London is burning
Thanks so much for all your support! I'm really happy that so many seem to enjoy my story :D I will try not to disappoint you~
Chapter 2
When he felt Arthurs hand go limp he rose from his sitting position beside the bed.
He started pacing in the room.
"Come on Alfred, you are the Hero, you will solve this! Just think... Think!" he mumbled to himself in a futile attempt to sooth his nerves. After a while he started to get annoyed at a disturbing sound, besides from Arthur's laboured breathing he could hear the melody of... God bless America? He stopped and furrowed his brows in confusion before realisation hit him, his cellphone! He hurriedly picked it up and flipped it open.
"Y-Yeah.. Hello?" He asked in a stressed voice.
"Alfred?" An irritated voice that broke sharply on french said on the other side of the line.
"That's the name of the hero!" America tried to sound unaffected, the last thing he wanted right now was for France to come over.
"I know what happened to l'Angleterre, and I'm not going to sit back and just watch, I'm coming over." The Frenchman ignored Americas failed attempt to hide his stress. "Vous are at your place right, Amérique? And I expect an honest answer." Francis voice left no room for arguments and America felt himself swallow hard before giving in, he didn't have the time nor the energy to argue with France right now.
"Yeah, we are at my place..." He hesitated. "...France, what am I supposed to do?" He didn't really believe the words that came out of his mouth, he could take care of things himself! But at the same time he was stressed, confused, tired and scared. He just needed to hear a comforting and familiar voice telling him that it would be fine.
The only sound coming from the phone was France's breathing, after a while a much softer voice said "Don't worry, I'm sure he will be okay. I'm hurrying over so just keep him safe until then."
"Sure thing! You don't need to hurry, I have everything under control!" America laughed in an attempt at hiding his earlier weakness, he didn't need help! He was the Hero after all.
"Of course you do." Francis chuckled. "I'm coming as fast as I can." He said and then hung up.
"Sure." America said slowly and then lowered the phone slowly while avoiding looking at the bed where England was lying. He sighed heavily and just stared at the wall in front of him. "Sure thing..." He muttered.
His thoughts were cut of by a strangled gasp from the bed behind him and he turned around with an alarmed expression on his face. When his eyes landed on the bed he saw an Englishman trying to prop himself up against the headboard with thick brows heavily furrowed in a look of pain and concentration.
America hurried over and put a hand on the other nations shoulder, at the contact the other blonde flinched and his head whipped up to meet the worried blue that were gazing down on him. Arthur opened his mouth to speak but the only thing that came out was another strangled gasp and at the same time the Englishman lost his sudden rush of strength and he plopped back down on the bed.
"You need to take it easy." Alfred said with a voice filled with concern.
Arthur just glared at him. America let out another heavy sight and took a seat on the bedside next to England.
"I...You...If you need anything, let me know, kay?" America tried to smile as convincing and soothing as he could.
"I don't need your help I..." When England saw the hurt in Americas eyes he trailed of. He smiled weakly and his eyes softened and he spoke in a raspy voice "It's fine lad, I feel perfectly fi..." Suddenly Arthur stopped short and his eyes wen't distant.
"Eh... England? Are you okay?"
"No...no...no...no, no... NO!" The Englishman didn't seem to notice the American beside him and just stared straight ahead with a mortified expression. Suddenly he jerked up and sprang from the bed with raw panic in his eyes,
"We need to save them! They will die!" He started walking towards the door.
"What are you talking about?" America panicked "Calm down!" He tried to grab England around his waist but flinched at the heat. "You need to lie down!" He pleaded with Arthur who just kept on stumbling, fully determined to help his people.
"I need to save them, save them. It will blow up, the fire is too close... too close. Save them! Go away... no not there, the other way! It's too late... Don't explode, please...please... The other way" England kept on mumbling, he was almost at the doorframe when his knees buckled under him.
"Arthur!" Alfred ran to his side bur was careful not to touch him. "Hey man! Answer me!"
"It's okay, I'm just tired." The Englishman panted. Alfred let out a relieved sight that Arthur was contactable.
"No, you are not. You shouldn't even be up!" The american tried to plead with the man "Can you please go back to bed, just rest for a while."
"I can't! They need my help and, besides, I've had worse." Arthur started to try and stand up again, but just ended up falling and landing on his butt. "Ouch!"
"Hey, hey! Take it easy! Nice and slow, I'm a hero, I will help you." He tried to sound as calm as he could but the impact was lost when he let out a nervous chuckle.
"I don't need your help!" The englishman hissed. "And if I don't get them away from there, they will die!" His voice sounded strangled, as if he tried not to cry.
"Away from were?" Alfred was puzzled, the fire was more or less under control now right? Otherwise England wouldn't be able to move around. So what could he be referring to?
"The ammunition depot you git! What else?" Arthur heaved himself of the floor with a heavy grunt while Alfred took in the news. The ammunition depot. Fuck. If the fire reached it, the explosion would shake the whole city of London.
"J...Just...Just take it easy! It will be okay, the fire won't reach that far. I'm sure your people have it under control!" He tried to reassure the Englishman.
"Of course they have it under control you wanker!" England looked sourly at America. "But that doesn't mean that it can't happen." Through all the chaos America was happy that Arthur seemed to feel a bit better and was able to talk as usual, if you disregarded the fact that his voice was sounding as an old scratched record.
"Yeah you're right, but you're too far away to help and right now you need to rest." He reached out for the Englishman but stopped short when he remembered the scorching heat radiating from said person. England looked at him suspiciously "What is it?"
"What is what?" America tried to talk himself out of it, not wanting to admit that he was reluctant to help because he didn't wan't to hurt himself. He was the Hero, and Heroes wasn't afraid of pain!
"Am I that scary?" England asked mockingly while slowly walking back towards the bed, to tired to come up with more excuses to stay out of the inviting sheets.
"I'm not scared of you! It's just that you... you are too hot." Arthur almost tripped over his own feet when he heard the American. "W...Wh...WHAT!" He stuttered and his whole face turned bright read.
"No! No! No! I didn't mean it like hot, hot! I mean that you are hot, temperature like! You know, the fire!" America tried to smooth his earlier mistake over while his face decided to try and compete with England's in how dark red it could get. "Ehehehe, what did you think I was referring to?"
"Nothing, I was just... It was an after-reaction to the fire." He mumbled and turned around.
"Aw, how cute! Just wait till France gets here, he will laugh his ass of!" England whipped his head around and his eyes flared dangerously "Until who gets here?"
"Ah... Eh... Francis..." Alfred took a few steppes back as Arthur's face grew alarmingly red, from anger this time. "I couldn't stop him! And besides I..." He cut himself of, he couldn't admit that he didn't have a clue what he was supposed to do in a situation like this.
"And besides what America?" England growled threateningly. Everyone seemed to threat America today, he was fed up with it, it wasn't his fault that he accidentally said things he didn't wan't to. He sighted heavily and shrugged.
"I didn't know what to do when you just passed out on me."
"Oh." England looked troubled. "I...Ah... Guess it's fine. Thanks for your help."
America looked shocked. England just said thanks. To him. To Alfred F Jones.
"What's with that look git? Have your hamburgers given you a stroke?" The Englishman chuckled, witch resulted in a coughing fit.
"Very funny, old man. Now lie down and get some rest." America approached the bed while a small smile crept on his face. It was going to be alright.
"I'm not old you wanker!" England growled as he crawled into the bed.
"Fine fine, you'r right, don't strain yourself" America started laughing.
"Bloody right, I'm always right." Arthur muttered as he closed his eyes "Bloody right."
Alfred chuckled as he settled himself in a chair beside the bed, maybe he would be able to get some sleep now that things had calmed down.
And that's chapter 2 for you!
This was a bit less depressing than the first one, but to all angst-lovers: Don't worry! I'm not done yet ;
I just felt the need of a little more... story in the story xD