I really have no idea how I feel about this chapter. I wrote it as a break from attempting to finish this chapter of 'Drinks on the Losers!' for about the thousandth time... It was more of a way for me to chill and remember that writing can be chill if you let it. All around I'm pretty 'meh' about it, there are better chapters on here, there are worse, but I might as well post it, because otherwise it's just gonna sit here and do nothing. I feel like the main worry I have about this chapter is that it might be a bit OOC... IDK tho.
Side Note: I'm super sorry if I've been shit at replying to reviews lately. I'm just a little busy is all.
Enjoy! ;)
"Wales!"
Wales lets out a sound which can only be described as what the fuck do you want?, holding the phone a small way from his ear, "Scotland, it's six in the fucking morning, if the world isn't ending I'm going to find you and kill you, then feed your corpse to Gwlanog after slowly roasting it over an open spit to the perfect golden-brown!"
"Wales I'm panicking, I don't know what to do!"
Wales rolled onto his back, "Well, spit it the fuck out."
"I woke up and England was a kid, he is a kid, I don't know what to do! I'm shit with kids, I don't want to scar him, I did a bad enough job the first time and-"
"Shut up." Wales sighed, "I'll be there in a minute."
When he arrived in England's living room, he was rather instantly greeted by a childish scream and what sounded like Scotland calling to the source of said childish scream. He peered out of the door, and into the hall just in time to be run head-long into by a small mound of green fabric and blonde hair.
The child, England, it was most definitely England, fell backwards, looking up at him with tears brewing in his eyes. Wales rather quickly reached down for the child England, not entirely sure what to do when faced with his tears. "Hey, hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to knock you over," he said quickly, watching as little England rubbed at his eyes just as Scotland rounded the corner.
"I want Mummy!" Child England said loudly, turning back to Scotland, letting his tiny fists drop and sniffing loudly, "I want Mummy, I don't want you!"
Wales was a little taken aback, blinking at him. He'd been the same age as England when he was like this the first time around. This was more than strange.
Scotland had somehow managed to sneak up behind the pint-sized Brit and scoop him up into his arms, receiving a wail of protest for his troubles, "Mummy isn't here," he said softly, making England stop in his troubles and look at him as if he were about to burst into tears.
"Well, where is Mummy?"
Scotland sighed, "In a good place, but we can't see her," he said, making England's lip quiver, "Your big brothers are here to look after you."
"Big brothers?"
Scotland nodded, "I'm Scotland, and this is Wales," he gestured to Wales, who waved cautiously, prompting a tiny, watery, wave in return.
It was obvious to Wales that any amount of calm on Scotland's part was an act, a convincing act, he'd grant, but an act that would drop as soon as England's child self decided to take a nap of leave his sight for more than thirty seconds.
England frowned at Wales, "Why is he not a land too?"
Wales frowned back, "What do you mean?"
"I'm England, he's Scotland, why aren't you Walesland?"
Wales chuckled, patting the boy on the head, which he seemed to resent, "I'm a rebel. Never could play by the rules, me."
Scotland scoffed, but Wales sent him a scowl after the excited look of adoration England sent him, "Do you fight evil kings and save damsels and slay dragons?"
Wales laughed, "Oh no, I never slay dragons, I make friends with them."
At that, England's eyes lit up like the Blackpool Christmas lights. "Really! You're friends with Dragons?"
Wales nodded, "Best of friends."
"Wow! Can I meet them?"
Wales pretended to think about that for a moment, watching from the corner of his eye as England's expression changed into one of the purest childish hope, "I don't see why not."
At the look of panic Scotland sent him, he leaned over to him, "I'll take him to play with Gwlanog while you find a way to turn him back."
"But he's- what if-"
"He'll be fine, Scotland," Wales said, rolling his eyes, and plucking England from the eldest sibling's hold, "Gwlanog wouldn't hurt a child, not even if you bribed her."
At being taken from Scotland's hold, England frowned, "Is Scotland not coming too?" he asked a little worriedly.
Scotland shook his head, "'Fraid not, wee one."
England pouted heavily at that, "But then who will I save from the dragon?"
The both of them struggled to find a response to that.
England crossed his arms, "I can't go if I don't have a princess. And I want big brother to be my princess."
A strange look crossed over Scotland's face, one that seemed to be a mixture of about six different emotions at once. I took a moment, but eventually he spoke, "Okay, I can be your princess, wee one, I just-" he swallowed, "I need to do something first."
And then he fled down the hall.
Wales watched after him for a moment, before placing England on the floor, "Stay here, okay, play with Scone, you see the cat in there," little England turned to where Wales was pointing, "I just have to help him for a minute, and then we can go and play with Gwlanog, okay?"
England nodded excitedly, bounding over toward the cat. Wales turned away after a moment, hurrying down the hall toward where he'd seen Scotland hurry, and eventually happened upon a loud bang against a locked bathroom door.
Wales approached it cautiously, "Scotland?" he called, making the banging stop suddenly.
The door opened and he was dragged inside unceremoniously, Scotland slamming the door behind them and sink down against it, his head hidden in his hands which were hidden in his knees.
"It's like every mistake I ever made, looking at that face," he choked, "Fuck. I could live with myself when he's an adult, because he's just as bad to me, but I can't- Not when he looks so bloody innocent. I was such a shit big brother, I don't deserve to see him look at me like that."
Wales just stared at him in awe, for a moment before he was able to find speech, "You weren't-" he said softly, "You weren't that shit."
Scotland looked up at him with bloodshot eyes and a confused expression.
"You taught us how to hunt, and you showed us how to talk to the Fae, and- I mean sure there were the raids, but we all did shitty things in the past. Other people have done shittier."
"But I was your brother," Scotland choked, "I was the big brother. I was supposed to protect you, not attack you. Mum always... I never- I wish..." He let out a sardonic laugh, "Even if I didn't try to stop it, I could have at least done you the favour of not enjoying it."
"Scotland." Wales said, with the kind of authority that isn't to be messed with, "We've all forgiven you for that. Years ago. Stop beating yourself up over it, the only person you're hurting is yourself. And it's over a person who isn't even you anymore."
Scotland was about to reply when there was a firm but clumsy knock on the bathroom door.
"Excuse me, but the inside-cat escaped to the outside and now I have no one to play with."
Scotland instantly looked up, wiped at his eyes, and turned to open the door, "Hey, okay, we can go now, wee one."
England frowned at him, touching his cheek curiously, "Why are your eyes all red?"
Scotland smiled softly, "Just the trees, don't you worry."
England looked confused, "What did the trees do?"
Scotland shook his head, standing with a weak laugh and picking England up at the same time, "Nothing, wee one, let's go play princess and the dragon now, okay?"
England beamed, "Okay, let's go, big brother!"
England woke up the next day with no memory of what had happened, a headache, and an extremely melancholy Scotland that it had taken three beers, a certain guilty-pleasure Disney movie of Scotland's, and a promise not to make fun of him, to get the truth out of. When he did, England promptly told him to go fuck himself because he was being stupid, and then promptly disregarded that statement in favour of helping him out instead.