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blood_wingedTitle: The American Has a Love of Flying Things
Genre: General/Romance
Word Count: 1146
Rating/Warnings: U, none.
Summary: Arthur takes Alfred on a trip to the zoo. Fluff and such follows.
There were few places that Alfred was more obnoxious than zoos. It wasn’t something that he did on purpose, or at least Arthur very much hoped that it wasn’t, but it was inevitable that the moment he set foot in a zoo he would be gone and Arthur would spend the entire day exhausting himself by chasing around after the excitable American nation. Arthur took pride in having had the first zoological park open to the public in the world, and although it was by no means the largest he still made a point of going at least once a year. Alfred never complained. He ran about the place as if all of it was new to him and in more recent years had been bold enough to drag Arthur around by the hand rather than simply run away by himself.
The day was sunny and uncharacteristically warm for early May and Arthur would have been more than happy to take their time, but the moment they stepped through the gates with their tickets and guide books – of which Alfred must have had more than a dozen by now – his hand was taken and he was being pulled towards the aquarium building. Arthur couldn’t help but feel a warm fondness for the younger man as he wormed his way between the crowds and pressed as close to the glass as he could, watching fish that were larger than his head swimming around in a slightly darkened tank. He loved the seahorses, watching them pushing their way through the water for a good fifteen minutes or more before Arthur finally hooked the back of his collar with one finger and pulled him away. From the first time he had ever brought Alfred here he had been impressed by the younger man’s knowledge about animals, and he would often go on rambles that would rival Arthur’s when faced with one that he knew a great deal about.
Next, was the outback exhibit. Alfred had been friends with his ‘brother’ Australian nation since the First World War and though they had a slightly rocky start with their loud personalities they had quickly become close. While Alfred leaned over the barrier and peered at the wallabies bouncing about a short distance away, shooting off a few facts about the little creatures, Arthur snapped a few photos and Alfred bumped against his shoulder, slinging an arm around him and pulling him close. Though they had been ‘together’ in every sense of the word for some years now it had still taken until recently for them to be comfortable enough to be affectionate in public. They would still be stared at, sometimes, but they cared less. It wasn’t people knowing that he was gay that did it for Arthur, he didn’t care about that and he never had, but it was the consequences of his actions. Only half a century ago such things would have been enough to have had him arrested.
They moved about the park, looking at the reptiles and birds, down to the big cats where Alfred stood for what felt like hours staring at a large tiger sunning itself on one of the platforms. When he expressed a wish, not for the first time, to go to India or China and find one in the wild Arthur decided that it was time to move on.
It was in the butterfly house that Arthur finally had his first respite from Alfred’s incessant need to see everything. The heat and humidity that hit them when they walked in made the English nation uncomfortable almost immediately, but Alfred didn’t mind in the least, his eyes immediately wide and looking about as the delicate insects fluttered around the room. He found a place where he wouldn’t be stood in the way and it seemed to only take minutes before three butterflies had decided that he would make a good place to land. A black and white striped one had landed on his shoulder, slowly fanning its wings as it rested there. On his back, a wide-winged, blue specimen was perched in the middle of the zero of the large ‘50’ on the back of his jacket. The one that was making him grin was a near transparent insect currently sitting on the frame of his glasses, touching its curled tongue to the metal. Alfred was near enough cross-eyed looking at it, one eye squinted closed and the other trying to focus and Arthur couldn’t help but take a photograph.
“This is cool,” Alfred said, slowly, as if trying not to startle the butterfly. Arthur chuckled softly, moving close and snapping another photo, making sure to capture Alfred’s eyes so he could remember the look of wonder in them. “It’s like they’re not afraid or anything.”
“They must think you just as sweet as I do,” Arthur told him, rather glad for that moment that Alfred was balancing three butterflies on his person as he could easily move out of the way of the slow swipe that came at him at that. The younger man’s face had turned bright red, his lips twisted in a pout that quickly disappeared as the insect on his glasses began to walk across the lens. Through the wings Arthur could see the bright blue of his lover’s eye, that grin creeping back onto his face again as the butterfly strolled towards his nose to the bridge before taking off.
“Aw.”
They moved on, Arthur turning Alfred around several times to make sure all the butterflies that had landed on him had been shooed away. As they walked Alfred’s excited chatter started up again, spurred on by what had just happened and he didn’t stop talking about butterflies until they reached the one thing that always excited him more.
Bats.
Arthur always saved any exhibit like this until last when he brought Alfred along because it was inevitable that they would spend at least two hours there. This time was no different. The younger man dragged him to sit down and let their eyes get used to the darkness, but Arthur wasn’t really interested in looking at the bats. Alfred’s eyes were wide again as he watched the winged rodents flying from one side of the room to the other, and in time a member of staff who recognised them came over and Alfred chatted to her animatedly, talking about this and that and asking if there were any new developments. While he talked, he dropped a hand down between them and inched his fingers across to find Arthur’s, linking their hands together and squeezing gently. It was his own special way of telling Arthur that he hadn’t forgotten about him.
The English nation smiled, squeezing back and beginning the mental preparation for what was always the most stressful part of a trip like this.
The gift shop.
Genre: General/Romance
Word Count: 1146
Rating/Warnings: U, none.
Summary: Arthur takes Alfred on a trip to the zoo. Fluff and such follows.
*****
There were few places that Alfred was more obnoxious than zoos. It wasn’t something that he did on purpose, or at least Arthur very much hoped that it wasn’t, but it was inevitable that the moment he set foot in a zoo he would be gone and Arthur would spend the entire day exhausting himself by chasing around after the excitable American nation. Arthur took pride in having had the first zoological park open to the public in the world, and although it was by no means the largest he still made a point of going at least once a year. Alfred never complained. He ran about the place as if all of it was new to him and in more recent years had been bold enough to drag Arthur around by the hand rather than simply run away by himself.
The day was sunny and uncharacteristically warm for early May and Arthur would have been more than happy to take their time, but the moment they stepped through the gates with their tickets and guide books – of which Alfred must have had more than a dozen by now – his hand was taken and he was being pulled towards the aquarium building. Arthur couldn’t help but feel a warm fondness for the younger man as he wormed his way between the crowds and pressed as close to the glass as he could, watching fish that were larger than his head swimming around in a slightly darkened tank. He loved the seahorses, watching them pushing their way through the water for a good fifteen minutes or more before Arthur finally hooked the back of his collar with one finger and pulled him away. From the first time he had ever brought Alfred here he had been impressed by the younger man’s knowledge about animals, and he would often go on rambles that would rival Arthur’s when faced with one that he knew a great deal about.
Next, was the outback exhibit. Alfred had been friends with his ‘brother’ Australian nation since the First World War and though they had a slightly rocky start with their loud personalities they had quickly become close. While Alfred leaned over the barrier and peered at the wallabies bouncing about a short distance away, shooting off a few facts about the little creatures, Arthur snapped a few photos and Alfred bumped against his shoulder, slinging an arm around him and pulling him close. Though they had been ‘together’ in every sense of the word for some years now it had still taken until recently for them to be comfortable enough to be affectionate in public. They would still be stared at, sometimes, but they cared less. It wasn’t people knowing that he was gay that did it for Arthur, he didn’t care about that and he never had, but it was the consequences of his actions. Only half a century ago such things would have been enough to have had him arrested.
They moved about the park, looking at the reptiles and birds, down to the big cats where Alfred stood for what felt like hours staring at a large tiger sunning itself on one of the platforms. When he expressed a wish, not for the first time, to go to India or China and find one in the wild Arthur decided that it was time to move on.
It was in the butterfly house that Arthur finally had his first respite from Alfred’s incessant need to see everything. The heat and humidity that hit them when they walked in made the English nation uncomfortable almost immediately, but Alfred didn’t mind in the least, his eyes immediately wide and looking about as the delicate insects fluttered around the room. He found a place where he wouldn’t be stood in the way and it seemed to only take minutes before three butterflies had decided that he would make a good place to land. A black and white striped one had landed on his shoulder, slowly fanning its wings as it rested there. On his back, a wide-winged, blue specimen was perched in the middle of the zero of the large ‘50’ on the back of his jacket. The one that was making him grin was a near transparent insect currently sitting on the frame of his glasses, touching its curled tongue to the metal. Alfred was near enough cross-eyed looking at it, one eye squinted closed and the other trying to focus and Arthur couldn’t help but take a photograph.
“This is cool,” Alfred said, slowly, as if trying not to startle the butterfly. Arthur chuckled softly, moving close and snapping another photo, making sure to capture Alfred’s eyes so he could remember the look of wonder in them. “It’s like they’re not afraid or anything.”
“They must think you just as sweet as I do,” Arthur told him, rather glad for that moment that Alfred was balancing three butterflies on his person as he could easily move out of the way of the slow swipe that came at him at that. The younger man’s face had turned bright red, his lips twisted in a pout that quickly disappeared as the insect on his glasses began to walk across the lens. Through the wings Arthur could see the bright blue of his lover’s eye, that grin creeping back onto his face again as the butterfly strolled towards his nose to the bridge before taking off.
“Aw.”
They moved on, Arthur turning Alfred around several times to make sure all the butterflies that had landed on him had been shooed away. As they walked Alfred’s excited chatter started up again, spurred on by what had just happened and he didn’t stop talking about butterflies until they reached the one thing that always excited him more.
Bats.
Arthur always saved any exhibit like this until last when he brought Alfred along because it was inevitable that they would spend at least two hours there. This time was no different. The younger man dragged him to sit down and let their eyes get used to the darkness, but Arthur wasn’t really interested in looking at the bats. Alfred’s eyes were wide again as he watched the winged rodents flying from one side of the room to the other, and in time a member of staff who recognised them came over and Alfred chatted to her animatedly, talking about this and that and asking if there were any new developments. While he talked, he dropped a hand down between them and inched his fingers across to find Arthur’s, linking their hands together and squeezing gently. It was his own special way of telling Arthur that he hadn’t forgotten about him.
The English nation smiled, squeezing back and beginning the mental preparation for what was always the most stressful part of a trip like this.
The gift shop.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-18 11:20 am (UTC)Also, this line “They must think you just as sweet as I do,” love it! ♥
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-18 11:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-18 11:32 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-18 03:07 pm (UTC)Poor Artie. ;~;
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-18 03:09 pm (UTC)Sorry XP
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-19 01:15 am (UTC)The butterfly part was really cute. I loved the last two lines.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-19 01:18 am (UTC)Thanks :D
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-19 02:39 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-19 03:37 am (UTC)*laughs at the end* oh man, that is hilarious. :D
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-19 05:15 pm (UTC)And the butterfly part was so precious ♥
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-19 05:27 pm (UTC)Hehe, thanks <3
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-22 02:31 pm (UTC)I had one on my nose once, it was a huuuuuuge one and just fitted on my nose and I got a trauma from it so t=I had like this feeling of creepiness and fluffiness at the same time while reading this >.>
but it's so cute ;w;
which zoo are they actually or is it just a random one?
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-22 02:33 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-22 02:34 pm (UTC)Maybe they have some different animals (even if it's hard too) then our zoo in Rotterdam. (it's HUGGGEEEEE)