All the time in the world (UsUk)

Chapter 13 - Comfort

POV England

Tears ran down my face as I opened the door to my large, empty house. They hadn't stopped since I'd broken down on the battle field.

France sat in the living room, I didn't tell him to get the bloody hell out of my house or ask him how the bloody hell he had got in, I just sat down next to him and cried.

I wasn't even angry that he'd been on America's side. With a clear mind I now realised letting him go when he'd first asked would have been the right thing. France was merely helping the process end quicker.

France was the only one who had ever seen me cry and visa versa.

Until the battlefield that is.

France put an arm around me and just let me cry.

"Hey England do you want to talk about it?" He said gently when the tears had calmed down. Not Angleterre, not mon amour or mon ami, just England.

"No." I replied flatly tears still streaming down my face.

"Talk." Replied France with the same flatness.

"He said he wanted independence, I stormed out the room. Declared war on him, lost said war, he then said he was no longer my colony or brother so before you say it's fixable it's not." I say relatively calmly, just the occasional sob. He knew all this already, but is was helping me to get this out.

"L'amour works in mysterious ways England, you never know fully what is going on in your partners head. Things aren't always as bad as they seem." He said softly, his advice although true is just comfort. Everything is broken, and it won't be fixed.

These thoughts just make me cry harder as I sat on the sofa a sobbing mess. France sits calmly next to me never leaving my side. The occasional pat on my back the only indicator of his presence.

"Thank you for coming over France, you didn't have to and you've helped more than you know." I say quietly after about an hour once I have a hold of myself, swallowing my pride and admitting my true feelings for once.

"England you were there for me when no one else was. I've never told you this but when my dear Joan of arc died I was much more of a mess than I let on. Way more than I let on. If you hadn't forced your way into my house against my will with your stubbornness in full force refusing to leave, determined to comfort me I am not entirely sure what would have become of me. So England I will always be here for you whether you like it or not." I was in shock, I wasn't entirely sure that France was hinting at what I thought he was, but if he was it was just another massive travesty I had caused.

"Oh France I am so, so sorry. Joan's death was all my fault!" Reliving the horror, the flames. Countless others had been burned. I had known France cared for Joan and that he had needed help, but I hadn't realised the full impact she had had on his life until right then.

"No England that was your bosses choice and his fault."

"But-"

"No buts." That was very honourable and mature of France. If it was me I would hold the grudge and keep the blame on France regardless. This secretly gave me a new level of respect for the man.

"France you don't need to stay and comfort me because I helped you out with Joan or because of all those others times I've comforted you. You don't owe me anything think nothing of it, I wanted to help."

"I want to help you England, I don't care whether I owe you anything or not. I simply want to be here for you because I care about you, I am not leaving and that's that. I know you feel the same and that's why you continue to come to me in my times of need and that is why I continue to come to you in your times of need. We have a strange bond England but a bond none the less. It is a bond past friendship, I am not quite sure what exactly it is but nevertheless I am grateful to have it." I smile at France, I agree with what he says but I go on to say: "I'll be fine for night you can head home."