At the End of the Day

The mind, it can be a beautiful thing, it can be destructive, it can be productive, and it can also break us down. My brain has betrayed me I believe, it seems to have gone haywire and I can't do a single thing. But that's enough about my problems, why don't I introduce myself? I am Heracles Karpusi, also known as the holy majestic nation of Greece. I love cats, relaxing, and just enjoying life to the fullest, on top of all that I like men. Yes, it may seem weird but it was just the way I was raised, my mother taught me to never think about the flesh as anything but just that, the Olympic Games were originally done naked for heaven's sakes! I put an end to that once I was put in charge; I don't feel as comfortable seeing men bounce around in nothing at all. I also stopped holding the games here; it hurt too much remembering her and her favorite pastime. My mother died when I was still young, she was murdered by none other than the great Roman Empire. I hate it. People say that I should be proud of the fact that my mother was killed by such a great power as him but all I feel is anger, and sadness. That's when they say that I will never become a great country again unless I just accept the fact that with war comes sacrifice and to get anywhere you must go to war. Who are they to say that my mother dying was just some sacrifice for the greater good, even if I did believe it, it would still be wrong. The absolute worst, though, is when that snot-nosed nation Italy comes up and hugs and kisses me, I mean I don't necessarily have a grudge against him; it's just that he is HIS grandson and I hate HIM. Again with my problems, that seems to be a habit of mine, I whine and complain and in the end do nothing about it. I happen to enjoy my comfortable lifestyle so why would I want to ruin that with hopes or dreams?

Now that I am done bitching, I guess it would be best if I continued on with my day, it seems like a good day for digging, hopefully I can find another one of my mother's possessions. When I find one, I am so happy I can hardly contain it, on the other hand though I am also sad, sad because every item of hers contains another memory. I am a pretty simple guy I guess, not to special not to boring, just right. There is no special plan for guys like me, some get adventure, some get holy artifacts, I get a big pile of ancient rubble and a couple dozen cats to live with…life pretty much sucks.

"Listen if you are just gonna stand there and sunbathe then I can't get any work done," Heracles complained.

"…"

"Could you at least scoot over a little bit?"

"…"

"Whatever, I'll just take a page from your book Captain Cat and take a nap," Heracles stretched out on the ground next to his favorite cat, at least he thought it was captain cat, he could never really tell the difference between his feline friends. "*yawn* Why do you always tempt me into doing things like this you furry little devil?"

"*meow*"

"*yawn* I agree," and just like that, Heracles was out on the ground next to a cat who he believed to be his favorite.

Sadiq Adnan had a different approach to life, he was the type to conquer first and ask questions later, although he hadn't done any conquering in a long time. The previous Ottoman Empire, Turkey was a shell of who he used to be. He was fine with that fact though, it seemed he enjoyed just picking on other nations instead of going to war with them.

"Oi, I'm bored. I should go pick on that Karpusi kid; he is always fun to fuck with." Turkey had made it a sport to pick on poor Heracles; he figured a nation that has time to nap has time to deal with his pestering! So yet again Turkey decided to stroll off and have a little fun in Greece.

"Hello Greece-san I am here to visit, are you available?" Kiku asked the slumbering nation.

"Hey Japan, I hope you don't mind that I am naked," Heracles said, rolling over to get a better look at his friend.

"You aren't naked Greece-san," Kiku simply stated.

"I can if you want me to be," Greece said with a solid, expressionless face.

"Uh, no thank you," Greece frowned and decided not to push the subject, much to Japan's delight. "The weather is wonderful today; I can understand why you felt the urge to take a nap."

"Actually the cat made me do it. I was working by then he wouldn't move and made me sleep next to him," Heracles said in almost a whisper. "And when I woke up you were here and I was offering to get naked, which still stands."

"Again, no thank you, but I did bring some food for a pick nick if you have the time I would like to learn more about your culture," Kiku half-stated, half-asked.

"Of course we can, I'm starving!" And with that, the two unlikely friends sat down on a blanket that Kiku brought and ate their delicious lunch while basking in each other's company.

Turkey on the other hand was on his way to see his favorite target, unaware of the fact that his "best buddy" was going to be there. He never really knew why he was so obsessed with the Japanese nation, he just was, he also never knew why Heracles found Kiku so intriguing as well. It was almost like having a lost brother or meeting an old friend again, and that made Kiku very important to him. So seeing his favorite nation with that Grecian idiot made him beyond angry.

"Why would you want to hang out with such a lazy nation like Greece?" Turkey interjected, "You know, Japan, me and you have a lot more in common."

"Maybe he and I just have more to talk about then you do, probably because I'm just more interesting than you," Greece said in a way that just brushed Adnan aside.

"Or maybe Kiku is just taking pity on you because you have no friends!" Turkey yelled immediately after Heracles' comeback.

"This coming from a nation that pesters me for fun, oh wait you also come here to prove to me how much of a loathsome being you are, hey at least you can multitask," Greece had a smile of self-satisfaction on his face.

"All I'm doing is giving you someone to talk to, do you know how depressing it is to see you sit around all day and do nothing? If I had that much time on my hands I would at least go and talk to my friends," Adnan said, letting the conversation get a little too personal.

"Only as depressing as it is to watch you pretend that you're the best thing that's happened to humanity, along with watching you do everything in your power to make me feel worse about my life. Is your existence really so miserable that you have to go around and make other people feel worse about their lives too?" Heracles had been the first to decide to take it a little too far.

"Fine! I'll leave you alone then, you will be begging to talk to me soon enough!" And with that, Turkey stormed off, regretting that he let it get that far. All he wanted to do was to have a normal conversation with his neighboring nation, but it always ended up like this; a fight, one of them storming off, and end up talking again before the week's end.

"Wasn't that going a bit far, Greece-san?" Kiku inquired, hoping that Heracles wasn't steamed up from the small fight he had just had with Adnan.

"No, we fight like this all the time, he will be back soon enough, and if he is really bored he'll be back by the end of the day," Greece said while playing with a blade of grass between his fingers. "You know, Kiku, it is getting kinda hot, wanna get naked?"

"No, thank you, Greece-san," Kiku was always weirded out with how much this nation wanted to get naked.

"Oh, well, at least we still have some food," Greece said in a disappointed tone.

"Hey there Heracles, whatcha up to?" Adnan said while approaching the lethargic nation.

"Why are you back?" Greece said in an almost sharp tone.

"Listen, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For doing that all the time, you know fighting with you. I never mean for it to happen, it just does and it doesn't help that you are always so stoic." Turkey seemed to sink into his scarf; apologies were not his strong suit.

"No need for apologies, we always do this." Greece was astonished by the sudden show of emotions, usually Adnan was just an ass twenty-four seven.

"What are we?"

"I don't understand the question."

"Are we friends? Fellow nations? What?" Adnan couldn't stand the feeling in his stomach; it was so light and tingly.

"I wouldn't know, I really don't think of things like this, I thought you didn't either," Greece hated telling lies.

"I don't! I just wanted to know what was going on, I kinda think you hate me." That's it; he was going to go all in!

"I thought you hated me, but then again we could just naturally not get along." At this point Greece was just shell shocked; he was having an actual conversation with the one nation that he hated the most.

"Hm, maybe so," Turkey paused for a bit and then smiled. "I love the sunset on your side, it's always painted with so many vibrant colors, nothing like the sunset at home."

"Thanks… I agree, your place sucks."

"Asshole."

"Prick."

"Mama's boy."

"Freak."

"Where did that one come from?!"

"Have you seen some of the things you have worn?"

"They are beautiful and expensive outfits!" Greece knew he had hit one of Adnan's sore spots. Greece was about to say something when he heard an idiotic laugh in emanating from the distance.

"Oh crap, um Turkey, could you perhaps hide me?"

"W-what? Where, why?" Turkey had no clue what was going on.

"Please?" Greece gave his best attempt at puppy dong eyes, which he dubbed his kitty cat eyes.

"Okay," Turkey gave in. He decided to give Greece a lift into the tree that he was leaning against so he could hide for whatever reason he needed to. Not too long after he was put up in the tree, a certain overly happy, bubbly Italian nation came skipping along looking for a very lazy nation and his furry companions.

"Hey you! Big man!" Little Italy yelled at Turkey.

"Yes, Feliciano?" Turkey tried to hold back his annoyance, for who could be overtly annoyed with cute little Italy to his face?

"Where is the sleeping cat man?" Feliciano asked, sounding more and more childish.

"If you mean Heracles, then I have no clue where he is, I'm actually looking for him myself." Turkey said, covering for the hiding nation, hoping he can get back to his interesting conversation with him.

"Okay, well I hope you find him, no wait I hope I find him, or well let's find him!" Feliciano could hardly contain his excitement. Turkey waited until the Italian nation was out of sight, and extended his arms toward Heracles' hiding spot. "Well, are you gonna jump down or not?" After positioning himself, Heracles jumped out of the tree, and right into Turkey's arms.

"Thanks, I didn't want to have to deal with him today," Heracles gave an appreciative smile.

"No problem, I'm just curious to know why you don't like that adorable little ball of pasta and sunshine," Heracles couldn't tell if Adnan was being serious or sarcastic.

"It's kind of a long story, one that I would rather not get into," Heracles' face dropped, he hated having to explain things like this, everybody always judges him.

"Is it because he is Rome's grandson?" Heracles' breath hitched, Turkey guessed it was because he just came outright and said it.

"Yeah, I know it's stupid and petty and that I'm just being a child, but every time he walks up to me and wants hugs and kisses, I just can't stand it. How can somebody be angry with a guy like that? Especially when he has done nothing to deserve it. It's just so annoying that someone like him who does nothing at all gets to have happiness, it sucks that the is such a good person and I can't stand the sight of him. The worst thing is that everybody thinks that he is the best thing in the world!" By this point, Heracles was heaving for breath, he hadn't told anybody about this before, and now his worst enemy has something to hold over his head.

"I'd say that's enough of a reason," was Adnan's simple response.

"You really think so? Everybody else says that I'm just being stupid or childish."

"Look at Arthur and Francis, they have absolutely no reason for all of their fighting, yet nobody judges them, anyways what would be the big deal if they did judge you? Just be you, and if people don't like you , tough shit!" Adnan finished his statement with an overdramatic hand gesture that he thought validated his point.

"Heh, it sounds like you are lecturing a child for their first day of school," Heracles' smile had brightened up a bit.

"Well, if you need more examples, how about Ludwig, he is afraid to admit that he likes Feliciano, even to himself, yet he is one of the most mature nations. It's not a matter of whether you're mature or not, it's just the experiences we learn from and how we deal with them, you know? It's not that you're immature, you just handle things differently than others and they are too ignorant to see that." By this point, Adnan had begun to feel foolish, but he wanted to make the Grecian nation feel better.

"You know I had you pegged all wrong, I figured that you were just an egotistical asshole who found pleasure out of the misery of others." Adnan's face dropped, "But in the end, you know more about life than I do, I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to find enjoyment out of annoying the hell out of you, but at least now you'll know that there's more to me." Adnan had a toothy grin, and was staring right at Heracles, making the other nation chuckle to himself.

"And I will always shoot you down any chance I get, I am a very mature nation you know," Greece started smiling, "I do demand some respect around here." Heracles let out another small chuckle.

"That's the way it should be." With this statement, Adnan had lost his smile because he also hated lying to himself. Heracles curled himself up into a ball and rested his chin on his knees, muffling his voice.

"I love you," Heracles buried his face into his knees.

"Huh?" Adnan questioned.

"I said that you're stupid," Heracles lied.

"Oh, did you now? Well looks like I will have to just turn up the annoyance level so I can really show you stupid!" Adnan had gotten his lively spirit back and started chasing after Heracles, which he gladly played along with and let Adnan give chase.

Heracles saw Adnan off, said his goodbyes, and headed back to his favorite resting spot. Heracles never could find out why he loved this spot, maybe it was the sweet Mediterranean breeze that flew by, or the cool damp grass that soothed his body. Or perhaps it was the fact that this was where Adnan came to look for him when he was in the mood to annoy him, all he did know was at the end of the day, even though he hated that loud and obnoxious man, he would always be there for him. At the end of the day, no matter what went wrong, that same man would make all his worries fade away. At the end of the day, he had somebody to love even if he never sees or hears him say so.

A/N: So yeah that's my first fan fiction, I hope you enjoyed it. This is one of my personal favorite pairings so I hope I did it justice and even if I didn't I am still proud of it! If you liked it you know what to do! Comments are loved and all that jazz, flames make me stronger, and yeah that's it! Have a good day/night!