A/N: Decided to take a small break from my other stories. I hope this doesn't seem too OOC, I'm not used to writing for Austria.
Contains: AustHun, and slight HRE/Italy
I do not own Axis Powers: Hetalia.
Hungary wasn't beautiful. She wasn't pretty either, for that matter. He even thought she was a boy when they were younger. Which is exactly the reason Austria pondered why he was so fascinated in her. Perhaps it was her strength, or her courage. But he shook his head in denial. It was more than that, definitely. He couldn't place his finger upon it, but for some reason, he felt drawn to the female nation.
He wondered all of this during breakfast one day. His coffee grew cold as he ignored it, and his eggs grew stale and unappetizing. Still, he did not mind. Italy gave him an inquisitive look, and Austria silently handed his full plate to him. Italy looked down at it, pretending to take it into the other room to be washed, when really he was going to eat it. Austria did not mind for once, for he had too much on his mind. The Holy Roman Empire sat across from him, eating his breakfast and watching the older nation lost in thought. He knew better than to interrupt Austria when he was acting like this, so he quickly finished and strode off, knowing Italy or Hungary would take his plate for him.
Austria stood and strode through the many halls of the mansion. He glared at a few paintings. Italy had drawn a mustache on him in one he was particularly fond of. He remembered how Hungary laughed when she saw it, when he asked her if she could remove it without damaging the painting underneath. She said that she couldn't, but Austria wasn't worried about that right now. What interested him was the way she laughed. It was far different than the laugh she had when they were children. Her laugh back then was a loud, hearty one that made her throw her head back and was often accompanied by snorting. But this one sounded very, very different. Although he had not heard her laugh in years, (and years to a nation are especially long) he could've swore it was so different. It was girly, unlike the brutal, masculine Hungary he once knew; who he was often beat up by. It was tinkly and light and it made him smile thinking about it. Though it was a small giggle, so much meaning came out of it.
He found her sweeping in his piano room. He never let Italy in there, for he was so clumsy and foolish at times that he'd probably end up demolishing his precious piano. The only time he allowed Italy in the room was when he felt kind enough to let the child listen to his music when the servant was caught listening from the doorway. Since Hungary was older and more respectful of Austria's possessions, she was the one who cleaned that room. It was a difficult task, since Austria liked things to be organized and spotless, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. He offered to let other maids help her clean it, but she was determined to do it herself. He liked her determination.
Her back was turned. He stared at her silently for a while, before going into the room and sitting at his piano stool. When she heard him sit at his seat, she turned, surprised. She was so engulfed in her work that she had not even heard him come in the room. She smiled, bowing at her master. "Én örömmel látom, Master Ausztria." She greeted him in her native language. He nodded in response. He took out one of his music sheets, Chopin, as always, and began to play. He knew the song so well that he didn't even need to think about it while playing it, and let his mind wander to different topics. His fingers automatically played the song while his mind went through a series of other thoughts and Hungary continued to sweep, sweeping and stepping in time with the song. A smile was plastered onto her face and she quietly hummed along to the piano. He watched her for a little while, before noticing that Italy was watching from the doorway, a look of awe on his young face.
He smiled at the young nation- something he felt as if he had not done in a long time- and nodded his head while still playing, inviting the servant inside the room. Italy smiled as well, and took his seat at the back of the room, swaying in time. Hungary was now dancing with the broom, now that she had finished her chores. Austria noticed this, and noticed how bad a dancer she was. At least it looked as if she were having a good time. But her inexperienced steps irritated him to no end, to the point where he stopped playing. She stood up straight and apologized, thinking she had angered him. But he told her to wait and went to fetch The Holy Roman Empire. He had been teaching him how to play piano for a while, and figured that, if he could have him play the piano and practice while he taught Hungary to dance, it would be very productive for both of them.
When he reached the blonde's room, he knocked a few times on the wooden door before he saw the small boy open it a crack. As he pushed the door open more, Austria looked down at him. "Come, you should practice. I have something special planned today." He said, though it was more of an order than a request. Holy Roman Empire nodded, respecting Austria's superiority, and followed him to the piano room. He blushed and looked up at Austria when he saw that Italy would be watching him play. Italy smiled and waved at him, which he only stuttered and shuffled to the seat, which was a bit too high for him, high enough so that his feet dangled and he could not step on the sustain pedal until he grew taller. Hungary giggled at his embarrassment. She thought it was cute how Holy Roman Empire seemed to be so fond of Italy. Austria skimmed through his many piano sheets, searching for one on Holy Roman Empire's skill level. When he found one, he placed it on the stand and showed him how the piece started. After thirty seconds of Holy Roman Empire's playing, he silently left the boy's side and held out his hand for Hungary.
She stared down at his outstretched hand for a moment, then turned her head up to face him, wearing and inquisitive look on her face. He could feel his face getting hot as he tried to explain to her. "I thought that maybe while Holy Roman Empire played, I could teach you how to dance." He said, his Austrian accent more evident than ever. It made it hard for her to understand, but she didn't need to be told twice: he wanted to dance with her. She smiled and took his hand. "Of course, Master Austria." She said, and he chuckled nervously. He had no idea why the prospect of dancing with her made him nervous, but he realized that instead of just standing there holding her hand, he should actually teach her to dance.
He looked down at their feet. "Okay. First off, make sure you are standing up straight. Posture is the key. If you slouch, you will not be able to dance well." He told her, and she immediately adjusted her posture. He realized that she was taller than him, only slightly, though. He nodded. "Okay, now. Here, place your hands on my shoulders like this," he said, taking her hands and placing them on his shoulders. He heard Italy giggling from behind them, but chose to ignore it. "Now, I will place my hands on your waist, like this." He said, doing so. Italy's giggling became more prominent, and Holy Roman Empire's playing slowed as he decided that watching them was more interesting than playing piano.
Austria turned his head to look at the child, and Holy Roman Empire immediately turned back to the piano and played at a regular pace again. Austria turned back to Hungary again, who was now smiling. He smiled nervously, feeling his face flush. "Um, okay now, just make sure you are stepping in time with the music. Follow my feet. It's best to let me lead." He said, and she nodded, looking down at her feet. As they danced, Italy swayed in his seat in the back, and Holy Roman Empire tried his hardest to resist looking at the two older nations. Hungary was smiling, but she still watched her feet as they continued to dance. "You don't have to look down, you know. I won't step on your feet. Besides, you're doing fine." He encouraged, and she shrugged, looking back up at him. Her green eyes glistened with glee, having not had this much fun since God knows when. He found himself smiling back at her, and didn't mind when the playing slowed as Holy Roman Empire began watching them again.
But the moment was ruined when pain seared through his foot. Letting a small gasp escape his lips, he looked down at his feet to see Hungary's combat boot atop his formal shoes. She stepped back, covering her mouth, and Holy Roman Empire stopped playing short. "I am so, so, so, sorry, Master Austria. Please forgive me. That's why I was looking at my feet, I didn't want that to happen. I'm really sorry." She said very quickly, so that her Hungarian accent made her words very difficult to understand. He shook his, head, the pain having left his foot moments after she had jumped away. "It's alright, I'm not going to die." He said, calming her. He turned to Holy Roman Empire, who stared up at him. "Would you like to try a hand at dancing?" He asked, and Hungary giggled. Holy Roman Empire blinked. "Um, Sir Austria, I think Hungary's too tall to dance with me." He said, and Austria slightly smirked. "No, no, not with Hungary. I meant with Italy." He said, and Holy Roman Empire's face suddenly flushed. Hungary let out a small squeal of delight and took hold of Italy's hand, dragging him over to the piano. "Go on, I agree with Master Austria!" She said, and Italy smiled cluelessly, having no idea what was going on. Holy Roman Empire reluctantly agreed, stepping off the stool slowly and shuffling over to Italy. Hungary giggled as Austria took his seat at the piano, rolling up his sleeves. He instructed them on their positions and began to play a piece by Chopin, observing the two. He occasionally scolded Holy Roman Empire for doing something wrong, due to his nervousness, but Italy was naturally good at dancing since the child had a very cultured country. When the piece had finished, Holy Roman Empire ran as fast as he could from the room in embarrassment, Italy wondering what he had done wrong. Hungary giggled once more, and Austria told the remaining two that they should begin their evening chores since the sun had begun to set.
Italy nodded and left the room, smiling, but Hungary stayed to pick up her broom and dustpan. Austria began putting away his music sheets when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Hungary smiling very sincerely at him. "Thank you for a wonderful afternoon. It was one of the best I've had in a while." She said, and she did something he did not expect. She had kissed him on the cheek. He raised a brow at her, and she nervously chuckled. "That's how we say thank you in my country. G- Goodbye!" She said, rushing out of the room. He smiled; much more elated than he had been that morning.
Hungary wasn't beautiful. She wasn't pretty, either. But she definitely was fascinating. And honestly, Austria preferred that.
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