"It's not like Hungary and I had something special." Austria assured his boss, "It was an arranged marriage. That's all it ever was."
Yet after his boss had left, he couldn't help but demand isolation for a bit. The Austrian locked the doors to his room, wallowing in the uncommon silence. Nothing had been this quiet since before Hungary moved in with him. And now she was gone for good, never to return. He tried so hard to convince himself the marriage meant nothing with no true feelings to support it, but not even he could fool himself. Austria sat at his desk, reminiscing over their marriage as their last happy memory seeped its way into his thoughts.
The sun had shone incredibly in the spotless, clear blue sky, beating down on the small family of four gathered beneath the large oak tree, protected from the merciless sun by the broad branches and leaves. The two children, both a young boy and girl, giggled happily and ran around wildly, frolicking through the vast field while Hungary proceeded to withdraw the picnic snacks from a wicker basket and Austria desperately tried to settle the kids, eventually giving up and collapsing beside his wife.
"Ich cannot control the children." Austria sighed in exasperation, his dark hair falling into his eyes as he leaned against the strong base of the tree.
Hungary merely chuckled and kissed him on the forehead playfully, "You never were too good with kids." She teased in her thick Hungarian accent, tossing him the basket, "I think I can handle them, igen? You take the rest of the food out." She stood up, her brown locks whisking in the wind as she ran towards the two, a smile on her face.
"Annaliese, Daniel … Settle down! It's time to eat." Elizaveta grinned and scooped the two up in her arms, planting a kiss on each of their cheeks and carried them back to the picnic blanket where Austria had finished removing all the food. They circled around the food, taking their pick at the array of dishes and sat down.
The following conversations exchanged between the family included several smiles, much laughter and only a hint of bickering. Once they had packed up the small bit of food that remained, the two kids ran off again to play while Hungary and Austria sat in silence, a rare grin spread across both of their faces.
Eventually, the sun melted below the milky horizon, the stars crept up in the sky, and the kids had collapsed into a sleepy pile in Austria's lap and the four were forced to head back home. When they had arrived at the manor, Hungary put the children to sleep and crawled into bed alongside Austria.
"I had fun today… Thank you." Hungary mumbled to him in a half conscious state, kissing his lips briefly. Little did either know today would mark their last joyful day in their marriage.
Austria was slowly brought back to the present as the memory dissolved. Shaking his head, he slumped into his now empty bed, the loneliness becoming over whelming. He could pretend, deny and lie all he wished but the fact remained, he still loved her. He closed his eyes, desperate to fall asleep as a single tear streaked down his cheek.