Title: Admittance
Author: sithmarauder
Pairing(s): one-sided Switzerland/Austria, Prussia/Austria.
Disclaimer: Hetalia and all affiliated characters do not (and will never) belong to me.
I am going to be rewriting the argument in the conference room from Austria and Prussia's point of view, too.
I really do love how Switzerland's complicated feelings for Austria are portrayed (at least the way I see it). This is my favourite set-up, too. I hope to write more of it, though hopefully it will be a little more... collected than this one was, for which I apologize once more. Still, please enjoy, and I'm sorry for the long delay in getting a new one-shot on.
-x-
He was tired of their pitying glances. Even the ones from his darling Liechtenstein were enough to make him want to fly into a fury and shoot every conceivable thing in sight. But he didn't. Because they pitied him over nothing.
Absolutely. Nothing.
It irked him that they all believed they knew everything, too – that they knew about everything that had happened between them: how they had become friends, how they had supported and helped each other through times of crisis (and by that Switzerland meant how he had come in to save the other when he got his ass kicked), and finally how they had fallen apart.
Why am I thinking about that idiot? Switzerland thought irately, resisting the urge to massage his temples as he raised his shotgun to the proper position, firing it and watching in pure satisfaction as he hit his intended target, the wood splintering wildly. He felt sweaty and disgusting, having been out here practicing in the sun for the better of three hours, and his white tee-shirt stuck to his skin uncomfortably. Still, he didn't dare go in, even though Liechtenstein had started coming out every passing hour to plead with him.
He didn't want to yell at her again.
Growling, Switzerland fired another shot out of pure impulse, watching as it flew wild and hit one of the fountain decorations in his backyard, causing the polished white marble to crack and break off. He swore, the silver bucket next to him looking very inviting right about how. He knew he was behaving irrationally, but at this point in time he didn't care. If Austria were here, he'd probably –
No, no, no! Why am I still thinking about him? Switzerland demanded mentally, lowering the shotgun and depositing it on the ground roughly, sitting down on the soft grass as he ran sweaty fingers through equally sweat-slicked hair.
"Big brother?" came a hesitant voice from behind him as Switzerland took a deep breath, and he instantly felt ashamed for how he had been acting. No matter how angry he was, Liechtenstein shouldn't have to see it. "Big brother, please come in… you've been out here for over five hours…"
Switzerland blinked, forcing his "neutral" expression into play. Five hours? What happened to three? He looked up, noticing, for the first time, how dark it had gotten in the time since he'd sat down.
"Big brother, please come in! I'm worried about you!" Liechtenstein continued, her eyes wide and beseeching as she kneeled next to him, her hands clasped together up by her chest. Switzerland slowly felt his face heating up – she's so sweet, I don't deserve her.
"I'm sorry," he said as they walked inside, weapon slung across his back and held there by a simple leather strap.
Liechtenstein smiled at him. "It's okay – I'm just glad you're all right," she responded in her sweet voice, rendering Switzerland unable to hold onto even a trace of his earlier emotions. Feeling something, Switzerland looked down, only to see that Liechtenstein had calmly grabbed his right hand, unconsciously leading him into the house. "You should get some sleep, big brother. That was a long meeting today, and afterwards…"
"Mm? Oh, yes," Switzerland said, keeping his responses short, as he usually did around her. Nodding his head once at an angle, he turned, guilt eating away at him as he moved away from Liechtenstein, who merely bestowed on him another smile before turning and going to her own room after a quick "Goodnight."
Germany had been the first to give him that look, his usually stern and unsympathetic face briefly morphing into an expression one might give someone who refused to believe their spouse had died. It was enough to make Switzerland's brow twitch, but he easily overlooked it, sitting on Japan's left, as per usual.
The next person had been England, who had looked up from his newspaper long enough to shake his head sadly at him before being distracted by something stupid America had likely said. Switzerland had frowned a little more, but continued to listen to the speaker, who at that time had been Spain.
France was the third, but instead of giving him a sympathetic look, he had just seemed exasperated – almost irritated. "Really, Switzerland," he had said later, at the lunch break. "If you want him zat much, you should 'ave acted sooner! Aah, eet is so tragic, isn't it, non?"
The pattern had continued for most of the day, until finally he had cornered England about it, demanding an explanation.
An explanation that had later come not from the once-pirate, but from the former Kingdom of Prussia.
"Dude, you're in love with that prissy aristocrat? Haha! That's hilarious!"
Waking with a start, it took Switzerland a few seconds to remember that he was indeed in his own room, surrounded by his own bed curtains and covered from the neck down in his sweat-dampened sheets.
That… Shaking himself so as to wake himself more, Switzerland slipped out of bed, heading to the bathroom, all the while cursing softly in his head. Why did every thought he have end up being of that man? For that was the real question now. It was no longer why doesn't everyone look at me like that? because he already knew the answer.
Turning the tap on and splashing some water onto his face, Switzerland grudgingly allowed the memory of two days ago to cross his mind.
It was a normal meeting. The people expected to be prepared were, and the people who weren't were not. In fact, it had actually been a relatively normal meeting until Prussia had barged in, demanding Austria make him some more food because, "It's all gone, you priss! What am I supposed to do while you and West are here if there's no food?"
Predictably, an argument had ensued, and Switzerland had done his best to ignore it, preparing to yell at Japan for doing everything America said when the yelling had escalated, Germany joining in.
When he had looked over next, though, the site had filled him with such blind rage that he hadn't been able to control himself.
They were still arguing, yes, but during that argument Prussia had moved closer, with one of his hands curling around Austria's upper arm whilst Austria himself had been pushed back into a wall, seemingly not noticing it – too focused on telling the former nation exactly how vulgar and immature he was being. This seemed to be all Prussia needed, for the next thing Switzerland knew Prussia had grabbed Austria's chin and forced his head up, their lips meeting in a rough kiss that had left the whole conference room in an eerie, shocked silence.
Until Switzerland's shotgun had gone off, at least.
The noise was loud, echoing through the room as a bullet embedded itself next to the two Germans, who promptly sprang apart with a loud "What the fuck?" from Prussia's end, and a shocked "Switzerland?" from Austria's.
Switzerland, for his part, had merely stood there with anger, shock and horror playing out across his face as his hands began to shake lightly. Apparently something else must have showed on his face, for Germany had stood up, his brow creased into a frown.
"Switzerland – " he began, but before he could finish Switzerland had shoved passed Prussia and Austria, leaving the building before any of the other nations could gather their bearings.
Liechtenstein liked Austria, Switzerland thought angrily. She thought he was cultured, and he treated her with respect to boot – like an adult instead of like the child Switzerland had the habit of believing she was. He knew they had spoken for periods of time, too, usually when crossing between lands for supplies or whatever was needed.
His mouth tasted like black coffee, the bitterness sweeping through his whole body as he rounded the corner of the garden to see Liechtenstein conversing with Austria, her face alight with that smile of hers – the one that could effectively melt the heart of even Russia, Switzerland would bet.
"Why are you here?" Switzerland demanded, marching over and tugging Liechtenstein back, determined that she should not associate with his former – no, no, there was no history, there was nothing…
"Hello, Switzerland," Austria greeted cordially, the warmth previously in his eyes – had they always been that shade of violet? It was… no! Thought ends there! – vanishing behind the cool mask of a practiced aristocrat.
"What are you doing here?" Switzerland repeated hotly, ignoring the pronounced height difference between them.
"This is a public location," Austria replied simply. "I merely came here for some food."
The wind rushed through then, circling the three as autumn leaves danced through the air, and Switzerland tried desperately not to think about how it mussed the Austrian's hair just right, and before he could help it images of their childhood flashed through his head, of carrying Austria on his shoulders as a child, of…
"Liechtenstein! We're leaving!"
Clutching the edge of his sink, Switzerland pushed himself back in from the mirror, feeling a resounding pound behind his eyes as Prussia's words from yesterday rang in his ears.
"Dude, you're in love with that prissy aristocrat? Haha! That's hilarious!"
Over and over it repeated itself until he finally snapped, hands flying out to smash the mirror with whatever he had.
"I am not in love with Austria!"
"Big brother?"
"Yes?" Switzerland asked, his tone sharper than he would have liked. He softened it immediately, until one couldn't tell what he was thinking. He emerged from the bathroom as Liechtenstein walked in, her eyes wide and beseeching.
"I heard yelling – are you all right?"
"Yes. Sorry," he said curtly, tugging at the end of the nightgown she had made for him.
"All right, if you're sure," Liechtenstein said sweetly (after a few moments) before withdrawing again, closing the door softly behind her, whilst Switzerland tried to stop the inevitable childhood comparisons from forming and gaining truth in his mind. He couldn't let them take form. He felt nothing for his former friend - was impossible, considering their history.
Because he wasn't in love with Austria. He couldn't be.
Even if he knew for a fact that he was wrong.
