There was no honor in this. War was a much different game now. It used to be so simple. You both came up and presented yourself and your values. But here I was, in the midst of this Great War. What was so great about it, I don't know. I was trapped in this light rain underground. My feet were soaked in the mud puddle that was this trench. If England wasn't by my side, I would have gone insane long ago.
It was hard to tell why we were even fighting in the first place. So many complicated relationships dragged us into this mess. Still, I guess it was sort of nice that England and I were fighting with each other rather than against. Nice in a sick, twisted way.
We were huddled up against each other for warmth. It was my shift to stay awake. England's head was against my shoulder. I gently moved his wet hair from his face. To my chagrin, his forehead was hot. Dammit, this wasn't good. If he got sick, we were done for. I looked around the place for a cloth.
England started to stir. He shielded his eyes from the muted, cloudy light of day. "What time is it?" he muttered.
"About a little past ten. You've been asleep for around 6 hours." I winced as I tore away part of the blue fabric. It was already wet, so I didn't need to soak it very long in the mud puddle.
"Shit, I slept too long! You should have woken me up! I guess I'll just take an extra long shift..."
"You...are going back to sleep. I'll finish off this shift." I placed the cloth on his forehead.
"Like hell you will. You only got two hours of sleep last night. Or was it the night before? You're practically dead on your feet."
"Ha! Like you're any better. I can't have you fighting with a fever like that. You'll probably start seeing hallucinations and waste all of our ammo. It's bad enough hearing you rant about your little 'magical friends.'" When we bickered like this, it was easier to ignore the horrors around us.
"Are you implying that I've been lying about them? That I've made them all up? Because I can assure you that they are real, and you're an idiot for thinking otherwise." His hand went to his face and stripped off the cloth. "And what the bloody hell is this?"
"Hey, you put that back on!" I slapped the cloth back into place. "You should be grateful. I ripped up my cloak for you!"
England's eyes roamed and noticed that was indeed a section missing from my uniform.
"Hmm, well good riddance. This is war, and you're wearing a cape! What? Do you think that you're a hero or something? I'm not the crazy one. You're about as delusional as THAT idiot."
Just then, a loud roaring sound was coming straight for us from above.
"DUCK!" England shouted. He pushed me down and used his body to shield mine. For a moment, we clung to each other in pure fear. I had ever heard anything like it.
"What was that! Was it some new type of bomb?" I asked.
"I don't know, but whatever it was, it came from our side."
Our side? I didn't recall any of our technology sounding like that. The noise died down. You never really know how noisy everything was until it was gone. The only thing I could hear was England's and my breathing.
England noticed that to. He also noticed how close we were. He got up so quickly that he tripped and fell into the puddle.
I laughed to myself. "You're still so skittish after all this time? You really are a baby, aren't you."
"Oh, shut up, frog breath." He got up again and peeked out over the trench.
"Oh for the love of...bloody hell!" England climbed out of the trench and into no man's land.
"What is it?" I asked, but England was already gone. I cautiously looked over the trench towards the direction England was headed. I didn't see any enemies. England was standing with his arms crossed across from a man a bit taller than him. The man was standing beside some metal contraption with long plates sticking out from either side. I recognized the laughter. I deemed it safe enough to get out.
"What the hell are you doing here, America?" England scolded. I guess old habits died hard. This was America? It was ridiculous how big and strong he had gotten. America moved his goggles to reveal his bespectacled face.
Yo, England! Sup France! Just thought I'd fly over and get a piece of the action!" America said.
"Do you think this is some sort of game? Go home already."
"How did you get here anyway? Did you hitch a ride from one of England's flying unicorns?" I said. England frowned at me.
"Ha ha! Good one France! But, look check it out! I totally just invented this super awesome plane and..."
"In case, you two idiots haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a war zone! America, you simply don't have enough experience for this. If I were you, I'd get out while you still can."
"I figured, if I can beat England in a fight, I could totally win this fight for you guys, too! I am the hero after all. By the way, who are you fighting?"
England face palmed, and I rolled my eyes. America had no idea how the real world worked. It was no use trying to discourage by this point. I guess this was as good a time as any for him to figure it out.
"His name is Germany. I don't think you've ever met him. He's got a big build, blonde hair, blue eyes. He's had a lot of military experience and doesn't give up very easily," England explained.
"You mean this guy?" America pointed to a man lying a few feet away. Sure enough, Germany was out cold. "You were fighting this guy? I just showed up, punched a guy in the face from pure excitement, and he blacked out. Why did you have so much trouble against him?"
England and I were shocked. Just how strong was America now? He knocked out Germany in one punch? Ugh, he made me feel so old.
"Well, France kept on getting attacked because of his stupid bright colored clothes..."
"At least I have some style! I'd rather wear red and blue than that puke color any day." Yeah, it seemed I'd caught the attention of everyone else but England.
"Well, I'd rather wear puke than be dead! Do you know how many times you would have died if I wasn't here to save your sorry ass?"
"Save me? Ha, you were probably here just to ogle at my well-toned 'sorry ass.'"
"Ha! That's right England! You've been stuck in that trench with France for months, haven't you? Just what were you two doing down there all alone?" America implied with a sly smile on his face.
"Nothing!" England stammered out.
"What are you talking about? We were just sleeping together weren't we? You held me so close on those dark cold nights." I grabbed England then to imply to America what might have happened.
"Shut up!" England tried to push me away.
"Don't ask, don't tell, am I right?" I planted a kiss on his cheek. He finally pushed me away then.
"Maybe I should leave you two alone. Things have gotten a little too gay for me. Later!" America climbed back in his plane and took off.
England punched me in the arm. "What the hell was all that for?" he asked.
"Oh lighten up, England. The war is over after all. Besides, there's no way that America would think that we're actually together. He's not that dumb."
"I wouldn't put it past him," England mused. "It really is over, isn't it."
That's right. I was used to spending every waking moment with England. And just like that, he'd be gone.
England turned to me suddenly and held out his hand for me to shake. "It was adequate to work with you, to say the least. Hopefully, we won't have to do anything like this ever again."
Instead of a handshake, I wrapped my arms around him in an embrace. After an awkward moment, England had returned the hug. We had been through so much over the past few years. I tried to concentrate on the wonderful tingly feeling I felt when his warm arms were wrapped around me. When would I have this opportunity again? Would I ever? I tried to take advantage. I let my hands wander down to his lower back and further.
"Alright, that's enough." England squirmed away.
I had a smile on my face as England walked away towards his home.
"You take care of yourself!" I called after him.
"Yeah, yeah," he answered.
"I'm serious! Drink lots of that stinky hot leaf juice that you like so much!"
"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself! I am a grown man after all. And don't you ever describe tea like that ever again!"
"I can't help but worry. I love you to damn much!" I froze. Did I really just say that? Out loud?
England didn't turn back. He kept going. Did he even hear me?
"Whatever, you jerk." He didn't believe me. I don't know what I'd do if he really rejected me. Still, how could I let my control slip like that? Maybe I was getting weaker.
AN: Finally figured out why the spacing had been really weird for some of the chapters. I had written too much! Figures, the more I write, the harder it is to read. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, even if it was a little shorter. I really like reviews, you know. Reviews make me so happy! Favorites and following help, too. *wink, wink*