[USxUK] Broadening Horizons
Sep. 4th, 2011 06:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blood_wingedTitle: Broadening Horizons
Genre: General/Romance/Fluff
Pairing: US/UK
Rating/Warnings: U, none.
Summary: Shortish, adventure fluff fic for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
abarero.
*****
“How the hell did you manage to convince me to come out here?”
“I tempted you with the thought of tropical sunshine and two weeks in my company, why?”
“When you said ‘tropical’ I thought you meant ‘the tropics’.”
Alfred grinned, wiping a scrap of cloth across his forehead and popping the cap from a water canteen, taking a sip from the liquid inside. He looked up as a bird flew overhead, clacking its colourful beak and letting out a croaking sound. “We are in the tropics,” he said cheerfully. Glaring up at him from underneath the brim of his hat, Arthur rolled his eyes and shook his head, letting out a quiet snort.
“We’re in a tropical rainforest,” he pointed out, waving one hand at the canopy of green over their heads. “When you said ‘tropical’ I was envisioning a beach, a nice hotel, not being miles away from any civilisation and surrounded by-” Cutting off, he smacked one hand to his neck, a spindly insect flattened against his palm. “Bugs.” Alfred just grinned, and the English nation let out a frustrated growl, dropping his head into his hands and batting uselessly at the other man when his hair was ruffled.
“Come on, Arts. You’ve been in worse conditions than this before, and it’s only for a couple of weeks then I’ll radio in for someone to come and get us.”
“I don’t suppose you can do that now?”
For a moment, the look in Alfred’s eyes was sharp. Arthur glared at him, and he sighed and shrugged, turning away to finish constructing the small tent that they would no doubt be sharing. “I thought you might like something more interesting than a week in Cornwall, that’s all.”
It was certainly interesting, Arthur had to give him that. Once he put the humidity and heat aside and did his best to keep it out of his mind that they were in the middle of nowhere, he couldn’t deny that he was surrounded by plant and animal life that he’d never seen before. However, to arrive at that point was difficult since Arthur had never dealt with head and humidity particularly well, and the sensation of moisture running over his scalp wasn’t one he was enjoying at the moment.
“I would have preferred to have been informed-”
“So you could say no?” The younger blonde was scowling again, hitting the tent-pegs into the ground with far more force than was necessary, and Arthur sighed, almost flopping back onto the undergrowth before he remembered what things might crawl on him if he did. “I don’t know what your problem is, it’s not like you haven’t been out in the wild before. What about when you were a kid?”
“When I was a child the only thing that might have eaten me was a wolf, not a snake five times bigger than I am.”
“Pfh…” Pinching the bridge of his nose with his finger and thumb, Alfred shook his head and let his hands drop to his sides. “Come on, Arts. We’re here, can’t you even try to enjoy it? Come in the tent, I brought this neat little cooler we can hook up to that battery I brought and we can stop… sweating, for a while.”
Muttering a ‘yeah, alright’, Arthur stood up and moved across to where Alfred was holding open the flap of the tent, ducking inside. He scooted back, as far as he could go to give the American space to crawl in after him. He watched, slightly sullen as the man set up the cooler and immediately flopped back when he began to feel the cool air moving over his skin. Beside him, Alfred lay down and shuffled forwards on his stomach, pushing his nose against Arthur’s cheek and smiling that cheeky little smile that always made the other’s heart melt.
“Oh, pack it in,” the English nation muttered, curling one arm around to push it into Alfred’s damp hair. He could have sworn that it was only a moment, only a blink of his eyes and then he was gazing up into darkness. Twitching, he heard a laugh from near the doorway and propped himself up on his elbows, just able to make out the silhouette of Alfred crouching there.
“Come on, Arts. I want to show you something.” He almost protested. Something about going out there in the dark when god knows what could be about but then some part of him, a long buried part that had weathered rolling seas amidst thunderstorms and held an entire empire under its heel gave him a mental punch and he sat up, emerging from the tent, Alfred’s hand immediately clasping his. He gave a small tug, and then began to walk, as if he knew precisely where he was going.
Arthur hadn’t expected night time in a rainforest to be so loud. Certainly he had seen such things, on the few occasions he had come across them while skipping through channels on his television at home, but it was nothing like the city. More than once he ducked at some perceived shape or shadow whizzing past his head, and Alfred just laughed, continuing to lead him on until suddenly, he stopped. Bumping into him slightly, Arthur voiced a quiet complaint, though quickly came to realise just why Alfred had stopped.
They stood near the edge of a sheer precipice, miles of rainforest spread out below them. The moon cast the top of the canopy in a silver-grey light, a twinkle in the distance marking a body of water. Letting out a soft sigh, Arthur leaned against Alfred’s side and felt the younger man’s arm slip around him. The air was cooler now, and with no insects to bother him he could appreciate something like this far more than he might have earlier. Gently, Alfred nosed against the top of his head and he felt the man smiling against his scalp.
“It’s beautiful,” he murmured. “You never mentioned anything like this.”
“I thought you’d like it.” Alfred shuffled forwards, leaning to peer down the face of the cliff. Leaning with him, Arthur’s head span as he was unable to calculate the distance in the dim light. “We should get as much sleep as we can. As soon as it gets light we’re rappelling down there.”
“I’m sorry, we’re doing what?”
“Rappelling. You know. On ropes. Down the cliff.”
“Oh… Oh god.”
Genre: General/Romance/Fluff
Pairing: US/UK
Rating/Warnings: U, none.
Summary: Shortish, adventure fluff fic for
abarero.*****
“How the hell did you manage to convince me to come out here?”
“I tempted you with the thought of tropical sunshine and two weeks in my company, why?”
“When you said ‘tropical’ I thought you meant ‘the tropics’.”
Alfred grinned, wiping a scrap of cloth across his forehead and popping the cap from a water canteen, taking a sip from the liquid inside. He looked up as a bird flew overhead, clacking its colourful beak and letting out a croaking sound. “We are in the tropics,” he said cheerfully. Glaring up at him from underneath the brim of his hat, Arthur rolled his eyes and shook his head, letting out a quiet snort.
“We’re in a tropical rainforest,” he pointed out, waving one hand at the canopy of green over their heads. “When you said ‘tropical’ I was envisioning a beach, a nice hotel, not being miles away from any civilisation and surrounded by-” Cutting off, he smacked one hand to his neck, a spindly insect flattened against his palm. “Bugs.” Alfred just grinned, and the English nation let out a frustrated growl, dropping his head into his hands and batting uselessly at the other man when his hair was ruffled.
“Come on, Arts. You’ve been in worse conditions than this before, and it’s only for a couple of weeks then I’ll radio in for someone to come and get us.”
“I don’t suppose you can do that now?”
For a moment, the look in Alfred’s eyes was sharp. Arthur glared at him, and he sighed and shrugged, turning away to finish constructing the small tent that they would no doubt be sharing. “I thought you might like something more interesting than a week in Cornwall, that’s all.”
It was certainly interesting, Arthur had to give him that. Once he put the humidity and heat aside and did his best to keep it out of his mind that they were in the middle of nowhere, he couldn’t deny that he was surrounded by plant and animal life that he’d never seen before. However, to arrive at that point was difficult since Arthur had never dealt with head and humidity particularly well, and the sensation of moisture running over his scalp wasn’t one he was enjoying at the moment.
“I would have preferred to have been informed-”
“So you could say no?” The younger blonde was scowling again, hitting the tent-pegs into the ground with far more force than was necessary, and Arthur sighed, almost flopping back onto the undergrowth before he remembered what things might crawl on him if he did. “I don’t know what your problem is, it’s not like you haven’t been out in the wild before. What about when you were a kid?”
“When I was a child the only thing that might have eaten me was a wolf, not a snake five times bigger than I am.”
“Pfh…” Pinching the bridge of his nose with his finger and thumb, Alfred shook his head and let his hands drop to his sides. “Come on, Arts. We’re here, can’t you even try to enjoy it? Come in the tent, I brought this neat little cooler we can hook up to that battery I brought and we can stop… sweating, for a while.”
Muttering a ‘yeah, alright’, Arthur stood up and moved across to where Alfred was holding open the flap of the tent, ducking inside. He scooted back, as far as he could go to give the American space to crawl in after him. He watched, slightly sullen as the man set up the cooler and immediately flopped back when he began to feel the cool air moving over his skin. Beside him, Alfred lay down and shuffled forwards on his stomach, pushing his nose against Arthur’s cheek and smiling that cheeky little smile that always made the other’s heart melt.
“Oh, pack it in,” the English nation muttered, curling one arm around to push it into Alfred’s damp hair. He could have sworn that it was only a moment, only a blink of his eyes and then he was gazing up into darkness. Twitching, he heard a laugh from near the doorway and propped himself up on his elbows, just able to make out the silhouette of Alfred crouching there.
“Come on, Arts. I want to show you something.” He almost protested. Something about going out there in the dark when god knows what could be about but then some part of him, a long buried part that had weathered rolling seas amidst thunderstorms and held an entire empire under its heel gave him a mental punch and he sat up, emerging from the tent, Alfred’s hand immediately clasping his. He gave a small tug, and then began to walk, as if he knew precisely where he was going.
Arthur hadn’t expected night time in a rainforest to be so loud. Certainly he had seen such things, on the few occasions he had come across them while skipping through channels on his television at home, but it was nothing like the city. More than once he ducked at some perceived shape or shadow whizzing past his head, and Alfred just laughed, continuing to lead him on until suddenly, he stopped. Bumping into him slightly, Arthur voiced a quiet complaint, though quickly came to realise just why Alfred had stopped.
They stood near the edge of a sheer precipice, miles of rainforest spread out below them. The moon cast the top of the canopy in a silver-grey light, a twinkle in the distance marking a body of water. Letting out a soft sigh, Arthur leaned against Alfred’s side and felt the younger man’s arm slip around him. The air was cooler now, and with no insects to bother him he could appreciate something like this far more than he might have earlier. Gently, Alfred nosed against the top of his head and he felt the man smiling against his scalp.
“It’s beautiful,” he murmured. “You never mentioned anything like this.”
“I thought you’d like it.” Alfred shuffled forwards, leaning to peer down the face of the cliff. Leaning with him, Arthur’s head span as he was unable to calculate the distance in the dim light. “We should get as much sleep as we can. As soon as it gets light we’re rappelling down there.”
“I’m sorry, we’re doing what?”
“Rappelling. You know. On ropes. Down the cliff.”
“Oh… Oh god.”
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-04 10:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-04 06:42 pm (UTC)Thanks for the comment owo
(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-04 02:30 pm (UTC)Thank you again! *huggles*
(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-04 06:49 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-05 05:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-05 04:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-05 05:51 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-05 04:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-05 11:27 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-05 04:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-05 01:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-05 04:33 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-05 08:58 pm (UTC)This is so sweet! The ending was very adorable too! I just feel sorry for Arthur though.
Going through a rain forest can be tough, honestly. The last time I've been there was totally horrific. And my skin went so red under the sun. But the environment was worth it. I also took some pictures of a deer running with a something clamped on it's mouth and a horde of rabbits sniffing each other's noses.
I-I'm ranting, aren't I? D:
(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-07 11:26 pm (UTC)