Ace's Explanations:

All I have to say is that I was attacked by a plot bunny and wanted to try my hand at a little romance. The Sauven Isles is an OC I had running around in my brain before I came up with Jacky, who is my Character for Poor Choices. I had a little writer's block on some tortures for Jacky (laughs evilly before coughing and taking a sip of tea), so I'd thought I'd post this to get my fingers up and typing again. It's only mildly historical, so please forgive any inaccuracies.

Anywho, Enjoy!

..xXx..

Confused—

Sauven had to admit, America was pretty… well, idiotic really. He'd always do things that would make no sense whatsoever. Like that time when they were younger-much younger- and had gone to visit Canada, and he had gotten his tongue stuck on one of the iron bars of a fence. Why he had even attempted to lick the darn thing, Sauven never understood. What she did know, however, was that she and Canada had wasted the rest of the afternoon trying to pull America off said fence instead of playing hide-and-go-seek like they had planned. When they'd finally managed to unstick his tongue (using a combination of hot water and a fork to chip at the ice) Sauven asked him why he had done it.

"I dunno, Ven," he'd used her nickname with a goofy smile, "I guess I thought it would taste good? Like frosting!" He'd then gone on a rant about how delicious frosting was. Which then turned into a rant about cakes. Which then turned into a rant about desserts as a whole. Which then somehow turned into a rant about Cowboys, because that's how every rant ended in those days.

...

Then, of course, there was that period of time when America wouldn't talk to her. That had thoroughly confused Sauven. They would still trade, to be sure, and their bosses had been on good terms with each other, so that wasn't it. But when Sauven went to go see him, he would always be busy, or had an appointment to get to, or was too tired to even talk. His face would get all red and blotchy whenever she would try and approach him. He wouldn't make eye contact with her either. Sauven started to worry. Maybe she had offended him somehow? There was no other reason for him to be avoiding her like this. One day, Sauven cornered him and demanded an answer.

"Ven, you didn't do anything, I promise." He'd hugged her then. He had to bend down to do it, he'd gotten so tall. "I'm sorry I avoided you."

"I was really worried about you, you know." Sauven had said, still a little upset.

"AHAHAHA! You don't need to worry about me, Ven. I'm the Hero, remember? I'll be just fine!" He'd grinned down at her, looking like someone had just given him a triple cheeseburger for free. She just buried her face in his shirt and shook her head. How he could suddenly be so happy at the drop of a hat was beyond her comprehension.

...

They saw each other more often after that, but America was still pretty busy. Sauven understood though; she had heard that America was dealing with communist spies and such that had apparently infiltrated his government. Sauven occasionally wondered if America was being a bit too paranoid about the situation. However, she had business of her own to take care of. Her port cities had expanded tremendously within the last year, and she had to make some new laws to ensure that companies weren't taking advantage of the situation. One Saturday though, he showed up at her house, complaining about "those commie bastards" and how they would get what was coming to them. He had plopped himself down on her couch and continued to curse until Sauven thought her ears would bleed. She quietly sat next to him and pulled his head down onto her lap, combing her fingers through his hair slowly. He had calmed down fairly quickly after that. They spent at least an hour in peaceful silence, an impressive record, before America spoke up again.

"Hey Ven," he'd said thoughtfully, "What do you think about space?"

"It's really big, so there's a lot to explore." Sauven said gently. "And the moon is beautiful." She had smiled down at him and twirled a strand of his hair around her finger. America's face slowly flushed with this motion, and he closed his eyes.

"I'm totally going to send someone to the moon." He declared finally. "I'll be the first person to do it, too. The Hero always does it first."

"I'll be cheering for you. I always do." Sauven had said. America had snapped his eyes open at that, and stared at her for the longest time.

"Really?"

He had sounded so amazed that Sauven couldn't help but laugh a little. "Of course. You're my best friend." All of a sudden, America sat up. Sauven looked at him quizzically. "America?"

"I can do way better than that. I am the Hero after all." He grinned over at her with that up-to-no-good-and-planning-something-silly face. "Gotta go, Ven! I just had the greatest idea!" He'd sped out the door without so much as a goodbye, leaving Sauven sitting bewildered on the couch. She sighed and stood up. America was somehow beginning to make less sense as they got older, if that was even possible.

A year or so later, America came back. He opened the door, smiling like an idiot, and shoved a package into her hands.

"Surprise, Ven! Got ya something cool!" Sauven had opened the package right then and there, knowing America wouldn't let her be until she did. It was a grey rock of some kind. She had thoroughly inspected it, slate eyes narrowing with confusion. Peeking up at America, she noticed he still was still beaming down at her. "Guess what it is!"

"… a rock?" He had rolled his eyes good-naturedly at her.

"It's not just any rock," America leaned in close to Sauven's face. "It's a moon rock."

Sauven nearly dropped the gift. "You mean, you did it?" America nodded, practically bursting with pride. "America, that's amazing! Wonderful! Congratulations!" Sauven had waved her arms around in childish excitement for her friend, who matched her happiness with ease. He swept her up in a hug and twirled her around, laughing non-stop all the while. Sauven even laughed with him. When he finally put her down, Sauven spontaneously put the rock to her lips and lightly kissed it. She had turned around with the intention of finding a place to put the new gift, possibly the mantelpiece, when America quickly snatched the moon rock out of her hands and pocketed it.

There was an awkward moment of silence as they stared at each other. America's face gradually achieved a shade of vibrant red that Sauven had never before seen. He coughed into his hand. "I just remembered I have to keep this one, Ven."

"What—"

"I'll get you another one, 'kay? But this one's mine." Sauven didn't quite know what to say to that. No rational person takes back gifts once they've been given. It made no sense. Apparently the rock really was his, though, because whenever he had to empty out his pockets for security at the World Meetings, the small rock was always there, next to his keys.

...

Then, there was that time she had gone to see England on the Fourth of July. Sauven always knew it was tough on her one-time-guardian, and she had decided that this time, she would try to make it so that it wouldn't be so lonely for him. They'd actually had a really nice time together. She had coaxed him out of the house and they had gone to lunch. She had even made him laugh a few times. He didn't mention anything about it, and neither did she. At the end of the day, England gave her a hug and a thank you, then kissed her gently on the cheek. Sauven hadn't really thought much about it at the time, but when America came storming into her house a few days later, she realized it was apparently a much bigger deal then she originally thought.

"HOW COULD YOU LET HIM DO THAT? AND ON THE FOURTH OF JULY? NOT COOL, VEN!" America had gotten into the habit of saying things were 'cool' when he liked them. Sauven didn't know what the temperature had to do with anything, but she'd let it slide. "I MEAN, I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN TO KISS YOU ONCE!" He had stopped himself then, panting slightly from the outburst. Then his face got all red and blotchy, and he had turned away.

"I'm sorry." Sauven had apologized immediately. She didn't know what on earth she might have been apologizing for, but it felt right. "I don't really know why you're mad at me, but I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, America." He'd mumbled something incoherent before pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. After a few minutes, he released her and swiftly kissed her on the forehead before turning on his heel and heading towards the door.

"Just don't let him do it again." Was all she heard before the door closed behind him. Sauven touched her forehead with the tips of her fingers and felt her face get hot. It was a decidedly odd feeling. She didn't quite know what to think about it. But like most things that confused her, Sauven just let it go.

...

A few months later, Sauven answered the door to find America carrying a bottle of beer and a very drunk England.

"'Ello, luv." The brit had slurred happily. "How've you been?"

"I've been well, thank you for asking." Sauven smiled at him. She looked over to America and bit her lip to contain her laughter. "So, what's going on?"

"Not much." America had smiled down at her and mouthed 'England's drunk off his ass.'

'I can see that.' She had mouthed in return.

'Can we crash here?' She had nodded, inviting them inside. For the next couple of hours, she and America took care of England until he fell asleep (Which wasn't that hard really, as long as you kept the conversation on him and how absolutely fantastic his cooking was. Sauven got a few recipes which she promptly threw away.) America carried him upstairs while Sauven prepared them a tea set for the next morning. She was reclining on the couch when she heard America descend into the living room. She sat up and patted the cushion next to her.

"How've you been?" It was a general, go-to question that Sauven always asked.

Usually America would go into a long rant about his problems and how he was 'heroically' solving them, but today he just sat down next to her and simply said: "Good." Sauven gazed at him, eyebrow raised. He wasn't making eye contact with her at all, and that blotchy redness crept up onto his cheeks yet again. She leaned into his face to get a closer look. That redness always seemed to be there nowadays; she wasn't sure if she liked it. It stopped him from being himself, making him do random, confusing things that weren't him. And honestly, she really didn't know what she'd do if she lost her America. The thought scared Sauven a little. Slowly reaching up a hand, she cupped his cheek. He flinched at the contact, face becoming an even deeper shade of red that seemed to lie between an apple and a fire truck. Sauven tilted his face slightly in order to get a better look.

"Why does your face get so red? It never used to when we were small. Should I be worried?"

Suddenly, America burst into laughter. "AHAHAHA! Ven, you are so clueless sometimes. But that's what I love about you." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap. The redness on his face had gone down somewhat, and his baby blue eyes were somehow brighter and more confident. "Always have."

"What do you—" America swiftly leaned in an cut her off with a kiss. It was short, warm and sweet, like the kind Sauven saw couples give one another. He drew backwards quickly and gave an awkward chuckle before looking away. Sauven had frowned, oddly enough finding herself wishing the kiss had lasted longer. She maneuvered herself around on his lap so that he was forced to face her, then pecked him on the lips again experimentally. The same warm feeling spread throughout her body, and she smiled in satisfaction. America's eyes widened and his mouth fell open, which bothered Sauven slightly since she couldn't get a good angle on him that way. She brought up her hand, lifting his jaw shut with a soft click, and kissed him once more, wrapping her arms around his neck as the need for him to be closer filled her to the brink. He responded in kind, holding her tightly before pulling away and giving a grin that seemed to split his face in two. Before he could speak, Sauven pressed a finger to his lips playfully.

"Don't you dare say anything, Hero. I don't want to be confused again." She removed her finger and eased her lips over his.

The kissing became much better after that.

Extra-

England made his way downstairs the next morning, head pounding. He warily glanced into the living room and stopped short. America and Sauven were snoozing peacefully on the couch, the petite nation clinging tightly to the blonde's shirt. Said blonde had a blissful smile on his face as one of his hands lay carelessly on the small of her back. England shook his head.

"He must have told her. Bloody hell, took them long enough, didn't it?"

..xXx..

So yeah, my first Oneshot. I like multi-chapter stories so much better, and romance is surprisingly hard to write... (Sighs) I need to get better at it...

I always imagined America giving his gal a moon rock and taking it back. He's awkward and clueless like that. I mean, he tries, and it's sweet... But no. Aw well, it turned out okay in the end, I guess... :)

Please let me know what you think, I'm only here to improve, and what you guys have to say means a lot!