So, I remembered this was in my documents, and realised while I wrote it ages ago, I forgot to actually post it. Just a little BelaPrus drabble. They make a cute couple, and poor Natalya needs more love. She really isn't the psycho people make her out to be, just shy and misunderstood. Anyway, hope you enjoy.
The world meeting had long since ended, and Gil was left decidedly bored. He was idly wandering around the complex, staring at the portraits lined up along the walls – dignitaries, nobles and other important personages, most of whom looked far too stuffy for Gilbert's taste.
"Ah, this sucks! I'm so bored! So not awesome." He complained to the little pet canary flying in circles around his head. Gilbird peeped in agreement, or at least what Gil took as agreement.
"What can we do?" the Prussian wondered. He could go and find Elizaveta and see if she had anything interesting to do, or he could get Antonio and Francis and the three of them could think of something entertaining to pass the time. And likely to get them in a serious amount of trouble, but that was part of the fun. Or he could see if Mathias and Alfred wanted to go drinking again. Well, Mathias, at least, Alfred was technically too young to drink. So…
Suddenly, Gil's thoughts were interrupted by a beam of sunlight that burst from behind a cloud, reflecting off the gilt edges of the paintings and forcing the albino to cover his sensitive eyes. When the light receded, he lowered his hand to see Gilbird pecking at something shiny lying on the floor, partly hidden by the carpet and skirting board.
"Huh? What are you looking at?" Gil murmured to the bird, who was now insistently cheeping to alert Gil to what it had found.
Crouching down, Gil shooed his bird out of the way and picked up the object, curious pink eyes inspecting the piece of metal. It was a silver hair clip, with a pretty decoration on the end – a sunflower. Uninterested, Gil was about to drop it and move on, but looking closer, he realised it wasn't as cheap as it first appeared – pure metal rather than coated plastic, and the decoration was made of high-quality enamel. Obviously, whoever had dropped it had done so by accident, but although he didn't know much about jewellery, Gil thought it probably wasn't something the owner would just shrug off and forget about.
Well, it looked like he had found something to alleviate his boredom, at least. Mission: Find the Owner was officially underway. Aside from being his good deed for the day and showing everyone how awesomely good-natured he was, who knew? Maybe the owner would be so grateful to Gil for returning their precious possession that he'd get something in return, especially since hairclips were more likely to belong to a girl than a boy. Well, except Lukas and his cross-shaped pin, and perhaps also Feliks; Gil still wasn't sure about the flamboyant Pole.
Gil walked along the corridor with renewed purpose, bouncing the hairclip in his hand in time with his footsteps.
"So, who do you think this belongs to?" he mused. Most of the female countries Gil knew wore ribbons rather than hairclips – Lili, Emma, Michelle, and, of course, Elizaveta, to name a few. For a moment, Gil debated giving the clip to the Hungarian, but then whoever it actually belonged to might get mad. Thinking about it, so might she, if she took it as a snub against her old rejection of femininity rather than a genuine gift. Maybe not then.
So, whose was it? While he was thinking, Gilbird fluttered back up to perch on the Prussian's shoulder, where it sat, cheeping continuously to get its owner's attention.
"What? Are you trying to tell me something?" he asked the little creature.
Gilbird bobbed up and down on his perch, as though nodding. Gil listened to the persistent cheeps, then his eyes widened in realisation.
"Oh, of course!" he said. "The sunflower – good idea, Gilbird. You think this belongs to one of the Russian girls. Belarus and Ukraine, ja? Which one do you think it is?"
Gilbird chirped happily at being understood, but was quiet after that.
"You don't know. Well, we'll just see which one we find first, ja?" So saying, Gil headed off into the garden, Gilbird still riding on his shoulder.
He didn't have to walk for long before he found someone to ask. Coincidentally, Belarus was sitting on one of the benches dotted around the park, absorbed in a book she held in her hands.
Not wanting to startle her, Gilbert halted a few steps before the girl. He hesitated, unsure how to break the silence, and her concentration. Before he could say anything, though, Gilbird took the initiative and plucked the hairclip out of Gil's hand. Holding it in delicate little claws, the bird flew over to the girl and circled around her before dropping the hairclip in her lap. Delivery complete, the canary landed on the bench next to the girl, singing prettily to get her attention.
Understanding the opening Gilbird had given him, Gil walked over to stand in front of Belarus.
"Ah, sorry." He apologised. "Did Gilbird disturb you? I found that clip in one of the corridors – is it yours?"
Natalya raised her head, faint annoyance written on her face at being disturbed. She looked down at the object lying on her skirt, frowning when she realised what it was. She closed her book, marking the place with the ribbon attached to the spine, then set it aside and picked up the hairpiece.
"Big brother gave this to me. I did not know I had lost it. Where did you say you found it?" she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion.
Gil raised his eyebrows at her implied accusation.
"Hey, I didn't steal it, if that's what you mean!" he replied indignantly. "Like I said, it was on the floor. You must have dropped it. And now the awesome me is returning it to you." This last statement was declared with a tone of triumph, a smug 'so there' implicit in the words.
Natalya looked a little doubtful of the Prussian's words, but nodded slowly.
"Spasibo." She said.
"Nichts zu danken." he relied, shrugging elegantly. Natalya dipped her head in acknowledgement, then returned to her book. Apparently, she considered the conversation over. Gil waited a few more moments, but Natalya continued to read, completely ignoring him. He frowned, wondering if it was worth waiting to see if she'd say anything more, or if he should just cut his losses and walk away, probably with a pithy remark.
As it turned out, he didn't have to do either. A lock of Natalya's hair fell in her eyes, and she brushed it away with an impatient gesture. It held for a moment, then fell back into her face again. Once more, she brushed it aside, and once more it succumbed to gravity and the angle of her downturned head.
In her annoyed frown, Gil saw his chance. He took a step closer, angling his body so his shadow fell over the book, causing the girl to glare up at him, irritated at being interrupted again.
"What do you want this time, Prussia?" she asked, her tone making it clear how she felt.
"Can I have the clip back a moment?" he asked.
Natalya was caught off guard, her expression turning faintly puzzled. "Why? You saw it earlier." She looked at him askance; what was the Prussian up to?
"Humour me."
Reluctantly, Natalya did as she was told, handing the trinket back to Gil with a raised eyebrow. Now what? The gesture said.
"Here. Allow me." Before she could say anything, Gil leaned over and tucked the unruly lock of hair behind Natalya's ear, sliding the metal gently over it to keep it in place. He leaned back and nodded, satisfied at the result.
Taken aback by the sudden proximity and invasion of personal space, Natalya had frozen up when Gil's hands touched her head. Now free from his immediate presence, she regained her senses and met his triumphant grin with a scowl.
"I could do that myself, Prussian. I don't need your help." Although her words were angry, Gil could tell they were a front to hide her confusion and surprise.
"Bitte."
Natalya opened her mouth to tell him that she hadn't actually thanked him, so the word was unnecessary, but closed it before saying anything, letting the words die on her lips. He was only trying to help, after all, and she supposed it would be rude to turn up her nose at the favour.
Instead, she held her book out to Gil and stood up, smoothing her skirt out as she rose. She didn't quite look him in the eye, addressing the air as she spoke.
"I think I've had enough of reading for now. I'm going to go and find big brother. You may accompany me if you wish." The words were imperious, but Gil could see the slight flush on the girl's alabaster cheeks. He understood the gesture as her own way of saying thank you, and an attempt to return the favour. He graciously accepted the offer, and took the opportunity to brush his hand against hers when she signalled to be given her book back. Gilbird flew in circles above their heads, chirping happily as they walked back to the complex in search of the other nations.
Later, when Gil was back at home and in the company of his own thoughts, he wondered why everyone was so wary of Belarus, and if that had anything to do with the reason why she was sitting by herself. Sure, she could be a little…harsh sometimes, but he could tell it was just her way of covering up the fact that, under the icy exterior, she was actually quite shy and unsure. Maybe he could see what Toris had seen in her, after all.
Translations:
Spasibo: thank you (Russian)
Nichts du danken: it's nothing/ don't mention it (German)
Bitte: you're welcome/welcome (German)