(Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Hetalia: Axis Powers in any way.)
It's nine o'clock on a Saturday
The regular crowd shuffles in
There's an old man sitting next to me
Makin' love to his tonic and gin
It was something they did every weekend. They all shuffled in alone after their lives became too much. It was the same crowd every weekend restlessly drinking away their pain.
Arthur was sitting next to Roderich at the piano. He'd been drinking heavily like he did every night. Memories of the past always danced in his head, and everyone left him alone to wallow.
He says, "Son, can you play me a memory
I'm not really sure how it goes
But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete
When I wore a younger man's clothes
Roderich looked over at the Englishman. He was mumbling something quietly under his breath and into his drink. He began playing an old sea song. It's what the older man always requested.
He began singing along to the sound of the piano in his tenor voice. The Frenchman, Francis, and Spaniard, Antonio, joined in as well. They were all old sailors back in their prime.
La la la, di da da
La la, di di da dum
Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' all right
A few of the younger patrons began to join in too. Arthur's choice in music was regular, and everyone knew the words down to the art. Even Alfred who only sang his favorite songs joined in just for Arthur.
Now John at the bar is a friend of mine
He gets me my drinks for free
And he's quick with a joke
And he'll light up your smoke
But there's some place that he'd rather be
He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me."
As his smile ran away from his face,
"Well, I'm sure that I could be a movie star
If I could get out of this place."
Gilbert came out from behind the bar. He set Roderich's drink calmly beside him. It was his first one all night. Roderich thanked him silently before he proceeded back behind the bar.
He lit up Carlos' cigar before filling up Antonio's glass. "This is killing me, Toni," he said seriously. "I know I could be way more awesome, a movie star or something awesome like that, if I could just get out of this place."
"I'll drink to that, Gil."
Oh, la la la, di da da
La la, di da da dum
Now Paul is a real estate novelist
Who never had time for a wife
And he's talkin' to Davy, who's still in the Navy
And probably will be for life.
Ludwig sat down on the opposite side of the bar from Antonio and Gilbert, beside Alfred. The American passed his second drink over to the German. Both of them were wifeless, there to drown out the loneliness of their homes.
The German had always been too busy with work, while Alfred was a Navy man. He had been since high school and probably would be for the rest of his life.
And the waitress is practicing politics
As the businessman slowly gets stoned
Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness
But it's better than drinkin' alone
Elizabeta smiled somewhat at the patrons. She slipped up beside Antonio. Gilbert passed a tray of drinks across the bar to her. She slipped easily through the tables passing out drinks to all the men there to drown away all their pain and loneliness.
Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you got us feeling all right
Roderich switched songs when the other ended. Arthur sighed, leaning his head down on the table. Francis slowly drifted away to order another round of drinks for himself.
It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday
And the manager give me a smile
'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see
To forget about their life for a while
The crowd had slowly grown larger over the course of a few minutes. Vash had come down from the upper floor not minutes ago. He winked across the room at Roderich before helping Gilbert with the drinks.
And the piano, it sounds like a carnival
And the microphone smells like a beer
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar
And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?"
With the next song the piano growled deeply. Arthur looking up form his drink when Alfred and Ludwig came to sit around him. "What are you still doing here, Roderich?" a young Japanese man, Kiku, asked before sitting on Ludwig's other side.
"We could say the same for you," Gilbert answered, refusing to serve the only other person in the room with the prospect for a bright future.
Oh, la la la, di da da
La la, di da da da dum
Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feeling all right.