Oblivion
Ch 1: Apathy is a sort of living oblivion
DISCLAIMER:I DON'T OWN HETALIA UNFORTUNATELY ?
White. That was the most unnerving thing about this place everything was white. Sterile. Barren. Devoid of coloration. Even the table was a simple glass one held on metal legs with nothing but a bottle of hand sanitizer on top of it. Nothing but what was necessary that was their modo. He reached out a slightly tanned hand pushing down on the dispenser to put a glob of sanitizer on it. The bottle was industrial sized so even if he used up as much as he wanted it would probably only end up being half full. He rubbed his hands together coating them in sanitizer. Sterilize your hands for their are immune systems in progress that will be impeded if you carry any germs too dangerous into the facility. He'd had to go through a full body cleansing too. Needless to say it wasn't pleasant but it was necessary. The ends justify the means. Is that what he'd use to justify his craziness?
He licked his lips and pulled out his wallet deciding to go through it. He pulled out his identification.
Name: Alfred F. Jones
Age: 19
Siblings: Matthew/Mathieu Williams (depending on origin code in place)
Parental Figures: Arthur Kirkland, Francis Bonnefoy
Children: N/A
Origin: Southern most region on east coast
Partner: Kiku Honda
Alfred swallowed a bit at that last chink of information. Kiku Honda. They'd been about to change their status when it happened. He remembered the long drawn out days of their Acquaintanceship, the sweeter days of their Friendship, and the ecstatic days of when they were finally Partners. The next step was supposed to be significant other but sadly they never got that far.
Alfred remembered it all. When he got down on his knee and presented him with the ring. It was flashy yet modest. Typical of his origin in the eastern hemisphere. The yell of excitement, the tears of joy, the clash of lips in a public area only to be allowed because of the occasion (for in Kiku's tradition it was unseemly to do it at any other time except at the Ceremony).
He needed more hand sanitizer.
After once again rubbing his hands furiously together he put his identification back in his wallet and took out another card. This one specifically was from their Partnership.
To: Alfred F. Jones
Press your palm to mine
And surely you'll feel our mutual affection pulse from you to me and back again
From: Honda Kiku
Two lines. That's all they were allowed yet how is it that he was able to be so perfect about it. No more than twenty words per line and he hadn't even used that much. Only up to five connotations allowed yet only one was needed. No not needed wanted and in the process becoming needed by Alfred in order to assure himself that these were the words Kiku put on their Partnership card in that Ceremony.
He needed more hand sanitizer.
He replaced the card and pulled out another from their Friendship.
To: Alfred F. Jones
Forced into an Acquaintanceship so much over bearing
I hope you can tell that my heart is wearing
From: Honda Kiku
Alfred nibbled at his lip. It was true true. The Acquaintanceship him and Kiku had been through was due to quite a bit of force on his part. It wasn't until their Friendship that Kiku had told him the exact circumstances of it from his side. At that point they'd been Acquaintances for a year and it was Kiku oddly enough who decided it was time they ascended to Friend status. It was the day before the summer before their Ceremony right before their last period (which wasn't the same Kiku's being 'The Study of Genetic coding and Android Creation' while Alfred's was 'The Psychological and Psychiatric Studies of Those Charged with Human Salvation') when he'd stopped him right outside the door to the staircase in order to tell him his final words.
"J-Jo. Um..no I mean Alfred-san if I may call you that," Kiku looked up for confirmation which he recieced in the hundred gigowatt smile on Alfred's face. "Their have been certain instances in my life where I have been coerced into an Acquaintanceship and...well."
Kiku interrupted himself with a sigh.
"That's what happened with you. We shared a small conversation and an interest and suddenly you..well started wedging yourself into my life."
At this point a twinge happened in Alfred's chest and his face started falling at the words only to see Kiku usually unnerved by physical contact gently rest his hand on Alfred's shoulder giving a light squeeze of a fraternal nature that helped get Alfred's spirit up again.
"You sat at my table, became friends with my friends, were loud to a bit of an excess. Well a lot of an excess to be honest."
It had been at this point Alfred had started wondering if this was Kiku's way of gently turning down their Friendship Ceremony. It honestly could've been worse. Some people just don't show up the day of.
"But somehow I just accepted it and accepted you and accepted us. You have you faults as everyone does but you have your good times too. And sometimes they coincide in a way that I could imagine witnessing and being a part of for a long time to come. It's been a great year Alfred-san. I'll see you after our summer trials."
As Alfred stood shell shocked and not exactly sure his to respond to the words Kiku gave him an awkward hug before walking off downstairs and Alfred climbed the stairs to his last period still contemplating the words spoken by him. It was at that moment that Alfred too felt that Kiku's life was something he could imagine being a part of for years to come.
Alfred reached for the hand sanitizer hesitating a bit but deciding to go for it as it truly helped to calm his nerves. He rubbed furiously at his hands not sure what exactly he was trying to sanitize in the first place at this point.
He went back into his wallet and pulled out a picture. A small smile graced his lips when he realized which one it was. After becoming partners he'd decided that that was cause for a special outing. He'd gotten permission from the Council of Partnerships to take Kiku to a theme park. It was located near the water and after blindfolding Kiku and only taking it off once they reached there the small smile that graced his face seemed so worth all the mountains of paperwork he'd had to go through in order to get approved for this and keep it a secret from Kiku the whole while.
They'd had fun with Kiku only throwing up twice and devouring every edible dish in sight (well that was more Alfred than Kiku to be honest) but was soon almost time to go home. At the sight of a photographer packing up the leave Alfred quickly rushed up begged slightly for him to just take one more photo which he agreed to before waving Kiku over.
The picture was nice. Just before the camera clicked Alfred had somehow told a joke funny enough to make Kiku laugh causing his eyes to get all squinty and a big grin to break out on his face just as Alfred kissed him on the cheek (which he'd gotten a violation for due to 'unsolicited public display of affection in an unapproved situation by the Council of Partnership conduct' but the mark on his record was so worth it). He put the photo back in his wallet and closed it before replacing it back into his back pocket.
He looked up at the blindingly white ceiling thinking how this is the same ceiling Kiku would see if he had his eyes open. He was probably in a pure white room, just as big as it needed to be, laid flat on a bed that was probably hard as rocks with one thin pillow resting beneath his head with tubes attached to every part of his body and monitors surrounding him recording every nerve,every cell, every blip in his genetic code. He was here somewhere down these maze of halls in the intense transplant unit barely breathing of his own accord. Trapped in his own mind where maybe even there he was sleeping. They said it was possible that he could be dreaming due to the wave sequence from one of the monitors specifically for the 'brain' section.
What did he dream about? Did he dream about Alfred? Their Partnership? Their first kiss?
These questions swirled through his mind as Alfred knee started nervously bouncing up and down. He closed his eyes and remembered their first kiss. The soft feeling of Kiku's lips just barely grazing his before the most minute amount of pressure was applied leaving Alfred breathless and wanting more. It had been beautiful in the moment and catastrophic at the same time. He'd sealed his fate with Kiku that day.
And yet he'd probably do it all over with no regrets.
Alfred reached for the hand sanitizer and was just about to push the pump when a voice called his name.
"Mr. Alfred Firefighter Jones please report to the front desk at this time. I repeat Mr. Alfred Firefighter Jones please report to the front desk at this time."
Alfred slowly stood up and walked towards the door. Just before he was about to turn the knob he looked back at the glass table.
And wouldn't you know it the hand sanitizer bottle was half empty after all.
A/N: Reviews are nice and so is constructive criticism. Any questions on the society's customs I'll be willing to answer.