Another test for the AU of "CotN"...
America groaned and tried to shrug off the person shaking his shoulder. The shaking paused, but then persisted again. The superpower refused to open his eyes. Nooo…it was too warm and cozy…just five more minutes..
"Monsieur Alfred ... Je pense que vous avez besoin de se réveiller ..." (Mister Alfred…I think you need to wake up…) Eh? Who was that? Wait….OH. He blinked sleepily and opened his eyes. Sure enough, Benoit was standing at the side of the bed, timidly shaking his shoulder. The alarm clock was beeping away, the time reading "7:26am". He yawned. 726am…oh crap!
"I'm late!" America leapt up in a frenzy, tossing the blankets off the bed and scrambling over to his suitcase, digging wildly for his 'professional' clothes. Benoit just stared, wide eyed, from beside the bed, clutching his toy duck. He watched the adult dress almost in a panic, hopping around with one shoe, fighting to get the other sock on, getting his head stuck in his jacket….
Finally dressed, America was just about to rush out the hotel room door when he stopped himself. Benoit! He couldn't leave the poor boy behind! Immediately struck by a solution, America grinned and rushed back to his suitcase. He dug down to the bottom and pulled out his favorite shirt. It was too small for him…right now…but he always brought it along anyway. It was like a self-confidence boost you could wear - especially with the Captain America shield on the front!
"Tiens, mets-le sur." (Here, put this on.) Smiling, he handed the shirt to Benoit. Wide eyed, the boy obeyed wordlessly. "Nous pouvons appeler un petit déjeuner sur le chemin." (We can grab breakfast on the way.) America added. Then he paused as Benoit pulled his shirt over his head to change. He must have been exhausted last night to not notice how obvious the boy's ribs were. No wonder he was so small! He looked as if he hadn't eaten all month! "... et peut-être le déjeuner, trop." (…and maybe lunch, too.) He added quietly.
"M-monsieur Alfred….?" Benoit quickly pulled the shirt down over his protruding ribs. "Où allons-nous?" (Where are we going?) He asked timidly. America quickly plastered the smile back on his face.
"Pour ce grand rendez-vous de tous mes amis (certains d'entre eux)." (To this big meeting of all my friends (some of them).) He replied brightly. "Nous avons à parler de choses importantes, mais par la suite, vous la chance de rencontrer mon ami Francis, d'accord?" (We have to talk about important stuff, but afterwards, you get to meet my friend Francis, okay?) He ruffled the child's hair fondly. Benoit gave a shy, tiny smile.
"Il est celui qui peut m'aider ... pas vrai?" (He is the one who can help me…right?) He remembered timidly. America laughed.
"Droit!" (Right!) He superpower snatched the room key from the table, grabbed his bag, and swung Benoit up in one arm. The little boy squeaked and wrapped his arms around America's neck for stability, almost smacking him with Pierre. "Prêt à aller rencontrer mes amis, petit?" (Ready to go meet my friends, kid?) He smiled.
"Oui, monsieur ..." (Yes, sir…) The little boy nodded. America grinned and headed out of the room.
"To the World Meeting!"
This is turning into it's own story...