Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or Alice in Wonderland.

A/N: Happy World Earth Hour Day! :D I love celebrating this day and I don't mind turning off my nightlights. Although, I am still kind of a scaredy cat. XD This chapter has fluff. kid!America has a crush on fem!Iggy. XD A few chapters 'til they enter high school.

Oh, and I saw that you guys are curious on the title! Well, I promise this - you guys will find out in a future chapter. I made it "Finding Arthur" for a reason :D I am well aware that I used Igiko and I'm sorry if I puzzled you guys! *sweatdrop* I better learn how to make better fanfic titles next time. Thanks to all who read, favorited, alerted, and reviewed! :D And shout outs to Valkyrie99, EmiriiChanDesu, annon, gong zi, Japanese Sinister, can't-reach-beer, and coolbunnyboo for the awesome reviews! :D I will have China's boss appear in an upcoming chapter for you guys!

I hope you guys like this chapter!

Finding Arthur

Chapter 3

Tea and Cheek

The sunlight creeping through the window of Alfred and Matthew's room managed to wake up the former. Alfred stretched his arms and yawned before opening his eyes to check the time in his bedside clock.

"7 o'clock? Alice is coming!" he thought happily. The boy sprang out of his bed immediately. Alfred fixed his Captain America-themed blanket and fluffed his pillows out of pure joy. Matthew woke up after a few seconds and was surprised by the sight of his brother fixing his bed. It felt like a miracle. Usually, Matthew had to fix Alfred's bed because his brother was lazy. At the tender age of six, Matthew was distraught that Alfred strayed from obedience from time to time. But now the boy was able to fix his bed properly. If only he could do that for Matthew…

"Hey, Mattie! You're awake! Wanna have me fix your bed?"

Matthew smiled and hopped off his bed, thinking that he should make more mental wishes that had possibilities to come true. Alfred took hold of his maple leaf-printed blanket and folded it. It had a few wrinkles and uneven sides, but Matthew was happy nonetheless. "Too bad you slept early last night! Alice read me a bedtime story!" the boy said with pride. Matthew looked at him.

"Really? What's the story?"

"Peter Pan! It's so cool! Peter beat the ugly Captain Hook! But when Mrs. Darling asked him to stay with them, he said no because he didn't want to grow old," Alfred replied. Matthew beamed in excitement. "Wow! Alice is so nice to read to you! I wish she would read to me later too! And Peter Pan is a nice story! It has a Disney movie!"

"Yeah! Alice promised that she would read another story later! I'm so… uhhh… ex… uhmm…"

"Excited?" Matthew chirped. Alfred grinned and tackled his brother in a bear hug that made them topple to the floor.

"Yeah! You sure are smart, Mattie!"

The little Canadian smiled and watched Alfred make neat, finishing touches on his newly prepared bed. They changed their clothes and quickly dashed to their bathroom to brush their teeth. Matthew almost fell into the bath tub if not for Alfred's quick and developing reflexes.

Afterwards, the boys quickly dashed to the kitchen, only to see their mother hurrying once again. Her job as a flourishing successful businesswoman offered their family with good fortune, though it came with the price of stress, rushing, and firm devotion. She was fixing up her blazer while putting on her two-inch black heels while hopping around the living room. Alfred and Matthew attempted to approach her, but she quickly stretched her arm and shook her head. "No, it's okay, boys! Alice will come soon so she'll fix your breakfast, but you I'm sure you two can-"

DING!

Mrs. Jones quickly grabbed her attaché case and a coat from the nearby coat rack. Alfred handed her a paper bag. "Don't forget your food, mommy!" Matthew said. "You almost forgot it!" She gave swift kisses on the boys' foreheads and opened the door with Alice behind it. The girl smiled and greeted Mrs. Jones before the woman quickly ran to her car and drove away.

"Good morning, boys," Alice said. She closed the gate of the Jones residence and led the boys inside, shutting the main door afterwards. Alfred grinned and offered to place Alice's bag on the table. It was a part of his ingenious plan to find out what story Alice would impart on them later on. The girl smirked and quickly took her bag from the boy and raised the bag to a height poor Alfred couldn't reach. Alfred definitely wanted pay back now. "No hints, Alfred. I want to surprise you and Matthew."

"Yeah! I wanna know later!" Matthew exclaimed. He watched his brother fail to reach Alice's bag countless times and stomp away in annoyance.

"Honestly, your brother needs to be more patient, Matthew," Alice huffed, crossing her arms. "Anyway, have you eaten your breakfast?" The little boy shook his head and placed a hand on his small belly with a pleading look.

"Uhm… you two have cereal… don't you?" Alice asked nervously. She still didn't want to cook. Matthew nodded, much to her relief. The two walked towards the kitchen and found Alfred pouring milk on two bowls filled with cereals while standing on a stool. Alice tried to stifle her laughter at the sight of Alfred standing on the tips of his toes. It was quite adorable. Matthew grinned widely. "Wow! I can't believe you made me cereal!"

"Next time, say, "made cereal for me" instead, alright," Alice said, patting the puffy-haired hair of the boy.

"What's the difference?" Alfred asked as he screwed the lid of the milk carton back on. He flashed a goofy grin at Alice.

"The use of proper grammar, that's what," Alice replied. She took the bowls of cereal and walked towards the living room, the boys tailing after her. Alfred tugged Alice's skirt, causing the girl to shake in surprise. Small quantities of milk splashed onto Alfred's shirt. He started laughing at the sight of Alice's angered face. Matthew, however, asked Alice if she needed help. She shook her head and placed the bowls of cereal on the coffee table while the boys quickly leapt onto the couch. She pushed the table towards the couch that the boys sat on.

"Alfred, you should change your shirt afterwards. We wouldn't want to smell spoilt milk, now would we?" she said. The boy gave her another childish grin. "I'm going to make some tea. Don't make a huge mess now, alright?"

Alice quickly left the room and searched for any kind of tea in the cupboards. She sighed. Not a sight of any kind of tea. Not even green tea. It was frustrating to find sachets of instant coffee and a large packet of coffee beans. The girl was not accustomed to coffee, just like other points of American culture. Suddenly, she felt another tug on her knee length skirt. She squeaked in horror and turned around, hoping it was just the flying mint bunny she adored. Instead, she found Alfred looking up at her.

"There's tea at the corner," he said with a soft smile. Alice was taken aback. "Don't worry. Mom and dad don't drink much tea. Only grandma does, but she doesn't visit anymore."

She nodded and rummaged the corners of the cupboard. Some canned goods and coffee sachets were temporarily taken out just so that Alice could find tea. It was not like she was desperate.

"Hey, if you don't know where it is, I'll get it for you," Alfred said.

"Huh?"

"Carry me!" Alfred said. He stretched his arms widely and beamed at her. She sighed. Maybe she really was desperate for some tea. She picked him up by his underarms and elevated him as high as she could. The boy was laughing, exclaiming how ticklish he was. He accidentally hovered one of his feet onto her arm, causing Alice to flinch. "I'm sorry!" Alice murmured a "no problem" and found Alfred struggling at her grasp. After a few seconds, he laughed once more. "Bring me down!"

"It's put me down, you cheeky boy," Alice corrected. Alfred snorted and brushed his lips against Alice's cheek.

"You're welcome for the tea!" he exclaimed. Alice couldn't help but blush at the little boy's act. He was quite affectionate for a six-year old. It was quite unexpected for him to do that. Maybe he mistook cheeky for cheek? She slowly placed him back on the ground and took the tea leaves Alfred managed to get for her.

"Grandma's kind of old fa… fas… uhh…"

"Old fashioned?" Alice asked.

"Yeah! Old fa… what was that? Oh, nevermind! I know there are boxes of those teabags, but grandma likes tea leaves," he explained. He bashfully rubbed the nape of his neck before flashing another grin at Alice. "The kettle thing is over there," he said, pointing at the silver kitchen appliance perched on a nearby counter. "Can you make hot chocolate for Mattie and me?" he added. Alice grinned.

"Tell me where the marshmallows are, love," she said with a gentle smile. "I'll make hot chocolate especially for the both of you."

Alfred pointed at the snacks tray found across the kitchen. Alice quickly rushed to prepare the hot beverages, not knowing how she affected Alfred amiably from calling him love.

After a breakfast filled with stomach-warming beverages, Alice watched the hyperactive boys continue their pirate adventures and didn't mind cleaning up after their messes. Luckily, Alfred and Matthew caught one of the porcelain flower vases before it could collapse into hundreds of worthless pieces. Alfred managed to win the control over their imaginary pirate ship and made Alice his first mate, while Mattie was his boatswain. Alice suggested making Matthew a quartermaster as so the boy would have a higher rank, seeing as they were only three. Afterwards, Alice ordered some food from McDonald's because Mrs. Jones wasn't able to prepare anything. Alfred was delighted to have two hamburgers while Matthew preferred the chicken nuggets. Alice helped herself with some salad and some fries Alfred shared.

Matthew and Alfred settled in front of the television once again after eating lunch. Alfred stole the remote when Matthew attempted to watch The Powerpuff Girls, but Alice told him to let Matthew watch if he wanted. Alfred almost protested, but found the show entertaining. Not that he'd admit that to a smug Matthew. Alice didn't tell the boys how amused she was with the show as well. They finished every cartoon that played on the television. The boys guffawed while watching Tom and Jerry.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones arrived a few hours later and changed into their formal clothes for a business gala. Alfred grinned widely as he waved at his parents from his house's window. It was getting darker – that meant Alice would definitely start the story now.

"Alice! Alice! What's the story?" Alfred asked, bouncing hyperactively as the girl rummaged her bag. Matthew readied himself on the couch with his favourite stuffed polar bear named Kumajirou. Alice smiled as she took out a book from her bag. She sat beside Matthew, and Alfred sat on her other side.

"Tonight, I'll be reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Before Alfred could speak, Alice quickly added, "And this Alice is not me."

Matthew snorted and tightened his grip on Kumajirou. Their babysitter started telling the story of Alice, a girl who got bored from her sister's lecture. Alfred could relate, as he felt bored at the first part of the story. Matthew, however, was already captivated. When Alice followed the White Rabbit, Alfred became interested. Soon, Alice told the tales of the character falling in a deep hole, meeting a talking door ("I wish we had one!" Alfred exclaimed), taking a drink that made her shrink (Matthew winced at the thought of shrinking), and eating a cake that made her head hit a ceiling. Alfred continuously teased Alice by saying she was the Alice at the book. He kept on asking her how it felt to have her hit the ceiling, only to be pinched lightly on the cheek.

Soon enough, they reached the climax of the story. The boys were delighted with the strange but colourful characters. Alfred particularly liked the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter, and he tried to picture himself as the Mad Hatter with a large, green hat. He smiled at the thought and whispered to Matthew that he should be the March Hare. Alice heard them and said they would fit as Tweedledee and Tweedledum, seeing as they looked like real twins. Matthew laughed at the idea.

When the entrance of the Queen of Hearts in the story came, Alfred stuck his tongue out in disgust at the character. He disliked antagonistic characters. Or at least, rude ones. He and Matthew were at wit's end for Alice in the story until their babysitter read the part where Alice's sister woke her up. Matthew sighed in relief and grinned when Alice closed the book and placed it on her lap.

"Did you two like the story?" she asked. The boys nodded. Alfred was upset when Matthew yawned. "Time for bed."

Alice brought them to their bedroom, prayed with them, and tucked them in. Matthew fell asleep in a heartbeat, but Alfred remained restless.

"Do you have a sister, Alice?" he asked. Alice shook her head as she knelt down and leaned on Alfred's bed.

"No, but I have three older brothers and one baby brother," she replied.

"Oh. Are they here in America?" he added. Alice once again shook her head. "No. I actually left the United Kingdom to avoid my brothers for a while. They always taunt me while I'm there."

Alfred scowled. "That's mean! They should not do that!"

Alice smiled. "I wish. We still love each other, nonetheless. They know their limits. Sometimes they surpass it, but at the end of the day, they would feel sorry." Sadly, Alice knew that what she said was only halfway true.

"Do you love me?"

Alice blinked. The boy was looking at her with wide, blue eyes again. He looked too cute for Alice's liking. She turned away to hide a blush. "W-what made you ask that?"

"I just want to know!" Alfred exclaimed with a grin. "I love you! Do you love me?"

And the girl turned her back from Alfred. "How could you say such a thing?"

Alfred couldn't tell why Alice sounded so… nervous. But being a six-year old, he didn't understand what Alice knew and understood about love. Alfred sat up, completely ruining his blanket's clean tuck, and hugged Alice from behind.

"I love my mom and dad, and I love Mattie, and I love you," he said. Alice blushed. Alfred was still young, after all. There was no malice in anything he said. Perhaps he found her endearing because she showed her care for him. She smiled.

"I love you too, Alfred."

"Good!" Alfred laughed and asked Alice to fix his blanket, apologizing for making a mess. The girl didn't mind and fixed it. She waited for Alfred to fall asleep before she left the room to wait for Mr. and Mrs. Jones.

Alice was overwhelmed at the thought that a young child loved her enough to say it personally. Not even her brothers managed to do it.

Oh… if ever I return to normal, I guess forgetting Alfred is not in my to-do list.

A/N: To summarize things, Alice is under a curse where she cannot age. Alfred is developing a crush on his babysitter. I had a friend when I was a toddler who had a crush on our teacher, so I guess having a crush on a babysitter is less creepy, and quite normal. XD More stuff will unravel soon. Do you guys want to see Chibipan/kid!Kiku again? :D Please R&R, no flames hopefully. And I hope you guys like this chapter! Stay tuned for the upcoming ones!