This is my first yuri story! Woot-woot! :D Anyway, this first chapter doesn't have much Hungary/Azerbaijan action, it's mostly just Hungary, Belgium, Ukraine, and Liechtenstein talking, but because I personally love when others talk about a relationship (beside the people who are in it), I included a lot of that here. This is setting up the next chapter, which has much more Azerbaijan. Don't ask how I even thought about pairing Hungary and Azerbaijan together, I have no idea! ;D So, hopefully you enjoy this little chapter and keep reading (I will hopefully update this weekend)!
This also includes my own personal headcanons about Turkey (my favorite character), so... yeah! :)
Sorry if anyone's OOC!
Belgium= Charlotte Kuijpers
Ukraine= Irunya Chernenko
Liechtenstein= Eva Vogel
Azerbaijan= Aysel Adigozalova (formerly Adnan before Russian occupation)
Mentioned:
Philippines= Dalisay Matapang
Netherlands= Bastiaan Kuijpers
Denmark= Mathias Køhler
Pairings Mentioned:
NedPan (Netherlands/Japan)
DenNor (Denmark/Norway)
TurGre (Turkey/Greece)
The sun was starting to set over Kiev, silhouetting the Ukrainian skyline and leaving red, pink, and yellow colors to settle on the distant horizon. However, the beauty of the evening was unnoticed by Elizabeta as she and Charlotte strode up to Irunya's door.
"Eva's already here, right? I tried calling Vash to ask if he'd like me to accompany her here, but he didn't answer!" Charlotte sighed, exasperated.
"Don't worry, Char. She got here this morning." Elizabeta smiled at her Belgian friend. "And don't call Vash. He probably doesn't want to waste his minutes." Charlotte slapped her arm with a mock-offended huff. "You know what I mean!"
"I know, I know," said Charlotte, and they both dropped their bags on the Ukrainian's porch simultaneously, creating a loud noise that was followed by a shriek from inside.
The door opened quickly afterwards, and a frightened Irunya appeared in front of them.
"My goodness, don't scare me like that again, please!" A few tears rolled down her cheeks, but she quickly wiped them and embraced Elizabeta and Charlotte.
"Sorry about that," Charlotte apologized, and patted her shoulder a few times before pulling away to grab her suitcase.
"Won't happen again, Irunya," promised Elizabeta, and Irunya smiled.
"I'll hold you to that, Erzsi." Irunya waggled her finger at the Hungarian in a joking but threatening way. "I still have your skillet."
"When can I have that back?" Elizabeta asked, putting her hands on her hips and pouting.
"When we deem you ready." Charlotte smirked and brushed past Irunya into the small house. Elizabeta stuck her tongue out at her and grabbed her suitcase as well, before following Irunya and Charlotte inside.
"It smells wonderful in here!" Elizabeta exclaimed as they walked into the living room. "Eva!"
"Elizabeta!"
The Liechtensteiner ran up to her and hugged her tightly around the waist. Elizabeta swayed them toward Charlotte, who joined in, while Irunya smiled and observed them from the adjoining kitchen.
Finally, after a minute of hugging, they each pulled away, and Elizabeta turned to Irunya.
"What're we eating?" she asked, and added, "I bet it's fantastic."
Irunya blushed and shook her head modestly. "It's just pork and fresh biscuits."
"Simple is better," Charlotte said approvingly, and Elizabeta laughed.
"You're just saying that because that's how people describe you," the Hungarian amusedly pointed out, and Charlotte huffed.
"Well, then," Charlotte said, rolling her eyes and dramatically turning away from Elizabeta. "Mean."
"I like the word 'catty' better, but I think that would describe you much better, dear Char," Elizabeta said, and Charlotte purred in gratitude before they both burst out laughing.
"You two are like kittens, both lovable and feisty," Irunya giggled as she came into the living room carrying two plates in her hands and balancing two more on her arms. "Come here and get a plate, we can just eat on the floor by the fire."
"Sounds good to me," said Charlotte, and took a plate. She set it down on the floor and sat on her stomach, kicking her feet up behind her as she rested her head between her palms.
"I'm starving," Eva confessed, and she quickly grabbed a plate before sitting next to Charlotte. "Thank you, Miss Chernenko."
"It's no problem, Eva. And remember, I told you to call me Irunya. No need to be formal," Irunya said kindly, and Eva smiled gratefully. Elizabeta grinned, thinking it was cute how Eva still called the Ukrainian "Miss Chernenko." One of the reasons she did was because Irunya was the oldest of the four of them, and probably also because Eva was closer to Elizabeta and Charlotte due to geography than to Irunya, so she felt the need to address her more formally.
"Everything is so cute today," Elizabeta said, bursting with excitement, though she took time to nod her thanks to Irunya as she grabbed a plate of pork and a single plump biscuit. "Oh my God, it's like a golden pillow with extra feathers inside!"
Eva giggled. "You are right, Elizabeta!"
"Of course I am!" the Hungarian joked. "I said it, didn't I? And no wise cracks, Char, let me have my moment."
Charlotte rolled her eyes but was amused. "What else is cute today?"
"Everything!" Elizabeta chirped.
"That's quite vague, Erzsi," Irunya pointed out, and Elizabeta gestured for them to wait a moment while she swallowed some pork.
"I know. But anyway, cuteness galore! I just found out that France, despite how perverted he is, has just asked Canada out! And he said yes!"
Charlotte and Eva squealed in delight, while Irunya gave a few congratulatory claps despite the fact that neither France nor Canada would ever know.
"I have to tell Kiku tomorrow, and we're probably going to meet up a few days after that to set up cameras near their houses and find out where they're going for their dates," said Elizabeta excitedly.
"I thought you would outgrow the stalking as you got older, Liz," Charlotte said, laughing.
"No, I will do more stalking now because it's easier with the new technology. I love the modern period!" Elizabeta exclaimed, cheering internally before reminding herself to report more on the cuteness. "Also, Dalisay sent me a few pictures of Iceland and Hong Kong kissing. So adorable! Annyira aranyos együtt!"
"Now that's a cute couple! Not that France and Canada aren't, of course, but this is young love! Not that Canada's not young. Oh whatever, the point is that they're cute, both of them!" Irunya finished, flushed but still joyful.
"Oh God, Iceland is Norway's younger brother, right?" Charlotte asked, waiting for confirmation. Eva nodded yes. "I wonder how Norway will react to finding out his little brother is dating Hong Kong."
"Now that's a reaction I must get on camera!" Elizabeta declared, and Charlotte agreed vigorously. "Oh, and speaking of Norway…" She trailed off with a wicked grin on her face.
"What happened?" Eva asked curiously, and Irunya leaned closer in anticipation.
"I heard that he's jealous of your brother, Char," Elizabeta said, waggling her eyebrows.
"Why?" Charlotte asked, genuinely clueless.
"Ned's been hanging out with Denmark a lot more often these past few weeks since Prussia's with France and Spain, and Alfred and Dalisay have been busy doing whatever they do."
"Was Alfred with Dalisay during the typhoon?" Irunya asked, concerned for the American.
"Yeah, they're both safe, though. They actually ended up flying to Hong Kong right before it hit, which is when she took the pictures. She didn't want to leave, but Alfred insisted," Elizabeta said, and Charlotte let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank God, can you imagine if they were there right where it happened?" Charlotte sounded distressed.
"That would be awful," Eva agreed, and Irunya hugged the young Liechtensteiner.
"At least we know they're safe," she said comfortingly in a motherly manner, before turning back to Elizabeta. "So, what's going on with Norway, then?"
"Oh, right!" Elizabeta was instantly happy again, thinking about all the yaoi that was occurring. She grinned and continued. "Anyway, so Norway's jealous of Ned being with Denmark instead of with him, and Denmark's totally oblivious. It's really adorable because you can tell that Norway's really mad and I'm pretty sure Ned knows and as usual, Den doesn't know anything, though he might because he's actually more observant than most think he is, but I don't think so when it comes to love."
"Erzsi, breathe," Irunya said, laughing.
"I have noticed that Bastiaan is with Mathias more, but I didn't think Norway would be jealous!" Charlotte said, partly in amazement. "How do you know he's jealous?"
"I spoke to Tino this morning, who visited Mathias's house along with Norway the day before, and he said that when Norway saw Den laughing with Ned at something, he squeezed his glass of water so hard that it broke and shattered into a million pieces! When Mathias tried to help him, he snapped at him and told him to be a good host to 'Mr. Kuijpers,' glared at Ned, then left the house. Sounds very dramatic to me, don't you agree?" Elizabeta grinned, and Eva clapped her hands together enthusiastically.
"Mr. Norway is so in love with Mr. Denmark, it reminds me of bruder and Dalisay, only they've been together for a long time now," said Eva, and she burst out laughing along with Elizabeta and Irunya when they all turned to look at Charlotte's stunned face.
"My brother? Laughing? I never thought I'd hear those two words in the same sentence!" Charlotte exclaimed dazedly, and she put her hand over her heart. "This is a revelation."
"Revelation, my dear Char?" Elizabeta asked incredulously. "You're going to die when you hear my last piece of information!"
"What is it?" Charlotte asked, grasping Elizabeta's arms desperately. Eva and Irunya both quieted down to hear.
Elizabeta leaned forward slowly to make them anxious, and finally whispered, "Ned's been messing around with Kiku again!"
Charlotte's jaw dropped, and both Eva and Irunya moved to close her mouth as Elizabeta burst out laughing.
"Bastiaan? And Japan? Again? There was a first time?!" Charlotte looked like she just found out the world was ending, though she was not angry. Just very shocked. "If it wasn't you who was saying this, I wouldn't believe it!"
"Come now, Charlotte. It's not so weird that Bastiaan is in love and can laugh. He just doesn't do it very often," Irunya said, rubbing circles on the Belgian's back.
"Doesn't love very often? He's never loved anyone! And he promised he'd tell me if he ever did!" exclaimed Charlotte, but a smile slowly started stretching across her face. "Actually, I think I know. When Bastiaan used to go to Japan while Kiku was isolationist! When he came back, he would always take a tulip by the stem and twirl it around with his fingers and look off into the distance like in some romance novel where the couple is separated by the sea. I'd always ask him what he was looking for out there, and he'd say, 'Nothing. Just looking.' Then he'd toss the tulip into the water and light his pipe. He must've been thinking of Kiku!"
"Duh," said Elizabeta, rolling her eyes at the blonde, and Charlotte gave her a friendly push.
"Everything suddenly makes sense now," said Charlotte, and she let out a few laughs, before she smirked slyly. "Are there any pictures of him and Kiku?"
"I think so, but Kiku hasn't given me any. Up until recently, I've had no reason to set up any cameras near his house. I'm definitely gonna start now," said Elizabeta, "and I'll ask for pictures."
"I really want to see these," Charlotte said, rubbing her hands together maniacally. "I can use these for blackmail!"
Eva smiled cutely and turned to Elizabeta. "I think they're perfect together, don't you?"
"I agree 100%, they're so different, but it's exotic and foreign and sexy, and just adorable!" Elizabeta grinned happily. "There's so much yaoi love, it's beautiful!"
"You sound so much like France, Erzsi!" Irunya laughed, and Elizabeta's face fell before she lit up again.
"Oh gosh, you're right! Well, I can't help it, we both love love!" said Elizabeta, and she grimaced at the double wording. "Damn English, I hate when that happens."
"So do I," said Irunya, and they both shared a knowing look before the phone suddenly rang. Irunya got up as quickly as she could, rushing to the other side of the room to pick it up.
"Put it on speaker!" Elizabeta said in a hushed voice, grinning. Charlotte and Eva giggled and watched Irunya. The Ukrainian shook her head and smiled fondly before answering.
"Pryvit?"
"Merhaba, Irunya."
Elizabeta's, Charlotte's, and Eva's mouths all fell open at the same time when they heard the man's voice.
"Hello, Mr. Adnan," said Irunya in a friendly tone. "How have you been?"
"Since when does Irunya talk to Turkey?" Charlotte whispered curiously, and Elizabeta shrugged. She herself hadn't spoken to Turkey in a while, and although they used to not be on the best of terms, they were amicable now, though they didn't speak often. It had been a long time since the Ottoman Empire, and World Meetings didn't give her much time to mingle with other people besides with the ones she usually did talk to.
"Fine, I suppose. I've been dealing with Syria a lot more lately," the Turk answered, a hint of distaste in his voice, and Irunya grimaced. "Speaking of Syria, may I ask a favor of you? It's a bit urgent and of short notice, which I'm sorry for, but can you watch Aysel for a few days? I have to go to Damascus and I don't want her to come with me, and I don't want her to stay in Istanbul alone waiting for me. Besides, she's wanted to see you for a while now."
"That's quite all right, Sadık. She can stay here while you're there; I certainly wouldn't want her to go either. Just be careful while you're gone, yes? I wouldn't want something to happen to you, Aysel would be so distraught."
"I'll be careful, Irunya. Aren't I always?" he asked, chuckling, and Irunya laughed. Elizabeta scanned her face briefly for any signs of interest, but it seemed that her and Turkey's relationship was only platonic. At least on the outside. Elizabeta would do more questioning later.
"No, not really, Mr. Adnan," she said, amused.
"Back to that, are we, Miss Chernenko? Ah well, I enjoyed it while it lasted," he said, and Charlotte raised an eyebrow at Irunya, who was blushing. Elizabeta winked at Charlotte and pointed to Eva, who was intensely focused on the phone.
"When will she be here?" Irunya asked, still smiling, and the Turk answered almost immediately.
"In half an hour. I would've called sooner, but Aysel was running through a list of reasons of why I must be careful, and how to be. Little brat she is," Turkey said with the utmost fondness, before he cleared his throat and turned slightly more serious. "Will you be ready, or should I stall a bit?"
"No, no, Sadık. I'll be ready by then. I have a few friends over, but they're very kind. Besides, I'll deal with them if they do something to her," said Irunya, and she gave a warning look to Elizabeta, Charlotte, and Eva. Elizabeta shook her head with a mock-disapproving expression on her face, and Charlotte pouted playfully.
"That sounds good. Thank you, Irunya. Güle güle."
"Do pobachennya!" Irunya hung up the phone and smiled at them.
"So, who's our guest?" Charlotte asked, and Elizabeta wrapped an arm about the Belgian's shoulders and leaned closer to hear.
"Aysel. Azerbaijan. She's related to Sadık, but I wouldn't call them siblings because he's so much older," said Irunya, and Charlotte burst out laughing at the description.
"He isn't that old, is he?" asked Charlotte with wide eyes. Elizabeta and Irunya shared a look.
"He's very old. One of the oldest. I think he's actually the second oldest of all the nations," said Elizabeta, and both Charlotte's and Eva's eyes widened.
"Wow," Charlotte said, looking both astounded and impressed.
"I haven't seen Azerbaijan in centuries," Elizabeta said, her head swimming in nostalgia. She could hardly believe how fast the years had gone by, now that she thought of them. "The last time I saw her was the day I left for Roderich, but I've never spoken to her. I've hardly seen her face, come to think of it! She usually covered it, and when I was still in the Ottoman Empire, Turkey had two houses, one in Istanbul, where the Europeans stayed and he usually stayed, but when he left, he went to the other house, which had the others, and I guess that's where Azerbaijan usually was. But eventually he let us move out, even the ones who were still under his control."
Charlotte and Eva looked very interested in what she remembered, and she continued. "And during the Soviet Union! I was always here, I convinced Braginsky to let me stay in Budapest. But my second choice would've been here with you, Irunya." She smiled at the Ukrainian briefly before delving back into her memories. "Didn't she stay with you sometimes, Irunya?"
"I'd say more often than sometimes. When she wasn't with me, she was with Sadık. He fought tooth and nail with Vanya to see her as often as possible, though in the later years, he bypassed Vanya and came straight to me for her," said Irunya, and she smiled softly. "He is very good to her."
"Do you like Mr. Turkey?" Eva asked innocently, and Irunya looked almost startled at the question. Charlotte looked at Irunya like she'd never seen her before, and Elizabeta knew at that moment that the Ukrainian had been caught.
"So you did! Or do!" Elizabeta exclaimed, pointing at her excitedly, not accusingly. She wanted Irunya to spill. She gestured for her to talk.
"No, I don't now. I guess I did before, a few centuries ago, but it wouldn't have worked out," said Irunya calmly, and Elizabeta realized from her tone that even if she had liked Turkey before, the feeling was obviously gone now, and she liked him as a friend, and not anything else.
"Why not?" asked Charlotte, and Irunya laughed.
"Because of Greece," she answered, and Elizabeta grinned at the prospect. Turkey and Greece together!
"Heracles Karpusi?" Charlotte thought about it for a moment before she turned to Elizabeta with a growing smile on her face. "Liz, think about how cute they are together!"
"Already thinking about it, my comrade," said Elizabeta, nodding approvingly. "I have to get some cameras for them, too!"
"Sadık has always been fond of him," said Irunya, "though Greece misinterprets that fondness."
"It's his nomad side," said Elizabeta, and she remembered the short years of her own nomadic existence. "He'll never go easy on Heracles, he wants him to be the best he can be, and the only way he knows how to show that is for him to constantly pester and compete with him. Nomads are in a constant battle, a continuous contest with death and for food, and he wants Heracles to be on his toes at all times."
"I'd actually find that a bit annoying, to be honest," Charlotte said, though she looked a bit ashamed to admit it.
"I would too unless I knew why, and Heracles doesn't know why, so that's why he hates Turkey. If he knew, he'd be amazed at how much Turkey cares for him," Elizabeta said, and Eva cocked her head to the side.
"Maybe I just heard you wrong before, but didn't you used to not like Mr. Turkey as well?" the Liechtensteiner asked, and Elizabeta thought for a moment before putting into words how she felt about Turkey.
"I hated that the Ottoman Empire conquered my people, but I never hated him. He could be annoying in the way I just described, but otherwise, he was quite nice, though scary if he was angry, which wasn't too often. He understood a lot more about our personal problems than I thought he ever could, and he never harmed us physically. He'd yell sometimes, but now that I think of it, it was for the best. He wasn't cruel at all, really, and he never forced us to do anything he wouldn't do himself. He never forced us to convert to Islam, or anything. And one thing that stands out to me is that not once did I see him with anyone during all those years, and even after. You know how rumors go around of France and England and other empires? You know, rumors pertaining to their sex lives?" Charlotte, Irunya, and even Eva nodded. "Well, I don't think Turkey ever once slept with anyone."
Irunya smiled slightly. "I can believe that. He was always focused on other things, and I think watching Greece grow up and become an adult was enough for him."
"That could sound slightly perverted, but I think it's sweet," said Charlotte, smiling. "I honestly would've never thought this about him. Then again, I didn't think of him much to begin with. If I ever talked about him before, it was probably because Bastiaan wanted to be the 'tulip country.'"
"I wouldn't think it either. Even Roderich had his assumptions, but I set him straight, though he still wasn't too fond of him. I was a bit sore with Turkey until World War I, actually. But besides the restrictions and the conquering, he really wasn't that bad. Heracles is angry because of what happened to his people, which Turkey couldn't control himself, and because of how he is to him now," said Elizabeta, and Irunya hummed thoughtfully.
"When he smiles, the mask hides the affection from his eyes, and he looks like he's smirking. He does this a lot in Greece's presence, I've seen it before at meetings. At least, the ones that Sadık attends," Irunya said. "And so Greece is left in the dark about his feelings."
"This is very in-depth, I feel bad that I can't contribute more because I don't know him very well," Charlotte confessed, and Elizabeta hugged her friend.
"Don't feel bad, we probably shouldn't be talking so much about him anyway since Azerbaijan is coming over," Elizabeta said into Charlotte's blonde hair, and just as Charlotte was about to respond, they were all startled by three loud knocks to the wooden door.
"That's him," said Irunya, and she got up and practically skipped to the door to greet the Turk and the Azerbaijani. Charlotte and Eva looked at each other nervously but excitedly, and Elizabeta stared at the doorway where they would enter at any second. She was curious to see what Azerbaijan looked like now.
Irunya greeted them warmly and beckoned them inside, but nobody came through the door.
"I have to leave immediately, my flight is scheduled to leave in twenty minutes," Turkey said quickly, and from the quiet whispers and sounds of clothes rustling, Elizabeta guessed that he was hugging Azerbaijan and saying his goodbyes. "I'll be back in three days, Aysel. I probably won't be able to call you, so I'll just see you then. Be good, and I'll be back."
"I'm not a child," a quiet voice said fondly, "but please do be careful, Sadık. It's not safe there."
"Is it anywhere?" Turkey chuckled, but Elizabeta heard the resigned knowledge of "no, it's not safe" in there. "Don't worry about me. I'll see you later. Elveda, Aysel."
"Sağolun, Sadık," the girl, Aysel, said sadly, and Elizabeta heard the Turk's footsteps fade as he walked away from the house.
"Pryvit, Aysel. Come in, it's very cold. Autumn is settling in, I can feel it," said Irunya kindly, leading the girl inside the house. Elizabeta could only see her silhouette in the dim hallway, but as soon as the Azerbaijani stepped into the lit living room, Elizabeta stopped breathing.
She was wearing a flowing light pink abaya and a turquoise hijab, but besides her colorful clothes, what really attracted Elizabeta was the small, shy smile adorning her beautiful face. The Hungarian had known for a while that she preferred females over males, mostly because she was somewhat manly herself, but she had never really been in a relationship with one. Roderich was her one major relationship, but he had always been hung up on Prussia (which she questioned his sanity for), and Prussia had always seemed to have a weak spot (albeit very unnoticeable to many) for Roderich, which was the only reason why she didn't smack him around more often with her skillet, which Irunya took from her a few months ago.
But when the girl, Aysel, looked at her directly with her chocolate brown eyes, air came rushing back into her lungs, and although she knew it was impossible because this was the first time she'd ever seen the Azerbaijani up close, the girl's eyes sparkled with adoration and familiarity.
Elizabeta brushed off the knowing gaze of Aysel and smiled brightly as she stood up to greet her.
"Szia! I am Elizabeta Héderváry, the nation of Hungary…"
Annyira aranyos együtt= they are so cute together (Hungarian)
Pryvit= hello (Ukrainian)
Elveda= goodbye (Turkish)
Güle güle= goodbye (Turkish)
Sağolun= goodbye (Azerbaijani)
Sorry if there are any wrong translations, I'm rushing this and I'll fix it later if I must!