APH Hide and Seek

by threepinkdoors

Alfred and Davie were best friends and had lots of fun together. So it's no surprise that Alfred, the young country, would start to like him. But Davie is growing up, and fast. And Alfred has Arthur running back and forth, fulfilling his odd requests, unknowingly to make a human boy happy.

Title: [APH] Hide and Seek
Pairing: Davie x America x England
Setting: New England colonies, early 1600s
Author: threpinkdoors
Fanfic Rating: PG
Summary: Alfred and Davie were best friends and had lots of fun together. So it's no surprise that Alfred, the young country, would start to like him. But Davie is growing up, and fast. And Alfred has Arthur running back and forth, fulfilling his odd requests, unknowingly to make a human boy happy.

Chapter Rating: PG, for light swearing
Chapter Summary: Wandering about without Arthur knowing is something of a habit Alfred has. And when paired up with an equally adventurous boy, the two find themselves on the edge of their world and into unclaimed territory.

AN: This is obviously Boy x Boy, yaoi, slight shota, whatever. You know the drill: Don't like? Simply don't read. And do us all a favor and keep the "USUK is incest!" comments to yourself. Take a look at history, there were people here before England came along and chased them all away. Arthur merely took Alfred under his wing, THEY'RE NOT REALLY RELATED. Thank you and have a nice day.

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Alfred quietly tiptoed out of his room, down the stairs, through the kitchen where his caretaker was making tea, into the living room and out of the window, landing softly into a small patch of grass growing next to the rather large estate. The small boy stood and dusted himself off, looking around curiously as to where his next adventure would take him. To his right was a small road that led to a small street. Whichever way on the street he went, it would take him into town and eventually into the heart of Boston. To his left was a small forest, scattered with trees so that just enough light could get through.

Alfred smiled. The forest seemed to call his name. Left, then.He made his way through the grass, stepping lightly so as not to leave a trail for Arthur to follow. He disappeared behind the trees, moving through them as naturally as breathing. Before long all he could see was the green leaves around him and the blue sky above him. He smiled, thinking the colors were in perfect harmony. The sounds of the forest filled his ears. Birds chirped and squirrels scurried about.

Insects were also humming their own unique song. The scent of cool green grass with a hint of wildflowers was all around him, and he breathed in deeply. There was absolutely nothing like it, and it enthralled him.

"Hey!"

Alfred looked up from his trance, searching for the person whom the voice belonged to. His eyes finally rested on a boy, a little older than him, perched up on a branch of a tree. Alfred looked around. Boston was the nearest town that he knew of, and he was almost certain this land was uninhabited.

After seeing Alfred unresponsive, the kid jumped down and landed on his feet, dusting his hands off and holding one out to the young boy. "I'm Davie!" he chirpped happily.

Alfred tentatively took his hand and shook it. "Alfred," he said softly.

"Whatcha doin' out here on your own?"

Alfred smiled. "I was about to ask you the same."

Davie laughed mischievously. "I'm explorin'! My mom said not to wander too far. But I slipped away for a bit." A toothy grin was plastered on his face. "How 'bout you? Where's your mom?"

Alfred looked around. Arthur never called himself the boy's brother, or father. And he was sure a mother was meant to be a girl. There was some vague memory of a girl in his life, once upon a time. But he had no idea where she was or if he'd ever see her again. "I... I do not have a mother..." he said quietly.

Davie's smile dropped. "Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't know..." His face suddenly lit up. "Hey, let's go on an adventure!" he exclaimed, trying to make the boy feel better.

Alfred's interest suddenly peaked, as if he had forgotten he was thinking about that girl. "Where?"

Davie looked around and finally pointed towards the distant mountains. "That way!" Before Alfred could protest, Davie took his hand and led him away. "We'll be great adventurers, you and me. You'll see!

Alfred and Davie: The next Marco Polo!"

"Marco Polo?" Alfred asked as he willingly followed his new companion.

"Yeah!" Davie answered. "He was some guy that went to China or something."

Alfred blinked. "China?"

Davie looked at Alfred closely. "You don't know China?" He smiled. "You're only like, what? Seven? Boy, I have a lot to teach you! I'll bring my books tomorrow and I'll teach you. That way, you can help me study, too!"

Alfred smiled. He decided he liked Davie. "Okay! I will be a good student, I promise!"

"You don't have to speak so formally, ya know," Davie smiled softly.

The pair ventured out through the forest, climbing over fallen trees and jumping across lazy little streams. The day was perfect, not too hot or too cold, with puffy white cotton balls in the sky. Davie pointed out plants and animals and called them out by name. Alfred mimicked him happily, pointing them out again if he saw them somewhere else.

Davie suddenly stopped and crouched low, motioning Alfred to do the same. "Look," he whispered, pointing to a branch in a tree ahead of them. Alfred followed his finger and laid eyes on a beautiful eagle. It stared at the mountains ahead, deciding whether or not to go on its own adventure. Alfred watched it curiously. He had never seen a more majestic bird.

"It's an eagle!" Davie whispered, breaking Alfred's thought process. "There's lots of kinds, but I've never seen this one before."

Alfred smiled. "I like it."

"It looks weird," Davie added. "Like it's got no feathers on his head!"

Alfred shrugged. "Maybe he's just bald?"

The two shared a laugh. "A bald eagle!"

Somewhere, a twig snapped. The eagle cried out and flew back towards town, away from the mountains. The boys became quiet. "Was that you?" Davie asked, his voice barely heard. Alfred shook his head, not trusting his own voice.

Someone dove in from the brush. Hardly wearing any clothes, he bend down and picked up a single brown feather, identical to the eagle's. He inspected it carefully, and put it in a small leather picked himself up, his curiosity gaining control. But his added weight crunched the dry grass, and he froze. The man stood, defensive. He looked around and his eyes rested on a small tuft of blonde hair. He took a step forward, muttering in an odd tongue. Alfred was scared. The man's red skin and black hair gave it away that he was not English. Arthur had warned him about them. "Savages," he called them. And there was one slowly stalking towards him.

Davie suddenly jumped out from behind the young nation. "Run, Alfred! I'll hold him back!" He threw himself at the tall man, beating his face and chest with his small fists. The man didn't seem fazed and he promptly held Davie by the collar. Tears formed in Davie's eyes. "Run! Don't let him catch you!"

Alfred snapped out of his trance and started running as fast as he legs could carry him, back towards town, back towards the safety of Arthur's estate. But he had only gone a short distance before he felt his collar being lifted into the air. He cried out. "Arthur! Arthur, help me! He's gonna eat me!"

The red man carried them away from where they were. Alfred felt uneasy. He had never been this far from town before, and it was the oddest sensation he had ever experienced. This land was no longer part of the colonies, no longer a part of him. It made him sick to his stomach.

The two boys were taken to a small village, if you could call it that. It looked very primitive, and everyone around had red skin and black hair. The people of this village looked curiously at the light-skinned boys. Alfred whimpered. He didn't like the attention.

Davie heard the small noise and started swinging his fists once again at the man that carried him. The man dropped with an annoying look on his face next to a fire. In front of the young Englishmen were fruits, meat and vegetables. Alfred's stomach grumbled. He reached out for a bright red apple before Davie pulled his hand back. "Don't do that!" he hissed. "It could be poisoned!"

Alfred did his best to sit still. But his hunger was starting to bother him. "Davie..." he whined softly. "I am hungry..."

Davie bit his lip and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small biscuit and handed it to the younger boy. "My mom made this one. It's safe. You can have it, Alfred."

Alfred gratefully nibbled, eating half before offering it back to Davie. "You can have half, Davie."

Davie smiled. "That's okay. I already ate, so I'm not really that hungry-" His stomach suddenly decided to betray him, and sent out a heart-wrenching moan of protest. "...Uh, there must be a bear around, or something..." he muttered, looking away, embarrassed.

The red-skinned man returned. He murmured something in a concerned tone and took a piece of meat, sitting next to the boys and eating. Alfred looked at Davie. "He wants us to eat."

Davie looked shocked. "How could you know that? What if we get sick?"

Alfred shrugged. "He is eating it..." He reached out for the apple once more. He took it and bit into it slowly. The redskin made a noise of approval and muttered something else. Alfred looked up at him, taking in his language.

Suddenly, there was the sound of thunder. Everyone in the camp looked up. The women started screaming. The children ran about, trying to find their mothers. The men quickly took arms. Davie quickly pushed Alfred to the floor and they hid behind a tent. "The British are coming!" he whispered.

The sound of horses halting and whinnying reached Alfred's ears and the image of Arthur upon his horse, wielding his full authority came to his mind. He dared himself to peek.

There was a rather large group of horses, each with a man riding it. Each man had a rifle, all of them loaded and ready to fire. At the center, a pair of bright green eyes underneath a head of golden hair stared menacingly at the camp and its occupants. "I am here for my brother," Arthur stated simply, command in his voice. "I demand you give him to me at once."

Alfred quickly ran out from behind the tent. "Arthur!"

Arthur turned his attention to the small boy and quickly dismounted his horse. "Alfred!" He ran up to embrace the smaller nation. "Oh, thank God I found you... I was so worried!"Alfred clung to Arthur as tight as he could. "I am sorry... They found us and I think he thought that we were lost..."

Arthur looked up. "We?" He glanced around and saw another white face. He smiled gently. "Hello. I am Arthur Kirkland." He knelt down and reached his hand out to the small boy. Davie took his hand and nestled himself into the country, instantly feeling safe.

Arthur picked both boys up and turned to the man who found them. "... I suppose a 'thank you' is in order. I am grateful you have taken care of them." The man crossed his arms. He spoke loudly, unafraid of the rifles pointing at him. Arthur nodded. "It was a mistake. They are just children. They do not know any better. Bit I will keep a close eye on them from now on." Arthur placed the boys on his horse's saddle and took the reigns, walking beside the beautiful golden beast and beginning the long walk back into town.

Davie stared curiously at Arthur. "He spoke to them... How? How did they understand him, he was speaking plain English!" Alfred merely shrugged.

The sun was beginning to set when they arrived. Arthur made it a point to stop in front of a certain house. "Davie. That is your name, correct?" Daive nodded slowly. "I am sure your mother will be very worried. Why don't you go inside and comfort her?"

Davie did as he was told, hopping off the horse and going inside, leaving Arthur and Alfred alone.

Arthur mounted his horse and sat Alfred onto his lap, ushering the mare on with a light tap of his heels. The two nations had a quiet stroll back to the large colonial estate. Arthur dropped off the younger at the front door and disappeared behind the house to tend to the horse. Alfred took this moment to run upstairs and hide. He dove underneath his bed and hugged his legs to his chest. Arthur would certainly spank him for disobeying and causing him trouble. His rump started to hurt, remembering the last time he had disobeyed. Alfred hoped it would not be with a belt this time.

The front door opened. Alfred held his breath. Everything was quiet. "Alfred." The voice was quiet, not loud and abrasive, but Alfred could still hear it. He sat still, hoping Arthur would go away. There were footsteps coming up the stairs, stopping at his door. The doorknob turned. Hinges creaked. More footsteps, stopping just before his bed. Alfred whimpered. "Alfred, come out from under there." Still quiet, still soft. But Alfred pinned himself against the wall, as far from Arthur as possible. He heard Arthur sigh. "Come on, I'm not going to yell at you."

Alfred gathered a bit of courage. "Promise?" he asked quietly.

"Cross my heart."

Alfred crawled out slowly. Arthur knelt down until he was level with the young nation. "Alfred, you really had me worried. Do you understand why?"

Alfred nodded slowly. "Because I talked to strangers."

"It's more than that." His voice grew a little more stern. "I know you like exploring. But you cannot go past where I have marked for you." Alfred bowed his head in shame. Arthur continued. "Those... people... They could have hurt you." Arthur smiled softly. "You're lucky you're so cute. They wouldn't hurt someone as sweet as you."

Alfred looked up and returned the smile, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Arthur pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry I disobeyed you."

Arthur kissed his forehead. "I know. You are still a child, there is still much for you to learn. Now," Arthur pulled away. "Off to bed."

Alfred rushed around his room, pulling out his night shirt and handing it to Arthur, standing still while Arthur undressed him. "Can I sleep with you tonight, Arthur?"

"Of course, Alfred." Arthur finished pulling Alfred's nightie down and he folded his clothes and put them away. He took Alfred's hand and led him to his own room. "As long as you are young and little, you can sleep with me whenever you'd like."

Alfred jumped on Arthur's bed and sunk into the pillows. "What about when I'm older?"

Arthur chuckled and undressed himself, pulling on his own night shirt. "When you are older, that is just something young men don't do. They cannot share beds with other men."

"Aw, but I'm scared of the loud lights at night!" Alfred complained, his lips turning into a pout."Lightning," Arthur explained. "is a natural phenomena, and there is no need to be afraid of it..." Alfred turned his pout to him, his eyes growing wide and tears forming in their corners. "...But I suppose it wouldn't hurt if you stayed with me every once in a while..." Arthur felt his face redden slightly, and he slipped into bed. He felt Alfred curl up against him.

"Arthur...?"

"Mm?"

"Do you suppose I could go see Davie tomorrow?" Alfred asked quietly.

"I don't see why not," Arthur responded. "He is a good kid. I don't suppose he meant to get you into trouble."

"He didn't!" Alfred exclaimed. "He stood up to the redskin and fought him so I could get away! I didn't run fast enough, though..." Alfred quickly settled down, ashamed that he had gotten caught.

Arthur chuckled. "I'm sure the two of you were very brave." He wrapped his arms around the small child and held him close. "Now, go to sleep."

Alfred grew quiet as he snuggled into Arthur's chest. It was nice to know that Arthur was there for him, no matter what it was he needed. And though they were not related by blood, there was something between the two of them that nothing could break. Alfred was sure he would do his best to please the country all his life and never leave his side.

Not for anything in the world.