:(:):-(Mathieu's POV)-:(:):
I was really nervous when I found out I wouldn't be sitting next to Al. Instead, I was sitting between Yao and the girl from Belgium, Bella. Bella ended up being really nice, so we quickly made nice. Smiling at my new friend, I casually brought up the topic of our favorite instruments. When that conversation died, she turned to the Belarusian girl and they starting talking about girl stuff. So, with nothing better to do, I listened into Al and Arthur's conversation. Arthur mentioned his favorite sport was football.
"What? Arthur, you don't really seem like the type…" Alfred said with a raised eyebrow.
"What are you talking about?" Arthur said with the same level of confusion.
"Well, aren't football players typically… bigger?" he smirked, looking the Brit up and down.
"What's THAT supposed to mean?" Arthur's face had turned bright red. "I'm perfectly normal in the size aspect! I'm taller and thinner than normal, thank-you!"
"…Dude, if you went against—oh, crap… what's that German dude's name?"
"Ludwig," I offered from across the room.
"Oh yeah! Ludwig! Thank you, Mattie! Arthur, you'd get crushed if you went against Ludwig. No question about it."
"But I'm faster than him, and more flexible! I probably have more jump height, and stamina, too."
"Dude, that doesn't matter in football. It's brawn-to-brawn! And I can tell you, you have none."
Arthur's mouth formed a little 'o' as if realizing something, and he resettled in his chair. "You're talking about American football. I'm talking about the International term football."
"Oh, you were talking about soccer? Now, I can see you playing soccer… I was having a hard time imagining you in a football uniform…" Alfred let out a little scoff.
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU-"
"Alrighty, then! All of you are here now, so let's begin!" the man at the head of the table announced loudly into a microphone. All attention snapped to him. "Now, then... My name is Augustus Caesar, but you shall address me as Professor Rome. I'm your principal here at IYSA. At this meeting, we'll cover introductions, rules, classes, and important information.
"So, first of all, rules. First—obey us instructors. We do things for a reason. Second, be nice to peers. I don't expect all of you to get along, but try to keep it at friendly rivalries. We don't want any injuries. Third, none of you are allowed anywhere but the first and second floors. This is very important, the other floors are either not safe or where myself and the other professors reside. Fourth, do keep up with your assignments. Fifth, have fun! Any questions?" A silent room. Then, Feliciano raised his hand. "Yes?"
"Are we allowed to eat during class?"
"…I suppose so," Principal Rome seemed a bit thrown off by the Italian's strange question. "As long as it's not distracting, go ahead…"
"YAY! PASTA!" the Italian threw out his hand at the mention of his favorite food. Everyone laughed at his antics.
Our principal straightened himself out, and moved on. "Next matter of business: important information. All official offices are on this floor. Classrooms are on second floor. My office is located next to this room. The staircase is located in the main entrance hall. As is a map. You'll all get it eventually. Also—punishment is administered by my vice, Professor Germania.
"Now, for the addressing part of my spiel… All of you will be addressed as your country's name while in the classroom and the manor." There was collective excitement. Hmm. I'm going to need to get accustomed to being called 'Canada'. "Off-duty, you're your actual name. Any questions?"
Arthur raised his hand. Principal Rome gestured for him to ask away. "So, basically put, I'd be called England? Or would I be known as UK? Or Britain?"
"We'll just go with England. That's easier to remember." Arthur shrugged. I guess he really didn't care. Well, he did say he was from the London area…
"And, introductions. Say your real name, country's name, and two interesting facts about yourself. We'll go around the table. Mr. America, you can start!"
"OKAY! Hey everybody! I'm Alfred Jones, but call me 'My Hero' or 'America'! I have a twin brother, and that's Canada! And, ladies—" he winked at the Ukrainian on the other side of Arthur, who blushed. "—I'm single…" the Russian guy, Ivan, I think his name was, glared at Alfred rather darkly.
Arthur stood up. "Hello, everyone. My name is Arthur Kirkland, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. You may find it easier to address me as either 'Britain' or 'England'. I enjoy cooking, and I am rather good at football."
The introductions continued, until finally it was my turn. I sighed and rose as Yao sat. "H-Hello, eh. My name is Mathieu Williams, or Canada. I have a pet polar bear named Kumajirou, and I like to pl-"
"Hey, Belgium, it's your turn!" someone stage-whispered. I pouted. I really do have a weak presence. Of course, Kumajirou would choose now to ask "Who?" in a soft voice, only lowering my mood.
"I'm Mathieu… I'm just going to sit down now." I sat. The kids from the Axis building, Al, Arthur, Francis, Yao, Bella, and the representatives of Cuba, Spain, Ukraine, Seychelles, the Netherlands, Greece, and Australia were to only ones who acknowledged me. I sighed again.
We finished introductions about three minutes later. Our language teacher was Professor Magyar, the math teacher was Professor UN (the man who led us inside), the science teacher was Professor Egypt, the Geography teacher was Professor Germania, the history teacher was Professor Britannia, the phys-ed. teacher was Professor Greece, the art teacher was Professor Rome, and the performing arts teacher was Professor Gaul. We all received our schedules upon exiting.
I spent the rest of the day relaxing with the gang. Al ended up going back, saying he was tired. His face was flushed as he rushed past me, and I can only guess why… So, now, Kiku, Arthur, and I sat on the wooden dock that went out over a clear pond, which sat in the middle of a clearing a ways behind our dorms. Said dock was shaded from the smoldering summer sun by a huge apple tree, it's leaves a perfect chlorophyll-green with fat apples hanging off the think branches. I was content and relaxed when Arthur cleared his throat, face a bit flushed, and said,
"Um, so… Hey, Matt, what does it mean when you feel sick to your stomach around a person, feel faint when they do something cute, certain things they do make you giddy, and you can't stop thinking about them?"
I was certainly thrown off balance when Arthur asked that of all things. I paused, thinking, then answered, "Ah, that's love Arthur! Why do you ask?" There was a mixture of horror, self-disgust, mortification, and shock on his face. "Arthur? You okay?"
"...What'd you say?" I could barely hear him utter those words.
"That feeling's called love!" I repeated. And I suddenly felt as if I was as stupid as Alfred. I shouldn't have said that… That probably made him wicked uncomfortable and anxious and all…
"No… I can't… No, it's… I don't…" Arthur muttered to himself, trying to get a handle on his emotions. His head shook back in forth, trying to deny all that went on in there. Kiku and I exchanged concerned looks.
"If I may, Kirkland-san, who is it you are confused about?" Kiku asked softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. I bit my lip, wondering how he'd react.
"No-one. It doesn't matter. I'll see you guys later." The Brit got up, brushed Kiku's hand away, and ran away from the dock, escaping before I could persist.
"Arth…" his name died on my lips. I sighed. I turned to Kiku. "D-do you like anyone, Kiku?"
"No, but would it not be nice to be in love…?" the Asian boy stared out at the water dreamily, as if day dreaming. He had reassumed his earlier position of lying on his stomach, head propped up in his hands.
"Yeah…" I sighed. A breeze ran through my hair, the soft gush of air relaxing my bursting nerves as it ran through my hair. The cold water lapping over my bare feet was the only thing that kept me from falling asleep. I closed my eyes, peacefully taking in the sound of lapping water, the wind, and birds.
"Ano…Sumimasen for asking, but…how did you know how it feels to be in love?" Kiku asked after a long silence.
"My mom. We talked a lot about that kinda stuff… I'm happy that Arthur can feel that way about someone…" I smiled despite all that'd happened. Suddenly, Francis of all people popped into my head as I mused over what my mom told me not two months ago. Why him? There was an unfamiliar twisting feeling in my gut. Argh, I hope this isn't what I think this is… I thought.
"I see."
"…Yeah. I have my hunches as to who Arthur likes, but you have to promise you won't tell anyone." I looked at him squarely.
"I will not, Williams-san! Please, tell me!" His curiosity was piqued, it seemed. "A-ah, I'm sorry, that was a bit out of line. And very rude… gomennasai!"
"N-no, it's okay! I wasn't offended at all, Honda-san!"
"Oh, arigatou…I would hate to do so…you were saying?"
I frowned thoughtfully, then looked him in the eye. "I think he likes Al."
"Why do you say that?" Kiku looked at me, a single eyebrow raised.
"Because… You should've seen him this morning, eh. Al touched him, and he completely flipped out. It was actually pretty funny. I think Al feels the same way, too. He's just too thick to think anything of it." I sighed. "He can be so idiotic sometimes. I have most of the brains…"
"I had figured as much." Kiku admitted.
"So… wanna head back to the dorms?" I asked after about ten minutes of silence.
"Yeah…"
:(:):-(^-^)-:(:):
Me'n Al just lazed about and played Mario Party the rest of the day. I managed to get Arthur and Francis to play too! Me and Francis formed one team, while I forced Al and Arthur to be on a team together. I, as usual, was Toad, while Al was Mario for some strange reason—he's usually Bowser or Dry Bones. Arthur was Yoshi, and Francis was Peach… Yeah, I was a bit concerned too. Every time Arthur and Alfred would win a mini-game, the latter would jump up and hug the former. Poor Arthur, he turned all tomato-esque. It was so obvious they liked each other.
That's when I decided to make it my job to get them together, alongside Kiku and Elizaveta. After dinner, we planned the whole operation out, down to the hour! Well, we did, until Francis pointed out a few major flaws—like, how are we supposed to know how they'll react? And Arthur isn't the expressive type, he's tsundere, as Kiku put it. For another thing, Al is completely oblivious to everything going on around him. So, the four of us resolved to help when we can, and try not to control it. Boring… I know, you might say "but that's the same thing, right?" Well it's not. It's like tap water and seltzer water—essentially the same, but overall so very different.
By the end of the night, the four of us had forced Al and Arthur to be together in almost everything possible—next to each other at the fireside, next to each other while watching TV, and all that good stuff. Arthur's face was absolutely precious. It was so shy and nervous, and just absolutely adorable. I can't wait for things to get shaken up. What made me wonder, though, was the way that Alfred kept looking at him like he knew a secret about the other that he couldn't tell anyone. There was almost a pained look in his eyes, as if remembering bittersweet memories of the long past. …What? Can't I be poetic? And the only reason why I say so is because I had so many feelings of nostalgia flooding over me from Alfred, it wasn't even funny.
Everyone had gone to bed besides Arthur, Alfred, and myself; I could barely contain my laughter when Arthur fell asleep, nodding off on Alfred's shoulder. Imagine how mortified he would have been if he woke up…! Smiling, I told Al that I was going to go to sleep. Well, that's what I told him. I hid behind the corner and observed them. Man, was I surprised by what Alfred did after watching me leave the room. The most tender, loving smile assumed his lips as he watched the Brit sleep. Suddenly, he bent over. I leaned into watch, pulling my cell out to record. Maple gods above, he kissed him! Al kissed Arthur—on the lips! Oh my maple! And I got it on video! I rushed up the stairs, sending the clip to Kiku and Lizzie. I burst into Francis's room, throwing the door open. He jumped from sleep, looking around for the source of the rather loud noise. He looked pretty pissed… Then he saw me, and his expression immediately softened to a small smile.
"Ah, Mathieu, have you finally decided to succumb to your lust for-"
I rolled my eyes, running over to his side. "Look at this!" I showed him the video. The Frenchman's eyes turned wide, a smirk assuming his lips.
"When did this…?"
"Just now!" I said excitedly. Ah, what was Kiku doing to me? I'm turning into a fangirl… Well, I may as well enjoy this fearlessness while it lasts…
Francis's eyebrows quirked, and he dragged me down on top of him, myself exclaiming my usual 'maple'. Heat flooded to my face. Sigh… Shy again.
"Now, come, mon cheri."
"N-no! L-lemme go, you hoser!" I broke free, escaping to my room through our shared bathroom. On my way back, I saw Al putting Arthur in his room. I smiled to Kumajirou. "He really does like him…"
"Who?"
"Mathieu. The one who feeds you…" I sighed, going through my door. I set Kumajirou down in his bed, then turned off the light. I wish that I could feel like that about someone. And I drifted off to sleep, dreaming about a land filled with maple syrup. Those were fun dreams.
:(:):-(^-^)-:(:):
The rest of the week was relatively uneventful. We really just explored the island, played sports, and hung around. I could tell that Alfred was getting uncomfortable by the knowing looks that Kiku, Francis, Elizaveta, and I sent him—narrow eyed, accusing smirks. For the most part, he was pretty bashful around Arthur. Poor little Brit, he was completely oblivious to the whole situation… Ha, you shoulda seen his face when he noticed our expressions at them! Dammit, what's happening to me? Back to plot…
Also, we all received nicknames. They came from Kiku, calling us all by our country names in Japanese. One of the most popular ones was "Iggy", Arthur's new nickname. It came from 'Igirisu', the Japanese word for Britain.
And then… the summer solstice came! The thirteen of us hung out around the beach, only for the all of others to join up later. I found that the guy from Cuba, Rico Vasques, and I got along really well. That is, after he figured out I wasn't American. I. Am. Canadian…. Eh.
Our festivities started with an idea from Kiku—watermelon smashing. Alfred immediately jumped on this idea, so I knew I'd have to participate. Well, if I was, I'm dragging Arthur and Francis with me, whether they like it or not! The first step to this was getting the watermelons. Of course my brother would jump on this too. I agreed to come along, and proceeded to find Arthur and Francis, stop their strange brawl (Arthur was wearing a tunic—only a tunic—and Francis was tossing knives concealed in roses at him, which Arthur fended off with this wand that had a golden star on top…), and drag them along behind me all the way over to Al. That is, that's what I wanted to do… I attempted stopping them, but they acted like I wasn't there. I put out my foot and tripped my harasser, causing him to land flat on his face in the sand. Even I was surprised by this sudden burst of confidence.
Arthur collected himself, somehow quick-changed back into one of his typical outfits (same outfit, new colors…), and dragged Francis off to Al for me. The four of us set off with a wagon we found out back, and ran off to Hetalia Manor. We actually made it there in a mere 20 minutes. Well, granted, last time we went on foot we were walking, talking, and constantly stopping to look at things.
Al ran down to the kitchens and got watermelons from the cook, and we all took trips bringing them up. We had to get at least one for everyone… And with 42 of us, we needed 42 of them. I silently thanked the maple gods above that Al worked out all the time—he was unnaturally strong, to the point of freakishness. They were mini-watermelons, for which I was grateful due to Arthur, Francis, and I having to carry three each, as they wouldn't all fit in the wagon.
We returned in about the same amount of time it took to get set up. By the time we were back, everyone had gotten in their bathing suits. Most of the guys wore swim trunks, some with swim shirts. For a reason only the maple gods know, Gilbert was wearing a Speedo. As was Feli. The four of us went back to the house and got changed into our own swimwear. Alfred pestered Arthur about wearing a shirt while swimming, which he did due to his "pale skin"… Of course, Elizaveta, Kiku, Francis and I all knew the real reason. The four of us sent them that look, making Alfred blush and squirm and Arthur confused.
When everyone was ready, we gathered around Kiku who explained the concept. So, the basic idea was to blindfold a person with a bat and have them try to find the watermelon and smash it. We were to pass around the watermelon and call to the person when it comes into our possession (Kiku told me later that it was normally played with the watermelon sitting on a blanket). Something about that smile told me he was plotting something.
First up—Elizaveta. Much to everyone's discomfort, she was using her frying pan instead. Somehow, I came into possession of the melon. I called out to her, ran over to Roderich, and passed it to him. She charged for the Austrian, frying pan raised. I grinned at Kiku. We both knew that she was going back and forth from liking Gilbert to Roderich. Now she was interested in Roderich. And the both of us knew she was bound to do something bold when it was his turn…
After she smashed it while in Francis' possession (she still didn't like him, for all they were fellow fanpeople), it was my turn. I timidly put on the blindfold and took the bat in my firm grasp, and then Alfred spun me 'til I got dizzy. I heard Vash say that he had the watermelon, so I started for his voice. Then, behind me, Chelle—the girl from Seychelles—shouted that it was in her possession. I headed that way. Once again, in the opposite direction, Al proclaimed the watermelon his. Then it was Kiku, Arthur, Ludwig, Feliciano, Lovino, Antonio, Gilbert, Roderich, Elizaveta, Lili, Vash again, Francis, Ivan (which I ran away from), Natalia, Katyusha, Eduard, Toris, Feliks, Raivis, Peter, Tino, Berwald, Matthias, Kari, Bjorn, Yao, back to Kiku, Herecles, Sadiq, Gupta, Joey, Yong Soo, Hong, Chun, MeiMei, and then back to Alfred. By then, I was mad. The passing rate was getting faster and faster, and I was just getting more and more tired. Then, by some chance, my random swing of frustration hit something with a "SMACK". I felt something wet and sticky run down the bat and onto my hand. I licked it off the back of my fist. Watermelon juice…? They'd been throwing the watermelon to each other? I removed my blindfold, and looked at the huge welt I'd left in the melon. Everyone was gaping at me.
"Talk about luck…" I heard Al mutter.
The game moved on. Vash was next and got it on Francis' turn, followed by Chelle on Roderich's turn, then Kiku with Herecles, Ludwig with Lovino, Feliciano with Ludwig, Antonio with Gilbert, Lovino with Francis, Gilbert with Berwald, Tino with Peter, Berwald with Tino, Herecles with Sadiq, Gupta with Herecles, Sadiq with Raivis, Ivan with Natalia, Katyusha with Eduard, Toris with Feliks, Feliks with Ivan, Joey with Arthur, Yao with Chun, Chun with MeiMei, Yong Soo with Yao, MeiMei with Bang, Bang with Yong Soo, Bjorn with Chelle, Matthias with Raivis, Eduard with Raivis, Peter with Lili, Kari with Matthias, Lili with Vash, Natalia with Ivan, Alfred with myself, and Francis with Chelle.
Roderich's turn, it was passed around a bit before Lizzie got it. When he came her way, she didn't even budge. He raised the bat as she dropped the melon, followed by her grabbing onto his shirt a kissing him swiftly before dashing behind Kiku. Needless to say, the stuffy Austrian was stunned. He walked back to the garden with a stunned expression, only for Gilbert to follow, most likely just to tease him.
Last one to go was Arthur. It got passed around to everyone, twice, before he really got serious. Alfred claimed the watermelon, and Arthur let out a war cry. The Brit smacked the watermelon in two, bat just barely missing my brother's head. The American let out a little whine at the sticky juice that ran down his hand. Francis muttered something in his ear and he turned bright red. I don't want to know.
My British friend removed the blindfold and he visually brightened at the smashed fruit, beaming. Naturally, Alfred grinned right back, an endearing look in his eyes he probably wasn't aware of. We knew he knew he liked him (wow, that's really confusing [A/N: Duski, I put that in for you]), but we weren't sure if he knew he was expressing it. Or if he even knew in which way he liked him. Knowing Al, he probably kissed him upon impulse, and didn't have a clue as to what he was doing. And poor Arthur didn't know. I felt like laughing aloud at the whole situation.
After that, we built sand castles, went boogie/body boarding, wave jumping, and did all manners of random things. While wave jumping (we went up to mid-chest, the water was warm and the waves were HUGE), Lizzie jumped up and met a wave, swam through it and re-emerged—only to find that the top half of her bikini had fallen off. She turned beat red and screamed at all of us to look away, which most of us already had done. Lili, Katyusha, Natalia, Chelle, Chun, MeiMei, Bella, and Feliks helped her retie it securely, and while still mortified, she continued to play in the water with the rest of us. We also buried Herecles in sand. He's a really heavy sleeper, apparently. He didn't waken up even when Kiku dropped his head by accident. He was quickly buried, and we left him there when we went for dinner. Sadiq drew on his face with sharpie, much to Kiku's disapproval. When we went back out, we saw that he'd woken up, and had a blank stare on his face. When Herecles turned his head to look at my Japanese friend, the poor boy immediately melted and helped him out of the hole.
"There's sand in my shorts," the Grecian teen said calmly, and headed for the ocean to wash off once he got out. I couldn't help but notice how red Kiku had turned at his statement.
Later on that night, we had another campfire. Only, it was a huge bonfire on the beach, and all of us were there. Kiku, Elizaveta, Francis and I huddled together a bit farther out from everyone else.
"So, how're we going to get something to happen tonight?" Lizzie asked.
"I am not sure yet, Héderváry-san. But, we will think of something." Kiku answered.
"I've been thinking we should come up with a name for our little squad here, non?" Francis randomly inserted. I nodded my agreement, squeezing Kumajirou a little tighter.
"Oh! How about the Fantastic Four?"
"That's plagiarism, Elizaveta," I said quietly.
"Then how about the Fantabulous Four?"
"No."
"Fearsome Foursome?" Kiku suggested.
"That's from Avatar."
"Well, how about we do an acronym. To the tune of J-O-K-E-R?"
"Why joker?" I asked.
"Jo- for Alfred-san's last name, Jones, and -ker for Kirkland, Arthur-san's last name," Kiku explained.
"Oh, okay," I agreed.
"So… what would "JOKER" stand for?"
"Jovial Origami Kids Evolving Rhinoceroses!" Francis immediately shouted.
"That doesn't make any sense…" Lizzie rolled her eyes at him.
"Then, how about… the Juvenile Otaku Keepers of Evolving Relationships?" Kiku offered.
"I like that! But what's an 'otaku'?"
"Oh, yes, I forgot, you people aren't my friends from home… Then how about: the Juvenile Overseeing Keepers of Evolving Relationships?"
"Sounds good!" I said. I liked the prospect of us, the newly named Team JOKER, getting my twin and friend together.
"Now we need a motto!" Francis moved on.
"How about 'let's joke around'?" Elizaveta suggested, a smirk on her face at the terrible pun.
"I like it." Kiku shrugged.
"We are Team JOKER! UNITE!" I shouted, pumping a fist in the air while standing. Oh my god, I can't believe I just did that! The others repeated my actions, gaining us many strange looks from the people around the fire. And so, Team JOKER was formed.