"I don't prefer it, no."

England kept his expression calm, setting his cup back on its saucer. "What makes you say that?" It was a little bit odd, having a one-on-one conversation with China. The air was thick with tension, and it made the Briton uncomfortable. China never approved of England, and stared him down with a cold glare. His eyes were dark with frustration. They reminded England of hardened amber, or burnt honey.

"Stop staring, aru. I say that because the taste is disgusting," China replied, catching England's gaze. His frown deepened.

Damn him! It wasn't England's fault China was so...Whatever it was, it caused England to cough into his hand. "I wasn't staring."

"Were so."

"Was not."

"Were so, aru," China firmly repeated.

"Was n- Away with this banter. Coffee tastes perfectly fine," England said, matching his frown to the Oriental's. "Have you even tried it?"

China looked disgusted with the accusation. "Of course I have, aru. I only very seldom drink it."

England looked down to his own cup of coffee; true, he preferred tea over what was in his hand, but it certainly wasn't disgusting.

"Whatever you're drinking?" China continued, pointing across the table, "It's bitter."

"So is tea."

"Tea is different, aru."

England leaned back. "Fine. What coffee do you drink, then?"

"I use a lot of milk and sugar, aru. Cream, or-"

England snorted in dissatisfaction. "That's not coffee. What that is, plain and simple, is a frou-frou vanilla milk drink advertised as coffee."

"Mr. Kirkland, we have very different views. I firmly believe you are drinking sludge, aru."

"Mis-" England paused for a moment. 'Mr. Wang' sounded absurd. And he couldn't call China by his first name, that would be rude.

"Miss? I am not a woman, aru," China hissed, taking the pause in conversation as a stab at his appearance.

No, but you look it, England thought bitterly. China was small, of fair complexion, owned a light voice, and, well, was overall very feminine. "Ahem," England corrected, "I mean to say, you have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't I now?"

"No."

China's eyes narrowed. "You can't change my mind."

Alright, so maybe the situation got out of hand. Maybe England shouldn't have taken that statement as a challenge. What was done was done. England was sitting on top of China in what both would later agree to be a "misinterpretation."

China spit the black liquid in England's face. "Vile. That's what you are and that's what this drink is, aru."

England wiped away what was on his face with his sleeve. "You know what your problem is? You-"

"And your kissing could do with some work."

"...and you- pardon?" England didn't know if he heard that correctly or not.

"I said, 'your kissing could do with some work,' aru." China looked stern.

The silence yawned for over a minute. Finally England spoke up.

"Now see here," he started, getting off China and brushing himself off, "That was not a kiss. If it was, it'd be far superior."

"Oh, would it, now?" China looked doubtful. Then again, he doubted a lot of what England said.

"Y-yes! What's with that tone? You'd be floored if I had actually tried kissing you." England felt his ears burn. His face must have been deep red.

"But I'm floored now, aru." He was making light of how he was sitting on the ground. Standing up, China inspected his suit for any dirt that may have smudged it.

England growled. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"I know, Opium."

"You're so frustrating! I bet that's because I'm actually a better kisser than you, and you can't do better than what just happened now! In fact, I'm probably also a better lover." Why, why, oh why! did England have to go ahead and say that? It was ridiculous, it was embarrassing, it-

"I'll take you up on that, aru."

"...Pardon?"

China frowned. "The bet. Do you have memory loss as well as a childish nature, Opium?"

"I'm not following you," England said, confused.

There was a heavy, loud sigh from China. "You bet that you're a better kisser and lover than me, aru. I'm here to take that bet. We'll have tea at my house, aru."

England finally understood what China was getting at. "And coffee at my place?" he followed.

"If that's what you wish to call it, aru."

He was surprisingly gentle, but it was obvious who was in control of the situation. The light touches, the hushed voice, reassuring him. England never expected China to be so kind. He was frigid any other day; why now?

His body shivered when China let his hands trail up England's stomach. England leaned back into China and saw a sparkle in the Oriental's eyes. "What are your thinking about?"

When England was invited to tea, he thought "tea" was a metaphor for sex. It wasn't. They actually sat down to tea. But now...

China looked down at England, now running his fingers through the other's hair (It was actually really relaxing, and made England sigh contentedly). "Whatever you have in mind won't be worth the effort, aru." He sounded completely confident in himself.

"Our clothes aren't even off," England pointed out, but he had only just noticed.

A small hum, and China moved away from England. "I suppose we should fix that."

There was that brief, awkward moment of undressing. It made things all the more difficult. The waiting, the shyness, it was all laid out on the table haphazardly. But it also made the result more treasured. China now pressed the heel of his hand against England's exposed torso, pushing him into the bed with a gentle lead. It wasn't demanding, it wasn't forceful, it was what you'd expect to find from a pair of contented lovers who had years cherished between them.

Only it wasn't a pair of contented lovers. It was England and China.

As China let his hands wander wheresoever he wished, England found no other description but tea come to mind. He felt a sense of warmth run over him, trickling under his skin whenever China's long hair, loose from its usual tie, brushed against England accidentally. Wet heat was applied to England's inside thigh, making him pull away in apprehension.

China stopped his teasing and looked over to England's face. "Is something wrong, aru?"

England thought about telling China to stop and call off the bet, but that would mean China won, and his pride wouldn't allow him. "No, you just startled me."

"Oh," China said. "Is that all?" He flicked out his tongue once more and continued with the abuse.

When it came to the sex itself, China became less confident in himself, but he certainly didn't falter in his actions. It was his expression that gave it away.

"Now you look like the troubled one," England said between panting. China said nothing.

The room, along with the scent of lily, incense, and amber, now was filled with the sound of pleasure. There were moments when England would lose his vision, and these were the times that were most wonderful in his opinion. China knew exactly how to move, what to whisper in England's ear; it was almost scary.

They ended the night in ecstacy. England felt shaky and not all-there; China felt the same.

"And I suppose," England said, sitting up, "that you think you're hot stuff for that."

China tilted his head towards England. "I don't understand your slang, aru."

"That you- Oh, forget it," England muttered. "It's too difficult to explain at the moment."

"If it means what I think it does, then I am, aru."

"I hope you think it means cocky, because you're that as well." England didn't appreciate China''s attitude

"You're satisfied, aren't you?"

"...Shut up."

As England gathered and donned his suit from earlier, China asked, "Tomorrow is your turn?"

He turned around and adjusted his tie. "And we'll see who wins this bet."

"You...'re horrible, aru."

China pulled against his restraints with vain; England had tied them too securely. They held him from doing anything unpleasant to his captor. "Horrible, vile, just like your disgusting coffee, aru."

England ran a gloved hand along China's jawline. China jerked away and glared coldly at the touch.

"Don't be that way," England said, forcing China's head back. The smell of leather made the Eastern nation stick his tongue out in disgust. England took the chance to hook his fingers in China's mouth, opening it a bit wider. He really expected China to bite down, but surprisingly, China only looked on with hate. Would he, if this weren't part of a petty wager, fight back harder? It was hard enough getting him to sit still long enough to restrain him. England would probably have a nasty black eye by tomorrow morning.

China's body quivered when England touched him. He didn't want to say so, but he was enjoying this. Normally he would have been repulsed by the thought of being so roughly handled, but England made it different. He gasped in pain as another nip on the shoulder was administered, this time letting blood spill.

"What on earth do you think you're- Mmhph!" China was silenced by a harsh kiss from England. He tasted like the iron from the blood mixed with a bitter taste China couldn't place.

England pulled China closer and lavished him in kisses, creating a trail that paused at the hips.

"If I were free, you'd be-"

"Dead?" England finished, unaffected by the threats. "I know."

China squirmed as England continued lower, trying to get him to stop. Was this how England felt last night? Why did he allow China to continue? Why was China so fearful of England doing the same?

A gasp made England stop himself. "Problem?" he asked.

"..."

"No?"

"I hate you, aru."

"I know."

China continued to protest and complain, until England actually got his hands on China. He moaned out, breathing hitched and eyes glazed over. This made England stop.

"Why did you stop?"

England shrugged his shoulders and continue, coaxing more sounds from China. "I thought you hated me."

China puled and whimpered as a reply. He was powerless to whatever England wanted. He couldn't say no, he didn't want to say no.

But as soon as the ordeal was over, as soon as he was free from the restraints, China punched England square in the jaw.

"Ow! Bloody hell, what the fuck did you do that for?" England cursed out several more times, making sure nothing was broken. When he was convinced he would be fine and that nothing was amiss that ice couldn't fix, he looked to where China was.

To where China wasn't. China had left, without a sound.

It just so happened that there was another meeting held the next day, and all the nations were in attendance. Everyone had asked England where he had gotten the black eye. Everyone but China.

And during the meeting, England couldn't help but notice China's usual tea was replaced by black coffee.