A note from ME! La hi ho! Next chappie! I loved writing this one, I really did. In fact, I loved it so much I ended up writing six pages instead of my normal four… XD
And don't worry! I'm reading all your reviews and putting each question to account! Every question will be answered throughout the duration of this story! (But keep sending the questions anyway, to make sure I don't miss anything.)
Chapter 4 – They love
Francis opened his eyes, slowly at first, but then letting them shoot open as he sat up, the bed covers he was wrapped up in falling off of his bare chest.
"I'm… I'm still alive…" He whispered, looking around the room in incredulous amazement, before turning his gaze to the figure lying peacefully in the double bed next to him. He smiled softly.
"I see. So you saved me…" Arthur carried the same exhausted look Francis had seen him with time and time again, after he had pushed his magical limits that bit too far. Francis smiled gently, lying back down. Glancing at the shut door, he carefully slid an arm out and around Arthur's waist, dragging him closer until bare chest met bare chest. He sighed happily, burying his nose in Arthur's hair before drifting back into sleep, not noticing Arthur's face glowing with a vibrant red blush.
The smaller boy shifted uncomfortably, but felt no indication that Francis was going to let go anytime soon, and looked around. Seeing the room was empty, he let himself relax into the protective grip, looking pointedly away from the Frenchman's bare chest.
It was a couple of hours later when Arthur and Francis finally walked into the kitchen, which instantly went quiet. Francis had slipped on his blue shirt, the tattered sleeve now hiding the bite-mark on his shoulder. Feliciano turned away from the stove, and beamed when he saw them.
"You're awake!" He greeted happily, adjusting the bubbling pots and turning down the heat. "Sit down! I'm making lunch now." Arthur blinked as Feli shooed them to the table, smiling happily.
"Lunch?" He asked. "How long were we asleep?" Ludwig snorted as he turned the page of a book.
"Well, it's one o'clock now." He pointed out. Arthur frowned.
"Why didn't you wake us up? You wasted a half a day's travel just because-"
"Because you and Francis would have only been a liability when you were half asleep." Ludwig cut over him. "Besides, it wasn't completely wasted. Kiku managed to connect us to the internet." Arthur looked at the small Japanese man in admiration.
"Really?" He asked. "That's brilliant." Gilbert grinned as he slapped an embarrassed Kiku on the back.
"Yeah! And me and Lud managed to fix and hotwire a land rover from outside!" He added. Ludwig shrugged.
"It'll be a tight squeeze, but it's more efficient then walking." Ivan smiled that slightly creepy, childish smile.
"Me and Alfred kept the Zombies back for them." He said, and Arthur raised a thick eyebrow at the pipe the taller man was holding, dripping slightly with a thick red liquid. He shuddered, and offered a weak smile.
"Me, Feli and Matt stayed to look after you two." Yao said, sipping from a cup of green tea. Francis smiled.
"Thank you." He said softly, before clearing his throat. Arthur frowned.
"Don't push yourself to do anything." He instructed his friend. "When you were turning your throat will have started to close up, so don't speak too much, and only eat soft foods like soup. You shouldn't move around much either, you're hearts trying to get used to pumping blood round again." Francis smiled fondly at him, before ruffling his hair. Arthur scowled, before his eyes narrowed as Francis flinched when he moved his arm back.
"Does the bite hurt?" He asked, standing up and pulling the Frenchman's shirt aside to inspect the puckered wound. Watching Arthur fuss, carefully tying bandages around Francis's shoulder, Feliciano smiled. Arthur seemed a lot more honest then he had when he first met them. Noticing Feli watching them, Arthur stood up.
"F- Feli, can I talk to you?" He asked. "I mean, alone…" Feli nodded, smiling.
"Sure! Um, Yao? Can you look after the food?" Yao nodded, unfolding gracefully from his seat, and Feli left the room with Arthur. Ludwig looked up from his book as, the moment the door closed, everyone save him, Ivan and Kiku were pressed against the door, trying to listen in.
"I mean, I was a jerk, and it was unwarranted. I'm sorry." Arthur said beyond the door. "And… Thanks. For saving Francis. It's… I appreciate it." Francis's eyes lit up at the mention of his name, and pressed closer to the door. Feliciano giggled.
"That's okay! I didn't want big brother Francis to die either! But… you really like him, don't you!" Francis was almost glued to the door at this point, and Ludwig raised an eyebrow. Arthur spluttered.
"Ah, I- That is, I don't, I never-" He was interrupted by Feliciano.
"It's okay! I really like Ludwig, so we can like them together!" The group peeled themselves off the door, turning to look at Ludwig, who watched them in confusion. Francis smirked, but returned to the door just in time to hear Arthur tentatively say "… Yeah. I do." Francis let a smile grace his face, beaming at the door. "It's… He's always been there, you know?" There was a thud, and something scrapped against the door. Arthur was obviously sitting on the floor. "More then my brothers and Dad ever were. My mum died when I was born, and my dad pretty much let me bring myself up beyond the toddler stage. Francis and his parents were more like family then mine ever were. They paid for my sword lessons, you know." There was a sigh, and a low chuckle. "His parents were kinda loaded. Francis never left me alone, not even when I moved to America. It's… If I lost him, I don't know what I'd do…" He trailed off. "Well, that's enough. The point is, thank you. Come on, let's go back." The door opened, letting the group plastered against it fall. Francis managed to save himself, but before Arthur could blow up at them, the Frenchman had gripped his chin and pulled him into a deep kiss. Arthur's eyes widened, and his face turned crimson as he blushed. Francis smirked as he pulled away.
"J'taime." He whispered, before frowning as Arthur didn't react. Slowly, the Briton pulled away, turning and walking away in a daze. Ludwig frowned.
"Will… he be okay?" He asked. Francis nodded.
"Yeah, just let him burn out, he'll be fine." Feli giggled, before his eyes widened.
"Yao! You let the soup boil over!" Rushing to the hob, Feliciano swatted Francis away, insisting he listened to Arthur and rest, and set to rescuing lunch as Yao apologised profusely.
Ludwig smiled fondly as he drunk from his mug, a look Francis noticed as he sat down at the table. The Frenchman smirked and leant in.
"Mon ami, I'm sure if you ask Feliciano, he'll happily go out with you…" Francis watched in amusement as Ludwig choked, spewing his drink over the table, and Feliciano glanced around, concerned. Ludwig waved to him in reassurance, before hissing at Francis.
"What? Where the hell did that come from?" Francis smirked as he leant back, satisfied that the seed had been planted, before looking around. It was interesting, he noted, that despite the danger they were in, there was so much romance dancing around. Himself and Arthur, for one, who had skittered precariously around the subject since Arthur had started college. Ludwig and Feliciano, as well. They had only met two weeks ago, but they fit together perfectly, and made quite the blissful scene. Matt and Gilbert were getting along brilliantly, with Matthews endurance to loud, self-confident, strong men and Gilberts love of everything cute and adorable – and, let's face it, you didn't get much more adorable then Matthew, with his silky blonde hair and large, innocent blue eyes. Gilbert had grown a bit protective of the teenager, teaching him how to use not only his preferred shotgun, but pistols, machine guns, rifles, snipe guns and more, and in return, Matthew made piles of pancakes, sharing them along with his beloved Maple syrup with the Albino. They didn't need any meddling – Gilbert's stomach would push him to asking Matthew out eventually.
However… Francis turned his attention to the two sitting on the sofa. Alfred scowled sullenly at one end, his arms crossed as he looked pointedly away from Ivan on the other end, his usual smile particularly sadistic today.
Those two weren't going to get anywhere by themselves. Francis smirked.
"Hey, Ivan." He called. The Russian looked up at him, and Francis jerked his thumb over his shoulder.
"I'm gonna go out back to see if there's anything we can salvage from the garden. Will you come watch my back?" Ludwig's frowned as Francis started to stand.
"Arthur told you not to exert yourself." He pointed out. Francis waved his words away with a grin.
"That's why I'm bringing Ivan with me." He pointed out as Ivan rose from the Sofa, following the smaller man out of the room.
"You are doing okay, da?" He asked as they walked. Francis smiled.
"Yeah-" Francis paused as coughs racked through his body, shaking his shoulders and driving him to lean against the wall for support. Ivan took a step forward, but Francis stopped coughing before he could reach him. The Frenchman smiled at him weakly. "I- I'm sure Arthur's just being paranoid." Ivan raised an eyebrow as Francis started to walk again, his legs shaking slightly.
Ivan withdrew the pipe he'd been carrying since morning as they left the house, his hand reaching into his jean pocket for his pistol. Francis blinked at the state of the jeans.
"Oh yeah… our clothes are a state…" He commented, looking at his own clothes. The legs of his trousers were in tattered at the end, the bottom and arms of his shirt was ripped and stained with blood that wouldn't come out no matter how many times it was put through a washing machine, and the left shoulder and collar was ripped where the undead had bitten him the day before. Ivan glanced in surprise at his own baggy shirt and pants, noting their own tears, cuts and stains, in particular a rather suspicious grey patch on the side of his shirt. His scarf and large, heavy coat were fine, since he'd take them off when he had to fight. Francis smiled.
"Come on, let's try and get into some of the other houses. Maybe one of them will have clothes in your size." Ivan blinked at him.
"I thought we were looking in the garden, da?" He asked. Francis turned his nose up.
"The thought of having a chance to find new clothes and turning it down is terrifying." He told the larger man. "Now come on!"
Francis nodded, humming in appreciation as he forced a bemused Ivan to turn for him. He put his hands on the broad shoulders, noting just how good he was at choosing clothes. Not everyone could pull off the tight t-shirt look, but it made a vast improvement on Ivan then his old baggy shirt. You could now see that, instead of fat, all of Ivan's vast bulk was pure muscle. Hell, even his back had a six pack. Now, if only he could find a way to persuade Ivan to keep out of his coat...
"I do not see the point in this." Ivan complained, not seeming to notice Francis's hands on his back. "I will only get them ripped again, da?" He blinked as he felt a soar of slightly terrifying aura waving in behind him, and looked over his shoulder to see Francis glowering at him.
"Non. Not da." Francis took a step back, and looked into the wardrobe they had 'borrowed' the clothes from. Maybe they should take a few more shirts and jeans, just in case...
"… cis?" Francis blinked, and looked around at Ivan, a questioning look in his eyes.
"I said, now we have to find clothes for the others." Francis nodded, turning away from the wardrobe – extra clothes would take up precious room that could be used for weapons, food or water.
"Yeah… Let's head back so I can dress everyone individually."
As the two men left the house, Francis remembered his original goal, and looked at Ivan out of the corner of his eye. The taller man had, once again, claimed his pipe and pistol, and Francis hesitated in fear of his health before continuing.
"Ivan? What are your feelings on Alfred?" The Russian's face darkened, and France almost backed down there and then.
"He's immature and foolhardy." Ivan replied. "He doesn't realize the difference between a joke and an insult, and he's idiotic, gluttonous and arrogant." Francis winced for his American friend. This might be harder then he originally thought…
"But…" Francis looked up as Ivan continued. "He's innocent, and naïve. He puts other people before himself, and he's always trying to protect us and be the 'hero'." A soft smile unlike any Francis had seen before on Ivan graced his face. "When you see him being so selfless, you can't help but want to protect him. He's a little cute, da?" Francis smiled.
"Oui."
Alfred was the second last to be fitted, as Francis wanted to spend his time fitting Arthur. The good-looking American was surprisingly flippant about what he wore, and willingly gave a delighted Francis free reign. He was surprised when he was presented with Jeans and a T-shirt, but slipped them on. Francis nodded, beaming.
Despite the pure amount of food he consumed – particularly hamburgers, though god knows where he got them from – Alfred was toned. Not quite as muscular as Ivan or Ludwig, but still pretty built, and Francis instantly deemed him the perfect model. Now for the hard part…
"What do you think about Ivan?" Francis asked as he rooted through the drawers and pulled out a shirt and trousers for himself. Alfred scowled.
"He's stubborn and annoying and creepy." He announced. Francis rolled his eyes as he started buttoning his shirt, careful of the bandages that Arthur had applied that morning. Creepy, sure, but none of them had noticed anything particularly annoying or stubborn about him.
"Are you sure? Or is it just because he's Russian, Monsieur American Hero?" Alfred frowned. He didn't think he was being prejudiced…
"Can you name anything you like about him?" Francis pushed, undoing his trousers.
"Um… well, he's kinda funny, I guess…" Alfred started, before his eyes lit up. "Oh, and super strong! He can send a zombie flying ten feet with that pipe he's got now! And he's really childish sometimes, so he'll look at you with these wide eyes after he's said something you don't like as if he didn't even realise he said it! And he's really smart as well! And it's fun to argue with him! And he really cares about his family! And, and…" Alfred trailed off. "And… he's really childish…" Francis did up the new pair of trousers, looking over his shoulders.
"Mon ami, you already said that." He pointed out. Alfred shook his head.
"No, like really childish… Sometimes when we're fighting zombies, he'll have this look of despair, as if every last hope he had for humanity was just crushed… I really… whenever I see it, I just want to protect him, you know?" Francis smiled kindly, slipping his shoes back on.
"I know, Alfred. I know."
It had been a struggle to first find Arthur, and then convince him to come out to get changed. His primary argument was "You already know my clothes size" coupled with "You shouldn't be walking around the streets anyway" and "The less we go outside, the less risk there is to us", but eventually Francis managed to drag him out.
"Wait, you seriously think… Alfred and Ivan?" Arthur asked as he and Francis rummaged through the drawers. Francis nodded.
"Oui! They are a perfect match, believe it or not. They don't have to hold back with each other." Arthur raised an eyebrow and snorted.
"Whatever you say, frog." Francis held a brown waistcoat up against the smaller man's back as he frowned.
"But I didn't drag you out to talk about them." He commented airily, draping the waistcoat over the edge of the bed. "I wanted to talk about us..." Arthur paused in his search.
"I- th- there is no us." He said lightly, not turning to face Francis. The blonde smirked as he walked up behind Arthur and slipped two arms around his waist, holding him back against Francis's waist.
"Arthur, you insult me." He whispered into his friend's ear, smirking as it sent shivers rocketing down his spine. "I'll say it as many times as you need to here it… J'taime." Arthur blushed so hard Francis could almost feel the waves of heat wafting off of him as he repeated himself over and over, punctuating his sentences with small kisses to his shoulder, his ear, his cheek, his neck…
"A- alright!" Arthur snapped, trying to jerk away. Francis tightened his grip, tugging him around to stand face to face.
"Non. Not until you say it too." Arthur's scarlet face contrasted nicely with his green eyes, Francis noted, as he lowered his arms to circle the Englishman's hips.
"W- what! I- I can't-" Arthur squeaked as one elegant hand slipped down to rest on his butt. Francis smirked.
"You're such a prude, lapin." He chuckled, before taking a step forwards. Arthur took an automatic step back for every advance, and it wasn't long before his back hit the wall behind him. Francis smirked at the sudden stricken look that fleeted through the fierce green eyes, and lowered his head to hover mere inches away from the other man's face.
"Say it." He commanded.
"N- no."
Francis slid slightly closer. "Say it."
"I- I, no, I"
Now only an inch away. "Say it."
"I don't think I-"
A couple of centimetres.
"F- Francis, I…"
Arthur's lips were soft, and Francis slid his eyed shut, keeping the kiss slow at first. When the blushing Arthur slowly brought his arms up to rest on his shoulders, Francis started deepening the kiss, encouraging Arthur to join in. The tip of his tongue swiped gently across Arthur's mouth, which hesitantly opened, as if unsure how to act. Francis sparked Arthur's tongue into action, ghosting across it with his own and encouraging it away from its safe haven, moaning in appreciation as the smaller man started to react.
When Arthur's eyes shot open, and he started to try to pull away, Francis let him with a regretful sigh.
"F- Francis… I… I…" Arthur lowered his eyes as he struggled to speak, and Francis realized with a gentle smile what the problem was. It wasn't that Arthur wouldn't say he loved Francis, he just physically couldn't. Francis straightened and ruffled his friends hair, laughing.
"It's fine, Arthur." Arthur looked up at the taller mans words. "You don't need to push yourself."
"D- don't touch my hair, frog bastard…" Arthur muttered, looking away again. Francis smiled, taking away his hand.
"Come on. Let's-" Arthur's eyes widened as Francis doubled over, coughing violently.
"Francis!"
A note from ME! W00t! Things are starting to spice up within the group! But, Like all good authors, I have to make you hate me before love me. So there. :P
One thing you might have noticed was the lack of questioning about Arthur's magic there was. However, there's actually a reason for that. You see, each chapter gravitates slightly towards one persons view. The first chapter I tried to keep distanced, the second was Ludwig, the third was Arthur and this one was Francis. Of course, Francis already knows about Arthur's magic, so he's not going to question it. Don't worry, I will include some stuff about it next chapter…
See you later!