Those filthy hands were probably leaving dirt marks on his already bloody body as they passed him around with less care than if he were a piece of meat. He had no idea where his clothes went; they were probably in shreds by now, but he was at that moment only half-aware of his nakedness. Half of his mind had deserted him long ago and the rest of it was threatening to go as well.
The next man in the circle took Arthur’s limp body, sucking his neck hard enough to leave a mark.
“There, I claimed Coventry!” he laughed harshly and lowered his pants, slamming into Arthur’s body with vicious force. “How does it feel to be fucked by a human?”
“Idiot. He can’t hear you.”
They were wrong there. Arthur could hear them. Barely.
“Oh fuck yeah...” the man hissed, riding him towards a climax.
There was no point to the rope around his wrists, Arthur thought. He could not move even if he wanted to. All the while he could feel them entering him, shoving hardened cocks, the necks of wine bottles, the tips of guns, and all manner of things up him, fucking him over and passing him to the next person for their sick games. He felt engorged cocks thrust themselves into his mouth and white cum mix with the red blood on his stomach like some cruel mockery of his flag.
While they positioned him like a doll to be fucked over tables, against the walls, on the hard and dirty floor, he lay limp and lifeless, staring at the ceiling with glazed eyes.
XX
It was nothing more than a filthy, run-down manor house, which had been out of use of years. Alfred practically ran for the front door, ignoring Francis’ cries of ‘Wait, you stupid idiot!’ and Kiku’s attempts to hold him back.
As if they had time for a strategy! As if they had the luxury to sit around drawing maps or the area and dividing into task forces! He was a hero and a hero did not wait in the face of danger! Besides, it was Arthur. Arthur needed him.
GLEEEEEEEEEEEE! Two fills for this?! And two excellent fills at that! Oh anon! How you make my heart ache with sorrow for poor Arthur and oh, I felt so horrible reading the rape scene and Alfred, such an impulsive darling hero... My God, this is wonderful so far... Please, do continue!
It was nothing more than a filthy, run-down manor house, which had been out of use of years. Alfred practically ran for the front door, ignoring Francis’ cries of ‘Wait, you stupid idiot!’ and Kiku’s attempts to hold him back.
As if they had time for a strategy! As if they had the luxury to sit around drawing maps or the area and dividing into task forces! He was a hero and a hero did not wait in the face of danger! Besides, it was Arthur. Arthur needed him.
XX
“What’s going on?”
Arthur felt a little of his awareness come back when the person, who had previous been rather enthusiastically forcing his cock up him, suddenly drew out. He heard incoherent shouts and the sound of footsteps. What was going on?
Whatever. He had no more care. The numbness had worn off and his whole body was now aching. Whatever. He sighed. Whatever. He just wanted to sleep.
XX
They broke in to the manor house rather successfully. Despite the fact that Alfred had tripped security in his mad dash for the front door, despite the fact that Francis could not aim a gun to save his life, they had already captured most of its occupants and were swiftly making their way to the back of the manor.
Ludwig emerged from the right wing, wiping the dust off of his gloved hands. “That’s all of them I think,” he sighed.
“Then Arthur is - ”
“Don’t jump the gun, mon ami, he will be here somewhere,” Francis laid a hand on his shoulder.
Alfred batted him away. All this wasted time was making him irritable. He wanted to beat the crap out of these so called pirates – he wanted to snort at that title. He remembered the stories Francis told hm of Arthur’s days on the high seas. They were nothing like that. – but the urge to find Arthur first was quickly overriding every sense in his body.
Without waiting, he turned on his heel and ran through the manor.
“Mon Dieu!” he heard Francis swear as he pursued him. Alfred raced further ahead, his eyes widening upon the sight of a set of crooked double doors.
Without slowing his pace, he barrelled into them, crying; “Arthur? Hey, Arthur? You in here?”
Francis’ footsteps came to a sudden halt behind him. Alfred was not concentrating on Francis though; he was more occupied with what lay in front of him.
Arthur lay naked, covered in blood and cum, piss, alcohol, dirt and all manner of disgusting things. It was a mess, it was horrifying, it – it –
“A – Arthur?” Words failed. Alfred soon found himself stepping forward tentatively, swallowing around the hard lump which had suddenly formed in his throat. At first, he was so afraid that the nation was dead that he dared not breathe. Those eyes were open but dull and unseeing and, as Alfred slowly bent down to pick him up, Arthur’s head rolled uselessly to a side.
Alfred’s entire body was shaking. Oh dear God, what had happened here? A trembling hand pushed back dirty, sweat-stained strands of sandy hair. Arthur’s blood seeped into his clothes but a wave of relief more palpable than Alfred imagined washed over him when he realised his heart was slowly but surely beating in his chest.
However, as soon as relief came, it was replaced by a crashing tide of anger. He was going to fucking kill those men! Who cared what his boss said? He’d kick Ludwig in the nuts if he tried to stop him too! He was going to rip apart their stupid limbs and feed their dicks to the dogs!
His grip on Arthur tightened. Francis said nothing when he carried him out of the room with him, his face striking an oddly solemn picture. He did not attempt to stop the American. Maybe he had enough sense to wait for the storm to calm.
Yeeeeessss...I knew there was a reason I was obsessively refreshing this request. GLEE. Oh, angry!Alfred, how you make me so very happy. And poor, poor Arthur. (Plus, Francis is indeed a smart man...and quite possibly angry enough to just let Alfred go ahead with it...?) Oh, will Alfred be allowed his revenge? Because I'm kinda all for his plans. They sound perfectly reasonable to me...
I smiled when I read the culprits were armed pirates. It goes so well with current events (although I'm not sure if a British ship was ever involved in the recent pirate attacks.) Everyone is so very in character. I love your Francis and his random French exclamations. And of course I'm rooting for Alfred and Arthur.
That was what Alfred thought every time he looked at Arthur’s sleeping face. Arthur, who had been cleaned and clothed in white, lain silently between white sheets in a white room with white curtains and white tiled floors, was like a tentative sketch on an artist’s canvas. The sun made his hair shine gold – the only colour apart from Alfred himself in this depressingly white room. He wanted to see a little green too.
Francis had come and gone a few hours earlier, bringing lilies – also white, the idiot – for Arthur to fail to appreciate. Feliciano, accompanied by Ludwig, brought a fruit basket but realised that the only ones eating would be the guests and took it away, deflated. Alfred knew that Kiku was off somewhere making paper cranes, as if that would help anything. Only Alfred stayed the full three days since they had rescued Arthur, staying by his side while he slept.
This was going to kill him. He had never been a patient person and this wait was going to surely bring about his early death. He arranged the lilies, drew and closed the curtains, made laps around the room; anything to keep him occupied while he prayed and waited.
The door opened as he sat by Arthur’s bedside. Alfred looked up expectantly, meeting Ludwig’s grim expression.
“Have you calmed down now?” he asked sombrely.
Alfred did not reply. He met Ludwig eye for eye, matching gazes of equal solemnity meeting each other across the room.
Ludwig sighed and opened the door wider. “If you want you can come with me but please don’t do anything reckless.”
Wordlessly, Alfred rose and followed him out of the door, sparing one last glance behind him at Arthur’s prone figure.
The man Alfred could only assume was the leader of the ring of pirates they had captured sat tied to a chair, dripping wet and bruised. From the looks of things, they were feeding him only enough to keep him alive.
It was too soft, Alfred thought. There were bruises where there should have been cuts instead. There were not enough lines under the man’s eyes, not enough desperation, not enough suffering.
Ludwig took a seat on the opposite chair, a single table separating captor and captive. Alfred positioned himself behind Ludwig, clenching his fists.
“So, are you ready to talk now? Who told you about this?” he asked sternly.
The man laughed. “It was just an experiment. It’s not like you’re human!”
“Answer the question!” Ludwig barked.
“No, wait,” Alfred cut through. “What’s this? What’s he talking about?”
“Oh are you one of them too?” the man laughed before Ludwig could open his mouth t reply. “It was just an experiment. I heard that when a country goes through economic crisis or outbreaks of disease it affects you, so does that work the other way? For example, if I cut you, could I harm the country’s society by doing that? If I capture one of you, would that be the same as having captured the country? Could I control the country through one of you? I bet you’ve never tried it. I bet you don’t even know yourself. Don’t you want to - ”
“That’s enough!” Ludwig jumped to his feet, slamming his palms against the table, but the man continued, almost hysterical.
Alfred silently moved around the side of the table, closer to the ranting man.
“Hey! What happens if I fuck one of you? What happens when two of your kind fucks? Why don’t you try it out and tell me?”
Alfred’s fist buried itself against the side of the man’s face, sending both him and the chair he was tied to sprawling across the floor.
“Alfred!” Ludwig leapt forward, pulling him back before he did anymore harm to their captive.
“Y – You,” Alfred seethed. “You...just for that? Just for your stupid curiosity you went and did something like that?!” He made a wild rush for the man, ready to kick his guts in and smash his face like a pumpkin but Ludwig held fast, dragging him inch by inch away from the prisoner.
The man laughed. Despite the red mark on his cheek and the blood trickling down his face he laughed with the force of a hundred deranged hyenas. “Idiot. If what we think is true, wars won’t be over physical land anymore, it’ll be over who gets you!”
“Who – who gets us?!” Alfred raged. “You fucking son of a – We’re not spoils of war! We feel the same things you do! Just because you thought you could get power this way you - ”
“Alfred!” Ludwig yelled. “Alfred, calm down!”
“You! You did that to Arthur!?”
“Alfred!”
“You did all of that to him!?”
“Alfred, stop this!”
“You went and raped him!?”
“Alfred!”
Ludwig let go for just a second, spinning him around to face him he slapped a gloved hand straight across Alfred’s cheek. “Snap out of it!” he cried, breathing heavily.
Alfred stared at him in silence.
“Mein Gott, ich habe Kopfschmerz,” he muttered under his breath.
“S...Sorry,” Alfred muttered, refusing to look at the prisoner because he knew that would cause his anger to swell but also refusing to look at Ludwig out of guilt. He stared at the floor between his feet instead, mumbling excuses to leave the room and return to Arthur’s side.
Ludwig promised that he would report anything new to the others. He had a bad feeling about this. They both did.
UPDAAAAAATE! WOO! And such an excellent one at that and I was so not expecting those reasons for doing it but oh Lord, they kinda creep me out and I'm with Ludwig and Alfred, this is going to be bad. And...I really wanna hug Arthur. Again. And poor Alfred too. I wanna hug him too. DX Good job anon!
I'm vacationing in the Middle East and the only access I have is through a lousy dial up connection that takes 2 minutes to bring up every page. But I had to bear the 8 minutes it takes to post this review just to say wow. This story is much better than I expected. The idea behind the criminal's reasons for hurting Arthur is so innovative I wonder why no other author (including the creator himself) has yet thought of it. I'll be checking this story regularly. It's already one of my favorites of the fandom.
OMG this is just AWESOME!! First the idea of what we could do if ever we found out abot country-tans (wars would in deed turn very personal and uglier and...) and it was an EXPERIMENT?!!
“As far as I can assess, they’re not certain about our identities. That man could only guess that Alfred and myself were nations but...” Ludwig trailed off, his hands clasped firmly together on top of the conference table.
Kiku and Francis sat opposite him, Feliciano on Ludwig’s right, leaning over the side with awe as he watched Kiku discuss grave matters while playing with paper.
“But somehow Arthur’s identity was leaked,” Kiku supplied, still fiddling with his origami cranes. He had amassed about three hundred so far and was working another. Feliciano made a vague ‘ooh!’ sound. He had offered to help but had given up after the first three looked more like a squashed hippopotamus.
“And we can’t be sure who else as well,” Ludwig added, eying the brightly coloured cranes.
“Do you think we have a rat?” Francis asked. “The only ones who know about us are our bosses and their closest advisors.”
“It’s a possibility,” he sighed. There were far too many possibilities and they were all making his head spin. “At the very least, we can assume that whoever it is won’t tell anyone except their own gang about this. You wouldn’t want anyone else going after the treasure you’ve discovered, but it would be best to prepare for the worst,” he warned them.
“That man...” Kiku murmured. “Although he seemed to be the head out of those we captured he doesn’t seem like the one pulling the strings.”
“Interrogation is proceeding...smoothly,” Ludwig replied stiffly. If by ‘smoothly’ he meant ‘nowhere.’
“Ve, ve! And when we find out who discovered us?” Feliciano asked.
Ludwig cleared his throat awkwardly. He hated giving harsh answers to him. “We will have to take...disciplinary measures.”
XX
Alfred sat alone watching Arthur sleep. Just how long did he plan to do that? It had already been three days – four if you counted the present day – and the more time passed the more it seemed as if he would stay in a permanent state of unconsciousness.
He waited, staring at the hypnotic whiteness of the wall and listening to the odd footsteps that passed. They had almost completely emptied his manor house of all other servants and maids and now the house seemed eerily quiet during the day.
Alfred was on the verge of falling asleep when he felt Arthur’s hand twitch. Jolted awake, he stared at it in wonder. Had it just been his imagination? No...he was sure the hand had moved.
“Arthur?” he leaned forward, hardly daring to hope. “Hey, Arthur, can you hear me?”
The moment Arthur’s eyes snapped open he sat bolt upright, causing Alfred to jump back, crying out in surprise. Arthur’s hands flew over his mouth and he doubled over, making loud strangling sounds in his throat.
Panic rose and threatened to overwhelm him. Alfred looked around frantically for help but realised that he was the only other person in the room.
“H – Hang on a sec, I’ll go get a bucket or something!” he rushed to the toilet as fast as he could, grabbing the first serviceable item he could find – a small wash basin – and dashed back, hoping Arthur had managed to keep it in.
Bursting through the doors, he practically threw the basin onto Arthur’s lap, who immediately doubled over and threw up inside of it. Alfred watched with concern as he coughed and gasped for air.
“Here! Here, let it out,” he whispered soothingly, rubbing Arthur’s back with a hand as he made violent wretching noises. “There...that’s it, don’t hold back, get it all out of your system.”
Arthur gripped the sides of the basin to steady himself, vomiting nothing but bile from his empty stomach.
“Are you done?” Alfred asked when he had stopped. He lifted his head just enough to meet his eyes. “Wait a minute and I’ll bring you some water,” he rushed back to the toilet, taking the basin with him.
Alfred emptied the contents of the basin down the toilet and flushed it, leaving the basin on top of the seat for Marianne, the only maid they had not kicked out of the manor house, to find and clean. He took a fresh basin from the bottom cabinet and filled a cup full with tap water, spilling a quarter of it in his hurry to return to the room.
Arthur is awake! And now they all see just how messed up he is now...DX And Ludwig is a man with a plan...a very bad plan if he doesn't want to tell Feliciano... And Kiku's still folding cranes and this whole chapter is fantastic!
“Here you go,” he handed Arthur the water, holding the clean basin underneath him. Arthur took three gulps, swishing the water around his mouth before spitting it out into the basin. He drank the rest.
A wave of relief flooded him. Alfred sighed, almost collapsing onto his seat. After that brief panic attack, everything seemed to be okay. Arthur looked weary and thin but there no longer seemed to be any immediate danger.
“How are you feeling? Do you want anything?” he asked, laying aside the basin.
At first, Arthur did not respond. His mouth opened to speak but no sound came out. His lips moved, testing his voice until he could finally produce a word. “I...”
“What’s wrong?” Alfred leaned forward, worried.
“I...” he struggled, swallowed, holding a hand close to his throat. “I’m...okay,” he rasped.
Had this been any other time, any other day, Alfred would have snorted; ‘You’re obviously not, idiot,’ but one glance down at Arthur’s open shirt, at the bandages wrapped around his chest and arms and the bruises far below made him a little more tactful.
“Ah...that’s a relief! You gave us a real scare back there and you’ve been asleep for three days! For a second I thought that - ” Alfred laughed so that he would not have to complete his sentence. “A – Anyway, how about some food? You think you can handle soup or something?” he asked, mentally kicking himself when he heard his voice tremble. He was too honest. He was terrible at feigning cheerfulness.
Arthur bowed his head, mumbling something almost inaudible.
“What was that?” Alfred leaned down.
“N...no. No soup,” he muttered wearily.
Alfred straightened, unsure of what to say next. A frown creased his lips. It was not like Arthur to be so subdued but, as he told himself, he had only just woken up. He was still injured and probably drowsy too. He would be okay after he had recovered a bit and, hopefully, gotten something into his stomach.
“You’re still tired. Get some rest. I’ll stay here if you want,” he whispered, placing a hand over Arthur’s he could not help but notice that he flinched as their skin came into contact, just a little bit, before relaxing.
Alfred was not sure if he should make a joke about it. He reached his other hand up to ruffle that sandy hair, hesitated, withdrew his hand, but then bit his lip and decided to take the plunge. Thankfully, when his fingers touched the first strands of hair, Arthur did not protest.
Yet, even so, Alfred could not help suppress the misgivings he felt inside of him.
XX
“You’re not doing it right, aru! Let me have him. Let’s see how long he lasts under Chinese water torture!”
“By all means. I’m getting tired of dealing with such a stubborn customer.”
Alfred paused to listen to voices echoing down the hall. Ever since Yao had flown in from China, it felt as if the pace of things had stepped up a little. They were still trying to trace the source of the possible information leak and the interrogation had spread to the lower ranks of pirates, although it soon became clear that they did not know much. Despite this though, their main suspect was remaining as stubbornly tight-lipped as usual.
Maybe it would be better if he just...
“Master Jones!”
Alfred turned around to see the maid rushing towards him, bearing a heavy tray laden with steaming soup and thick bread. “Marianne? Is something wrong?”
She stopped before him, gasping for breath. “I’m worried about our patient, sir. He hasn’t eaten anything since he woke up and he still refuses food. It’s like he’s trying to starve himself to death!”
Something inside of him wrapped its fingers around his hurt and squeezed.
“Give me that. I’ll deal with it,” he said softly, taking the tray from Marianne’s arms.
“Master Jones!” she halted him as he made his steady way towards Arthur’s room.“I’m worried that...well I suppose you’ll see for yourself.”
Though he did not like the way she shook her head, Alfred simply nodded sombrely, and continued his way towards the white room.
I heard that when a country goes through economic crisis or outbreaks of disease it affects you, so does that work the other way? For example, if I cut you, could I harm the country’s society by doing that? If I capture one of you, would that be the same as having captured the country? Could I control the country through one of you?
You, author!anon, are brilliant. I love the implications, the way you've articulated these ideas. And suddenly pirates make so much sense! Off to read the rest now (or at least the rest of what you have so far).
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Re: If you find me...[2/?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-04 09:15 am (UTC)(link)Those filthy hands were probably leaving dirt marks on his already bloody body as they passed him around with less care than if he were a piece of meat. He had no idea where his clothes went; they were probably in shreds by now, but he was at that moment only half-aware of his nakedness. Half of his mind had deserted him long ago and the rest of it was threatening to go as well.
The next man in the circle took Arthur’s limp body, sucking his neck hard enough to leave a mark.
“There, I claimed Coventry!” he laughed harshly and lowered his pants, slamming into Arthur’s body with vicious force. “How does it feel to be fucked by a human?”
“Idiot. He can’t hear you.”
They were wrong there. Arthur could hear them. Barely.
“Oh fuck yeah...” the man hissed, riding him towards a climax.
There was no point to the rope around his wrists, Arthur thought. He could not move even if he wanted to. All the while he could feel them entering him, shoving hardened cocks, the necks of wine bottles, the tips of guns, and all manner of things up him, fucking him over and passing him to the next person for their sick games. He felt engorged cocks thrust themselves into his mouth and white cum mix with the red blood on his stomach like some cruel mockery of his flag.
While they positioned him like a doll to be fucked over tables, against the walls, on the hard and dirty floor, he lay limp and lifeless, staring at the ceiling with glazed eyes.
XX
It was nothing more than a filthy, run-down manor house, which had been out of use of years. Alfred practically ran for the front door, ignoring Francis’ cries of ‘Wait, you stupid idiot!’ and Kiku’s attempts to hold him back.
As if they had time for a strategy! As if they had the luxury to sit around drawing maps or the area and dividing into task forces! He was a hero and a hero did not wait in the face of danger! Besides, it was Arthur. Arthur needed him.
XX
Not OP but still thrilled!
(Anonymous) 2009-05-04 09:21 am (UTC)(link)Re: If you find me...[2/?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-04 12:54 pm (UTC)(link)Re: If you find me...[2/?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-04 04:12 pm (UTC)(link)Re: If you find me...[2/?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-04 05:23 pm (UTC)(link)OP
(Anonymous) 2009-05-04 10:56 pm (UTC)(link)Alfred, hurry and save Arthur. x__x
Can't wait for the next part!
Re: If you find me...[3?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-05 07:51 am (UTC)(link)As if they had time for a strategy! As if they had the luxury to sit around drawing maps or the area and dividing into task forces! He was a hero and a hero did not wait in the face of danger! Besides, it was Arthur. Arthur needed him.
XX
“What’s going on?”
Arthur felt a little of his awareness come back when the person, who had previous been rather enthusiastically forcing his cock up him, suddenly drew out. He heard incoherent shouts and the sound of footsteps. What was going on?
Whatever. He had no more care. The numbness had worn off and his whole body was now aching. Whatever. He sighed. Whatever. He just wanted to sleep.
XX
They broke in to the manor house rather successfully. Despite the fact that Alfred had tripped security in his mad dash for the front door, despite the fact that Francis could not aim a gun to save his life, they had already captured most of its occupants and were swiftly making their way to the back of the manor.
Ludwig emerged from the right wing, wiping the dust off of his gloved hands. “That’s all of them I think,” he sighed.
“Then Arthur is - ”
“Don’t jump the gun, mon ami, he will be here somewhere,” Francis laid a hand on his shoulder.
Alfred batted him away. All this wasted time was making him irritable. He wanted to beat the crap out of these so called pirates – he wanted to snort at that title. He remembered the stories Francis told hm of Arthur’s days on the high seas. They were nothing like that. – but the urge to find Arthur first was quickly overriding every sense in his body.
Without waiting, he turned on his heel and ran through the manor.
“Mon Dieu!” he heard Francis swear as he pursued him. Alfred raced further ahead, his eyes widening upon the sight of a set of crooked double doors.
Without slowing his pace, he barrelled into them, crying; “Arthur? Hey, Arthur? You in here?”
Francis’ footsteps came to a sudden halt behind him. Alfred was not concentrating on Francis though; he was more occupied with what lay in front of him.
Arthur lay naked, covered in blood and cum, piss, alcohol, dirt and all manner of disgusting things. It was a mess, it was horrifying, it – it –
“A – Arthur?” Words failed. Alfred soon found himself stepping forward tentatively, swallowing around the hard lump which had suddenly formed in his throat. At first, he was so afraid that the nation was dead that he dared not breathe. Those eyes were open but dull and unseeing and, as Alfred slowly bent down to pick him up, Arthur’s head rolled uselessly to a side.
Alfred’s entire body was shaking. Oh dear God, what had happened here? A trembling hand pushed back dirty, sweat-stained strands of sandy hair. Arthur’s blood seeped into his clothes but a wave of relief more palpable than Alfred imagined washed over him when he realised his heart was slowly but surely beating in his chest.
However, as soon as relief came, it was replaced by a crashing tide of anger. He was going to fucking kill those men! Who cared what his boss said? He’d kick Ludwig in the nuts if he tried to stop him too! He was going to rip apart their stupid limbs and feed their dicks to the dogs!
His grip on Arthur tightened. Francis said nothing when he carried him out of the room with him, his face striking an oddly solemn picture. He did not attempt to stop the American. Maybe he had enough sense to wait for the storm to calm.
XX
Re: If you find me...[3?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-05 08:05 am (UTC)(link)OP
(Anonymous) 2009-05-05 08:07 am (UTC)(link)Re: If you find me...[3?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-05 08:29 am (UTC)(link)Re: If you find me...[3?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-06 02:07 pm (UTC)(link)Re: If you find me...[4?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-06 09:24 pm (UTC)(link)Monochrome.
That was what Alfred thought every time he looked at Arthur’s sleeping face. Arthur, who had been cleaned and clothed in white, lain silently between white sheets in a white room with white curtains and white tiled floors, was like a tentative sketch on an artist’s canvas. The sun made his hair shine gold – the only colour apart from Alfred himself in this depressingly white room. He wanted to see a little green too.
Francis had come and gone a few hours earlier, bringing lilies – also white, the idiot – for Arthur to fail to appreciate. Feliciano, accompanied by Ludwig, brought a fruit basket but realised that the only ones eating would be the guests and took it away, deflated. Alfred knew that Kiku was off somewhere making paper cranes, as if that would help anything. Only Alfred stayed the full three days since they had rescued Arthur, staying by his side while he slept.
This was going to kill him. He had never been a patient person and this wait was going to surely bring about his early death. He arranged the lilies, drew and closed the curtains, made laps around the room; anything to keep him occupied while he prayed and waited.
The door opened as he sat by Arthur’s bedside. Alfred looked up expectantly, meeting Ludwig’s grim expression.
“Have you calmed down now?” he asked sombrely.
Alfred did not reply. He met Ludwig eye for eye, matching gazes of equal solemnity meeting each other across the room.
Ludwig sighed and opened the door wider. “If you want you can come with me but please don’t do anything reckless.”
Wordlessly, Alfred rose and followed him out of the door, sparing one last glance behind him at Arthur’s prone figure.
Re: If you find me...[5?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-06 09:24 pm (UTC)(link)The man Alfred could only assume was the leader of the ring of pirates they had captured sat tied to a chair, dripping wet and bruised. From the looks of things, they were feeding him only enough to keep him alive.
It was too soft, Alfred thought. There were bruises where there should have been cuts instead. There were not enough lines under the man’s eyes, not enough desperation, not enough suffering.
Ludwig took a seat on the opposite chair, a single table separating captor and captive. Alfred positioned himself behind Ludwig, clenching his fists.
“So, are you ready to talk now? Who told you about this?” he asked sternly.
The man laughed. “It was just an experiment. It’s not like you’re human!”
“Answer the question!” Ludwig barked.
“No, wait,” Alfred cut through. “What’s this? What’s he talking about?”
“Oh are you one of them too?” the man laughed before Ludwig could open his mouth t reply. “It was just an experiment. I heard that when a country goes through economic crisis or outbreaks of disease it affects you, so does that work the other way? For example, if I cut you, could I harm the country’s society by doing that? If I capture one of you, would that be the same as having captured the country? Could I control the country through one of you? I bet you’ve never tried it. I bet you don’t even know yourself. Don’t you want to - ”
“That’s enough!” Ludwig jumped to his feet, slamming his palms against the table, but the man continued, almost hysterical.
Alfred silently moved around the side of the table, closer to the ranting man.
“Hey! What happens if I fuck one of you? What happens when two of your kind fucks? Why don’t you try it out and tell me?”
Alfred’s fist buried itself against the side of the man’s face, sending both him and the chair he was tied to sprawling across the floor.
“Alfred!” Ludwig leapt forward, pulling him back before he did anymore harm to their captive.
“Y – You,” Alfred seethed. “You...just for that? Just for your stupid curiosity you went and did something like that?!” He made a wild rush for the man, ready to kick his guts in and smash his face like a pumpkin but Ludwig held fast, dragging him inch by inch away from the prisoner.
The man laughed. Despite the red mark on his cheek and the blood trickling down his face he laughed with the force of a hundred deranged hyenas. “Idiot. If what we think is true, wars won’t be over physical land anymore, it’ll be over who gets you!”
“Who – who gets us?!” Alfred raged. “You fucking son of a – We’re not spoils of war! We feel the same things you do! Just because you thought you could get power this way you - ”
“Alfred!” Ludwig yelled. “Alfred, calm down!”
“You! You did that to Arthur!?”
“Alfred!”
“You did all of that to him!?”
“Alfred, stop this!”
“You went and raped him!?”
“Alfred!”
Ludwig let go for just a second, spinning him around to face him he slapped a gloved hand straight across Alfred’s cheek. “Snap out of it!” he cried, breathing heavily.
Alfred stared at him in silence.
“Mein Gott, ich habe Kopfschmerz,” he muttered under his breath.
“S...Sorry,” Alfred muttered, refusing to look at the prisoner because he knew that would cause his anger to swell but also refusing to look at Ludwig out of guilt. He stared at the floor between his feet instead, mumbling excuses to leave the room and return to Arthur’s side.
Ludwig promised that he would report anything new to the others. He had a bad feeling about this. They both did.
XX
Re: If you find me...[5?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-06 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)OP
(Anonymous) 2009-05-06 11:47 pm (UTC)(link)Makes me wonder how they found out about the countries' identities...
Re: If you find me...[5?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-07 06:42 am (UTC)(link)Re: If you find me...[5?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-07 06:52 am (UTC)(link)the 2 fills for thsi request is so awesome it hruts me (in a good way ) tor ead them ;_;
Re: If you find me...[5?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-07 05:22 pm (UTC)(link)F5F5F5!!!!
Re: If you find me...[6/?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-07 07:51 pm (UTC)(link)Kiku and Francis sat opposite him, Feliciano on Ludwig’s right, leaning over the side with awe as he watched Kiku discuss grave matters while playing with paper.
“But somehow Arthur’s identity was leaked,” Kiku supplied, still fiddling with his origami cranes. He had amassed about three hundred so far and was working another. Feliciano made a vague ‘ooh!’ sound. He had offered to help but had given up after the first three looked more like a squashed hippopotamus.
“And we can’t be sure who else as well,” Ludwig added, eying the brightly coloured cranes.
“Do you think we have a rat?” Francis asked. “The only ones who know about us are our bosses and their closest advisors.”
“It’s a possibility,” he sighed. There were far too many possibilities and they were all making his head spin. “At the very least, we can assume that whoever it is won’t tell anyone except their own gang about this. You wouldn’t want anyone else going after the treasure you’ve discovered, but it would be best to prepare for the worst,” he warned them.
“That man...” Kiku murmured. “Although he seemed to be the head out of those we captured he doesn’t seem like the one pulling the strings.”
“Interrogation is proceeding...smoothly,” Ludwig replied stiffly. If by ‘smoothly’ he meant ‘nowhere.’
“Ve, ve! And when we find out who discovered us?” Feliciano asked.
Ludwig cleared his throat awkwardly. He hated giving harsh answers to him. “We will have to take...disciplinary measures.”
XX
Alfred sat alone watching Arthur sleep. Just how long did he plan to do that? It had already been three days – four if you counted the present day – and the more time passed the more it seemed as if he would stay in a permanent state of unconsciousness.
He waited, staring at the hypnotic whiteness of the wall and listening to the odd footsteps that passed. They had almost completely emptied his manor house of all other servants and maids and now the house seemed eerily quiet during the day.
Alfred was on the verge of falling asleep when he felt Arthur’s hand twitch. Jolted awake, he stared at it in wonder. Had it just been his imagination? No...he was sure the hand had moved.
“Arthur?” he leaned forward, hardly daring to hope. “Hey, Arthur, can you hear me?”
The moment Arthur’s eyes snapped open he sat bolt upright, causing Alfred to jump back, crying out in surprise. Arthur’s hands flew over his mouth and he doubled over, making loud strangling sounds in his throat.
Panic rose and threatened to overwhelm him. Alfred looked around frantically for help but realised that he was the only other person in the room.
“H – Hang on a sec, I’ll go get a bucket or something!” he rushed to the toilet as fast as he could, grabbing the first serviceable item he could find – a small wash basin – and dashed back, hoping Arthur had managed to keep it in.
Bursting through the doors, he practically threw the basin onto Arthur’s lap, who immediately doubled over and threw up inside of it. Alfred watched with concern as he coughed and gasped for air.
“Here! Here, let it out,” he whispered soothingly, rubbing Arthur’s back with a hand as he made violent wretching noises. “There...that’s it, don’t hold back, get it all out of your system.”
Arthur gripped the sides of the basin to steady himself, vomiting nothing but bile from his empty stomach.
“Are you done?” Alfred asked when he had stopped. He lifted his head just enough to meet his eyes. “Wait a minute and I’ll bring you some water,” he rushed back to the toilet, taking the basin with him.
Alfred emptied the contents of the basin down the toilet and flushed it, leaving the basin on top of the seat for Marianne, the only maid they had not kicked out of the manor house, to find and clean. He took a fresh basin from the bottom cabinet and filled a cup full with tap water, spilling a quarter of it in his hurry to return to the room.
Re: If you find me...[6/?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-07 11:31 pm (UTC)(link)Re: If you find me...[6/?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-08 12:59 am (UTC)(link)OP
(Anonymous) 2009-05-08 01:00 am (UTC)(link)Re: If you find me...[6/?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-08 02:44 pm (UTC)(link)The plot is very intriguing! Can't wait to see what you do with this, things could get very ugly....
Re: If you find me...[7/?]
(Anonymous) 2009-05-09 08:42 am (UTC)(link)A wave of relief flooded him. Alfred sighed, almost collapsing onto his seat. After that brief panic attack, everything seemed to be okay. Arthur looked weary and thin but there no longer seemed to be any immediate danger.
“How are you feeling? Do you want anything?” he asked, laying aside the basin.
At first, Arthur did not respond. His mouth opened to speak but no sound came out. His lips moved, testing his voice until he could finally produce a word. “I...”
“What’s wrong?” Alfred leaned forward, worried.
“I...” he struggled, swallowed, holding a hand close to his throat. “I’m...okay,” he rasped.
Had this been any other time, any other day, Alfred would have snorted; ‘You’re obviously not, idiot,’ but one glance down at Arthur’s open shirt, at the bandages wrapped around his chest and arms and the bruises far below made him a little more tactful.
“Ah...that’s a relief! You gave us a real scare back there and you’ve been asleep for three days! For a second I thought that - ” Alfred laughed so that he would not have to complete his sentence. “A – Anyway, how about some food? You think you can handle soup or something?” he asked, mentally kicking himself when he heard his voice tremble. He was too honest. He was terrible at feigning cheerfulness.
Arthur bowed his head, mumbling something almost inaudible.
“What was that?” Alfred leaned down.
“N...no. No soup,” he muttered wearily.
Alfred straightened, unsure of what to say next. A frown creased his lips. It was not like Arthur to be so subdued but, as he told himself, he had only just woken up. He was still injured and probably drowsy too. He would be okay after he had recovered a bit and, hopefully, gotten something into his stomach.
“You’re still tired. Get some rest. I’ll stay here if you want,” he whispered, placing a hand over Arthur’s he could not help but notice that he flinched as their skin came into contact, just a little bit, before relaxing.
Alfred was not sure if he should make a joke about it. He reached his other hand up to ruffle that sandy hair, hesitated, withdrew his hand, but then bit his lip and decided to take the plunge. Thankfully, when his fingers touched the first strands of hair, Arthur did not protest.
Yet, even so, Alfred could not help suppress the misgivings he felt inside of him.
XX
“You’re not doing it right, aru! Let me have him. Let’s see how long he lasts under Chinese water torture!”
“By all means. I’m getting tired of dealing with such a stubborn customer.”
Alfred paused to listen to voices echoing down the hall. Ever since Yao had flown in from China, it felt as if the pace of things had stepped up a little. They were still trying to trace the source of the possible information leak and the interrogation had spread to the lower ranks of pirates, although it soon became clear that they did not know much. Despite this though, their main suspect was remaining as stubbornly tight-lipped as usual.
Maybe it would be better if he just...
“Master Jones!”
Alfred turned around to see the maid rushing towards him, bearing a heavy tray laden with steaming soup and thick bread. “Marianne? Is something wrong?”
She stopped before him, gasping for breath. “I’m worried about our patient, sir. He hasn’t eaten anything since he woke up and he still refuses food. It’s like he’s trying to starve himself to death!”
Something inside of him wrapped its fingers around his hurt and squeezed.
“Give me that. I’ll deal with it,” he said softly, taking the tray from Marianne’s arms.
“Master Jones!” she halted him as he made his steady way towards Arthur’s room.“I’m worried that...well I suppose you’ll see for yourself.”
Though he did not like the way she shook her head, Alfred simply nodded sombrely, and continued his way towards the white room.
Oh Yao...xD and ohhh Arthur and Alfred Dx
(Anonymous) - 2009-05-09 10:05 (UTC) - ExpandRe: If you find me...[7/?]
(Anonymous) - 2009-05-09 10:18 (UTC) - ExpandFEAR CHINA AND HIS WATER TORTURE!! >D
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(Anonymous) - 2009-05-16 23:56 (UTC) - ExpandThis reader anon has 99.9% chance of losing her sanity
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(Anonymous) 2009-05-08 09:49 pm (UTC)(link)You, author!anon, are brilliant. I love the implications, the way you've articulated these ideas. And suddenly pirates make so much sense! Off to read the rest now (or at least the rest of what you have so far).