Washington D.C. Airport - Day One

It was about 11 a.m. in Washington D.C. right now and England was still at the airport, in his business suit, lugging his luggage around with a permanent scowl on his face. He was just so upset and he couldn't bring himself to keep a neutral look, let alone smile. And why would he? He's practically been abandoned.

Now he had to find a proper hotel to stay in and then plan what he was going to do for the next few days. There were also virtually no magical creatures here… it was going to be a lonely few days. Maybe England should just stay in the hotel room, get some embroidery material and start sewing. It was not like there was anything else to do anyway.

The frown on England's face deepened (and he was pretty sure that he just scared away a child or two) and as his emotions continued to fester, Arthur finally decided that he needed a cup of tea. Just to calm himself down. Then he would start worrying about his ruined week.

Unfortunately for him, the airport was really lacking in teashops. Actually, who was he kidding? There were no teashops and Arthur would wager that there were no teashops within a twenty kilometers radius of this area. Ugh…

So Starbucks it was. Their tea was decent, at least. Overpriced, lacking for choice, but decent.

Taking the escalator, he went to the ground floor and entered Starbucks, ordering a Classic Chai Tea Latte. Once he finally got his order, he started walking to an available seat. But, of course, something else had to go wrong.

A man accidentally knocked into him, causing him to drop his cup onto the floor, causing his drink to spill and his efforts to go to waste. England had to hold back a curse. He wanted to snap at the other man so bad. However, he knew it wasn't the man's fault—it was an accident and England would have to accept it. Plus, it would be so ungentlemanly and unreasonable. He didn't want to draw attention to himself.

England had thought that the other man would just apologise and leave quickly, like most people would do, so he was surprised by what happened next.

"Oh dang, I'm so sorry," the man said, with an awkward look on his face. "Okay, hey, I could buy you another drink to make up for it?"

Arthur didn't know what to say—it was just so unexpected.

He nodded hesitantly, walking with the other man back to the queue. He felt dazed, really. That was…honestly such a nice thing to do, especially since it clearly wasn't entirely the other male's fault. A fuzzy feeling started to fill Arthur's chest. Such a kind gesture from a stranger warmed his heart and it made the horrible day just a bit better for Arthur.

"So, what do you want?"

The question snapped England out of the haze and he order what he did before, while the other man handed the cashier a few notes. As England collected his order, he thanked the generous fellow. Now, surely, the man would leave after such a nice act, right? Clearly, he had fulfilled his non-existent duty.

But no! This honest-to-good fellow didn't leave but instead said, "I have a spare seat at my table…I won't mind sharing. After all, there aren't many seats left."

Arthur looked around and found that the other man was indeed correct. Starbucks has gotten crowded—probably due to the free Wi-Fi—and if Arthur wanted to enjoy his tea then joining the other man at his table seemed to be his best option. However…

"I wouldn't want to impose…" England said, feeling self-conscious. People were rarely nice to him—well, other Nations, anyway—and this was such an unusual experience. He was ill equipped. Was he supposed to decline? Accept? Did the man really mean it?

"Nah, I really don't mind. Come on here." The other fellow led him to a table with a lot of papers and a laptop on it and Arthur sat down quietly, starting to sip his tea as the other man continued with his work. The silence stretched on and England took this as an opportunity to observe the Good Samaritan. With a lot of strong evidence, England assumed he was American, what with the American accent and all. And he had handsome features, strong jawline, considerably tall with dark hair, dark eyes and a fairly pale complexion, like England's own. He was in casual wear, simple T-shirt, baggy jeans and all.

His personality reminded England a bit of America. The openness, especially. But, unlike America, England noted as he watched the other man do his work with utmost concentration, he seemed more serious. Good work ethic, England thought approvingly. Something England wished America had. Oh America... he better not let his meeting with Japan affect his preparation for their meeting. Arthur knew that whenever Alfred visited Kiku, he always returned with a truckload of video games. Not that he really disapproved—if Alfred found it fun and enjoyed it then so be it— but it was irritating whenever his lover went into a meeting unprepared.

And of course his thoughts just wandered to America again. Of course. England sighed. He missed him so much.

"Hey, why are you staring at me?" The other man said with an amused look on his way, his voice bringing Arthur out of his reverie.

"Oh, sorry!" Arthur said. "I was just daydreaming, that's all." Arthur's face heated up. This was just so embarrassing. He hadn't realised that he'd been staring.

"Don't need to be so shy. I'm not judging you. So, hey, you seem like a decent dude. Let me introduce myself. I'm Christopher. Christopher Gladden. It's nice to meet you." Christopher extended his hand and Arthur shook it.

"I'm Arthur Kirkland," England said. "It's a pleasure."

"So," Christopher said as he packed his things into his bag, "I can tell you're not from here. What are you in Washington D.C. for? Business?"

"Yes. It's actually next week. I came early to be with my lover but he had some last-minute business in Japan," England said, so happy to talk about it that he didn't bother to ask himself whether he had said too much until after the words were out of his mouth.

Had he revealed too much? Christopher was nice and all but who knew whether he was uncomfortable with homosexuality or not. Arthur was almost prepared for a backlash. However, it never came.

It didn't seem to affect Christopher in the least. Christopher said, "Oh that sucks man… So you've nothing to do for the next week?"

Arthur sighed, both in relief and sadness. "Unfortunately. But enough about me. What are you doing in the airport? You live here, am I right?"

"Actually I don't live here in the D.C. I live on the West Coast. Proud Californian, right here! I'm here for a holiday. Or at least, I was supposed to be." Sadness tinged the other man's voice.

"Oh dear…what happened?" Arthur asked hesitantly. He wasn't really sure if Christopher was comfortable talking about sensitive topics with a stranger he's known for less than a few hours.

It seemed he had no qualms though, and Arthur wondered why he kept getting surprised. It was now quite obvious that Christopher was a very open fellow.

"This was supposed to be a surprise trip for my girlfriend. But we broke up a few weeks ago and I had already paid for all the things…so I thought I might as well go for it by myself. Brought my work along since without her I probably won't have much fun."

They talked for quite awhile, with Arthur talking more about his abandonment woes, while Christopher talked animatedly about the things he had planned for his ex-girlfriend. They then moved on to the news, interests, politics, and the like. They both stayed clear about the subject of jobs though, which Arthur was glad for. He didn't want to have to lie about his work—since he clearly couldn't tell Christopher that he was England. They hit it off well and Arthur thought that they could be good mates.

By the time they stopped chatting, Arthur realised that it was already two in the afternoon. He should probably head off or he might not be able to find a decent hotel nearby. He felt hesitant to leave his new friend behind but what could he do? It was probably a good idea to forget about this incident, though. If they were to remain friends, it would only a matter of time before Christopher realised Arthur didn't age.

"I'm sorry Christopher but I think I might have to leave now. I need to find a hotel with a free room and I'm not sure how many hotels here accept check-ins at this timing… " Arthur said, an apologetic look on his face as he gathered his luggage, preparing to leave.

Before he could though, Christopher stopped him by gripping one of his hands.

"Wait!" He cried out. "Don't leave yet. I think I've come up with a great idea. Since we're in the same boat and you seem like a nice guy, why don't you come with me for my trip? I'll make sure we arrive back here in time for your meeting and everything!"

"I think that's a little too much," Arthur said. "I'd feel like I'm taking advantage…"

"Nah, you won't be! It'll just be like a bro-trip, you know. I mean, we're both lonely and need some companionship… It seems legit, doesn't it? Going up to New York and back also won't take too long. We'll probably even have enough time to go to other states, if you want," Christopher said pleadingly.

Arthur bit his lip. On one hand, going on a trip out of nowhere with someone he hasn't even known for a day seems like a really bad idea. On the other, Christopher was right in a way. They were both lonely; why not just spend the week with each other? How often did one get such an offer? And America did tell him to visit the different sights in his country…also America would probably also be proud of him, seeing that England was making the effort to bond with one of America's citizens, especially since America always complained about how often England 'bashed' his citizens.

Arthur thought Christopher was a great man. But that was not the only thing… Christopher reminded him of Alfred and well, Arthur felt fantastic in his presence. Christopher managed to lessen Arthur's yearning for Alfred and that was good. It saved Arthur some heartache.

See? Even now he was thinking about that idiot.

"Okay." England finally agreed. "However, I'm a little short on cash at the moment so I'll hand you half of the cost of the trip at the end, once I get to the bank—"

"No need!" Christopher interrupted. "You've saving me from wasting my money so I see no reason why you should repay me. After all, we're friends, right?"

England was not too sure about this. He felt quite bad about making Christopher pay for him…

But deep inside him, his want to be pampered reared its head and it seemed to encourage him to say yes. After all, why not? America never wanted to pamper him and if this fellow wanted to then, why should Arthur resist?

This was just a friendly trip, after all. Christopher was straight anyway, so Arthur did not have to worry about America getting the wrong idea or anything.

"I guess, if you don't mind, then I would gladly accept your offer, Christopher." Arthur replied.

And the smile on Christopher's face influenced one to appear on England's face as well.