This is the second to last chapter, peeps!

I don't own Hetalia! end /AN/

Raivis' hand was warm in Alfred's, and as they walked along to the cornerstore, Alfred came to appreciate him more. He really was cute, and he had a major soft spot for cute things. Plus, it wasn't Raivis' mouth-hand that Alfred was holding, so that was a lot in Raivis' favor.

Alfred led the four year old towards the glass door of the small shop, hand sticky against the glass as he pushed it open. "We'll get cherry pies, I think," he informed Raivis, childish delight spread across his face. The door jingled as they walked in, and Raivis took in a sharp breath.

"Look at all the candy!" For candy there was, all in a glass display case, as well as a lollipop tree. Several other sweets were display in the case, such as cannolis, clothespins, and donuts, as well as small, pocket cherry pies, presumably the ones Alfred wanted.

"I know." Alfred was smug, as though he believed Raivis had doubted him somewhere along the way. Of course, the four-year-old had not, and looked at Alfred eagerly. "Can we get it all?" he asked, childishly greedy. Alfred bit his lip, more aware of what five dollars could buy than Raivis was.

"Well, we don't need everything, we just need cherry pies!" Alfred almost shouted enthusiasticly, causing a fe more looks his way. Yes, they were attracting more attention than they realised, being two small children alone in a store. The owner looked like he was debating making a phone call in his head.

Naturally, Alfred did not notice any of this, walking up confidently to the counter while Raivis, sucking furiously on his hand, practically hung off his arm. He slapped down the five dollar bill, grinning up at the owner. "I want two cherry pies, Mr. Duquesne."

For this was a place that Francis had taken them to, even if the pastries were not nearly on par with French cuisine. Mr. Duquesne took the money, despite looking suspicious of Alfred. He tried to sound casual. "So, Alfred, where's your father?"

"Oh, he's outside. Mr. Duquesne, this is Raivis. He's really little, so don't scare him, okay?" Alfred affectionately petted Raivis' head as he informed Mr. Duquesne of this, and Raivis, timid as an abused kitten, immediately looked down.

"Uh-huh. Well, why don't you ask him to step in a moment, just so I know he's there?" Mr. Duquesne was not going to budge on this one. Alfred's eyes widened fractionally, but he kept his cool, shaking his head. "Oh, we've got to go, my papa has to go somewhere."

"Well, maybe you'll stay a little longer? You can have a chocolate donut." This offer was more than enough to awaken the greedy little spirit inside of Alfred, and he nodded. "Okay. But just this one time, my papa won't mind at all."

As Mr. Duquesne handed them donuts, Alfred's mind turned to memories. Of Francis, of course, who both he and Matthew referred to as Papa. Arthur never liked them to refer to him as 'dad' or 'father' or anything of that sort, but Francis seemed to love it when they called him Papa. It made them feel like a family, to have a papa, an Arthur, and each other.

Now, with one piece missing, it felt as though it would never be the same. Francis would always mess with their hair, and cook, and give kisses and rub backs and just be Francis. Arthur could never do any of that, and it made Alfred resent him. Why had Francis had to go?

The bell on the door jingled, and Alfred paid it no mind- until Raivis gasped and hid behind him. Then he looked up at five feet six inches of angry Ariadne. "Alfred Kirkland! What were you thinking?" she snapped, immediately dropping down to his and Raivis' height and giving him a glare head on.

Alfred felt his lower lip tremble in fear. "W-well," he began, knowing full well how much trouble he was in, "u-um, we just... we were hungry, and... we... we just went to get a snack! Don't spank me!" Ariadne began to pat him all over, checking for injuries or ticks.

"Oh, if I could, buster, if I could..." she murmured, turning him around to make sure he was alright. Then she pulled Raivis closer, checking him over as well. "I am telling your parents, you understand?"

Raivis immediately began to cry. "Don't tell Daddy Ivan, he'll make me have a spanking!" Alfred's head hung low. He had really known, all along, that it was wrong to sneak out. He'd just expected to be back before she or Nefertiti noticed he was gone.

Mr. Duquesne spoke up then, clearing his throat. "Are you their babysitter, ma'am?" Ariadne's face melted from the severe frown to a charming smile. "I'm their daycare provider. Thank you for keeping them here." Mr. Duquesne gave a nod. "Just doing my duty, ma'am."

Ariadne took each of the children's hands, and, after reassuring Raivis that Ivan had never spanked him before, they headed out the door and into Ariadne's car. The drive home was entirely silent, like the calm before a storm. Alfred knew Arthur would not be happy with him, and that could translate to anything from a smack of the hand to being grounded for weeks.

As they arrived back at the daycare center, Alfred could see all the children pressed up against the window, chattering amongst themselves and staring at him and Raivis. It was as if they had changed to something mysterious and mythological simply by escaping. Ariadne turned off the car, and got out of her seat solemnly, opening up one of the back doors to get Raivis out of Heracles' car seat.

Alfred got out by himself, and puffed out his chest, trying to show the other children he was not afraid of trouble, though undoubtedly he was. Ariadne grabbed his shoulder and pulled him inside, muttering about how she'd known he would be trouble from the moment he attacked Xue.

"When your fathers get here, they're going to have words with you," she said ominously, as the other children clustered around Alfred and Raivis. Eduard immediately threw his arms around Raivis, rebuking him at the same time. "You should never go away without asking! You're gonna be in big trouble!"

"Al! Arthur's going to be so mad!" Matthew said, and it was hard to tell if he was delighted or concerned. Alfred decided he was concerned. "Well, sometimes you just gotta do things," he said importantly, puffing out his chest.

"Come on, everyone back in the play room," Nefertiti said, shepherding the children that way. Matthew could only shake his head in disbelief at Alfred's antics. It was as if Alfred never considered the consequences in his little adventures...

As soon as the excitement died down, Matthew seeked out Heidi and Tryggvi. A thought had occurred to him while he was inwardly complaining over Tryggvi's stealing of Heidi. This thought had surely been the answer to his prayers, and he was about ready to execute it.

"Heidi, why can't we all play together?" Matthew's question baffled Heidi, who had simply never thought of it that way. Play, all three of them at once? The thought had certainly never entered her mind, and it made her think. What was really stopping them from playing all together? Maybe, she could have both Tryggvi and Matthew.

"We can't do that," Tryggvi said with a laugh, as though the very idea were preposterous. Heidi, however, had made up her mind. "Tryggvi, we could all play together, just you and me and Matti. We could play with two princes!" Which, of course, was a sparkling realisation for Heidi.

Tryggvi made an about face, quickly agreeing with Heidi. "Okay, but I'm the better prince!" Matthew beamed. He had done it. He'd gotten Heidi to play with him again. Now all he needed to figure out was how to get out of being punished for cursing...

/AN/ Well, next chapter shall be when the parents arrive! I hope you've enjoyed this story so far, cause it's just about over!