June 30th, 2014 - After All, Tomorrow Is Another Day

AUTHOR: Pepper's Ghost

June 30th, 2014 - After All, Tomorrow Is Another Day

"You're still here?" said England.

America was sitting on the lower bunk in their cabin. He gave England a cursory head-to-toe glance and then went back to staring at the wall.

"Roosevelt doesn't want me smoking anymore," said America. "Says my lungs are bad enough already and don't need any more favors done."

"I'd ask to take you for a drink but I know you know you shouldn't do that either," said England. He gently shut the door to the small cabin behind him and hung his hat on the back of the door.

"Yeah. All things considered I've been doing well at something at least."

England did not like the look of that wry smile on America's face. He crossed the tiny room in two steps and seated himself on the bed next to his companion.

"So instead of enjoying the lounge or the observation promenades you've been sitting here in this cramped cabin," said England. He gently reached out and grabbed one of America's hands and began rubbing small circles into it.

"Yep."

"That's unlike you."

"Well, I'm not feeling much like myself lately." America still refused to make eye contact with England despite England's repeated attempts trying to catch his eyes.

"Come off it – you've been getting better and better," said England. And it was true too. The dust surrounding his person had been cut down drastically. His health was looking up from the dazzling whiteness of his teeth returning to the shine of his hair coming back into prominence.

"Then why am I being forced to take a vacation instead of helping out back home?" America said. He had turned now to regard England and the other could see the bone deep weariness written in the scruffiness of his face, the purpling bruises under his eyes, and the unfocused eyes themselves.

"Well if you truly feel like my company is being forced on you I can leave," said England. He pulled back away from America and moved to regain his hat. This was not an argument they could afford to bring up again in such confined quarters. That, and England hated mollycoddling.

"We've been together long enough that you know I cannot sleep when traveling," said America. The brief fire in his eyes was out again. He had sunk back onto himself and cradled his head in his hands.

"I do believe zeppelin is the common term." England was still poised to leave but would not if he didn't have to.

"Can we not call them that."

"Fine. Dirigible – airship. Take your pick."

"I miss my airplane," said America. He has shifted and was now looking at the ceiling as if his desire could make the airplane appear and rescue him.

"That little thing can't make it to my house."

"Don't care. It makes me feel more alive then this moving void space."

"If it makes you feel better I'd much rather be traveling by boat. Now that's really feeling alive." Again England returned to America and sat with him on the bunk.

"Yeah. Me too. Maybe then I could stop worrying about how much this ticket cost my people or whoever wound up paying for it."

At the sound of America's voice cracking a bit at the thought of money England pulled the other into a hug which America slowly retuned in full.

"Now," said England as he pulled back slightly. "I know you haven't been staring out at the endless clouds since we got on this voyage. What have you been doing?"

"Reading. Mostly. Trying to sleep but that's not working no matter how tired I am. But reading is like meditation right? It gives parts of your mind a break?"

"You're right love. Now what book has so thoroughly captured your attentions that you missed dinner?"

That got a rise out of America. He had firmed up and was blushing faintly, refusing to look at England.

"No one in particular."

"Really now…doesn't seem quite right. It must be close by. Why have you hidden it?"

"I didn't hide it I just got to a sticky part and needed to think about it for a bit."

"I see. Well if that's the case – " Like lightening England reached around America and snatched the book that was barely poking out from under the pillow despite America's squeak of protest.

"Hey!"

"Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell – I've never heard of this before."

"That's 'cause it just came out today. It was long and I figured, 'why not?'"

"What's it about?"

"Just stuff."

"What kind of stuff."

"Stuff stuff."

England contemplated America's response as he skimmed several random pages.

"Good god Alfred! This is about your civil war," said England. "Why on Earth are you reading something like that at a time like this?"

"I dunno. I –" America was cut off by a string of loud coughs.

England set the book aside and brushed his hand through America's hair. America gave him a weak smile but soon his face contorted and started coughing heavily again. England rubbed America's back until the coughing subsided.

"I – " America paused to clear his throat again. " I suppose it's good not to forget things. I don't know how accurate it is because I don't remember much about then…well not the details like this…no, I remember some things but – I don't know. The whole thing was like being hit in the head with a baseball bat continuously. I guess it's nice enough to see how someone else remembers it."

"So do you like the book?" England said.

"Yes. No. Maybe. I don't really know. I think it might make a good moving picture or something. It's not the normal sort of thing I'd read for sure."

The pair sat in silence for a long while before England spoke up, "Alfred you have just read a lengthy tome about a hard point in your history all in one go. It is an accomplishment worthy of something good to eat."

"You think so?" said America. A bit of cheer had bled back into his voice and England was glad for that. "And what sort of food would that entail?"

"I'm fairly certain the cook would not oppose us raiding the galley for something. Ice cream perhaps. Although seeing as you missed dinner how about a hamburger."

"Hamburger's are great."

"Yes. Hamburgers can make everything better."

The pair stood and after a half armed hug and a quick kiss to the lips, they made their way out the door fueled by the fire of a new mission.

X

Author's Notes: There are so many of my headcanons woven into this story and so many history references that the author's note that covered everything was almost as long as the fic itself. I thought that was crazy so all you really need to know about the whole thing is that zeppelins are awesome and fit the time period (a thing that almost killed the story until I remembered zeppelins) and were the way to travel if you were well off back in the 30s. Cabins were usually a little bigger then a sleeper cabin on a train and the ride itself was so steady that many passengers usually missed disembarkment. Although Lindbergh did make his big hop across the Atlantic in 1927 most planes were not well equipped to do the same. That combined with America's not so great but improving health would make everyone from England to the current president Franklin D. Roosevelt adamantly forbid him flying. Lastly, the title is the last line of Gone with the Wind.