This is the eighth of a series of fanfics I plan to do where I get the quote of the day off of a list and then write whatever it makes me think of. I hope this turns out as good as I want it to.
Character(s) or Pairings: France, England
Quote: "I respect only those who resist me, but cannot tolerate them." By Charles de Gaulle
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It went without saying that France and England did not get along.
There were no two allies who got along worse anywhere in the entire world. They could not be in the same room for more than a few minutes at a time without spitting out insults at one another. Any idea that one had, the other had to disagree right away, even if the idea was the best thing they had ever heard. They just could not have the same opinion on anything ever.
It was one of the simple laws of the universe.
Dogs chased cats; the sun rose in the east; and England hated every plan France could ever formulate.
And yet, even with that fact, Francis could not help but respect Arthur.
In his haste to dismiss all of the older nation's thoughts, he often came up with brilliant ones of this own, ones that caused the taller man's jaw to drop and envy boil up in his veins. He often found himself wishing he had come up with some of the wonderful alternative plans that the brushy-browed nation had come up with. Such tactical creativity was to be admired, after all.
And, though, he did not know it, his jealousy was returned.
England held a great respect for the things that France had accomplished despite his efforts.
The nation of love had managed to come up with revolutionary ideas and actually implement them in imaginative ways that the shorter country could only stare at with awe. Philosophy was something that the more southern nation seemed to really have a knack for and his neighbor longed for that ability as well. He could not help but think highly of that talent.
The mutual respect that the two countries had developed for each other was reluctant but undeniable. Yet it did not bring them any closer. If anything, it managed to push them apart more. Neither one knew that the other felt the same envy that they went through and so they had no choice but to refuse peace.
After all, one could not show their weaknesses to their rivals.
The notion of telling the other this shared thought was a fate worse than death to the two ever-feuding nations. The other could never find out that they valued any part of them. It was far too humiliating to admit jealousy like theirs and they were both too proud to take that.
And so the more they admired each other, the more they could not stand each other. The more they desired what the other had, the more they tried to destroy it. The more they respected a plan their neighbor had come up with, the more they tried to find its flaws.
The more the two wanted to be friends, the further apart they grew.
France and England were not meant to get along.
They could only respect the other behind his back and resist each other when face to face.
It was a strange dance but it was simply their way.
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Review, please! ^_^
