It was familiar, he knew the scent. Nose wrinkled in slight disgust; did he actually smell like that? It's stronger than it was all those years ago. Had he acquired that scent once before? He hoped not.
The blond British Empire sat across the Romanian, the two waiting for the third member of their group. The Magical Trio they were called, much like the old Bad Touch Trio. Lukas texted he would be late at he was helping Emil with some work he got caught with. Sure, more like stalking the Icelandic while he was hanging out with Wang Jia Long, otherwise known as Hong Kong. Despite raising the Chinese nation, he honestly didn't think twice on what he did with his life now. He did become panicky when he bought fire crackers though.
"How long does it take to stalk someone?" Arthur murmured glancing at the clock in his living room.
Razvan glanced from his potions book. He was allowed to read it, but not do actual potions. After accidently giving his Bulgarian partners a potion that turned his skin hot pink, he wasn't allowed to brew potions without permission.
"You know how Lukas is." He smiled brightly over the book. His one tooth looking as to be a fang nearly shined. "His brother comes first."
Arthur scoffed fixing his cloak as he stood. "I'll just brew some tea then. I'll warm it up if it gets cold by the time he gets here."
He stood and walked around the table passing Razvan. Before going through the swinging door to the kitchen, he got a whiff of something. He knew this scent, but it was so strong. It was familiar, he knew the scent. Nose wrinkled in slight disgust; did he actually smell like that? It's stronger than it was all those years ago. Had he acquired that scent once before? He hoped not.
"Romania smokes?" He questioned when the door swung shut behind him. "He never smelled like smoke before. Maybe he just started."
The Englishman threw the thought out like a Frisbee. It wasn't right to ask personal things to people. Maybe it was Andre who was smoking? Yea, no way Romania smokes. Wait, he threw this out the window. Arthur had more important things to do.
"Arthur!" Hollered the smiling Romanian as he ran to the kitchen. Just as Arthur put the pot on the stove.
"What?" He asked taking his box of tea bags out.
"Lukas' is on his way." He showed his cell phone, Arthur read the text.
"Good, he should arrive when the tea is done." He smiled and started picking out a good number of packets.
"What flavor this time?" Razvan asked as he leaned close next to the blond.
There's that scent again; smoke, cigarettes, and tobacco. Arthur smelled it even heavier now. He pounced from his spot and opened his cupboard to talk out three mugs. "Just regular tea." He answered setting them by the sink.
Razvan nodded and turned to the dining room. "I'll move the stuff to your basement."
"There's no need." Arthur insisted, hoping he hadn't offended him just from that small movement.
"I have books I borrowed to return anyway." He grinned and left the other room. The Romanian came back and opened the door to his left leading to Arthur's basement.
The British man sighed and combed his fingers through his hair. Blond follicles sticking up and some flapping back down to hover over his thick brows. "Haven't smelled that in years."
Arthur had thought back on the days when he smoked. No, not cigarettes, years before those were developed. The taste of tobacco, the smell of smoldering fire, the feeling of his lungs inhaling it all.
"Arthur."
"Wha?" Emerald eyes shifted over to his back porch seeing the third and final member of the trio enter through the open doors. His black cloak hung over his shoulder as he had the same bored careless expression as always.
"You finally arrived. About time, usually it's Romania that's late." Arthur indicated with hands on his hips.
"I had reasons, unlike him." Lukas muttered checking his phone.
"Right." He responded feeling his mind set back to before.
"Something troubling you?" The Norwegian asked as his thumbs skimmed over his keypad to send reply to a text. By his expression Arthur had to guess it was from his neighboring country Denmark.
Wanting the thought to leave him be, asking Norway seemed his only solution. "Does Romania smoke?"
Norway paused and glanced to him questioningly. His blue violet eyes shifted back to his cell phone as quickly as they left. "Yes."
"What?!" Arthur jumped at the both the answer and the sudden high pitch whistle of the kettle.
Without trouble, Lukas got the dark navy kettle off the hot stove to the cool left side with ease. All the while sending his text with his other hand holding the phone.
"What do you mean he smokes? When did he start?" Arthur was still stunted now pacing what small area of the kitchen he had with Norway.
Lukas took the liberty to pour the hot water in each mug and take the right amount of tea bags for each member. "What's the big deal, Eng?" He asked using the nickname he dubbed the British Nation.
"I-It's not!" Arthur denied. "I just never was expecting him to be a smoker! That's all!"
"We've all smoked at one point."
"Razvan has no real purpose to smoke, unlike us." England tried to think of this logically.
"We smoked for different reasons." Norway tried to reason with him.
With cell phone away, Lukas got two mugs with tea bags and left for the basement. It was known by all three if one was late they'd be in the basement in waiting. Arthur took the third mug and absent idly bobbed the bag in his drink to just how he liked it.
As the two close countries descended down stairs, they –mostly Arthur- were shocked what they found. A thick white stick dangled about between his lips as the owner of the lips searched his pockets as if he was looking for something relaying his life on. Looking up, his sparkling huge crimson eyes got large when he saw the final member had arrived.
"Norgie!" He smiled brightly who put the cups down on the table. Books, scrolls, and weird needed ingredients nearly covered the counter. "I was hoping to find my lighter before you arrived-" He stopped short to catch the stick before it fell to the floor.
England was stunted.
"Why?" Norway asked.
"I learned some new smoking tricks. I wanted to impress you guys by the time you came down."
Pale hands shook from near anger. Smoke!? Fill Arthur's precious basement with the stench of smolder and cigarettes? By whose permissions!? It was more than rude to just suck a fag in someone else's house without asking. It was downright offensive!
Well, he didn't have a lighter, and Arthur keeps lighting equipment in his locked cupboard. So, all was well-
"Borrow mine."
"LUKAS!?" Arthur screamed from that offer.
The two had noticed how he was standing far at the end of the steps. "Really Norway?"
"Only if you smoke outside, and not down here." He said holding his home flag designed lighter.
"Deal! Deal!" The Romanian agreed eagerly to show his new tricks to his friends.
England's jaw was near past his shoulder as the two member chalantly walked passed him and up the stairs to outside.
"Coming, Eng?" Nor asked as the excited Romanian bounced up the stairs.
England only shook his head and muttered a 'thanks' to him. He really didn't want Alfred to visit tomorrow to find his house reeked of smoke. Arthur would never live it down, same with the old frog face for his visit in two days.
Once outside, Razvan gently lit the cigarette with ease and grinned the second it was lit. Lukas and Arthur got outside just in time for Lukas to catch his lighter when Razvan tossed it their direction.
"Ready? Ready? Watch!"
Now, They had expected to see the typical smoke wings or blowing smoke through the nose. They got something even more shocking. Inhaling deeply, Romania closed his eyes, removed the cigarette, and blew out with puckered lips. Out came a puff of smoke, but the shape of it made the two nations do a double take. It was hard to see from the sunny weather, but the puff looked to have taken shape. Norway knew the shape right away.
"It's a balaur dragon."
"Pardon?" Arthur asked shaking his head.
"A balaur, a dragon that resides in Romania. Much like the ones in Europe." Lukas explained.
"I've been making these a lot. And not just this form." Razvan wasn't lying; he along with the balaur made a bat, wolf, vampire grin, and a babau. It caused Flying Mint Bunny to hide back in the house and Norway's fairies to hide in his bag.
They were turning to be more and more impressed than anything. They didn't look to be simple tricks as Romania claimed them to be. These 'tricks' were more like a talent. Like England was good with spells secrets and Norway had a knack on summoning. Looks like Romania found his ability at last.
"How long has this been going on?" Norway asked when Romania just made small puffed smoke bats.
"About a month or three so far."
The three sat at the table, Razvan across from Arthur and Lukas. He was on the third stick and hasn't stopped making these clouds of many shapes and looks. After a few moments, Arthur caught Lukas pulling his own pack of cigs out.
"You wanna try too, Lukas?" Razvan asked.
He shook his head lighting the stick. Norway inhaled deeply and let the smoke escape through his nostrils. "The smell was making me crave the nicotine."
"You as well?" Arthur asked inching to having them all across from one another.
He took another breath of it. "I only smoke when Bror is bothering me or stress is exploding at home or work. I rarely smoke for the taste, but Romania here," Lukas nodded his head to the strawberry blond. "got me craving it."
Romania threw a sharp smile. "Sorry."
Norway waved it off and continued smoking. The two glanced at the Englishman. He noticed the stares and went stiff.
"W-What?"
"Why don't you join us, England?" Romania asked kindly.
"Umm, No. I'm good thank you." He sipped his tea, near slurping from how tense he felt.
"Come on, please?" Romania pursued.
"Eng quit smoking years ago," Lukas told sighed a thick cloud.
"Oh? How long?"
"Back when America was still a kid." Arthur answered thumbing with the thread of his shirt. "I never smoked cigarettes before, but I smoked pipes back then. One day, Alfred found it and tried to smoke a pipe. He nearly choked from inhaling so much and scared me to death."
"So ever since, he promised to never smoke again." Norway finished.
"But Alfred is a big boy now; he's smoked before back a couple years ago." Romania interjected. He didn't want to force Arthur to smoke, but thought it'd be enjoyable for all three to smoke out puffs of clouds in whatever shapes.
"Yes, he quit after a few of his famous citizens died from cancer. Walt Disney hit him the most." Arthur explained. "If he saw me smoking, I don't know what'd he do."
The two nations understood and decided not to force Arthur to try again. They wouldn't want to hear a fight between the once was brothers all over smoking once. He might even pick it up again, it was better to drop it.
After about 4 minutes of silence, Arthur held his hand out to Lukas. The blond raised a brow at him, he only gestured his hand as if giving him something. Feeling like a smart ass, Lukas raised his free hand, and softly slapped it down at Arthur's hand.
"Low five."
"THAT'S NOT WHAT IT WAS FOR!" He screamed feeling more irritated.
"Then what?" He asked dully.
"I-I want to try a faq…"
The two nations stared at him. "Eng, I'm flattered." Norway told with a hand over his chest.
"I MEAN A CIGARETTE!"
"You wanna join, Arthur?" Romania was on his second now and beamed when he heard his shout.
"Just once. Then I want to get rid of the stench as soon as possible." He said sternly as Lukas lit a stick and gave it to Arthur.
He was hesitant at first; it was a huge jump from a pipe. Not to mention it's been centuries since he last smoked. His lungs and taste wouldn't be used to it. But, maybe since he smoked the old pipes, these would be nothing compared to them. These were just nicotine sticks you lit and sucked on. Pipes you had to prepare and clean.
Arthur decided to hurry it before the faq was wasted. Clasping his lips around it, he took a deep intake.
"Ohh, Good lord!" He coughed and hacked out smoke. "That's bloody strong!"
Romania and Norway quickly put out theirs and aided to their British friend. Norway took the cigarette away and waved the air to help give clean air to breath. Romania patted his back to get all the dirty smoke out of his lungs.
"Never again –hack- will I smoke -cough cough hack- ever again!"