Different Hearts, Same Love | By : FlayraDowitcher Category: +G to L > Hetalia: Axis Powers Views: 1534 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. I am making no money off of this fic. |
***Warning: Some language
***Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. I am making no money off of this fic.
Chapter 5
They had been traveling along the winding trail for hours and the air grew colder. Francis was shivering, his teeth chattering loudly while Arthur whistled a merry tune, for he was warm. Arthur continued to tease Francis about the weather, saying that the 'fairies' were telling him that a large snow storm was coming. Arthur was getting immense enjoyment out of hearing the nobleman's worried whining. There had been no more talk of Arthur's relationship nor about the corpses they saw in the woods. Arthur was a bit annoyed at how easily Francis could forget something so barbaric.
"Arthur…!"
"Now what is it?" Arthur's train of thought was broken.
"I give in." Francis sighed and slumped his shoulders. "I give in. Give me those furs. I already smell like a pig sty so I might as well just add to it. And you stink just as much, so I don't have to impress you."
"You are such an annoying ass," Arthur said as he placed the back sack on the ground and took out the furs. He tossed the pile to Francis. "Are you smart enough to know how to put them on?"
"Yes, I am!" He responded while sticking his tongue out at the other. Francis easily put the cloak and shawl on, and felt warmer immediately. However, he frowned when he saw how light Arthur's back sack had become. "Hey, now you can carry of this stuff too!"
Arthur smirked. "I'm the guide, remember? Also, I am the hunter, the sole provider of the meals that go in your belly. I need the freedom to draw my bow."
Francis cocked his head to the side, and then smiled. "Could you teach me how to shoot an arrow?"
A thick brow went up. "You? Use a bow?" He gave a quick laugh. "You'd shoot your eye out!"
"I would not!" Francis huffed. "I'll have you know that I was the best out of my group of friends whom could shoot a sling-shot!"
Arthur snickered behind his hand. "Sling-shot, he says!" Another snicker. "That would work if we were shooting at ally cats making noise." He crossed his arms and gave Francis a smug look. "Leave the REAL mountain man work to the experts!"
"But I wish to learn."
"Too bad." Arthur smiled at him. "Now, let's continue on our way."
Francis said nothing more and followed behind Arthur, walking in silence. He decided to ask Arthur about the corpses they had seen before. Francis had found it very odd and horrific that people could do that to one another. With a soft gulp, he spoke. "Arthur, what do you make of that carnage we saw back there? Is it simply sacrifice or something else?"
Arthur continued walking. "It was sacrifice, just as I had said. It was unlike any I have ever seen, but if I were to pass a judgment call, I would say it had to do with the disease sweeping the land. However, the removal of the brain is strange to me."
Francis gulped. "Just…how strange?"
"Well, based on my knowledge, the removal of the brain would appear to be more of a, shall we say, tasty dish?" He looked back to see Francis' face turn nearly completely green. "That's what I would do if I chose to cut out a brain. Or, it could be a tribal ritual as well."
"T-Tribal? There aren't any more tribes in these woods! They were said to have all disappeared or moved on."
Arthur climbed over a fallen branch in the path. "You are pretty far away from your city, nobleman. Keep in mind that your hunting parties do not even hunt near my cabin. They're over on the other side, south of my cabin. The tribes tend to move around."
"So then you're saying that it may have been tribal people who did that?"
"Yes. It could very well be, that's why I wanted us to get out of there as quickly as we could. Tribal people are ANYTHING but friendly. Of course, they probably wouldn't want to eat your brain. It's too small for them to enjoy." Arthur smirked when he heard Francis shout 'what'.
"You are so very RUDE! I bet they wouldn't eat your brain either! It would probably turn to pixie dust and blow away in the wind!" Francis realized that his choice of words were not a proper comeback and he heard Arthur laughing.
"You're a riot, Francis. Good news, though! We're nearing the end of the woods and will soon hit the plains."
Francis' eyes sparkled "Flat land? That just…brings a tear of joy to my eye. Let's move faster so we can get to the plains and there, you can teach me how to fire an arrow!"
/
When Francis first saw the plains come into sight his heart leapt with joy. The ground was fairly even for as far as he could see. There were patches of wildflowers, boulders, and tall grass stretching for miles. The sight reminded Francis a little of his garden behind the palace home. He had to wonder if the garden was still there, or destroyed by the peasants. That thought made him a little gloomy, but the flock of small birds that whished past him and settled in the grass brought the smile back. Even the image of the corpses had fled his mind so he could focus on the wonderful sight before him. A wind past him by and it was warm, not cold. This forced his head to tilt in confusion, for it seemed to be spring here and not winter. He looked to Arthur who removed his furs down to just his simple linens.
"You can remove your furs if you'd like," Arthur told him, stuffing his own into the sack. "It is always springtime here."
"How is that possible?" Francis asked.
"Currently, you are standing on sacred ground for this is a magical place." Arthur smiled as he looked out on the plains. "You can't see them, but I can see every special being present on these grounds right now."
Francis' brows went up in awe. "Really?" He looked around. "I see nothing but the plains. What do you see, Arthur? What do they look like these, magical creatures you see?"
Arthur scoffed. "I can't tell you what they all look like. Most of them are fairies and imps right now. This particular area is very unicorn friendly, so you will only see large white horses. Come on, let's get back to walking. These plains are fairly large to walk across."
Francis followed silently behind Arthur, looking all around them at the sights and searching for mystical beings. It started to bother him that Arthur could see these things and he could not. The spoiled nobleman in him was starting to come out but he could never show Arthur that he was jealous. It was hard to believe at first, yet with everything he had seen so far he was starting to believe in something more. The outdoor life was still not preferred, but he was slowly starting to see the beauty of it.
They saw a couple of regular animals, such as deer and rabbits running about. The animals seemed to pay them no mind as they walked, never turning to run away or even look at them. Francis found that to be odd, but Arthur said this place was magical, so that must be why. How strange it was for him to believe in all this magic when a few days ago he believed in nothing. Magic was for children, something you read about in books and was sung in songs. Nothing of the sort existed in reality, yet here he was, walking through a flowered field in an area that is always springtime.
"I'm getting hungry, let's take a rest," Arthur offered, picking a clearing in the tall grass for them to rest at. Francis took out the bedrolls and laid them out along the ground like a big blanket.
"I'm assuming dried meat again?" Francis asked with a little smirk.
"Yes. If you're a good boy, I will show you where the honeysuckle is as we can have that as a sweet dessert."
"Honeysuckle? Really?" Francis grinned. "That's one of my favorite drinks back home! Honeysuckle milk! I love having a nice warm glass of it in the morning."
Arthur raised a brow with an amused smile. It wouldn't be the same as honeysuckle milk, but Arthur wanted to see the reaction on Francis' face. The nobleman's reaction looks are becoming his personal enjoyment. "Eat your dried meat." He handed a strand of the meat to Francis who took it from him. "I'm going to go to that little brook and get some fresh water. I'll be right back."
Francis watched him leave the area and kept his eyes glued to the other as he walked away. He noticed then that Arthur had left his bow and quiver on the bedroll, so Francis picked up the bow first. Carefully, he examined it from top to bottom, realizing that this was hand made and most likely by Arthur. Francis had seen bows before, but none had ever looked like this. It appeared to be very simply made, unlike the others he had seen with designs and curves. He had to remember that Arthur was not the elaborate type so he would have a plain and simple bow. Francis held it in one hand and gripped the string with the other. As he tried to pull back, he made a face at how difficult it was to bend the ends of the bow. The bow appeared thin enough so it shouldn't be this hard to pull. Francis managed to do it, but his arm ached from the stretching pull. When Arthur aimed the arrow, he pulled it back as if it were light as a feather.
"You'll send all the game running with that force," Arthur's mocking voice came from behind. Francis looked up at him.
"I was only testing it out. I want you to teach me how to use this, so I will hold in my comeback to your mockery. Why is it so hard to pull?"
Arthur sat down in front of him, laying the canteen beside the back sacks. "The simple fact is that you're not used to stringing a bow. This is my bow and I made it specifically for my talents and strength. With time and practice, you'd be able to aim and shoot just as well as I, even though this bow is not made for you. Aside from that, I have more strength than you." He smirked and crossed his arms proudly.
"Ah, and how do you figure that, pray tell?" Francis mocked.
"All your strength is in your hips and legs because you're a whore, and in these woods you don't gain strength by training on your back."
Francis fumed at the word 'whore' but had a much better understanding of the kind of person Arthur was. Francis was quick to rule out that Arthur was unhappy with himself so belittling others made him feel in control. Since the man WAS guiding him to safety, Francis decided to start meeting Arthur's extra crude insults with calm fact rather than growing irritated. "I know from your point of view it sounds like I'm a whore who fucks all the time. Try to understand that where I come from, orgies are fairly normal and no one gives it a second thought. We are all about the here and now; we like to have fun. And I have to say that you would make a very attractive servant."
Arthur frowned. "I'm no servant."
"Well, you can't be a noble because of your common birth, but you could be living such an extravagant life if you were in my house. We take great care of our servants. As I said before, they are not slaves like other houses have. We provide our servants clean clothes, fresh food and water, living accommodations, and a break period during the day." He smiled. "I can just picture you in our servant robes…and you're very pretty."
Arthur gave a deep, angry blush. "Men aren't pretty!"
Francis laughed. "Forgive me! Handsome, then! You would make a very handsome servant dressed in our robes."
"Do you fuck your servants as well?" Arthur looked at him, the red slowly draining from his face.
"Only if they wish it," Francis answered truthfully, "I had some who enjoyed my pleasurable company, both men and women. I never discriminate between the two." He turned a bright grin to Arthur. "Are you suggesting that you want to have me make love to you?"
"WHAT?" Arthur screamed and turned red again. "I WANT NO SUCH THING! HOW PROPOSTEROUS!"
"Then why ask it?" Francis turned serious.
"Ugh! We were on the subject of- never mind! Honestly!" He took his bow and hit Francis across the head with it. "You disgust me!"
"Of course." Francis smiled and tore into his dried meat, ignoring Arthur's huffing.
The two men remained seated in silence, Francis having lounged onto the bedroll while Arthur polished up his dagger. Francis watched the white clouds go by with a content smile, trying to make out shapes. The warm breeze whistled through the grass and wildflowers surrounding them. For a moment, Francis wished he had Arthur's powers to see all the spirits and mystical beings surrounding them. This place was so peaceful and tranquil that he even thought about living here with Arthur. However, that thought quickly disappeared as he remembered the luxuries and beauty of the noble life. Francis closed his eyes and enjoyed the warm breeze on his face, yet something seemed different about this air. He opened his eyes to see a large black nose above him, sniffing loudly at his face. Francis' eyes crossed as they looked up into the long face of a brown-eyed doe. He remained perfectly still, unmoving, and said, "Arthur…what do I do?"
Arthur chuckled. "She won't hurt you. Just sit up slowly and calmly. She's interested in you, nothing more."
Francis slowly sat up, avoiding the doe's head and turned to look into her long brown face. Her large ears twitched as she continued to gaze at him, and Francis was unsure of what to do. The fact that a wild animal was so close to his face unnerved him a bit, but when he glanced past her to look at Arthur, his features softened. Arthur was holding a young fawn in his lap, stroking its white spotted back. Francis smiled at the sight then turned to the doe, which was still looking at him with curiosity written across her face. Taking a chance, Francis lifted his hand and carefully placed it on her cheek. The doe made no move to run, but nuzzled in to his hand. Feeling more confident, Francis scratched behind her ears and under her chin. "What can I say? The ladies of all kinds love me."
Arthur smirked softly. "She doesn't have good taste then." He nuzzled the fawn. "Would you like to hold him? He's very sweet and doesn't smell dirty at all. He smells of the earth, and of fresh strawberries."
Francis continued stroking the doe's face. "Why strawberries?"
"See his mouth and all the pink? He is just past the need for his mother's milk and is eating fresh fruit grown on these plains. I take it he and his mother dined heavily on the strawberries."
"I would like to hold him." Francis smiled and held out his arms. "Give him to me please." Arthur handed the fawn over and Francis held him, just like he had the baby goats on his family's farm. The fawn made a gurgling noise, yet did not try to run away. The mother nudged her nose against Francis' ear and he laughed. "She likes me. They both do." He noticed Arthur's smile. "Arthur, why is it that they are so calm around humans? Why aren't they running from us?"
"This is sacred ground." Arthur started. "When animals step unto this earth, their personalities change. They become more aware and tolerant. This doe and her fawn sense no evil from us, so they are content in our presence. Also, when on this soil, the animals take on basic human emotions, so right now we are communicating with them. If we were outside of these plains, they would be nothing more than cautious beasts that I would hunt for food."
Francis gave him a surprised look. "That's terrible. How could you kill these beautiful creatures?"
"Hunger controls much of your brain function, Francis," Arthur answered truthfully. "But you would never know what real hunger is, would you?"
"Do you?" Francis countered. "You are able to hunt and grow your own food. Do you know hunger? Where were you growing up? Were you always in the woods?"
Arthur frowned. "I grew up in an orphanage in YOUR city. I ran away when I was very young to live a life of solitude. I did starve for awhile because I had to learn how to properly hunt."
"I see." Francis stroked the doe's nose. "So you wouldn't kill them here, but you would outside of these plains?"
"That is correct."
"The fawn as well?" Arthur nodded. "Why? It is a baby with no meat on its bones! How could you?"
"It would die without its mother to nurse it. It is better off being killed with its mother."
Francis' mouth opened in shock. "You are a monster!"
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Whatever. If you lived my life, you would understand this a lot more."
Francis nuzzled the fawn. "You're evil." He whispered into the fawn's ear. "There, there, I won't let anything happen to you."
Arthur was surprised by Francis' sudden change from nobleman to naturalist. The man was holding the fawn with tender loving care and stroking the doe as if he belonged here. Both animals were calm in his presence, and even the doe settled down to nestle beside him. He watched as Francis let the fawn go and it hobbled over to its mother, nuzzling her nose. Arthur was fairly touched by Francis' calm demeanor while dealing with the wild animals. Not once did he complain that they were smelly or dirty. The nobleman was really enjoying his time with the deer, even to the point of lying down with them.
"Arthur?" He called his name.
"Yes?"
Francis tilted his head back to look at him, along with two pairs of brown eyes from the deer. "This place is beautiful. Do you come here often?" Arthur smiled.
"Sometimes…in the heart of winter when the air is very cold."
Francis studied him for a moment before getting up on all fours to crawl closer to Arthur. "You look…so different in these parts, than in the woods." Francis gazed at him. "You can speak to animals. You can see mystical beings and speak to trees. I have never encountered someone as curious as you. Arthur?" Francis was very close to his face and Arthur backed away an inch.
"What is it?"
"I don't know if it is the atmosphere or the animals…but…" Francis leaned forward and gave the other man a gentle kiss on the lips. The kiss was soft and chaste, with Francis pulling away shortly after. "I'm sorry, that was bold of me."
Arthur just sat there, stunned and surprised by the kiss. The last person to kiss him was that bastard who left him. It had been a long while since he had been kissed, and Arthur missed the sensation. Against his better judgment, he leaned forward and met Francis' lips with his own. Too long had he gone without the kiss or touch from another, and he found that he could not contain himself. It didn't matter to him that Francis was a sacrifice or a stubborn nobleman. All that mattered was the warm texture of their lips together. The feeling brought back many memories that Arthur had long since forgotten, and he found that escaping them was near impossible. Francis' lips were warm and moist, softer than HIS lover's lips had been. Arthur eventually had to pull away with a gasp, looking surprised and shocked.
"Don't ever do that again!" Arthur sneered at him.
"But you liked it. There is no harm in liking a little bit of human contact?" Francis blinked blue eyes at him.
"That's not the point! How dare you kiss me? I thought I was smelly and dirty! Way beyond what you were used to!"
Francis smiled. "You're starting to appear to cute at least. It must be the magical land we're in right now." Arthur fumed. "Stop getting so angry."
"I can't help it! You believe in free love! I believe in commitment."
"So you would not think about you and I laying on this bedroll together and making love?"
Arthur gasped softly. "I thought I was dirty?"
"You are. But I am as dirty as you now so what is the difference? I am an expert lover. I could send you to the moon and back with only a few licks and couple of thrusts." Arthur blushed and Francis smiled. "What do you say?"
"…I say, NO!" He head butted Francis, who fell backwards and held his head. The fawn quickly escaped before he went down. He knew Francis was just trying to warm him up because the man was a pervert and desperate for attention. Arthur had to get Francis out of the plains before the man would be all over him. "I am Arthur Kirkland! I give in to no one! You shall never have me, even if you were the last man on Earth!" Francis grinned and Arthur glared.
"I love a challenge."
"Oh, and you will get one!" Arthur glared darkly. "I am much more than you think, Francis Bonnefoy." He was not expecting the perverted grin he received in return.
"You will find that I am more than you can handle."
/
Arthur stared lazily at the sleeping man on the bedroll beside him, his cheek planted firmly in his hand. He looked upon the other snoring softly with the fawn curled up beside him. If the man did not annoy him so much then Arthur would think the scene very cute. He was surprised by Francis' sudden take to the animals around them. True, they were much different in these parts than in the woods. Yet Francis was happy to pet and hold the fawn, even so much as to curl up with it to nap. Arthur started to wonder if Francis was slowly getting used to the outside world.
But these simple thoughts did not last long because the memory of the sudden kiss was overriding everything. Francis Bonnefoy, the spoiled, conceited, and arrogant nobleman had chosen to kiss him without warning. Arthur didn't know if he should feel completely annoyed or consider it flattering. If any other man besides Francis kissed him, he would not be as bothered. He could still feel the moist pressure of silken lips on his own and brought a finger up to trace them. It had been so long since he was last kissed so Arthur blamed the warm feelings on that. Everything he was feeling towards Francis was nothing more than his own loneliness yearning for attention. The idea made him angry enough to grip his blonde hair in fistfuls and tug in frustration. Arthur should have never let that man weasel his way into his heart. The feelings of humanly contact was all coming back and he had his ex-lover to blame. After that memory came a flood of others, slowly turning from casual to sexual.
The pleasurable feeling of sex was forever engraved in his mind, and Arthur was experiencing the wanton lust for intimacy once again. Often, when he was alone at night in his cabin, Arthur would pleasure himself thinking about his ex-lover coming inside to ravish him. When he was with THAT man intimately, his vision always went white and his voice hiked to new heights each time. The two of them had broken the table three times, the bed twice, and the ladder handles at least six. No matter how many times Arthur would push him away, he always gave in to those rough hands and lips.
Arthur wondered what Francis' hands would feel like on his body. The nobleman's hands were soft due to absent hard labor. The man had said he is a skilled lover, but Arthur did not want to actually put it to the test. Currently he was considering it, but just what type of lover is Francis, really? Arthur only had one person to compare to and Francis had hundreds. Is he a rough lover like the first, or slow and gentle with tender loving? There would be no harm in sleeping with Francis for the man was soon due for a butchering. Maybe the closer they got to the clan, Arthur would give in to his needs. That way, Francis would be killed shortly and unable to talk of him to others. Arthur smirked in triumph and wiggled his shoulders. He will be able to fight his intimate urges for Francis. Besides, Francis may say that Arthur was smelly and dirty, but Arthur disliked how hairy the other man was. He would definitely have to use that for his next insult.
As the sun continued to set the sky grow purple, Arthur heard the gentle sound of footfalls behind him. He turned to look over his shoulder at what was coming. It was the unicorn from before, coming to greet him. Arthur smiled and stood from the bedroll to meet it, wanting to keep some distance between the unicorn and Francis. "Good evening, friend." Arthur said softly.
'Good evening,' replied the unicorn in a unisex voice, 'I know what you plan to do with that human male, and I wish that you would not do it.'
Arthur looked back at Francis as he answered. "I have to. He is a sacrifice. His death can help free me from the clan and even stop this sickness from spreading."
'The illness was not brought on by any outside magical sources. We of the mystical world do not know where it has come from or why.'
"I don't want to be here when it wipes out half of the world," Arthur said. "I must use Francis as a sacrifice, friend. That is the only way. I want to be free of the clan and escape far away from this place. I just want to wander on and on until I grow too old to walk anymore. Bringing them a nobleman will save me further troubles."
'I do not like what you become when with that clan.'
"That's why I want to leave it," Arthur replied. "I can't do it anymore. I can't continue to be their eyes." The unicorn lowered its head. "There is something that has been worrying me, though."
'Please tell.' The unicorn stepped closer to him.
"I haven't been able to see any predictions…nothing of the future. All I see are corpses lying everywhere, and the vision is always very short. I would think it has to do with the illness, yet it could mean something else, like war. But why haven't I seen anything yet? Horrible things are happening all over these parts and yet I have not been able to predict any."
'I do not know, friend. You warned us of the flood and of the heavy wind storm.'
Arthur sighed. "But I could not warn you about the disease. I didn't even foresee it happening. It just came one day."
'Human beings do this to themselves,' The unicorn answered, 'Please, old friend, do not lead this human male into the viper's nest. There is no need to take an innocent life because of something we do not understand.'
"I'm sorry, but my mind is made up," Arthur said firmly.
'They will not let you leave no matter what you do. They will keep you with them for as long as they need. You see what they cannot.'
"But you don't understand. It's only when I'm with them, or in that area, do I see the world in even a stranger way. All the trees, plants, animals, and people around me all melt down to skeletons. Snakes grow to massive sizes. The fairies angelic faces turn demonic and dark. The sky is red and the ground is black." He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't want that any more. I want to leave, and Francis is the only way I can do that."
The unicorn shook its head. 'That man has done you no harm, nor do I sense anything evil from him. Please reconsider.'
"No. I told you my mind is made up. We are going to continue on to the clan campsite where he will be sacrificed. This is my choice, friend, and I appreciate your concern. But Arthur Kirkland is a very determined person and I will do whatever I can to achieve my goal. I will feel no remorse nor regret for my decision." He looked back at the sleeping man on the bedroll. 'You will be sacrificed, Francis Bonnefoy. Mark my words.'
End Chapter 5 TBC
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