capital city, weaving in and out of traffic and speeding like a maniac. He shouldn't have been surprised, really. Alfred—no, America—had been pestering him for months about getting together to watch the great new horror movies Kiku had sent him. Arthur liked and respected Kiku, but he disapproved of him hooking Alfred up. Then again, it wasn't like the Japanese man ever had to deal with the…aftermath. As the SUV sped around a corner down a narrow side street to Alfred's apartment, Arthur's mind wandered to the pleasant evening he had planned for himself earlier. So much for finishing that book… he thought wistfully as Alfred parked the car, following the younger nation up the stairs to a fairly secluded room near the back of the complex.

A few minutes later, Arthur found himself seated on the couch next to an overly excited American, who was unfortunately unable to contain said excitement and was currently bouncing up and down on the couch as he waited for the popcorn to finish in the microwave. He frowned, his expression reminiscent of a bird that had puffed up its feathers to ward off a hungry predator. Pulling his feet up onto the couch and hugging his knees as Alfred raced into the kitchen to grab the popcorn, Arthur sighed. The evening was off to a brilliant start.

A shrill scream rang out from the television set as a teenage girl, who couldn't have been much past sixteen, ran for her life from a dark figure brandishing a pickaxe. Arthur merely grunted at the dramatic moment, hugging his knees even tighter and wondering just how he could keep himself from dying of boredom before the ending credits rolled. On the other end of the sofa, Alfred was clinging to one of the couch cushions for dear life, whimpering in poorly disguised terror.

The dark figure walked further out into the clearing, the soft glow of the moonlight revealing rotting flesh and a twisted, sadistic grin…

Arthur yawned. So predictable, these horror films are…He rubbed his eyes, completely unaffected by the bloody carnage flashing across the screen or the piercing screams coming out of America's giant surround sound system and braced himself. Three, two, one—

"Arthur! He's gonna kill her!" cried Alfred as he buried his face in his former guardian's side, closing his eyes and covering his ears as he trembled in fear.

Arthur merely looked down at him, a marginally amused expression flitting across his features. "Of course he is, you imbecile. This is a horror film, isn't it? It needs a little blood."

"But Arthur…." The Brit sighed and shook his head; it was going to be a long night.

Arthur woke up to the sound of the guest room door creaking open. He groaned and rolled over, glancing at the clock and groaning. Three in the morning. Bloody brilliant… "What," he hissed angrily, his temper not dulled by exhaustion in the slightest, "do you want?"

Alfred kept his gaze trained on the ground, wringing his hands like a small child who had just been caught with his hands in the cookie jar. "I… uh, I c-couldn't sleep, so I was kinda wondering…." He trailed off, his lower lip trembling as he looked up at Arthur, who promptly narrowed his eyes at him and turned over to face away from the door, scooting over to make room for him without a word. The American slipped under the covers next to the fuming Brit, thanking him profusely before settling in and trying to get some sleep. Arthur didn't stir as he did so; he was already out for the count, exhausted from his long flight and the day-long conference. Alfred smiled. He felt so much safer here with his old caretaker. With a quick yawn, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.