Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
One Last Fairytale: Lullaby For A Stormy Night
Arthur was beginning to miss the days where he had woken up in a bleary, sex satisfied state sometime in the late afternoon curled up at Francis' side. Actually, there was no beginning about it. He'd definitely taken days like that for granted. Today, his eyelids lifted open with an obvious groan as the sound of hungry crying reached his ears. He allowed himself to lay there for a moment, half wishing it would stop, but knowing he'd think something was wrong and get up anyways if it did. Sighing, he lowered his hand to where Francis was curled around his waist from behind. "Please tell me it's morning," he muttered, tangling their fingers together.
Francis mumbled something incoherent against his ear before murmuring, "Technically, yes. Yes, it is morning." He drummed his fingers against Arthur's stomach teasingly. "Half past four, to be exact. We got to sleep in today," he smiled as Arthur laughed softly at the motion.
"It only counts as sleeping in if we weren't up until midnight," Arthur drawled, sitting up as Francis wrapped both arms around his waist to hold him down. "Come on, up with you," he scolded, "It's only matter of time until Natalia starts crying too." He rolled his eyes as Francis only hugged his waist harder with a stubborn grunt. "Francis, come on. You're a King now. Act... Kingly, or something." "A King, huh," Francis groaned into the other's side, "Kings shouldn't have to do stuff like this, that's what servants are for."
"Francis..." Arthur groaned in annoyance.
"And kings should get sex everyday! No, twice a day!" he proclaimed. "We haven't done it at all since the twins were born. So basically, not since we lived in the north. And don't forget the pregnancy time as well! That's eighteen months, Arthur! Eighteen freaking months!"
Arthur smacked him over the head, causing him to loosen his grip long enough for the younger man to get away, "Out of bed, Francis. Now."
Francis sat up and rubbed at the back of his head with a frown, "Eighteen months..." He mumbled again.
"We'll talk about it later," Arthur chided, pulling him up by the arm, "Now come on."
They shuffled dazedly down the hall to the twins' room, instantly lapsing into worried daddy mode. Arthur rocked on his toes near the crib as they each scooped up a child, Matthew cradled gently in his arm. "Why are they always crying?" he said to himself, humming under his breath to the fussing child as they made their way to the kitchen. He raised a characteristic eyebrow at Francis, who was holding Alfred above his head and making whooshing noises, the infant giggling hysterically now rather than crying. Francis noticed Arthur's gaze on him and skipped over, taking Matthew from him too and tucking one child under each arm before racing down the hall, the twins squealing in excitement.
The king wasn't surprised to find Yao wandering around in the kitchen, Kiku hanging onto the ends of his robes and toddling along behind him. "Ah, you're lifesaver Yao," he said thankfully as the boy handed him two freshly whipped up bottles of milk.
"Well, they'll be growing out of it soon enough anyways," Yao said, turning back to the pan he'd been frying eggs in. "They're already starting to eat mashed fruits and vegetables too, like Natalia. Though she seems to like pancakes now too."
Arthur jumped up, handing the bottles to a flustered look Francis, who was still holding both twins. "Oh crap, I forgot to get Natalia," he exclaimed, before rushing out of the kitchen.
Natalia's room was between Ivan's and the twins'. When Arthur opened the door, he wasn't surprised to find Natalia standing up in her crib, waiting patiently for him. He smiled at how she'd gotten used to his forgetfulness, but hadn't yet attempted to climb out of her crib. Arthur lifted her up and into his arms, "Ah, there's my good girl," he murmured. "And what would you like for breakfast this morning?" He laughed as she merely stared at him. "How about... some pears?" She shook her head, fiddling with the neck of his pajamas. "Applesauce?" Another shake. "Hmm... Eggs maybe?" he asked with a knowing smile.
She turned blue eyes to him with a look that clearly showed that she knew what he was trying to do, "Pancakes," she said quietly.
He laughed again, "Well, I don't know what you want if you don't tell me," he smiled. Arthur hummed to himself as he carried her to the kitchen, "And you know, Ivan's going to get sick of those pretty soon. Hopefully your taste for them will fade before he flips."
A few minutes later found them sitting around the small wooden table in the kitchen, the dining room being saved for guests and special occasions. Arthur and Matthew balanced on his lap with a bottle in one hand, and a knife in the other as he helped Natalia cut up her pancakes into bite-sized pieces from where she sat in a highchair to his right. Francis was at his left, watching with amazement as Alfred downed a second bottle. Yao and Kiku were on the older blonde's other side, Kiku picking sleepily at a pancake of his own. Ivan slid in amidst the commotion a moment later, shoving a chair in between Arthur and Francis and climbing into it before giving the pancakes a tired scowl and tossing some onto his plate.
"Good morning Ivan," Arthur said cheerfully, earning a glare from the boy. Ivan was even less of a morning person than Francis and Arthur combined. The king smiled at the child before turning back to where Matthew seemed to have gotten bored with his bottle. "I don't know what's with Mattie and his milk lately," he said with a frown, trying to get the baby to drink it again. But Matthew merely turned his head to the side with a whine.
"I know," Francis said from Ivan's other side, "Alfred drinks like three of these a meal, and Matthew hardly gets through one if we're lucky. Maybe we should take him to Liech to get checked over."
At that moment, Natalia leaned out of her highchair, fork in hand, and popped a syrup covered piece of pancake into Matthew's mouth. Arthur blinked and tried to pry it out of his mouth, worried he'd choke, but the boy had already swallowed it. Matthew stared at Natalia for a minute before she stabbed another piece with her fork and held it out to him, to which he opened his mouth obediently. Arthur raised an eyebrow and glanced at Francis, "I get the weirdest feeling they just had some sort of epic conversation in their minds."
Ivan sunk lower in his chair as Matthew giggled at every piece of pancake given to him, "And I have the feeling that I will be eating these stupid things for the rest of my life..."
Francis laughed and took a piece of pancake from Kiku's plate, holding it out to Alfred, "I wonder if he likes them too." Alfred put the piece of pancake in his mouth and promptly spit it out with much exaggeration and raspberries with his tongue. "Apparently not," he smiled, glancing sympathetically at Ivan, "Well, you can Alfred can have eggs then when he stops being a milkaholic."
"And I will eat pancakes until that day," Ivan muttered sourly, pushing his plate away from him with a disgusted groan.
"I can make you eggs now, if you'd like," Yao said from the other side of the table.
Ivan jumped up, running over to him and throwing his arms around the older boy's waist, "Yes! Please make me some eggs before I die of a sugar overdose!"
Yao smiled, making his way over to the cupboards to find a clean pan, "Sunny-side-up or scrambled?"
"Scrambled," Ivan exclaimed, still latched onto Yao in his relief, "Love you Yao!"
The older blushed and rummaged around for some eggs, not replying to the comment. Arthur laughed from where he sat, "Yes, you're a lifesaver as usual Yao, I don't know what we'd do without you."
"Cook your own meals?" Yao suggested with a smirk.
Merde no!" Francis gasped, "That would be terrible!" He kept up his horrified look even as Yao stared at him in confusion, "Have you ever seen Arthur cook?"
"No..."
"Be glad you haven't then." Francis said in a strange whisper, "It's quite awful to set one of the kitchens on fire in the North fortress." Arthur pretended not to hear, "Hmm... Now that I think about it, I haven't cooked in awhile. Maybe I should make us dinner tonight."
"No!" Francis shrieked, making Alfred giggle in his lap and Kiku jump so bad he nearly fell out of his chair.
An hour later they were all seated in the living room. Francis was on his stomach on the carpet, watching three of the youngest children on the multi-coloured blanket he'd placed in the center of the room. Matthew was half asleep with his large stuffed polar bear in his arms, chewing absently on one of its ears. Kiku was building a complicated tower of blocks that Alfred crawled over to every time it was finished and knocked to the floor with a giggle. Francis had tried to stop him after the first time, but Kiku had shaken his head that it was fine. In fact, he smiled every time his creation was smashed as the nine-month-old barreled into it. Yao was wandering around the room and dusting fine vases and shelves of books that didn't look dusty at all. Natalia was sleeping soundly in the crook of Arthur's arm and Ivan dozing off in his lap. Arthur himself had his eyes half open, as if fighting off inevitable drowsiness as well.
It was then that Francis told the story for the first time. "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess of the Kingdom of Hetalia. On her eighteenth birthday, she was set to marry one of the many princes of her nation. But she disliked them all, and snuck out of the castle one afternoon for some fresh air," he began, watching Arthur out of the corner of his eyes. "That's when she met the handsome prince of the Southeast Kingdom. He was bold, and dashing, and brave and oh so very beautiful that she fell in love at the first sight."
A small smile quirked at the corners of Arthur's mouth, "No, she didn't thought he was a bloody prick at first." Francis pretended to look aghast, "But she did eventually," he protested.
"Eventually," Arthur conceded.
The older man cleared his throat, "So, the prince and the princess met, and had many adventures together on the castle grounds. They swam in the lake with the sea serpent in it, and they rode the princess' prized unicorn. And one night, they even saw a fairy ring by the far north wall. And they kissed for the first time while the fairies danced and played around them."
Arthur laughed and winked at him, "So not only am I changed to a girl, our huge first moment was turned into simply a kiss."
"Not in front of the children," Francis teased. He smile broadly and continued with his tale, "And the angleterre and the prince fell in love. But unfortunately, the next morning, the king and queen announced the name of the prince they'd chosen for the princess to marry, and it was not the prince she loved. Furious, she asked as to why, to which they replied that because she prince she loved was the second son of the Southeastern Kingdom's High Prince, and the child of a mistress, rather than the Queen, that he was unworthy of her hand. She tried to get away, but her parents locked her in her room, and set the castle guards to kill the prince should he attempt to see her."
The smile fell slightly, Arthur's eyes glazing over, lost in heartbreaking memories. So he picked up the story where Francis remained silent. "But one night, just when the princess thought she would never see her prince again, there was a commotion in the stables. The prince came riding out on her unicorn, cutting down any guards that got in between them. And the princess climbed out the window to meet him, and they rode off, jumping over the drawbridge just before it closed. They got away, and they were never caught, riding away to a place where they could live without the rules of the Nobility. And they lived happily ever after."
Francis smiled softly, "Hmm, that's a nice ending, mon cheri. A little falsified though."
"It's better that way," Arthur whispered.
"Was there no Happily Ever After in the real world then, cheri?" Francis asked worriedly.
Arthur smiled slightly, "No, there was. It just took a lot of sadness to get there, and true fairytales aren't like that. But the princess is very happy," he smirked.
"Well, the prince is a little disgruntled," Francis replied with a frown. "Eighteen months…" He mumbled.
Francis lay on his stomach on the bed, a book in his hands. It was a record of what had come to be called The Fall of the North and The Battle of the Nobility. Written by Vash, and sent to him by Antonio. It was strange to see his own name in what would one day be long gone history that children would study, but he didn't mind. His eyes strayed to the wall where his sword hung on finely made metal hooks above the window. Blood still lay on it, dried to a rusty brown with the time that had passed. But Arthur had insisted that it remain there, a declaration of everything they had worked for, his father's blood still glistening on Francis' sword.
It had shocked him how Arthur had wanted every detail of how his father had died by the blade. But then again, when he thought of all the pain that Arthur had gone through because of the man, he couldn't blame him. He knew Arthur had wished the act to be carried out by his own hands, but Francis had fulfilled it Hopefully, it was better that way. It made his heart sink to think of his husband killing anybody in such cold blood as he had, let alone his own, corrupted father.
He glanced up from the pages of the book as the door to the bathroom in their room creaked open and he smiled a bit. "You really love those baths, don't you, cheri?" He remarked smoothly.
Arthur snorted as he closed the door behind him, tightening his bathrobe around his body. "Of course, frog. I couldn't have them for nine months, so it made me feel rather dirty. I'm just catching up."
"And wasting water," Francis grinned. He patted the bed beside him with a lazy motion, setting the book aside. "Come now, let's get some sleep before Alfred decides that he's hungry again."
The younger man laughed softly, "I told Yao to look after them for tonight so we could get some decent sleep for once." Francis' eyebrows raised and Arthur merely smiled, "What's that look for?"
"Does 'decent sleep' actually mean sleep?" Francis asked slowly.
"Depends," Arthur smirked, loosening his robe a bit, "What do you want it to mean?"
Francis' eyes widened as the robe started to slip down Arthur's shoulders, revealing a bare chest. Instead of saying anything, he motioned for the other to come to the bed again with a hand on the mattress, to which Arthur complied. The older man's arms wrapped around the other's waist as Arthur crawled across the bed over to him, pulling the bathrobe down still further. He sat up a bit as Arthur straddled his lap, leaning down to kiss him lightly, "Mon cheri..."
Arthur's arms looped around his neck as he kissed him harder, "Tell me you love me," he mumbled against the other's lips.
"Je t'aime."
He smiled, pressing closer and pulling back slightly so that their foreheads touched and he could look directly into Francis' eyes. "Don't you ever leave me again," he whispered almost inaudibly. Even saying it hurt his heart, and he closed his eyes to hide the tears that had started to form at the thought.
The older raised a hand from the other's waist to graze them over Arthurs cheeks, brushing away the tears that had started to fall. "Never," he promised softly. He slipped his other hand into the bathrobe, grazing smooth fingers over soft skin. A light kiss was placed on the other's flickering eyelids, the hand that had brushed away stray tears tangling in Arthur's hair. "Mon cheri, I never mean to leave you." He skimmed his hand along Arthur's bare back, watching him shiver slightly at his touch, "Je t'aime, mon Arthur," he murmured.
Arthur shifted his weight on Francis' lap a bit, sucking in a shaky breath as the other's hand hesitated on the small of his back. He leaned forward, kissing him briefly with another shudder. God, he'd forgotten what this felt like, it had been far too long. "Make love to me," he murmured against Francis' ear.
Francis smiled and rolled them over, pressing Arthur down into the mattress and settling between his legs as he slid the robe off all the way, letting it fall to the floor. He placed his hands on either side of Arthur's shoulders, bending down to kiss him slowly, wanting to savor the taste. His tongue teased the other's bottom lip, waiting patiently until Arthur allowed him access with the parting of his lips and the tilt of his head. He groaned as he licked along the inside of the other's mouth, lowering himself so that their bodies melded together, one hand fisting into the sheets of the bed. Arthur murmured something incoherent against his mouth, pulling at his pajama pants impatiently. He laughed, "Mmm, wait a bit, cheri," he mumbled hoarsely, trailing small kisses down the other's neck, "Don't waste the moment."
The shorted man sighed as arched up slightly against the other as Francis kissed teasingly against his collarbone. "Frog," he muttered with a frown, trying to ignore the ache between his legs. Clouds rolled outside the castle and far off thunder echoed in his ears for a moment before he ignored it.
The older blond laughed, "The kiss me," he smirked, pecking the other swiftly on the lips before continuing his path down Arthur's chest, "And turn me into a prince." He pressed his chest against Arthur's grinding down against him.
Arthur moaned as Francis moved over him, back arching again, "Fuck," he whispered, tangling his fingers into the other blonde's hair and bringing his face around for a kiss to distract himself. Francis murmured unintelligible nothings against his lips, sliding a hand down Arthur's back and rear to press gently at his entrance. The younger gasped as the finger slipped inside, and Francis pulled back a bit to press a hand against his chest, holding him down. "It's been awhile, cheri. Relax," he urged, waiting until Arthur regained a steady rate of breathing before inserting a second digit. Arthur squirmed underneath him, half out of impatience, half from discomfort, but Francis kept him on his back as he methodically stretched him.
Francis removed both hands, grabbing Arthur's legs and levering them up onto his shoulders. He let go with one hand and reached for Arthur's tangling their fingers together, "Deep breath," he ordered, positioning himself.
The High King sucked in a breath as Francis pushed inside with a audible grunt. He gripped the other's hand tightly, biting his lip and breathing out as Francis stilled to wait for him to adjust. His heart hammered in his chest and he leaned up to kiss the other again, watching the worried look in the blue eyes with a smile, "I'm alright," he reassured, laying back down.
The older man nodded, capturing Arthur's lips again for another brief kiss that ended in a moan, "S'tight," he whispered, breathing heavily.
Arthur let go of Francis' hand, reaching up to place his palms against the other's broad chest with a groan, pushing the older man onto his back so that their positions were slightly reversed. His hands found Francis' knees, using them to lever himself up a bit as Francis stared up at him with glazed blue eyes. He pushed himself up with the other's knees as a support, falling back down with a strangled moan. "Oh... Fuck," he whispered, breath turning shallow as he repeated the movement. Francis' hands rose to grasp his waist, guiding his movements with a gentle touch. Arthur's eyes rolled back into his head with a cry as Francis moved him back down to hit that special spot, his hands gripping the other's knees tighter than before. Lightning flashed outside somewhere in the distance as tiny drops of rain hit the windowpane.
Francis bit his lip and rolled them over again, hand gripping the other's waist tightly as he let go of the restrain he'd been holding onto. Arthur's fingers went to his shoulders, digging into the skin painfully as he pounded into him, but Francis ignored it. Arthur's back arched and his head hit the pillow with another cry as Francis ground against that place inside of him. The younger man's mind whitewashed and he gasped as he came hard against Francis' stomach. Francis kissed him as he rode out his lover's orgasm, following soon with an audible moan. He leaned down over Arthur as he poured hot seed into him, hips still faintly thrusting as he finished. "Je t'aime," he whispered softly, tangling his arms underneath Arthur's but not pulling out just yet.
They jumped simultaneously as the door suddenly creaked open. Francis rolled off the other and grabbed Arthur's bathrobe from the floor to wipe away the mess that lay between them. He pulled on his pajama pants and tossed his spouse the shirt to the set just as Ivan stumbled sleepily into the room, half bent over from Alfred hanging onto his back like a monkey and Matthew in his arms. Arthur still lay in a daze on his back as he pulled the shirt over his head, so Francis asked instead, "What's wrong Ivan?"
Ivan rolled his eyes as lightning flashed outside again and thunder cracked somewhere close by. The twins whimpered in Ivan's arms and the older boy frowned. "They have been crying, didn't you hear them?"
"Um... No," Francis said honestly.
"What were you doing?" Ivan asked with a raised eyebrow.
Arthur rolled over onto his stomach and pushed himself up onto his elbows with a muttered curse, reaching out to take Matthew from Ivan and then Alfred, "Nothing. What happened to Yao?"
"He's asleep," Ivan said nonchalantly.
The blond sighed, "Should have known it. I need to stop overworking that poor boy I think," he mumbled to himself. "And where's your sister?"
At that moment, another roll of thunder boomed and the door flew open again as Natalia flew in, scrambling up the side of the bed until she had buried her face against Arthur's chest. He laughed softly, allowing Francis to take the twins from him so that he had room to hold her, "Now, now, what's a brave little girl like you doing out of bed?"
She shook her head but didn't answer, Ivan climbing onto the bed behind her to settle between his two adopted parents. "She's not going to answer that," he informed with a smile. She glared at him before deciding that his chest was a lot more comfortable and latching onto him instead, to which Ivan rolled his eyes. Arthur laughed again and lay back down, helping Francis to settle the four children between them comfortably. He hummed to himself as the twins continued to cry softly, "Francis?" "Yes, cheri?"
"What was that song that you sang before, the one about the storm?" He asked quietly. He hadn't heard it since the day the North Kingdom had fallen.
Francis smiled, "Little child," he began, "be not afraid, the rain pounds harsh against the glass like an unwanted stranger. There is no danger, I am here tonight. Little child, be not afraid. The thunder explodes and lightning flash illuminates a tear stained face. I am here tonight..."
xXx
I am supposed to have this thing done on Christmas but I don't have much of the will to type since I don't have any reviews for the previous chapter, looks like you all have the nerve to make Ivan and Gilbert angry, do you? Kolkolkol/Kesesese...
Sorry... I didn't mean it to be this bad but it really sucks me when I do not received any presents for Christmas and certain university don't want to accept my enrolment, such a pain in the ass... D:
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter as always. The next chapter will be a time skip where the twins will be around 6 years of age before the spotlight focused on Ivan. I will try to have this new chapter posted up before the new year so that I can get my part uploaded next year. Favourite, follows and reviews are gladly appreciated, merci. :]
Last of all, even if you did not celebrate Christmas or did not received any present but cheer up because there will always be a good time and moment for everyone of us. So, I wish everyone here belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! =3