ROI: Cathal.
N.Ireland: Cian.
Scotland: Alistair.
Wales: Medwyn.
England: Arthur (canon).
1.
Cathal opened his eyes, his vision slowly adjusting as he awoke to a bright, new day pouring through the bedroom curtains. The country sat upright in bed, extending both arms above his head and stretching whilst letting out a long, concealed yawn. Today was the day of the European Green conference that was being held right here in the capital of Ireland. Immediately, nerves pricked at the man's form, though he did his best to squash them for the time being and promptly pulled himself out of bed to get ready for the day ahead with the help of the mysterious old man in green that often floated by his side.
After getting himself ready, despite the pesterings of the friendly spirit that danced around him occasionally, Cathal was warmly greeted in his kitchen by his cat Oisin, who lingered close to his food bowl in anticipation. Ireland knelt to stroke his feline friend, moving to then replenish his food bowl before his face became his next scratching post. As he watched his beloved companion tuck into his first meal of the day, the country was pulled from his admiration for the creature by the deep rumblings of his own stomach. With his hunger acknowledged, Cathal rose to his feet and flicked the switch on his kettle while moving simultaneously to retrieve a half-consumed loaf of bread from the bread bin. Before anything, he needed his morning coffee to properly kick off the day.
Meanwhile at Heathrow Airport, England and his brothers were waiting eagerly in the lounge area for their flight to Dublin for the conference. England sat crossed legged reading a broadsheet newspaper with Wales at his side sipping a hot cup of coffee, lifting the lid of the cup and blowing on the boiling liquid below in an attempt to cool it down. Northern Ireland stood looking out of the window, watching each and every one of the planes land and take off whilst Scotland sat adjacent, almost motionless as he began to nod off. At that very moment, a tannoy sounded out for all passengers for the morning flight to Dublin to make their way to gate five. Scotland jolted upright, a frown creeping upon his face at having been disturbed from his premature nap. This was much to the amusement of Northern Ireland, who giggled to himself and turned to face the window to avoid Scotland seeing his fits of giggles at his rude awakening. Wales turned to England, but not before gulping down the last remnants of his beverage.
"Arthur?"
"Yes?" The blonde raised an eyebrow in intrigue as he packed away his newspaper and gathered his belongings, ready to board the plane.
"Please do try to be civil to our brother when we land."
England exhaled deeply, annoyance prevalent on his face.
"Of course, however I cannot say the same for him."
"Can you blame him?" A deep Scottish voice interjected, surprising both England and Wales. Medwyn shuffled in his seat uncomfortably, fiddling with the empty cup in his hands. England, on the other hand, remained silent as he locked eyes with the eldest of the brothers.
"For over eight hundred years you were downright terrible to him. He has every right to be angry." Northern Ireland appeared behind Scotland, placing a hand gently on his shoulder.
"This isn't the time or the place. Let's get moving." The ginger haired man remarked, shifting his emerald eyes from Alistair to Arthur, his expression unreadable. Alistair shook his brother's hand from his shoulder and proceeded to haul his hand luggage in one hand, trudging stubbornly to the gate to board the flight. Medwyn clumsily gathered his things together and chased after Scotland, leaving England and Northern Ireland alone in the airport lounge. Cian cocked his head to one side, his hands placed on his hips.
"You ok there, mucker?"
"I should be asking you that question, shouldn't I?"
"Och, no need to be fretting about me, I'm perfectly fine. It's all good".
"But it isn't though, is it?"
Both Arthur and Cian walked slowly to the gate to join their brothers, dragging their luggage behind them. Cian playfully nudged Arthur in his side as an attempt to alleviate the tension.
"Come on now, try to forget about what Alistair said just now. We need to focus on the conference".
Now, whilst that was true, England couldn't help but feel his mind retreat back to the words Scotland uttered, the man's sharp tone echoing in England's ears.
"He isn't wrong though, Cian. I have been awful".
The pair joined the line of passengers awaiting to have their tickets checked before boarding, with Cian spotting his other brothers further up the line. The young man was surprised to hear Arthur talking so openly like this. It was odd, in many ways, since Arthur usually kept his feelings to himself. Unsure of what to do, Cian opted to wrap an arm around the blonde and pull him close, causing Arthur to blush with embarrassment.
"That is true, I won't deny it. But you're trying to change now and I can appreciate that. It's what you do now, brother, that will shape the path you take." Breaking free from his brother's tight grasp, Arthur ruffled the younger's hair, a small smile spread across his face.
"Thank you, Cian."
With matters temporarily set aside, the brothers boarded the plane with no further hiccups and settled in their assigned seats for the short trip to Dublin. Arthur, who was thankfully seated next to Cian, glanced out of the window of the aircraft feeling his stomach knotting up. It has certainly been a while since he saw Ireland and each time he did so, the elder greeted him with the same coldness and bitterness no matter the occasion. It was no surprise, really, especially given the history between the two. Arthur could only pray internally as the plane took to the skies that the conference would run smoothly.
Cathal pulled into a vacant spot in the airport parking lot, jumping out of the vehicle and swiftly making his way to the arrivals gate to welcome his siblings to his homeland. The auburn haired man stood almost impatiently beside an advertisement post, his heart rising and dropping each time someone came into the airport lobby who wasn't who he was waiting for. Whilst the country was excited to see most of his siblings, there was one whom he wasn't too thrilled to see. However, despite his feelings he had to remain composed and professional. After all, he was representing his country and his people (not to mention his president warned him to be on his best behaviour). Suddenly, Ireland recognised Scotland from a distance and raised a hand to wave excitedly. Behind him were Wales, Northern Ireland and, much to his displeasure, England.
"Brother!" Scotland hollered, embracing Ireland in a bear style hug and playfully tussling his hair. "It's been too long, how have you been?"
Ireland chuckled heartily, poking Scotland's cheek.
"I'm doing just fine, how are you? How are all of you?" Cathal addressed his other brothers now, but was tackled by Wales for a cuddle, cutting him off. Arthur awkwardly hung back, observing his elder brothers greeting their sibling with grand enthusiasm and delight.
In the heat of the reunion, both Cathal and Arthur locked eyes. It was as though time stopped as the two stared at each other, the silence almost deafening.
"Hello, Cathal. You look well" England commented, averting his eyes to the floor. Ireland eyed his so called brother coldly, unable to visibly hide his distaste.
"Hello Arthur, you look well yourself" The Dubliner replied, promptly refocusing his attention on Northern Ireland, who appeared to be as uncomfortable as Arthur. Cathal smiled warmly, extending his arms out to him to invite his youngest sibling for an embrace. Reluctant, Cian allowed the man to envelope his arms around him, his frame stiff and unmoving as his elder brother gripped him tightly in a warm embrace.
"It's good to see you" Cathal whispered in Cian's ear, stepping back and allowing the latter to untangle himself from his grasp.
"Right Eire, where'd you park her?"
Alistair barked, setting off in the direction of the airport car park. Cathal hummed to himself, clicking his tongue. "You really don't wait around, do you?"