Maddie didn't mean to pry, she hadn't even known he was in the house. She was just going to ask Francine if she could go to Alfred's house.
She opened the door to the living room just a crack to see if she was in there. She blinked in surprise. Arthur is here, was what ran through her head. They usually bickered for hours at the World Conference meetings, but it was obvious that there was something under all that, something… tender.
Her former mentors were sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Francine was leaning on Arthur's shoulder, her soft breathing saying that she was asleep. The crown that normally held her hair in place was slipping out. Britain reached over and carefully pulled it out, Francine's hair fell down in messy curls, and a small smile graced his lips as he softly stroked her hair.
He then rested his head on top of hers, closing his eyes contentedly.
Maddie backed away from the door, not meaning to disturb their moment. Francine hadn't looked so peaceful in a long time, and she never thought that the Brit would be the one to get her to calm down.
She silently taped a note to the door, telling the two where she would be until later and she let herself out.
…..
When the Canadian got back much later in the day, she pushed open the front door. Setting Kumarie down on the floor so she could walk around, she moved to the living room to see if they were still there.
Her note still hung limply on the door and she peeled it off. They obviously were still in there. She peeked inside once again to see a scene not much different than the one earlier.
Arthur was sitting up, a book in his hand. Francine's head rested on his lap, she was still sleeping. His other hand rested by her face, skimming her cheek absently every few seconds.
After a few moments, Francine stirred, one eye opening and she looked up at him. His gaze met hers and he smiled slightly. She adjusted her head, bringing up one hand to grasp his and she smiled up at him, her eyes closing again as she nuzzled comfortable into his lap again.
Maddie could see a light pink blush gracing his cheeks, but the smile hadn't left his face, he set his book down and leaned down slowly, giving Francine a gentle kiss on the lips.
Francine's other hand went up to his face, lightly kissing him back. They pulled apart after a few seconds, moving comfortably back into their earlier position, the book once again in Arthur's hold.
Canada grinned, moments like these made her heart grow warm and she thought about how she had never seen the French woman so content. Now that she thought about it, Francine was never comfortable around anyone other than Arthur. It was nice, these moments. It reminded Maddie of how much the Brit made her former mentor happy. She could remember that after one of his visits, much like this one, Francine had been smiling all throughout dinner, and when questioned about it, her only reply was "No reason. It's a good day, that's all."
And upon her visit to Alfred, she had explained the situation to him and he grinned at her, saying that every time he came back from one of his visits, he'd have that light pink blush on his cheeks like earlier and an odd expression. And upon further questioning and observation by the American, it had been penned down to an emotion of puzzlement and devotion.
After losing Alfred to his independence and much more, Arthur had found his peace in someone who needed it, and she, found comfort in him. At this, Canada had nothing against him, she loved her sister Franny very much and she knew that whenever she was with Angleterre, she was happy.
So when England suddenly turned his head and met Maddie's gaze, all the Canadian could do was give him a little smile and back away from the doorway, leaving her former mentors to their peace.