This is the portion I wrote. Enjoy~!
"IGGY! IGGY OPEN UP!"
It was 4 days before Christmas. Alfred had decided to visit Arthur during Christmas this year. He had been knocking on his door for over a minute and Arthur hadn't answered him. What was wrong? He nearly knocked down the door before noticing the 3 post-its on the door. It said:
Alfred
You've probably been knocking for a long time so I put a band-aid attached to this note just in case. I have decided to make you work for your Christmas present this year so, I have devised a scavenger hunt so that you can learn more about my history and me. This is the first clue:
This is the first person who found me. He treated me terribly until I grew older and rebelled against him. This is also where I got most of my magical friends. You probably still don't know so I'll give you a hint: It starts with an S.
"Sssssealand? Ssssssseychelles? Ssssscotland!" Alfred said jumping up and going to the train station (the planes in England were not working for some reason)
When he arrived in Scotland, he began knocking on the door. Scotland opened up.
"'Oh. Hi, 'Merica."
"Hi, Scotland. I'm um… doing a scavenger hunt for … your brother. Do you happen to have a clue for me?"
"Yea. I do. It's round back on his favorite tree when he was younger. Good luck finding it!"
America went out back only to find a million trees.
"ENGLAND! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FIND IT?" It was then that he saw a small rabbit on the edge of the forest.
He slowly walked up to the rabbit trying not to scare it. When he got close enough to touch it, he slowly sat down and started petting it.
"Hey there, little guy. Do you know where England's favorite tree is?" The rabbit perked up at England's name and ran into the forest. American stood up and followed knowing that the rabbit would lead him to where he needed to go.
After a while, the rabbit stopped and America put his hands on his knees while catching his breath. When he stood up he saw the most beautiful tree every. All over the branches were old lanterns and hideouts that a little boy would love to crawl through. Right in front of his face was a piece of parchment attached to the tree with a nail.
He picked it off and read:
Stupid frog.
That's all it said and that's all it needed to say before America started back towards London. He needed to take a Chunnel.
After a few hours, he finally arrived in Paris. He walked towards France's place. Once he arrived he knocked on the door.
"Mon ami, Alfred. I assume you are here for mon petit Arthur, non? You just missed him by a few hours"
"Arthur? He was here?"
"Why yes. He seemed very determined about, er… something or another. But, let's focus on you, non?"
"Yeah. So, where's the clue?"
"Well, Angleterre and I have a long history. He had me take out all of my history books of us. You need to find it somewhere there."
He led him into the living room where an obscenely enormous amount of book lay. They covered the floor, the tables, the couch, even the television!
"How. The. Hell." Alfred said.
"Good luck!"
"Well, better start with the first one."
Alfred read through EVERY SINGLE BOOK looking for his clue. He read about all the endeavors and battles that France and England had accomplished and fought. In fact, it made him a little jealous that they had such a history. It took him several hours and by the time he was finished, the sun was setting. He reached the final book hoping that he hadn't missed anything. At the end of the book, there was a piece of blank paper sewn in the book with a letter:
Hello poppet,
I know that you have been reading for a long time (sorry, love) so I won't write too much.
Here's your next clue:
I used to own the seas when you were little. I've defeated many armies on my ship as a pirate. Esta pirata es la persona que derroté la mayoría.
This is the pirate I have defeated the most. Alfred translated in his head. After all, Mexico is his neighbor.
'Well' Alfred thought, 'It is in Spanish and Spain's armada was defeated many times… I'll visit him!' And so he set out for Spain.
But, before he could get up, France forced him down.
"Wha?"
"There's more in the letter, mon cher."
He read on.
I know that you want to rush to the next clue as fast as possible but, you need to rest. I'll assume you haven't eaten too much and so you're starving and that you haven't slept. I've asked Francis to prepare a room for you so get some rest. I'm fine but, I miss you. I hope you think your present is worth it.
Alfred stared lovingly at the Post Script before looking at France.
"Could you show me to my room?"
"Of course." When they got to the hallway, Francis stopped him again. "But, I do want to tell you something first."
"Yea?"
"Be careful with England. While he himself is not porcelain, his heart has been broken many times and it has been messily mended. You have already broken his heart and if you break it again, I'm sure it won't ever heal."
America stared at France for a moment before speaking. "I never intended to break his heart before but I swear on my life that I will never do it again."
France smiled at this. "Good. Now, let's find you some clothes. Those look absolutely terrible on you!"
America just rolled his eyes. When he finally was in bed, he thought of Arthur. About what he had learned and about what was laying ahead of him. But, mostly, he thought about what he was doing right now. Was he sleeping? Was Arthur thinking of him as he was thinking of Arthur? These thoughts and the memory of his loving gaze calmed him and got him to sleep.
The next morning he got up and got ready. It was still dark outside and he didn't want to bother France anymore. So, he left a note thanking him for everything before grabbing a croissant and catching the next train to Madrid.
The train ride was long, but when American arrived, he was met with Antonio at the train station.
"¡Hola, Alfred! How are you?"
"I-I'm pretty good. How did you know I would be here?"
"Arthur told me you might get here early and would want to leave as soon as possible before he left my house last week"
'Wow. He really planned this out.' Alfred thought before asking, "Do you know where he is going?"
"No, he kept me in the dark as he probably did with many others. But, I'm going to assume that you want your clue, ¿sí?"
"S-sí" Alfred said cursing his stutter. He wasn't Canadia!
"Well, I can't tell you where it is but, I can give you a riddle."
"Geez. England is getting really complicated."
"Sí, yo sé, mi amigo. Well, here it is: A pirate's life is the seas but a family man's life is his home. You were England's but what is mine?
Alfred sat and thought. "I was Britain's home. Home is where the heart is, right? So, your heart… the one you love… Romano?" Antonio didn't say but just smiled. Alfred stood and said, "Thanks Antonio. I'll send him over once I'm done there."
"Gracias, amigo. Have a safe trip!"
"Thanks!"
He got the next train ride to Southern Italy. It only took an hour or two and when he arrived, he rushed to Romano's house. He knocked on the door and it flung open.
"Hamburger bastardo." Romano said before standing aside to let American in.
"Hey! Lovino. Was England around earlier?"
"Yeah. He told me to go to Antonio's today. I don't know why but, he also gave me this."
Alfred took it and looked at it. It was a clue. "That was easier than I thought." He said.
"Yeah, well. Just take it and go. I'm going to Spagna's so I can't take care of a fatty like you."
"Haha, ok!"
Alfred started walking away while reading the note:
Hello Love,
I know you've been doing a lot of travelling so I thought I would write a longer note so that you have something to read and to let you know I still care about you.
The riddle I gave Antonio was no coincidence. It could have been any of the other combination of countries but, I chose Antonio because I feel that our relationship is similar. Romano was colonized by Spain. While there wasn't a war, they eventually grew apart but, then, fell in love. I feel like that is similar the only difference being a lot more blood being shed.
Our history is long and bloody and I'll admit that sometimes I still wish to see you as your cute little self, (for which I chastise myself because I love you the way you are) but I never regret falling for you. You have made my life brighter in many ways and I can never thank you enough.
I'm not sure if you see this journey as absurd but, I hope that this has opened your eyes to see that our individual history is different. We have different lives, different countries, different traditions, ages, even language at some points but, we make it work. You make it work. You always smile at a difference and accept it. It's in your nature. I don't have that. I tend to close off at differences. I admire you for that.
I'll see you soon. Stay safe. I love you.
Arthur
(P.S. Here's your clue: This country, you could say, brought us together in battle. He also brought me the most pain with his Luftwaffe.)
America walked while enjoying the scenery to the train station. He got a ticket to Germany but realized that it required a change in Austria.
When he got on the train, he reread the letter smiling and holding it close to his heart hoping that Arthur's handwriting would seep through his skin and attach to his heart.
In Austria, he had a few hours so he walked around observing the shops and the avenues.
As he was walking he ran into Austria and Hungary… literally.
"Hey! Watch where you're going you- oh, hi Alfred." Austria said.
"Hey! Roderich, how are you guys?"
"Pretty good! How's everything with Arthur? Any improvements? Where is he? I need pictures!" Hungary said as if she had said it a million times yet, with the same excitement.
"Uh… good? Kind of. I don't know. And no pictures, please." Alfred said trying to answer all of Hungary's questions.
"Oh yeah, you're on a scavenger hunt, right?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"Arthur told us to give this to you but to tell you it's separate from the scavenger hunt."
"Oh, really?" Alfred said taking the envelope.
"Yep! We actually just got it now and we were readi- I mean wondering what it said. Anyways, we'll be seeing you, Alfred." Hungary said creepily.
"You will?"
"Yes. But, you won't" Hungary said while Roderich spared Alfred a glance that clearly said 'sorry'.
Alfred walked backed to the station but didn't open the letter. He was a little bit confused. What could possible be said in the letter?
He got on the train and sat down. As the train began moving, he opened the envelope and read:
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimmed;
But thy eternal lines to Time thou grow'st.
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
I happened to be visiting Shakespeare while he was having a 'writing block' you might say. It was written before I met you, in 1599, but, I helped him create this. When I first met you, I immediately thought of this. I was so worried that you would go to France instead of me but, you chose me. No one had ever chosen me before. I knew immediately that you were special. I didn't know how special you would be. When you rebelled, I was distraught. I didn't know what to do nor did I know how to move on. I continuously tried to be an annoyance so that you would know how I hated you. Oh I had hated you for your ability to just succeed from me so easily without a second thought. I hated you for your ability to rip my heart in half with a blink of your eye and the turn of your body.
I was so bitter. But, as you grew stronger, I grew less bitter. As time went on, I grew to love you again. Now, in a different way. Every time I saw you in a meeting or in battle, I couldn't help but blush. My heart would speed up and I would curse myself for it.
When you told me you loved me, on VE- Day in 1945, I cried, as you know, of happiness. And I loved you too. I still love you and will always love you. Despite the insults and curses I throw at you. I will always love you.
So, now, I give this poem to you. To remind you that you are my summer day, brightening my life with every smile and word.
Be safe. I love you.
Arthur
Alfred cried and laughed out of happiness. He had never really heard the reason that Arthur loved him and rarely had he spoken the words. He folded the letter and pushed it against him engraining the words in his brain. This was the only present he had ever needed and wanted.
The train stopped and Alfred wiped his eyes. As he stepped onto the platform, he was met with Germany being dragged by Italy.
"Hey! Ludwig! Dude! Wait up!"
"Alfred!"
"Hey! You just missed Arthur!" Feliciano said. "Literally!"
"Wha-" Alfred said turning around. In the train was Arthur. He tried running and called his name. Arthur looked outside and saw Alfred. He waved. Alfred kissed his fingers and reached them out as if it would help. Arthur smiled as the train left the station.
"We were told to bring you to our house now!" Feliciano said. "Ne~ Ludwig! Can I drive?"
"NEIN! Never. Again."
Alfred stared a little confused but he followed them to Ludwig's car. They were on the autobahn for about an hour before arriving at Germany's house.
They knocked on the door and Japan opened the door.
"Konichiwa. I trust you had a …safe trip?" Japan said giving Germany a sympathetic look.
"Er… yeah." Alfred said. When the door closed, Alfred turned to Germany and asked "What's my clue?"
"You need to be patient, America. And you need to work. Arthur asked me to devise a training program to teach you patience. Here are some clothes. Go get changed and meet me down here in 5 minutes."
"Uhh…..Ok….."
5 minutes later, America was wearing what could be looked at as the most ridiculous looking lederhosen he's ever seen.
"Why. Am. I. Wearing. This?" He asked, straining to keep his voice down.
"You need to learn patience and what working for love truly means, so here's your task for me. You need to get me these things at this department store. You have no time limit but remember that you have 2 other tasks to complete."
Alfred looked at the list and nodded. It shouldn't be too hard.
It was hard.
He got to the stuff easily but standing in line was TORTURE. It was easily 3 miles long. He got through the first mile by thinking 'I hate Germany' over and over especially when kids stared and laughed at his ridiculous outfit but then he remembered what he said. "You need to learn patience and what working for love truly means" He stood up straighter and with a new determination. But, the line was just too damn long!
He took a few deep breaths and examined his surroundings. A giant Christmas tree was right next to him. He looked at the different ornaments before seeing one that was different from all the others. It was one right at his eye level and it was a little angel that looked exactly like Arthur. Right next to that one was one that looked exactly like him. He reached for them and turned them over. On Arthur's it said 'LOVE' and on his it said 'HOPE'. He smiled and grabbed them quickly before security could see him.
He looked around and saw things that all related to Arthur and he realized, if he was doing this for Arthur, he wouldn't mind at all because he loved him. A few hours later, he finally got to the cash register and paid. He got back to Germany's house just in time for a pasta dinner courteous of Italy.
It was delicious, as usual. Right as he was about to hit the sack, Germany gave him his second task.
"You need to clean the kitchen."
"What?"
"That's your second task. Usually I clean because I l-love Feliciano and so he cooks and I clean."
"O-oh." Alfred said. He walked into the kitchen. Scratch that. He walked into hell. Seriously. There were pots and pans everywhere; pasta noodles and sauce exploded on the floor, table, ceiling, counter, everywhere. It was a disaster. Germany handed him a broom and wished him luck before taking Feliciano to bed.
This time, he understood the point of the exercise. It just was terrible to make the room as spotless as the German would like it. At about 1:30 AM, he finally finished and he was exhausted. It was almost as if Feliciano was making a mess on purpose (which he probably did)
He closed the cabinet before collapsing on a chair. That's when he realized he saw a flash of yellow when closing it. He jumped up and re-opened the cabinet and saw a post-it note and it read: Goodnight, Alfred.
This note made him smile. He heard Arthur say goodnight to him several times on the phone and a few times in person but, it always made him smile every time. He grabbed the note before trudging up the stairs and collapsing on the bed and falling asleep.
The next morning, after breakfast, Germany gave him his last task.
"So, all I have to do is sit outside your door and wait for you?"
"Yes. And quietly."
"Okaaaay. I'll try" Alfred said following Germany to his office and sitting down near the door and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited for nearly 12 hours, he waited. He was bored out of his mind but he waited. He nearly spoke before remembering Arthur. He thought of Arthur for the whole time. Every memory he had of him. Finally, Germany left his office bearing an envelope.
"Here's your next clue. Good job. This was probably the hardest exercise you'll have to do."
"Haha, I hope so!" Alfred said
He ran to his room, packed anything he had (mainly letters) in a bag and sat down to read the letter.
I've tried to help this nation before and so have you. He's pretty close by and here's the biggest clue: Pink frills.
"I'm off to Poland, guys!" America said before running out the front door.
When he got there, Poland was sitting in his living room with some food.
"Oh my god. It's like America! I didn't expect you would be here so soon! Like, England gave me some like instructions so here they are: you have to like learn about accepting people's opinions so like, you get to listen to me for one hour only! Like how lucky are you?" Poland said. "This is probably going to be the easiest part for you." He said laughing.
"Yeah… very easy" Alfred said half-heartedly.
He sat listening to Poland wishing with all his might that he could just say shut up but, he was respecting Poland and Arthur's wishes. He knew he had a big mouth and that he needed to learn to control it. This probably was the easiest way to practice.
"And so the pony did this like cutesy like little bow and everyone like loved it and like she and I are like this" he said holding his crossed fingers up "it's like ridiculous how like close we like are." He said. "Like OMG, look at the time. We've gone overtime for like 15 minutes! Congrats! We should like totally do this again sometime, America!"
"Haha yeah! Thanks for having me!" Alfred said politely though slightly forced before taking the next clue and silently reading it.
So sorry you had to go through that love.
But, you probably understand what I'm doing now, right? You know how much I love you for all your wonderful qualities, but some, I just can't stand. I will be patient as much as possible and listen to you no matter how stupid your idea might seem. But, respecting others and especially your loved ones is crucial and sometimes the hardest thing to do. I know I still have trouble with it, but I just want you to realize it.
The next part, I'm sure will be the hardest for you. It may come down to a life or death situation. It requires you to go to your biggest enemy and having a pleasant conversation without insulting him. It doesn't need to be long. In fact, it could be only a five minute long conversation. You know exactly who I'm talking about, Alfred. But, believe me, it will all be downhill after this next one.
Don't kill each other, okay?
Love you, always,
Arthur
Alfred gulped. To the icy snow land of Russia it is. 'You are SO lucky I love you, Arthur.' Alfred thought as he trudged towards the exit of his mansion.
"Like, wait!" Poland said before running up to America.
"Yeah, Poland?"
"All of my trains are like down. I know it's not like the greatest time but, you'll like have to take my girl's boyfriend for now. She's like near the border and once they're together, they'll like come home so hurry there! I like miss her!"
Alfred just gaped at him.
"Oh! And you'll like need a saddle. This is like my least elaborate one, unfortunately, so you'll like have to make do, okasies? Okasies." Poland said showing a neon yellow saddle with yellow jewels on the stitching. America didn't look at Poland but placed the saddle on the horse before riding off as quickly as possible. He couldn't stand any more embarrassment. About halfway to the border, he started noticing the how beautiful the scenery was. There were many trees and flowers along the road. He smiled as he saw the different flowers he had given to England over the years.
Before he knew it, he was at the border. It was then, he realized, that it was the smallest part of Russia whom was probably not there. But, he looked up and there he was, evil aura and all.
"America, da?" Russia said "We need to converse but, I would prefer if we did it at my mansion in Moscow. If you would kindly step off your horse and take my hand, I will transport us there.
America was hesitant but, he eventually brought the horse to its er… mate and got off it. He approached Russia slowly and took his hand. Immediately, they appeared in Russia's home.
"How'd you do that, man?"
"It's quite simple really, you probably could too if you just stopped refusing to see the magic!" Russia said seemingly amiably.
'This might be easier than I thought' Alfred thought.
They conversed for longer than necessary, it turns out that despite their hatred, they have a lot in common. After 30 minutes of conversation, America decided to take his leave.
"We should do this again, da?" Russia said with what seemed to be truth.
"Yeah! It was interesting talking to you!" America said as he left.
As he walked out he saw China sneaking in. He just laughed. He knew they were together. Most people did, in fact. No one knew why they were trying to hide it, though.
He got on the train to the edge of Russia near Alaska as soon as possible. On the train, he fell asleep. He was exhausted.
He was having a strange dream about Poland riding a rainbow with his pony when an attendant shook him awake.
"Excuse me, sir? We have arrived at our destination." Alfred jumped awake.
"Oh, uh, thanks." He said as he grabbed his bag and left the train. Surprisingly, there was already a boat by the ocean heading to Alaska he jumped on wishing he could see Arthur again.
He looked around the boat and thought he saw a pair of eyebrows that he would know anywhere but, when he tried to get closer, they disappeared. 'Trick of my mind, I suppose' Alfred thought scratching the back of his head.
The boat ride was relatively short. When they got to Alaska, he sniffed the air glad to be in one of his homes. He took a taxi to his home where there was another post-it.
Take a nap, love. You'll be home by Christmas.
Alfred smiled trying to figure out where he was to go next. He had literally gone all over the world for Arthur and he wouldn't mind doing it again.
He changed for what felt like the first time in years before falling on the bed, already asleep.
When he woke, he felt cold. He normally wakes up with Arthur next to him. He could never feel home without Arthur. This was the only thing he didn't like about this hunt: he couldn't do it with Arthur.
He got up trying to forget the sad parts. It's Christmas Eve! He tried to figure out where the next clue would be, but he couldn't find it. He searched the entire house before going to the front door again. There was a note on the inside.
Christmas is a time for family. It took me a while to remember who he was but he is your brother so, you should visit him: Canada.
Alfred stood up and stretched before packing an extra pair of clothes just in case and got the first flight to Canada's house. (Thank God! The planes were finally working again!)
When he got there he knocked on the door for at least a minute straight before Canada opened the door.
"Prussia I'm not in the mood so go awa- oh, hi Alfred." Canada said before blushing. He didn't want his brother knowing that Prussia was coming over to his house.
"Hey, Mattie! How you doin'?"
"I'm well. Arthur sent you, right?"
"Yeah. I guess I get to hang out with you?"
"Oui!" Matthew said.
Matthew made pancakes while Alfred got out the usual condiments: Powdered sugar, maple syrup, the works.
When they were done, they sat down and started talking.
"You know, it's been forever since we've hung out like this." Alfred said.
"Yes. We should definitely do this more often" Matthew replied as they got up to do the dishes. When that was done, they sat down with some coffee and continued talking. About Arthur, Kumjirou, Prussia, but mainly, Alfred's adventures over these past couple of days.
"Wow, sounds like fun."
"Yeah! I learned a lot about so many other countries that I otherwise wouldn't know about!" Alfred said excitedly. "For example, did you know that Russia likes panda bears? I knew he was dating China, but I had no idea that they had that much in common!"
Matthew did a spit take. "Y-you talked to Russia?" Matthew said.
"Yeah! Even I was surprised at how well it went." Matthew just stared at him before shaking his head.
"You really have grown more mature." Matthew said before handing him the last clue.
Alfred took it and read it quickly.
Come home, love.
He smiled before standing.
"Thanks for the meal, Matthew. I'll call you. We should do this again soon."
"Yeah. That would be nice." He said showing him to the door. He left and got on the last plane. When he arrived in his hometown, D.C., he smiled at the Christmas lights that covered the town. He walked to a small house on the outskirts of town. Whenever Arthur came into town, they always stayed at this little house. The White House was his workplace and he would normally stay there but, with Arthur, they wanted something a little more intimate and personal.
He picked up his key shaking. He had never felt this nervous going into his home. When the door finally opened, he walked into the living room only to find Arthur on the couch asleep. 'He probably fell asleep waiting for me.' Alfred thought. He reached into his pocket and put the two Angels from Germany on their Christmas tree before picking him up and felt Arthur's arms slowly hold his neck as he brought them to bed.
He placed Arthur down on the bed before lying next to him. He didn't care that he had his clothes on, he was glad he was finally home.
The next morning, he woke up with Arthur clutching onto his shirt with his face in his chest.
"Mornin'" Alfred said kissing the top of his head.
"Morning, love" Arthur said moving his head so that they could kiss normally. It had felt like years since they had kissed properly and so, when it finally happened, Alfred never wanted it to stop, but Arthur pulled away.
"I want to give you your present, now" Arthur said.
"Ooh! What is it?" Alfred said perking up.
"I hope you'll like it and I hope you think that this journey you took represents our past and our present. But, most of all, I hope that this will represent our future." Arthur said reaching for the bedside table. He opened the drawer and pulled out a little blue velvet box. Alfred gasped.
"Alfred, will you marry me?" Alfred smiled before hugging him and responding.
"Yes. Of course. Always." Alfred said before crying tears of happiness. They had been together for so long, that this was what he had wanted. It's funny. He had almost expected this.
"This is actually very funny." Alfred said.
"How so?"
"Because, I got you your present here, too" he said reaching for his bedside table. "I'm surprised you haven't looked here, it's been here for nearly 6 months. I was going to give it to you next time you came over but, looks like you beat me to the punch!"
"What?"
"Arthur, this journey has been amazing. I really never feel home unless you're there so, will you always be there? Will you marry me?"
Arthur stared before expressing a million emotions in less than a minute. The main one being happiness. "Y-yes. Of course. A-always." He said with happy tears slowly moving down his face.
Throughout all their years together, they would always remember this Christmas as the best Christmas ever. It was the year they finally found each other and who they were; it was the year they sealed the deal and realized, they were stuck together forever.
I hope you enjoyed our story! Please rate and review!
3,
KaruKageXP