"France! France? Where's the basil?" I screamed from the kitchen. I had lived with France for years and not once have I been able to find the spices. I blew a chestnut colored piece of hair out of the way as I bent over to look on a lower shelf.
"En français, sil vous plait!" France called back down. I let out a defeated sigh. I wish he would just let me speak English instead of insisting I used French.
"Où est le basilica?" I asked again.
"Dans le garde- manger!" he replied. I dug around the pantry and retrieved the bottle of basil. Of course it was stuffed into a dark corner where no one other than France would find it. I took a little bit and sprinkled it onto the cooking spaghetti sauce I was preparing, and then placed it onto the spice rack inside the pantry door. I quickly moved from the spaghetti sauce to the vegetable soup. I swear, France could at least lend a hand stirring. These were his friends after all. He walked down into the kitchen in his white tunic and brown pants, hair pulled back.
"Voici ma fille!" he exclaimed, trying to take me into a hug. I hit him on the head with the wooden spoon I was holding.
"No! You have no idea of how much I'm trying to do at once France! I need to cook not only the spaghetti, but also the vegetable soup at once and I haven't even started on the chocolate cake or the strawberry crème puffs! Now either help out or get lost!" I yelled at him. His face softened.
"Okay Annabel. I can see you're stressed, but it's only Prussia and Spain. You don't have to go to all of this trouble. Honestly, you try too much to impress guests and yet you don't even show your face when they come. Everything is put out and set before they come and you don't ever try to get the satisfaction of bringing it out and seeing their faces light up at your cooking. You're a mystery," he said. I held up the soup for him to try. His facial expressions showed he approved.
"I'm not a mystery, I'm humble. I know my place," I responded, adding a bit more pepper to the soup.
"Well, today your place is at the table. You are to sit with Prussia, Spain and myself, and maybe, just maybe, you'll realize the joy in seeing someone light up. I'd like to introduce them to you," he replied grabbing the salt, trying to add some to the soup, but I caught his arm before he could.
"What if I don't want to? What would you say to that?" I replied, snatching the salt out of his hand.
"Trop mal, ma dame. You will be at the table. I'll set up a spot for you myself," he replied, walking to the spaghetti sauce and stirring it a bit for me. I gave up.
"If you insist. I set up the table in the courtyard. It's beautiful outside today and the flowers frame the view of the lake quite nicely," I replied. He nodded, walking out to set up the table. Soon he had everything in place and ready for me to serve. I took everything off the various stoves and prepared everything. I was just ladling out the soup as France came back in.
"Prussia and Spain should be here any moment, do you want me to take over so you can change?" he offered, taking the bowl. I gave him a smile as I scurried upstairs and dashing to my room. France was very generous, letting me stay with him. I remember the first day I was here.
"Bonjour! Welcome to my home!" France exclaimed, gesturing in. I took my brown suitcases and walked in, admiring the French man's home.
"This is incredible! Thank you so much for taking me in while big brother Canada is remodeling our home. I still can't believe that he's letting me stay with you. After everything the Allies have told me and what Germany says too," I commented, walking into the large forayer.
"Wha? What do they say?" France cried hysterically.
"Oh just how perverted you are and how they won't be surprised if you get arrested for rape or sexual assault," I replied nonchalantly. He gave me a horrified look. Soon the man went into an angry rant, mixing English with French. I giggled at this and he gave me a surprised look.
"Why are you laughing?" he asked.
"You're so funny! I can tell we're going to get along swimmingly!" I smiled. He soon returned the smile.
"Annabel! Please come down! Prussia and Spain have arrived!" France called to me. I rushed downstairs, not wanting to keep them waiting. I stopped dead in my tracks as I rounded the corner and came face to face with two men. One had silvery hair and bright, michevious eyes while the other had soft chestnut hair and dazzling emerald eyes. The man with the silver hair had a look that I didn't like. I stayed in my place by the corner. "Annabel, this is Prussia and Spain." I didn't move. "Don't worry dear, they won't bite! Come here and greet them," France instructed. I walked nervously over to the two of them.
"H-h-hello," I squeaked out. Prussia and Spain just looked at me.
"This is Annabel, and Annabel, these are my good friends, Prussia and Spain," France introduced. Prussia examined me.
"She's very pretty, France. I SHALL INVADE HER VITAL REGIONS!" he exclaimed. My face turned redder than a tomato.
"You will do no such thing to her! Canada trusts me with his sister!" France scolded, holding me protectively.
"Oh, so you're already sleeping with her. I guess I'll have to back down this time," Prussia commented. All of us gave a horrified look at Prussia.
"Prussia! Hijo de puta enfermo! You don't say that kind of stuff about a lady!" Spain exclaimed. France put his hands over my ears. I assumed that Spain had used some foul language.
"Not in front of Canada's kid sister!" he yelled. I squirmed in his arms and took his hands off of my ears.
"France, I'm not a little kid! I may not be as old as you, but I have heard this kind of stuff. Besides, I don't even know Spanish!" I exclaimed.
"Ooh, feisty. I like her, France. I may have to steal her away from you, but as soon as she sees how awesome I am, I don't think that'll be a problem," Prussia commented, giving me a flirtatious smirk that made me shudder.
"Prussia, if you lay one hand on her I swear I'll déchirer votre gorge et vous les décapiter!" France replied defensively. I gasped at what he said. Spain and Prussia also seemed surprised.
"Fine. I won't touch your girlfriend yet! I didn't know you were gonna be this serious about some random girl you're sleeping with. She must be really good if you're this protective," Prussia said. I blushed even harder.
"I'm not in any sort of romantic relationship with France and I am most certainly not sleeping with him!" I exclaimed. I turned to France. "I should get the lunch out." He nodded to me. I trotted away to the kitchen, laughing silently to myself, hearing France and Spain yelling at Prussia. The yelling soon died down as all three went out to the court yard. I brought the plates out, balancing two on my arms and two in my hands, setting them down. The three were admiring the view of the lake as I put the stew and bowl of spaghetti on.
"Wow France! ¡Qué hermosa vista! Did you do this amazing landscaping?" Spain asked. France shook his head. I smiled to my self a bit.
"I didn't. Annabel did; she has quite the green thumb. I help her out sometimes with the roses, but she just ends up fixing my mistakes," he said, looking to me.
"Maravilloso Annabel! You have quite a talent!" Spain exclaimed. I blushed at the compliment.
"Merci, Monsieur Spain," I replied, setting everything down. We all sat as everyone helped themselves to the food.
"So Annabel, why don't we see you when we're here?" Spain asked, eating up the spaghetti. I smiled softly at this. France had been right about seeing people's eyes light up when they were eating my food.
"I prefer to stay out of the way," I replied.
"I try to convince her to come out every now and then and join us, but she refuses. Annabel's probably already terrified of Prussia," France chuckled.
"As well she should be! The great Gilbert was meant to be feared by all! It makes it easier to invade their vital regions!" Prussia exclaimed. No one knew how to react to that. He just killed the conversation right there. I leaned over to France.
"The first time I met you, I thought you would be more like Prussia. Is he always this obnoxious and creepy?" I whispered. France simply nodded. The rest of luncheon consisted of Spain cursing in Spanish at Prussia, France covering my ears, and Prussia's ego (enough said at that). By the time they left, I was exhausted. I finished cleaning up and returned to the courtyard to sit and admire the view. France soon came up to sit beside me.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" he asked. I gave him a look that said it all. "I'm very sorry for putting you through that. Maybe next time, you should sit the next visit out. But if you survived them, you can survive anyone else," he reassured.
"I'm fine with Spain visiting, it's just that Prussia is too much for my liking," I responded. "He's a vile man and the most perverted creature I've ever met."
"Even more so than me?" France asked. I laughed at this.
"Oh so much more than you," I giggled. I noticed France was looking at me strangely. He had a soft smile and in his eyes, was that love? It couldn't be. "France? Is something wrong?" I asked. His face went pink, so I kissed his forehead. "France, you're heating up. Maybe we should get you out of the sun." I stood up, but he grabbed my arm to stop me.
"No, no, I'm fine, ma cherie! Please, stop worrying about me all the time," France replied, pulling me down onto his lap. This struck me as odd as he buried his face into the crook of my neck.
"Francis, please tell me, what's wrong? You're not acting like yourself," I asked, playing with his hair. He took my other hand and pressed it against the skin of his chest. His heart was frighteningly beating fast. "France what's wrong? Are you sick? Pneumonia, low blood pressure, infection, please tell me what's wrong." France just chuckled.
"I'm not sick. My heart is always like that when I'm around you," France confessed. I was shocked, surprised, and confused by this. Everything became clear when his lips pressed to mine. "J'adore toi."
"In English please," I teased.
"No," he pouted.
"Want another kiss?"
"Yes."
"Then English please." France let out a defeated sigh.
"I love you."
"J'adore toi aussi," I replied kissing him. Prussia then walked in to grab his forgotten jacket when he saw us.
"You liars!"