Roughly around a hundred years was how long it took for everything to settle. A hundred years. At least whole century after the nations sacrificed themselves for everyone. Once the last one of them fell upon the broken world, mending light and ideas began to flourish.
Humans grouped together and began to experiment and test upon the biters, being ever so careful as to not contribute to its deadly spread. It took years and countless lives to narrow it down to a conclusion as to what caused this and what could be done. There was a medicine made that would cure any infected and protect anyone from getting infected. Soon, the new world's first generation would have to do this mandatory vaccination to prevent any possible offspring or future generation from obtaining the epidemic.
Once they've successfully found a way to get rid of all these biters, all the remaining humans gathered together and roamed about through the world, killing the biters and injecting their cure into those infected. It took decades to complete all of this thoroughly. However, when ever last one was taken care of, that's when they knew they could start rebuilding the world.
A young woman discovered the Berlin meeting place. It was in shambles and no one was interested in investigating such a chilling place. She, being used to exploring such sights, ventured in to see what secrets it might hold.
She took note of a few objects that she passed by, even taking it with her for some artifacts and mementos from the apocalypse. Such objects included: a white and blue ribbon, spectacles, an iron cross, scraps of uniforms, what appeared to be bunny slippers, and even a toy egg. There were lots of other objects but they were mainly normal household stuff like plates and utensils and chairs.
As she roamed, the woman discovered non-biter bodies. By now, they had all been decomposed and mere skeletons with flies buzzing about around them. It still gave off a reeling odor, but she didn't mind. She continued to observe.
Five bodies side by side one another out in the front.
Two in the kitchen, one underneath a table and another by the sink.
Two in the parlor, both to appear to have been holding hands at the time of their death.
A pile of bones, not assembled together, towards the back way. The number of people was unclear.
One body up in on the top floor in an old meeting room, set near the corner.
Another in the basement with a slain biter beside it.
The woman walked about, writing in her journal about her observations and theories. She predicted that whoever was here had been here for a long time. The building seemed to be used a lot during the apocalypse and by multiple people. She concluded that the inhabitants were killed when a herd of biters came trampling in- evident by the broken windows and the doors that hung off its hinges.
She stopped writing when she came upon a study room. It wasn't in shambles like the rest of the place so there had to be something worth looking into in there. Slowly, she entered the room, scanning about for anything useful or informative. It was just a simply study with shelves of books one would see in a library. However, it wasn't the books that caught her eye. It was a folded piece of paper on the desk against the wall. Going over, she read the letter. The letter Matthew wrote before heading out to his demise.
That letter would be the letter that brought them all back.
...
The letter was read and brought to many different people. It was read by historians, kids, past teachers, past government officials, and just about anyone. The contents were shared throughout the world and discussed by all who lived to inhabit it. Information about the personified nations were known throughout history. People knew their own country had one immortal representative that lived since the birth of their nation. They weren't spoken about a lot, oddly enough, but they were known.
The leaders of the new world, who took the stand to fix everything that happened, read the letter and decided to carry out Matthew William's request. The borders of the old world and countries would be restored. The old countries will revive and carry out their legacy. Whether the personifications would be revived as well was still a mystery at the time.
It took another good set of decades to rebuild the borders and structure. Of course, there were fall outs and fights as some would of predicted, but all were settled amicably in the end when the letter was brought up. No one knew why, but everyone had the strong desire to please their past nations. Maybe it was because they knew how much they fought for them. Maybe it was because they realized how much they took and endured for their people. Whatever the case was, everyone had their own insight to their desire to help.
One by one, nations began to come back. Canada was first, then followed by Germany, then Russia, then China, then England, then France, and so on and so forth. Every nation came back and every one lived in their desired or home country from the old world. When the countries were brought back, the personifications didn't come back... immediately.
...
"Woah! This is so cool!"
A boy, physically 12 years old, dashed down a busy street in New York, pushing past a few pedestrians while he was at it. Bright sapphire eyes lit up in awe as he ran up to a construction worker near the border of his country, The United States of America.
"You guys finally have it up?! Can I see?!" the boy exclaimed joyfully, practically jumping up and down as he looked up at the worker. His unique golden curl bounced along with him, causing the worker to let out a little laugh.
"Of course, Mr. Jones. I would be surprised if you didn't want to see it. Besides, a boy from the other country came over here to view it, too."
Alfred F. Jones tilted his head to the side in confusion. Another boy? So, there was another country beyond the fence? Yes, he did know Canada was beyond there but he often forgotten about it since he usually was too busy focusing on his own flourishing nation.
After the man said that, Alfred caught a glimpse of a boy coming across the border. This boy looked almost exactly like him and had a similar curl, except it hung over his eyes in a loopy way.
"You! Hey you!" Alfred yelled over to the boy, causing him to jump in surprise. The American ran over to him with the biggest smile on his face. "I've never seen you around! Are you a nation too?! Are you Canada?! What's your name?! I'm America! Call me Alfred though! Alfred F. Jones! Did you come to see the new border too?!"
Questions spewed from the others mouth so fast the Canadian boy couldn't keep up. His purple irises shifted up and down Alfred, taking in the newcomer. He knew about his loud neighbor and heard many stories about him, but not once did they ever meet. Shifting where he stood, the new boy quietly spoke up.
"M-My name is Matthew." The Canadian responded, surprisingly ceasing the other's excessive chatter. "Matthew Williams. Yes, I'm Canada. It's a pleasure to meet you, Alfred."
The two smiled brightly at one another, both excited to have met another nation. Being where they were, there weren't many nations around to socialize with. It was a joy for the both of them to meet in their own land.
"It's nice to meet you too!" Alfred laughed loudly, causing the other to jump a bit. Oh the contrast between the two. "Hey! Let's be best friends!"
Matthew blinked in surprise at the sudden statement, really trying to adjust to the other's booming personality. No wonder America was such a loud country. They had an energy filled representative that seemed to be non-stop.
"B-Best friends?" He stuttered out with a wavering smile. "Okay. I would love to be-"
"Wait!"
Alfred raised a finger in the air, furrowing his brows in sudden thought. He stood there for a long moment as Matthew stared at him in concern. Alfred quickly lowered his finger so it pointed directly at the boy in front of him.
"We're going to be brothers!"
Matthew gave a short gasp. "H-Huh?"
"Brothers!" Alfred repeated but at an even louder volume. "We live so close and we share a border so why not! Plus we look alike! What are the odds?!"
So, here the two were: the enthusiastic American and introverted Canadian. They were such polar opposites it was a wonder that they appeared to look very similar. However, it was probably that alone that got the two to come together.
It was as if something was pulling at them and saying 'hey, you two are brothers, remember?' even though no memory of the other recalled back to their mind. But that nonexistent whisper brought both of them to agree on becoming each other's brothers.
"I would love to be your brother."
...
Across the seas, the Swedish government were getting ready for a very important meeting. They had set up a meet up for the Scandenavian nations' representatives. Sweden was chosen for the location because it was the most developed country amongst the five.
"The personifications for Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Iceland will be arriving in a few minutes." A woman came up to tell a tall, blond haired man.
The man nodded silently and returned back to looking outside his window. His glasses gave off a bright glare from the sun, shielding the expressions that coated his gaze. Truthfully, he was quite nervous to meet the other nations. Social interaction was not his strong point- which was something he figured out quite quickly when he first became who he was.
Seeing a few cars drive up, Berwald, the representative of Sweden, drew back from the window and went over the meeting room door. Politeness and manners were some of the few socializing components he wasn't ignorant about. So, he would stand and greet them all with a nod and maybe shake of his hand.
Suddenly, muffled voices could be heard booming up the steps. It was made by a single person which signified someone of the four arrivals were quite loud and obnoxious. Great.
"Welcome." Berwald muttered as the first representative walked in.
The man was close to Berwald's height. He had spiky blond hair that took up a majority of his height, along with a tiny black hat set where his hair parted. Deep blue eyes glistened and complimented the flash in his huge smile. Black coat rustling as he walked, the man gave an excited wave towards Berwald.
"Hello! I'm Denmark, or Mathias!" He greeted, his loud tone signifying he was the noisy fellow outside.
After him came another man, much shorter than the other. He had light blond hair that partially fell over his eyes on the right side. His purple eyes were dazed and seemingly expressionless, along with the rest of his features. An iron cross pulled back his hair on the left side, leaving his vision clear. He gave a short nod of recognition to Berwald.
"I'm Norway, or Lukas." The Norwegian other stated simply before he followed the upbeat Dane towards the meeting table.
The next person to follow was a younger male, obviously nervous about being here. He had violet eyes just like Lukas, but his hair seemed drained of all color. Silver hair fell just above his eyes and hugged the sides of his cheeks. When passing Berwald, the man merely muttered his identification, not doing anything more than that.
"Iceland, or Emil."
Berwald looked over at the newcomers, observing how they were. They were quite an odd bunch- especially the Danish man. It seemed strange that they were the ones he was going to be working with when it came to governing their nations together.
"Oh! Am I the last one? How silly of me, I'm so sorry!"
Berwald's attention was brought back to the door as one last nation came trotting into the room.
He had brilliant purple eyes that seemed brighter than the other two that had previously come in. A light blush was smeared across his cheeks as he caught his breath from running up the steps. Beige hair was gently brushed away from his forehead as the small man looked up at Berwald.
"I'm Finland! You can call me Tino though." The Finnish man greeted. He stuck out his hand to shake Berwald's.
Berwald hesitantly took the hand in his own, surprised to see how small and feminine they were compared to his.
"Sweden, or Berwald." He mumbled, hearing a light laugh from the other.
With that, Tino walked over to the table where everyone had taken a seat.
It was quite an odd group. Berwald noticed the distinct qualities of each person, causing him to wonder how they'll all get along. Mathias was blabbering nonstop to Lukas, who was desperately trying to keep himself from strangling the other. Emil sat idly by, merely staring at the two as if it was a normal sight to see (despite the fact that they were just meeting now). Tino sat across from Mathias, laughing and putting in his own positive input on whatever was being discussed.
Berwald let out a short chuckle at that and turned to shut the door. However, he was stopped suddenly when a tiny hand waved in front of him.
"Hey! Wait! Don't close the door yet! I'm supposed to be in here too, you know!"
Looking down, Berwald found himself staring at a child. Physically, he had to be no more than 10 years old. He, like a majority of them, had short blond hair. His eyes were a deep blue that resembled much of the 7 seas. What caught Berwald's attention the most on his facial features were the bushy eyebrows that seemed far too big to be on a kid.
"I thought it was only us five." Berwald said, his voice monotonous.
A pair of footsteps came pattering towards the two as Tino came over to grab the boy's hand.
"I'm so sorry this is sudden." The Finnish man said with a sheepish smile. "This is Sealand, or Peter. He's a tiny island I found between our coasts. He's not a big country nor one people often hear about, but he's with me. I over see everything for him."
Peter nodded energetically and jabbed his thumb at his chest. "Yeah! So don't be leaving me out!"
Berwald cracked the smallest smile for the boy and gave a short nod. Ah, how sweet. He found himself immediately liking the new, small nation and the Finnish male. Just something about them made him joyful inside- which was a feeling he wouldn't use so lightly.
He watched Tino lead the boy over to the table, having him sit between Mathias and Lukas. That solved the two's shaky air for the Dane started rambling on to Peter about who knows what.
With a solemn sigh, Berwald walked over to the table to greet his new Scandinavian family.
Oh... What an interesting time this will be.
...
"On the way back, can we get some fettucine alfredo?"
"No."
"What about some Rigatoni con la Pagliata?"
"No."
"Carbonara?"
"No."
"Come on, fratello! I'm hungry! Please, can we have some pasta?"
"If you shut the hell up then maybe we can."
Two Italian men walked side by side through the streets of Germany. They weren't on a business trip nor were they there to extend their foreign relations. To simply put it, they wanted to have a vacation day to stroll around and scope out the nice eateries in the countries nearby.
The two men were Feliciano and Lovino Vargas; country representatives for North and South Italy. As they walked, the differences between the two brothers showed clear as day. Feliciano grinned and practically skipped as they made their way down the busy streets. He giggled and shot winks at pretty women who walked by. Lovino was the complete opposite. He frowned as he walked and scoffed whenever his brother made a bubbly remark. If asked, he would say he was only with his brother because he was dragged along but, truthfully, he was the one who proposed this whole day trip.
"Lovi, look!" Feliciano exclaimed, pointing over a two men arguing. "I wonder what's going on."
Down the street, two men stood arguing over what appeared to be a sack of food. It was between a tall, well built blond man and a brown haired man. The brunet appeared to be begging the other to take whatever food was in the bag but the blond didn't seem to want to compromise. Lovino, curiosity eating away at his mind, took his brother's hand and dragged him over to the two bickering men.
"Please, these are the only ones I have!" The tan skinned man exclaimed. "I'm sorry it's not the amount you asked for but-"
"Sorry, you fell short of what I asked. I can't buy them from you." The pale other said, furrowing his brows to show he meant business.
The Spaniard opened the bag and took out a perfectly ripe tomato and held it up to the German. "Please... You know how my economy is very poor right now. Trading and exporting goods are what I'm relying on right now. Please, just this once. I promise, I'll have more next time! We just had a problem with thieves and our supplies were low and-"
A hand was held up in front of him as the German sighed. "I'm sorry, but I simply can't... Come bac-"
"Hey!"
The two men's eyes widened as a third voice rang in their ears. Lovino stomped over to the two with an obviously pissed expression. He went over and snatched the bag of tomatoes from the Spaniard and shoved them roughly into the German's chest.
"What the hell are you doing turning down a perfect batch of tomatoes?!" He demanded, going on his toes a bit to try and seem intimidating to the blond. "Do you know how hard it is to harvest such perfect tomatoes like this guy's? Doesn't matter if it isn't the amount you paid for. You wanted tomatoes so take your fucking tomatoes and pay him."
Shocked silence settled between the four of them. Feliciano stared wide eyed at his brother and back at the two men to see what would happen. The German narrowed his eyes a bit at Lovino, which earned him a glare in return. It was obvious the Italian meant business, even though it wasn't his business in the first place. Usually, he wouldn't give in to such things but, at the moment, he honestly didn't care.
"Fine." The German mumbled, taking out the envelope of payment he had made out to the Spaniard. He tossed it to the brunet. The Spaniard's brilliant green eyes lit up with joy and caught it with a huge smile plastered on his face.
"G-Gracias!" the Spaniard said to the German. He turned over to Lovino with an even bigger smile. "Muchas gracias. I owe you one."
The two stared at each other for a second, getting their first observations on one another. Lovino gave a strange stare at Antonio's cheerful face, not understanding how someone could be that fucking happy. Antonio grinned at the Italian, truly grateful to have met him right then and there. Deep down, they both had a special liking to the other they couldn't understand.
Lovino shook his head, crossing his arms as he did so. "Hmph. Don't thank me. I wasn't doing this for you. I just couldn't bare to see such perfect tomatoes go to waste."
That lie wasn't taken by anyone. The Spaniard held out a hand to the Italian, "I'm Spain, but you can call me Antonio. You're South Italy, si?"
"Yeah, that's right. You better know my name." He gave a prideful smirk and shook the other's hand. "The name's Lovino-" He motioned to Feliciano who was busy staring at the German, "-this is my pathetic brother, Feliciano. He's North Italy."
Antonio turned to greet Feliciano but stopped to see him gasp in surprise.
"You're Germany!" Feliciano exclaimed, his eyes shining in admiration. "Your country has such a strong economy!"
The German looked at the smaller nation with a peculiar stare but couldn't help but crack a small smile at the other's enthusiasm. It wasn't common for someone to speak to him in such a manner since the usual responses he got were stoic and formal. Excluding his brother in the East who was upbeat 24/7, but mostly bothered their Austrian and Hungarian neighbors.
"Hello, it's nice to meet you. Call me Ludwig, since we're all nations here." Ludwig greeted. He was about to give a polite nod but suddenly felt the Italian in front of him take his hand in his, shaking it vigorously.
"Wow! I can't believe we're meeting! My boss told me many magnificent things about you! Of course, we were supposed to formally meet later on at a dinner or meeting, but looks like we're meeting now! Your country is so beautiful! Your people are so big and scary, but that's fine! Nearly every place is like that! You're much taller than what I would imagine!"
His excited chatter kept going on and on, leaving Ludwig speechless as he merely stared at the other. It was odd. It was as if this was normal; that is, hearing this same person talk a million words in a second. That didn't make any sense though since they literally just met right now. Yet, the lingering sensation in the German's heart just kept whispering to him saying 'you know him'.
However, Ludwig shook that thought away. Maybe he had a dream similar to this. Nonetheless, he couldn't deny the warmth that blossomed in his chest as he listened to Feliciano speak. Something told him that they were going to get along just right.
...
"We have just landed in the United States of America. Thank you for flying with us."
A British airlines plane came to halt at an American airport. It's abrupt stop shook the Englishman awake, causing him to fumble for his carry ons.
Arthur Kirkland, country personification of Great Britain, was flying over to the states today to check up on Alfred. When the countries were brought back, his boss instructed that he oversee and aid America in flourishing back into the country they were before. Seeing how they were one of the youngest countries in the old world, they would need a lot of help getting back on their feet.
Alfred and Arthur met before so this was hardly a first meeting. The young nation was brought over to England and they formed an alliance- Arthur would help Alfred grow as a nation, but in return they have a strong relation and help each other in the future for any possible wars and conflicts that may erupt. However, the last time they saw each other was a while back and Arthur thought it would be nice to pay a little visit to the American.
Once off the plane, the Brit quickly snaked his way through clusters of people, trying to get to the exit as soon as possible. He hated American transportation because it was so crowded and everyone was so noisy. No one had any knowledge of personal space or common sense.
"Excuse me-"
Arthur just barely heard someone in front of him before he felt his body collide with someone else's. He tripped and fell face flat down on the hard floor near one of the terminals.
"Watch where you're going, you imbecile!" He exclaimed heatedly. He snapped his head up to glare at the person who ran into him. Beautiful golden locks met his eyes as a piercing blue gaze stared down upon him.
A hand reached out to him, "I'm terrible sorry, sir. I didn't mean to bump in to you. You see, I'm trying to hurry so I can meet this-"
Arthur scoffed, slapping the hand away from him. "I don't bloody care. I'm in a rush too, so move along."
With that, he pushed past the foreign stranger and continued to make his way down the busy terminals. So far, everything about America was ticking him off. Especially the people who lived here. America overall pissed him off and the only thing about it that wasn't was Alfred.
...
Despite all the countries coming back to where they were in the old world, not all of them were exactly how they were in the past.
"Excuse me, Mr. Braginsky, can I use your telephone for a quick call? I'm so sorry to bother."
A brown haired nation stood at the door of a study in which a tall, Russian man stood. The Russian turned to the other and gave a short nod of approval.
"Of course, little Toris. I share home with you so my stuff is your stuff."
Toris, representative of Lithuania, beamed up at the other and gave a quick thanks. Ivan, representative of Russia, retired back to the window he was peering out of.
Outside were countless people from countless nations. Currently, they all were trying to regroup and mend the problems in each nation that resulted from the apocalypse. Some places were better off environmental wise and economy wise. Those who were on the lower scale depended on stronger nations to help them flourish and grow better as a country.
Russia was the strongest nation in West Europe and Asia. Ivan kept in touch with all his fellow nations who depended on him and did all he could to make them better. He generously gave money to those in debt. He provided an abundance of land from his country to be used for other nations' purposes. He helped with foreign relations and extending the alliances with the countries who came to him.
Throughout the land, Russia was said to be one of the nicest and friendliest country in the world.
Ivan had plenty of friends, some of those including: Yao from China, Kiku from Japan, Toris, Eduard, and Raivis from the Baltic States, Natalya from Belarus, Katyusha from Ukraine, and many others. They all came to him when they had a problem and he helped them happily.
It was the nation he was born as and, in the past, the nation he always wanted to be.
"Ah, my friends." Ivan beamed out the window. "You are in much of the great hands. I will keep you well."
...
Back in the States, Arthur trudged through the streets to find out where Alfred was. A government worker who greeted him at the airport told him the nation was off running near the border of Canada. Typical of a young nation to do.
As he walked, Arthur studied the American life about him. Everyone was so talkative with one another and he frequently saw random people strike conversation despite not knowing a single thing about the other. It was all so bizarre in his mind but that was expected since this was, indeed, a whole different country on a whole different continent.
Reaching the border, a young boy with distinctive spectacles came into view. He was seen talking with another boy who looked nearly identical to him but had just the slightest change in the hair to say otherwise.
"Oi! Alfred!" Arthur called out, waving his hand so the boy could see him. Alfred turned from where he was, a bright smile plastering onto his face.
"Arthur!" Alfred shouted, running full speed towards the Brit. Arthur felt the air in his lungs disappear as he felt the American ram into him and pull him into a surprisingly strong hug. He chuckled awkwardly, patting the other on the head.
"It's nice to see you again, lad." Arthur greeted with a smile. "I thought I'd stop by and visit you for a couple of days."
At that, Alfred let out a gasp started jumping up and down. He took Arthur's hands and immediately started to spin around with him whilst laughing his head off.
"Yay! Yay! It'll be a sleepover! We can have a little party too! Yay!"
Oh, even Alfred was enthusiastic and loud like the rest of this place. However, his version of overexcitement was tolerable considering it was Alfred.
As they spun, Arthur couldn't help but take notice of the other boy a few feet away from him. This boy seemed extremely calm compared to Alfred and quite the opposite when it came to personality. He merely stared at the two as he rubbed his arms awkwardly in silence.
"Alfred, who's this?" Arthur stopped their spinning and gave a nod towards the other boy.
Alfred chuckled and ran over to the boy, dragging him over to Arthur.
"This is Matthew! He's the country that lives right above me; Canada!" He swung an arm over Matthew, causing the Canadian to flinch uncomfortably.
Well that something new the Brit hadn't heard about. He knew there was a country above the States but he had never met them till now. It surprised him a bit to see it was another young nation.
Matthew smiled up at Arthur, opening his mouth to greet him. However, his words were taken aback when his violet hues shifted over to a man walking over to them.
"Francis!"
The Canadian ran away from Alfred and Arthur and hopped up into the arms of a man coming over to them. Alfred stared at the man curiosity, never seeing him before in his life. Arthur, on the other hand, felt his cheeks redden with disgust.
"You!" He exclaimed, pointing a finger at the man. "You're the one who doesn't know where to look when he walks! You bloody knocked me to the ground!"
The man, in the middle of a hug with Matthew, raised a brow at the Brit. Tucking some of his silky hair behind his ear, the man let out a gentle laugh. The laugh alone made Arthur's blood boil. He was French; part of the annoying country in the South that always acted so prestigious and prideful about who they were.
"Like I said, I'm sorry to have bothered you, but, as I was going to say back there, I was in a rush as well to meet up with my darling Matthew." The Frenchman explained, causing Matthew to giggle happily. "You see, I take care of him and his country at the moment. I'm France, or Francis Bonnefoy." He extended his hand for the other to shake.
Arthur scoffed, folding his arms instead of acknowledging the hand shake. "France, huh? Oh, so you're the representative of those blokes who sell smelly dairy products and brag too much for their own good."
Francis's eyes widened, surprised to see how rude the other could be. "Eh? So, does that make you Britain, the foul mouthed nation with no heart at all?"
"The name is Arthur Kirkland! How dare you defile me. I'll have you know my country is far better than yours."
"Ah, but not when it comes to physical attractiveness. Especially when it comes to facial hair."
"Are you insulting my eyebrows, you wank?!"
"They're doing that all by themselves; I simply added on to its hideousness."
Insults began to throw over and over at about the two men. Alfred and Matthew took a step back from them, surprised to see their two guardians hate each other so much and in such a small time. It was as if they both were two lions fighting over who would be the king of the land.
After about ten minutes, Alfred let out a sigh. Quickly, he jumped right in between Arthur and Francis and waved his hands high in the air and stared up at Francis.
"Hello! I'm Alfred!" He exclaimed, causing the two men to shut up. "I'm America!"
Francis, immediately cutting off any acknowledgment to the Brit, leaned down and patted the American on the head. "Aw, you're so adorable, petite garçon. You look so much like Matthew; you two could be brothers."
Matthew ran up, smiling alongside Alfred. "W-We are!"
That caught both of them at a surprise. Yes, it was expected that they could be brothers considering their share the continent and border each other, then again they look very similar too, but the fact being stated took them by surprise. If Alfred and Matthew were brothers... did that mean...
"Does this mean this frog and I have to have a relation as well?!" Arthur said as he shot a finger over at Francis.
Francis stared at the Brit in shock then back down at the two brothers. This was quite a surprise... He made the surprise visit to his dear Matthew and ended up being dragged into a family with an enthusiastic American and stick-up-the-butt Briton. How the hell was this going to work out?
"Yeah!" Alfred shouted gleefully. "You two could be, like, our dads!"
"What?!" The two men yelled in unison.
Alfred and Matthew broke down laughing, seeing their guardians look so shocked. It truly amused them just like how anything could amuse little boys if seen in such a light. However, something else grew within the two boys when they stated this. They not only found it hilarious but they also found it comforting. The four of them as a family... It sounded about right to them.
"Us? A family?!" Arthur exclaimed, truly opposed to the idea since he couldn't even bring himself to accept Francis as a mere friend.
Francis, on the other hand, suddenly fell silent at this. He stared at Alfred and Matthew, seeing how joyful they appeared together and pleased at the thought of the two of them as their fathers. He stared at Arthur beside him, noticing his upset expression and hearing the stutter in his words as he tried to portray his disagreement on all this. The three of them before him. The two brothers and the other father.
"Raise a glass to the four of us. Tomorrow they'll be more of us. Telling the story of tonight."
Four of us...
"Hello? Francis? Are you alright?" Matthew's soft voice broke him out of his thoughts. He blinked, realizing all eyes were staring on him now.
Arthur frowned over at him, waiting for him to respond to a question or statement he didn't hear. Alfred grinned up at him as Matthew tilted his head in confusion and concern to his guardian.
"Us as a family..." He mumbled out loud. They all raised a brow in confusion on the sudden change in demeanor the Frenchman had. A moment ago he was aghast to the idea, but now he was repeating as if he was full on accepting of the idea.
"No shit, Sherlock. Didn't you just hear what your bloody son just said?" Arthur spat, putting a sarcastic emphasis on the word 'son'.
Francis looked over at Arthur, taking in what he saw. Bushy (ugly) eyebrows knitted together on a signature frown. Messy blonde hair sticking up in all directions as if there was no care to keep it neat. Deep emerald eyes that portrayed a vast forest filled with all sorts of wonders.
"Promise me, please... I want to know this isn't the last time."
"I promise." Francis spoke aloud, causing Arthur to crinkle his nose in confusion.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Francis, too, was unsure about what he promised or was promising to for the words just slipped out of his mouth. It was as if they were pulled along by an empty thought that never even passed through his mind.
He repeated almost automatically: "I promise."
This time, Arthur didn't scoff in annoyance or confusion. Instead the Brit's sour expression softened and he furrowed his brows together in an odd feeling of familiarity. Promise... Was there a promise? What promise?
"I never want to forget you."
Both had no idea what promise it was but both knew there was a promise. But what? A promise on what? They both searched tirelessly in their minds to connect anything to whatever promise was being spoken about but nothing came to mind. Nothing at all.
"You kept it..." Arthur whispered, unaware of his own words slipping out of his mouth.
Kept what? They both didn't know. However, what they did know was that there was indeed a promise set between the four of them, one Francis had set. That promise, whatever it may be, had been fulfilled.
"Promise? What promise?" Alfred's voice interjected, breaking the uneasy atmosphere. "Am I missing something? What's going on? I wanna know! Are you keeping secrets? That's no fair! I want in!"
Francis blinked out of thought, staring down at Alfred who had began to pout, thinking he was being left out of something. Matthew mimicked his brother, giving a nod showing that he wanted to know too. Without a second thought, Francis let out a soft laugh and ruffled Alfred and Matthew's head.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it." He said, looking from the boys to Arthur. "Let's go out and get something to eat, yes? It's quite late and I'm sure we have some things to talk about. After all... we are a family."
A gasp came from Matthew and Alfred as they suddenly jumped in the air and started laughing non stop as they ran around the two men. Little scraps of "yay!" and "family!" could be heard piping up around them.
This time, Arthur didn't oppose to the idea for he, too, had agreed reluctantly with the thought of the four of them as a family.
Drifting his attention elsewhere, Arthur caught sight of a sunset that was just about to die off into the horizon. He allowed the tiniest smile to pull at his lips as he observed the beauty of the melting colors giving way to the cool hues of the night.
"So beautiful," Arthur breathed, "The simple colors dancing together as they allow the night to take over the sky. Soon, the night would need to take their leave and the day would have to rise again. Such an interesting routine that happens continuously without a stop."
Francis overheard the other's mumbled descriptive monologue, letting a chuckle slip out.
"It is beautiful, isn't it?" He whispered over to the other, causing Arthur to jump in surprise. He didn't think anyone heard him.
With a scoff, the Brit crossed his arms and glared at the Frenchman. "Sod off; you don't even know how to acknowledge the art of the sunset."
Oh, but Francis did know how to acknowledge the art of the sunset. He knew it's indescribable beauty and overflowing warm love. He acknowledged that love and kept it close to his heart every day and never lost sight of it.
Never.
...
"Goodbye until tomorrow
Goodbye until the rest of my life
And I have been waiting
I have been waiting for you
Waiting for you
Waiting for you..."
...
The End.
_
A/N:
Wow. It's over. I can't believe it's over. I've been working on this fic since last June and I can't believe it's finally over.
Thank you so so so much for reading this. This was my second fic I've ever written and I'm so amazed at how far it's come. You guys, my dear readers, have always been so kind and helpful to me and my stories. All your comments and reactions and jokes and reviews you leave on my stories have always made my day. Thank you so much for everything you've guys done for me because, honestly, I wouldn't of been able to write or finish this story without you guys. Every single one of you; you've kept me well and helped me up when I needed it even when you didn't know it. I cherish every single one of you and I really do wish I could give you guys a hug. I love you all so so much, and thank you for sticking with this whirlwind of a story.
I do hope the ending was satisfying for you all. I apologize if it's not great cause I'm not sure if I wrote this well. I feel like I didn't and it's a let down.
The title and ending lyrics are from a musical so high-five to you if you recognize it ;)
At the moment, I have two other ongoing fics for you guys to read!
'We Wait Until Dawn' - Hetalia crossover with Until Dawn, but you don't have to know the game to enjoy the story! I'm making it so everyone can understand and enjoy it!
'Light in Darkness' - a USUK story which is basically Arthur's diary about his time in America and how he meets Alfred. Arthur's a detective and Alfred's a health major- a little nod to Sherlock here and there y'know.
But, besides that, thank you for reading! I hope you guys liked this story as much as I did. ❤️
As usual, please leave your feedback in the comments/reviews! I love to hear from you!
Till the next story, see ya!
-MM
