Arthur glanced at his brothers before nodding at them. "Er, I also appreciate the help and efforts you put in helping us with the boys and in reattaching his wings," he said, cheeks going red because he knows the more sentiment he put in his little speach the more his brothers were going to tease him about it for the rest of their lives. Allistair snorted. "Bunny, we're all bonded remember? We know how much you appreciate it. Who do you think you're fooling?" he said.
Arthur sighed and gave his brothers a big hug all while muttering, "If you tease me about this in the future I'm putting a spell on all of your booze to turn it into water or mud," he warned. Allistair snorted, Reiley chuckled, and Rhys smirked. "Ye think we'd really make fun of you after all of this?" said Allistair. Rhys smiled. "He does have a fair point, based on our mutual past. Reiley rolled his eyes. "You know we love ya Artie. Don't make us regret it," he said.
Arthur rolled his eyes and pulled away, crossing his arms. "I don't believe I know whatever you mean," he said. Reiley chuckled and ruffled the hair of his youngest brother. "You'll take us out for pints later. You should go and talk with the boys," he said. Arthur chuckled before nodding and following his brother's advice. Arthur hugged Matthew, startling him slightly. "I'm happy that it all turned out alright lad. You still feeling weak?" he asked.
Matthew nodded with a slight sigh. "A bit...but I feel a lot better now that the spell is over. Just really tired and light headed. It'll probably go away in a couple of days. It's really nothing to worry about. I'm more concerned about you. You looked a bit worse for wear back there," he said. Arthur placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. A good night's rest would fix me right up," he said, lying slightly.
Before Matthew remind him that he knew Arthur was lying, Alfred drapped an arm over their shoulders and wrapped a wing around the both of them. "Hey guys! What's up?" he asked. Matthew smiled. "Just thanking Arthur for everything," he said quietly. Alfred grinned before hugging Arthur in a tight bear hug, making the Englishman red with embarrassment. "Now you know how I feel," muttered Rhys as he walked by carrying a bottle of Arthur's favorite rum.
Arthur managed to wiggle out of the American's embraced, bright red. "Yes, well, you didn't need to be so touchy. I'm happy to help you two with anything. It was nothing to help your brother get his wings back. I just hope you two take your lessons serioiusly," he lectured. Alfred blinks before making a face. "Two? You're making me take lessons too?" he asked, looking disappointed.
"Don't worry lad. We'll teach you how to properly dive bomb someone," said Reiley, ruffling Alfred's hair as he passed by with another bottle of booze from Arthur's stash. Arthur blinked. "Who said you could go through my things?" he asked. "You owe us one, remember?" said Allistair, carrying another bottle and a stack of glasses. Arthur huffs. "I'll be right back boys. I need to keep these gits from finding my good stuff," he said.
Alfred turned to Matthew. "You really doing better Mattie?" he asked softly. Matthew nodded. "Much better Alfred...Thanks for helping me... You didn't let anything get in the way while you were trying to get my wings back...You're a good brother," he said. Alfred grinned. "I'm going to make you write those words into stone someday..But of course Mattie. You would have done the same and probably done it while being less of a jerk," he said.
Matthew smirked. "I guess that's true...I suppose that makes you less of a good brother," he joked. Alfred feigned offense, throwing his hands over his heart. "Mattie, after all I've gone through for you? I even got taken captive," he gasped dramatically, causing Gilbert, Mathias, and Sylvia to look on in alarm before snorting when they realized he was goofing around. Matthew raised an eyebrow and smirked. "From what I sensed, you enjoyed the basement because of that Belarusian girl you like," he said.
Alfred blinked and his cheeks turned a bit red. "L-Liar…" He said. Matthew grinned. "Is that so? I know you thought she was pretty and cool," he said a little louder. Alfred's eyes widened and he quickly jumped to shush his brother. "Dude! Quiet down?!" he whispered loudly. Matthew chuckled. "You do like her! Just admit it! We have the bond remember?" he said. Alfred rubbed his arm. "About that...She and I do too..She healed my injuries after her brother beat me up and took me captive," he said.
Matthew blinked before wincing. "Her brother? Let me guess, it's Ivan? That's gotta be rough Alfie," he said. Alfred sighed. "Yeah...It'll be awkward but at least she's fine. She kicked some major butt during the fight," before he jumped into a description of all the fighting they did. The more he listened, the more Matthew dreaded pulling Alfred back into reality. "That's fine and all Alfie...but did she say she liked you back? Do you think there's any chance you two might see each other again?" he asked.
Alfred's face fell. "...No..she didn't...and I guess I didnt' really see much of that in the bond. She kinda just blocked me out, which sucks because I'm sure she knows how much I like her..," he said. Matthew put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "We can ask Francis what to do...He seems to know a lot about this stuff," he said. Alfred made a face when he heard Sylvia shout that there were more people coming this way. "Woooo! More people to party with!" shouted Gilbert.
They turned to find that the Nordics, Peter, and Ivan and his sisters flying toward them. Alfred grinned and bounced on the ball of his feet, his feet fluttering in excitement. Matthew snorted. "Coming off as a bit obvious there bud," he said. Alfred smacked his brother's shoulder. "Dude, she probabaly already knows how in love you are with her," singsonged Matthew. Francis seemed to magically pop up next to him. "Did I hear that someone was in love with someone here?" he asked.
Sylvia, luckily having been eavesdropping on the twins' conversations, came over and wrapped an arm around her older brother. "Francis, I need your help with something. It seems Arthur believes he can cook some pastries to feed everyone with...and I am sure the kitchen shouldn't smell so smokey," she said cooly. Francis gasped before sprinting away. "Arthur don't you dare touch my kitchen!" he shouted. "I just saved your lives. You can thank me later," she says before walking away from the very confused boys.
"What was that all about?" muttered Matthew. Alfred shrugged. "I'm not sure...but I get the feeling that we are better off not knowing," he said, blinking when he saw Natalia land and look around. He hid behind his brother. "She's here!" he said. Matthew blinked and looked around before glancing at Irunya. "Her? She doesn't seem too bad," he said. "No, that's her older sister," said Alfred. Matthew looked around and jumped when he spotted a girl who was practically glaring at the crowd that had gathered her.
Matthew jumped and shrank back a little. "That's the girl you like? You really know how to pick them Alfie," he said. Alfred flicked the back of his head. "She's not that bad! What I'm afraid of is if she tries to introduce me to her brother. Or worse! What if she's already told Ivan about me and he hates my guts or something? What if she knows I have a crush on her?" he said. Matthew sighed but he couldn't blame Alfie's concerns after seeing what his brother was up against.
He blinked when he saw Nat coming toward them. "Uh Alfie? Your girlfriend is headed this way," he said. Alfred hissed, trying to shush his brother. Matthew grinned, his grin getting wider when Alfred tried to hide under his wings. Natalia cleared her throat when she finally walked over to Matthew. She paused when she looked him in the eyes. "You're not Alfred...You must be his brother. He didn't say you two were twins. I can only tell by the eyes," she said.
Matthew chuckled nervously. "O-Oui...A lot of people tend to mix us up. Don't sweat it," he said. Natalia nodded, a knife from the fight still in her hand. "Is that so? Do I need to worry about any of those jerk shadows showing up?" she asked. "U-Um...N-No..Arthur said when Alecai was killed, they were kept from being able to enter our world unless beckoned," he said. Natalia nodded and hid the knife somewhere in her dress. "I'm looking for your brother Alfred," she said.
Matthew felt someone poke him hard in the back. "You are? What for? He didn't get in trouble again did he?" he asked. Alfred made a face and flicked his brother's wing, causing Matthew to frown. Natalia raised an eyebrow. "He's hiding behind you, isn't he?" she asked. Both boys blinked. "N-No…" stuttered Matthew. Alfred mentally swore. Mattie always was the worse liar out of the two of them.
Natalia simply raised an eyebrow before walking to the otherside of Matthew and smirked at the American crouching behind his brother, hiding in his wings. Alfred peaked out. "H-Hey Nat...Just showing Mattie how to preen his feathers. You know….because he doesn't know how to. I didn't see you fly in…" he said cheerfully, quickly trying to make it look like he was preening his brother.
Natalia smirked. "I know you're hiding from me Alfred. We're bonded remember?" she said. Alfred's eyes widened and he immediately stood up, while trying to subtly poke his brother in the side to get him to save him. "Stop poking your brother," she sighed. Matthew's eyes widened. "You're on your own Alfie. Desole," he said before quickly disappearing from Alfred's side. "Traitor," hissed Alfred.
Natalia watched him with amusement. "I know you like me Alfred. You're not very experienced in blocking your stronger feelings from the bond," she said. Alfred's face went bright red. "Uh...Um...I-I didn't think I was that bad at hiding it…" he managed, not sure what to think. Natalia's smirk grew as she watched him squirm. When she thought he had had enough, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I like you too," she said.
He blinks before his face went bright red. "...I-I like you too...You're pretty," he said. Natalia blushed as well until they both froze at the sound of two men snorting. Alfred looked up and saw that Gilbert and Mathais were doing their best to hold back laughter, laying on their stomachs on the top of the rockside. When they realized Alfred was staring at them in horror, they couldn't help any longer. Gilber and Mathias started cracking up.
"Oh boy. Wait till I tell Francy-Pants and Tonio! Man are they going to get a load of this!" he said. "Gilbert!" hissed Alfred, balling up his fists as his face started burning. Before he could do anything, a knife flew up and sliced off some of Gilbert's hair. Gilbert let out a manly squeal before ducking back. Mathias chuckled. "Big scaredy baby," he said. Another knife flew up and sliced off one of Mathias's spikes. Mathias shrieked like a girl before jumping back as well.
Alfred blinked before turning to Natalia. "Nice aim...Sorry about that," he said. "It's no problem. Give me a few minutes to retrieve my knives and talk to the boys," she said before taking off. Alfred hesitated, not sure if he should go and stop her from doing something violent when someone's hand came down hard on his shoulder before he could take off. Alfred spun around to find Ivan standing there with a scary smile. Alfred swallowed. This was so not the way he was hoping his evening would go.
"I see you enjoy giving my sisters the kisses," said Ivan, nearly crushing his shoulder. Crap. Mayday. Where's Mattie or anyone when you need them? "Um...Considering that was my first time doing that I'd say yeah, it was pretty nice….Look dude, I'm sorry we met the way we did. I didn't know you were being held captive and all of that. So um, no hard feelings?" he asked. The grip on his shoulder tightened.
"While I appreciate you helping my sisters get free, I do not appreciate the possibility of losing my sister now that we're finally out of that hell. Also, if you break my sisters heart, I will break you into many of the tiny pieces. So I would be extremely careful if I were you," said Ivan, the creepy smile on his face never wavering. "Don't worry dude...I don't intend on doing anything to your sister. And, no offense, but she strikes me as the kind of girl who can take care of herself. But thanks for the warning," said Alfred before prying off the hand.
Ivan's eyes narrowed but he immediately brightened up when Natalia landed next to him. She looked between the two of them before scowling at her brother. "You better not be making threats Ivan. Not after everything he's done to help us," she said. Ivan smiled. "Nyet sister. Of course not. I was merely telling Alfred that I will break him into pieces if he hurts you," he said.
Natalia sighed and turned to Alfred. "I'm sorry about that Alfie…" She turned to Ivan. "If he does something warrenting breaking, I will do it first Big Brother," she said, making Alfred shudder. He wasn't afraid of Ivan but he knew Natalia meant business. "If that is what you prefer Little Sister. I'm sure Irunya would like you to tell her all about your kiss though. She looked as if she was going to faint when Gilbert told Francis about it," he said.
Alfred sighed. "Great. Just great. It was bad enough to have them spying on us but they have to go and tell everyone. I'm sorry for anything Francis or Arthur say or do when they find out. Heck, even Mattie will be doing his best to embarrass me," he said, looking up before frowning. Natalia blinked and frowned too. "Guys, I see more people flying this way...We're going to need a lot more food!" he shouted.
Lukas landed first. "Berwald and the kid should be catching up soon," he stated plainly. Tino blinked. "Kid? What kid?" he asked. Allistair and Reiley snickered, pushing Rhys up front and center. "We got a little brother!" exclaimed Reiley. Rhys glanced at Arthur before giving his two brothers an annoyed look. "I know that. Are you two done stating the obvious now? How hammered are you?" he asked.
Allistair rolled his eyes as Emil landed near them. "We're not hammered. Apparently, we have a second little git to look after," he said. "Hey! I don't appreciate you implying that I'm a git!" protested Arthur. "It's not implying if it's true!" retorted Allistair. Arthur glared at his brother, but when Berwald landed the two brothers jumped apart, trying to maintain the impression to the newest addition to the family that they were a functional bunch.
Peter jumped off of Berwald's back and looked confused when Rhys's jaw dropped. "You weren't lying...He even has the family eyebrows," he said. Mathias and Gilbert both snorted, trying not to crack up at that conclusion. "We're lucky we take after Francis's side of the family," muttered Sylvia to her brothers, who were also trying not to crack up. Allistair huffed. "Told you we weren't lying," he said.
Peter regarded his newfound brothers with a look of skepticism. "You are my older brothers? The other Kirklands Lukas was telling me about?" he asked. Rhys nodded. "Aye. The eyebrows don't lie lad," he said with complete seriousness. Gilbert's face turned bright red as doubled over and tried his best to choke back his laughter. Mathais leaned against him, waging the same battle. Alfred was laughing, hand covering his hand. "I-Is this some sort of inside joke we have in this family or is he serious?" he asks.
Francis stood behind him, smirking. "No, they're completely serious. They take their eyebrows seriously. It's a matter of pride," he said. Mathias cracked up, tears going down his face. Gilbert's face was close to turning blue as he did his best to hold back his laughter, trying not to offend his mate's family. "I'll show you~" said Francis with a slight grin, before turning to the Kirklands. "Hairybrows, I need your help with something," he shouted to them.
All five of them, including Peter, immediately turned around to see what he need. When they realized he called them 'Hairybrows', they all scowled. "Oi! The eyebrows are a symbol of British pride and honor!" shouted Reiley, shaking his fist angrily. "That's right! You mess with the eyebrows, you mess with us! Mock us again and we'll tan your hides!" growled Allistair, face as red as his hair.
That was the last straw for Gilbert. He fell to his side, breaking out in laughter. Mathias fell with him, laughing so hard he was snorting at this time. Even the twins were cracking up with Sylvia next to them, covering her mouth as she started laughing. Francis nodded at them, a serious look on his face. "Oui mon amis. I apologize for any offence. I was merely trying to get Arthur's attention," he said.
Allistair narrowed his eyes as he tried to figure out if Francis meant it or was just putting on a show to avoid a fight. "Why are they laughing then?" asked Allistair. "Post-battle hysteria. They've been on edge for days now. They were bound to break at one point in time or another. It's just nerves," Francis said without hesitation or showing any sign that he was lying. Allistair looked at them for a few seconds and slowly nodded. "I suppose you're right," he said. Rhys and Arthur both sighed, arms crossed. "Gits," they muttered.
Allistair rolled his eyes, turning back to Peter. "Well kid, if you want you, and it's your choice, you can join our flock. I just got to warn ye that I haven't taken care of a little one in a while. Because Arthur is still technically part of our flock, you can either stay with Reiley, Rhys, and I or stay with Arthur and his bunch. Our nest isn't that far from here and we tend to visit Arthur often to check up on him," he said, smirking a bit as Arthur's cheeks turned pink.
Peter looked at the two of them hesitantly, his gaze lingering on Arthur longer. "You said that my country wasn't real…" he said. Arthur sighed and got on a knee, patting his hair. "I'm sorry lad...I've been on edge lately and I'm quite exhausted. I snapped at you. It's just that the...territory in question is an old 'fort', if I can even call it that, I made when I was younger…," he said. Peter blinked. "So...you do think it's a country then?" he asked excitedly. Reiley and Allistair groaned.
Tino put a gentle hand on Peter's shoulder. "I think you're more of a…" he looked around,"erm, micro nation. Not quite a nation, but definitely not a coloney, territory, or human," he said nicely. Peter blinked, looking disappointed for a few seconds before immediately perking up. "But that means I could become a nation if I try really hard and get recognized as one, right?" he asked hopefully, jumping up and down. "He reminds me of you," muttered Mattie to his brother, earning a scowl. "What's that supposed to mean?" asked Alfred.
Tino gave the boy a small smile. "Well...I suppose it isn't impossible for that to happen," he said. Peter turned around and glanced at Berwald who nodded, giving him a small smile. Peter turned back to Allistair. "Do I have to choose between you two?" he asked. Alistair and Arthur blinks. "Wot?" asked Arthur. "Wow, this kid is blunt. Are you sure you don't want to be with your own sarcastic kind?" asked Reiley.
Allistair sighed. "No...You don't necessarily have to pick us. But unless you have some other flock in mind, and they accept, you'll be staying with one of us until you can find a flock. We're not going to let one of our own just wander off into the wild and get themselves eaten...unless it's Arthur," he said. Peter hesitated, shuffling his feet. "Well...I don't want to make you mad…" he said. Arthur sighed. "We're not mad...perhaps a bit confused and hurt...but not mad. Did you have someone already in mind, Peter?" he asked.
Peter nodded, wings fluttering nervously. "I want to join Berwald's flock...and Tino's. They're in the same flock right?" he asked. Tino blinked but beemed. "It would have to be approved by our 'leader'," mumbled Lukas. Mathias jumped up from the dogpile he and Gilbert ended up in. "Of course he can join! We'll have so much fun together! We can teach you how to hunt and fly and use you for pranks!" he said.
Berwald looked down at Peter. "Are you sure you want this? You can't change your mind until you're of age," he warned. Peter nodded, foot tracing the edge of the circle. "Y-Yeah...I'm sure. You're nice to me and you protected me from those evil ghost horses. A-And we already have a bond…" he said. Tino's eyes widen. "You two are already bonded?" he asked. Berwald nodded. Tino grinned and hugged Peter. "Well then how can you even think we'd reject you? We're happy to have you!" he said.
Mathias looked at Lukas and Emil, making sure that eveyrone was happy with the decision to adopt Peter into their flock. Emil shrugged. "Whatever. It seems to make Berwald and Tino happy," he said. Lukas nodded. "It'd be nice to have another young one in the flock," he said. Emil made a face. "Waldy?" asked Mathias. Berwald ignored Mathias's butchering of his name. "Of course," was all he said.
Peter glanced up at him. "Soo…What does that mean?" he asked, not sure exactly what was going on. Tino laughed and gently hugged him. "It means we'd love to have you join us," he said. Peter blinked before jumping up and down. "Really?! Do we have to do any magicky stuff to make it official?" he asked excitedly. Berwald smirked. "Just more bonds," he said. Tino nodded. "If you want to join our flock, you have to do a group bond. Then, if you wish, you agree to bond with each of us," he said.
Peter nodded enthusiastically. "I can do that!" he said happily before turning back to his brothers, all four with a long face. Rhys and Arthur were hiding their hurt well, Reiley was fighting tears, and Allistair was chewing his inner cheeck to keep from snapping at the boy. Alfred and Matthew looked on, sad but understanding. "I'd still like to bond with you guys too….We are still brothers right?" he asked.
Allistair's face softened and he started to open his mouth but Reiley jumped forward, eyes watery. "Of course we are lad! We are and will always be blood! Call if you ever need anything!" he said. Allistair snickered at Peter's wide eyes. Rhys was even smirking. "Get off of the boy Reiley. You're scarying the poor lad," said Arthur, rolling his eyes. Reiley released the startled boy, ignoring Berwald's stern look.
"I'm sure what Reiley was trying to say on our behalf is that we would love to bond with you. You didn't even have to ask Peter," said Rhys nicely. Peter nodded and turned to Arthur. "I want him to do it first," he said, making Arthur's eyes widen in surprise. "Awww. Ton frere seems to care for you," said Francis teasingly. Arthur swatted him with a wing before walking over to Peter and getting down on one knee.
"I'd be happy to. Do you know how to do it?" asked Arthur softly. Peter nodded and held up a hand. Arthur smiled and put his hand against his youngest brothers before both closed their eyes. They concentrated until the bond was made, Peter gasping in surprise before jumping forward and hugging Arthur. "I'm sorry for choosing them over you…" he said. Arthur shook his head, hugging the boy back. "No...I didn't realize that you taken to Berwald so quickly and warmly," he said.
Peter smiled and repeated the act with each brother. Reiley was, of course, the one who hugged Peter the hardest, tearing up. "You call us if you ever need us, understand?" he said. Allistair nodded, turning to Berwald and his flock. "If I hear you give my little brother a hard time or hurt him, I'm coming over to knock in some teeth," he threatened. Tino's eyes widened. "We would never hurt a little kid, especially Peter," he said. Rhys quickly jumped in front of Allistair.
"We know that...Allistair just wants to make it clear that we want Peter to be raised in a loving and caring environment and that if we feel that isn't be provided we'll be sure to address and correct the issue," he said, trying to correct the situation. "Aye! We'd be kicking some arses when we 'address' the issues if the time comes!" said Reiley, jumping up from behind Allistair. Rhys immediately facepalmed.
Arthur rolled his eyes. "On second thought, it's probably better for him that he's far away from them so that the oldest ones don't influence him in the wrong way," he said. "What's that supposed to mean?!" asked Allistair, glaring at Arthur. Norway smirked. "I can't guarentee that...but I promise I'll try my best to make sure Mathias doesn't rub off on the kid," he said. "Hey!" said Mathias.
Peter glanced at Lukas, feeling he had the most experience with magic out of his newest flock members. "What do we do now?" he asked. Lukas turned to the others. "Let's accept him officially before we fly home. Would that be okay with you Arthur if we do that here?" he asked. Arthur nodded. "I agree. You never know if something might happen now that we disbanded those creatures," he said.
Lukas nodded and called the other flock members over. A nervous Peter looked up at Berwald and Tino nervously. Lukas gave him a reassuring smile. "Stand there. It's just like bonding...but in a group format. It won't hurt and we'll try our best not to overwhelm you. If you feel uncomfortable at anytime, just let us know okay?" he asked. Peter hesitated before nodding. Lukas smiled before nodding at Mathias. "You want to officiate this?" he asked.
Mathias grinned. "Of course! Okay guys gather around! I want a circle with Peter in the middle," he said. Emil rolled his eyes and got into position with the others. They encircle Peter, whose wings were still fluttering with nerves. Tino gave him a reassuring smile. Mathias smiled. "The fledgling Peter of Sealand asks to join our flock. We have unofficially accepted his request for membership. If there is anyone who oppose or has reason that we should either delay or cancel this ceremony, speak up now," he said, sounding slightly serious.
When no one spoke up, Mathias nodded. "Great! All those who accept Peter's petition may now place a hand on him," he said. Peter blinked as all of the Nordics immediately placed a hand on his shoulders. Mathias grinned. "Since all present members of the flock have show acceptance of the petition, we will now finalize the membership process. Each member will be asked to create a partial bond, or full bond with the consent of the petitioner. We will begin with the one who found him, Berwald," he said in an authoritative voice.
Berwald nodded and closed his eyes, concentrating on Peter. He made sure to send reassuring vibes via their bond. Soon, Tino joined him, Peter's eyes widening at the sudden energy pulsing through him. Lukas jumped in, followed by Emil and finally Mathais. Peter's hair and feathers stood on edge with the energy going through him, fizzling in and through him. It was then that Mathias spoke once more.
"Peter, if you wish to truly join us, you may now close your eyes and send the energy you're feeling back through us. Once you do that, you will have officially joined us," he said. Peter slowly nodded before closing his eyes. He envisioned balling up the electricity inside of him before pushing it back out toward the Nordics. He could hear them all take a deep breath when the energy finally reached him. After a few minutes, the energy seemed to have reached equilibrium between Peter and his new flock.
Mathias opened his eyes before quickly hugging Peter. Norway quickly cleared his throat and Matias jumped back. "Oh yeah...Peter Kirkland, you are now an official member of the Nordics flock. Welcome," he said, looking at Lukas to see if he remembered all of the fancy sounding script he had to speak for this to be official. Lukas smirked. "You can hug him now," he said. Mathais grinned and hugged Peter.
Tino grinned and hugged him as well, Berwald quickly joining him. Lukas and Emil exchanged glances before a small smirk appeared on Lukas's face. "I guess we should jump in too," he said. Emil rolled his eyes but smiled as he joined the group hug, making a face when his brother wrapped an arm around him and said, "Maybe this one will call me Big Brother," in his ear.
After a few seconds, Peter managed to wiggle his way out. Arthur smiled at him. Lukas nodded back before blinking. "More people?" he asks in a flat voice. Everyone looked up to spy Lili, Vasch, Roderich, Elizaveta, and Ludwig. Each one was carrying something different. "I brought some beer...Gilbert said it was an emergency," said Ludwig, frowning as he looked around for said emergency. Gilbert grinned and jumped up, grabbing the water skin. "Wonderbar Luddy! Now we can party!" he exclaimed.
Sylvia smiled slightly. "What emergency would we have needed that for?" she asked curiously. Ludwig gave her a look. "He said it was for cleaning wounds. Your wounds to be specific. I didn't think he would lie about that," he said. Both of them turned to Gilbert, giving him a look. Gilbert blinks before dabbing some of the alcohol onto his shirt. Sylvia blinked when he started cleaning a cut on her arm.
"There! I just saved your life. What if that got infected?" he said, turning to his brother to give him a look. Ludwig just raised an eyebrow before sighing and walking away, leaving the waterskin with his brother. Sylvia smirked and turned to her mate. "You used me to get booze out of your brother?" she said, raising an eyebrow. Gilbert gave her a cocky grin. "Believe it or not, he has a soft spot for you. Says, and I quote, that you keep him from letting me drive him completely insane," he said before kissing her cheek. She smiled. "I guess that's a good enough excuse," she said to him.
"I brought enough flowers to make everyone a flower crown! I also brought some sweet bread!" announced Lili, making Ivan smile. "I brought ingredients for fondue," mumbled Vasch, promptly handing Arthur a pot of cheese to be warmed over a fire. "I brought a stew!" said Elizaveta happily. "And I brought some carefully made pastries to be enjoyed," said Roderich, frowning as Gilbert immediately scooped up a couple of cakes and shoved them into his own mouth.
"Oye amigos! I brought churros and tomatoes. And look who I found headed this way?" said Antoino, flanked by the Italian brothers. "I brought pasta!" announced Feliciano, making Ludwig facepalm. "Whatever. I came for the flipping booze," mutters Lovino, holding a waterskin filled with wine. Yao and his brothers were coming in the distance. "Welp..This is gonna be an awesome party! Okay guys, let's set this up!" whooped Alfred, racing to help people find spots for their dishes.
Francis spotted Arthur, in a corner away from where everyone was eating, drinking, and having fun. "You alright mon cher?" he asked. "I'm fine...Just a bit...overwhelmed. I can't believe all of this," said Arthur. Francis raised an eyebrow. "How much have you had to drink lapin? You usually only get reflective when drunk," he said. Arthur shook his head. "I'm not drunk! I can hold my own just fine!" he said, frowning.
"Then what is it Arthur? It's obvious that something is bothering you," Francis said. Arthur sighed. "It's just...so hard to take in the fact that the boys are back. They're back and with us...but older. What if they don't want to stay? What if they choose, like Peter did, which is entirely other thing, to leave? We went through all of that...it almost feels too easy. There has to be a catch somewhere," he said.
Francis blinked before laughing at him. Arthur blinked before scowling at Francis. "What?" he asked. "Don't tempt fate. You got them back. We got them back. If they leave, it'll be on their own terms and we'll know where they are and how they're doing. They won't be completely gone. Not even Peter is completely gone. Sure, we have to get used to the idea that we won't be having them as little boys again...but think of it this way. Do you really think you could handle them so young at your age now?" he asked.
Arthur scowls at Francis. "You're older than I am you tosser!" he said. Francis grinned before ruffling Arthur's hair. "See? You wouldn't have the patience for it. Think of this as a gift. We no longer have to worry about them going through a rebellious stage," he said. Arthur sighed, glancing at Alfred. "I hope you're right about that...though I don't believe they changed that much from how they were when they were little," said Arthur.
Francis smiled nostalgically. "Oui. Matthew is still shy, obedient, and desperate to please. Alfred is still loud, friendly, stubborn, and has that sunny personality. But I wouldn't want that to change about them. I think it would break my heart if that did change," he said. Arthur smiled softly. "For once we're in agreement. It's good to have them back," he said. Francis smiled and elbowed the Englishman. "Let's go enjoy them now that we finally can. It's a party non?" he said. Arthur smiled and followed him to the crowd, happy to have his family together.
One more official chapter to go! Lemme know what you think! Read and Reviews appreciated