Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia
This is a special one-shot just for Christmas! I hope you enjoy it xx
Christmas With The Kirklands
Francis Bonnefoy had always been a confident man. His presence held an air of flamboyance that only he could maintain, and he always jumped into situations without hesitation. When he asked his now husband, Arthur Kirkland, on a date, he had been as cool and smooth as a professional. When he went to an interview for Head Chef at the five-star restaurant at which he now worked, he had not had sweaty palms or trembling fingers.
But now, Francis was nervous. Very, very nervous.
He stared at himself in the mirror, worrying at his lower lip and debating what outfit he should wear, what he should pack, how he should make a good first impression. Because he had been married to Arthur for five years, but today was the first time they were travelling to Scotland to meet Arthur's brothers.
His husband had a complicated relationship with his four brothers, and since they were usually on bad terms, Francis had never met them. The brothers had not even attended their wedding, mainly because Arthur refused to invite them.
But now, it was almost Christmas, and Arthur's oldest brother, Allistor, had called them out of the blue to invite them to spend Christmas in Edinburgh with them. Arthur had been more than a bit dubious about it, but Francis used his suave Frenchman manner to convince Arthur that maintaining good relations with his brothers was very important.
Francis himself had never had any siblings, and so he had never had the same experiences as Arthur. So his English husband had decided that fine, they would go and visit Allistor and the others.
But now Francis was almost packed and ready, and Arthur was making sure all the plugs were turned off, the doors were locked, the car was packed, and getting rather irritated that his French husband wasn't ready yet.
"Francis, are you ready yet?" came Arthur's impatient voice from the bottom of the stairs.
Francis blinked and, spurred into action by the words, put his toiletries in his bag, gave his hair one last quick brush, sprayed his perfume, and then did up his bag and lifted it off the bed, grunting at how heavy it was.
Arthur watched in amusement as Francis lugged his too-heavily packed bags down the stairs, trying to hide his smirk as they were only going for a few days but Francis seemed to enjoy fitting every single one of his possessions into his luggage.
"Have you got everything?" Arthur teased, laughing as his husband shot him a look and thrust his vanity case at Arthur's chest.
"Oui, merci." Francis retorted with a faux scowl, knowing the Englishman was only teasing him.
They loaded Francis' bags in the backseats as they wouldn't all fit in the boot, but since it was just the two of them in the car it was manageable. As Arthur bent down to put the last of Francis' bags in the car, the Frenchman chuckled.
"Did I ever tell you what a cute little ass you have?" he teased, copping a feel playfully and making Arthur jolt and give a soft yelp of surprise. He quickly stood back up and swatted Francis gently on the arm, blushing faintly.
"Yes, you have said it many times before, you pervert." Arthur retorted, rolling his eyes but smiling when Francis kissed him gently.
"Well, it is true, cheri~" the Frenchman chuckled, before letting him go so they could get in the car.
Arthur sat in the driver's seat as he loved to be the one in control and was a terrible passenger – not that Francis was a good passenger, but he drove too fast and made Arthur have heart palpitations.
Arthur started the car and made sure the heating was turned up so Francis wouldn't complain, and let Francis play his stupid French love songs (so he wouldn't complain), and then they set off.
XxX
"Arthur, where did you put my neck-brace?" Francis asked as he kept flicking through his songs.
The Englishman winced slightly. "Um…in the boot."
"Why is it in the boot?"
Arthur had his eyes on the road but he could sense the irritation in the Frenchman's tone. "Ah – you don't really need it, love."
The pacifying wasn't very effective, and Francis sighed. "Pull over, I'll get it…"
"It's buried under all our luggage, you don't need it." Arthur stood his ground, and Francis huffed, settling back in the seat and trying to sleep without it.
Sure enough, the Frenchman didn't need it, and soon he was out like a light. Arthur glanced at him and smiled, as he had been married to this man for five years and he was still as head over heels for him as he had been the day they met.
They had started off being mutual friends through Matthew and Alfred, two twins that were Arthur's cousins, and Francis had grown up with them. They pretended they hated each other, until one New Years' party when they both drank too much, and ended up making out when they saw the New Year in. After that it escalated and for a while they were just awkward friends who slept together and didn't want to tell anyone, but then Arthur found that he couldn't stop thinking about Francis, and he wanted to be with him more than anything.
They still had a very passionate relationship; they bickered a lot and sometimes it turned into full arguments, but it always ended in flowers, wine, tears and sex. It was the way they worked, and Arthur wouldn't trade it for the world.
The Englishman decided to try and do most of the journey to Scotland whilst Francis was asleep, as the man could sleep for days if uninterrupted.
So he carefully changed the music to slow, romantic songs that would keep Francis nicely lulled, and prepared himself for a long stretch of driving.
XxX
Arthur managed a good three hours of peaceful driving before he decided to stop at a service station for a break. He parked the car and sat just admiring Francis sleeping for a moment or two, before gently kissing him awake.
"Wake up, love. Do you want something to eat?" he asked softly, and Francis stirred, humming and stretching a little before opening his beautiful blue eyes.
Francis gave a sleepy smile before sitting up properly and seeing they were at a service station. "Hmm, oui…"
The Frenchman checked his appearance in the car mirror while Arthur got out of the car and stretched his own joints, stiff from driving for three hours straight.
"Do you want me to drive for a bit?" Francis offered, fidgeting with his hair even though it was already perfect.
"I'd like to get there in one piece, thank you." Arthur answered, smirking a little as he came around to Francis' side and opened the door for him in a gentlemanly manner.
Francis stuck his tongue out at his husband, accepting his hand though and getting out of the car too. "And you call me dramatic~"
Arthur chuckled, wrapping an arm around his waist as he walked Francis inside the service station, where they sat in a little café and had a drink. Arthur had some tea that he described as 'a disgrace that cannot be called tea' and a nice bun covered with icing and a cherry (that Francis stole), whereas Francis just had black coffee.
"Are you sure you don't want to get something to eat, love?" Arthur asked, always concerned that Francis never ate enough food, and when he did it was all 'diet' this and 'light' that, and he always stressed about calories.
The Frenchman smiled, sipping his coffee and pulling a face before adding a sweetener to make it more palatable. "They don't have anything healthy here."
"It's Christmas," Arthur said with a chuckle. "You're allowed to be unhealthy."
Francis only wrinkled his nose slightly as if the very thought of being unhealthy was offensive to him. This made Arthur grin as he used to get so frustrated by how fussy Francis was, but now it was something he found endearing about him.
"There might be one of those cereal bars you like in the car…" he mused, knowing full that he had packed some because he knew Francis got cranky when he was hungry.
They had been together long enough to know these things about each other. Arthur knew that Francis could sleep anywhere whereas Arthur needed complete darkness and quiet, and he couldn't sleep without Francis beside him. Similarly, Francis knew that Arthur absolutely hated things like social events and would only attend if Francis promised not to leave his side, whereas Arthur was Francis' rock and the only one who saw the true Francis was his husband.
XxX
After a short break they were back on the road, and Francis was driving as Arthur had relented and let the Frenchman help out. After all, he could do with a nice nap.
He settled down and closed his eyes, trying to sleep, but the radio was on and Francis was humming and singing along in French, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel as he drove over the speed limit – not by too much, but enough to make Arthur anxious.
Arthur tried to block it out and get some sleep, but it felt like the Frenchman was doing it on purpose. So he sat up and sighed. "Francis."
"Oui, cheri?" Francis asked nonchalantly, continuing to hum to the French song that was playing too loudly.
Arthur huffed and turned the volume down, earning him a warning glance from his husband. "I'm trying to take a nap, if you hadn't noticed."
"Well complaining about it will not make it easier for you to nap, mon cher." Francis replied smoothly, a soft smirk playing on his features.
Arthur furrowed his brows. "Neither will you hitting the bloody steering wheel and pretending you're Celine Dion!"
The Frenchman pursed his lips and shut up completely, and the only sound in the car was the soft music playing, now too quietly. Arthur felt guilty for snapping, but Francis was being quiet now, so he tried to sleep.
But now the lack of sound in the car was making it harder for him to sleep, though he persevered for a good ten minutes. But Francis' silence was like an alarm bell to Arthur as he knew he had pissed him off.
Sitting up again, Arthur glanced at Francis, who was staring at the road, still driving too fast and still with his lips pursed in irritation.
"…Do you want me to take over soon?" he ventured.
"Why? You don't want me to drive now, either?" Francis snapped back in response, and Arthur sighed.
"I didn't mean it like that…" the Englishman said softly, before deciding just to shut up for a bit. When Francis was mad at him, no amount of apologising would redeem him until Francis was ready to forgive him.
So the long drive became even longer by the uncomfortable silence between them. The soft love songs seemed somewhat out of place and awkward now, and Francis seemed to think so too because he jabbed the 'off' button on the stereo rather harshly.
Arthur looked out of the window, watching the trees, road and other cars whizz past them.
At least we're making good time… Arthur thought privately.
XxX
Francis would not relinquish control of the driving for another two and a half hours, and the couple had not said a word to each other in that time. Arthur had dropped off to sleep from sheer boredom, but it was restless and he awoke feeling stiff and sore.
The Frenchman had pulled into a little petrol station that had a tiny shop to refuel, and Arthur awoke when Francis accidentally knocked the side of the car with the fuel-pump lead briefly.
He got out and gave a well-needed stretch, before spotting the shop and humming in thought.
"I'll be back in a minute, love, alright?"
Francis only nodded, still not ready to talk it seemed, so Arthur went into the shop quickly.
The Frenchman wasn't interested in what Arthur was getting, but he was tired so he sat in the passenger seat and turned on the stereo to wait for him.
Arthur glanced through the window of the shop and saw Francis was preoccupied flicking through his romance songs again, and he grinned, quickly making his purchase and walking back to the car with it behind his back.
Francis had sat back and closed his eyes, and jumped out of his skin when Arthur knocked on his window.
"Merde!" he cursed, jolting up and glaring at Arthur. "What the hell are you - ?"
But he stopped when Arthur produced a beautiful bouquet of flowers from behind his back, and he faltered.
Arthur grinned and opened Francis' car door for him, handing him the flowers. "I'm sorry, love. I think you're better than Celine Dion~"
Francis laughed and rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot~ What am I supposed to do with these flowers in the car?"
Now it was Arthur's turn to falter, as he hadn't really thought of that. He just always got Francis flowers because he knew the Frenchman loved them, but he had to admit it wasn't very practical.
Francis saw him falter and gave a smile, pecking his lips gently. "Don't worry, I am sure they will be alright for a couple of hours~" he reassured, smelling the flowers happily as Arthur closed Francis' door gently and came around the other side, getting in the driver's seat.
Before he could start the car though, Francis leaned over and captured Arthur's lips in a soft, loving kiss. "Désolé for being mad at you…"
"It's alright, love. I shouldn't have said – "
"Non, it wasn't that…" Francis interjected, making Arthur blink.
"It wasn't?" he asked in confusion, suddenly going back through the day to try and figure out what else he had done wrong.
"Well, it was partly that I guess…But the truth is I'm nervous." Francis admitted, holding the flowers close and playing with the petals a little.
Arthur stared at him a moment. "What are you nervous about, love?"
He knew Francis never got nervous, even on their wedding day he had been as smooth as silk.
The Frenchman was quiet a moment, before giving a little shrug. "Meeting your family. What if they don't like me?" his voice was small and soft, and Arthur suddenly realised that this wasn't just a big event for himself. Francis had never even met his brothers, and over the years Arthur hadn't been particularly kind in describing them.
"Impossible." Arthur said simply, and Francis looked up at him, a little confused.
"Quoi?"
"It would be impossible for them not to like you." Arthur explained, resting a hand on his husband's arm in reassurance. "You're the most incredible person I've ever met, and my brothers will probably take the piss out of me for marrying someone so wildly out of my league."
Francis gave a little smile at this, but still fiddled with the flowers. "But what if they think I'm girly? Or what if they don't like that I'm French?"
Arthur smiled and rubbed his arm gently. "Then I'll beat them up. Because no one speaks badly of my husband." He adopted a somewhat possessive tone, and Francis couldn't help but giggle a little at this.
"You're sweet when you want to be~" the Frenchman observed fondly, smiling to show that Arthur's words had cheered him up.
Arthur only chuckled, kissing his husband's cheek before starting the car again, letting Francis choose a song, and surprisingly he chose one of Arthur's favourites, which made him smile.
Francis sang along with the bouquet of flowers in his lap, looking out of the window and exclaiming as they started to see magnificent buildings. They weren't far away now, and both of them were tired from the journey.
Arthur couldn't wait until they got to the hotel.
XxX
Arthur let out a sigh as he flopped on the large double bed, appreciating the soft mattress and the nice décor of neutral tones with a hint of purple. It was modern and sophisticated, which he knew his husband would appreciate, but he didn't care much what the room looked like, so long as there was a comfy bed, television and a nice hot shower.
Francis chuckled as he saw his husband flopped on the bed, knowing how tired he must be from doing the majority of the driving and having to haul the luggage to their room. The Frenchman set about inspecting the room, humming in approval at the elegant bathroom and examining the free shower gel they got with the room, wrinkling his nose a little and deciding to leave it for Arthur.
Leaving the bathroom, he decided to scrutinise the rest of the room, making little remarks.
"I like the desk, it's very spacious~" Francis smirked as he saw the teabags and the coffee that was complimentary. "It is a good thing we brought our own tea, cher. You would hate this~"
Arthur hummed in response, his eyes closed, and Francis glanced at him. "Why don't you have a nice shower and something to eat before you sleep?"
The Englishman groaned softly, but he knew his husband was right so he opened his eyes, propping himself up on his elbows and watching Francis go over to the window.
"Oh, we don't have a very nice view…" the Frenchman remarked with a pout.
"I would disagree~" Arthur purred, having been checking out his husband's lovely behind whilst his back was turned.
Francis blinked and turned back to him, laughing lightly. "Do you like what you see then, cheri?"
"Oh yes – although, I wouldn't say no to a closer look." Arthur grinned, sitting up properly and beckoning Francis closer.
The Frenchman returned the grin and purposefully swayed his hips as he obeyed Arthur, coming over and standing in front of him. "Is this better?" he teased.
Arthur smiled, placing his hands on Francis' hips gently. "Well, let's see…" he began unbuttoning Francis' shirt from the bottom up, exposing his belly button.
His husband smiled and gave a hum as Arthur continued to unbutton his shirt, kissing every inch of exposed skin. Francis tangled a hand in Arthur's hair as Arthur slipped his shirt off completely, tossing it aside, and then he moved closer, straddling his lap and kissing him passionately.
The Englishman groaned softly in approval as he pulled Francis closer, wanting to deepen the kiss before pulling back and kissing over Francis' neck and collarbone.
"Oh, you're gorgeous~" he murmured as the Frenchman sighed and moaned softly.
Francis smiled and closed his eyes, lolling his head back a little as he rocked slowly against his husband. He grinned as he could feel Arthur getting aroused, and he was too, and he moved closer to kiss him slowly and sensually.
Arthur kissed him back, gently turning them so that he was on top and Francis settled underneath him on the bed, and the Englishman removed their remaining clothes, manoeuvring himself in between Francis' legs and entering him with practiced ease.
Francis let out a happy sigh of pleasure, loving every moment of Arthur's love-making and he began to moan as Arthur moved harder and deeper and faster in him.
"Oh….O-Oh cheri~" he moaned out, and Arthur chuckled, pressing kisses to his neck.
"Hush love, you know these walls are thin…" he murmured against his skin, continuing to move inside him.
Francis covered his mouth with his hand to muffle the moans that were now increasing in volume, as Arthur always knew how to give Francis the utmost pleasure.
But when Arthur hit that spot inside him, he couldn't help crying out suddenly.
"Ah! Arthur!~" he arched his chest into his husband, feeling like he was about to explode with pleasure, and from Arthur's ragged breathing and sporadic thrusts, Francis guessed he was very close as well.
Their moans combined built up to a passionate crescendo before Francis cried out, releasing all over their chests and the fresh, clean bedsheets. Arthur was quick to follow, filling Francis up as he groaned and leaned over him.
"Oh…Oh Francis…" he panted as they both slowly came down from their orgasms, and Arthur pulled out of his husband, rolling back on the bed beside him.
Francis giggled breathlessly, his cheeks a pretty, flushed pink. He curled against Arthur's side, resting his head against Arthur's chest.
"Je t'aime~" he whispered, and Arthur smiled, playing with his husband's hair gently.
He had just closed his eyes when his phone started ringing, and with a groan Arthur groped for it to turn it off. Francis groaned as well, feeling lethargic and wanting to just go to sleep.
"It's Allistor..." Arthur mumbled groggily as he saw the caller name light up the screen, before answering. "Hello?"
"Did ye die? Where the fuck are ye?" came an overtly loud, Scottish voice on the other end.
"We're at the hotel – just arrived…" Arthur lied slightly, making Francis smile as he cuddled up to him again. Allistor didn't need to know what happened between Arthur and his husband.
"Well it was fucking nice of ye to call and let me know ye arrived safely, ye twat." Allistor always had such a way with words.
Francis tensed a little, nervous that Allistor was quite aggressive, but in reality he just cursed a lot.
"Oh shut your face, git. We've had a long drive and I'd appreciate it if you buggered off to let us get some sleep." Arthur retorted, having not spoken to his eldest brother much in a while but he easily slipped back into the distant and mean brotherly role.
His French husband seemed rather worried though, as being an only child, he did not understand the bond between siblings.
"Oh yeah? Listen, I got some shitty prissy wine for your Frenchy – think he'll like it?" Allistor didn't realise that Francis could hear him, and Francis decided to absent himself to the bathroom to shower.
Arthur noticed this, and sighed. "You mustn't say things like that when you meet him. Francis is…sensitive."
Allistor's raucous laughter boomed down the phone, and Arthur rolled his eyes. "Did ye marry a princess?"
Arthur smiled a little. "Yes, I believe I did."
Allistor hesitated at this, his laughter dying down. "Fuck."
"What?" Arthur asked, somewhat defensively.
"Ye sound like a love-sick schoolgirl." Allistor teased, which Arthur knew meant that his brother acknowledged his devotion to his husband.
"Whatever. We'll see you tomorrow." Arthur said more kindly, before hanging up the phone and sighing, lying back on the bed.
Tomorrow was definitely going to be interesting.
XxX
Francis had been quiet all morning, clearly nervous about what Arthur's brothers were going to think of him, especially now that he knew Allistor already viewed him as a 'princess'. As much as Arthur had tried to reassure him, Francis had spent a lot of time looking his best and making sure the presents for the brothers were all neat and properly labelled – he didn't want anything to go wrong. He wanted to show that he was the perfect husband for Arthur.
Now they were stood at the front door of Allistor's house, where a few cars were already parked outside as the other brothers were staying at the house. There was loud laughter and shouting coming from inside, though it was only ten o'clock in the morning, and Arthur gave a sheepish smile.
"They would have started drinking already…" he said softly as an explanation, and held Francis' hand.
The Frenchman was more than worried that he wouldn't fit in and enjoy himself at all around these people, but he had to remind himself that this was Arthur's family, and he was a part of it now. He had been for five years.
"Do you think you should knock again?" Francis suggested a little anxiously, squeezing Arthur's hand. They had bags of presents at their feet and it was cold, and with every moment that Francis was kept outside the front door, the more nervous he became.
"Yes, perhaps…" Arthur agreed, stepping forward and knocking on the door again.
The laughter and shouting continued, but there were the sounds of heavy footsteps stomping towards the front door, before it was hauled open by a huge man, both broad and tall, with messy red hair and the same green eyes and monstrous eyebrows as Arthur. He smelled of whiskey and grinned, and when he spoke, Francis recognised the same brash Scottish-accented voice that had been insulting his husband on the phone.
"Where the fuck have ye been? Yer missing the party!" The man Francis guessed was Allistor stepped towards them and pulled Arthur into a stifling hug, smothering the younger man completely.
Francis blinked and smiled a little nervously as Allistor finally released Arthur and turned his attention to him instead.
"So this is the princess?" Allistor asked with a grin, which widened as Francis extended a slender hand.
"I'm Francis. It is lovely to meet you…" Francis introduced himself politely, trying to accentuate his words so that his French accent would not be so prominent, but he squeaked in surprise as Allistor seized him in a strong hug, lifting him off his feet as Francis was just a tad smaller than Arthur, which meant he was a whole head shorter than Allistor. The Scotsman completely engulfed him and Francis was very flustered, blushing darkly as he was completely unprepared for such a gesture of familiarity.
"Welcome to the family, princess." Allistor released him with a grin, and Arthur chuckled softly.
Francis blinked but smiled, feeling more relaxed now as Allistor invited them inside, Arthur taking the bags and Allistor grasping Francis' hand as he seemed to want to show Francis off before Arthur got the chance.
"Hey everyone, Arthur and Francis are here!" his loud, booming voice was surprisingly heard above the din of his brothers drinking and chatting, and the three men turned their attention to Allistor and Francis, and to Arthur, who came in behind them feeling rather jealous of his brother's sudden claim of his husband.
Francis blushed, feeling nervous again as three new pairs of eyes settled on him, and he shifted uncomfortably, giving Arthur a smile as he felt the Englishman take his spare hand in reassurance.
Allistor took charge of the introductions, pointing to each of his brothers and giving the name to go with the face. "This is Dylan, he travelled up from Wales just to get piss-drunk with the rest of us."
He gestured to a reserved-looking young man with brown, slightly shaggy hair and green eyes, who seemed to be the quietest of the bunch, except maybe for Arthur. Dylan shook Francis' hand gently, speaking politely and with a Welsh accent.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Francis. Allistor's been promising your visit." He said calmly, before greeting Arthur as well. Arthur seemed to respond well to Dylan, and Francis guessed that because they were similar, they got along most out of all of them.
Next was Seamus, an Irish man seeming as brash as Allistor, and he gripped Francis' hand tightly. "Since when did Artie get with such a stunner?" he teased, causing Arthur to glare at his brother.
"Oi, get your own gorgeous husband." The Englishman grumbled, not liking all this attention on Francis and he wrapped an arm around Francis' waist possessively.
The Frenchman smiled, having not expected such a warm welcome – which he put down mainly to the fact that the brothers had been drinking already – but he felt happy and allowed Allistor to take his coat whilst the third stranger introduced himself.
"I'm Liam. Nice to meet you." The man said softly, not seeming too interested in anything other than drinking, and he soon retreated back to the armchair in the corner to resume getting wasted.
Francis smiled, accepting everyone's introductions and trying to remember who was who, but Dylan, Seamus and Liam all looked similar, and he was worried he would slip up.
But when Arthur handed him a glass of nice, red wine, Francis began to relax.
XxX
"Merry Christmas!" everyone cheered, clinking glasses as they sat at the dining table.
Apparently, the Kirklands' Christmas did not involve the traditional roast dinner with turkey and all the trimmings. Instead, it was just little buffet bits that had been bought frozen and bunged in the oven, and a tremendous amount of alcohol.
But, due to the latter part of the meal, no one really minded about eating cocktail sausages and tiny kebabs and little cheese sticks instead of a roast dinner. Everyone had had a fair bit to drink as the brothers had encouraged Arthur and Francis to catch up with them, and Francis had earned points for being able to handle his liquor a lot better than his husband, who had gotten drunk very quickly.
Arthur was very possessive and needy when drunk, whereas Francis was very flirtatious and giggly, and now he sat on Arthur's lap while they ate 'dinner', with one of Arthur's arms wrapped securely around his middle.
Allistor seemed to really like Francis, finding him good company, and Dylan and Liam did not seem to mind his presence either way. Seamus, however, seemed to like Francis a little too much, and Arthur was getting very annoyed at how much the Irishman was chatting to his husband.
Francis, of course, thrived on the attention with the liquid courage he had consumed, and leaned back against Arthur's chest as Seamus asked him some questions about his and Arthur's marriage.
"So, how long've you been married?" the other brothers listened too, and Allistor, ever the good host, topped up Francis' wine for the umpteenth time whilst Seamus spoke.
"Five years~" Francis responded happily, kissing Arthur's cheek to confirm it, and the Englishman grinned stupidly.
"Yep! Five whoooole years~" he confirmed, cuddling his cheek against Francis' shoulder and humming happily.
"And you're still – you know – " Seamus made a rather lewd gesture with his hands, that made Francis laugh and Arthur frowned.
"Tha's none of your business, you great buffoon!" the Englishman yelled indignantly, blushing bright red. Francis grinned, reaching for a cocktail sausage and he pressed it to Arthur's lips, feeding him which diffused Arthur's outburst a little.
"Seamus, how 'bout you get yer fucking nose outta other people's business?" Allistor warned, feeling somewhat protective of the couple, as he knew they were the real deal, and he also knew what Seamus was like.
Seamus frowned, mumbling something about being 'touchy' and munching on a cheese stick.
Francis giggled, humming and playing with Arthur's hair. "You're the only Kirkland 'ere who is married, mon amour~" he observed, his accent much heavier and his words a little slurred, but Arthur gazed at him as if he was the most amazing thing he had ever set eyes on.
"That makes me the luckiest~" he purred in response, kissing his husband sloppily but lovingly, and Francis hummed happily as he closed his eyes, leaning into the kiss.
Seamus pulled a face at the mushiness of the scene, and Allistor clapped him over the back of the head when he noticed.
XxX
The Kirkland brothers all sat in the living room, centred around the shabby Christmas tree they had decorated (probably still when drunk). They were exchanging presents, and Liam and Dylan sat in armchairs, whilst Arthur and Allistor sat on the sofa, Francis perched on the arm of the sofa next to Arthur, and Seamus sat on the floor, leaning against the sofa.
Arthur leaned his head against Francis' lap, feeling sleepy from the alcohol as he had a lower tolerance for it than the rest of them, but the others were enthusiastically handing out gifts to each other.
Most of the gifts were alcohol, including a gift from Francis and Arthur to Allistor, which was a good-quality bottle of Scottish whiskey that was very well-received. Allistor handed Arthur and Francis a rectangular, medium sized gift which Francis opened, and he blushed.
"Ah – It's kind of a late wedding present." The Scotsman explained, and Francis smiled, patting Arthur's head to get him to look at the gift. It was a photo album, filled with pictures of the Kirkland brothers when they were growing up, and Arthur groaned as Francis giggled at the photos of his husband as a little boy. It was a lovely gift, and Francis gave Allistor a hug.
"Merci, Allistor~ This is wonderful." The Frenchman truly meant it, and Allistor blushed but gave a smile and a shrug, clearly a sentimental man.
"I'm glad ye like it." He replied, getting a little teary-eyed but he was adamant something got stuck in his eye.
Arthur gave a little smile, holding his husband's hand as the others continued to exchange gifts, before they turned on the television to watch random 'specials' of different shows.
Francis had moved to sit on the sofa properly, and Arthur had been resting with his head in his husband's lap, but he fell asleep within moments. Liam, too, was dozing, and Seamus was trying to convince everyone that it would be a good idea to draw on Arthur's face.
But Francis only smiled and stroked his husband's hair, feeling at peace in this place. Arthur was happy, and the rest of the Kirkland family had accepted him almost without question. It had taken over five years, but he had finally met the family Arthur hardly spoke about.
XxX
It was very late by the time Francis and Arthur said their goodbyes. Allistor showed them out, hugging them both and making them promise that they would keep in touch from now on.
"And I wanna hear about any wee lads or lasses running around when ye get them!" Allistor declared, seeming to be under the impression that Francis and Arthur really wanted a family.
Francis laughed and nodded. "Of course, we will keep in touch, cher~" he promised, holding Arthur close as the Englishman leaned against him.
"Merry Christmas…you…wanker." Arthur said after much thought and deliberation, making Allistor grin.
"Merry Christmas, ye fucking tit." The Scotsman returned, waving goodbye as the couple went back to their hotel.
XxX
Francis lay in the hotel bed, with Arthur sprawled on top of him. Both of them were covered in the sweat and semen of their drunken passions, and now they lay in bliss and silence, almost asleep.
"Cheri…" Francis whispered, and Arthur grunted, signalling that he was still awake, barely.
"Do you think we will have our own little family someday?" the Frenchman asked quietly, tracing small circles over the skin of Arthur's bare back.
The Englishman hummed, moving closer and nuzzling his husband's shoulder. "Uh huh…you'll be a good Papa…" he mumbled sleepily.
Francis couldn't help but smile brightly at this, kissing Arthur's messy hair as the Englishman succumbed to sleep, and he sighed contentedly.
"Then perhaps, next Christmas, Allistor will be an Uncle~" he mused quietly, before falling asleep himself.
A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS! I wanted to do something for you guys to thank you for your continued support with my stories, and to spread a little holiday cheer. I know it's a different format to my other stories, and this is definitely a one-off so please don't expect my chapters to become this length *sweats*
But I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate, and a Happy New year~
Love you all xx