Shadows - UkFr

Francis had started to love the cold. He liked to go out in the snow, and occasionally make snow men with Matthew and Alfred. Of course, when they did so, Arthur would stay inside. He could really be a kill joy sometimes. But, when Francis wasn't outside with the boys, he was either cooking or sitting in front of the fireplace. He would wrap a blanket around himself as well, to add to the heat. It made sure that the cold that would later surround him would be a bit more comfortable.

It was a particularly cold night, extremely uncomfortable as well, as the heater was malfunctioning. Alfred had fallen asleep on the couch, curled up in a few blankets. Two of them thin, the top being the comforter from his bed. Matthew had retreated to his and Alfred's bedroom,  and was fast asleep, clutching Kumajirou under the sheets.

However, Francis and Arthur were awake. Well, barely. Francis was hunched over, wrapped in his usual pale green blanket, a few feet away from the fire place. He was tired, but he couldn't just go to sleep. He couldn't trust Arthur... he might try to cook again.

As if on cue, said Brit walked into the living room, holding two mugs. His usually only slightly messy hair was going in all directions, but he couldn't be bothered to fix it. A loud yawn escaped the Brit's mouth as he sat down next to the other blond, offering him one of the mugs. Francis raised an eyebrow at it. He looked at the brown liquid inside the mug, then back up at Arthur. The Brit scoffed.

"Calm down, it's only hot chocolate."

Francis decided to trust the Brit for now, taking the mug. He flinched slightly at the sudden intense heat on his hands, but gripped the handle to make it a bit more comfortable. He gave a long sigh and glanced over at Arthur. The Brit had been up since dawn, doing paperwork. His eyes were half-lidded, dark circles under them.  

Noticing Francis staring at him, Arthur sighed. He returned the gaze, making the Frenchman flinch slightly. This makes Arthur chuckle a bit to himself.

"You're not staring at me like you usually do."

Francis blinks, confused as to what Arthur means. Again, the Brit laughs a little.

"I mean.. not in the usual way. You usually stare at me in a more affectionate way. They way you're staring at me now is different."

Francis remained silent, looking down at himself.

".... hm."

Arthur sighed, still confused as to why the Frenchman was acting so strangely. He took a sip of his hot chocolate, then stared over at the wall. Normally he would only look at the wall in boredom, but this time, he had something to look at. Thanks to the flickering flames of the fire place, his and Francis' shadows moved on the wall. They almost seemed to dance, crossing each other every now and then...

The Brit moved around a bit to make the shadows move a bit more, almost enchanted by his own shadow. Francis looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. He looked over at the wall, taking a moment to figure out what Arthur was staring at. The Frenchman smiled.

"Angleterre."

Arthur snapped out of his daze when Francis called him, turning to look at the other blond. He gave a soft, nervous laugh, the slightest tint of pink gracing his cheeks. Francis smiled at that. Arthur always was cute when he blushed. The Frenchman put his mug down on the floor behind him, just far enough away that he could stretch his legs without worrying.

Arthur sputtered when the Frenchman rested his head on his lap. The younger man made a weak effort to push the other off, but it was in vain. The Frenchman had both arms around his lover's thighs, and has nuzzling his nose into the Brit's lap, just bellow his crotch.

"Fr-Francis, get off..!"

"Non~."

"Get off...!"

The Brit tried to get him off of his lap by pulling at his hair, but the Frenchman kept his grip strong. The taller blond continued to nuzzle against the other man, starting to make noises not dissimilar from purring. Arthur gave a long sigh and gave up.

Within a minute, Francis was sound asleep, his head still resting on Arthur's lap. The Brit had started to slowly stroke the other man's hair, growing tired himself. Just as he wanted to push Francis off and stand up, his gaze went over to the wall again. He smiled at the shadows. After staring for a minute or so, he noticed something. If he focused mainly on his and Francis' shadows, and tilted his head a bit, they almost made a lop-sided heart..

Arthur chuckled to himself.

"How cheesy.."