ひとりごと

Initiatives

2014-04-25T07:52:29Z

Title: Initiatives
Genre: Romance, Fluff
Word Count: 1,046
Character(s)/Pairing(s): America/England
Rating/Warnings: PG
Summary: England has never been the one to take the first step.

England has never been the one to take them. Initiatives, that is. Perhaps he had been at some point in the past. But not now, and certainly not in his relationship with America.

He didn't think it was very fair. To both America and himself. Because the American was the direct opposite of just that. He was always proactive, wanting to be the first just for the heck of it or for some other unexplainable reasons England didn't know. It was safe to say that America would pick the white piece in chess, and he the black. America liked to give surprises, and England liked to evaluate and counter.

He stared at America's face as he slept and quietly wondered to himself how they managed to stay so long together. Or how they even got together at all.

It was America who confessed first. The first date, first kiss, first-... time... had all been him. No, it wasn't very fair.Good.

Carefully, he took the simple silver band from the box. He reached out for America's left arm and delicately pulled it up so he could work the ring into his finger at a comfortable angle. He picked America's ring finger and held it gently between his fingertips, eyes darting to America every now and then to make sure that he was still asleep.

He was, and England never really noticed just how long and dark his eyelashes were.

No, no. He had to focus on the task on hand. Right.

He swiftly slipped the ring on before he could second-guess himself. It was not like he was unsure whether it was the time or not, he was just afraid. How would America react to this?

Well, maybe he was not that certain that this might be the right time.

But it was too late to remove the ring from America's finger now, right?

Right.

His hand retreated back to under his pillow, where it held America's answer to his eventual question. He placed the box under America's pillow and retreated back into his covers, his eyes not leaving his face.

The only thing left to his plan was the wait.

Now if only he could fall asleep.

England continued to stare at America's face for a good few minutes before he finally gave up with a sigh of defeat.

It was going to be a sleepless night, wasn't it?

His eyes flickered from America's sleeping face to the clock that stood on the bedside table. It was 3.48AM, exactly thirty-four minutes after their love-making session. He blushed at the memory and snuggled deeper under the blanket, embarrassed. Silly really, since America isn't even up to tease him about it. In any case, he hope the time passes by soon if he was going to stay awake all night like this. Hopefully, America wakes up at around seven in the morning, although really, who was he kidding?

Gradually, England submitted to the fact that he would have to wait for hours before America would actually wake up. He watched America as he slept. His breaths were slow and deep, the breaths strong enough for England to feel it brush over his own cheeks. He squinted and could make out, under the moonlight, the mark on either sides of the bridge of his nose from wearing his spectacles too much. He smiled fondly before roving his eyes over to see if there were other features on America that he hadn't noticed before.

There was the light dusting of freckles across his cheeks he knew was there. It was probably from staying out in the sun for too long, since he didn't remember America having them when he was little. He smiled, making a mental note to himself to take a good look at them when the morning light shines in. He thought it matched the American quite well and looked rather endearing on him.

He rested his hand on America's cheek, gently digging the pad of his thumb into the soft flesh. It was a surprisingly nice feeling and he found himself repeating the action, over and over, and grinned in amusement when America's eyebrows came together in a soft frown and his lips tilted down at the sides into a bit of a pout but finally remembered himself and pulled away. Sighing softly, he tried to search for something to do before his eyes landed on America's eyelashes and, as embarrassing as this is, he began counting them.

One, two, three, four, five, six... Darn, he missed one back there, and oh, how many was he on again?

Groaning softly in frustration and eyebrows knitted in determination, he began counting the number of eyelashes on his left eye again.

England awoke to something very warm, moist and familiar on his lips. He groaned and turned away, eyes still shut. It was only when he heard a chuckle that resonated warmth through his chest did he open his eyes.

“Mornin', England.”

“... 'merica...?” he murmured, still very much hazy from the sleep.

“Who else would it be on your bed? Hm? Tell me.” America asked, more teasingly rather than inquisitively. England groaned once more and turned his whole body, away from his lover, not quite in the mood to entertain such questions this early in the morning. America merely laughed, scooted so his chest was flush against England's back, wrapped his arms around his body and took both his hands in his hands.

For a moment or two, there was just peaceful silence, the sounds of their breathing together before America broke it with another question.

“Don't you have something to say?”

“What?”

“Oh, I don't know...” A pause. “Something along the lines of 'will you marry me' or 'will you spend the rest of your life with me' maybe?”

It took a few seconds before America's words hit him and his eyes widened. He turned his head to face America in a panic, who was looking at him with such a soft smile.

“I--...” England stuttered, suddenly at a loss of words although he had been prepared for this. Or should be.

America leant in close, threaded his fingers through his and he could barely hear the click the two rings made as America whispered:

“Yes.”

Author's Note: Sup. It has been about a year and a half since I've written anything for Hetalia, or actually, anything at all. Aha. I haven't been involved in the fandom for a while now, and I don't think I will be again anytime soon. So I guess this will be the last fanfiction I'd be contributing to the fandom as sort of a closure (and as a warm-up since I've been wanting to write recently, but for South Park opps). So yeah, I'd like to say thank you and sorry to all the people I've met and lost through this fandom. But it's time for me to move on and dedicate my life to South Park LOL. Don't get me wrong, I still like Hetalia, just not as much as I used to.

Anyway yeah, I won't be using this name anymore for my future writings, so do feel free to remove me from your lists! And I'd also like to apologise for not continuing the chaptered fic I started. I'm awful guilty about that, and trust me, I know how it feels. But I really can't bring myself to pick it up when I've lost all interest.

Once again, a big thanks to all you fantastic people. It has been a wonderful experience! :D

One, Two

2012-12-21T07:25:19Z

Title: One, Two
Genre: Angst
Word Count: 402
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Soldier/Medic
Rating/Warnings: PG
Summary: A Medigun can only do so much.

Table/Prompt: #22/1.you've known all along at 5_prompts

Soldier is an idiot.

That was something Medic knew right from the moment they were introduced to each other. He was all brawn, no brains, and an absolute nutcase to top it all off. Medic knew. He really did. But he never did realise to what extent of an idiot Soldier could be.

And right now, as he performed CPR on Soldier, he couldn't help but be angry. So much so that his eyes were starting to water. He stopped for a moment to stabilise his breathing and wipe the tears off his cheeks before resuming the emergency rescue.

One, two, one, two, one, two--...

Soldier hasn't moved, hasn't breathed. Medic started to laugh.

An idiot, that's what he is. Always foolishly rushing headfirst into everything without a second thought.

One, two, one, two, one, two--...

Soldier's heart had stopped five minutes ago - possibly longer. But Medic continued to pump, despite knowing deep down that his efforts were futile. He didn't want to be indebted to anyone, let alone an idiot. He was angry. So very angry at Soldier for lying to him, for telling him he will be right back even when he knew he wasn't.

One, two, one, two, one, two--...

He was starting to get angry even at himself. Because he should have known. Should have followed the instinct that Soldier was up to something. Should have convinced himself that the expression Soldier was wearing was not normal. Should have thought more on that odd smile Soldier gave him just before he left.

But no. It seems that Soldier wasn't the only idiot.

One, two, one, two, one, two--...

Soldier stopped bleeding now. Any blood that he had soaked the once pure white snow that piled around him. Medic laughed harder.

It was an absolute delight to see this much blood, and Soldier is such a stupid, stupid man.

One, two, one, two, one, two--...

He ignored the raging snowstorm, ignored the buzz in his pocket, ignored his teammates who are probably asking for their status, ignored how his chest seemed to have tightened up and made it difficult for him to breathe, ignored how his lips seemed to be spilling the words 'don't die' even when he really didn't care if Soldier did--...

Did he?

He bit his lip.

No.

No, he didn't.

One, two, one, two, one, two, one, two...

Messages on a Window

2012-12-09T15:15:18Z

Title: Messages on a Window
Genre: Romance, Fluff
Word Count: 1,609
Character(s)/Pairing(s): America/England
Rating/Warnings: PG
Summary: Two neighbours who live too close for comfort finds romance.

Arthur's Side.

It wasn't the ideal bedroom.

The room is a small, simple one with a lovely shade of blue painted over the walls. There was a large picture window at the front that overlooked the main street, and a much smaller double-hung window by the side. The room was cozy and had a nice set of furniture to go along with. It would have been perfect, if not for the fact that the house was built too close to the neighbour's and he could very easily see into the room that aligned with his – which meant that whoever in that room could very easily see into his room too, something which Arthur wasn't very comfortable with. And even then he wouldn't have minded it all that much, but the person living in that room just happened to be a boy around his age named Alfred F. Jones, which was a very big minus, mind you.

Where should he begin? For one, Alfred was far too extroverted for his liking. Since the day he moved in, Alfred did not even consider the fact that he might want a little privacy and just reached over to pull up Arthur's window to greet him.

“Hiya, new neighbour! The name's Alfred. What's yours?”

Needless to say, Alfred hadn't left a very good first impression on him. The days that followed didn't exactly help either. Not only was he too extroverted, but he was extremely loud and a bit of a show-off as well, constantly inventing new ways to attract the attention of others. It was annoying, but still tolerable with a few cups of calming Earl Grey and a few unpleasant words towards Alfred on occasion. Many occasions.

Alfred had his days, of course. Days when Arthur would think maybe having him as his neighbour was not as bad as he originally thought. Those days don't come often, but when they do, it was usually after he had a row with his parents or his brothers. Alfred, being the nosy neighbour that he is, would hear the shouting and pull up the mere two windows that separated them to try cheer him up – usually with a really bad pun joke or with an assurance that tomorrow will definitely be a better day. It works, but it was mostly because Alfred has such an earnest grin on his face while he does it that Arthur couldn't help but smile as well. Those days, he was glad to be able to have a person he could call 'a friend'.

But overtime, something tugged at his heartstrings whenever he thought of Alfred as a friend. He didn't know the exact word to describe that feeling until the night came when Alfred suddenly announced that there was going to be a 'totally awesome' meteor shower happening and invited him over onto his rooftop to watch. It was chilly out then and Arthur wasn't sure what made him agreed to such an idiotic plan that could very likely make him sick the next morning but he did. It was mostly because of Alfred's persistence that he relented, he told himself.

They watched the night sky and waited in the cold like fools, but Arthur had to admit that, for once, he was the bigger fool for not bringing out a coat and insisting that he didn't need it because he was far too prideful to admit to feeling cold. Alfred watched him and when he finally couldn't hold in a sneeze, he didn't hesitate to take off his jacket and put it around Arthur's shoulder with a wide smile. As cliche as this is going to sound, just as Alfred smiled, the meteor shower happened and Arthur's eyes widened, both at how beautiful his friend looked in the brilliant light and at the realisation that he had fallen in love. When he finally got himself to turn away, he didn't dare look at Alfred for the rest of the night.

It was an emotion he didn't want to have labelled.

Winter came soon enough and snow started to fall. It was absolutely freezing but that didn't stop Alfred from pulling up his window every day to wish him a good morning. Arthur didn't appreciate that very much of course, since every time his window opens, it felt like the temperature in the room dropped a couple of degrees. He often lamented Alfred for it as well, and said that if he finally does catch a cold, he doesn't want to hear his whining. Alfred would just wave it off and with a roll of his eyes, say: Yes, mom. Arthur would huff at him but whenever Alfred turn away, there would be a small smile on his lips.

Then, a different morning came. It was different in the sense that unlike what Alfred usually does, which was to be completely inconsiderate and just pull up the window to greet a good morning, he knocked on the glass of the window. Gently. Both things which surprised Arthur and made him thought that he might be imagining the sound. But when he looked towards the window, there was Alfred with his usual bright smile. Sighing, Arthur decided to just play along and pull up his window.

“Are you an idiot? It's bloody freezing out here,” he said, noticing the snow that was beginning to pile on Alfred's hair. He shook the snow off though and Arthur most certainly did not think that it was cute.

“Maybe...” Alfred began in a mutter and Arthur quirked an eyebrow. This was new... Alfred actually not protesting to being called an idiot. “Anyway, I have something very important to tell you.”

“A good morning isn't very important, now hurry back in,” Arthur replied, already making a move to shut his window. “I don't want to have the blame pushed onto me when you–...”

The feeling of something very warm and soft against his lips stopped him from continuing to speak. He stared at Alfred, whose eyes were closed and whose face was suddenly very close to his. So much so that he could feel his breath brushing across his upper lip. It took him a while but he finally came to the dumbfounding conclusion that Alfred was kissing him. Just as he realised that however, Alfred pulled away, abruptly ending the kiss that started just as abruptly.

Alfred withdrew into his room and for a while, rubbed at the back of his neck in a sheepish manner. There was a light pink to his cheeks that Arthur was sure reflected his own's, if the heat on his face was any indication. Alfred pulled down his own bedroom window and all Arthur could do throughout the process was to stare, stunned.

Alfred bit his lip, seemingly unsure, before he blew a breath over the glass of his window and began to write something. Being the inconsiderate person that he is, he didn't bother to write it for the reader's convenience of course, but Arthur could still easily make out the message.

I kind of really like you.

If his heart wasn't beating rapidly before, it certainly was now. His gaze shifted from those simple words to Alfred, who had on him a smile. A smile that was sincere, hopeful, nervous, cheeky and bashful all at the same time. Arthur blushed even more, something he had been doing too much of lately and berated himself for it, and had to look away simply out of embarrassment. Too surprised and nervous to form a reply, he walked away without saying a word or even so much of a glance at Alfred.

Alfred's Side.

Alfred's smile slowly dropped as Arthur disappeared into his room. His heart, that had been beating so fast before, now sunk and his chest tightened uncomfortably. He pouted, stuffed his hands into his jeans' pockets and mindlessly kicked at his bedroom floor repeatedly. Whatever fantasies he had of being able to pull Arthur over to his room and hold him close was crushed within just a mere second. Suddenly feeling very much exhausted even though he had a good night's sleep before, he got into his bed and buried himself in the comfort of his blanket, not really in the mood to spend the rest of the day and wanting to just sleep it all off. He lay in bed for a while, numerous thoughts in his head, before he finally wore himself out from thinking and finally fell asleep.

When he woke up, his room was already dark, a sign that night has fallen. Alfred stared up at his ceiling and for some time, thought about what he should do. He knew he still wanted to be around Arthur and see the smile that had remained on his mind for quite some time now – the one he saw when he gave Arthur his jacket during that night when the sky was decorated with streaks of light. It was small and brief, but he caught it and couldn't forget about it ever since then. With that in mind, he gathered his courage and got up, walking over to the window with the intention to apologise and ask Arthur if they could still be friends. He was disappointed though when he saw that Arthur's room was dark and thought that he must have already fallen asleep. He was just about to walk away when something brightly coloured at the bottom corner of Arthur's bedroom window caught his eyes. It was a yellow sticky note. He squinted and saw on it, in small writing:

I think I kind of really like you, too.

Author's Note: Written for the USxUK Short Story Anthology over at the usxuk community!

Personal: An update

2012-11-01T06:20:09Z

It's been about two and a half months since I posted anything and I apologise for that. Besides school which has taken most of my time, I have also been very distracted with Team Fortress 2 and... Neopets. Yep. Especially Team Fortress 2, and their recent (and very much awesome) Halloween update isn't helping.

Team Fortress 2 is so adorable and hilarious in so many ways.

That all aside, I am hoping to start writing more. Maybe not too much this month, since I have tons of projects to do before my internship in China, but I am participating in NaNoWriMo. And maybe this time, I can actually finish. Maybe.

So... that's pretty much it! But since this post is a little short, I am going to finish it off with a Hetalia and a Team Fortress 2 30 Days Challenge that I got off from here and here.

Hetalia
Your favorite character: England!
Your least favorite character: France. I say least favourite, but I do still like him. Hetalia characters are really hard to dislike.
Character you’d date: England.
Character you’d like to go shopping with: America. We'd shop for video games. Tons of them.
Character you’d like as your child: Hong Kong.
Character who would probably be your rival: Russia.
Character you have most in common with: People whom I know in real life says America xD
Character you look like the most: I don't know... China?
Character you’d bring home to your parents: Sweden.
Character you’d never bring home to your parents: Belarus.
Character you’d become best friends with: America.
Character with your favorite voice/seiyuu: England. All hail Noriaki Sugiyama the tsundere demon.
Character you’d go camping with: Australia! He seems like the kind of guy to go to if you want to go on camping.
Character you wouldn’t mind being roommates with: Kugelmugel. A drawing buddy would be nice.
Character you’d want to cook for you: Thailand. Tom Yum is yum.
Character you wouldn’t mind prancing naked for you: Germany.
Your OTP: America/England
Character you wouldn’t mind having as a parent: Finland.
Character you’d like to go karaoke with: America. Since most of my favourite songs are by American bands/singers.
Character you wouldn’t mind having as your butler/maid: Romania.
Character you’d have in your party if you were in a RPG: Japan.
Another OTP of yours: France/Jeanne d'Arc
Your favorite character of the opposite gender of #1: It's really kind of a tie between Belgium and Liechtenstein. But if I absolutely have to choose one, I'd go with Belgium.
Character with your favorite uniform/outfit: Netherlands. I really like his scarf.
Character who would be your band-mate if you were in a band: South Korea.
Character you wouldn’t mind having as your boss: Spain.
Character you wouldn’t want to run into in a dark alley: Russia.
Character you’d want personified into a dog: Tony. Lol.
Character you’d want personified into a cat: Taiwan. The cat version of her is just so tiny and cute.
Character you’d want to cosplay as: Either England, Japan, female Japan, China or Kugelmugel.

Team Fortress 2
Your favorite character: Soldier!
Your least favorite character: Spy. Ladies' man character. Nopetynopenopenope.
Character you’d date: Soldier.
Character you’d like to go shopping with: Scout. Again for the video games.
Character you’d like as your child: Demoman.
Character who would probably be your rival: Spy.
Character you have most in common with: Scout.
Character you look like the most: Err... Pyro! :D
Character you’d bring home to your parents: Demoman, provided that he isn't drunk. He is an absolute sweetie to his mother.
Character you’d never bring home to your parents: Medic.
Character you’d become best friends with: Scout.
Character with your favorite voice/voice actor: Engineer. He has a smooth voice which I really like.
Character you’d go camping with: Sniper. Because, well, he is a camper.
Character you wouldn’t mind being roommates with: As much as I love Soldier, recent strips are telling me that he is the worst possible roommate you could have. Ehh... Probably Scout. Although the bad thing is that we'd probably stay up all night playing video games.
Character you’d want to cook for you: Heavy.
Character you wouldn’t mind prancing naked for you: Soldier. Yeh.
Your OTP: Soldier/Medic
Character you wouldn’t mind having as a parent: Heavy.
Character you’d like to go karaoke with: Pyro. Trust me.
Character you wouldn’t mind having as your butler: Demoman.
Character you’d have in your party if you were in a RPG: Medic. For the heals.
Another OTP of yours: Pyro/Engineer
Which character/class you play better? My better classes are Engineer, Medic, Soldier and Pyro. But I play best with either Engineer or Medic.
Character with your favorite uniform/outfit: Soldier. I love, love his coat.
Character who would be your band-mate if you were in a band: Engineer.
Character you wouldn’t mind having as your boss: Heavy.
Character you wouldn’t want to run into in a dark alley: Spy. I probably wouldn't want to run into him in any alley.
Character you’d want personified into a dog: Pyro.
Character you’d want personified into a cat: Spy. And then I can watch puppy!Pyro chase kitty!Spy around, which will be very amusing I assure you.
Character you’d want to cosplay as: Soldier.

By the Waters

2012-08-09T17:21:41Z

Title: By the Waters
Genre: Romance, Humour
Word Count: 888
Character(s)/Pairing(s): America/England
Rating/Warnings: PG
Summary: Normal pick-up lines won't work on swimmers. You have to use swimming pool pick-up lines on swimmers, of course!

Aquatics at usxuk Summer Olympics 2012

He could still remember the day when Alfred first spoke to him like it was yesterday. It had been at the public swimming pool complex that he goes to every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for an hour long of swimming session. That day, the day when Alfred first approached him, he was wearing sunglasses. Alfred, that is. He himself wouldn't be foolish enough to wear a pair of sunglasses in an indoor swimming pool.

Admittedly, he noticed Alfred way before they even properly met. How could he not when he was easily the fittest man in the complex? And with his sun-kissed blond hair, baby blue eyes–... He found it hard not to develop a tiny bit of attraction for that man, and by the time Alfred finally approached him, Arthur had already (albeit grudgingly) admitted that he was, for a lack of better term, 'crushing' on that man.

He was already aware that Alfred was walking towards him but acted like he didn't and pretended to be occupied with searching for something in his bag. Alfred tapped on his shoulder and only then did he acknowledge his presence.

“Yes?”

Alfred rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit unsure for a second before he cleared his throat and with a confident smile, said: “Do you know why I have these sunglasses?”

Arthur raised an eyebrow. That sounded suspiciously like an opening sentence to a horrible pick-up line.

“Because I'm blinded by your beauty.”

Arthur stared at him in disbelief for a moment, trying to make out whether the other man was being serious or not. But judging from the proud grin on his face that told people that he thought he had done a great job... He was.

It was then that Arthur realised he had been developing an infatuation for a complete dolt.

But somehow... that only made him like Alfred a little bit more.

And since he hadn't exactly rejected Alfred on his first try (he found it incredibly hard to when he was grinning so stupidly like that), for the next few days, Alfred became relentless in flirting with him using his atrocious pick-up lines.

“Now, how'd you fit that great big thing into that lil' speedo?”

“I noticed you thrashing about, would you like to hold onto my floaties?”

“If you went swimming with me, I'd lick you dry.” Arthur had blushed and kicked Alfred into the pool for that one, but shortly got his revenge by saying this following after:

“Sorry, did I make you all wet?” he said with a smirk, nothing with no small amount of satisfaction that Alfred's cheeks had gone a little red.

Revenge is certainly sweet.

Then there was that one time when Alfred feigned having a cramp while swimming in the pool and Arthur dived into the pool to rescue him. When he eventually got to him, he pulled him into his arms... only to get pushed away. Arthur stared at him in confusion, and that was when Alfred said it:

“Don't save me! Let me go down three times!”

And went down three times he did as Arthur dunked his head into the water more than thrice.

In any case, he slowly fell for Alfred's... dare he say it, 'charms' and finally gave the answer Alfred wanted with all those idiotic pick-up lines. The complex operates twenty-four hours and that day, for some reason, he decided to stay a little longer and did a few extra laps.

Okay, so maybe there was an intention for staying. It was just the matter of him wanting to admit to it or not.

“Hey Arthur.” Alfred greeted cheerily as they brushed past each other in the middle of the pool. Arthur stopped and glared at him.

“I swear, if you are going to use another of your pick-up lines again...”

“Woah, chill man. I didn't know that you hated them that much...” he said, looking a little dejected. Arthur scoffed at that.

“To be fair, they were quite terrible...”

“Yeah? Think you've got a better pick-up line?”

“I've got one.”

Perhaps it was the fact that they were finally alone, or maybe the moonlight that shone through the glass roof and lit up the swimming pool provided a romantic setting... Anyway, without thinking about it at all, Arthur had grabbed at Alfred's arms and pulled him in for a kiss. A very long one that lasted a minute, five minutes, ten minutes... He didn't really know. To him, it had felt like an eternity, but yet when they pulled away, he didn't felt like it was enough. Contradicting and strange, yet delightful feeling that is.

“How was that a line?” Alfred teased with a chuckle, and still looking very much dazed from the wonderful (at least in Arthur's opinion) kiss they just had.

“Oh, shut up.”

“So all this while, you liked my lines?”

“Of course not! Like I said, they were terrible!”

“So... You like me?”

Arthur felt his cheeks heating up and Alfred merely grinned that stupid grin of his again. Wanting to wipe that smug look off the other's face, Arthur pulled him in for yet another kiss. But just before their lips met, Alfred managed to get his last laugh by saying: “I knew it.”

Sugar. He will get him the next time.

Author's Note: Edited! This is much shorter than the original one since I decided to take out the M-rated part of the fic. Also, if anyone is interested, I got the pick-up lines from here!

Thank You

2012-08-09T13:20:27Z

Title: Thank You
Genre: General
Word Count: 297
Character(s)/Pairing(s): England, Singapore (OC)
Rating/Warnings: G
Summary: England visits Singapore on his birthday.

Challenge: 11. Cooperation at hetachallenge

England rarely visited Singapore. But when he decided to pay a short one on the boy's forty-seventh birthday, he had not been expecting to see him waiting for his arrival at the airport.

“Hullo, Singapore. You didn't tell me that you will be waiting for me at the airport.”

Singapore merely shrugged and pushed up his glasses, the expression on his face betraying nothing. He had always made it a point not to show any kind of emotion in public. “Since you are visiting, I might as well cooperate and be a good host.” Even his voice was monotonous, it was hard to tell if he was pleased to see him here.

“I... suppose... Oh.” England took out a medium-sized rectangular box from his briefcase and held it out towards Singapore, who responded by staring at him in stunned silence. “Here. I didn't know what to get you but I hope you like it anyway...”

Hesitantly, Singapore reached out for the box and received it using two hands. “This is the first time you have ever given me a present...”

“Well, it's only proper seeing that it's your birth–“

“Thank you,” he interrupted, smiling. It was the first time England ever saw him smile. Singapore looked away almost too quickly and shuffled his feet in an awkward manner, looking like he wanted to give his former guardian a hug but at the same time, didn't look very willing to especially since they were in public. England sighed and was about to call for them to get a move on but Singapore surprised him yet again by throwing himself forward and somehow managing to envelop the Englishman in his smaller body. After a long moment of silent exchange, Singapore repeated, this time in a whisper:

"Thank you, England."

Author's Note: Just a short little one for my country's 47th birthday!

Then I Swim

2012-08-08T04:49:57Z

Title: Then I Swim
Genre: Romance, Angst
Word Count: 826
Character(s)/Pairing(s): America/England
Rating/Warnings: G. Mention of character death.
Summary: What keeps Arthur doing his best when he swims.

Olympics at usxuk Summer Olympics 2012

“I am sure we are all very excited for the fifty metres freestyle final that is to take place this evening. And here we have Arthur Kirkland—” At this, the man gave a curt smile and a short wave to the camera. “—Great Britain’s representative for the swimming event tonight. Arthur, how are you feeling?”

“Pretty good, I suppose. I would be worried if I wasn’t.”

“How about feeling confident? You have some pretty tough competition, don’t you? We have John Moore from the US, Li Hsiao Wen from China and of course, Nathan Adams from Australia. All very great swimmers like yourself.”

“I am sure anyone can feel confident as long as they believe that they will be doing their best. I will be doing my best,” he said with a chuckle. “I hope you see what I’m trying to get at.”

“I most certainly do, Arthur. Putting your competitors aside... Tell me, how do you do your best?”

“I am sure you have heard about the seven habits of highly effective people.” Arthur smiled and threw a quick look towards the swimming pool. “Begin with the end in mind. I look straight ahead to the end point. I see myself there.” A pause. “Then I swim.”

The reporter smiled in return. “That seems to be the popular method among world-class swimmers. We’ll just have to see how it works out for you.” She looked towards the crowd. “Are there friends or family cheering on for you tonight?”

“Well, there are my teammates...” Another pause as he smiled sadly, scanning the crowd for the man he knew wasn’t there. “And there’s Alfred.”

“Well, I am sure with Alfred’s support, you will do very well. Best of luck!”

“Thank you.”

The crowd was exhilarating, cheering on for the men that was stepping up onto the platforms. He tuned the noise out and closed his eyes, wishing that Alfred was here. He was sure he would be if he could. Alfred had always been so enthusiastic when he swims, so much so that he sometimes wondered who is the one that is actually swimming for a gold. He knew his boyfriend was proud of him – he knew because he always told him – and it made his heart swell with joy. He chuckled to himself at the memory, earning the attention of no one since the people nearby had other things to concern themselves with.

I look straight ahead to the end point.

He looked up and ahead to the other end of the swimming pool, where the judges stood. A line of men – that was what most people could see, but not for Arthur. Because beyond them, beyond the man that stood on his lane, he could see Alfred– could picture him there.

“You can do it, Art!” he mouths to him, grinning so widely and brilliantly, looking so very perfect with his bright blue eyes and sunshine gold hair. He was wearing a hoodie that featured the Old Glory and a pair of black jeans to match. Ironic really, considering who he is cheering on for. But that was what Arthur best remembered him wearing. How can he forget? He simply can’t... Not with the memories of it being blood-stained, of him holding onto it as Alfred took his last breath from the unfortunate car accident that happened a year ago. He was devastated then – Alfred had promised to be there when he competes for the Olympics, had promised to be with him for as long as they lived...

But he knew better now. Alfred was never the one to break his promises. He would be here, even if it is not in a physical sense. He knew he would be.

“Oh come on! Remember what I said! No gold, no sex!”

Arthur rolled his eyes and with one final smile, got himself into the ready position, as did the other swimmers. He will win this. He have to win this. Not for the sex, of course, that’s preposterous. But for Alfred, and for all those times he stood by him and supported him as he trained for this very moment.

I see myself there.

“On your mark,” the announcer said over the distortion of the microphone. Arthur closed his eyes, imagining the scene that would have happened if Alfred was physically here. He would reach the end of the pool, win his gold, and in the excitement of it all, wouldn’t have minded even if Alfred pulled him away from the reporters and the rest of his cheering teammates for a congratulatory kiss. He was sure he would have kissed him anyway, even if he didn’t win – tell him that he did his best and that he had been great out in the pool, and that alone mattered more than the gold he didn’t win.

The buzz goes off and Arthur dives straight into the water.

Then I swim.

HetaChallenge Table: HetaSummer

2012-07-16T12:14:38Z

Challenge table for hetachallenge

Table: HetaSummer
Completed: 1/25
Started: 16 July 2012
Ended: 16 August 2012

1.	Office	2.	Summer	3.	Learning	4.	Pain	5.	Sky
6.	Utopian	7.	Nest	8.	Waggish	9.	Wilderness	10.	Receptive
11.	Wet	12.	Frighten	13.	Vegetable	14.	Whirl	15.	Exuberant
16.	Hall	17.	Skin	18.	First	19.	Twist	20.	Clock
21.	Groovy	22.	Hill	23.	Legal	24.	Unbiased	25.	Choose your own

If you want to see one of the prompts written for a certain character/pairing, feel free to request it here! c:

Stickers

2012-07-15T18:44:10Z

Title: Stickers
Genre: Romance, Fluff
Word Count: 1,219
Character(s)/Pairing(s): America/England
Rating/Warnings: PG
Summary: Glow-in-the-dark stickers... Lots of things you can do with them, you could recreate the night sky or well, get creative with it like America did.

Table/Prompt: Romance/20.Sleepover at hetachallenge

“Remind me again why you're here.”

“A sleepover, England! A sleepover! It'd be fun!” America exaclaimed, throwing his arms up in emphasis of just how delightful this unplanned event is going to be. “You really are getting old, aren't you?”

“It was a rhetorical question. And the last I remembered, a sleepover actually requires having an invitation from the host.”

“Alrighty then! I hereby officially invite you to my awesome sleepover!”

“You are in my house.”

“Doesn't matter since I'm the one who called for this! Look, I even went through the trouble of bringing an extra sleeping bag just for you!” America said and proceeded to pull out two sleeping bags from the large – he now knew why – luggage he brought along with him. “Come on, England!”

“This is ridiculous,” England muttered with a sigh, already turning to head for his bedroom. “You can have this silly little sleepover by yourself if you want. I'll be in my room if you need any–...”

America pulled on the hem of his shirt to stop him from leaving. He turned with a glare, wanting to show him that his decision was final but regretted it almost instantly, having been greeted with America's signature move in getting his way – the kicked puppy look. “Please?”

He gritted his teeth, wondering if the idiot was even conscious of what he is doing at times. “Fine. But only because you are being so goddamned persistent about it.” And not because he was being soft or anything.

“Yesss!”

“Right. And what do you propose we do on this sleepover?”

America, git he was, just grinned in an endearingly stupid manner and turned his luggage over. England just stared, watching as at least fifty (he might be exagerrating a little but it was around there) DVDs poured out from it. How he could even fit those in there would forever be a wonder to the him. “Watch movies. What else? You can have the first pick, if you want.”

“This is just going to be lovely, isn't it?” England muttered sarcastically to himself. Fortunately or unfortunately for him, America caught his words but not the sarcasm.

“Of course it is! Now go on and choose one. Don't worry about picking a bad movie though since all of these here are awesome movies straight from Hollywood!”

Not even looking at the titles, England just reached out and randomly picked one up. “This.”

America blinked at the title before grinning and taking it away from his hand. “Planes, Trains and Automobiles? A most excellent choice, sir.” An odd look then crossed America's face. It was gone so quickly though that England almost thought he imagined it. “While I set things up, why don't you go get some pillows and blankets for us?”

England quirked an eyebrow. “You are planning something, aren't you?

“W-What? No, of course not! Why would you think that?” America replied almost immediately, his eyes darting around in a nervous manner. England sighed. The loud-mouthed nation is so obvious at times it was painful to watch. He decided he could play along with America just this once, and then sighed quietly as he mentally berated himself. How many times had he actually played along with America 'just this once'?

“Ah, I suppose I am just overthinking things. Very well, I'll get them.”

He could only hope he wouldn't regret his decision afterwards.

“America, I do think three movies is enough for a night.” England said with a groan as the credits rolled up. He flopped onto his back, feeling like as if all his energy has been sapped out just by watching three movies. Maybe he really was getting old... America, however, didn't seem to be getting older like he was and hastily reached out for another movie.

“Are you sure? This is a great movie too!”

“Enough is enough,” he stated, closing his eyes. Was it just him or did America sound a little panicked? “Now turn off the lights and go to sleep.”

There was a brief pause before America finally complied, disappointment evident in his voice. “Fine...” He then went to turn off the lights.

England sighed and tried to relax himself to sleep. He said 'tried' because America just wouldn't stop shifting beside him.

“What on Earth are you– ...” And that was when he saw it – the ceiling, dotted with numerous glow-in-the dark stickers. It was messy but stunning all the same, almost comparable to a clear night sky. That wasn't what took his breath away though but...

“That is going to be a pain to remove.” England began as he turned to face America, who did the same as he laughed nervously.

“Y-Yeah? It was a pain putting them up there too...”

“Then you shouldn't have done so,” England remarked, looking straight into America's eyes and trying to ignore the fact that his cheeks was heating up at an alarming rate. The light in America's eyes seemed to dim a little at his response, obviously crushed, and he could safely assume that the other wasn't able to see his reddening cheeks in the dark. America frowned slightly, a rare occurence, and was about to turn away but England stopped him, cupping his cheeks to keep him there. But the bright blues just wouldn't look at him and without thinking about the consequence, he closed the distance between them and pressed a soft but brief kiss to America's lips. Those eyes now widened in surprise, and England couldn't help but admire them – they looked even more beautiful up close.

With much reluctance, he pulled away slowly. For a minute or two, there was just silence, neither party wanting to risk breaking the moment by saying something inappropriate.

England was the one who spoke up first. “For someone who interrupts important world meetings without any remorse, you sure are being quiet now.”

America puffed out his cheeks childishly. “I am not good with this, okay?”

“Neither am I, but...” England bit his lip. He had never been great in expressing how he truly felt through spoken words. He averted his gaze, unsure, before he looked at America fully in the eyes once more. “I like you too... A lot.”

Slowly but surely, America became more like his usual self again and smiled, bright and confident and loving and hopeful and many other things that England couldn't put into words. He could feel his cheeks heating up again and this time, there was no hiding it since America had decided to cup them gently. “England–...”

“A-And for the record! 'A lot' is spelt as two separate words!”

And America, bless that boy, ignored him and pulled him in for another kiss – a much longer and very satisfying one, might he add. His eyes trailed over to the ceiling once more, searching among the glow-in-the-dark stars the message that was worded out using the stickers.

I like you, England. Alot.

No... This was far, far more beautiful than a clear night sky. With that thought in mind and a soft smile on his lips, he closed his eyes and lost himself in the kiss.

Author's Note: I'm making progress on my prompt table... At a very slow rate.

Good Night, Sweetheart

2012-06-03T17:51:40Z

Title: Good Night, Sweetheart
Genre: Romance
Word Count: 1,399
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Soldier/Medic, Scout
Rating/Warnings: PG
Summary: After a long day of traveling and finally reaching the border into the BLU's territory, the RED Medic does a routine check on his comrades... and the RED Soldier.

Table/Prompt: #22/3.along the border at 5_prompts

“Zere you go.”

“Heh. Thanks, doc!” Scout said with a grin as he stretched his left arm a little before relaxing and letting it flop to his side.

Medic nodded in response and proceeded to keep his equipment into his bag. “Now, all zat is left is Soldat...” He looked to Scout, an eyebrow quirked in question. “Where is he?”

Scout turned, looked into a distance and nodded towards it. “Right over there. He is with his cardboard friends again.” Medic sighed softly, in both understanding and slight exhaustion.

“Danke.” He stood up and Scout scampered off to where the rest of the RED team was. He grabbed his bag and started towards where he could see a campfire, on a small cliff overlooking the BLU's territory. It was just right along the border. Soldier is insane, exposing himself like that. But nobody bothered to tell off the most stubborn man on the team, he had always been resolute in everything he does.

Braving the strong night wind, he slowly made his way up there. He probably should have brought his coat along but he didn't really want to make his way back down again after coming this far. He just wanted this to be over with quickly and finally get some rest. As he neared, he could make out the three life-sized cutouts of random soldier men. Soldier was speaking to them – he spoke of past wars and experiences, of being absolutely fearless...

At one point, Soldier visibly stiffened and Medic knew he had become aware of his presence.

“Soldat, I am here to do a short check.”

“Cupcake?” Soldier called out, turning around now to face him. He still had his ridiculously large helmet on – ridiculously large for him anyway, considering it covered nearly half his face – and Medic sometimes wondered how Soldier could possibly see, much less aim, with the helmet over his eyes.

“Ja.” he answered with an air of indifference. He was used to Soldier calling him such names by now. It had been a little odd at first but overtime, he learnt not to dwell too much on it. Soldier, who was still holding onto his shotgun, tilted his helmet up just by the slightest with the gun's barrel. For that fraction of a second, Medic caught sight of his dark blue eyes before the helmet fell over them again. “Put down your gun.”

Soldier hesitated for a moment, staring at Medic in silence and although he couldn't see his eyes, he could feel the intense gaze piercing through even the tough material of his headgear.

“Soldat.”

“All right,” Soldier finally said and then turned to his cardboard cutouts. Medic only now noticed that one of it had a tear in its arm. The truck must have jerked around too violently earlier during their road trip. “It won't take long, my men.”

For someone who had the stubborness rivalling that of a mule, he was being extremely obedient. Although, it was most likely because he was taught to listen to a doctor. He wouldn't be surprised really, if that was actually the reason.

“Your shotgun.”

“Oh, right.” Medic could imagine him blinking, before he carefully placed his weapon down onto the ground.

“Now roll up both your sleeves and hold out your left arm.”

Soldier seemed a little reluctant again. “Is this going to hurt?”

“I am just going to take your blood pressure. I need to make sure zat your heart is not causing you any problems.”

Soldier nodded, his helmet following that movement, and he rolled up his sleeves and bared his arms for him. Medic took out the sphygmomanometer from his equipment bag and took the blood pressure of his left arm. Soldier was staring again – he could tell – but this time at his hands working on his arm.

Medic attempted to make small talk in the process. “Why are you not with ze rest of them?”

Soldier tilted his head. He could tell without looking. Helmets were not exactly the most silent of headwear. “I need to stand patrol here and make sure that no one from the BLU team sneaks past the border while the rest of them are asleep.”

Medic momentarily felt sorry for Soldier. His good intentions had all along been misinterpreted as madness by the rest of the team. Although, he couldn't blame anyone – Soldier does act like a maniac on the battlefield.

“You are a dummkopf.” Medic muttered under his breath. He took the pressure of his other arm, and everything looked all right. He nodded to himself and removed the equipment from Soldier.

“Dumm–... What?”

“–kopf. Anyway, it's done.”

Soldier just nodded. “What is a dummkopf?”

“I am not telling you.”

“May I guess?”

“Nein.” Medic replied curtly, fully expecting the American to retaliate by saying he does what he wants. The man does have quite a strange fondness for guessing games... Not that he was very good at it.

“Okay.” Soldier murmured in response and tilted his head down, as if in disappointment. Medic stared at him in a brief moment of shock. Such a submissive Soldier was almost unheard of. Frowning, he reached out and grabbed tightly at his arm – just to make sure that he was really the RED Soldier and not the BLU Spy in disguise. And although he still couldn't see his eyes, he could make out Soldier's surprised expression from the shape of his mouth.

“Just checking to see zat you are not the BLU spy.” He declared before letting go so he could keep his equipment back into his bag. Soldier said nothing and merely turned to his cardboard men again, eyes resting on the one with the torn arm. Medic said nothing else either and stood up, preparing to leave.

Just when he was about to take the first step, Soldier stopped him.

“Hey Sally?”

He turned to address the man. “Ja, Soldat?”

Soldier looked between him and the cardboard soldier. “Can you help Salty Pete fix up his arm?”

Medic opened his mouth, about to say no, but stopped and found himself nodding softly twice. Soldier seemed genuinely pleased as he walked over, reaching into his bag for a roll of medical tape to patch up the torn area.

“Zere you go,” he said, before adding in for good measure. “Salty Pete.”

Soldier was grinning so widely that Medic was a little worried he might crack the corners of his mouth.

“Thanks, doc.”

A sigh. “No problem.”

Soldier nodded and turned back to his cardboard men once more. He didn't start rambling like he had been before and just remained silent, staring at the bits of ashes as it danced off the tips of the flame. Just like that – he looked lonely. Medic shook his head and merely shrugged it off. A particularly strong breeze blew past and he sneezed, causing Soldier to look up to him.

He waved a hand dismissively. “It's fi–...” But before he could finish, a weight rested on his shoulders. He turned around to face Soldier, who was now without his coat and giving a few pats to his right shoulder.

Soldier feigned a few coughs. Never had been the one for acting, that man. “It'd be bad and ironic if the doctor falls sick,” was his reasoning before he made his way back to where he previously sat. Medic stared at him for a few moments before he smiled – truly smiled, something that he didn't do very often – and pulled the coat tighter around him. He walked over to sit beside the soldier, nonchalant to the look he was giving him.

“We can take turns keeping watch,” he said and rested his back against the large boulder just behind them. Soldier lets out a huff, there was a hint of amusement behind it, and averted his gaze back to the fire. Both of them said nothing more and in the silence, Medic closed his eyes and finally got his much needed rest.

Just before slumber overtook him, he could hear a familiar, rough voice saying:

“Good night, sweetheart.”

Author's Note: Mostly written based on the fact that in game, Soldier calls for the Medic like this: "C'mere, cupcake.", "C'mere, Sally.", "C'mere, sweetheart." It's primarily why I shipped this pair in the first place xD;;

Two Drabbles: Forever & Yours

2012-05-29T02:29:23Z

Title: Forever
Genre: Romance, Fluff
Word Count: 299
Character(s)/Pairing(s): America/England
Rating/Warnings: G
Summary: Alfred is being strange about asking Arthur to test out his new earphones.

Challenge: 8. Music at hetachallenge

One.

“What ever happened to your last one?” Arthur asked when Alfred came up to him one day with a new pair of earphones, urging him to test it out.

“Uh, I dropped it into the toilet bowl.”

Arthur did not indulge himself in wondering what on Earth Alfred is doing with earphones in the washroom. He merely nodded, plugged one side of the earphones into his right ear and settled comfortably into the couch with a book on his lap. Alfred sat down close beside him and plugged the other side into his left ear. He wouldn't admit this out loud, but it was nice to spend some time like this – just being together in a nice sort of silence.

The song that came up first was Life Is A Highway, which was nothing out of the ordinary from Alfred's playlist. The boy was rather fond of loud music, he'd learnt. What is out of the ordinary, however, was that he was fidgeting about in a manner he identified as 'nervous'. Furrowing his eyebrows, he ignored it and tried to concentrate on his book.

...

By the time it transitioned into the next song, it was beginning to become infuriating. He was about to ask just what is with Alfred when the lyrics and rhythm of the next song stopped him.

I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad
Carry you around when your arthritis is bad
Oh all I wanna do is grow old with you

He blinked before his eyebrows furrowed into a much deeper frown than before. Alfred had always been quick to make fun of him whenever he listens to a love song.

I'll miss you
Kiss you
Give you my coat when you are cold

He looked over to his lover now, surprised he hadn't skip to the next song yet. What greeted him was not what he had been expecting. Alfred was looking straight at him with a serious expression on his face, cheeks a dark red.

I could be the man who grows old with you
I wanna grow old with you

W-Was he...?

Title: Yours
Genre: Romance, Fluff
Word Count: 256
Character(s)/Pairing(s): America/England
Rating/Warnings: G
Summary: Continuation of Forever. Alfred discovers a new song in his playlist.

Challenge: 8. Music at hetachallenge

Two.

Alfred stretched as he lifted himself off the bed. He normally didn't mind mornings but today, he wasn't feeling all that cheerful like he normally is. He absentmindedly brushed his fingers over the empty space beside him on the large bed, recalling the event last night. Arthur had blushed like he guessed he would but afterwards, he had just put his book aside, bid him a good night and headed straight for the bedroom. Had Arthur gotten it? Or had he been rejected?

Alfred quickly tried to convince himself that he had been too subtle and Arthur didn't manage to catch the intention behind his actions.

With a little dread, he dragged himself out of bed, eyes raking over the evidence of Arthur's morning. Arthur had left early for work as usual. He reached over to the bedside table and picked up his iTouch, hoping a song or two could help lift his spirits up a little. He browsed through the Recently Added list, quickly scanning the short list until he reached the bottom.

I Do (Cherish You) – 98 degrees.

Alfred furrowed his eyebrows slightly in confusion. He did not remember ever adding that song. Curious, he played it.

All I am, all I'll be
Everything in this world
All that I'll ever need
Is in your eyes

It took him a while, but his eyes finally widened. C-Could it be...?

For the rest of my life
You don't have to think twice
I will love you still
From the depths of my soul
It's beyond my control
I've waited so long to say this to you
If you're asking do I love you this much
I do

Blushing slightly, he flopped back down onto the bed and buried his face into the soft pillows. Unable to keep the smile off his face, he thought to himself:

I'll properly propose to you tonight, and make you say those two words yourself.

5_prompts Table: #22

2012-05-15T16:52:02Z

Challenge table for 5_prompts

Table: #22
Completed: 2/5
Started: 16 May 2012
Ended: -

5_prompts Table Number 22 2/5
01.	you've known all along	02.	get it out
03.	along the border	04.	ever since that night
05. Love is as much of an object as an obsession. Everybody wants it, everybody seeks it, but few ever achieve it. Those who do will cherish it, be lost in it, and among all, will never... ever forget it. -Curtis Judalet

I am going to try out a different fandom with different characters to try and get me out of my writer's slump. Hopefully that could help get me back into rhythm for writing America/England. It's going to be a bit of a challenge though... Seeing that Team Fortress 2's characters are a little tricky to work with xD

Personal: Meme from shuriken7

2012-05-15T16:22:38Z

Don't mind if I answer this... I enjoy doing memes xD;; Anyone who sees this is tagged, so let me know if you responded! c:

Rule 1 - Post the rules.
Rule 2- Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then make 11 new ones.
Rule 3- Tag 11 people and link them to your post.
Rule 4- Let them know you’ve tagged them!

1. What is your favorite fandom of all time?

Axis Powers Hetalia. It's the first fandom that I got really into and actively participated in, and thus will always hold a special place in my heart.

2. Have you ever been to a fan convention (if you haven't do you want to)? Do you dress up?

Yes, I have been to two so far. They were both great experiences for me and the goodies you can grab while there are always great. And nope! I did want to cosplay as Sandplay Kagamine Len last year but eventually didn't.

3. If you were any plant, animal, or mineral what would you be and why?

I was half-tempted to pick a mineral just because of my name... xD Unfunny jokes aside, I would probably want to be an otter. I just really like the idea of them having to 'hold hands' to keep from drifting away from one another c:

4. Who is your favorite character of all time?

England from Axis Powers Hetalia hands-down. There were characters that I really like before England - Kai Hiwatari, Uchiha Sasuke, Yoko Kurama, Hanizuka Mitsukuni, Hihara Kazuki, L Lawliet, Kagamine Len, Li Syaoran - but none came as far as he did.

5. What are your favorite characters in your current fandoms?

England from Axis Powers Hetalia.
Soldier from Team Fortress 2.
Sherlock Holmes from BBC Sherlock. I had a really hard time trying to choose between Sherlock and Mycroft xD
Rider from Fate/Zero.
Fred and George Weasley from Harry Potter. This, I can't choose between.
Captain America from The Avengers.

6. What is your favorite thing to do on days off?

Sit in front of the computer orz Well, that is what I mostly end up doing on days off anyway.

7. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you do there?

The United States. Colorado, specifically - to meet someone whom I have been wanting to meet face-to-face for quite some time... Then I would give this certain someone a big hug, look straight into this person's eyes and say I love you.

8. What is your favorite mythical creature and why?

Ahh, while I am aware that there are many more cool mythical creatures out there, I am just going to be uncreative with this and say - dragons. I just find them to be really majestic and dignified creatures.

9. What is a movie/book you just can not/will not read and why?

Saw. A friend of mine showed me about a minute or two of the movie and just... NEVER. AGAIN. I absolutely cannot stand graphic gore and this movie is really, really great in that aspect. I know there are worse out there, and I am glad I don't know the titles.

10. Name your OTPs from five fandoms.

America/England from Axis Powers Hetalia. Anyone who knows me will know this xD I never knew shipping till I met these two. The relationship, the history, the development, the potentials... I can go on and on about them but I really shouldn't xD So run before I do.

Soldier/Medic from Team Fortress 2. A guilty pleasure ship. Eheh.

Sherlock/John from BBC Sherlock.

Fred + George from Harry Potter. Sweetest pair of brothers ever. And I like how they - beyond their familial ties - are each other's best friends.

Rider + Waver from Fate/Zero. While I don't mind them to be romantically involved with each other, I much prefer them as a platonic pair and bro-ing it out. In fact, I ship these two platonically like whoa. It's a really fun pair - you have Waver, who tries really hard to be assertive but failing miserably at it because Rider is a naturally assertive character. It's even funnier since Waver is the master and Rider is the servant. They get along in their own weird little way - Rider frequently rebukes Waver for being pathetic and incompetent but he does care for him and is quick to defend his dignity when the situation calls for it, and tries to man him up whenever possible. Waver appears to be intolerant of his overbearing servant, but in actuality holds a great amount of respect for him.

My questions:

1. Let's start this by having you list your three OTPs from three different fandoms and ramble about them! Go go go! (Note: Rambling optional.)
2. What is your favourite animal?
3. What are you most afraid of?
4. If you are stranded on an island, what are three skills you find are essential for survival and why?
5. Which anime/cartoon/show/movie/game/book universe do you want to live in?
6. What is one character that you admire and why?
7. What is your favourite food and drink combo?
8. What was your ambition when you were little?
9. What are some of your favourite characters?
10. It's pirates versus ninjas! Pick your side!
11. If you could choose any musical instrument to instantly master, what instrument would you choose?

Drabble: Between a Knight and his King

2012-03-03T18:15:55Z

Title: Between a Knight and his King
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Adventure
Word Count: 300
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Implied America/England
Rating/Warnings: G
Summary: Arthurian legend AU. In which Alfred loses his usual confidence and his king tries to restore his morale.
Author's Note: Sort of Arthurian legend AU. I borrowed one or two concepts from the actual legend, so yeah. Feel free to take a guess on who Alfred is c:

Challenge: 6. Legend at hetachallenge

“Is that how it is?”

Alfred looked up to the familiar voice and was greeted by the sight of his king; with green eyes glaring down to him and lips twitching as if in distaste. Unable to meet his king's eyes, Alfred lets his gaze fall back to the ground.

“It's no use, Arthur,” Alfred began quietly. “You know I use two hands to wield my sword...”

“It's Your Majesty for you, Sir Alfred.” Arthur dipped his head down so he could try to catch Alfred's eyes. “And I am starting to doubt that you are one of my best knights.”

Alfred tilted his head further down, cheeks puffed out in mild annoyance. Can't Arthur already see that he was upset?

“True power lies not in what one has,” he said, drawing out a familiar sword from a scabbard. “But in how one utilises what he does have.”

Alfred blinked twice, before finally making eye contact. Arthur looked at him for a moment before sighing and straightening himself up.

“You left this in the battlefield, you complete git.” He flung the sword he was holding blade-first into the ground. “And if you can draw that sword from the earth, you can still fight.”

With that, he turned around and walked away from him, cape flying behind him.

Alfred never had a more vivid image of a hero in his head.

And he was determined to follow it.

Sparing not another second, he got up in one swift movement and pulled out his sword from the earth easily with his right hand, and followed after his king.

Arthur threw him a short glance over his shoulder and continued on forward.

Alfred could have sworn he saw a smirk as he turned away.

Arrow Bracket Three

2012-02-09T09:43:58Z

Title: Arrow Bracket Three
Genre: Fluff
Word Count: 831
Character(s)/Pairing(s): America/England
Rating/Warnings: G
Summary: America likes using smileys. England has difficulties figuring them out. So why not explain it with actions?

Close to You at usxuk Sweethearts Week 2012

<3

America has always been obnoxious in his text messages; with all his short forms and grammatical errors—England didn't even know where to begin. But what irritated him the most was neither his excessive usage of colloquialisms nor the lack of punctuations, but the smileys; half of which he couldn't even imagine on America's face, as expressive as he may be.

There were the simpler ones, like :D :) :(, those were... understandable but then there came things like :3 xD :S ... Really? How does one even twist their lips in such a manner? In the beginning, it had bugged him to no end but he eventually learnt to read past it. It was usually relatively easy to guess what the smileys meant. Usually. Until this came. His first assumption was that America is trying to tease him about his eyebrows and that it was some sort of smiley with a unibrow. Well, ha ha, how amusing.

If you are trying to make fun of me, America, it isn't very funny.

Of coz im nt! Im bein totally and completely srs!

England twitched at the 'language' he hesitated to even call English. It was tempting, to just ignore America, but it would be rude and with gritted teeth, he replied:

So it was an insult, then?

Wht? No! Wat r u talking abt???

It was amazing; the number of shortened variations America could come up with for a single word.

Don’t you pull the innocent act on me _l_ You are calling me a monobrow.

Woah woah woah! Language, man! N im nt calling u a unibrow, y wud u say tht??

This: <3.

Wait, wat? No! Its nt a unibrow thing i swear!

Right, and _l_ means let’s go out for a coffee.

So does tht mean were goin on a date?

England sputtered at the message.

No, it does not! Now stop texting me and leave me alone!

Ill hold u 2 that, Artie <3

England frowned at the new message and especially at the accursed smiley thing that mocked him. After about a minute, he finally sighed, put his mobile phone into standby and tossed it aside.

There was work to be done and he most certainly do not have any time for silly little guessing games.

A few hours later, England had finally finished with the last of his paperwork and he leant back into his chair with an exhausted sigh. Thanks to that git, he had been unable to fully concentrate and took a little longer than he would have liked to finish them.

It then hit him.

He could have just searched for the meaning online.

Groaning, he sprang up to lean towards his laptop, fingers tip-tapping quickly on the keyboard to enter the search term into the address bar. He was then interrupted by the loud sound of his doors being thrown open.

Surprised, he yelped (not squeaked) and jumped a little in his seat.

“ENGLAND!”

“What in the bloody—! When did you get to London?!”

America stepped in and the first thing that England noticed was that he had his arms tucked behind him. He was hiding something. “Just this morning, actually! I had some work in the embassy though and didn't have time to drop by until now! Aren’t you glad I came?”

England avoided answering the question. He hated to admit this but a little company is nice sometimes... And America being the company is actually quite the added bonus. "At least inform me of your arrival beforehand!"

America just grinned. He walked towards and around the desk, making sure he was facing England at all times. The Englishman frowned and subconsciously leant away, wary. He was definitely hiding something.

“So, did you find out what arrow bracket three means?”

At that, England huffed and crossed his arms, “I am sticking to my initial guess.”

America smiled, “Well, you’re wrong. But I, as the hero, will save you from being left in the dark.”

“You are hardly a he—...” He never got the chance to finish the sentence, as America had pulled him in towards him by the tie and closed whatever distance between them to place a soft kiss on his lips. It was brief and ended quickly, but it felt really nice nonetheless. England turned pink and his eyes darted to the sides, bashful.

“S-So, it means a kiss then?”

“You’re wrong again,” America said, pulling out from behind him what he had been hiding and showed it to the other.

<3

“You know this isn’t exactly helping...”

America shook his head, the piece of hair that always stuck up stubbornly above the rest bobbing endearingly along with that motion. He turned the paper anti-clockwise and held it between them.

“It means love.”

“Wha—...”

But America, being the rude, adorable idiot that he was, interrupted him yet again with another kiss.

I <3 you.

He might have just taken a special liking to it.

List of Recommended Fanfictions

2012-01-28T06:53:20Z

So, I have finally decided to make a fic recs list — to share beautiful fics. ~~But mostly because I want to get back to them at a later point. Ahem.~~ I'm still slowly going through the fics I've favourited, so there will definitely be more to come.

Axis Powers Hetalia
Lying in that Sound, Tonight: Before the victory of the allies, before the United States of America joined the war, before Lend-Lease, before everything — there were just two nations, two men, who just refused to meet halfway until it was forced upon them.
Author: stardropdream // Pairing(s): England/America // Rating: PG-13

Act Natural: Arthur Kirkland, porn novelist extraordinaire, is suffering from writer's block. His new muse shows up on his doorstep with an American accent, a mega-watt smile and a tool belt.
Author: monobuu // Pairing(s): America/England, implied Germany/Italy and Spain/Romano // Rating: NC-17

Ask Me Anything: Alfred starts to follow Arthur on tumblr. It's not long until they become friends... and possibly more.
Author: Iggycat // Pairing(s): America/England // Rating: PG-13

Being Caught Lying May Result in a Kiss: Alfred and Arthur are online friends, but Alfred has told Arthur that his name is Theodore and he has not shown him any photos. They meet by coincidence while at vacation, and now Alfred has to make Arthur like his real self. And it's not that easy.
Author: ButterFish // Pairing(s): America/England // Rating: PG-13

Counting Kisses: The first time they kissed, it was an accident. The second time they kissed, it was a mistake. But as one kiss turned into many kisses, could it be possible that accident also turned into habit and mistake into blessing?
Author: dnks-girls // Pairing(s): America/England // Rating: PG-13

Just a Park Bench: It had started out as a simple ritual to escape from the stresses of work. It was just a park bench, really. Nothing special about it. At least, not until a certain American wormed his way in and threw peace and quiet out Arthur's window.
Author: OrangePlum // Pairing(s): America/England // Rating: PG-13

Law & Punishment: [Dubcon/Noncon][Ongoing] Dark AU. Arthur is an angel, that once upon a time raised a young demon. After an accident, the two were separated; however, the young demon wants his angel back.
Author: semebay // Pairing(s): America/England // Rating: NC-17

Locked Away: [Ongoing] WW2 AU. When 14 year old Arthur Kirkland is evacuated from London during the Blitz, he dreads having to live with an American family. The Briton expects despair, loneliness, and lack of love- But what he doesn't expect, is to be wrong.
Author: Iggycat // Pairing(s): America/England // Rating: PG-13

Meanwhile, Across Town: [Ongoing] Superhero AU. The glory days of Hetalopolis, when war raged between Superhero and Supervillain, are gone. But when Arthur happens upon an aspiring Superhero, it looks like his days as the greatest reporter in the city are again just around the corner...
Author: George deValier // Pairing(s): America/England, Lithuania/Poland, Prussia/Hungary/Austria, Germany/Italy, France/Canada, Russia/China, Spain/Romano, Greece/Japan // Rating: PG-13

Quid Pro Quo: [Ongoing] Arthur Kirkland is a notorious defense attorney who takes any case that pays well. Alfred F. Jones is an up-and-coming prosecutor for the state who's been getting in the way of too many of his cases and, after a drunken night, Arthur's private life too.
Author: simplytrop // Pairing(s): America/England // Rating: NC-17

Roses Are Red: I didn't think much of it when I scribbled down a poem and handed it to a lonely boy on Valentine's Day. As a 6-year-old, it didn't seem very important, I thought I'd forget. But how can you forget the day you meet the person you'd fall in love with?
Author: Iggycat // Pairing(s): America/England // Rating: PG

Smoker's Lounge: It all started with a bad habit.
Author: Zo One // Pairing(s): America/England // Rating: PG-13

Ten Thousand Stitches Crossed: America does whatever it takes to get closer to England. His wardrobe is just a small sacrifice to make, that's all.
Author: kay-cricketed // Pairing(s): America/England // Rating: PG-13

The Appliance of Charm: Alfred Jones, PA extraordinaire, is on a mission to get a coffee machine. The only obstacle in his way is one very British, tea-loving boss.
Author: monobuu // Pairing(s): England/America, minor France/Japan // Rating: NC-17

We'll Meet Again: WW2 AU. Londoner Arthur Kirkland's pub is overrun by American servicemen on leave over the winter of 1943/44. One in particular is driving him to distraction - loud, brash fighter pilot Alfred Jones. Unable to stop it, Arthur finds himself falling for Alfred's charms... just as the pilot is preparing to leave for war.
Author: George deValier // Pairing(s): America/England // Rating: NC-17

You Can't Take the Sky from Me: [Ongoing] Steampunk AU. Ace pilot America is on a mission for the World Military when a chance encounter with a group of sky-pirates leads him to team up with their captain, England, against a malevolent group that wants to fill the sky with zeppelins.
Author: haro // Pairing(s): America/England // Rating: PG-13

BBC Sherlock
The Long Drive & The Even Longer Drive: Sherlock, John, and Lestrade on a road trip together, stuck in the same car for hours.
Author: stupid_drawings // Pairing(s): Implied John/Sherlock // Rating: PG

The Crowded Drive: Sequel to The Long Drive and The Even Longer Drive. Sherlock, John, and Lestrade on another road trip, but this time more of Scotland Yard is needed.
Author: stupid_drawings // Pairing(s): Implied John/Sherlock // Rating: PG

The Cow Trip: Sequel to The Long Drive, The Even Longer Drive and The Crowded Drive. The trip is finally beginning. John promised to take Sherlock to see cows, just the two of them.
Author: stupid_drawings // Pairing(s): Sherlock -> John // Rating: PG

Traffic Lights for the Colour Blind: In which it's not the war John is missing, Sherlock needs to find new ways to hang on to his flatmate, and Moriarty tries to get himself a pet of his own. Features also: guns, tea, the reason Sherlock Holmes won't take the tube, cell phones, a budgie, and one obnoxious older brother.
Author: lavvyan // Pairing(s): John/Sherlock // Rating: PG-13

Team Fortress 2
Fall Behind: Medic and Soldier get into a serious accident on their way to Coldfront. Medic is badly injured, and without Respawn, Soldier is left to seriously reevaluate their situation. And time is running out.
Author: Lady Shockbox // Pairing(s): Soldier/Medic // Rating: PG-13

Drabble: Just Say Yes

2012-01-12T17:28:50Z

Title: Just Say Yes
Genre: Romance, Fluff
Word Count: 300
Character(s)/Pairing(s): America/England
Rating/Warnings: G
Summary: Alfred has a question only Arthur has the answer to.

Challenge: 4. Future at hetachallenge

Maybe.

It was a simple word; merely five letters long but somehow manages to convey many different things. It wasn't a no, but neither was it a yes. It could mean rejection but with a twist in one's thinking, could mean acceptance. All at the same time, it held so much promise yet so much uncertainty.

Maybe.

Alfred patted the barely noticeable lump in his left pocket, only to realise his palms were sweaty from apprehension. He wiped them off on the side of his pants, frowning a little at how uncool he was being. He guesses he could be excused this time; for he had a question. A question only one person could answer. If the answer was what he had hoped for, he would be happy for as long as he lived. But if it wasn't... What then?

Maybe.

The familiar door soon came into sight and his heart sped up in nervousness. Never in his life had he been so unsure of what is about to come. Would he be angry? Would he be happy? Would he cry? Would he smile? And most important of all...

... Would he say yes?

Maybe.

Alfred had never been one to be subtle nor was he good at thinking up of creative ways that wouldn't be too obvious. This was the only way. He rang the doorbell and hastily got onto his knees. Footsteps were heard and as it grew louder, so did the pounding in his chest.

The door clicks open and he stares up into the shocked green eyes with his own hopeful blue ones.

"Arthur Kirkland... Will you marry me?"

But the answer was clear in his eyes and he felt silly; for doubting both himself and Arthur. He smiled warmly, knowing Arthur's answer will be...

"Yes."

Author's Note: Just wanted to put something up real quick. I don't really have the time to write lately since I am busy dealing with three major projects for my final term in second year. Hopefully time will pass by quickly since I've been itching to write.

10iloveyou Table: Body

2012-01-02T12:52:01Z

Challenge table for 10iloveyou

Claim: America/England
Table: Body
Completed: 0/10
Started: 2 January 2012
Ended: -

1.	Hands	6.	Neck
2.	Eyes	7.	Heart
3.	Lips	8.	Cheeks
4.	Skin	9.	Lashes
5.	Fingers	10.	Your choice

Past Tense, Present Tense

2011-12-24T12:20:49Z

Title: Past Tense, Present Tense
Genre: Romance, Fluff
Word Count: 4,704
Character(s)/Pairing(s): America/England, brief mention of Seychelles
Rating/Warnings: PG
Summary: It was a tradition that neither of them had meant to break. Will they be able to start it again and spend Christmas every year together like they used to?
Prompt: Gakuen AU, America and England spending Christmas together, not a couple yet.

“Let's spend Christmas like this every year, okay?”

“A-All right...”

Alfred heaved a sigh of relief as he stepped out of the school building and into the open foyer, where the chill of winter air greeted him. It was the twenty-second of December and the last day of school before winter break. But what makes it even special was that it was only three days till Christmas! Alfred grinned excitedly at the idea and began to walk, making his way towards the dormitories building. Although he had next to no plans for that day, it was still something he looked forward to. This was, as what they say, the magic of Christmas.

Light snow had already begun to fall. He waved to some of his classmates who were heading for the school gates instead, presumably to visit their families or go elsewhere to spend the holidays at. A few responded and waved back, mouthing enjoy your holidays or things of the like. Alfred nodded back at them with a smile and turned towards his intended direction once more. Soon, he was inside the building and went up to the floor where his room is on. He passed by doors of rooms that belonged to people he had familiarised himself with over the year. Gilbert, Kiku, Francis, Matthew... Arthur... He bit his lip and walked by that particular room quickly to reach the one just beside it. Just as Alfred inserted a key into the keyhole to open the door, noises were heard from his neighbour's room. Alfred blinked, so Arthur was still here... Well, it was not like it mattered anyway!

Tossing his bag aside at some corner, Alfred ran a hand through his hair, flopped down onto the single bed and pondered on what to do with the remainder of the day. He still have much of it left since it was a Friday and lessons ended earlier. He sighed and decided then he was craving for some coffee from Starbucks. He got up and over to his wardrobe in search of casual wear. Noises were once again heard from the other room, making Alfred frown slightly. Just what was eyebrows up to? He shrugged it off and changed out of his uniform. Soon, he was out of his room and the school grounds to walk the streets.

Alfred's mood perked back up at the numerous decorations that practically littered the streets. He was sure it would be even more awesome at night, when all the lights were turned on. He weaved through the crowd, skillfully avoiding bumping into anyone. He had passed by couples, families, groups of friends... And could not help but feel a little lonely. He, like the past couple of years, had no one to share the occasion with. It wasn't always this way until about the second year into high school. Before that, he always had someone to spend his Christmas with. And not just anyone either. But Arthur. Arthur, his childhood friend and... well, a part of him might like his friend a little more than just that. It was something he hadn't readily accept at first and quickly dismissed it as something that would just pass. Life goes on and although he still liked girls, the feelings he held for Arthur remained, if anything it only intensified. And so in the end, he just settled for the fact that he was a bisexual.

And with that problem out of the way, there comes another; whether his feelings were requited.

He didn't take too long to find out the answer, though. During the second year of high school, he had called Arthur on his mobile phone just after school before winter break to ask if he wanted to spend Christmas together. Back then, he had thought it was silly of him to call because he knew the answer was a definite yes but he was proven wrong and it took him by surprise. No, Arthur had said, I am far too busy this Christmas. I apologise, Alfred but you will have to enjoy Christmas without me. And with that, he hung up. Alfred had stared at the phone as if it was the most intriguing thing he had ever seen. When he looked back up once more and there he saw it; Arthur walking out of the school with some girl he didn't even recognised. Alfred had assumed it was a girlfriend Arthur never told him about. He had shrugged it off and told himself it didn't matter, that he could easily find another person to spend Christmas with. But instead, he spent that year's Christmas alone in his own room watching Christmas programmes while eating a tub of ice-cream. He had tried again the next year and even lay in wait in a tall building where he could easily see the school entrance and once again, the same thing had happened. And with the same girl. Alfred didn't even try the third year, for fear of disappointing himself once more.

It bothered him that Arthur had someone else more important than he. And it especially bothered him that Arthur didn't think of him importantly enough to tell him about the girl.

And so for the fourth year and running, here he was, alone and Arthur-less. Well, a hero like himself wasn't going to let this get him down! There was absolutely no way he was allowing himself to be alone again this year and with that resolve in his head, he fished out his mobile phone and pulled up his contacts. At the top of the list was, of course, Arthur. Or more specifically, -Arthur. He had purposefully added the dash in front just so Arthur could remain at the top of his contacts... Unlike someone who obviously didn't put him as first before everything even when they were friends since six... With that thought in mind, Alfred stuck his tongue out childishly at the name on the screen, attracting a few looks from passerbys which he was oblivious to.

Alfred skipped over his name and scrolled down to Matthew Williams. Grinning, he pressed down the call button and after a few rings, a meek voice answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey Mattie! How are ya?”

“Al, we only just saw each other in class. What do you want?"

“Ouch, Mattie. Cold much?” he laughed and could almost feel the eyeroll from the other side of the phone. “Anyway, I was just wondering if you're free on Christmas...” he asked, his voice sounding a little hopeful.

There was a short pause before Matthew replied in an apologetic tone. “A-Ah, no...”

Alfred's grin dropped a little. Even Matthew had someone to spend Christmas with.

“Well, that's fine. Bye!” Alfred said quickly and without waiting for another response from the other, ended the call. He sighed and scrolled further down the list. He had many contacts and was close to only so few. A familiar name came up and brought a smile to his face. With reformed determination, he pressed down call for Kiku Honda.

“Hey Kiks! You free this Christmas?” he asked almost as soon as the rings ended.

“Alfred-san?” the voice replied. “Unfortunately not. I will be going back to Japan for the holidays. I'm in the airport now, actually.”

“Awww man..." Alfred pouted, genuinely bummed now. “Oh well, I guess. Have fun in Japan and stuff.”

“Thank you, Alfred-san. And a merii kurisumasu to you.”

"Merry Christmas to you too! Be sure to get me some souvenirs from Japan, okay?"

There was a chuckle. “I will try my best.”

“Alright, gotta hang up now. Bye!”

And so with that, Alfred continued his search for a company. He had went through the list several times and in his desperation, even tried inviting Ivan. It wasn't any good since most of the people already had plans or were going out of the country for the holidays. Now, feeling lonelier than before, Alfred stepped into the coffee place and placed an order for a Toffee Nut Latte, hoping that would bring his dampened mood back up.

He finally got a cup and picked a seat just beside the window, where he could inspect the frost as a form of distraction. It wasn't effective in the slightest. He found himself pulling out the contacts list time and again to stare at Arthur's name. His thumb hovered over the button. Just one push and he would be given a chance. It had been so long... And he really missed Arthur. Steeling his resolve, he screwed his eyes shut and pressed down the button with more force than what was really necessary. He pressed the phone to his hear and listened as it rang... and rang... and rang... He was about to lose all hope when suddenly, the mechanical ringing was replaced by a human voice.

“Hello?” the voice was calm and unwavering. Alfred's mind suddenly went blank. Shit! He should have thought of what to say first before actually making the call.

“A-Ah haha! Arthur! What took you so long to pick up the phone?”

There was a pause and Alfred could imagine Arthur rubbing his temples as his mind worked on forming a proper answer. He had always been like this, so collected and actually planning things before acting on it. It was unlike Alfred and it was a quality he admired... just a little. He admired a lot of qualities in Arthur actually, except the part where he doesn't always tell the full truth. Like not spending Christmas with him for the past few years and telling him he was busy but not telling him he was busy spending his time with a girl.

Yes, he was still sour about that.

“I was tidying up some things in the room.”

“Really? Cool.”

“Mm...” Arthur hummed and Alfred could hear a few clicks in the background... It sounded suspiciously like two wooden objects knocking into each other. His mind occupied with wondering what Arthur is doing, a silence followed and he forgotten he was having a conversation... Or lack thereof.

“Alfred?”

“A-Ah. Yeah?”

“What did you call me for?”

Alfred quickly thought up of an excuse, “I was just calling to check if you're fine and stuff.”

“We saw each other just hours ago--...”

Alfred interrupted, “Will you spend Christmas with me?” Well, it was more like willyouspendchristmaswithme since he had blurted the whole sentence out in a string.

Silence.

“What?” Arthur finally asked.

“I-I was just wondering s-since we haven't spent a Christmas for the past three years and--...”

“I would love to, Alfred.”

“What?”

“I said I would love to, you dolt. Don't make me repeat it.”

“Really?”

“No, I'd much rather spend Christmas all cooped up in my dorm room instead with absolutely nothing to do.” Arthur replied sarcastically, causing Alfred to laugh.

“Alright then. Are you free no--...”

“No. And I won't be for the next two days. My room is in a mess right now so come only on Christmas. Any earlier and you'll be spending it alone.”

“Okay okay! Jeez, Art.”

“Excellent. Now if you'd excuse me... I'll talk to you some other time.”

“Sure! See ya Christmas!”

“Mm.” The line then went dead. Alfred ended the call as well and found himself smiling wider than he had when he thought about the approach of Christmas.

So here he was, standing in front of Arthur's room door for the second time of the day. The first time had been at exactly midnight, and Arthur had just stared at him like he was crazy and told him he was not in, like what Alfred had suggested, the jolly mood in the middle of the bloody night. And so, hoping Arthur was in a more jolly mood now, Alfred knocked lightly on the door. When there was no reply, Alfred knocked harder. There was a groan from inside and the door soon opened to reveal Arthur still in his pyjamas.

“This better be good, you buffoon...” he said, voice bordering on a growl. Alfred just grinned and threw his arms up.

“It's Christmas!”

“Alfred...”

“Yep?”

“It's six in the morning...”

“In the Christmas morning. Come on, Art!” he said, reaching out to tug at Arthur's wrist. Both parties flinched, surprised at the sudden contact. They looked at each other for a moment before blushing and turning away. Alfred awkwardly dropped that misbehaving hand to his side.

Even Arthur's annoyance seemed to have all been dissipated in that moment of shock.

“F-Fine. Just give me a moment so I can get changed.” Arthur said and slammed the door shut. Alfred pouted a little and wondered if he had screwed the rest of the day this early in the morning.

Alfred stepped back and leant on the wall he knew was there. As he waited, he tapped his foot repeatedly on the ground and wondered just what had happened. He didn't deny that he liked Arthur... a lot... but why was he reacting so strongly? Heroes were supposed to be cool, not jumpy.

Arthur soon stepped out of the room wearing brown turtleneck and a red coat over it. Alfred thought he looked cute. Really cute. And he was also holding something, Alfred noticed when his eyes trailed down to count the buttons on the coat.

“H-Happy Christmas...” Arthur muttered and thrusted the shiny blue package that was adorned with a silver ribbon at him. Alfred stared wide-eyed and was unresponsive.

“Take it, you idiot! How rude!” Arthur chided and pushed it harder into Alfred's chest, his eyes on anywhere but the American. Alfred snapped out of it and took the package, nodding dumbly. When sense finally returned, he realises it was a present, a present from Arthur, and he smiled fondly, holding tightly onto it.

“Thanks, Art...”

Arthur looked at him from the corner of his eyes and turned a little pink. Alfred noticed and wondered if he might be cold. “Wh-Whatever! Come on, let's go!” Arthur said quickly and began to walk away.

“Wait, Arthur! I haven't got anything for you!”

“It's fine. Just don't do anything stupid for the rest of the day and it'd be a gift for me.”

Alfred grinned, “I could do that.”

“I somehow doubt it.”

“Aw come on,” he mock pouted as he squeezed the package a little, making crinkling sounds in the process. It was something soft...

Arthur looked back at Alfred when he heard the noise. “You can open that now, if you'd like...”

“Really? Then don't mind me!” Alfred said, already beginning to tear at the wrapper. Arthur just shook his head but there was a hint of a smile tugging at his lips as he turned back around, continuing to lead the way out of the school.

The package soon revealed a plain red scarf. Alfred just grinned, thinking this to be typical of Arthur. It was nothing close to the Playstation Portable he wanted but he loved it all the same. He kept the wrapping paper into his pocket and stretched out the material, beginning to wrap it around his neck.

“Did you make this yourself?”

“O-Of course not! What makes you think that? I do not have so much free time as to personally make one for you.” he replied. Alfred's grin turn wider. Arthur wasn't a very good liar at times. The scarf didn't smell like it was bought from a store, it smelt nice... Like Arthur. He pushed that thought away quickly and after making sure the scarf sat properly, he took bigger steps to catch up with the other.

“So, what are we doing today?” Alfred asked as they stepped out of school grounds. It was already starting to be bright but the streets were empty, mainly because it really was too early.

“You mean to say you haven't thought about it?”

“Well,” Alfred started, feeling a little guilty for his impulsiveness. “No...”

Arthur sighed but didn't appear to be angry, as if he had already expected Alfred to pull this stunt out. “We could get breakfast now and perhaps think about where we could go while we eat."

“Kay!” Alfred agreed. “Where though? Most of the restaurants aren't even opened yet..."

“This is what you get for doing this so darned early.”

“Yeah, but we do this every year, don't we?” Alfred said before he could stop himself. “I mean, that is, we haven't for the past few years but yeah... You get my point...”

Arthur watched him from the corner of his eyes for a short moment before nodding, “Yes...” A pause. “It has been some time...” Arthur had the contemplative look on his face and things were quiet for a moment. But Alfred had questions...

“Say, Arts. Why aren't you spending Christmas with your girlfriend this year?”

“Girlfriend?”

“Yeah. That girl with the two ponytails and ribbons.” Alfred hadn't actually gotten her name... and didn't want to, anyway.

Arthur thought for a bit before his eyes lit up in realisation. “Ah, Angelique." He quirked an eyebrow. "He's not my girlfriend."

Alfred looked to Arthur then. “But...”

“But what?”

“You blew off spending Christmas with your best buddy the past four years for her so I thought...”

Arthur just sighed. “Alfred, I do remember mentioning I was busy. And busy meant I was working.” A pause. “I had to organise the Christmas ball for Christmas day for the school, she is there to make sure it all goes smoothly.”

“Oh...” Alfred started to smile. “So she's not your girlfriend then?”

“No. Jesus Christ, Alfred. And you say I'm the naggy one.”

Alfred just laughed, feeling like he was floating among the clouds.

“Stop looking so ditzy and start thinking where we should go for breakfast.”

“How about MacDo--”

“No.”

“Why not? It's not like you hate it.”

“I may not but I'm not about to have that for breakfast. On a Christmas morning at that.”

“Man, you're picky... Uh... How about Ikea?”

“Well, they do have the Christmas platter I have been wanting to try...”

“So, it's settled then! Let's go!”

“But it's still early... and I doubt the store is opened yet.”

“It's about an hour walk from here, so don't worry.”

Arthur paled at that. “You're kidding...”

“Okay, maybe about an hour and a half. Now come on!” Before the other could protest further, Alfred grabbed his wrist and started to walk forward. There it was again. The strange feeling. And it seemed to silent Arthur but the surprising was that he didn't pull away. Alfred eventually let go since the awkward silence just wouldn't go on its own.

As the warmth of Arthur's wrist was replaced by the coldness of winter air, Alfred found that he would have much preferred the awkwardness instead... if there was Arthur's hand to hold.

They ended up in MacDonald's anyway. Arthur had given up at the first MacDonald's branch he sees, claiming the weather to be far too cold to walk in for a whole hour.

They walked through the entrance and was greeted with giggles from some of the cashiers over at the counter. Arthur frowned and looked back to see just what was so amusing. Alfred reflexively looked back too and saw that there was a mistletoe just hanging in the doorway. Gaping, Alfred turned to Arthur, only to see that he wasn't particularly bothered by it.

He shouldn't be, either.

"So, what're you getting?" Alfred asked as they neared the counter.

"Something light. I don't have much of an appetite in the morning..."

... What would it be like to kiss him?

After a long breakfast, the two went window-shopping. Some of the shops were opened by now and it would be a waste to miss seeing all the decorations that the shopkeepers had put effort in.

"Look, Arthur!" Alfred exclaimed as he bounded over to a large window that belong to a shop selling different kinds of trinkets. He pressed his face up against the glass and stared wide-eyed at the variety of snow globes that were displayed out for everyone to see. An idea hit him and he briefly wondered if it would make a nice Christmas present for Art--

"Don't even think about it," Arthur said as he stopped beside him. "It's too crowded in there."

Alfred feigned innocence and blinked at Arthur. "Think about what?" he asked but was quickly distracted by the Build-a-Bear Workshop that was only a short distance ahead. Alfred made a grab for Arthur's wrist and ignoring the jolt that was sent through his veins, dragged him towards the place to look at the teddy bears.

They spent some time window shopping and just talking about meaningless little things until they ended up in the vincity of FAO Schwarz. Alfred had insisted on going in to have a look around. One was never too young to look at toys! And besides, there was this awesome giant piano keyboard in the store. He saw a crowd that was gathered around an area and assuming that it was where the keyboard was, jumped in pure glee and excitement.

"You've got to see this!" Alfred exclaimed as he pulled Arthur by the wrist (how many times was it today?) to join in the crowd. Arthur had pulled away then with a huff and said he could walk perfectly fine by himself. Alfred pouted at the loss but it was barely noticeable, or so he thinks.

"They look like they are going to play a song..." Alfred noted to Arthur when he saw two men standing near the keyboard. After about a minute, one of them hopped onto it and played the first few notes of the song.

Recognising the song, Alfred grinned and nudged Arthur in the arm. Some of the people in the group begun singing:

"Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O'er the fields we go
Laughing all the way~"

Alfred grinned wider and joined in the singing, making sure to do so as loud as he could. By the end of the chorus, most of the audience were singing. And even if they weren't, they participated by clapping in rhythm to the song. Arthur joined in eventually and although he was being so soft it could barely be heard, Alfred thought it to be the most beautiful singing voice in the room.

They have spent most of the time window shopping. Alfred would have loved to build a snowman but the snow was far too thin to do that. He had even suggested that the both of them go skating at an ice rink but the idea was rejected with complaints from Arthur stating that the queues were, he quote, 'bloody insane'.

"Would you like to see the Holiday Train Show at the botanical garden instead?" Arthur asked, cheeks turning a little pink. Alfred blinked. Did he...? He then nodded, a smile creeping onto his features.

"Sure! Window-shopping is getting boring, anyway."

"Alfred! Hands off the structures!" Arthur yelled exasperatedly as he reached out to pull Alfred's hand off the Brooklyn Bridge replica.

Alfred rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, Art. It's not like the things are made of twigs."

Arthur just stared at him incredulously. Grinning playfully, Alfred looked away with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Okay, so maybe they are..."

"Well, I'm glad you at least know that much. Come now, before you destroy the whole of someone's hard work."

Alfred was then practically dragged out of the place like he was a hazard.

Time passed by quickly and darkness soon fell. Christmas worked its magic and with the streets drenched with seasonal lights, seemed to have made the night more beautiful than any other. As they both continued to wander aimlessly down the streets, something hit Alfred's mind and he made a grab for Arthur's wrist. The two continued to wander aimlessly down the streets until something suddenly hit Alfred's mind and, for God knows how many times that day, made a grab for Arthur's wrist.

“Come on, Arts. Let's go see the most awesomest Christmas tree in the world.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow, “Let me guess...”

Alfred grinned, “You know it.”

Arthur just smiled and followed. Somewhere along the way, the wrist-holding started to border on hand-holding, his hand having slipped down a little. It felt nice, even if it wasn't completely intentional. No one around them seemed to mind or care that two boys were holding hands. Everyone was lost in their own little world on this magical Christmas night, and it was the same for Alfred and Arthur as well. They soon arrived at the impressive tree situated at the front of Rockfeller Center Plaza which boasted some thirty thousand light bulbs. Arthur's mouth opened up a little, seeming to gasp at its magnificence and Alfred supposed he could understand. He had never actually seen this Christmas tree so up close before and even he was breath-taken. Alfred's hand remained where it was as they stood for some time in silence and admired the tree dotted with bright lights. Arthur didn't pull away.

“Well, this tree is very... American.” Arthur joked and was responded with a hearty laughter from Alfred.

“We are in America! So there's no surprise, is there?”

“I suppose not...”

Alfred just grinned at Arthur before turning to the tree again. Assuming that Arthur isn't paying much attention to their hands, Alfred seized the opportunity and shifted to move his hand further down, effectively changing the half hand-holding to a full hand-holding. Well, if Arthur noticed, he certainly didn't seem to mind. Alfred's could feel his heart beating faster at such an intimate contact, even if it was something so simple. Emboldened and perhaps feeling just a little bit hopeful, he threaded his fingers through the other's. He knew Arthur would have noticed it by now. It was way too obvious. He bit the inside of his cheek and waited for the disappointment that was about to come...

It never did.

Instead of having his hand slapped away like he had expected, he felt a gentle squeeze. Surprised, Alfred turned to look at Arthur. Said person sensed the gaze on him and slowly turned as well to face the other, their eyes immediately locking onto each other's the moment they made contact. Arthur was wearing a neutral expression but the barely noticeable twitch at the edge of his lips told Alfred that he was actually trying really hard not to smile. The glow from the lights lit up both their faces but he could still make out a blush on Arthur's cheeks; the slightly darker shade that was on it as compared to the rest of his face.

The moment is right.

As if they have planned it together in silence, Alfred and Arthur leant in at the exact same time and kissed each other lightly on the lips. It was sweet, soft and brief. But that short moment felt better than anything and far surpassed the joy Alfred had felt for the entire day. They bumped their foreheads together when it ended and smiled bashfully at each other.

“You did owe me a kiss from that mistletoe earlier on...”

“I believe I did.” Arthur smiled knowingly, as if he knew something that Alfred did not.

“Spend Christmas with me again next year?”

“I'd love to.”

And perhaps next year, Arthur could teach Alfred a little rhyme he knew. Maybe then he wouldn't be so clueless and actually know that the mistletoe from earlier was really a holly.

Author's Note: I apologise if I strayed a little too far from the original prompt, since this story was not Gakuen-ish enough orz

I hope this was an enjoyable read, especially so for you laur10s! Merry Christmas!

Drabble: Jusque là

2011-12-03T06:01:47Z

Title: Jusque là
Genre: Romance
Word Count: 237
Character(s)/Pairing(s): France/Jeanne d'Arc
Rating/Warnings: G. Slightly angsty.
Summary: Chance meetings.

Table/Prompt: Advent Challenge/19.Crowds at hetachallenge

"Ah~ C'est la vie~" France sighed breathlessly as he weaved through the Christmas crowd. Love is, more than usual, floating in the air of Paris and was only strengthened by the seasonal atmosphere. Bright, white lights dotted the streets, and the Eiffel Tower, as if it didn’t want to be outshone, seemed to be brighter than usual in all its golden beauty.

Busy with drinking in the beautiful sights, France hadn’t noticed an equally distracted young woman heading towards him and crashed right into her.

"Oh! là, là!" the Frenchman said as he hurried to support the slim woman who currently had her face buried in his chest, her fingers curled into his coat to prevent a fall. "Pardon! Tu vas bien?"

She started move a little and using France's body as support, pushed herself off and looked up to him with an apologetic expression. France’s eyes widened at the familiarity; the short and slightly curly blond hair that framed her face almost perfectly, the eyes of a shade of blue that was unique to—...

"Je vais bien. Merci, monsieur," she said with a soft smile and a polite nod. Without even giving France the chance to recover, she shifted out of the way and disappeared back into the crowd, lost in the sea of people. Not forever, no, but definitely a long time. A long time even for a nation.

"Jeanne..."

À notre prochaine rencontre.

Translation (from French):
C'est la vie~ = This is the life~
Oh! là, là! = Kind of like 'oh no'.
Pardon! Tu vas bien? = Sorry! Are you all right?
Je vais bien. Merci, monsieur. = I am all right. Thank you, mister.
À notre prochaine rencontre. = Till we meet again.

Author's Note: My French is very, very basic, so please do correct me if you spot any mistakes.

HetaChallenge Table: Advent Challenge

2011-12-02T13:52:32Z

Challenge table for hetachallenge

Table: Advent Challenge
Completed: 6/25
Started: 3 December 2011
Ended: 2 January 2012

1.	Snow	2.	Mistletoe	3.	Scarf	4.	Ornament	5.	Sock
6.	Light	7.	Warm	8.	Family	9.	Tree	10.	Dessert
11.	Fireplace	12.	Pillows	13.	Gifts	14.	Holiday Dinner	15.	Shopping
16.	Cold	17.	Closeness	18.	Holiday	19.	Crowds	20.	Arguments
21.	Drink	22.	Food	23.	Choose your own	24.	Choose your own	25.	Choose your own

Devil/Angel [1/?]

2011-11-27T05:25:42Z

Title: Lust and Patience
Genre: Humour, Supernatural, Romance
Word Count: 1,417
Character(s)/Pairing(s): America, England, France, brief mentions of Prussia and Greece | Eventual America/England
Rating/Warnings: NC-17. For language and possible allusions to sex in future chapters.
Summary: AU. In which Alfred and Arthur are the shoulder devil and angel to a boy named Francis. Chaos ensues.

There has always been a constant struggle between the good and the evil, a fight between the angels and the devils. Ah, fret not though; it is not as dramatic as it sounds. None of those fights in mid-air with bloodied torn-out wings or crashes straight into the very core of Earth like you see in movies.

Things are a lot more subdued in reality. So much so that you probably didn’t think they exist. Picture this; an angel with wings as white as snow on your right shoulder and a devil in skin-tight blood red costume on your left. Familiar, yes? You have probably come across them in cartoons on television but they are slightly different, a little more... Specialised.

There are seven classes of angels; Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Patience, Kindness and Humility. Countering that, seven classes of devils; Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride. The angel on a person’s right shoulder represents the best trait of a person, while the devil on the left his worst.

Our tale begins in a humble little home high up in the clouds, where an angel of patience by the name of Arthur Kirkland, resides. It was just like any other peaceful day with a delightful cup of tea by his side, that is, until the Heaven’s messenger, Wang Yao crashed right through the doors of his home. Taken by surprise, Arthur jumped a little. Honestly! He thought he had locked the door up properly this time!

“Mister Kirkland! You have a new client!”

Brilliant green eyes blinked as its owner absorbed the information. It had been some time since he was given an assignment and to be honest, he was getting a little used to having absolutely nothing to do. So to suddenly get this was a little...

“When do I have to report in?” he asked as he stood up, his white wings fluttering at the motion.

“As soon as possible! Immediately!” the brown-eyed angel said in a panicked voice as he fumbled around in his leather bag.

Arthur groaned in slight annoyance as he snapped his fingers, a luggage appearing mid-air by his side on cue. “Why wasn’t any notice given prior to this?”

Wang Yao said nothing and merely bowed his head in apology. Arthur sighed as he packed a few belongings; he hated being called on last minute like this.

“Assignment details?” Arthur asked after much silence.

“Francis Bonnefoy, a boy that is to be due 6.37 PM GMT—“ They have just recently adjusted their timing to coordinate with the GMT, to better suit their work in the mortal world, which was probably the reason why the timings are in such a mess now. “—today, in France. Paris. Ah, here!” Wang Yao finally found the envelope he had been looking for and threw it over to Arthur, who gracefully swiped it out of the air.

“Very well.” the angel replied as he gave the information in the letter a quick scan. “I will be down over in a moment.”

Wang Yao nodded and took a quick departure, snapping his fingers and moving on to the next unlucky angel that was to be sent to the mortal world under such short notice.

Arthur briefly wondered about his new working environment; the place France, the client and most of all, the devil he would be stuck with for the rest of the mortal’s lifeline. Memories of his previous assignments piled in, making him shudder in dread. Hopefully, this would be a tolerable one to work with. He had been stuck with a Pride previously and it wasn’t an experience he wished to relive. That thing just wouldn’t shut up for a minute about how awesome he is.

“Please, please give me an easy one this time.” he begged and with a deep breath of reassurance to himself, snapped his fingers and quickly teleported to his soon-to-be client.

Arthur appeared on a bedside table in a hospital. He looked to his left and there laid a beautiful blond woman with violet eyes, the mother to Francis Bonnefoy. He averted his gaze to her shoulders and there they were, an angel and a devil on their respective sides, both with similar anxious expressions on their faces.

“Hello,” Arthur greeted them briefly and was only responded with a nod of acknowledgement from each. He didn’t press further; they were a little busy at the moment with the excitement of seeing their client go through such a moment. It was heart-warming to see that, at times like these, the angels and devils could actually bond. It was rare but it was there. He smiled a little at the thought before looking over the trio to to the other bedside table to check if Francis’s shoulder devil has arrived.

And surprise, surprise. It was empty. He rolled his eyes and flung his luggage to the side, which disappeared into brilliant sparkles just before it hits the wall.

Since he arrived slightly early, he still had a little time to kill. With lack of anything better to do, he tried to climb up the fruit basket that sat on the table. Wait...

What was he? An idiot?

Arthur flapped his wings and was surprised by the amount of effort he needed just to lift his feet off the ground. It had been perhaps a few months since he had took flight so it felt a little strange. He wasn't given much time to ponder over it though since two things happened.

The expectant lady groaned and there was a puff of red smoke on the other bedside table that was previously empty, signalling the arrival of the devil for the tot that was about to come.

“Ah-ha! Just in time! Fuck yeah!”

How rambunctious, thought Arthur as he inwardly cringed in disapproval. Just when he had hoped for a bearable partner to work with, all of it was dashed in just that first impression. He shouldn’t have expected much, really. All the devils were more or less like that. Well, except for that one Sloth he worked with quite some time ago... Heracles Karpusi, was it?

As the devil danced around to celebrate his impeccable timing, Arthur took the opportunity to inspect him. Jet-back hair with a lone strand that stuck up stubbornly above the others, navy blue eyes, black-rimmed spectacles, black jacket and dark horns that curled downwards, much like a ram. The grin on his face was absolutely much too wide, causing wrinkles to tug at the edge of his eyes. The angel itched to reach out with an iron to get the crease out of his otherwise perfect face but managed to refrain himself from doing so.

He waited for a few minutes, giving his new partner time to acknowledge his presence. When it seems to Arthur that the devil wasn’t going to take notice of him anytime soon or was just plain ignoring him, he decided to take the matter into his own hands. He cleared his throat.

Nothing.

He cleared his throat again. Louder this time.

Still nothing and what kind of celebration dance included pelvic thrusts?

“Excuse me?” he spoke up.

The devil was repeatedly punching the air in front of him now and Arthur started to think that maybe he wasn’t doing a celebration dance, but a workout.

“Mister.”

But still the devil continued to disregard his presence, and Arthur could actually feel his patience running thin, something that did not happen very often. Not wanting to shout, he snapped his fingers and in an instant, a bucket of water appeared over the devil’s head.

With a smirk, Arthur snapped his fingers again and the bucket responded by tipping its contents over on the devil’s head. Navy blue eyes soon landed on Arthur and the angel cheered inwardly in triumph.

“Pleasure to meet you. My name is Arthur Kirkland.”

The devil said nothing and flew over to Arthur. He had expected some sort of revenge from the other but instead of having his feet set on fire or something like that, Arthur was given a hand to shake. He stared, momentarily stunned by the devil’s friendliness and mentally checking off possibilities of which class the devil might be.

Envy, Pride and Wrath were definitely out and judging by his earlier antics, Sloth was off as well. Maybe he was an Obnoxious? Oh, wait. That class doesn't exist...

“Ello there~ I’m Alfred Jones, devil of lust, at your service.”

Well, shit.

| Chapter 1 |

Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome to my first ever series! This was inspired by... Well, I'm not too sure, really. The idea just hit me out of nowhere and wouldn't leave for weeks so I just had to start Devil/Angel. I can't promise fast updates for this series since I am actually working on another, but I'll try my best to get the chapters out as ~~excruciatingly slow~~ fast as I could.

The other series I'm working on was written for NaNoWriMo and ~~as predicted,~~ I couldn't finish it on time OTL
It's an America/England college AU story titled 50 Days. I'm planning to release the first chapter sometime near the end of December, right before school starts again.

Feel free to leave comments and thoughts! I know my writing isn't the best and tends to be choppy so it'd be great if you can help me improve. That's all and I hope you enjoy!

Drabble: More Than Friends, Less Than Lovers

2011-11-13T08:16:16Z

Title: More Than Friends, Less Than Lovers
Genre: Angst, Romance
Word Count: 300
Character(s)/Pairing(s): England -> America, America -> ?
Rating/Warnings: G
Summary: Friendship has never felt lonelier.

Challenge: 3. Together at hetachallenge

"Arts, I've been questioning myself lately... About my sexuality."

Arthur looked over to Alfred with a surprised expression, his heart beginning to race. He had always been in love with his friend but never came out; for fear that he might be disgusted with him. So to hear Alfred, the man whom he could never imagine with another male, say this came to him as quite a shock. Arthur looked away now and took a long drag out of his cigarette in thought.

"Is that so?" Arthur finally asked and Alfred nodded in reply. There was a long pause before he continued. "I once went through the same thing."

It was now Alfred's turn to be surprised, whose response was to just stare at the other dumbly.

"Who is it?" Arthur prompted.

Alfred flushed a little and rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. "O-Oh. You don't know him. But I'll introduce the both of you one day."

Ah, thought Arthur as he nodded quietly.

"Hey, Arts?"

"Mhm?"

"Who's this guy you like?"

Arthur only gave a small smile as he inspected Alfred's features; specifically the big baby blues and the way those lips curl up into a charming smile. "The most perfect creature on Earth." A pause. "Although, that sentiment isn't returned."

"Oh..." Alfred looked almost sad for a moment before he brightened up. "Don't worry! I'm sure you'll find a happy ending soon! All good guys have happy endings and you’re one of the best people I know."

Arthur can’t help but to take notice that he is only one of them. "I'm sure."

"And if he ever upsets you, tell me kay? I, as your best friend, will give him a good lecture!"

Only Alfred had the ability to make the phrase best friend sound so lonely.

Author's Note: It was really difficult trying to keep this within drabble length. I might consider writing a longer, fic version of this in the future ~~if I am not too lazy~~, since I don't think I did this scene enough justice -u-

Unspoken

2011-10-29T18:44:02Z

Title: Unspoken
Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort
Word Count: 3,621
Character(s)/Pairing(s): America/England, implied Russia -> England, China
Rating/Warnings: NC-17. For a sex scene that will disappoint you.
Summary: Card-verse AU. The simplest of gestures can sometimes speak so much.

Challenge: 1. Suit Up at aphkingdoms
Table/Prompt: Romance/4.Touch at hetachallenge

It is hard to think how a simple gesture could mean so many words. But I was proven otherwise time and again.
For example, there are the ones that say something as simple as a good morning...

Alfred.

That was the first thing Arthur saw when he opened his eyes and it was a lovely sight to wake up to. Smiling, he turned his head to look out of the window to the white scenery that laid outside. It had snowed overnight and he was almost certain Alfred would be excited to see this when he wakes up. He averted his attention back to the sleeping figure and peeled the blanket off to reveal more of the King that was asleep underneath it.

"Good morning, love." He greeted in a whisper as he leant in to place a soft kiss on the side of Alfred's head. The younger responded with a grunt and tossed to the other side, not quite ready to wake up yet. Arthur chuckled softly and carefully climbed out of the bed to change into his formal attire.

Arthur made his way down from their private part of the castle to the rose garden located directly below. The roses managed to survive the first snow of the winter and that pleases the Queen immensely. He had taken extra care of them to make sure they are strong enough to take on the harsh weather, after all.

One bloom in particular caught his attention and he bent forward to inspect it more closely. He reached out to gently run his fingertips over its petals and caught himself thinking that the texture felt almost like Alfred's lips. He quickly retracted his hand with a blush, refusing to acknowledge the fact that he was having such sappy thoughts.

Two rose petals, or at least that is what Arthur assumed it was, landed just below his earlobe as a familiar warmth enveloped him around the waist. Arthur sighed. The King has awoken, it seems.

"Good morning, my Queen."

"Your Majesty."

"Is that how you greet someone a good morning?"

"I don't suppose this is how you greet people a good morning, either." Arthur replied coolly, patting on Alfred's strong arms.

"Mmm... But you like it, though."

"Do stop deluding yourself."

"Denial."

Arthur only rolled his eyes heavenward and pretended to be engrossed in admiring the roses, although both knew their attentions were fully devoted to each other.

... Others that invokes desire...

A comfortable silence followed afterwards as the couple just stood there and enjoyed each other's company. Arthur was absentmindedly stroking the top of a rose and all was peaceful... Until Alfred's arms shifted, his hands dipping down towards Arthur's hips and sliding down his thigh. The fact that Arthur is actually getting a little excited from such a simple motion is not helping the situation either.

"Wh-What are you doing?"

"I am hungry..." Alfred whined.

"Then get some food from the kitchen, for Heaven's sake!"

"But this is breakfast for me..." Alfred murmured as he trailed his lips down the length of his lover's neck. He settled at just where it met the shoulder and nibbled lightly on the soft skin, causing Arthur's breath to hitch who was half-heartedly struggling to get away.

"S-Stop this at once! What will the people say if they s-see us like this?"

"So if no one is looking, it's fine then?" He could feel Alfred's lips curling up into a grin against his skin. This does not bode well...

"W-Wait! I don't mean that!" His protests were ignored however as he was easily swept off the ground and into Alfred's arms.

"Too late! I am starving!"

And with that, the pair made their way out of the garden and onto the path leading to the doors of the castle. Arthur thrashed about the whole way, trying to force the other into putting him down but Alfred did not even bat an eyelash. Soon, they were heading down the large of hallway of the castle and towards the stairs that leads up to the bedroom.

"Good morning, Y-Your Majesties..." A soft voice called out which made Arthur look away from the huge dolt that was Alfred to the poor servant who had to witness this image. The Queen did not know what was redder; the servant's face, his own face or the royal red carpet that lined the floors of the hallway.

"Mornin' !" Alfred greeted as if it was the most natural thing in the world and Arthur glared at him in disbelief. If Alfred noticed the glare, he did not say anything about it, only continued to make his way towards their bedroom. At this, Arthur flushed again. T-Their bedroom? It most certainly wasn't that way in the beginning since their marriage had all been arranged for the greater good of their Kingdom but after some time, they discovered that there is something else in their relationship beyond just a political marriage. Or perhaps it was something Arthur chose to believe. He always had doubts when it comes to Alfred's feelings towards him. Was it true? Or maybe it was just pity? Arthur had been the foolish one to carelessly admit his feelings to Alfred first after all...

Alfred placed Arthur gently onto the bed and without skipping a beat, climbed over on top of him. Alfred smiled softly down to his lover and gently stroke his cheek with the back of his hand, making Arthur feel so warm that he had forgotten about the winter outside. It was as if Alfred managed to bring back summer with just a simple quirk of his lips. Arthur did not think this was fair and as revenge, hooked his arms around Alfred's neck and pulled himself up to place a soft peck on his lips, earning himself a blush on the other's face.

No other words were spoken as the two continued their tender exchange. It began sweet and innocent, an occasional brush of their hands accompanied by bashful smiles or a stroke down the cheek. But as the temperature in the room rose, so did the intensity of their exploration. The touches became rougher and hands wandered to places they would never in the face of the public. For Arthur at least, seeing that Alfred had proven himself otherwise earlier on in the rose garden.

... Ones that burn...

Arthur trailed his hand down to the obvious lump that had formed in Alfred's pants. The other gasped but reached down to pull his hand away, surprising Arthur a little. He wanted to take it slow today, which was not something he often did since he had always been quite impatient in almost everything he does, including sex.

"Alfred...?" Arthur asked, sounding concerned. Alfred only shook his head, a silent way of telling the other he was fine. Arthur nodded slowly in response, trusting Alfred that he is indeed fine.

The room fell silent again. Arthur slipped his hands underneath Alfred's shirt as he pushed it up, riding up the fabric as he went along. Where Arthur touched, it felt like as if he had left a trail of fire in its wake.

"Arthur..." The voice sounded pleading, it was as if Alfred is trying to tell him something or wanted to tell him something. Something he probably did not want to hear.

"Hush, love." Arthur ordered as he silenced the King with a kiss, not wanting to hear it. Not now, at least. The kiss was slow and gentle, with a tint of urgency and sadness behind it. It felt almost like a farewell kiss. Was this it? Is this some apology sex before Alfred leaves him for good?

If that is the case, he will take whatever he can.

Arthur pulled away and was indulged with lustful blues. Wanting to see it better, he reached up to shakily remove Alfred's spectacles and placed it carefully onto the bedside table. Alfred, at this, reached up to cup Arthur's cheeks in his hands and initiated another kiss. A long and slow one. During the exchange, their eyes never once closed. They were too caught up with each other's eyes to.

Alfred's hands eventually slid down to undo the ribbon around Arthur's collar, mentally complaining and laughing at the fact that Arthur is wearing so many layers. Only Arthur is stuffy enough to wear the full attire first thing in the morning.

Alfred threw the slip of white cloth carelessly to the floor beside the bed. He spread his own legs and pulled the other up onto his lap. Arthur wrapped his legs around Alfred's waist so they were now pressing up against each other, the unbearable heat of desire felt even through the layers of clothing they were wearing. Moans soon drifted through the air as they began rolling their hips up to create friction on areas that very much needed it.

"Imagine what the servant girl's reaction would be if she sees this." Alfred pulled open the collar to reveal Arthur's pale neck.

"D-Don't say such l-lewd things like you mean it..." He gasped when he felt Alfred's lips brush across his neck.

"I was just joking. And besides, no one else is allowed to see you like this besides me." He pressed a few open-mouthed kisses to Arthur's neck, nibbling and sucking, making sure to leave a few marks on his lover.

"You g-git... You are the only one I allow to see me like this..." He whispered, voice weak. Alfred, having grown just a little impatient, went down to cup Arthur through his pants, stroking the length and giving occasional squeezes. "A-Ah..."

Alfred chuckled, "I'm glad." With Arthur straddling him, he was able to remove the other's articles of clothing quickly without much trouble, leaving only the pants on. He flipped their positions and pinned Arthur down to the bed, whose face was flushed and carried a needy expression. Arthur looked truly open and vulnerable then, and that turned Alfred on. He practically tore Arthur's pants off and was about to carry on but stopped to let his eyes feast on his lover's beautiful body. Forgetting that he had a task on hand, Alfred continued to stare. Arthur arched up his body to gently probe the other. Alfred remembered himself then and went on to strip himself of his clothes, doing so slowly on purpose just to tease the other.

After the clothes were factored out, the pair went on to explore each other's bodies to their hearts' content. Touching, kissing, nipping and licking at every skin they could possibly reach for. After some time, as if sensing what each other needed, both pulled away at the same moment and nodded.

Alfred went down to take Arthur by the base in hand. He teasingly brought his hand up in a stroke before his thumb rested at the tip and circled it, causing Arthur to moan. He continued this for a little while more before pulling it away, his thumb slick with Arthur's precum. His hand slid further down to press it lightly against his entrance and rubbed the precum off onto Arthur's entrance, as a form of lubricant for the activities that was to follow. Alfred repeated this several times, a few more than necessary just so he could hear Arthur moan like that. He stopped when he was sure he would not be able to take one more of the delicious sounds without going crazy.

Alfred rested his head against the soft padding of the headboard as he lined himself up, pressing his member against Arthur's entrance. Arthur, much too eager, went on to buck his hip down, the tip of Alfred's cock slipped in easily at the motion. This slight insertion caused Arthur to grunt and Alfred to moan, both in pleasure. Alfred then began to push himself in at an unbearably slow pace. The anticipation felt great but Arthur wanted more. And he wanted it now. When Alfred stopped to give the other time to adjust, Arthur's hands slipped away from Alfred to cling onto the bedsheets as he began to roll his hips to encourage the younger to move. Alfred seems to have gotten the hint and picked up a rhythm, their movements meeting each other's in perfect synchrony. Alfred pressed his abdomen down, sandwiching Arthur's shaft between their bodies as they rubbed up against each other.

"Kiss..." Arthur begged when he felt himself getting close. Alfred brushed the hairs that have gotten stuck to Arthur's sweaty forehead before leaning down to fulfill the Queen's wishes. No prompting was given as they both opened their mouths and tongues darted out to meet each other's. A few erratic thrusts was all it took before Arthur came with a cry, followed closely by Alfred who was pushed over to the edge by Arthur tightening around him.

"Al-Alfred... Alfred..."

"Arthur..."

Alfred collapsed to the older man, spent. Arthur took a few moments to catch his breath and to come down from his giddying high. He then felt Alfred combing through his hair with his fingers and Arthur, being quite sentimental, found himself smiling at the simple act of service. When his breathing finally evened out, Arthur closed his eyes and nuzzled into the affection, basking in the aftereffects of lovemaking. Once he completely settled down, he remembered that he needed to question Alfred about his initial odd behaviour. And he knew he had to, as much as he dreaded it.

... That which exercises authority...

"Is there something on your mind earlier on, your Majesty?"

"Aww... I like you better during sex, that is the only time when you say my name." Alfred teased.

"Sh-Shut up! And don't change the subject!"

Alfred grinned but that expression soon broke and he fell deathly silent. Arthur could feel his own heart beating wildly against his chest, afraid for the next words that was to come out of Alfred's mouth.

"I am leaving--..."

Ah.

Arthur had expected it, of course. But still, he can't help but feel betrayed, feel hurt. Had all of that been nothing but a mere act? No. It was his own fault for believing it was anything more than that. He should have known that Alfred was too kind and took pity on him. And his foolish affections for the other.

"... For a war against the Kingdom of Clubs."

Wait. "What?"

Alfred groaned in frustration as his face scrunched up in an endearing frown that looked more like a childish pout, "Their bastard of a King said something about wanting to take, from our Kingdom, what was rightfully his."

It was now time for Arthur to frown. "In that case, why didn't you just give it to him?"

Alfred sighed and shook his head, "He's unwilling to tell me what it was he wanted and decided to use force against me to attain it. He is being highly unreasonable..." It was a lie and Alfred felt guilty for doing this to Arthur. He knew. He knew what Ivan wanted. The King of Clubs wanted Arthur for reasons even he was not sure of. It doesn't matter though. All Alfred needed to know was that someone is trying to take his Arthur away from him and there was no way he is allowing that. His hold on Arthur tightened and took on a more possessive edge.

Arthur swallowed and spoke the next words without thinking it through, "You do realise the King do not have to--..."

"No." Alfred interrupted as he held Arthur at arm's length by the shoulders firmly, blue eyes locking with green ones. "No. I have decided."

Arthur kept quiet then and did not try to stop him after that. He was already feeling guilt for having suggested the idea of keeping Alfred here in the castle with him when there was a war. He was sensible enough to know that his feelings were nothing as compared to matters relating to their Kingdom.

And so with that, Arthur nodded and was rewarded with Alfred's grin.

"Thank you. I promise I will be back."

He wasn't sure what the other is thanking him for but he did not question it, lacking the ability to speak as his throat was clogged up with selfish words he couldn't bring himself to say.

... The ones that say I will miss you...

The distance between them was closed with a tight embrace from Alfred. Arthur froze but eventually gave in and slid his hands up Alfred's back to him back. He tried to choke back the tears but failed when one found its way down his cheek and to the other's shoulder. Alfred stiffened.

Not wanting to worry the other unnecessarily with his unwanted emotion, Arthur feigned a yawn and said, "That was such a big yawn." He forced out a laugh to make his act more convincing.

Alfred, being the fool he was, easily believed it and relaxed, laughing as well. Arthur closed his eyes and fell into an uneasy sleep, knowing that when he next sees the light, Alfred will be gone.

When Arthur woke up, his arms were empty. He stared vacantly ahead at the wall, his expressionless face not reflecting how he really felt inside. When he did begin to move, it was to clutch tightly at the sheets, as if he was trying to hold on to Alfred who was not even there anymore.

"Don't go..." He whispered to the room that was not empty, but filled to the brim with loneliness.

... Those that brings memories, and along with it, loneliness...

"Your Majesty." Wang Yao, the Jack of Spades, placed the cup of tea out for the Queen on the garden table. Arthur nodded curtly in response with a muttered thanks. It was a nice day out today, the snow had completely melted and the colours of spring have returned. It was supposed to be a season of joy but Arthur felt none of it. He stared vacantly into the clear, brown liquid. Wang Yao, having noticed this, only shook his head.

"I'm sure the King will be displeased if he sees you like this." Wang Yao said and skilfully plucked out a rose from a nearby bush. He placed it by the teacup, causing the blonde to blink and look up questioningly with furrowed eyebrows. Wang Yao only answered with a knowing smile.

"I will fetch you some snacks." He said and excused himself, leaving Arthur to solitude.

It had been months since Alfred left and to say that he did not miss the younger was a lie even he did not believe in, having spent almost every waking moment thinking and every sleeping moment dreaming, about Alfred.

He is worried.

Arthur allowed his eyes to drift back to the rose on the table. He hesitated but eventually brought it up by its sepals to his face and inhaled its lovely fragrance, its petals brushing lightly across his lips and bringing a light blush to his cheeks.

It reminded him too much, far too much, of how it felt like to have Alfred's lips on his.

"Your Majesty!" At the voice, Arthur snapped out of his reverie and dropped the rose to the table all too quickly, the blush growing darker due to embarrassment. Wang Yao had returned with an envelope to which Arthur regarded with much curiosity and just a little of anticipation. He took the envelope and broke the seal, revealing a piece of paper with a handwriting that Arthur recognised immediately.

I miss you.
Love, Alfred.

And that was all it took for Arthur to break down into a silent cry as he clutched the piece of paper desperately to his chest, hoping and hoping that the small drop of red on the edge of the letter is ink and not blood.

...And finally, the one that brings hope.

A few months had passed since receiving the letter and Arthur is starting to doubt if Alfred would ever come back. He sighed deeply as he leant forward to place his lips gently on the petals of a single rose that he placed in a vase on the bedside table. It was the only thing in the entire castle that could remind Arthur of his love, Alfred's scent that used to linger in the bedroom having been already lost to the course of time. He shook his head disapprovingly in regards to his own behaviour and straightened himself up, making his way towards the balcony connected to the bedroom.

He stepped out and was greeted by cold air that numbed his skin. He swept the clumps of snow off the railing of the balcony with his palm and held onto the metal as he looked down to the rose garden below. The roses were still in full bloom but looked withered to the Queen, befitting of his current mood.

“Idiot. Don’t you dare think I am going to let you off that easily for breaking your promise...” He muttered as he bit back the tears that threatened to fall, his hold on the cold metal tightening. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the happier days, unwilling to accept the possibility that Alfred might never return.

Might be dead.

His thoughts were then cut off by a pleasant warmth that was closing around him from his back. Arthur's eyes snapped open in surprise and was greeted by two familiar hands finding their way to his, holding and dragging them down to encircle his waist. A chin then rested on Arthur's right shoulder, causing his eyes to widen.

“And whoever told you I was going to break my promise?”

Author's Note: Haven't been writing lately since school has just started -u- This would be my first attempt at writing a sex scene in a fanfiction (I apologise for the rather unsexy failness, I pushed that particular part to write at the very end and had to rush to finish this at 2.30AM, when my mind is thinking about sleep and not hot Yaoi xD). I am not entirely pleased with the way this story had turned out, to be honest... But ahh, I tried >< Also, just curious, but is anyone excited for NaNoWriMo as well? ~~Although I highly doubt I can hit the 50k mark on time.~~

Drabble Series: Dark House

2011-10-05T18:37:52Z

Title: Dark House
Genre: General, Humour, Fluff
Word Count: Entrance - 227, Room 1 - 299, Room 2 - 208, Room 3 - 177, Room 4 - 162, Room 5 - 300, Exit - 189, Total - 1562
Character(s)/Pairing(s): America (main), Japan, Romania, Hungary, Canada, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, England, mentions of America/England and Romania/Hungary
Rating/Warnings: G
Summary: Drabble series. A few of the nations have decided to come together and set up a haunted house for the others in the spirit of Halloween. Before they begin operations however, they would need to test-run it first. And who better to do it than America?

Challenge: 2. Haunted at hetachallenge

Entrance

America double-checked the address on the small piece of paper he was holding before looking up to the large, worn-down house once more. This was it. He suddenly felt unsure of his decision to agree to this. To test out this… ‘Dark House’ that some of the nations have decided to set up.

“America-san.”

The voice caused said person to gasp and jump away from its source. He placed a hand over his chest, willing his heart to slow down as he took a few seconds to recognise the person as…

“J-Japan? Ah ha ha ha… Th-That was a new way of saying hello!”

The oriental nation gave a knowing smile, “I see that you are wearing the costume I made for you.”

America blinked and looked down at his attire. It was quite an elaborate one; a white shirt, brown vest and a pair of brown trousers, matched with a large, orange overcoat that has a few tears at its hem for design. “Yeah!”

The Japanese nodded before gesturing towards the door. “Are you ready, then?”

An audible gulp was heard as he swallowed. “The hero is always ready!” He said, trying to force out a laugh to assure the other… And himself.

Japan opens the door and almost as soon America steps in, the door was slammed shut, enveloping him in the darkness…

… Alone.

Room 1

America followed the tiny blue lights that were set into the flooring and tried to concentrate on them instead of his surroundings. He jumped when his head bumped into something hard.

“Just a door…” He mumbled to himself, feeling a little silly. He then notices the blue lights were leading into another room. “Oh com’on!” He whined, slowly turning the doorknob and knowing for sure he wouldn’t like whatever is hidden behind it.

His heart sped up in fear as he dared himself to take a good look at the room. It wasn’t as dark as the hallway leading to it since there was light streaming through the large stained glass window. He inspected the design, a little intrigued before his eyes trailed down to find one, no, two people seated atop the raised platform.

“Ah. Seems that we have a new guest for dinner…” The male of the duo said in a low, smooth voice that sent chills down the American’s spine. He stood rooted to the ground, temporarily paralysed by fear.

“Help!” The female cried, hand reaching out for America. His eyes widened when the male leant down towards the female’s neck, his long canines showing. She starts to squirm uncomfortably after some time as he inched closer… And closer…

“Hey! Don’t you think that’s quite close enough?!” She remarked, miffed. Her arm stretched to reach out for a frying pan that was lying nearby.

“I’m trying to put on a convincing act here.”

“How could he possibly tell? He’s so far! Your disgusting little fangs were poking into my neck!”

The two continued to bicker as America seized the opportunity to slip out of the room, completely missing the fact that as the both of them quarreled, their fingers were slightly curled into each other’s.

Room 2

America turned his head around, bumping into yet another mirror. He rubbed at the sore area with a bit of a pout. This room was more annoying than scary.

Using the free hand, he trailed his fingertips along the cold surfaces of the numerous mirrors, hoping it could assist him in figuring the path out.

“Aha!” He exclaimed when he finally saw the door right in front of him. He halted however when he found that one of the mirrors is a little… Off. There was just something wrong with it, he couldn’t quite place it. He inspects it for a bit and turned to another mirror for reference, before turning back to that mirror again. Yep, there was definitely something wrong with it.

He tilted his head slightly, the movement reflected on the mirror. He studied the clothing. The same orange overcoat, shirt, vest and trousers… He slowly averted his gaze upwards, about to reach the eyes when the ‘reflection’ suddenly pops right out.

“Boo!” It said with a voice so soft it could be passed off as a whisper. That was, however, enough for the American as he screamed his way out into the next room, leaving the Canadian behind in the room filled with mirrors.

Room 3

America could feel something is there... Something is touching him... The worst thing was that whatever it is, he can't see it. The room was completely dark and it wasn't helping him in his search for the door.

He then felt something brush across his chest.

America gave a yelp of surprise, immediately whipping his head around to try and catch a glimpse of whoever that was behind this. No one was to be found, which caused him to think that it might just be...

... A ghost.

The very mention of it creates more panic in the American's heart. He quickened his blind search as he muttered 'I am not scared...' to himself over and over again. About half a minute later, he felt a hand ran up his inner thigh. America screamed and reflexively tried to kick it away, his heel knocking into something.

"Mon Dieu!" A voice winced softly. America did not stay for too long to ponder who that might be though as he finally found the doorknob and quickly exited the room.

Room 4

America stared at the Swiss who stood leaning against the wall with arms crossed and a rifle slung around his shoulder. It was strange but able to strike fear in the American nonetheless. He quietly made his way across the room, careful not to make any movements that would agitate Switzerland. He breathes a huge sigh of relief the moment his hand landed on the doorknob and without a moment's hesitation, opened the door and proceeded to the next room.

Just as he left, Liechtenstein emerges from the shadows of the room in a witch costume. "A-Ah, I missed him..." Her eyebrows were then furrowed slightly in concern. "Is he alright, though? He seems to be quite frightened."

"He's just a coward." Switzerland replied coolly.

What America did not know was that Liechtenstein is supposed to be the attraction in that room. Switzerland was only there to protect his sister in case the Frenchman from next door decides to do something unsavoury.

Room 5

There was a gust of wind. Cold, cold wind.

It made the American shiver; it wasn’t exactly because of the wind that was scary but the fact that there were no visible windows here that could have probably let the air in. America walked straight, hoping the door was just up ahead. To his relief, it was. To his disbelief, it can’t be opened. He frantically turned the doorknob a few times. “Open, darn it!”

Playful giggles were then heard. America slapped his hands to both ears to try block it out.

“America…” A decidedly English accented voice called out. Something in that voice seemed to create calm in the American rather than fear.

“America…” America found himself being drawn by the voice and walked away from the door, towards the comforting voice.

“America…” The voice became deeper and had a more dangerous edge to it, as if it was trying its best to intimidate him. America kept walking until he bumped into something, more so, someone. He could even feel the other’s breath. They both stood there in silence for about a minute.

“England.” America finally said. A sigh was heard.

“I can’t believe I was convinced that this room would be the scariest of them all.”

America shook his head. “No, you’re right. It was.”

Questioning emerald greens looked up to him.

“But there was something here that comforts me.”

“What?”

“You.” America blurted without thinking. When realisation sunk in, he blushed and immediately turned to walk away. He was pulled back and down for a kiss. America returned it eagerly but was abruptly pushed away.

“Go.”

“But…”

“Japan is going to get worried.”

“Eng—“

“Go.”

America smiled, “Okay, but we’ll talk about this later.”

And before the other could protest, he walked out of the room.

Exit

America stepped out of the darkness and into the light. Sweet, sweet freedom! And along with it, something else that just filled his heart with a warm and fuzzy feeling. A distance ahead of him stood Japan. He walked over to him, excitedly waving a hand in greeting.

“How was it, America-san?”

“Nothing the hero can’t handle!”

Japan chuckles, politely covering his mouth with his hand. “Yes. On behalf of the others, I thank you for your participation.”

“No problem!” He grinned before being hit with a sudden craving for something delightfully cold and sweet. “I’m gonna go get some ice-cream, you wanna come with?”

“Ah, no. I have to stay here and make several adjustments by the end of today for tomorrow.”

“Awww… Well, next time?”

“Of course.”

“’Kay then, later!” And with that, America bounded out of the place. Once the blonde was out of sight, Japan took out the video footage from the inside of his sleeve.

“I will have to take a look at the video with the others so we can see what we should improve on…”

… And thus, a blackmail is born.