So, as you can tell, this is a crack pairing fic. This is not my best work. I bashed some of my favorite characters (sorry Prussia, Spain, France, England...) and pretty much destroyed the concepts of Sweden and Taiwan. Which is sort of bad, since I'm Taiwanese American. o_O' Anyway, don't let my rambling deter you from reading. Enjoy...?
"NO!" Taiwan walked away quickly, clutching her book bag. Behind her trailed a whining France.
"But, mon cher, we were meant to be! I, as your devastatingly handsome knight, and you, as my fair maiden." He overtook her with long strides, blocking her. Taking her hand delicately, France brushed his lips over the back. She merely snatched it away and sidestepped him. He still followed persistently. Just as he was about to reach for a dangerously low place in the vicinity of her back, someone appeared in front of her.
"Scram, France. I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to go out with you." Taiwan cringed. The person had saved her from the Frenchman's advances, but it was none other than Prussia, who was just as obnoxious. He leaned down and smirked at her. "How about it, babe? This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to go out with the awesome me." Taiwan snorted.
"Thanks, but no thanks. Don't you have something better to do?"
"You're the only girl on my mind right now. Why don't you just give in? You know you want me." She stared at him, outraged. Prussia chuckled and attempted to kiss her. Taiwan nimbly dodged his searching lips. She slapped him, hard, across the face. The Prussian stumbled backwards, muttering "Scheiße" under his breath. France snickered.
"Well, mon ami, it seems that the lovely Taiwan has rejected you. You'd better just give up."
"Nonsense!" Prussia swiped the sleeve of his school uniform over his mouth. He regained his composure, leaning against the wall. "Anyway, I like my women feisty." They were interrupted by the arrival of Spain. He had his usual sunny smile on, and he was the only member of the "Bad Friends Trio" that Taiwan could tolerate. She looked at him pleadingly. Spain looked at them blankly for a moment, then said,
"Hey guys! Did you happen to see Romano anywhere?" His friends stared daggers at him until he shuffled away awkwardly, then resumed their flirtations.
"So, won't you go on a date with me?"
"Of course not. Taiwan is obviously going to choose me." She was about to make a big scene when she suddenly sensed a presence behind her. Whoever it was, he or she must have been intimidating. Anybody who could make France and Prussia slither away that quickly had to be. Taiwan was a bit reluctant to turn around, but her sense of etiquette nagged at her. She forced a smile on her face.
"Thank you. Those guys were really starting to get on my nerves—Sweden?"It was indeed the tall country from the Scandinavia class. Being part of the Asia class, Taiwan did not know him that well. The only times she saw him were in the hallways of Hetalia High School, walking with his friend Finland. Rarely talking, though. She gathered that he was a man of few words. That was why she was rendered speechless when the Swede inquired,
" 're you 'kay?" Was that what he sounded like?
"Yes, thanks. What are you doing in this part of the school?"she babbled. It was then that she remembered that the Scandinavia class used the rooms in this particular hallway after the Asia class. Students were beginning to file in. Taiwan blushed furiously and turned to go.
"Anyway, thank you for coming when you did. I'll be going now."
"I'll c'me with you." Startled, she faced him once again. His icy blue eyes were flat and stern behind his glasses. Scary… "T' make s're they don't b'ther you ag'n."
"Oh, you don't have to—" But he had taken her books for her and was striding down the corridor. Taiwan caught up to him. She stared at the marble floor, wondering how to talk to Sweden. So, how's the weather today? How are you doing? What are your classes like?
"Wh're 're you goin'?" She stared at him stupidly.
"Hmm? Oh, the history wing." Her tomato red face turned into a deep cherry color. Sweden did not seem to notice. They arrived at Taiwan's classroom, and he returned her books to her. She murmured a quick word of thanks and stepped in.
From that day on, Sweden accompanied Taiwan to her history class. She never asked him to, but he showed up at the same time every day, took her books, and walked alongside her down the hallway. Her naturally outgoing personality bade her to chat with him. From their conversations (that never lasted for more than five minutes), she found that he excelled in woodshop, enjoyed debates, and was actually quite playful. But for all of her questioning, she never found out why he insisted on accompanying her. The sight of petite Taiwan with tall Sweden earned her quite a few raised eyebrows from the Asia class. She did not care, though. She and the Swede had become friends (or was that stretching it too far?) It was hard to tell because he was so darn silent. Taiwan wondered how Finland bore it.
It was on the day of the incident that she finally realized it. Ironically, it was not even during the course of the incident when the thought occurred to her; that actually occurred several periods after. First of all, it had been a perfectly normal, beautifully sunny day. Sweden was escorting her to history as usual when Taiwan suddenly slipped. Not on purpose, of course. There had been something on the floor. She cursed her absentmindedness along with the carelessness of the janitor, and she tried to get up.
"Ah!" Her ankle gave out and she collapsed again. Taiwan gritted her teeth; it hurt. Moreover, she had probably caused some damage to the area around Kaohsiung.
"Y'r 'nkle. You prob'ly sprained it." Sweden had crouched down next to her and was examining the afflicted body part. Embarrassed, she tried to surreptitiously pull her skirt tighter around her legs. He soon righted himself with a fluid motion, gathered her books, and put them in a neat pile next to the wall. Then, Sweden bent down once more. Taiwan barely had time to register what he was doing before she was lifted off the ground.
"Sweden?" He was holding her in his arms bridal style. She reflexively clasped his neck to keep her balance. "Where are we going?"
"T' the inf'rmary" This was the closest that they had ever been to each other. The physical contact made her flush. He smelled like snow and ice and dark, rich wood. As Sweden carried her, she felt more secure, safer. She remained in this comfortable haze until they were somehow in a stark white cubicle. He lowered her onto the bed gently, taking care not to move her ankle.
"I'd bett'r get y'r books 'nd tell y'r profess'r."
"Won't you be late to your class?" Hetalia High School had a very strict attendance policy. Anybody who was late was reprimanded and punished by the student council president, England. Furthermore, it would go on his or her permanent record. Sweden hesitated for a moment, then made his way to the exit. Taiwan suddenly felt a pang in her chest.
" Hey, Sweden?" He turned to her. Oh no. What was she supposed to do now? "Um… thanks. For everything." The Swede stared at her with his blank-yet-oh-so-observant eyes and then nodded. When he disappeared through the infirmary doors, she slumped into the pillows. Could he see something in her that even she was not aware of? The thought gradually manifested itself over the ensuing hours. It suddenly became clear to her while the overly enthusiastic nurse slipped a cast on her leg and gave her a set of crutches. Her heart sped up, inducing the jumpy woman to search for a thermometer to check for a fever (how heart rate related to a fever she would never know). Taiwan leaned back and closed her eyes. The situation was like one of Korea's dramas; interesting to watch from the outside but really so corny when applied to reality. The minutes whirled away, as she contemplated Sweden's selfless nature. In personality, they were polar opposites, but opposites attracted. And now that she thought back on it, he was really very handsome…. The nurse came and went and Taiwan was finally released from the infirmary. But everything had passed in a blur because she finally realized that she could not be just friends with Sweden.
"Um, Sweden?" Taiwan looked at her companion, lost her nerve, then quickly glanced away. She felt the red seeping into her cheeks and struggled to halt its progress. It had been three months since she had sprained her ankle. Three months in which she had hidden her feelings, never breathing a word to her friends. Three months during which she had at last decided that it was either tell Sweden or burst. Now he gazed at her questioningly.
"Hm?" Her heart leaped to her throat so quickly that she thought she would choke. How glad she was that they were walking to their dorms in the secrecy of the night, instead of going to history class in the probing searchlights of day.
"I…." She could not get another word out until they reached the Asia dorms. There was a space in the hallway near her room, where the vending machines were located…. It was into this cramped but private area that she pulled Sweden. He looked mildly surprised (which was rather extreme for him). However, he waited patiently for her to speak. The silence was disconcerting. Taiwan tried to decide on the proper method for an explanation. Should I tell him directly, or should I give some hints first? Well, she had never been a very patient person, so….
"I like you. A lot." Her voice was shaky and pitched to an unnaturally high octave. It was highly unlikely, but Please don't laugh, please don't laugh. When a few moments had passed and Sweden still did not say a thing, she began to become anxious. More quietude on his part convinced her that all was lost. Taiwan chanced a weak laugh.
"Ha, um, just forget what I said. You can't really trust me when it's nighttime. I'm so tired out from classes that I tend to say abstract things."It was the first time that she had joked with him, yet her heart was breaking. A lump formed in her throat. Her naïve, girlish spirit had been crushed, and so tears welled up in her eyes. She stared at the wall, trying to pull herself together. Therefore, Taiwan did not notice the hand that laid itself on her shoulder, nor did she sense Sweden walking nearer to her.
"I l'ke you a l't too." At first she could not believe her ears, but he steered her around to face him. His eyes were soft, almost loving. When he pulled her close and kissed her forehead with slightly chapped lips, she was numb with shock. Gradually, she came to feel the heat of his body and the scratchy fabric of his jacket. So that's why you insist on taking me to history all the time. She felt a sweet sense of satisfaction when she was finally able to encircle his neck with her arms and bury her face happily in his chest.
What will tomorrow hold for us?
Let's find out.
I'd really like to know what you thought of this. So I can learn how to properly write a crack fic. Thanks!
