"You w-what?" Francis questioned, suddenly very intrigued.
"I have an idea…but I don't like it." Arthur said flatly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't want to talk to them." He finished with a pout.
"Who?"
"My…horrid brothers." Arthur mumbled.
"Oh don't be such a baby. I'm sure you are just over exaggerating. Like always." Francis rolled his eyes. "From what I can tell, your brothers are really fun to hang out with."
"Fun?" Arthur's eye twitched. "FUN? You call tying a small boy to a tree covered in honey and leaving him in the middle of a forest, fun?"
"Well boys will be boys" Francis nervously chuckled.
"How about the time that they tied a rock to my foot and threw me in the river, to see if witches really do float?"
"Haha well…"
"How about the time that I woke up with a bloody dozen skunks in my room!"
"Haha I remember that, couldn't be near you for a month."
"What about the time they took Alfred when I wasn't looking? I was so bloody worried! And when they return my little boy I find out they dressed him like a girl and gave him so much candy that he was running around the house asking "Am I pretty?" for hours!"
Francis poorly held in a laugh as he tried to come up with a response.
"What about the time-"
"Haha OKAY! Arthur calm down." Francis put his hands on Arthur's shoulders. "Alright. Since you hate them so much, I'll do all the talking if you like. Just tell me why we are talking to them."
Arthur growled as Francis once again took his brother's side but sighed in defeat. As long as he didn't have to directly talk to them, maybe it will be fine. Arthur shifted uncomfortably in his seat before slapping Francis's hands off his shoulders. "I think Northern Ireland still has his wand. He was also gifted in the magical arts and magical ability to see things that normal people can't. Scotland was too…a bit. But I think he threw his wand away years ago. He said that magic had no place in this generation."
"I agree with Scotland." Francis mumbled. "I mean, look where you got us."
Arthur's anger rose once again. "Once again, your fault!"
"Alright, let's drop that subject." Francis put his hands up in defense. "So we go to Ireland's house?"
Arthur let the previous argument drop with a sneer before nodding his head to France's statement.
"So what's the problem? Isn't Scotland the worst of your brothers? This is just Ireland." Francis asked.
"Scotland and Ireland live in the same bloody house. It's the United Kingdom remember?"
"But what about you-"
"-I left! I'm not living with them." Arthur announced in disgust. "The United Kingdom will stay, even if we do live in different houses."
Francis was silent for a moment at the sudden outburst, but nodded his head in an understanding way. "Alright. So what? We just ask Ireland if we can borrow his wand?"
England sighed. "Yeah…that's pretty much it. I think it's a lost cause though. Wands are precious things that we don't exactly lend out." Arthur slowly sunk more into the couch with a groan and covered his face with his hand. "But it's worth a shot."
"Well okay then." Francis said with a smile. "Any ray of hope is good enough for me. We leave in the morning." The Frenchman stood and started walking to the stairs. He was suddenly struck on how tired he was.
"Oh and one more thing Francis."
France turned with a questioning, "Huh?"
Arthur was gazing at the floor with a stoic face. "Please, please! For the love of God Francis, don't let them found out your true identity. My brothers are always mocking me on how I always mess up my spells and can't do anything right." Arthur turned to face the other blonde with pleading eyes that Francis hadn't seen since they were children. "Don't prove them right."
Francis smiled sympathetically and only nodded his head before going up to his guest bedroom.
~ Morning ~
Arthur woke up to the sun shining. That's odd…it's usually raining around this time of year. Ignoring it, he got up, rubbed the sleepiness from his blue eyes, and showered. He made his way to the kitchen as he smelled the aroma of delicious food being made and found his way over to it with a watering mouth.
"Bonjour Angleterre! I have made breakfast today. Help yourself." Francis gestured to the assortment of food on the counter. It was just the standard eggs, bacon, toast, and pancakes. But for some reason it divinely glowed.
"My God, man! What time did you wake up to make all this?" Arthur yelled in shock as he hurriedly piled some food on his plate fearing that the too good to be true food, might vanish. But Francis merely shrugged.
"Early?"
"Well obviously. But you should have let me cook. It's only proper for the owner of the house to cook for the guest. Even if it's a French frog."
"Non, non. That won't be necessary…please. Don't ever cook again in my presence." Arthur gave Francis a suspicious look. "This is my way of paying you back for my stay in your…errr lovely (boring looking) home." Francis said with a smile, the boring looking part, of course only in his mind.
"Well I suppose that is good manners." Arthur took a seat at the table and ate away. "But don't try to get on my good side. I'm still mad at you for causing this in the first place so don't think you can win me over with froggy food." Arthur replied with a frown on his face. Francis took his seat at the table and started to eat along with the Englishman.
"So how is it?" Francis asked with a smirk.
"Ehh…not bad I guess…" so bloody delicious! "I've had better." gods have made this food!
"Sure, sure. I'll take that as a compliment." Francis looked up from his food. "Hey, you didn't shave." He replied with a smile.
"I figured I should start growing it back before you do something to defile my body." The two quietly chuckled before digging into their breakfast.
The two blondes ate the rest of their meal, silent except for a few small arguments that naturally occur between the two. Arthur cleaned up the dishes and Francis got ready for the day, or as he liked to put, "Get boring for the day." Being in Arthur's body obviously meant no fabulous outfits.
Francis met a nervous looking Arthur in the living room.
"Ready to go?" France asked with a smile.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Arthur replied dimly.
"Alright then. To the train station."
O.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
"Gargh. Bloody hell. Get the door will ya Ireland."
"You get it. I just woke up, can't ye see?"
"Well so did I. And it was because of that knocking."
"Just get Wales to open it."
"Alright, alright I'm going, bunch of bleeding half wit, idiots." Wales got up from his place on the couch and reluctantly went to go open the door.
"Hey! It's Francis!" Wales immediately brightened when he saw his face, but his expression turned to disbelief when he took a closer look. "What happened to your hair?"
Arthur's face was in a slight sneer during the greeting and merely shrugged when Wales asked the question.
"I cut it." Francis piped up from behind Arthur. "Haha when he wasn't looking I chopped it off." Francis let out an Arthur like triumphant laugh.
"Oh…it's you." Wales barely took notice of his 'younger brother' behind 'Francis' "Why the hell would you do something like that? His hair was perfect the way it was. You, and your stupid jealousy Arthur."
Arthur growled lowly in his throat but before he could say anything Wales started talking again.
"Hey Scotty, Ireland! Arthur's here!"
"Oh is he now?" Arthur heard Scotland call from inside the house, he could hear the amusement in his voice already. "Well what are ya waiting for? Let him in."
Arthur and Francis were led inside and took a seat in the living room.
"What brings you here, you two?" Scotland announced as he lit his cigarette.
"I need to borrow something big brother." Francis piped up and batted his puppy dog eyes pleadingly.
All four British men were silent as they stared at Francis. Arthur slowly dying inside on how uncharacteristic that was, and the other three were confused beyond reason at their little brother's behavior.
"What the hell is up with that face?" Ireland spluttered out after around a minute of France giving a puppy dog pout. France immediately recoiled at the harsh tone, realizing that this wasn't the best approach, and cleared his throat. He straightened himself up to look more wise and gentleman like before saying in his best Arthur like way, "Brother, it has come across my thoughts that you possess something that I require." He directed the question to the brown haired Irish man across from him.
Ireland quirked an eyebrow up, "What is it?" He asked suspiciously.
"Your wand, if you please."
Irelands answer was short and flat. "No."
"Well thank you I-uh…wait. No?" Francis couldn't believe what he was hearing,
"Please it's an emergency." He pleaded.
"No. Use your own."
"I can't! The…bloody frog broke mine! Please?" Francis pleaded, still trying to keep to Arthur's speech patterns.
"No."
"Oh come on!" Francis threw his arms in the air in frustration. "What can I do for you to let me borrow it."
"Nothing. Now leave me alone."
Arthur was now getting nervous and wringing the end if his shirt tightly. Francis really needed to convince his brother. Scotland was the most stubborn one, but Northern Ireland was still pretty bad. Combined with his twin, Southern Ireland, the two were trouble. They pulled tricks and pranks all the time when they all used to be young. Most of the bad things that Arthur's brothers did to him in their childhood came from the masterminds of this troublesome duo.
"I'll do anything!" Francis continued to plead, but this is where Ireland stopped.
"Anything eh?"
"Fr- Arthur…" England warned Francis. He didn't like the way this was going, but Francis just gave him a look that says, 'I got this. Chill.'
"What do you need it for Artie?" Scotland joined in as he exhaled smoke from his mouth.
Okay Francis it's time to lie again. You can come up with a good one this time. "It's…uh…so I can help Francis grow out his hair…again." Francis mumbled.
"Ya idiot. Then why did you cut it off in the first place?" Wales also joined in.
"Because he broke my wand!" Francis tried to act angry, hoping that his nervousness wasn't showing.
"Then why did ya cut his hair if you know ya couldn't fix it?" Ireland retorted back.
Francis gave out a frustrated growl. Arthur was right; these guys could be a hassle. "I didn't know he would be this angry…he...uh…won't leave my house until I fix his hair. He's self conscious." Francis pleaded. Hey this lie isn't too bad.
Ireland gave him a suspicious look. Francis could tell that he wasn't buying it. "If he's so concerned about his hair, why doesn't he just buy a wig? That would be easier right?"
Francis nervously tried to swallow the saliva in his throat, but found it dry.
"I don't like wigs." Arthur spoke up. "They are itchy and aren't my real hair. I want my real hair back. Give Arthur the damn wand!"
Ireland sighed. "Fine. I'll do it for your sake Francis." He reluctantly got off his space from the couch and headed to the back of the house. Arthur's heart was bursting with joy. He had to fight every bodily function telling him to smile or triumphantly jump from the floor, but he had to keep his cool. He glanced at Francis to the side of him and saw that he too was having the same inner struggle with his emotions.
After a few minutes, Ireland came back with a wand in his hand. He gave "Arthur" a sharp glare that clearly read If you somehow mess this up, I'll mess up your face, before handing him the wand.
"Alright get it over with and be on your way."
Francis paused and snapped his gaze to Ireland. "What? Now?"
"Well yeah. Don't tell me you intend to take it for one little spell and bring it back later."
Francis's joy had turned freezing ice cold, shattered and replaced with the overwhelming dread of panic. He turned to look at Arthur who was also panicking inside his mind. Francis didn't know any spells. They were supposed to take the wand and transfer back secretly. And even if he knew the spell to switch back, he couldn't just perform it right in front of Arthur's brothers, they would know that they had switched bodies. But Francis can't make Arthur's hair grow back either, and that what his brother's expect of him. This was a STUPID lie. Francis inwardly groaned.
"Hey what's the hold up." Francis heard Ireland over the loud beating of his heart. Couldn't Ireland hear it? It was so loud.
"I uhh…"
"Don't tell me you forgot the spell! God Arthur! You can be such a dunce sometimes." Scotland yelled out.
Arthur scowled but Francis mealy chuckled nervously and shrugged his shoulders. Ireland rolled his eyes and said some words that Francis couldn't understand.
"Excuse me, what?" France replied meekly.
"That's the spell! God Arthur, you are an idiot."
"Oh right! Haha…the spell. C-could you repeat that?"
Ireland gave Francis a strained look before repeating the spell once again.
Arthur who was staying as quiet as possible watched the scene unfold before him. He hadn't been this nervous in a long time.
Francis held the wand up and pointed it between Arthur's freaked out eyes. Oh God. He's going to kill me.
Francis cleared his throat. "Umm…a little privacy please?" He tried.
"Privacy? Just get it over with and get out. You're getting on my nerves."
Francis sighed but looked back at Arthur. What was he doing? He didn't know magic. For all he knew, he could seriously hurt Arthur. Unless…
England saw Francis's eyes widen in realization. What was he planning? What was he going to- oh no.
"Fra-Arthur don't do what I think your going to do." Arthur warned.
"Why not?" Francis whispered. "It'll work right? It worked the first time."
"It's too risky."
"What the fuck are you two talking about?" Scotland yelled out. "Just get it over with." However both Francis and Arthur ignored him.
"Look. There are too many people around. It would effect them too." Arthur whispered. "Don't break it."
"HEY! DON'T BREAK WHAT!" Ireland shouted after barely hearing the last of Arthur's whispers. "My wand?" Both Arthur and Francis gave Ireland a look that looked similar to a deer being caught in headlights, however Arthur recovered quickly.
"Hahaha Nooooo!" England nervously chuckled out as if it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. "I was talking about…my mmmmheart. Heart."
"Heart?" Francis questioned.
"Yes heart." Arthur replied quickly. "Y-y-you see Ireland. If Arthur ruins my h-h-hair even more than it is…I think myheartwillbreak. Yes my heart will break." He replied firmly.
Maybe I can just run out with the wand, and hope for the best…Francis thought to himself. He wasn't that far from the door. Or I can just slip it under my sleeve. Francis looked down at the wand. Or I can break it! And hope for the best. Francis changed his grip on the wand so he was in the perfect position to break it. He was about to apply force before he was smacked on the back of the head.
"What the fuck do ya think your doing?" Wales grabbed the wand from Francis's hand and tossed it to Ireland. "You WERE trying to break it."
"No he wasn't!" Arthur yelled out.
"Oh don't try to help him out France." Ireland spat out. "You knew darn well what he was trying to do. Get out of my house the both of ya."
"But-"
"Francis you can grow your hair back in a few weeks! And as for you Arthur," Ireland towered over Francis with an expression that Francis had never seen before. It terrified him. "I can't believe you Arthur you can be so stupid sometimes. If he refuses to leave your house for your stupidity, that's not my problem. I don't know what the hell you were trying to accomplish by breaking my wand, but it aint gonna work. You can't ever borrow it again. Ever!"
Francis winced as Ireland yelled at him. Francis had never had to play the role of younger brother before. For as long as he was around, he was always the big brother. But this was such a twist of roles, that Francis wasn't able to handle it. He felt ashamed, he felt small, he felt weak, he felt…
Francis sniffed as a single tear fell down his face. Arthur looked at him in horror. Francis wasn't supposed to cry! No! Once Arthur got to a certain age, he never cried in front of his brothers. NEVER.
"Is he crying?" Arthur heard Wales question.
"NO HE'S NOT!" Arthur yelled out. He jumped from his seat and grabbed Francis's arm. "We're leaving now!" He practically dragged Francis out at lighting speed and slammed the door behind him.
"Our little bother's weird." Scotland mumbled.
"So is France…" Wales added.
"Haha did ya see the look on his face after I yelled at him?"
O.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o
Arthur and Francis didn't talk the whole way back to the house, and even after they got back, it was still silent. Arthur made his way to his room and opened the covers of his bed and threw them over his head. It was only six pm, but he dares someone to try and stop him from turning in early.
Francis also found himself in his guest room however he laid on the bed, not in it. He stared at the ceiling, replaying the day's events in his head. Sighing he turned over getting more comfortable. Outside, the rain finally seemed to have come as it had started to drizzle outside. At least I didn't blow the secret. Francis tried to think optimistically. And Arthur's right…his brothers are mean. Francis pouted. They made him cry. Now mind you, it doesn't take that much effort to make Francis cry, with him being a drama king and all, but he still felt a small grudge toward them. Francis looked around for his cell phone, he just realized he hadn't looked at it in days. Getting up from his bed, he figured Arthur must have it.
Francis slowly entered Arthur's room and looked around. The sun had already set and he could barely make out the figure sleeping on the bed, but he knew it was Arthur, because really, who else could it be? He scanned the room for his cell and found it on the bedside table. He picked it up and scanned through it, as he suspected, he had many missed calls, mostly from his boss, some from Prussia, a couple from Spain, and a few others. Francis was about to leave the room before he heard mumbling. France's eyes averted to the sleeping man that looked just like him, yet there was something about his expression that was just so…Arthur. It was peaceful, and Francis had to admit, he was one beautiful sleeper. Francis chuckled to himself as he fed his ego, but he was brought out of his thoughts as he heard Arthur mumbling again. He strained his hearing to try to hear what Arthur was saying.
"…mm…Francis…."
Oh ho ho! A dream about me!
"Francis…don't…"
Don't what?
"Wear that dress you…mm…bloody ridiculous."
Francis pouted. It was a dream about childhood. And his dress was not ridiculous! Francis looked back at Arthur and saw that his expression had changed…he looked…scared?
"No…go away." He mumbled in frustration. "Scotland…I hate you all…"
Francis's mouth formed into a thin line as he watched Arthur's sleep in with a frown on his face.
"Someone help…please…Francis…"
Francis's attention perked up as he heard his name.
"Francis…why?"
"Why what?" Francis whispered.
"Why aren't you helping me?" Francis stared at Arthur's face, it looked so helpless. "I thought you were supposed to be my…friend." With that Arthur turned over, facing away from Francis and continued to sleep. Why aren't I…helping you? Guilt panged Francis's heart. Whenever Arthur would complain about his brothers in the past, Francis would comfort him as a small child, but as they grew, Francis became friends with Arthur's brothers. He couldn't believe that such fun people could be so cruel to a little boy such as Arthur, so Francis started shrugging off when Arthur would complain about them. He came to the conclusion that he was over reacting, or even lying. He even did that yesterday when Arthur was telling him about his brothers. What a stupid move that was. He saw just a glimpse of how Arthur's brother's can be to Arthur, and he didn't like it one bit.
Francis listened to the soft breathing of Arthur and the rain outside. "I'm…sorry…" He whispered. Francis was about to rest his hand on Arthur's forehead for comfort before his cell phone went off, and loud! The sound of the French national anthem filled the room, startling Francis and making him drop the phone with a loud clang on the bedpost and skidding across the wooden floor, and of course all the noise waking a certain British man.
Arthur shot up in bed and turned on the light. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M ASLEEP! ARE YOU REALLY THAT MUCH OF AN IDIOT!" Arthur groaned as he held his head in his hand. "Turn. The. Bloody. PHONE OFF!" The French national anthem still berated Arthur's ear drums along with the simultaneous sound of the phone vibrating.
"Sorry. Sorry. Sorry." Francis scrambled to the floor in search of his phone but winced when he saw it was out of reach behind Arthur's bed. He stretched his hand under the bed, but alas he could not reach it. "Umm can I move your bed?" Francis replied nervously.
Arthur let out a frustrated sigh. "Might as well! I'm awake aren't I?" Francis moved the bed and reached for the phone and flipped it open and pushed the answer button filling the whole room with silence one again.
"H-hello?" Francis spoke into the receiver as he pushed Arthur's bed back to it's original spot. Arthur watched Francis like a vulture as he finished talking on the phone and snapped it shut.
"Hehehe…wrong number."
That night, Francis had no trouble getting to sleep. Arthur made sure to knock him out.
Lol…hey guys. Please don't murder me. I had an intense case of writers block. I added something else besides humor because I needed to. So…yeah that's pretty much it. Just that I will try to update soon?