Author's Note: Alrighty! So after reading a few Snake!England comic strips, I had a sudden urge to write a snake!England fic. However, I wanted to swerve away from UsUk since there's enough of that, so I went to my next favorite England pairing (after 2P!FrUk), which is UkCan. I know I have giant walls of text about how to take care of a snake, but I just want to do good with this fic... I'm trying too hard, I know.
Anywhos, I hope you enjoy this first chapter! There will be more to come! (If I can hopefully keep this running. I'm determined to keep it alive!)
Emerald orbs stared up at violet ones, never blinking as the two black slits seemed to stare into the taller male's soul. A small, pink tongue flickered out from between the creature's lips every few seconds, getting a taste of the air around him. His face was emotionless as he just watched the other silently. This creature, part human part snake, was staring at his caretaker's brother.
Matthew was standing a good distance from the reptilian man, staying behind his brother and watching the glowing eyes over Alfred's shoulder. "A-Alfie, where did you find that… Th-Thing again?" he asked quietly.
"Don't call him a thing!" the American exclaimed moving forward to hug snake. "He's a snake man! Well, I just call him a snake, but still! He's got feelings, too!"
The younger blond swallowed hard, unable to move from his current position. He didn't have anything against this… Snake man… But more against snakes in general. Matt had been terrified of snakes for years. Ever since he was bitten and made ill by one, he had learned never to go near a snake ever again. But here he was, standing less than ten feet from a snake the size of a man.
"So what do you say?" Alfred said suddenly. "Can you take care of him for me?"
The Canadian shook his head quickly, eyes widening in fear. "A-Al, are you crazy?! You th-think I'm going to take that into my h-house?!"
His brother didn't seem to care. "Look, I need someone to take care of him for me! And you'll be staying at my place until I get back. He'll be nervous enough without me."
"B-But you've only had him f-for a couple months! He can't be th-that attached to you a-already!"
"Ya never know, Matt!" Alfred then stood and patted the snake's head. "You be a good boy for Matty, 'kay? I'll be back in a couple months." The older brother then went to his twin and gave him a quick hug. "I left directions and stuff on the kitchen table. See ya, bro!"
And with that, Alfred was off. Where he was off to, Matt hadn't the slightest clue.
The said Canadian then returned his gaze upon the large snake and swallowed hard. "W-Well, um… I-I'm Matthew. I'm sure A-Alfred's said a thing or t-two about me…" He felt ridiculous talking to a snake, but it was part human, so it could possibly understand him, right? "He told me y-your name is A-Arthur?"
The snake stared on at Matt, only flickering his tongue out occasionally.
Matthew slowly started to move around the snake to get to the kitchen. "I-I'll just take that a-as a yes." His eyes locked with Arthur's, hating how the snake turned his head to follow his every move. He let out a squeak of fear when he saw the long tail move when Arthur turned around and began to follow him. He instantly felt like prey, now. He was just a giant mouse for Arthur to gobble up.
Without thinking, Matt sprinted to the kitchen, shutting the door behind him and panting heavily. His heart was racing from the run, but mostly from the fear that was coursing through him. How was he supposed to survive a whole two months with this giant snake thing?!
He spotted the small stack of papers stapled together on the table and sighed, going over and picking it up. Alfred had left him a little booklet of how to take care of Arthur instead of a list. There was even a cover page with a picture of Arthur and a beaming Alfred in the closet. The words "Take Care of Artie for Me!" were in an arc over the picture, colored a shade of green that nearly matched the reptile's scales. He sighed shakily and flipped to the first page.
"First things first is food! Artie likes to eat mice and sometimes rats. They have to be fresh, otherwise he won't eat them. They also have to be hand-fed to him. Don't worry, he won't bite you. I have a glove you can wear if you're afraid of him nipping your fingers or if you don't want to touch the mice, though. It's the brown one in the biggest drawer under the microwave. It should be right on top of everything." There was a sketched picture under the little paragraph pointing out where the glove and stash of mice were, and how to feed Arthur. "Feed him around noon. You can get the mice from the pet store down the street if you run out."
Great. He had to feed that thing by hand? He was already hating how these directions were going. He wasn't expecting them to get any better, either. He read on.
"Arthur doesn't really need to be bathed often. You might not even need to bathe him at all! But I read that the best time to bathe a snake is when they start shedding. You'll know when the shedding cycle starts when his belly turns kinda pink and the scales are a duller color. You don't have to worry about him throwing a fit about getting a bath. I washed him when I first brought him in and he didn't mind at all! Make sure the water isn't too hot or too cold, and keep an eye on him. Just trust me on this one and don't leave him alone in the bath. He's got to sit in the water for ten or fifteen minutes, so while he's sitting there, wash his hair. I know he's a snake, but he's part human, too, you know."
That sounded like it was going to be loads of fun. He was going to be stuck with the snake for at least ten minutes if he had to wash him. Matt could only pray that Arthur wasn't going to shed his skin during Alfred's absence. He glanced to the written sidenote that appeared to be added on after the papers were printed.
"Let him out in the backyard right after if you don't find anything weird in the tub. I don't know where he learned it, but he knows to do his business outside. He's a smart snake, I tell ya!"
The Canadian sighed in relief. Well, it was good to hear he wouldn't have to put up with any snake feces in the house or whatever it is they leave behind.
He read through the rest of the little packet Alfred left him. The rest was mostly telling him where Arthur's hiding spots were, how often to let him outside, when he can and can't be outside… Stuff like that. Then there was a list of things to do around the house, as well. A number to the pet store was left on the last paper, as well as a few websites Alfred left for more information.
Matthew sighed and set the papers back on the table, pulling out a chair and sitting. "This is going to be a long two months," he murmured. He ran a hand through his hair as he just sat there, almost as if he were waiting for Alfred to come back and tell him that he got someone else, instead.
He suddenly heard a scratching at the kitchen door and jumped, turning and staring in fear at the door. It finally pushed open slowly and Arthur peeked inside, staring at the Canadian for a few seconds before slithering closer.
The young male was instantly reminded of the scary movies with snake people in them as he watched the reptile move. It's human half stood straight up, and the snake half moved back and forth against the ground. To him, it was creepy and a bit terrifying.
He leaned away from the snake as Arthur got closer, those green eyes staring at him curiously. He whimpered and clung to the chair, unable to move back any further. He noticed the tongue flickering out farther, now, and at a faster pace as he got closer to the Canadian. "P-P-Please don't b-bite me," he whined quietly, closing his eyes and looking away.
But the snake didn't do anything. Just stayed in its position leaning into Matthew for a good minute before leaving him alone and going back to the living room with a soft hiss.
Only when he heard the hiss did Matt open his eyes. He was glad to see the snake gone, but wasn't sure what the hiss meant. Hopefully, it didn't mean anything along the lines of "I'll save you for lunch tomorrow."
Matt sighed heavily and pressed his hand against his forehead, brushing his bangs away. This was going to be a very, very long two months.
Author's Note: I hope you liked the first chapter!
If you see any mistakes about the snake information in this chapter, or in this fanfiction at all when it gets farther into the story, please Private Message me about it. (Please don't leave it in the reviews.)
Read, Review, and Share with your friends, please! And thanks!
- HitachiinElephant