[USxUK] Theme: Sports [Summer Camp Event]
Jul. 20th, 2011 10:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blood_wingedTitle: Let's Play
Genre: General
Word Count: 712
Rating/Warnings: U, none.
Summary: A young Alfred teaches Arthur how to play a new game.
“It’s a lacrosse stick!” Alfred grinned, picking up his own and watching Arthur as he turned the thing over in his hands, running his gaze from the base up to the net at the top. It had been a while since his last visit, and Alfred had been dying to show him this game.
“What the devil is ‘lacrosse’? It sounds French.”
The young American nation laughed loudly, rubbing the back of his head and scuffing up his hair. He twirled the stick in his hand and shrugged, letting it rest against his shoulder. “Well, Francis named it, but it’s not-”
“Forget it, sod off.”
“Aw, come on! It’s not a French sport, I swear! Mattie and I played it together since we were tiny!”
Arthur looked suspiciously between the stick in his hand and the one in Alfred’s, to the ball that was being tossed up and down in the younger nation’s free hand. The American grinned again, tossing the ball towards his caretaker and his expression only brightened when Arthur closed one eye and caught it deftly. His visits had seemed, lately, to have been becoming rarer and it was more difficult these days for them to talk as they used to. It was almost as if Arthur simply didn’t trust him anymore, but as long as he kept visiting, Alfred would always have new things to show to him.
“Very well, how is it played?”
“Well, haha, the natives play it, usually with hundreds or thousands of people! But me and Mattie just play on our own so it doesn’t really matter how many people there are.”
The English nation had never been the type for playing sports although if the weather was good and he wasn’t too busy, too tired or too stressed he would occasionally put on some more comfortable clothes and play football or cricket with the boy. It was a good way to unwind, he would always say afterwards, but it would always be a task to make him do it again.
Right now, Arthur was hardly dressed for playing sports, but that wasn’t stopping Alfred. He explained the rules, of which there weren’t many, and promised he’d take it easy on the older man with a wide smile on his face that said rather clearly that he most definitely wouldn’t. Alfred was a competitive sort and really couldn’t help himself when it came to something that he could actually win. After the explanation and some minutes of thought Arthur relented, slid his jacket off and pulled off his cravat. He picked up the lacrosse stick again, glancing between it and Alfred’s smiling face, then he tossed the ball back and moved a few steps away.
The next hour was spent in a combination of running, shouting and an amount of falling over on both sides that ended with them both covered in dirt and grass stains and left Arthur looking rather more relaxed than he had been when he’d first arrived. He was quick enough to get the hang of catching the ball when Alfred tossed it to him, though getting him to throw it without sending it sailing over the younger blonde’s head was rather a different task. The large garden was taken full advantage of, and they were both out of breath when a high ball sent Alfred toppling into one of Arthur’s rose bushes.
“Ah!” Immediately, he was dragged out of the plant and set on his feet. “Be careful!”
“Yes, I’m fine, don’t worry about me,” Alfred said, a slight twist in his lips as Arthur examined the bush he’d fallen onto. The man glanced at him, then sighed and smiled, and Alfred grinned, grabbing his stick up from the ground and scooping the ball up.
“Is that all the fight you have in you?” he asked.
“Are you attempting to coax me into continuing this ridiculous game by appealing to my vanity?” The older man unbuttoned his cuffs, rolling his sleeves up to above his elbows. He hooked one foot under the stick by his feet and kicked it up into his hand.
“I may be. Is it working?”
Arthur stepped back, a slow smile working its way onto his face. “Just throw the sodding ball.”
Genre: General
Word Count: 712
Rating/Warnings: U, none.
Summary: A young Alfred teaches Arthur how to play a new game.
*****
“What… is this?”“It’s a lacrosse stick!” Alfred grinned, picking up his own and watching Arthur as he turned the thing over in his hands, running his gaze from the base up to the net at the top. It had been a while since his last visit, and Alfred had been dying to show him this game.
“What the devil is ‘lacrosse’? It sounds French.”
The young American nation laughed loudly, rubbing the back of his head and scuffing up his hair. He twirled the stick in his hand and shrugged, letting it rest against his shoulder. “Well, Francis named it, but it’s not-”
“Forget it, sod off.”
“Aw, come on! It’s not a French sport, I swear! Mattie and I played it together since we were tiny!”
Arthur looked suspiciously between the stick in his hand and the one in Alfred’s, to the ball that was being tossed up and down in the younger nation’s free hand. The American grinned again, tossing the ball towards his caretaker and his expression only brightened when Arthur closed one eye and caught it deftly. His visits had seemed, lately, to have been becoming rarer and it was more difficult these days for them to talk as they used to. It was almost as if Arthur simply didn’t trust him anymore, but as long as he kept visiting, Alfred would always have new things to show to him.
“Very well, how is it played?”
“Well, haha, the natives play it, usually with hundreds or thousands of people! But me and Mattie just play on our own so it doesn’t really matter how many people there are.”
The English nation had never been the type for playing sports although if the weather was good and he wasn’t too busy, too tired or too stressed he would occasionally put on some more comfortable clothes and play football or cricket with the boy. It was a good way to unwind, he would always say afterwards, but it would always be a task to make him do it again.
Right now, Arthur was hardly dressed for playing sports, but that wasn’t stopping Alfred. He explained the rules, of which there weren’t many, and promised he’d take it easy on the older man with a wide smile on his face that said rather clearly that he most definitely wouldn’t. Alfred was a competitive sort and really couldn’t help himself when it came to something that he could actually win. After the explanation and some minutes of thought Arthur relented, slid his jacket off and pulled off his cravat. He picked up the lacrosse stick again, glancing between it and Alfred’s smiling face, then he tossed the ball back and moved a few steps away.
The next hour was spent in a combination of running, shouting and an amount of falling over on both sides that ended with them both covered in dirt and grass stains and left Arthur looking rather more relaxed than he had been when he’d first arrived. He was quick enough to get the hang of catching the ball when Alfred tossed it to him, though getting him to throw it without sending it sailing over the younger blonde’s head was rather a different task. The large garden was taken full advantage of, and they were both out of breath when a high ball sent Alfred toppling into one of Arthur’s rose bushes.
“Ah!” Immediately, he was dragged out of the plant and set on his feet. “Be careful!”
“Yes, I’m fine, don’t worry about me,” Alfred said, a slight twist in his lips as Arthur examined the bush he’d fallen onto. The man glanced at him, then sighed and smiled, and Alfred grinned, grabbing his stick up from the ground and scooping the ball up.
“Is that all the fight you have in you?” he asked.
“Are you attempting to coax me into continuing this ridiculous game by appealing to my vanity?” The older man unbuttoned his cuffs, rolling his sleeves up to above his elbows. He hooked one foot under the stick by his feet and kicked it up into his hand.
“I may be. Is it working?”
Arthur stepped back, a slow smile working its way onto his face. “Just throw the sodding ball.”
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-20 12:19 pm (UTC)Yessss Arthur, give in to your competitive nature. Just pretend it's a sea battle, and you're going to fuck his bloody shit up. Throw the sodding ball, Alfred. >:D
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-22 08:16 pm (UTC)It's very wonderful, dear! <333