Greetings everyone!

Sauerkraut is here to bring you the latest plot bunny that became my pet project. The plot is hard to describe and something I normally don't do so bear with me as I learn. The best way I can think to describe the story is a kind of inner growth story for Belgium with a dash of romance that might read its way through. That is about as much of the plot I will give to you so read to find out the rest.

Disclaimer: I do not own Axis Powers Hetalia.

-Belle Berger is being used as the name for the Nation-tan of Belgium since she has no official one.

"Finish your drinks and get out! I'm closing up!" Belle yelled to the patrons littering the room. The clinking of glasses on tables and a general murmur of noise filled the room as everyone prepared to leave.

"Wanna c-come with me s-s-sweet cheeks-s-s?" Arthur called to Belle as he passed the bar. His cheeks were flushed and he was so intoxicated that he was stumbling over his own feet.

"Arthur, you couldn't get it up right now if your country depended on it!" Belle called with a hint of laughter in her voice as she watched him redden even more. Alfred gave her a nod as he pulled the flustered and now cussing Englishman out the door. Apparently she hurt his pride but oh well.

After watching Alexander and Lili rush out the door, hand-in-hand, she could not help but smile. Ever since the two had formally met when Lili joined the European Free Trade Agreement they had been sneaking around to see each other. Alexander was even starting to show slightly distinguishable emotions now, so of course she encouraged them. Granted Vash was none the wiser about anything, lest she witnessed a shooting at her bar. However, even with the threats hanging about, their young love was still beautiful.

Looking around, Belle found the place to be relatively clean compared to a normal night. Fights had not broken out, no one attempted a strip tease, and any other form of chaos had suppressed itself for once. Tonight would actually be as simple as wiping down the table, locking up the cash box, cleaning the glasses, reorganizing the bar, and then leaving for once. She realized that at times she probably crossed over into the janitors' jobs around the bar but that didn't matter much. She enjoyed working around her bar.

"If I hurry home I should get there just in time to catch one of those cheesy late, late night movies," Belle thought to herself while locking the downstairs door. "The waterzooi should still be good so I can heat that up for supper."

The walk home was relatively unentertaining. It was just the slumped figure waiting on her front step that surprised her.

Out of instinct she prepared to herself to have to make the split second decision to defend herself or run. Almost nothing ended well when an unidentified person waited on nation-tan's door step, especially this late. It was only when she realized that the person was in possession of a familiar shock of dark, curly hair and tanned skin did she vaguely start to relax. Chances were it was just Antonio for some odd reason.

"Hola, Belle," the person causally called when Belle neared them. That familiar accent proved that it was in fact Antonio sitting on her front step.

"Tiens, Antonio," Belle greeted in surprise. It was odd to see the Spaniard at her home at such a late time.

"Have you seen Francis by any chance?" he asked with an adorably confused look on his face. Knitting his eyebrows in concentration he started hard at the ground for a moment before suddenly looking enlightened. "Francis told me to give you a piece of paper that I just realized that I lost."

"That's okay," Belle responded while moving a little closer her door to unlock it and as a result him. She could smell wine wafting of his person and quickly formed the conclusion he must have been drunk. The fact his words were not slurring was surprising seeing as must have been completely drunk to be sitting on her steps. Brushing the thoughts aside she asked out politeness, "Would you like to come in?"

"I don't know if I should or not. Francis never really told me what I am supposed to do other than sit here and wait for you. He said that you would know what to do."

"Not to be sound rude or anything…but why exactly are you here?" Belle asked in response to his statement. Something seemed a little off about this whole thing but she wasn't sure exactly what. Adding in the fact he didn't seem to have a clue what was going on only made the situation stickier. "I mean it's not that I don't want you here it's just that I would guess it to be about four in the morning and…well…most people are home by then."

"Lovi kicked me out of the house again," Antonio stated so suddenly and nearly as casually as a simple hello that Belle was caught off guard. Though the sad look he donned when he seemed to remember caused her to pity him.

"So you don't have a place to stay?" she asked while furrowing her eyebrows in thought. Poor Antonio was thrown out of his own house for asking his might be boyfriend to stopping flirting with others. It was only made worse by Francis abandoning in the streets while he was drunk to boot. "Why don't you stay here for a little while? When you're sobered and rested up some we can sort this out."

"I don't know about this, Belle. I'm not sure I'm supposed to even be here at all," he said with as much concern as he could. It really didn't seem like a good idea for him to stay.

"That's nonsense. I've have room and I would feel just terrible letting you roam around the streets drunk," Belle countered while stepping around him to open the door. "Now come on inside and wait on the couch while I fix us something to eat. If you've been with Francis for the evening chances are you've drank a lot of wine and it was red. Skipping on a little food, plenty of water, and some rest will leave you with the worst hangover of all time."

"Only if you're sure it's alright if I stay," Antonio finally concluded seeing how set on this Belle looked. "I'll be going in a few hours after some rest. You don't need to me hang around."

After escorting the drunken Spaniard to her couch she wondered into the kitchen and tried to think of what to fix. While yesterday's waterzooi wouldn't bother her it would certain wreak havoc on Antonio should he be severally hungover in the morning. In the end she decided to just give him ginger ale and an omelet should help stall the hang over well enough. Granted she was rarely hungover nowadays and her old method was just to sleep it off.

While sitting beside him eating her own omelet she didn't know what to really think or do. After becoming her own nation things with Antonio had always been awkward on her part. Even after all this time she still had what had seemed to be a childish crush on him. So while he was sitting there drunk and seeming almost like his normal self once again, she was nervous. It was like she was walking on glass and one move would cause everything break apart.

"But this could be your chance," a voice whispered from the back of her mind. "It is clear that he is once again having troubles with that damned Italian, so this could be your chance. All you would have to do was step in and prove yourself better."

"Think about! You could have Antonio all to yourself for once. No more sharing, no more heart breaks, no more being alone. In the end you know you are the better person out of the two of you and this would prove it. While all he got from Lovino was disdain, you could show him love."

"No!" Belle screamed inside her head. "No! No! No! That would be taken advantage of him when he needs me as a friend. This isn't a chance. This is a test for me to be a stronger person and only help out as a friend! No! No! No!"

"Is something wrong, Belle?" he asked while turning to her looking completely confused. "You were shaking your head and mumbling to yourself like you used to do."

"Umm…I thought….I thought…I forgot to turn off the stove," Belle stuttered out while quickly turning red. Had he had been thinking clearly he would have caught her in that lie. Forcing a smile she continued with," But I wouldn't have forgotten that again. Not after I burnt up one of my best frying pans last time."

"Okay. So why did you make omelets? Is it really that close to morning?"

"I heard that greasy, fatty foods where supposed to help."

"All right," he said before returning to eating. Gaining a thoughtful look he mused, "You know this is one of the better ones I've had in a long time."

"T-Thank you," was her timid reply. People never really commented her on anything but a compliment from him was especially rare. "It's pretty late. Why don't you finish eating while I get the guest room ready?"

Taking her plate to the kitchen, Belle just continued up the back stairs to the second level. She was regretting not taking the time to clean properly as she should. In fact she couldn't remember the list time she had even opened the door to the room. Her only company that ever spent the full night was Lizzie and they tended to just crash in the living room where her sole television set was. Hopefully the room wouldn't be a complete disaster zone.

Opening the door Belle braced herself for the worst that never came. While there was thin layer of dust settled around the place it was not something that a couple of swipes with a feather duster couldn't fix. The bed linens probably need changing too, a quick gloss over of the bathroom, and then she should probably dig up something of him to sleep in.

"I'm being the good little maid all over again, aren't I?" she thought sarcastically to herself as she puttered about the room. "I'll always just be this won't I?"

"You don't have to be," the voice in the back of her mind whispered again. "Think about it? He was thrown out this time and he was hurt enough to get drunk. Belle you should know he never deals with his problems by drinking. So if it's bad enough for him to get drunk, it must have been because they split up. He's just too hurt to admit it. All you have to do is prove yourself better."

"No!" Belle screamed inside her mind once again. This was not right. She knew the boundaries and she sure as hell wasn't going to cross them for a one night stand that would hurt everyone. She was not that desperate or stupid.

Walking stiffly to her room she started digging around her drawers for a huge tee shirt and sweatpants that should fit Antonio. She tended to but things to lounge in that where one size fits all or far too big for her. From what she remembered from previous hangovers was that waking up in yesterday's clothing was not pleasant. While she would not be able to completely comfort him about his row Lovino or prevent the hangover that would surely come, she could make him as comfortable as possible.

Leaving the sleep wear on the freshly made guest bed, Belle went downstairs to get Antonio.

"Time for bed, Antonio,' Belle called softly while padding over to the couch. He didn't really seem to be focusing on anything tangible but she could see the hurt in his eyes well enough to guess what he was thinking about. She really wanted to make him happy again.

Belle lead him to the to the guest bedroom in relative silence. She wasn't really sure what she could say to comfort him so she only spoke to explain where things where. At times like this she hated being weak and useless as person. Anyone would have had things to say to comfort him but all she could do was mutter about where this or that was.

"Belle, could I ask you a question?" Antonio asked as they walking into the guest room. He was looking at her with as serious expression as someone in his state could muster. "You seem to have an answer for things and I trust you."

"Sure, Antonio," Belle almost whispered while looking awe at Antonio. It felt like her world had quickly ground to a halt. He had never said anything like that to her. Francis and Gilbert were always his confidents, not her. This felt like it had the makings to be a huge step in their relationship and it truthfully terrified her.

"Is it wrong to want someone to be loyal to you in a relationship? I asked Lovino to stop flirting with other people and all he did was start a fight with me. Did I do something wrong?"

He looked hurt and so confused that it almost had Belle in tears for him. This was why he had been kicked out of his own house. All he wanted was Lovino to be true to just him and it started a fight. This was why her Antonio was drunk and hurt and everything else. It was that stupid, cheating Italian's fault.

"There is nothing wrong with that. When two people date they are supposed to stay true to each other. Otherwise, I don't really see how a person could call in a romantic relationship. It's just one person trying to be faithful and the other just hurting them," Belle whispered while moving to sit beside Antonio. She remembered there were times when just having someone near was a bigger comforting than some could understand.

"That makes a lot of sense, Belle," he replied while looking her dead on the eyes," You were so cheerful and had that same good head on your shoulders that you still do. The house seems a little empty without you know. You always brightened up my day."

Belle was not sure what to think at that moment or what to feel even. Antonio had just basically admitted that he cared for her and she was important to him. He had never done that before. She always thought that she was just there to him, just a substitute to talk to when his friends were gone, Lovino was being bratty, and her brother was being himself. It turned out that she was actually important to him.

Instinctively, she melted into his embrace when he hugged her. For once she was the focal point of his affection and she selfishly drank ever drop of in. Her face was pressed against his shoulder and she could smell wine and something that was distinctly Antonio. Tightening her grip around him she wished it would never end…that she would never be just Belle again. She felt more alive than she had in a long, long time.

Releasing her grip slightly, she pulled back just enough to be able to look up at him. His eyes seemed to have darkened from their usual emerald to smoker shade. Something about him screamed sexy and dangerous and thousands of other words she couldn't be bothered to think off. This look, it made her yearn for him more than ever before.

Belle's mind was in total chaos. Part of her wanted to test the waters and see how far she could take this…to see if she could be good enough for him. Another part was screaming for her to put a stop to the madness because it would end in a disaster for everyone. He didn't care for her like that and in the morning it would just be a mistake made by them both. A third part of here wasn't sure what was really going on but knew the ending would be complicated and messy either way.

Before she had a shot at truly thinking her mind went seemingly blank. All she knew was that his warm, dry lips were pressed against her own. She didn't know who started the kiss but even that lay forgotten when he pulled her closer to deepen their kiss.

For a split second she tried to push him away and stop this from going too far but in the end all she did bury her hands in his soft hair. After that things became lost in a hazy of pent up feelings and passion. She remembered his hands touching, grasping, and colliding with every inch of her body he could reach. Fire seemed to trail behind his hands as she grew more and more excited. This was turning into how she always imagined him taking her.

A gasp left her kiss swollen, lips when he leaned down to nip at her collar bone. It shocked her that she had been so caught up in his touches that she had yet to notice that he unbuttoned her shirt complete or that she had been pushed back on to the bed. Doubt swam around her mind because she might have been getting in over her head

"Is something wrong?" Antonio asked when he noticed Belle had become unresponsive.

Sheepishly she replied," I'm just a little surprised is all. I haven't really noticed anything other than you."

Leaning close to her ear, he whispered," So, then I am playing my part well then."

Belle felt her eyes drift shut as a shudder rolled down her spin. She had never thought just feeling his breathe caress her ear could ignite such a fire with in her body. Suddenly her mind was trying to order her to do what felt like a million things at once. It was so confusing to try and pick which impulse to act on first.

Before she could decide what to do he was hovering over her again while using one his knees to nudge her legs apart. When he settled between her legs he went back to his previous ministrations of nipping at her collar bone and planting wet kisses along her jaw line and neck. A blush spread across her cheeks when his hardness brushed against her thigh and his knee came so close to her core. This truly was happening to her.

Looping her arms around his neck she pulled him down for another kiss. Though this time it the kisses seemed to be more sensual and need filled than the earlier ones. Acting even bolder she loosened her grip on his neck and started to trail her hands up and down his back. Toying with the edge of his shirt for a moment she grasp the hem and pulled it up as far as it could go. Catching her meaning he quickly shed it.

From there things went from the almost leisure pass to a more needy, frantic one. She remembered hissing his name when he touched her just right or gasping when one more layer of her protective barrier was stripped away. Everything seemed to be going so fast that it was like she stopped seeing and just felt.

---

Waking up was an experience to that Belle thought she would never forgot. The first thing she saw when her eye opened was a tanned face and blurry green eyes staring into her own. Antonio was frowning and looking deeply concerned. Why wasn't he smiling? Was his hangover that bad or did she do something wrong last night? The air felt tense and she was quickly becoming panicked.

"Good morning, "Belle replied while forcing a smile. Maybe if she broke the tension things would end better.

With a look of disgust across his face he hoarsely whispered to her," You're not Lovino."

Belle bolted up and tore out of the room all while trying to blink back tears.

First some quick notes about the story.

-Lili is the name being used for the Nation-tan of Lichtenstein as she has no official name.

- Alexander Bjørnson is the name being used for Norway as he has no official name.

-The European Free Trade Agreement is free trade organization that operates parallel, and is linked to, the European Union. The four members are Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.

Welcome to the end of chapter one of Grow Up. Do not worry because I refuse to leave this story unfinished but I cannot promise a fast finish. I am a high school student so work comes before play. Thanks to my beta, Mint (the other half of the account), for helping me when I was stuck by listening to me rant my brain out at like 3 A.M. because I was lost in the story. Be sure to send any questions, comments, rants, or anything to me.

Till next time,

Sauerkraut