Her Smile
By xxkoffeexx
Disclaimer: I don't own APH.
Summary: She was walking on clouds and nothing short of lightning could stop her. Seychelles x UK.
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Humming lightly in the back of her throat, Seychelles bounced on the balls of her feet through the empty hallway after her last class. Her dark pigtails swayed with every step, and a pleased little smile tugged at her lips as she remembered the cheerful tune her grandfather used to sing to her.
Normally she would be trudging like a zombie, back slouched and face absolutely glum at the prospect of working for him again.
But today was different. Today, she felt good.
Very soon, she found herself standing in front of the Student Council room door. Seychelles patted her hair briefly, brushed the creases out of her skirt, and opened the door with more gusto than usual (which was usually none). She was walking on clouds and nothing short of lightning could stop her.
"Good afternoon," her voice sang pleasantly, stepping inside.
And paused upon receiving a most impressive scowl from the only occupant in the room. Somebody was in a grouchy mood, she thought rather cheerfully after she returned his lovely gesture with a bright smile. The slight flicker of surprise in his green eyes only added to her good mood.
"Close the door," England said shortly.
She did, but only after a little flourish in her step and another smile at the doorknob. Then she practically skipped across the room to the little desk designated for her, completely aware of England's eyes following her.
Really, she had to thank Hungary later. It was thanks to the older girl that she was so happy.
"You're late," he finally said, his firm tone not quite covering the uncertainty he felt.
She smiled dreamily at nothing. "I'm sorry."
As was established, Seychelles was in a very good mood.
Knowing that her boss was disturbed, the tanned-skin girl decided to show some sympathy and suppressed her giddiness so that it didn't radiate from her like a beacon. She wasn't certain if this helped at all, but she was in too good of a mood to care.
"I've finished tomorrow's paperwork," she announced presently to a rather startled president. Seychelles almost never finished work early. "Do you want to look it over now?"
England took a moment to respond, and then his voice sounded forced. "No. I need to take care of some last-minute applications. I'll look at it tomorrow morning." After a pause, he added somewhat stiffly, "Good work."
She beamed at him. He stared.
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Seychelles rummaged through the papers one more time, making sure there were no errors for England to correct tomorrow morning. After all, what was the good in completing work early if it wasn't absolutely perfect? She turned the pages carefully, the happy, euphoric cloud swelling inside her entire body making her want to giggle. Really, when was the last time she was this happy?
The answer came immediately. Grandpa. She hadn't felt this happy since she was on her islands. Caught in this realization, Seychelles continued flipping through her papers, bobbing her head to some unknown rhythm only she could hear.
"You're humming."
At his words, she blinked. The light tune dissolve in her throat. "Oops. Sorry," she said, not sorry at all. "I'll be quiet."
When there was no answer, she looked up across the room and found England gazing at her intently, an odd smile gracing his mouth. Seychelles blushed lightly for some reason and smiled timidly back. He rested his chin on a propped hand and continued staring at her, a curious gleam in his eyes that made her stomach flutter slightly.
"Why are you so happy?" he queried calmly.
Seychelles supported her chin on both hands and shrugged. "A lot of good things happened today."
"Like what?"
"Mmm. This morning I wasn't late for my first class." She blinked at a spot on the ceiling, pursing her lips as she thought about the day's events. "I wasn't called on during English, and I got a really high score on my history test. My hair cooperated for once. France didn't grope me. Prussia didn't poke me. America actually remembered my name during lunch." Seychelles didn't notice his eyebrows lift wryly as she listed off her meager triumphs. "And… oh! Hungary told me something very interesting."
"What did she say?"
Seychelles gave him an amused smile, dark eyes shining. "It's a secret."
England was intrigued, though he tried to cover it with sarcasm. "Huh. So you got through the day as a normal student, got recognized and then gossiped. How does that explain your sunny mood?"
"Hey! Being a normal student is an accomplishment in itself. Especially for me."
"For once I agree with you."
She mock-sniffed and tossed her head to hide her smile. England did not look like he was so grouchy anymore, which was also an accomplishment in itself. For once, they were engaged in a pleasant conversation that had nothing to do with irritation and a lot more to do with mutual accord. Dare she say, they were acting more like friends?
Seychelles cleared her throat to clear the hopeful stutter of her heart and asked casually, "Do you have any extra work for me?"
His hand froze, and after a while green eyes met hers again. "No," he said quietly. "Tomorrow's papers were all you had left this week. You can go early, if you want."
Her eyes widened slightly. "Really?" At his nod, she grinned. "But you have lots to do, right? Don't lie, it's summer break starting next week. I bet the work load is doubled. Isn't there anything I can do to help?"
"You could sing."
She decided he was being sarcastic again and sighed. "That would only distract you from your work." When he didn't reply, she urged, "Can't I look over some minor papers? Something simple? Fix you some tea?"
He paused. Then he looked down at his papers and sighed, "Come over here."
Seychelles brightened slightly and stood up, making her way to his desk. She stood at the other side of where he sat and stared at the piles of paper blanketing the wood surface. "Yes?" she said expectantly.
Upon closer inspection, she realized his eyes were hazy from lack of sleep and his blond hair a little messier than usual. "You look like a panda," she said bluntly, and then winced. "A good-looking panda," she reassured him.
He rolled his eyes and leaned on his elbows, posture slouched like a hunchback. "My shoulders are stiff. My muscles are sore. My neck aches." His voice was listless and blunt. "Care to fix that?"
Seychelles blinked dubiously. "You want me to be your masseur?"
"That's the idea," he agreed.
She blushed faintly, realizing the potential for awkwardness in this scenario. "But I'm not really that good at massaging. I'll probably make it worse. Maybe you should go to China, he's good at that needle-poking thing. Or go to the hospital—"
"Look, if you're not going to help then just go home."
Seychelles straightened her back. "Oh fine." As she walked around the desk behind his chair, she muttered audibly, "If I dislocate a bone or paralyze you or send you to the emergency room, it's not my fault."
He scoffed and leaned back against his seat. "I doubt you're strong enough."
"You'd be surprised by how strong I can be," she snipped to cover her rising nervousness. She was standing directly behind his chair, looking down at his blond head. "Um. Maybe… you should take off your jacket?"
England made a slight noise and then easily slipped off the blue jacket, leaving him in his light cotton sweater and necktie. Seychelles swallowed quietly, her good mood slowly being replaced by an excited jumble in her bones. It was her first time voluntarily touching a guy besides France and she was a little nervous, if the quickening of her heartbeat was any indication.
Her hands slowly rested on his shoulders. The warmth of his body seeped instantly through his clothes into her fingertips and she swallowed again.
He was tense, that much was obvious to inexperienced Seychelles-the-masseur. She was a little surprised by how solid and muscular he felt under her grip, having expected his slim build to yield something fragile. Perhaps she wouldn't accidentally injure him after all. Tentatively, she began kneading with her hands, trying to mimic how she saw Austria massage Hungary's shoulders when she was tired.
"More toward the center."
She obeyed, ignoring the slight brush of her fingers against the warm skin above his shirt collar. "Am I doing this right?"
He sounded distant. "Yeah."
She noted the gradual relaxation in his muscles, as well as his easy, slow breathing, and felt a little proud of her ministrations. There was also the fact that she got to be so close to him, and her mouth curved shyly. The two fell into a companionable silence and the clock on the wall ticked quietly.
When her hands began to feel tired, she leaned down to see whether England had dozed off or not.
"Why are you really happy?"
His sudden question, quiet but unnatural in the silence of the room, made her pause. "I told you," she said casually, continuing her massage, "today was just a really good day."
"What did Hungary tell you?"
His shampoo, whatever it was, smelled quite nice. Seychelles countered, "Why do you want to know?"
Dozing or not, she could imagine the slight frown on his face. "I'm curious," he admitted.
"Curiosity killed the cow."
"You mean cat."
"Same thing." Her fingers pressed along the line of his spine, just like she'd seen Austria do, and was rewarded with a contented sigh. "Do you feel a little better now?"
"Yes." Then, before she could respond, his hand snaked up to grasp hers, holding it flat against his shoulder. "Seychelles. Why are you doing this?" By the way he said her name, she knew he was being dead serious. Lighthearted bantering would probably not deter him this time.
"I got permission to go back home for the summer," she explained, looking down at his hand covering her own. His fingers were longer and curved slightly around hers, very warm and nice.
"That's great." He sounded vague, though his grip did not lessen in the slightest.
She nodded, pigtails brushing the top of his head. "I was feeling homesick these past few months. I missed my grandfather. I missed my island. I thought I would have to wait until next year before I could go back. And then this morning—"
"Is this the secret you couldn't tell me?"
"Well. Not really," she said reluctantly. "I mean, the principal told me first, and then everybody else seemed to already know about it. And… and…"
"And?" His voice was deceptively calm, but she felt his grip tense slightly.
Seychelles spoke slowly. "Hungary told me that it was highly unlikely the principal would suddenly allow me to go home for the whole summer. That somebody must have persuaded him on my behalf."
He stiffened noticeably when her other fingers touched the back of his hand.
"She also said that the somebody who persuaded the principal probably had to make a deal to compensate for my absence. That the somebody probably had to take on a lot more work than usual. All so that I could go home."
He didn't seem to breathe as she continued to speak.
"She said I should probably thank that person, whoever they were, and that they would appreciate even the simplest gesture."
England finally spoke, not moving in his seat. "And did you thank them?"
"I think I did."
"How?"
Seychelles shifted so that she held his hand in both her smaller hands, wondering if it was she who was trembling or him.
"I smiled."
This time his hand jerked and he twisted around to look at her. Seychelles returned his stare with a nervous laugh, eyes glancing down shyly at his sweater.
"I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely. "I'm always in a bad mood and I always annoy you. I can't imagine why you would do something like this for me. And I know that being unnaturally happy and offering to help out isn't enough. But I'm really thankful to you." Her fingers tightened as she repeated, "I'm thankful."
There was a long pause. She stared down at his hand, absently noting his pale skin contrasting her darker tone.
Then he rose from his chair, startling her into taking a step back. But England moved closer, holding her hand firmly as the other reached up to touch her head. His green eyes caught hers and he smiled faintly.
"Have a good time with your grandfather."
Seychelles stared up at him for about five seconds, and then suddenly became determined. "I—I will. And I'll bring you a souvenir. I promise."
"If it's fish again—"
"And when I come back, I'll work twice as hard to make up to you."
"Don't think about that now—"
"And," she cut in quietly, cheeks blushing wildly. "I'll learn how to be a masseur. For you. So in case you're tired or stiff or—or anything, then I will help. Okay?"
England's huff was exasperated, blowing her bangs lightly. "Are you done?"
"Not yet."
Slipping her hands away, Seychelles stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his midriff, pressing herself against him. The fabric of his sweater rubbed against her cheek and she closed her eyes, taking in his scent. He smelled like laundry detergent and something musky, similar to France's aftershave, and it smelled good.
England tensed slightly, but before she could step away, he slowly returned the embrace.
They stood there like that for a long time, barely aware of the ticking clock or the distant voices outside the door growing steadily louder. Seychelles felt remarkably comfortable in his arms, ear pressed against his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. She almost didn't want to leave him this summer, even though she was finally going home to see her grandfather. The trade-off, she thought, was almost unfair.
"Actually," she spoke, her voice muffled by his chest, "I lied. I haven't really thanked you yet."
His voice held a smile. "You haven't?"
"I haven't." Seychelles took a deep breath. "I know you have to work this summer and you probably have other plans, but… won't you come home with me?"
It seemed like an eternity passed, where only their twin breathing and the clock ticking filled the loud silence. When England did not answer, she felt her heart sink like stone and quickly stammered out, "I thought you might need a vacation too, since you're cooped up in this office for so long. And I… Well, I think you'll like my grandfather. He sings all the songs that I know, and we never sleep early, and the sunsets are really pretty, so…"
Her words trailed off when she realized he was shaking slightly with laughter.
"Hey!" Seychelles turned red and attempted to push away from him, but he didn't let her. "Don't laugh! I'm being serious!"
England looked directly into her embarrassed gaze and held it.
"Is this your way of thanking me?"
She glared at him, surprised by the slight flush in his own face. "Yes."
"Then yes," he said immediately, smiling down at her. "I'll go."
Seychelles felt so happy she could feel the delight bubbling at her seams again. Then the bubbles dissolved slightly at a realization. "…Oh. But what about your Student Council duties?"
"I'll take care of it," he promised, arms tightening around her. "This is more important."
And she smiled him.
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"The lecher! The stupid eyebrow-freak! How dare he touch my precious, innocent Seychelles with his dirty, sneaking hands—"
Austria stifled a sigh. "Please do your work, France." Beside him, Hungary was humming a familiar tune, completely ignoring the blond's passionate declaration of wrath.
France glowered impressively and threw down a pile of papers. "It's not my work, it's his! He's shirking his duties to steal away my flower! Knowing that depraved beast, he'll probably ravish her on some island!"
"Good," said Hungary.
The two males turned to stare at her.
She hummed.
END
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A/N: This Seychelles x England was a long time coming for me. It was a private request for myself, really, because I'm a diehard SxE fan. It probably shows in this fic.
Also, I apologize for how mellow and perhaps OOC Seychelles and England seem. I tried to show another side of their love-hate relationship, something that might show harmony. Or maybe I just wanted an excuse to have them hug. ;) It's my version of the "Ultra Good" ending to the Hetalia Gakuen game.
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it.