Ludwig
is
too short to even reach the counter or the food up there on top of it. (/bandwagons)
isn't going to help. He'll just remain standing at a bit of a distance and stare.
keeps trying, determined to get a grip on the edge of the counter. When the oversized shirt sleeves prevent that, he stops and huffs,-
staring up at the edge from under his bangs. Give him a minute for ingenuity to sink in, and he'll start pulling drawers out to use as steps
.
considers just letting him do that; it's not his kitchen, why should it matter to him if a drawer or two breaks, or if something-
dislodges itself, and forks end up jabbing Ludwigms feet. ...Okay, he'll make his presence known now and get the food down for him.
yelps in shock and falls off his drawer step, landing on his backside. It isn't that far down, but he still glares up at Francis like it's
entirely his fault, lip trembling.
opens his mouth, intending to point out that, kid, that's totally all *your* fault. But rather, he sighs and kneels down. "Are you-
all right, chéri?" At least since he's small, that glare isn't intimidating, but rather cute.
sucks his lip back between his teeth and grunts. He rubs his nose with the end of the huge jacket. "Wer bist du?"
frowns just at the thought of having to use his fail German, but he does briefly before switching. "Ich heiße Frankreich, oder-
Francis...ah. Nous sommes amis." Hear that? Friends. Don't try to hurt him; he's vunerable in this position.
recognizes this name very well, even though that bad accent makes his face squinch up. And just to be stubborn, he continues using his-
own language. He doesn't understand whatever that was that came out last anyway. He plants his hands on the floor and scoots back, pants-
legs dragging. His feet barely reach past the knees in these things. "Ich mag dich nicht. Wo ist mein Bruder?"
Francis
wishes
he had a dictionary or something with him, since he has a feeling he'll be using more of this language than he'd like. "Nein, Lügner. Ich-
gefällt dir. Und Gilbert ist...vielleicht...ingrendwo...Willst du etwas vêtements?"
doesn't like this person using his language. He isn't very good at it. What's more, he isn't producing Gilbert... "Ich will mein Bruder!"-
Gilbert would know what to do with Frankreich, like always.
stands. He likes to think he's good with kids, but this is somewhat different, really. "Er ist nicht hier." He's probably in the basement, -
Francis doesn't feel inclined to help a bratty child. *Maybe* if he asked nicely, but whatever.
wasn't prone to tantrums when he was small, so now isn't any different. He just withdraws into a sullen pouting mode, folding his arms-
across his chest and glaring up at Francis from under his bangs again. "You are much larger than what I remember." There. English just for
an insult.
leans against the counter and looks down at him. Larger? Clearly he just means taller and more--wait, child. "You're ruder than I remember.-
And pouting isn't going to get you anywhere."
takes offense to that, as much as a child possibly can, and does a passable impression of an indignant adult by getting to his feet in a-
huff. He does so so quickly that those huge pants fall right off too. It's impossible to tell with how long his jacket is too. He's nearly-
stepping on it as he walks off. "Sie bedeuten." (lol idk)
looks at his nails idly. "Uh-huh, danke. I guess you don't want this food. Those dogs will like it a lot." Meaning he'll throw it at-
them from another room to avoid being jumped on or something and his pants stained.
's stomach *is* pretty rumbly. But those big dogs knocked him down this morning. Maybe they were hungry too... He stops and turns back hand
out expectantly. "Bitte."
back,*)
watches him for a moment, then moves the food to the table, as it's the only suitable place for a child to eat. "Wash up first."
sidles up to where the kitchen sink is and looks from it to Francis. There aren't drawers here to climb so he lifts his arms straight up, a
clear request for a boost. Obviously he knows what washing is.
watches him for a moment, then lifts Ludwig up with an arm around his waist so he can wash his hands.
can't quite figure out this shiny thing though. Gilbert showed him how to wash his hands in those wash things at home, but they always had-
water in them already. This
just has a weird thing sticking up out of it. He prods at it and sighs. "Was ist das?"
doesn't know the German work for it, so he sticks to the simplest English explanation he can. "It's a faucet. Water comes out of it." With -
his free hand, he turns it on and adjusts it to a warm temperature.
sticks his hands into the stream immediately and rubs them together, just like Bruder showed him. When he's done, he flips his hands,-
shaking water everywhere. "Ja. Okay. Down."
sets him down and hands him a hand towel. He's not surprised at all how thoroughly Ludwig washed his hands. "You can eat now."
dries his hands off very carefully then pushes the towel up on the table. He peers over the edge at the food, then at Francis, then back at
the food...and then finally snatches whatever he can hold and takes off running for the living room, where he last saw those dogs.
frowns, about to scold him for not eating at the table, but instead follows him out to the living room when he figures out his intention. -
"Do not give those dogs people food."
crouches down in their little animal powwow circle and drops the food on the rug. "They look hungry."
just frowns more; it's too late now. "There's dog food around here somewhere."
prods one of the dogs, even getting a handful of doghair to pull on. They aren't bothering to move and take the food... "How come they-
aren't eating?"
Francis
is
too busy trying to avoid Ludwig's dogs to know what normal behaviour for them is. "They probably know better than to eat a little boy's -
meal."
frowns at him. "Dogs wouldn't know it's my food."
kneels down and pets one. If he gets bit, he'll bitch and whine to adult Ludwig. "I don't know. They don't look sick to me."
keeps tugging at the Shepard's fur, but evidently it isn't hard enough to hurt. The dog just watches him, almost the same as the dog-
Francis is petting watches him. "They are lazy. Lazy dogs."
Francis
is
glad his hand isn't getting bitten off. "It is a bit hot out too, which doesn't help. There are dog bowls around here. Put the food in-
there, I suppose."
looks at Francis very seriously. "Dog bowls?"
"Do you really think big-you would just dump their food on the floor?"
stares. "*Big* me?"
"Mhm. This is big you's house. You shrunk. It happens for some reason."
's eyes get *huge*. "B-But *why*? Make me big again!"
"I don't know why, and trust me, if I knew how to make you bigger, I would. You have to wait a few days. Like the time you turned into a -
woman." It hasn't occurred to him that he shouldn't tell him these things.
wads the ends of the jacket in his hands and presses his fists to his mouth. "W-was? A *girl*? I-I don't want to turn into a girl!"
"You made a really pretty girl, though."
squeaks and hides his face. That doesn't make it better! He's a boy, not some sissy girl!
pats his head. "Don't get me wrong, you're very attractive as a man too."
flops away, landing on his belly. "I don't care! I just want to grow up to be really big and strong and the best, not a *girl*."
watches him. "It only happened once, so it's nothing to get upset over. And you're very big and strong when you're an adult."
might sniffle just a little, but it's muffled into the coat sleeves anyway. Gilbert never told him about stuff like that happening...-
He still peeks out at Francis. "Really? Am I the best too? Do I get to beat lots of other countries and have lots and lots of stuff?"
"It depends upon what you want to be the best at." He'd rather not get into a history lesson with him. "Well, you do fair rather well in-
sports competitions, whether it's football or the Olympics. and you have what you see. This is your house."
's nose wrinkles. "At everything! The best at everything, not just-...what's football?"
"Well, I know quite a few things you are quite *excellent* at. "It's a sport your people are fanatical about." And he'll try explaining it-
as simply as possible.
"Like what?" Yes, yes, football sounds so interesting and he'll try it as soon as he can find something round to kick around. But this-
'excellent' thing is interesting. Bruder tells him all the time that he'll grow up to be the best nation ever...
waves a hand airily. "You know, engineering-at least your people are-, cleaning, organising books, frowning, sex."
chews on the end of one sleeve thoughtfully. "Those are good things to be good at?"
"Frowning not so much, but the others yes, especially the last one." And no, he doesn't feel bad at all for telling a child this.
accidentally bites his finger and whines briefly. "But I don't even know what that means. How can I be good at it?"
"Sometime between now and then you learn and get a lot of practice, I suppose. Unless you're just a natural at it."
"Do you practice at it like football? Do you have to have someone teach you first?"
"Kind of, yeah. You get better at it the more you play it. It's pretty instinctual, but you do need someone to do it with you." He can't -
remember his very first times now, so he's not much help with that.
sits up again, frowning. "Are there books for it? 'cause sometimes Bruder gives me books that say how things work so I understand better."
nods. "There are many books, and most of them have really helpful photos. There are...moving pictures, too." And he remembers where those -
are.
really, really likes books. "Do you have one? Can I see it? ...what are moving pictures? Are those like where you draw on paper and-
flip the paper to make the drawings move? Bruder is very good at that."
"I have many, but my house is too far. But I know where big-you keeps this stuff. And moving pictures..it's like watching real people doing-
something, but it's in a box, and those people aren't really here." He stands, aiming to head for the stairs.
stands up to follow him, tripping on his jacket every few steps. "People cannot fit inside a box."
Francis
wonders
if he should just carry him. "You'll understand better once I show you."
Ludwig
has
to latch on to the banister and take extra time to climb the steps. Clothes aren't supposed to be this big. "Are they very small people?"
waits for him at the top before heading to the bedroom. "They're normal-sized,but you don't see all of them in the box."
climbs the last few on his hands and knees, tries to get up, and faceplants because of the jacket. But France is still talking, so he-
scrambles up as quick as he can to keep up. "But...but where's the rest of them..."
gets into Ludwig's bedroom and pulls that box out from under his bed, intending to something appro---yeah, right, "It's all still there. -
It's like looking at just someone's face. Even if you don't see it, you know they still have feet."
stops and looks up at all the things in the room. They're all so *big*. That bed is huge! "Where's the box?"
pauses in his perusing to point to the television and hunt down the remote. He finds it, and turns the television on to Arte, not really -
paying attention to whatever the channel is airing. "Neat, hm?"
doesn't shriek or hide from the bright box. It startles him, yes, but the bright lights and sound pouring out of it draws him closer after-
a moment. He can't reach high enough to touch it, but he stands close enough that the people turn into strange blurs. "Do they live-
inside it?"
"No. They're normal people. They just talk in front of a special camera that records movement instead of taking photographs." He finds-
a DVD that looks like there may not be too much bondage or anything that may confuse him, so he goes to put it in the player. "Don't sit so-
stand*] close to the television."
stares at him, wondering if maybe 'camera' and 'photograph' are French for something. But now he's putting something *in* the box! So-
Ludwig jumps, trying to grab it from him. "Wait! You might accidentally hurt one of them!"
can't help but laugh just a little. "Louis, the people aren't actually *in* the box. They won't get hurt." And now the dvd is in, and he -
finishes getting it set up. It's fairly easy to work around him.
pushes his leg. "My name isn't Louis. It's Ludwig."
pokes his forehead. "In my language, it's Louis."
bats at his hand. "Names don't change. Now what? Are there more people on that round thing?"
"Fine, *Ludwig*. And yes. They'll show you what I was speaking of earlier." Once he gets the dvd loading, he sits on the edge of the bed.
stays so close to the television that he has to crane his head back to see what's going on. "Football?"
shakes his head. "The other thing. Come sit on the bed. That's not good for your eyes."
comes over slowly, stopping at Francis' knees. "It's too high."
raises an eyebrow at him. "Do you not know how to climb?" He always found that to be fun when he was Ludwig's current size.
looks at him very solemnly, as though France is the child, not him. "Furniture is not meant to be climbed on."
rolls his eyes and turns his attention to the television. "No one is going to find out if you do."
sets his chin on the edge of the mattress, sighs, and stares up at him.
doesn't look at him "Use your words and ask nicely if you want something. I'm not your servant."
flops both arms up there too.
...and sighs again. Louder.
does not acknowledge.
pokes his thigh.
Francis
is
pretending these advertisements are really engrossing. "Quoi."
doesn't like asking for help so he does it his own way. He shuffles over a little and faceplants Francis' lap, patting the bed.
stares at him long and hard, wondering what the hell Prusse is teaching this boy. Like he's doing any better. After a moment, he lifts-
him and sets him on the bed.
demonstrates exactly what Gilbert's been showing him by smiling rather smugly for someone so little. He settles in the middle of the bed-
and smooths all the wrinkles out of the front of the jacket. "What are they doing in the box?"
mutters something about him being a manipulative little shit before looking back at the television to answer the question. "It's -
what people do before sex."
yawns. "How come they're taking clothes off?"
"Because it's funner to do when naked."
studies the television intently. "How come? They might get cold."
"They won't, between body heat and moving around. When it's skin on skin, it feels better."
makes a face.
"You'll understand when you're bigger."
sighs. He keeps hearing that stuff! "Why are they making noises like- HEY. HEY, HE PUT HIS MOUTH ON THAT!"
Francis
is
kind of amused by his reaction. "It feels really good to the other person."
cannot get beyond this. "BUT. But that's...*why*?!"
doesn't really know how to explain it in a way he'd understand. "Some people just like it a lot."
isn't happy with that answer, but there's other stuff happening in the box now anyway. "What's that bottle for?"
"It slicks it up so it's easier to go in the other guy." At least he's trying to not be vulgar about it. "See?"
gawks at him. "It goes IN him? Where? Wouldn't that hurt because it's so big?"
"You're smart. Where do you think it goes? It'll hurt a little at first, but it'll feel great later."
can't think of anywhere! It's bigger than all the spaces! The people in the box will probably show him though. "That isn't fun..."
Francis
is
going to let him figure it out on his own. "It's very fun. Grown ups love doing this."
doesn't think anything painful sounds fun at all. "It looks funny. And how come that man's thingy isn't as big as the other man's? How-
come it's two men and not a man and a lady? I saw a maid do this to Gilbert one time, only she wasn't as hairy."
"Everyone has a different body type and size. Two men because...some people prefer it this way." And to the last thing, he can't help but -
ask, "Did you enjoy watching?"
flips his jacket sleeves back and forth, sort of bored with all this mouth stuff on the box. "I saw fat ladies once. Bruder took me to-
court once. There were lots of them. Do fat ladies like doing that more on account of them being fat and liking stuff in their mouths more
than skinny ladies? What about fat men?" And yes, he asks all of this with a very serious expression before he has to look down and shrug.-
"I don't know."
Francis
gives
him an odd look then glances back to the screen. "I don't know. I would think a fat person would try to *eat* it. Fat people are not -
beautiful so I have no experience with them. They're probably be too lazy to really work for it, anyway." He pauses. "If you did, I don't-
think it's a bad thing. Your brother is fucking hot, so it's understandable."
stares at him, nose wrinkled. "You and him talk the same about people like that. Only he says stuff like cushions for pushings. I think.-
" But if it's a not a bad thing... "Sort of I guess. What does fucking hot mean?"
"Overall, we have similar tastes. But really, if someone looks disgusting with clothes on, it'd be way worse to see them naked. I don't know
if I could eve laugh at something like that." He tucks a strand of hair behind his ear out of habit. "It means he's very attractive."
Ludwig
has
more questions. Lots and lots more, but now they're doing something weird on the box. Whatever he was about to ask dies as soon as he-
looks up, leaving him with his mouth hanging open.
Francis
will
be glad to answer more questions. He figures he'll have to answer some more about this anyway. But for now he'll watch this. It's too hot-
to no.
not*
watches for about the first two minutes. Of course, these are the worst two minutes, entirely of full-screen penetration shots and a lot-
of moaning. This makes him faceplant France's side, hiding his face in his shirt.
gets distracted from the television when he feels Ludwig against him, so he looks down and pats his head. "Would you like it turned off?"
tucks his head down further so the jacket bunches up around his shoulders. "He's hurting him!"
runs his hand through Ludwig's hair to try to be a comfort. "He's not, really. He likes it. Look at his face."
peeks out at the box again. "B-But it looks like he's hurting..."
"Doesn't it also look a bit like Gilbert does when he's really enjoying something? Like when you saw him with that maid."
turns so he can see the screen with both eyes but keeps his head in Francis' side. It sort of does, except Gilbert looked like it was kind-
of funny too. "A little bit. Only not the same hair."
moves his hand to set it by Ludwig's opposite side. "Of course. His hair is rather unique anyway."
goes back to chewing on his sleeve. "Why's the one man doing that stuff on top of him?"
"Because it feels good, and he likes hearing the sounds the other makes in response to it, I imagine."
hums but is at a loss for questions right now. There just isn't a point to it!
doesn't think he'll understand it until he tries himself. But whatever, he's focused on the film for now.
lets go of his sleeve and looks up at Francis. "So that thing the guy does with the other guy's thing and his mouth, that isn't bad?"
shakes his head. "Not at all. It's a very good thing, really." He manages to catch himself before he says something about how much his older
self likes it.
rolls away from Francis back to the middle of the bed, back and forth. "Are you sure? Because...because our cousin said different."
watches him curiously. "What did he say?"
flops around so he's facing the television, feet up at the head of of the bed. They're still doing that weird thing, only in a different-
way. Now that one man is sitting on the other man. "That it isn't okay for everybody to do it, only him and only Bruder." ( /lol horrible)
stares at him for a long moment. He didn't know about *that*...but it explains a lot of things, really. "That is fine if he wants to think-
that, but it's okay for everyone. Especially since it feels really good."
nods as if this is the wisest thing anyone has said yet this week. Or today, since he just woke up here. "...how come he's doing that with
his hand now and not in him anymore?"
"Because he's to...ah..get him off. It's like..." He has no idea how to explain this to him, really. "Just watch."
frowns. "All he has to do is ask him to please get off. Or push him if he doesn't listen."
"No, no. In a different way. Just keep watching; it's the best feeling ever but you won't understand until you have one."
"Have one? Is it a present-" No, it isn't a present, it's something very messy and noisy, and those men make some very strange faces while-
it's happening too, according to the box. "...ew."
"Trust me. You'll like them a lot when you're bigger. It just looks weird now."
grunts and squirms around, this time to worm out of the jacket. The black tanktop underneath it is huge as well, but at least he's still-
covered. "Did he pee on him?"
shakes his head. "No. That was something different entirely."
looks at the television again. It's one of those DVDs that has multiple scenarios just in case the first one wasn't good enough, but it-
looks like it's starting about the same as the first one anyway. He sighs and curls up on his side. "How many people are in the box?"
shrugs. He hasn't seen this one to know how many people are in it. "I would guess at least six."
"Does somebody have to clean up after them?
"
"It's someone's job, yes. But at home, people clean up after themselves."
Ludwig
gives
a big fake shudder and sticks his tongue out. He may be a very serious child, but he *is* still a child... "I don't thikn we have maids for
that at home."
think* )
may have forgotten that and subconsciously thought of this boy as a midget adult Ludwig. Except not. He's trying to imagine him as a midget-
now though. "It's not like it's hard to do or anything."
covers his face and laughs. "Gross, gross gross!"
just watches him. "Do you want to do something for me?"
looks at the television first. "No."
keeps on like he didn't just get shut down. "Just try to remember that laughing is important, okay? You don't do it hardly enough when -
you're older."
shrugs. "I guess."
supposes that's good enough and turns the television off. "Still hungry?"
shrugs again. "How come grown ups like that stuff so much?"
"Because it feels good. And I suppose it helps people pretend that they're close to someone."
"Through the box?"
"When they do it themselves. Watching that is fun when someone's alone or if they want interesting things to happen."
"Oh. So is it okay that I watched Bruder and the lady?"
shrugs. "I guess so. I would have watched too." And then find a way to get involved, but minour details.
shuffles himself to the end of the bed and climbs easily to the floor, demonstrating his climbing skills. "Gut. Because I watched him and-
our cousin one time too."
watches him. "Well, aren't you the little voyeur. Have you watched any other times?"
watches him right back, just blue eyes and the top of his head visible over the edge of the bed. "They were making lots of noises at night-
and I got...um....I wanted some water." Not scared, because big nations don't ever get scared. "....I don't know." Typical little kid-
answer though, entirely too innocent. "What's a voy-er?"
nods understandingly, even if it's been quite a few centuries since he was that side. "It's someone who likes watching others do that -
kind of stuff."
frowns and disappears from sight. "My name is Ludwig."
"I have not forgotten that."
shuffles around and peeks under the bed. "Not that word."
leans over a little to watch him. "Okay, you're not a voyeur."
can fit all the way under there! He doesn't have to go far to find some interesting stuff though. "How come I keep things under my bed?"
shrugs, not that Ludwig can see that. "It's good for storage space. What kind of stuff is down there?"
rifles through things. Silence follows, then a box shoots out from under the bed. "Naked people."
moves onto the floor to sift through the box. "Your older self has good tastes."
crawls out from under the bed on Francis' side, dragging another box. "What are all these?" Good luck explaining sex toys, handcuffs and-
gags, Frankreich.
glances at the contents of the box. "Ah...toys. Sometimes big you likes to play games with those."
picks one up...and immediately drops it. "It wiggles!"
watches him, then looks to see if there are any goodies he didn't already know about. "Mhm. That one's really fun to use."
shoves it away. It's a weird color and feels like...like he doesn't know what. There aren't many other things in there - just various-
other interestingly shaped toys and things meant for teasing rather than torture. Then again, in Germany's hands...nevermind. "These are-
boring toys."
"Au contraire. You simply don't know how to use them." And of course, he does, so he's sitting there thinking about it.
goes back under the bed again. It's very clean down here now that the boxes are gone. Warm too; really the perfect spot for a nap.
goes back to looking in the other box "Remember to put these back exactly how they were, okay?"
folds his arms under his head for a pillow and mumbles. He'll do it, of course; he usually follows directions well enough.
looks under the bed at him, then gets up to head down to the kitchen. He might as well prepare a meal since Ludwig gave the other -
food to the dogs.
food to the dogs.
Ludwig
will
just take a nap under there if left alone in the quiet long enough. Doing so will probably spare Francis any tantrums anyway.
Francis
will
leave him there for well over an hour. It takes a bit to locate everything needed to cook in this kitchen.
sleeps under there nearly an hour and a half, actually. When he wakes up, his location startles him so badly that he jerks up and cracks-
his head against the underside of the bed. He's still sleep-dazed, confused and scared on top of that, so he shoots out from under the bed-
and barrels out into the hallway. But everything's unfamiliar, just a really long, boring hallway with no windows and lots of closed doors.-
Instead of running, he just stands there in the too-big undershirt, holds the back of his head, and bawls.
has, in that time, managed to scrap together a rather decent meal from what he could find. He was considerate enough to prepare some-
plain baked potatoes. Since Ludwig is so small now, he figures that'd be better than one of the ways he prefers doing them. But he-
honestly knows little about German cuisine, so he just hopes what he's done is good enough. Not that Ludwig really has room to be -
picky. Speaking of, he ought to go make sure the boy's still alive and whatnot. And he knows he is before seeing him, due to the-
crying. Surely that can be fixed with a hug and softly spoken words. "What's wrong, chéri?"
doesn't usually cry, but whenever he does, he usually latches on to Gilbert and won't let go until he feels better. But without Gilbert,-
there's only France to cling to and he does so without hesitation, since this is a familiar adult, arms slung about his neck so tightly that
if Francis stands up, he'll have a little kid attached to him still. "Wo bin ich? Ich will nach Hause!" ( idk if that's right. :/ )
holds him closer and rubs his back comfortingly. "This is your grown-up selfms house. Remember, we talked about this earlier."
sniffles, hiccupping now and then from crying so hard. "I h-hit m-m-my head. I don't like it here, this isn't *my* house. I l-live with-
Bruder, n-not here!"
kisses his cheek. "Désolé, but this is your house, really. I'd take you to Gilbert, but I'm not sure where he is."
doesn't like hearing that, but at least he can't cry any harder at this point.
( going to bed now. g'night. )
doesn't think he'll be able to do much else to help comfort, since he's obviously the wrong person. "I made food for you. Are you hungry?"
[night! sleep well~]
draws in one long, watery breath and quiets down. "What kind of food?" Of course he's hungry. He's a kid, and what's more, he's a kid who
hasn't eaten all day.
continues rubbing his back. "The yummy kind. There's meat, potatoes and other vegetables, and perhaps a treat if you eat it all."
really likes the sound of that, except for the other vegetables part. He only likes certain others. "Can I have it now?"
nods and lifts him to carry him downstairs. "Oui, you just need to wash your hands again first."
nods and lifts him to carry him downstairs. "Oui, you just need to wash your hands again first."
attaches himself to Francis as firmly as he can for the ride. Once the earlier trauma subsides completely, he'll be back to pushing physical
attention away as normal. But right now Francis is very warm and comfortable, much better than the floor, so he hangs onto his shirt and
rests his head on his shoulder.
carries him down to the kitchen, only then does he shift the way he's holding Ludwig so he can wash his hands again easily. After that he'll
just carry him to the table and set him in his chair, rather than letting Ludwig do it himself. The table is already set for two, with both-
plates full of food.
washes his hands very thoroughly and is even patient about letting Francis set him down at the table. He folds his hands in his lap and
looks up at Francis, waiting.
scoots his chair in and sits across from him after getting a glass of milk for Ludwig and water for himself. "Bon appétit."
(...this JUST showed up. 8| )
pulls the milk over and holds it with both hands to take a drink. He doesn't get what that's supposed to mean though.
[gj, plurk]
picks up his knife and fork, then glances across the table. "Du kannst essen." Just in case he didn't realise that ...
sets the milk aside, pulls his plate and fork over, and eats rather enthusiastically. The baked potatoes are dismantled first, of course.
literally has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from saying anything about the way Ludwig eats his potatoes. So he just concentrates -
on eating his own meal.
Ludwig
gives
up on his fork after awhile too, after sneaking a glance at Francis to see if he's paying attention. This is commonplace for him at this-
age. It's a habit Gilbert tried very hard for quite awhile to break, but Ludwig at this age is probably about midpoint in that process.
stops eating and stares at him when he notices. He can somewhat tolerate potato mutilation, but that is just uncouth. "Eat with your fork or
don't eat."
stops with his first and middle finger in his mouth. His eyes get huge, like he really, really wasn't doing anything bad, Francis must be-
completely mistaken and he's definitely not sucking potato off his fingers right now.
isn't blind, so he's just going to frown at him until that fork is picked up again.
frowns and snatches his fork up again. France really is just like Bruder. He gets that same look when Gilbert catches him too!
Francis
is
probably worse than Gilbert just because he's making sure Ludwig is holding his fork in the correct hand before he starts eating again.
doesn't whine but comes very close to it. He doesn't have much left to eat, but he wants to eat it his way.
can easily ignore whining for the sake of finishing his meal. He'll start picking up when he finishes.
doesn't finish everything, but not out of stubbornness. He's pretty full from what all he ate anyway. "Thank you may I be excused." ..said
exactly like a run-on sentence too.
Francis
thinks
he ate quite enough anyway, for being so small. "You may. There's apple tart for when you want it."
sits up a little bit. There's always room for sweet things. "Now?"
nods. It's better warm and fresh anyway. He slices a piece for him and serves it on a dessert saucer. With crème.
definitely uses the proper silverware for this. He doesn't want to risk losing this particular plate, since what's on it is almost more his-
favorite than potatoes. Almost!
fixes himself a plate as well and sits back down at the table. He may be hyper-aware of keeping a trim waist, but he's not going to turn-
down some of his own dessert.
gets halfway through his piece before his little stomach just won't let him get the rest down. "Can I save it for later?"
nod again."I'll put it in the fridge for you." He points to it to show what it is.
gets down off his chair to go investigate for himself. "What does it do?"
"It keeps food cold and fresh."
pries at the edges of the door. "How?"
isn't the one who should even attempt explaining the inner workings of refrigerators, so he just shrugs. "Magic."
jerks his hands away and wipes them on his shirt. "Gypsies?"
"Americans." He thinks. Maybe. He can't remember who invented them, but it seems like something that would come from over there.
frowns. "Is that French for gypsy?"
"No, you know, the new world. It's on the other side of the ocean."
sticks his fingers in hi s mouth while thinking this over. "England?"
"He's a scary eyebrow monster who likes to turn little children into meat pies." ...Not the most mature thing to say.
eyes get big. No, no - they get *huge*, and if it weren't for having his fingers in his mouth his lip would start trembling. "E-eyebrow-
monster?"
nods, and adds gravely, "They take up his whole face. You can't see his eyes sometimes."
reaches up for his own eyebrows, effectively smearing his forehead with spit. "What happened to them?!"
"I suppose his eyebrows try to eat them. They've gotten bigger and bigger each year."
looks up at Francis and hisses in horror, "That's *terrible*. He should buy a razor."
nods. "I have tried telling him myself, but he doesn't listen."
finally lets go of his forehead. "Do it for him. Tie him up so he can't get away! That's what Bruder does to bad people."
smiles at him. "I knew there was a reason why Gilbert likes to say you're a genius. That's a really smart idea."
blinks. "What's a genie-ass?"
Francis
wonders
if that's how he sounded with his accent. "Someone who's very, very intelligent."
starts to wipe his nose on his hand but catches himself. Geniuses don't do that. "Oh. I like that. Can I have a tissue?"
nods and goes to fetch one for him. That done, he puts the tart in the fridge and starts to clean up.
wipes his nose once on the tissue and holds it up again, expecting Francis to take it and throw it away. He doesn't know where the waste-
basket is.
Francis
is
not touching that thing, but he'll kindly point him in the right direction to take care of it himself.
bounces his happy kid ass right on over to where Francis points and throws it away himself. ( lolsorry )
continues cleaning. He's thorough, but he figures it probably won't meet adult-Ludwig's standards, but oh well.
watches carefully but gets bored quickly. When Francis stays in one spot long enough, he figures he makes a good comfortable spot and leans
against the back of his legs, head against his backside. "You're squishy."
Francis
is
washing all the pans and other dishes he used for the meal, and when he feels a small body against him he has to pause. "Thank you?" He's-
not sure if that's a compliment, honestly. "Are you sleepy again?"
Ludwig
thinks
very seriously about this. He likes to sleep lots, but sleeping might make him miss out on all this fun stuff. He might even wake up back-
in his normal time! "No, not sleepy."
nods and continues washing the dishes. "I really don't know what there is around here that would be fun for someone your age."
sighs. "Do you have maids?"
"Non. Haven't for a while."
"Then there's nothing fun to do. Sometimes when we get bored, Bruder and I hide and scare them. Or make messes for them to clean." Here, -
have a leg pinch. A little one.
flicks some bubbles down at him. "Adult-you cleans for fun. You could play with those dogs."
sneezes. "I can? Do they bite?" Have one of those too, just so you know what he means.
Francis
wonders
what the hell has gotten into him. "I don't think they'd bite you. At least not like that."
lets go of him abruptly and runs off after the dogs without a parting word, excited that they won't take his fingers off.
finishes up the washing rather quickly after that. Once he finishes the cleaning, he goes to see where Ludwig ran off to, to make sure-
he hasn't gotten into any trouble.
doesn't have Gilbert here to influence him so there's little he would get into on his own. He's sitting on the floor in the living room-
encircled by dogs, feet under Aster's belly while Blackie patiently lets him play with his ears.
Francis
is
glad that he hasn't gotten into anything. Since he figures leaving him unattended is a bad idea, he sits on the couch and turns the -
television on and flipping through the channels.
flips over on his belly, using Blackie's middle as a pillow. "Are you watching more sex on the box?"
"Non. This is some other kind of show. It's not quite as entertaining."
"Then how come it's on the box?"
"Many shows just have it so more people will watch, but they can't show it all like the other films."
"Do you like the ones without it too? Is there a point to any of them?"
"There are some I like. The point of them all is to be entertaining, which some of them all."
sighs into the dog's fur. He may as well watch since there's nothing else to do.
figures this will be the most entertaining thing on television for this, so he makes himself comfortable by laying across the couch.
decides against watching after a little bit and resumes playing with the dogs. Or trying to, anyway - they don't seem all that interested-
in him at the moment. He'll wind up scooting over up against the couch and watching Francis over the edge of the cushion once the dogs walk
off, actually.
doesn't notice him, really. At first he's just too engrossed with the show, but the longer he lays on the couch all comfortable, the more -
he feels inclined to napping. Which he eventually starts to do.
doesn't like this sleepy looking France. He isn't talking or doing anything interesting. He'll just watch for another minute though...
Francis
is
going to conk out for an hour or two, here in a minute. Just laying there is making it hard to keep his eyes open.
isn't going to let him sleep that long. He might get to sleep, but after an hour, Ludwig's going to come back into the room with ink smeared
all over
all over his hands, climb up on the couch next to Francis, curl up, and act as innocent as possible.
sleeps peacefully for that time, but he stirs when he feels something else on the couch. ...Someone. He's still bleary-eyed, but he'll -
flip when he gets a look at Ludwig's hands.
makes sure they're curled up somewhere Francis' can't see them. Like, oh, his shirt, for example, so it just looks cute and adorable, like-
he's trying to nap on France and just holding on to him.
Francis
is
wearing white. The ink better not transfer onto his shirt. Not that he's aware of that. He's just blinking down at him for now.
lays very very still, like that's going to trick him.
really doesn't think Ludwig likes him enough-no matter what the age-to come cuddle with him while he's sleeping. So that's a suspicious-
look Ludwig's getting while he tries to sit up.
whines and tries to keep him right there. "Shh! I'm *sleep*ing."
"You're rather loud for someone who's asleep."
tucks his head against Francis' side and grumbles.
Francis
is
still looking at him oddly, but pats his head anyway. "You don't need me to sleep."
really doesn't. Sometimes he gets scared at night and crawls in bed with Gilbert, but usually he sleeps just fine by himself! "But I'm-
cold."
plays with his hair a little. "Want a blanket?"
ducks away from his hand. "Nuh uh."
"Why not?"
squirms. "Itchy."
"It'd be warmer than me. Unless you just hate blankets. Makes sense, because that's the only way I'd lay with someone I don't like."
looks up and frowns, lips pursed. After a moment, "I like you okay, I guess." As long as you don't find the massive path of destruction-
weaved through that room with all the books upstairs.
"Really? I'm touched." He'll end up eventually finding that mess and will promptly flip, but he hasn't bothered trying to get up yet.
pats his face.
grabs his wrist when he thinks he sees something on Ludwig's hand. "...What's that."
curls his fingers towards his palm. "Nothing."
flicks his fingers. "Don't lie to me."
tries to pull away. There's something very important he needs to do over there, on the other side of the room... "Nuh uh!"
isn't letting go of his wrist. He'll just tighten his grip he Ludwig tries to pull away too much. "Ludwig. I am giving you the opportunity -
now to tell me exactly what that is and what you did. I'll be very disappointed if you choose to continue lying to me."
's lip trembles briefly. Caught for sure now. "I was drawing in that room upstairs and I maybe spilled some stuff I was drawing with."
stares at him. "Which room?" Tell him on the way. He's carrying you upstairs to see the damage.
sighs, not entirely unlike his older self. "It's got books. Lots of 'em. And a thing that looks like a box only when you touch it it-
doesn't have people in it. Just more smaller boxes."
swears under his breath. "That kind of ink is that on your hands?" Probably the kind that doesn't come out. Fuck.
shrugs and looks at his hands. It's smeared all over his palms and fingers. He was definitely fingerpainting, and not just on paper.
just stands in the doorway when he actually sees it. He has no idea what he's going to do if he can't get this all cleaned up.
pretends he can't see it. There are sheets of paper flung everywhere, the majority of them with inky handprints and black smudges. There-
are even a few handprints on the wall behind the overturned desk chair. But the books scattered all over the floor are ink-free at least.
finally overcomes his initial shock and looks down at him. "You know, if your older self could exist at the same time as you, he'd beat you-
for this."
gasps. "I beat up children?"
looks at him very seriously. "No, but I think he'd make an exception for you."
fidgets and looks at the big mess he made. It *is* pretty messy... "That's not very nice."
considers telling him what happens if you knock some files off that desk. "Adults don't behave very nicely when others mess with their-
things."
clutches his hands together, practically wringing them. "W-what do they do? Do they yell lots?"
"Some do. Some slam doors too. Others might just glare and stop talking to you."
"Why? Wouldn't talking make things better?"
"Adults can be very irrational, and too angry to want to speak to one another."
's expression falls. "I don't think I want to be one then."
"You have no choice. You have to grow up eventually."
"Nuh uh. I can stay small if I want to."
"You won't want to for long, though. You'll want to grow up eventually."
"Will not. Adults yell or don't yell and do stuff naked in boxes. That's no fun."
"That last thing is really, really fun. So much even big you likes it."
pushes at him, trying to wriggle out of his arms. "Nuh uh, it doesn't look fun."
"Are you calling me a *liar*? I know what I'm talking about." He sets him down. "You're going to clean this up."
bolts as soon as his feet hit the floor. There are *lots* of places to hide here.
makes an empty threat about not letting him eat ever again if he doesn't come clean before starting on it himself. If he's lucky, he might-
be able to get it all cleaned off.
isn't coming out. He can forage for food on his own without help. No way is he getting in trouble. He'll just hide in this closet for-
awhile...
Francis
is
going to just stay angry with him, then. It's not *his* mess and he has no idea what he'll do if he can't get this all cleaned.
Ludwig
will
hide the entire time if he has to. This closet isn't very comfortable though. There are a lot of uncomfortable things in the corner he's-
in.
Francis
hopes
that he's very uncomfortable wherever he is. Because it's not like anything fun is going to come out of him cleaning this room.
Ludwig
is
sitting on and as soon as the cardboard gives way will be sitting *in* a box of bondage toys. How comfortable is that?
supposes that would depend upon what his bum lands on. But nevermind that, he's trying to come up with a believable story concerning -
these ink stains he can't get out.
yelps a little when the box does break through. There are metal things in there and on top of being uncomfortable they're kind of cold.-
Wrapping himself whatever he can pull down off the hangers will help!
hears him, so he hunts him down and opens that closet. "You. Get in there. Now."
wraps up tighter in the clothes. You can't see him like this.
isn't in the mood for games, so sorry, he sees him. And goes to tug him out.
shrieks and tries to throw something at him, whatever's nearby. ...God help him.
manages to not get whacked in the face by it. And he's not letting go. "I'll use that on your back if you don't get in there and clean up-
your mess." Not really, but you don't know that.
goes limp, trying to make himself as heavy as possible. "It was an accident!"
"Yes, well, I'm sure you'll have plenty of 'accidents' throughout your life, but you're still responsible for the outcome of all of them."
tries to pry his hands away. "B-But...but..."
"No buts. Get to work."
tries the saddest face he can possibly muster up. "But I don't know how to get that stuff off of stuff."
"I guess you're going to learn. Come one. I'll even show you."
sighs very loudly but stops fighting. France might be mean and punish him like Gilbert does, and he *really* doesn't want that.
tugs him over to a particular spot and hands him a rag.
puts the rag on a handprint and rubs with it, looking at Francis to make sure this is what he's supposed to do.
nods and works on another spot.
uses both hands to scrub as hard as he can, not peeking for a full minute. "It doesn't come off very well."
"No, it doesn't. Keep at it until it's gone completely."
sighs and does so, even though his hands are kind of starting to hurt. Maybe this will make the stuff come off his hands too.
's hands have been cramping for a while now. But maybe they'll actually get done with this eventually.
sighs in frustration and smacks the rag against the wall. "Can't we put paint on it?"
"If we can find paint in that colour. If not, we'd have to do the whole room."
looks at the spot he's been working on. It's pretty lighter, but it's still there. "...does paint come in lots and lots of colors?"
nods. "Any colour you can think of, there's a paint for it."
scrubs a little slower. "For walls and paper and everything?"
"I don't know that there's as much of a variety for artists' paints. But those can be mixed."
used to like drawing, but he isn't very good at it. "Do they clean off easier?"
nods. "Some of them are made to be washable. Children's paint, anyway."
drops his rag. He's still at the point where he takes everything very literally. Excuse him. "You paint children?!"
blinks at him. "*Non*. Paint for children. It can be washed off easily so parents don't have to do this."
squints at the wall then back at Francis. "Do you have children?"
"I had some under my care a long while ago. They're grown-up nations now."
eyes get big as he completely forgets that job. "Really? Who's their mommy? Is she pretty? Do they even have a mommy? I don't!"
shakes his head. "They didn't have a maman, just me." He won't mention how he's been referred to that though. "But they grew up and-
decided they didn't need me anymore." That's the easiest way of explaining it.
frowns. "How come?" He can't imagine ever not needing his Bruder around...
"I suppose they think they can take care of themselves now. They only come to me when they want something, really."
sits down on the floor. "That isn't very nice."
stares at the wall and shrugs. "I'm used to it. Anyway, I need to find a hardware store around here."
stares there too. "A what?"
"A store that has stuff for building things. It'll have paint for the wall."
's nose wrinkles but he still attaches himself to Francis' leg. "Can I go?"
nods. He'll need a translator, most likely. "Mhm. You've got to help me."
"Me? With what?"
"Talking. If you haven't noticed, ich kann nicht Deutsch sehr gut sprechen."
scowls at him. "You sound like you ate marbles."
got the word order wrong in that sentence too, but whatever. He's just going scowl back. "You sound like you're choking on something."
tries to remember what it is Gilbert told that maid about choking one time. Something about giving her something to choke on...and repeats-
it. Then stares at Francis in confusion. Why would he want to make somebody choke? Francis is mean, but choking sounds pretty boring.
stares at him. And then informs him that he doesn't have a gag reflex, and since Ludwig is so small, he doesn't stand a chance.
's nose wrinkles as he squints. "What's a gag reflex?"
Francis
thinks
of the simplest way to explain "It's...when you choke when big things hit the back of your throat."
"How come you would have big things that don't fit in your mouth?"
"Because it's fun to have them there."
"Why?"
"Because...it can make someone else very happy."
sighs. "What if it's food?"
"It's like practise."
"Practice for what?"
"Putting cock on your mouth."
gapes at him.
"...Everyone does it, kid."
"B-But why? Birds aren't supposed to go there!"
"Not birds. It's a vulgar term for your penis." That word sounds so weird rolling off his tongue, really.
lifts the collar of his shirt up over his nose and mouth. "You aren't supposed to say that."
"Why? It's just a word."
"Because it's a bad one."
"How can a word be bad? It's just a word. And one that represents part of your body."
lowers his shirt some. "Swearing isn't proper court behavior." And now he's just quoting their cousin; obviously Gilbert has no issues-
with swearing constantly.
"We're not in any sort of court right now, so it's okay, really."
pulls at the bottom hem of his shirt, fidgeting. "I can say it?"
nods. "You can say whatever you want. Just mind what you say around women."
rolls the hem up and down. This fits about right with what Aldrich's told him, but not Bruder. "Women don't like cock?"
"Oh, no, they love it. But you have to be polite around them or they won't like *your* cock."
still really hasn't related this word to a part of himself, even though Francis explained it. It's just a really odd word. "Why do I-
want them to?"
"If they do, they'll do really nice things for you. It makes life easier."
"Are you supposed to ask them if they like it first? And how come just women?"
"They'll get mad if you ask. They're just weird about it, which is why you have to be careful about what you say to them. Some men like-
it too, but you have to be even more careful sometimes. Because if they don't, they might want to hurt you."
doesn't get this adult stuff. Grownups are so *complicated*. "...can you just not bother with either of them at all? That's lots of-
trouble."
"I suppose, but that's boring. You'd be lonely."
shrugs. "But then I wouldn't have to worry about making people mad over cock."
"But what about the people who would love your cock?"
doesn't have much opinion on those people since he doesn't get why they would. "I dunno them."
would gladly show him why if Ludwig was a little bit older. "Just keep it in mind, I suppose, that some people will want it. Often."
frowns. "Do people like yours?"
"They love mine."
"Why? Does it do stuff?"
"Mhm. It makes people feel good all over because I know how to use it."
"...how?"
"Like in that video earlier."
's face is blank for a minute, then he practically shrieks with laughter. "You *do* that?!"
"Everyone does. Moi, ton frère, toi..."
stares. Yeah, he didn't get that.
Francis
will
translate then. That's simple stuff he knows. Ich, dein Bruder, du.
shakes his head. "Nuh uh, I don't."
"When you're older you do."
"When you're older you do."
"With who?"
probably shouldn't disclose this information. "Me. Gilbert, but I don't know how often, really."
looks appropriately shocked. "Nuh uh!"
"Yuh-huh. I would not make such a thing up."
's mind simply cannot wrap around doing that thing with his brother. He's so much older and bigger! So he squints. "Are you the girl?"
shrugs. "Sometimes. Not always."
reaches out and pokes him right in the crotch. "But you got that."
"Yeah. So do you. It just gets stuck in other places."
doesn't want to know. Really. He doesn't. "why?"
"Because there's something that feels really, really good when it's touched."
"Where?"
"Inside the body."
sticks his tongue out. "Beh. Ew."
"You won't think that when you're older."
"Will too. Stuf doesn't go inside unless it's to eat."
"Not true. Other things have to go in sometimes too."
glares at him. "No."
"C'est vrai. It's essential for life."
"It is *not*."
"How do you think babies are made? That's with a man and woman and different places, but that involves things going in places."
...you may have just broken his brain. "I-I don't think how babies are made because we can't made babies. Otherwise Bruder would have too-
many with the maids." Again, repetition of an overheard conversation that he didn't really understand.
snickers a little, though really, it'd be the same for him. He's got a thing for those dancing girls... "That's how humans do it, and our-
bodies are physically the same, minus the reproduction aspect."