Yes, I understand I've got a lot of storie sI still need to coninute, and I will get to them. But this has been an unfinished draft in my documents for months, and it bothered me to leave it unfinished. So, here goes nothing.
Ah, what I wouldn't give for a bit of peace and quiet...
Roderich softly rubbed his temples as the sounds of shouting vibrated in his ears. Why was it that everyone insisted upon being so loud at this time of day? Shouting over stuff and nonsense, that's all it was really. He was awfully tired. He hadn't really had the proper chance to wake up all the way. He had overslept that morning and had to hurry to work not too long after finally waking up. He was feeling more than a little crabby at the moment. Roderich scanned the room for a moment, looking over his fellow nations and trying to understand what they could all be so fussy about today. Likely nothing important, he knew that much.
"I'm just saying, if they let me run for president, none of this would have happened!" Alfred huffed as he folded his arms.
"Alfred, why in the world would you want to run for president?" Arthur asked incredulously. "You are the representative and the physical embodiment of America. There is quite literally no higher position than that."
"Well yea, but if I had my way-"
"You do have your way wanker!"
Roderich shook his head in frustration. Sometimes, these people really just continued to aggravate his headaches. He would be so much happier if they could all be quiet, just for a minute. Perhaps then he could just get through this meeting without getting too frustrated. It seemed to be the same thing every day, however. The shouting and yelling, the noise and the grief, it was a bit too much for his fragile being. But despite all of this, there was one thing he was rather grateful for. He peered at the empty seat beside him. This was where Gilbert usually sat. His favorite seat, as it was right next to Roderich. He would poke fun at him and cause him such a burden. Why he was Gilbert's favorite little punching bag, he felt he would never know. But whatever the case was, he was rather pleased to see the seat empty. It made the room just a little quieter and a little more bearable than before. And he was happy. Roderich leaned on his hand and closed his eyes for the time being. Being a nation was difficult, he knew that already. And he also knew that it always would be difficult, no matter how old he got. It didn't help that he had to be surrounded by such people. Childish, infantile, and at times, rather selfish. But he supposed that was how they had to be. It was too late to change now. Couldn't change so much after thousands of years of being one certain way right? One could only hope.
"Roderich?" He opened his eyes and looked towards the one calling him. Ah, Elizabeta. His ex-wife. He would be lying if he said he didn't hold some feelings towards her still. She was the one who left the alliance first after all. He simply went with it. "Roderich, you mustn't always make such a face. Or you'll come off as unfriendly," she scolded him softly. "Why don't you smile hm?"
"Why should I? There is nothing to smile about. I am tired." She just sighed in return, mumbling something about him being much too fussy. Oh honestly. What made her think he was being fussy? There was nothing wrong with feeling a bit unhappy. And why did she tell him he always made this face? That was not true. Right? He shook his head just a little. No, of course not. He smiled every now and again. Didn't everyone? So she didn't have the right to tell him such things.
After a moment of the continuous bickering amongst the nations, Ludwig checked the clock and stood from his seat. Goodness, even he looked a bit weary today. "Alright everyone, settle down now," he said, his voice rising up and over the others. This caused a lull in the conversations. But not a complete air of silence. As usual. "The meeting is about to begin. Everyone in their seats." And at first, he was generally ignored. "I do not like repeating myself! Everyone SIT," he said, sounded much firmer than before. Quick as could be, everyone hurried to do as he asked. "There. That is much better. Now then, let's begin shall we?" Roderich sat up properly as he began to speak. Ludwig informed the others once more that he would not accept any fooling around today and that the better they behaved, the quicker everything would be over. He knew though that it likely wouldn't be motivation enough to keep everyone quiet. But it was worth a try. He had Toris read off the minutes from the last meeting, before beginning.
It would seem that the hot-bottom issue for the day was the sudden rise in trading and how risky some of the leniency had been regarding who could go where. It really didn't have anything to do with Austria, so he found no need to focus so much on this bit. He closed his eyes once again and began to daydream, ignoring how Elizabeta sighed once again.
He wasn't sure how long he had been distracted. But he broke out of it when he felt something suddenly rub up against his knee. He opened his eyes and peered under the table. What the?
"Gilbert?" he said, his voice hushed. "What in the heavens are you doing?"
"Hush! I'm already in enough trouble as it is! If West finds out I'm late, he'll have my head," Gilbert whispered back with a shudder. "I don't know if he noticed yet. Just be quiet will you?" How had Roderich not noticed him sneak in through the door? Hell, how had Ludwig not noticed? But here he was, trying to crawl under the table towards his seat. Roderich scowled down at him.
"I don't want to help you. It was your own fault for coming so late. I shouldn't have to go out of my way to-"
"Look, Roddy. You pick. Either keep quiet and let me past your legs or keep arguing with me under the table. Your choice." Roderich made a face but sighed as he drew his legs back to make some room for him. Every day with this man! Gilbert crawled his way past Roderich's legs and to his seat. He watched quietly as Gilbert attempted to pull himself up and into his chair. But of course, pushing on a spinning chair didn't bring about good results. Gilbert grabbed the armrests and used them to pull up. But when he did, the chair slid out from under him, sliding back and hitting the wall. And Gilbert was left sprawled on the ground, with all eyes on him.
"Gilbert! What in the world are you doing? Where have you been?" Ludwig demanded. Gilbert got to his feet quickly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Hehe. Funny story actually Luddy. See the thing is, I..." he paused, trying to come up with a story on the spot.
"No excuses Gilbert!" Ludwig scolded. "This is the third time in a month you've been late! Why can't you just-"
"Hang on! You didn't let me finish!" Gilbert said quickly. "I overslept alright? But it's only because I was really busy the other night okay? That's all!"
"Oh? And what were you doing that required so much of your time?" Ludwig folded his arms and raised a brow, waiting for his big brother to speak.
"Well...I was with Roddy here!" he said quickly, placing his hands on Roderich's shoulders. Roderich's brows shot up and he looked up at Gilbert.
"You most certainly were not! Don't you go and bring me into this!"
"Aw come on! Don't tell me you don't remember!" Gilbert laughed. He leaned a bit closer to his ear and began to whisper a bit. "Help me out, Rod. You'll know he'll chew my ass out without a good excuse." Roderich huffed and got ready to speak. But Alfred spoke instead.
"Oh? And what were you doing with the piano man last night hm? Had to be a lot if you were tired enough to oversleep~" Gilbert smirked and winked at his friend, just going with it for the time being.
"Oh yes. It was quite a lot." Roderich blinked a few times. He wasn't really catching what they were implying it would seem. Alfred laughed a bit and clapped his hands together.
"Oh damn! I knew it! I knew you liked him, dude! You just had to get the guts to tell him was all!" Gilbert's face became very red. Ah, whoops. Those feelings were not supposed to be out in the open just yet.
"What? You kidding me?" Gilbert laughed nervously. "Don't know what you're talking about mein friend. I don't have feelings like that." Alfred raised an eyebrow, making Gilbert a bit flustered. Ah damn, he was messing up his style. He wasn't supposed to be this way. He was supposed to be much more confident than this. "I don't like him. Not at all! We didn't...I mean, we weren't..." Whoops. He dug himself into a real deep hole now, all with a simple joke.
"That's enough!" Roderich cut in, standing up. "What is the matter with you Gilbert? You don't joke around about that sort of thing!" Uh-oh, he looked pretty mad.
"Calm down man. I was just playing around. It's not my fault Alfred was being dumb." He ignored Alfred's shout of protest as he chuckled. "Come on. You didn't really think I did right? It was just a joke. Calm down."
"I already told you that this is not the sort of thing you make jokes about!" Why was Roderich so upset? Gilbert messed around all the time and was always poking fun at him. So what had him so upset now? As they argued, Elizabeta shook her head, a bit sad. She knew. She knew why he was so mad. It was because of what Gilbert said, about not having any feelings for him. It was no secret that he did really. She wasn't sure if they were romantic feelings, but they were feeling all the same. But what was secret, was how Roderich felt back. Roderich seemed to be just as confused as Gilbert was at times. He hated Gilbert, but at the same time, Elizabeta had caught him reminiscing on the days of long ago. When they were, at least civil to one another. When Gilbert was a bit of a big brother figure. It wasn't always terrible. And, perhaps Roderich longer for those days back. Maybe he wanted friendship. Maybe he wanted more. She truly didn't know. So to hear such a thing likely made him feel bad. "You're such a rotten person! Stop telling lies, and keep me out of your shenanigans!"
"Gilbert, just tell the truth now," Ludwig sighed. "Were you, or were you not at Roderich's house last night?"
"I wasn't okay? Why would I waste my time there, when I could be at my own place? Roderich is such a snore," he teased. Roderich balled his fists tightly. "Whatever, can we just get started now? And Alfred, stop spouting such crap okay?" Gilbert could feel his stomach contracting a bit as he spoke. So, maybe he had SOME feelings for him. Just little ones though! But he couldn't just say that of course. And he couldn't let Roderich find out, no matter what. "I don't like him. I never have. And I never will." With his hands on his hips, he began to laugh a bit. He felt a hand on his shoulder, squeezing a bit. "Oh? What's up?" he said, turning around. Before he could fully realize what was about to happen, a hand collided with his cheek, making an awful sound that echoed through the room, making the others cringe. Gilbert placed a hand over his stinging cheek in surprise as he stared at Roderich, who looked angrier than before. He looked angry, but why were his eyes shining? As though they were full of tears.
"I am already aware of how you feel! There is no need to be an ass about it!" Roderich scolded. He was a bit surprised himself that he had lost his composure in such a way. But he didn't regret it too much. "You said what you had to say alright? So just shut up about it now will you?" Gilbert blinked a few times, trying to understand what had happened. But once his head was clear, he scowled and shoved Roderich so he hit the floor.
"Don't you put your hands on me! Why are you getting so damn worked up about this? I didn't do anything wrong!" Roderich scowled. He didn't know how to respond. And, thankfully, he didn't have to. Elizabeta jumped from her seat and stood before Roderich.
"You jerk! Leave him alone why don't you? Stop being such an ass!" She yelled at him, pushing him back. Gilbert growled and was ready to give her a taste of her own medicine. But before he could, Ludwig grabbed his shoulder.
"That is enough! Gilbert, stop causing trouble! And Roderich, just calm down! You are both at fault here, and you are both severely testing my patience. If you two want to behave like children, then you can be punished like them too. Why don't you two go outside and cool your heads? When you feel like you can behave like adults, then you can enter once more."
"What? Why are you scolding me? I haven't done a thing!" Roderich gasped. "Gilbert is the one who is acting completely infantile!"
"And trying to pin the blame on others isn't infantile?" Ludwig asked with a raised eyebrow. "You can really be just as bad as him at times. So don't try and only blame my brother for this little spat. Understand?"
Roderich growled a bit and faced Gilbert. "Honestly, I just wish you would act more your age at times!" Gilbert rolled his eyes. And once again, the two of them were bickering. Ludwig had had just about enough. And he wasn't the only one apparently.
"That is enough! Both of you!" Arthur scolded as he stood up. He had grown so fed up with the bickering. He knew how troublesome it could be when it came to misguided affections and he knew how long such arguments could last. But frankly, he was sick of it. He hated the way Gilbert was treating this, and how Roderich was handling it. And all he wanted, was for them both to settle down. But of course, neither paid him any mind, only further causing him grief. "Alright. Fine then. If you do not wish to pay me any mind, then I have no problems with taking the attention myself!" His cheeks were a bit red from the frustration. Arthur reached out, and from thin air, he pulled out his wand.
"Arthur! Don't you think that's going a little too far?" Francis warned his short-tempered friend. He knew how Arthur could be at times, and he didn't want him doing anything that he might regret.
"Hush. I only plan to quiet them down a bit. Button their lips for the time being. I can't stand when people argue of such things, especially when in a public setting! It's highly inappropriate and I won't be having it!" He waved his wand a bit, muttering something under his breath. This would teach them a lesson for sure...
"Arthur! I said don't!" Francis scolded, standing from his seat. In doing so, he managed to bump Arthur's elbow unintentionally. Arthur fumbled with his words a bit as his wand wobbled, and grew warm. He mixed his enchantment words together, and before long, something shot from his wand, making him stumble back. Oh dear! What was it he had cast now? He was sure it was not what he intended to cast. So this could only end poorly.
"Watch out!" he managed to say, just a few moments too late. Gilbert managed to jump back out of instinct. But Roderich reacted just a few moments too late. He looked up, his expression one of surprise before the magic hit him right between the eyes. He stumbled and fell onto his back, his eyes and sinuses absolutely burning. He placed his hands over his face tightly with a moan, trying to alleviate some of the pain. "Dear God. Roderich, I'm sorry!" Roderich slowly sat up, using the heels of his hands to try and place some pressure over his eyelids and make himself feel a bit better. "Are you alright?" Roderich didn't answer. Instead, he reached up and grasped the edge of the table and pull himself up and onto his feet. With one hand on the table, the other was pressed tightly over his eyes, trying to control the pain. His glasses had been knocked from his face due to the impact, leaving him nearly blind, and in immense pain. It almost felt like sinus pain he got when he was ill but much much worse. Both hands were shaking quite a bit.
"I'm...fine," he managed to say past the pain. "Ho-honestly Arthur! Why can't you be more careful you imbecile!"
"Hey, it was only an accident alright specs?" Gilbert sighed, handing him his glasses. Roderich snatched them from him, placing them back on his face and shoving them up and over his eyes.
"Right. An accident that wouldn't have happened if you hadn't behaved like such an ass."
"Oh, so you're still going to blame me for this?!"
"Yes, because it is all your fault!" He could see Germany, glaring at the two of them out of the corner of his eye. He was in no mood to be scolded again. So, he stormed away. "I don't care anymore! I'm leaving! I don't have the patience for you any longer! Or for any of you!" Ludwig sighed, running his fingers through his hair in exasperation.
"Fine, go. We don't need someone who is behaving like a child to be here right now anyhow." Roderich scoffed loudly, stomping his feet as he left. Ludwig sighed, and then looked to his brother, who was making a face at the bespectacled man as he left. "Perhaps you should go too."
"What? Why me?!" Gilbert demanded. "I didn't do-" He stopped himself there. He couldn't rightfully say he hadn't done anything wrong, could he? "Whatever," he sighed, placing his hands in his pockets. "I'll see you at home then I guess. Later." Then, Gilbert turned on his tail, and exited the room, rolling his eyes a bit. Of course, he was getting in trouble over such a petty little argument.
Leaving the room, he was met with the one person he didn't want to see right now. Roderich had stopped in the hall once again, pinching the skin between his eyes as he tried to manage the pain that still lingered. It certainly wasn't as bad as before, but it still felt like bad sinus pain. Tolerable, but still irritating all the same. Gilbert rubbed the back of his neck. Did he want to say anything to him, or just leave him alone? He had done enough already it would seem. And he doubted Roderich would want to speak to him after all that. But at the same time, he found himself a bit curious. Did that spell have any sort of effect on Roderich? Other than the pain? He hadn't seemed to be affected in the meeting room. So, maybe it had just been some sort of a fluke.
"Oh whatever," Gilbert thought to himself. "It's not like I care anyway. It doesn't matter to me in any case." He turned, and without a word, he turned and walked down the hall to head for home. He didn't care about Roderich, he never had. Roderich had been a pain ever since they were children, bossing him around, and acting like he was something special. Gilbert didn't take that from anyone, not even a childhood friend. Well, was a friend the right word? He couldn't say for sure. He certainly didn't think of him as a friend now, no way! But...then again...
Once he had turned the corner, he paused and leaned against the wall. He hated him. And yet, what was this odd feeling? He hated that he couldn't deny it, or rid himself of it. But, as they got older, the feelings seemed to get stronger. Sometimes, he wanted nothing to do with Roderich. But other times, he wanted to stop Austria when he looked like he was going to get himself lost or talk to him when he seemed unhappy. He cared about him, and he truly didn't understand why. He was like a younger brother to him almost. One he always had to look after so he didn't do anything foolish. Was it a feeling of attraction? Even he didn't seem to know. He wished his feeling could be clearer, and he could be honest with himself, or even with Roderich? Well, before he could be honest with anyone, he had to figure out what these feelings were, and just what to do with them...
In any case, though, he felt like he ought not to show his face to Roderich for a little while. Unless he wanted to be insulted or yelled at again.
Little did he know, however, was that in the coming month, he would become a lot more involved with the man then he had ever intended, or expected to be. As the magic of Arthur's spell ran through Roderich's body, it was taking its effect, rather slowly if anything. But it would become more and more apparent as the days went by, that something was not quite right...