Chapter 14
Flying to Germany was a nightmare. This is especially true when it's second class and all the nations are squashed in like canned sardines.
"Gilbert, what are you failing to understand about the concept of personal space." Matthew asked casually.
"I just want to be near you." Gilbert smiled, his crimson eyes lighting up.
"But being near me does not include sitting in my lap. Get off." Just to prove that he meant it as well, Matthew shoved him off, sending Gilbert to the floor between Matthew's legs and the chair in front. Gilbert huffed unceremoniously as he picked himself back up. "And don't you dare bite me."
Gilbert dropped back into his seat next to Matthew's. "Being bored is so not awesome, and that stupid broad won't give me any beer. Bitch."
"Read a book then." Matthew retorted wishing he had been given a better seat.
"Thinking makes you ugly." Gilbert replied, his arms crossed over his chest as he slouched in his seat.
"No, that's sugar." Screw the brick wall, this was like dealing with a sulky kid. Matthew had to pull on all his experiences with Alfred to deal with Gilbert now. Surprisingly, Gilbert was surpassing Alfred.
When Gilbert didn't reply after several moments, Matthew counted it as conversation terminated and turned his attention to the sniffling Frenchman sat on his right.
Yep, could have been given a better seat.
Francis had not slept the entire previous night and it showed. His normally stunning blonde hair hung greasy and limp while dark bags were beneath his eyes. He blue eyes looked distant, his mind elsewhere. Matthew didn't need to ask to know that he was thinking about Arthur.
"Hey, Francis?" Matthew asked softly, shaking him lightly by the shoulder. Francis turned to look at him, his eyes glassy. "Never mind." Matthew decided to leave him alone. He had found in life that there was nothing worse than trying to make a person speak when they looked and felt like they were going to cry. The only thing worse was when the topic of conversation was about what they were upset about. Francis nodded his head at Matthew before turning his gaze back on the seat in front while his mind drifted again.
Matthew sat back and tried to relax. Francis was tearing himself up on the inside on one side of him while a sulky Prussian stewed on the other. Matthew wanted to sleep since Francis had kept him up most of the night before, but as he tried to drift off, all he could hear was the bickering of the other nations.
"Vash, how the fuck did you get that on board!" Matthew heard Roderich shout in a rather un-aristocratic way behind him as Vash produced his trusty hand gun. "Put it away! Put it away!" Matthew turned in his seat to watch the commotion.
"Like, how did you like totally do that?" Feliks asked as he leaned over the seat Vash was sat in to see. His blonde hair tickled Vash's nose and it was annoying him greatly. Vash responded by placing a hand on Feliks forehead and shoved him away. Felik's fell in Spain's lap.
"Please put it away!" Roderich's violet eyes wide with horror.
"Fine." Vash glared. Since there was no streaking Italian on the plane at that time, he wasn't feeling particularly trigger happy; though there was a rather annoying Austrian next to him.
"I don't see why you have to be so hostile?" Roderich commented as he finally relaxed when the gun was no longer in sight.
"For the last time Roderich, if someone hits you, twat them!" Vash growled, frustrated that despite all his efforts to toughen up the Austrian nation and to make him more war-like, Roderich was still a target for bullies.
Across the aisle Ivan was sat back in his seat content, smiling while Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia were sat in a line next to him trembling. "Think I dealt with that man good, da?"
"Oh yes, Ivan!" Toris nodded his head violently in agreement.
"Toris, like, how totally awesome it is to see you." Feliks sang as his head appeared between Toris and Raivis, causing Raivis to shriek. Ivan just kept smiling and freaking the trembling trio out even further. They never seemed to get a break.
"What did you do?" Raivis asked. Eduard nearly fainted with nerves and Toris froze.
Ivan kept smiling. "Left him tied up on some railway tracks. Good, da?"
"Genius!" Toris was nodding violently again, making Raivis nod with him.
"That's like, totally evil, you know." Feliks interjected and Toris shoved him back over the seats.
"So where are we going?"Raivis asked.
"Some obscure place in Germany that seems to be neglected on just about every map." Toris answered, watching Ivan out the corner of his eye. "Apparently, it's some Nazi underground bunker."
"R – r – really?" Raivis swallowed.
"Da." Ivan answered, the smile on his face growing, making all three of them swallow.
Feliks went back to his seat, Antonio paying him no attention as his full attention was on Romano. Usually, Antonio was unable to read situations, but with Romano looking like hell and resting against him while he slept, Antonio would have had to have been a particularly dumb robot to miss read that situation. Romano, like Francis, did not sleep the previous night. Neither had Antonio since Romano had cried into his clothing. Those hurt filled sobs still rang in his ears. Antonio was eternally grateful that Romano had finally found some piece even if it was just for a short while. As he sat with an arm around Romano, his free hand brushed through and played with the Italian's hair.
With his mind distracted with the young Italian, Antonio was missing all the free entertainment that the nations were putting on for one another as they continued to bicker and fall out.
"Give me beer, bitch!" Gilbert blasted down the plane. A few quiet laughs and snickers were emitted because of his out burst.
"Sir, may I remind you that you are on a aeroplane." The air hostess commented dryly.
"I know where I am! It doesn't mean you have to enforce beer abstinence on me though."
"I'm sorry miss, please forgive my friend. He's off his meds." Matthew intervened before Gilbert found himself being involved in a restraining order or worse, prison. The air hostess softened with Matthew's innocent charms.
"Thanks okay sir." She commented before leaving.
"What about my beer?" Gilbert shouted, outraged.
"If you behave I'll buy you a pint when we land." Matthew tried to appease. Gilbert looked at him before smiling.
"It's a date."
"No! No! No!" Matthew waved his hands in panic. "Not a date! Not a date!"
"Knew you couldn't resist me forever!" Gilbert shouted in triumph, punching the air. Matthew's head fell in his hands in defeat. God damn it! "I'm going to the bog!"
"Gilbert, I don't need news flashes every time your body does something. Keep it to yourself!" Matthew complained. Gilbert paid him no attention though and disappeared down the isle.
"Hello ladies!" He sang. This was quickly followed by a loud ouch as one of the air hostesses slapped him.
"He's quite a character." Francis commented, startling Matthew. Francis hadn't spoken to anyone for a long while.
"Yeah." Matthew agreed. The word Matthew was thinking off though was nutter.
"He likes you."
"How can you tell? He acts like this all day every day."
"You forget Matthew, I wield the shield of amour."
"The shield has a dent in it." Matthew commented quietly, thinking of Francis's upset.
"More of a gaping hole than a dent." Francis whispered. "Matthew, my nation is the nation of love. Gilbert may be a beer obsessed imbecile with delusions of awesomeness, but he is capable of love. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be here trying to get his brother back or hitting on you. Give him a chance. I think he genuinely likes you."
"You're right with the beer obsessed thing." Matthew commented. "The amount of trouble he's causing those poor air hostesses."
"That's for show. I think you will find he's distracting himself." Matthew looked at Francis questioningly. "If you were worried about some one you loved but couldn't do anything, wouldn't you try to distract yourself?"
"Yeah." Matthew nodded. "I'll show him a little more compassion."
Francis smiled a weak smile. "You're a good lad."
Matthew squeezed his arm before sitting himself back properly in his chair and closed his eyes. He tried to visualise himself somewhere else since sleep was avoiding him and he was now officially leading a bunch of gun totting, trigger happy, pissed off or just plain crazy nations. He tried to visualise himself nice beach, but that came to an end when he got eaten by a shark. He tried to imagine himself alone in some desolate but beautiful landscape, but that ended too when the golden arches appeared out of no where. 'Maple! McDonald's are freaking everywhere! Damn globalisation. When will they learn that Grouse do not want to eat burgers no matter how much Alfred thinks they do. Grouses do not eat dead cow served between bread'. Trying again, he tried a remote waterfall. This time it actually worked. It just had to keep meeting one specific requirement – no bickering nations!
As Matthew began to drift off to sleep, Francis sat chewing his lip as memory after memory flashing through his mind. The first memory was a fond one, one he would never let go off...
"You have grown L'Angleterre." Francis smiled from his position of leaning in the door way. "I remember when you were this big." He showed the size with his hand, having to bend his knees to get an approximate height. "I often wondered how such a fierce attitude could be contained in such a small package."
The young, blonde haired man turned to face him, a look of amusement in his eyes. "It's always the ones you don't expect."
"True." Francis answered chuckling, not believing how fast Arthur had grown in size. The last time he saw him he had looked about six years old. Now he looked around sixteen. That wasn't the only immediate thing that struck him though. His beauty was another. Slender figure, delicate frame, long legs, messy blonde hair, large emerald eyes and milk white skin. Everything was just … perfect.
Francis found himself staring. Arthur hadn't noticed though, his eyes and attention had drifted to his clothes. He didn't like royal events, but he was obligated to attend them so he put every effort into looking his best, especially since his boss would be there.
"L'Angleterre, you look beautiful." Francis commented sarcastically as he watched Arthur messing about with his clothes, despite the fact that he thought it was true.
"Don't patronise me, frog." Arthur shot back, a smile pulling at the side of his mouth. "As a guest you should be more polite, even thankful that you were invited at all."
Francis moved into the room as Arthur spoke, and sat down in a chair very close to him. Arthur spared him a glance before retreating to the other side of the room to collect the last item of clothing he needed for the evening.
"You're a natural stunner, why try so hard?" Francis asked as he reclined in the chair.
Arthur looked at him stunned. "Pardon?"
"You're a natural stunner, why try so hard?" Francis repeated, his voice even. Arthur couldn't think of an answer. Francis had only commented on his hair in the past, and a good half of that was mockery. This though had stopped Arthur because there was no trace of mockery in the Frenchman's voice. It sounded like a … a compliment.
"Err … thank you, I think." Arthur replied, feeling his cheeks and the tips of his ears burn with embarrassment.
"Nothing to thank me for. I just make an observation."
Francis sat forward as Arthur approached him. Arthur stood in front of him, making Francis look up. Without warning, Arthur leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to the top of his forehead. Francis looked up at Arthur, stunned. The Englishman rarely ever showed affection.
"Thank you."
The second memory though was painful. One he would love to forget...
"Now what did you go and do that for?" Arthur slurred with one eyebrow above the other, a drunken 'I am not amused' expression written across his face.
"You have had enough for tonight, L'Angleterre." Francis kept the bottle out of the Englishman's reach. Arthur was having none of that and tried to get the half full bottle back.
"Give it back frog! Of all the times you could choose to intervene, you chose today!" It was The 4th of July.
"Arthur, this can't go on." Francis stood up and, placing the bottle on a shelf that Arthur couldn't reach, ended the drinking session for the evening. Arthur looked like he was going to cry for a few moments, but that quickly morphed into anger.
"You froggy bastard!" Arthur shouted with venom at him as he tried to climb on to the work bench. Francis raced forward and wrapped his arms around Arthur's waist to drag him back off. He was in very real danger of falling off the side and hurting himself. "Put me down you French bastard!" Arthur cried out, waving his arms and legs, sending pots and pans among other stuff crashing to the ground. Francis lost his footing and toppled over backwards. He landed on the floor hard but he still kept a firm hold on Arthur.
"Stop waving your arms, you're hurting me." Francis said after Arthur's hand connected with his nose.
"Good!" Arthur snarled and hit him in the nose again.
Sitting up, Francis removed his arms from around Arthur's waist and quickly grabbed Arthur's wrists before he could twist and pound him into the dirt. Arthur thrashed but soon wore himself out as the alcohol continued to assault his brain. His actions became less coordinated until he stopped struggling completely.
Francis was weary of a trap and remained gripping the Englishman's wrists tightly for several minutes before he found enough confidence to shift himself into a more comfortable position. Arthur sat with his chin on his chest. When Francis moved he didn't even look up.
"L'Angleterre?" Francis asked, thinking he had hurt him during the scuffle. Arthur didn't respond. Francis sat down beside him and pulled him to him with an arm around his shoulders. Arthur didn't resist and allowed Francis to pull him into an embrace.
"Arthur … I ..." Francis began.
"Why did you help him?" Arthur looked up at him, his eyes filled with pain and loss.
Francis felt the word 'love' die on his tongue. He couldn't say, 'so I could have you all to my self'. That was the night he realised that Alfred was the one who had Arthur's heart, not he.
A/N: Garrhh! Poor Francis! I'm upset with myself for writing that! Has anyone seen (with the exception of Shineoncindi – I know you have because I showed you it) the motivation poster of the Francis look alike on American Idol? That was awesome! I laughed so hard I fell off my bed. If you haven't and wish to, tell me and I shall send you the link! It's one of those that simply should not be missed! Also, with the first flashback for France, I'm going to write that one out as a separate slash story.
Iaveina – French at A-Level? Are you brave or mad? ^o^ I've decided you're brave for taking it. If I had taken it, then I would have been mad. Besides, I didn't pass it in the first place so what am I going on about. Oh! T-shirts! Pinkpanther123 – I know, Arthur just keeps getting beaten up doesn't he. It is always the quiet ones isn't it. That might explain why people avoided me like I had the plague or something when I was younger. Tocool456 – Thanks so much for the review and compliment. Meluzina – a Feliciano/Ludwig hurt comfort scene is coming up. Unfortunately it's not the next chapter. Sorry. I wish I could write faster because I really want to write it. Yume95 – Your English is amazing! I've looked at your profile; you're French aren't you? Certain words jumped out at me as being French. (I'm not a wiz with languages no matter how much I kid myself). I'm so envious of you for being able to communicate in a second language. Thank you so much for the great reviews. Axxi – Torture = dance! Well, for us two maybe. ^_^ lovingbird – one update for your enjoyment. And Feliciano will turn back up, have no fear! ^o^ I'm not killing off any adorable Italians this time round. Wolf of Infinity – YOU'RE BACK! Sorry – I have random outbursts like that from time to time. Also, I think the next evil tyrant that has plans on world domination will be reading your review. Check list for ruling world – look innocent! Obsessive fan girls from Norway will leave me alone. ^o^ Jawwenthevampire – food for the inbox. I'm hoping one a day next week. I'm on work experience so no homework. (Famous last words). Hinajiki – Thank you so much for the great review and compliments. Homura chan – You are now an honorary Officer in Arthur's guerilla fan girl army! Car – Your reviews are always loved! And the deviant art work based on your story is amazing! I found another one last night and I was hammering my keyboard yelling, "favourite!" Hugglestheknowitall – quite a workout you did there. When you said chips, I thought you meant a bag of fish and chips. I'm slow sometimes. It's only when my bro walked past eating a bag of crisps did I realise what you meant. ^o^ Some serious Russia time is coming up! Chant him in! Diynomyte – Oh wow, thank you. And I completely understand the yaoi thing. I had a author contact me a few months back just to ask why I wrote it. I don't even know how I got into it. It was the reason I found though. Thank you so much for the fabulous, cracking review! Chrono-contract – I agree - "No Italy no!