A/N: Again sorry for the lateness, but this is one of my personal favorite chapters~
Francis always looked forward to this weekend. It was the councillor trip, it usually lasted from June 30th to July 3rd. It was fun… Councillors got to be themselves, they got to fight, swear and just be not councillors. It made him happy.
Right now he was sitting on his bed, debating on bringing his book or not. He leaned down and waited for Arthur to return from his "area". The brit ducked out and sat on his bed.
"Hey Arthur…" The person in question looked up in surprise. "Should I bring my book or not?" Arthur's face contorted in anger.
"Why should I care? Also if you don't know, think of it as an extra pound to carry." The Frenchman nodded and tossed it aside.
"What are you bringing Sourcils?"
The Brit growled at the use of that particular nickname. "That, is none of your concern."
Francis smiled and swung down. "Oh and why would that be?" He asked gracefully sitting on Arthur's newly mended quilt.
"Because you are not my Mummy and because, it is none of your business."
Arthur sat on the floor and leaned against the bed and took the corner of the quilt in his hand, rubbing it ceaselessly. He was nervous and Francis could tell. "Arthur, you're supposed to have fun on this trip, not worry about what happened."
Arthur whipped to look at the Frenchman's face. "I am not nervous!"
Francis chuckled. "Say that to the hole you are worrying into your quilt."
Arthur looked down at his hand and dropped immediately. "Whatever Frog."
Francis laughed and laid down on the Brit's bed, with his hands behind his head. "Arthur, what were you in charge of?"
The Englishman looked downcast. "They said I was a light weight, so I am just in charge of the sleeping bags on the hikes."
Francis tried to cover his laugh with a yawn. "Well Sir Laughsalot, what are you in charge of?"
Francis wiggled in the bed. "Food and pans."
Arthur sighed. "I'm upset at you!"
The frenchman quirked a brow. "Why?"
Arthur was aghast.
"Why? WHY? Well let me show you…" He pulled out his phone and opened a page.
"Look." Francis scanned the phone, it was a page, he read through the Authors note.
When he discovered it, he began to snicker. "Our ship name is FrogKing…" The snickers became laughter and he began to laugh so hard he cried.
Arthur's temper steadily rose as well. "Its not funny! You don't even want to know about the Fanart and Memes I found!"
Francis laughed harder. "Oh Cher! You're fans are so funny and so quick! I will need a copy of that Fanfic later!" He smirked, causing Arthur to recoil.
"You are nasty!" The brit managed to squeak out, through his embarrassment.
Francis set his head on top of the other Europeans, "Oh I know you love it… Don't think I haven't read your Merthur and Johnlock fics…"
This made him blush even harder. "How did you even find that?"
Francis smiled. "You, cher, are so predictable," Arthur opened his mouth to protest, but Francis continued. "Your name is Strength_Courage_Magic, and your writing, is unique."
Arthur sighed in defeat, before realizing something. "Why were you reading that fanfiction? Were you stalking me?"
Francis shook his head disapprovingly. "You think I don't watch Sherlock? That's like saying I don't have a Dash!"
Francis then stood up and stretched, before climbing back onto his bunk.
"So no on the book…"
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To say that Heracles didn't like hiking, was an understatement. He despised it. He loathed it. He abhorred it. Especially when the trails were rough. That meant that today was hell for him.
Heracles sighed, as he carried a pack on his shoulders, it was hot and heavy. It was like his world was covered by a heavy gray cloud, all that he could see was the root covered ground. A warm hand was placed on the small of his back.
"Heracles-san?"
He turned to the girl. "Yes Sakura?" She looked at him with worry.
"I heard there may be a storm tonight."
He chuckled. "Mary wouldn't have let us go if it were to storm…" Sakura visibly relaxed.
"How long do you think until we get there?" He asked.
She shrugged. "I heard from Alfred-san that it could be another hour."
The grecian groaned and jumped up his pack. "Do you know where we are going?"
She shook her head. "Arthur-san got to pick the site this year."
Heracles nodded and stumbled over a root. Sakura helped him right himself. They hiked in silence for a while, before they heard a crash. Heracles looked around, all of the other hikers were still standing and no one was on the ground. He looked up to the sky, across the lake not to far ahead, was an impending wall of doom. Huge cumulonimbus clouds soared to great heights, gorgeous and fluffy, but that was where the beauty stopped. Underneath them gray rain pelted the ground and lightning slashed across the sky, like a clean blade, thunder crashed just a few seconds after the lightning was seen. Everyone had stopped and gathered together.
"How far is it back?" Arthur asked.
"Almost three hours." Alfred said looking at his watch. There was a quiet, as they contemplated their situation, and listening to the thunder.
Heracles spoke up. "I say we go back, I do not want to be stuck in that."
There was a genral nod of agreement. Alfred took control. "Arthur, you lead, everyone else fall in line, I will bring up the back."
Heracles lined up after Francis and Arthur Sakura hiked next to him in the line. The hike back was quiet, as they scrambled up rocks and out of ditches. It had been an hour since they had made the decision to go back Sakura was putting him even further on edge. She kept looking at the sky and pushing her hair behind her ears as the storm's wind whipped it across her face. Heracles slipped his hand into hers. As soon as she felt it she pushed and stumbled. He squeezed her hand as the storm hit.
The rain pelted down on their backs and soaked through their clothes. Sakura clung to Heracles hand as though it was her lifeline, as they stumbled along the path, tripping on all of the rocks and roots along the way. Heracles stopped to take a breath, looking up and letting the rain pour down his face. A bolt of lightning hit a tree nearby and he tugged Sakura forward. The cloud seemed to never end, it stretched out in every direction, it was like the world was ending. The path grew muddy, causing people to slide. Thunder crashed all around and the world shook. A cry came from behind him. Sakura looked at him and stopped, until she heard Alfred shout above the wind. "It's fine! Keep moving! We'll catch up!" Heracles tugged the Japenese girl along once more.
The rain continued to pour down, it was almost impossible to see through the curtains of rain. Heracles decided he had never been more wet in his life. Lightning struck again and he heard a moan as a tree fell. The thunder made his ears ring. Eventually, he gave up trying to see where they were going. He tightened his grip on Sakura's hand, closed his eyes and ran.
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When Madeline awoke she was warm and dry. She could hear the thunder outside and rain beating down on the roof. She curled up tighter in her sleeping bag and and enjoyed the heat that came from the fire near by…. WAIT FIRE? Her eyes snapped open and she sat up. She was not in her house, she was not in her cabin, she was not in her sleeping bag, she was not even in her own clothes. Instead, she was inside a cave, inside a blue mummy bag and wearing only a plaid shirt and underwear. The cave itself was small and strewn with items, two backpacks, a large pile of semi dry sticks and logs and a small fire ring. A fire was lit inside and she notice it was set on an edge that hung out of the shelter, close enough for warmth, but far away enough so that the smoke wouldn't choke her. The entrance of the cave was covered by huge fallen trees, something had moved there. The wind screamed outside and she shivered. A shadow crossed the wall and she grabbed the thing closest to her, which happened to be a can of beans and prepared for attack. Alfred popped up out of the small opening and had to duck quickly to avoid the can.
"Woah now… Let's not waste good food. … I just finished building the outside. It was true, he looked soaked the bone as he picked up the can of beans.
"Sorry eh. You just surprised me…" She looked anywhere but him, suddenly embarrassed to be semi nude. He nodded. "I could see waking up in a cave and having someone pop out of nowhere, be surprising." He climbed all the way into the cave, only to grab a waterproof bag.
"Hey would it be okay, if I just wore swim trunks and shirt? I kind of don't want to get anything else wet." She just shrugged and he disappeared down into the little opening once more.
Five minutes later the lanky teen was feeding the fire as Madeline was laying down, trying to comprehend her life. He chuckled at her facial expressions. "So I bet you are wondering why we are here and not in your cabin, back at camp." She sat up suddenly and nodded. "Well while we were hiking a tree was hit by lightning and that tree hit you knocking you out and spraining your ankle. I am strong, but not that strong, I couldn't carry you all the way home." He looked at the ground. "I carried you hear and started the fire. I then had to…" He began to blush like an idiot.
Madeline sighed. "You undressed me in all except my underwear and put me in one of your plaid shirts."
He looked up blush burning across his cheeks and nodded. "I had to! I couldn't have you with a cold and a fucked up ankle!" He took a breath to relax himself. "I then built the outdoor shelter and here we are now." He looked at her, embarrassment, finally reseeding.
He continued to stare before turning to the bags abruptly. "What do you want for dinner? We have soup and beans, or beans and soup. What are you feeling?" He looked back up at her expectantly, obviously trying not to smirk at his genius.
Madeline rolled her eyes. "Soup and Beans please." There was silence as Alfred cooked dinner.
It stayed that way until finally Alfred cracked over a Chicken Noodle soup. "Why did you come this summer?" She just stared at him incredulously, before concentrating very hard on her soup. Alfred also stared down at his soup. "I'm sorry, It's none of my business, I can change the subject if you want…" Madeline looked up and watched him try to avoid her invisible glare. Eventually, he peeked up only to be met with an arched eyebrow.
"Uh, What are you doing?" He now sat up at her and looked her straight in the face.
"Nothing…" She nodded as though that is what she wanted. "Let me get out of this god forsaken sleeping bag and I will tell you a story over dinner."
She very gently gripped the zipper and unzipped the bag. Gingerly she lifted her swollen and bandaged ankle, setting it gently on the cool cave floor, before bringing her other leg to rest next to it and letting the cool seep into her too hot pores. She closed her eyes and brought her soup up to her nose and took a deep breath. It was like a heavy blanket on her senses, it felt better than home. One violet eye snapped open, to see the eager puppy dog face of Alfred looking at her, like she was god. She chuckled, closed her eye and began.
"It all started a long time ago, My Dad is a very prominent rancher from Alberta and my Mum is a Fashion queen from Quebec. They met at a party in college in University of Ottawa. They fell in love. We mostly lived on Dad's ranch, because it needed the most work. Mum would frequently go away on trips, leaving just me, my dad and all the cattle. It was hard, but we made it work. That was until, my Dad picked up a people magazine and saw the picture on the front cover. It was Mum, laughing, as a tall, well sculpted man kissed her cheek. The title read: Fashion's Queen, Finally found her King!" She felt tears drip down her cheeks, but she continued. "He was devastated, and then angry. He flew to Montreal and they got in a huge fight, before they filed for legal divorce and she left, Dad was heart broken. He stopped seeing anything other than his work, I was just a reminder of mum, I could see his heart break every time he looked at me. Even though I knew he loved me, I couldn't stand it. I heard about this camp from my cousin, so I bought a plane ticket and left."
Silence echoed between the two.
When she did look up, she saw Alfred, real Alfred and no shock at all. He looked at her as he spoke. "I understand perfectly." She stared back and he continued. "When I was a little kid, I was really pudgey. Like really pudge. It was okay as a kid, but when I got to College, shit hit the fan. I got bullied a ton and it hurt, it really did. Over time, I decided if I didn't eat as much, I would loose weight. It ended up that I never ate anything and I slowly became anorexic."
He paused for a moment looking down, before meeting her eyes and continuing.
"My Dad found out. He beat me, screamed at me, telling me toughen up, because Anorexia is a disease for middle school girls. That night, he packed up all of his stuff, and left, leaving a note that said, he couldn't bare to live with a boy that had a little girl's disease or the woman that produced such a boy." Madeline watched the pain in his eyes grow. "After that, he took all of Mom's money, claiming that it was his. We had to move and I only squeaked through college bills. He only ever came back once, and that was to show off his new yoga instructor wife, named Sugar, spelled S-H-U-G-A-R. Dash was what saved us." He sighed and looked deeper into her eyes. "So, I understand perfectly."
There was silence.
It was eventually broken by the American. "You just have to remember, that the parent, who stuck by you is the only one that deserves any of your feelings." She nodded. "Also the fact that deep inside, your dad, I loves you."
Madeline's jaw dropped and she started laughed. Alfred looked at her and then reviewed his sentence in his head, before blushing. "God damn, Freudian slip…."
She laughed harder.
"It's not funny!" He pouted, before adding, "Even if it's true…" That made her laugh even harder. It was a long time, until she finally stopped to breath and wipe the tears from her eyes. "Oh you are so precious…." Alfred pouted.
"It's about 10:00, would you like to go to bed?" He asked and gracefully avoided bring the subject back up. Madeline thought about it for about, 4 seconds.
"Yes…" She flipped over and tried to ignore the sounds of Alfred's shuffling around. It became impossible when her unzipped her sleeping bag. She was instantly on her guard. "Just what do you think you are doing?" He laughed.
"There is only one sleeping bag and it WILL drop to at least 40 degrees tonight and it's wet out. So move over Ice Queen, you will be sharing."
He slipped in next to her, his cold skin burning her. She hissed and he chuckled. Alfred laid his head on the tiny pillow next to her. She zipped up the sleeping bag and Alfred turned out the lamp. He wiggled down farther in the mummy bag and buried his face in her hair. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight to his chest, so that they would both be comfortable.
He took a deep breath. "I guess there is no point in denying it. I love you… Good - Night."
Silence reigned as the rain beat down on the world outside.
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When Alfred woke up he was warm. It was nice, he heard the wind howling outside, but the dark cave was sleepy with the warm person sleeping next to him. He pulled her closer and she sighed and turned over in her sleep. She looked peaceful, the corners of her mouth tugged into a slight smile. He set his head on to of hers and stared into the the darkness, before drifting back to sleep.
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Madeline woke up to the sound of thunder and she jumped. It crashed, shaking the cave and startling the girl awake. She sat up, only when fulling sitting up, noticing the arms around her waist. They pulled her back down, lips brushed against her ear. "Wassup?"
"Nothing." Was all she said before settling back into his arms and falling back to sleep.
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Alfred was happy, though it was stormy and gray out, it was now 5:30, and he didn't have to be up to do chores. It was cold outside, the rain beat against the pine trees. He sighed and buried his face in Madeline's hair. She yawned, stretching her arms and sighing happily at the contact with the cold.
"Ice Queen…" She chuckled and he smiled sleepily. She sighed and laid back down. Alfred was curled up around her, his lips tickled her ear.
"Ready to get up?" She shook her head and he hummed… Before slipping out of the bag himself.
She looked at him in disgust. "You were my source of heat!" This time he laughed.
"Sorry, ADHD, couldn't sit there anymore." She scowled, but unzipped the bag and gently moved her legs out of the bag.
"So beans for breakfast?" She asked looking at the other teen.
He smiled his thousand watt smile. "No actually… Last night I set out a pot, to catch fresh water, and I have oatmeal, so that's for breakfast."
She nodded, Alfred slipped out of the pine trees and into the storm.
Twenty minutes later, she sat sated, against the wall. Alfred, was dealing out cards for crazy eights. He seemed to realize something.
"Hey, While I was outside I noticed it was letting up, so we may be able to leave today…" She smiled, internally she sighed, strangely, she was enjoying her time with the awkward American.
"We will have to leave stuff here, I can only carry so much…" Her eyes flew to his face.
"I can carry stuff too!" She huffed.
"On that ankle, I think not, Madeline." Again he realized something.
"I've been wondering, Can I call you Maddie?" Madeline looked at him curiously.
"Only if I can call you Al." He stuck out his hand.
"Deal." She shook it.
"Deal." He smiled again, lighting up the cave as he put away his cards.
"Then it's time to consolidate!" He twirled his finger in the air and began to unpack.
Three hours later, Alfred was carrying her. He slid down the small cliff and held her in his arms.
"I'll set you down on a rock outside and then grab the stuff." He murmured slipping out of the pine tree shelter. Madeline blinked, waiting for her pupils to dilate, before looking up into the drizzly sky. Alfred set her down on a large granite rock.
"BRB." he said slipping back into their shelter, appearing moments later with a large backpack on.
"Okay, Ready to roll?" He asked looking at her. She nodded, using the stick he had lead against the rock for her, pushed herself up and stumbled. Alfred grabbed her hand and laughed.
She pouted. "Bitch."
He laughed harder and they began on their way down the twisty, rooty, rocky path. For the most part it was silent. They walked, well one walked, one limped, leaning on the other, listening to the sounds of nature, only every once in awhile making light conversation. They stopped and had cold soup for lunch, then continued on. Silence for the rest of the journey, until they saw the mess hall.
Madeline turned to Alfred, who was already looking at her. "I just wanted to ask…" He was cut off by her lips. He kissed her back. They only broke the kiss for the need of air.
"I'll take that as a yes…" She smiled and punched his arm.
"Don't get too cocky…."
He laughed and grabbed her hand. "Whatever Ice Queen." He kissed her on the nose, just as they were spotted.
The last POV is so long, because its a shared Alfred and Madeline one. I do love the name Maddie.
Translations:
Sourcils - Eyebrows (One of my favorite England nicknames)
Cher - Dear