Author's Note: Kinda a crack fic, this popped into my head after finding out, astonishingly, that Red Bull…..comes from AUSTRIA. It was based on a formula from Thailand, but changed to suit western palates. Several counties banned it, finding trace amounts of cocaine in it (may have been the cola version, not the regular version…) This was gonna be a one-shot, but I figured I could make it at least two chapters, maybe more, depending on reviews. This chapter's kinda short, but the second will be longer.
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Roderich Edelstein flitted from room to room in his house, cleaning everything he could find. His boss sent over a few cases of a new drink that they had developed, one that was said to increase your energy. He tried one, flinching at the sour taste. "It's worse then American beer!" he cried, but out of loyalty to his country, he finished the drink. With the burst of energy he got from it, he cleaned his kitchen to a sparkling shine.
After the kitchen had been cleaned thoroughly, Roderich slumped down at the table, the spark he got from the drink having faded away, replaced by a dull pulse in his head. He grabbed another of the repulsive drinks, and gulped it down. A small guest room and bathroom on the first floor were polished to a shine. Feeling that headache returning, he drank down another of the drinks, finding the taste less repulsive.
Three days later, the cycle was still continuing.
Roderich's house was large, and living alone left many of the rooms unused, coated in a lacy layer of dust. He began to look rumpled, as he cleaned the rooms one by one, downing another 'energy drink' every time he felt his strength waning. A soft sheen of sweat graced his brow, and as he dusted, he noticed his hands trembling slightly. He huffed at the sight, not used to his surgical-steady hands moving of their own accord.
A soft sigh crossed his lips, and he put down his cleaning supplies. Winding through the halls of his massive home, he made his way to his music room. Settling down at his beloved grand piano, he gently lifted the cover from the keys, and started to play one of his favorite tunes, "Moonlight Sonata".
He winced and paused, as his shaking hands his a wrong note. Blinking, he began playing again, not hearing the soft click of his front door opening and the booted feet striding toward the room he was in. Austria's face scrunched up as he his another wrong note, and then another still. He stopped playing, a hand drifting to his head, as the headache was returning.
"Having issues, specs?" a German accented voice came from behind him, making the smaller man jump slightly. Gilbert Weillschmidt frowned, standing in the music room doorway. He had never know Austria to be so…jumpy. "You ok, Roderich?" he asked, concern in his voice. Roderich waved the question off. "Ja, I'm wunderbar." he muttered, brushing past the Prussian and heading toward his kitchen. Prussia followed, looking the brunette up and down. "You sure, specs? You look like you haven't changed your clothes in days.". Roderich ignored the question, making it to his refrigerator and grasping another of the drinks. Gilbert sputtered. "What the fuck is that?" he asked, moving close to Roderich to read the back of the can in his hand. "Dude," he whispered, "that thing is ten kinds of wrong!" Roderich clicked his tongue. "I'm perfectly fine, and I've had plenty of these. Now why are you here, Gilbert?"
"To check on you." was the Prussian's reply. "You missed the World Meeting yesterday, and that's not like you!" Austria blinked and dropped the now empty can to the floor. "How…that's impossible!" he murmured, striding out of the kitchen to his room to check his calendar. Gilbert picked up the forgotten can and brought it to the trash, gasping when he saw the can already full of empty energy drink cans.
A sudden crash above him caught his attention, and he ran down the halls and up the stairs in the direction of the crash. Gilbert burst into Roderich's room, worry plastered on his pale features. Roderich was curled up on the floor, several items from his writing deck on the floor around him. His hand was grasping the fabric of his shirt over his heart. Terrified lavender eyes met worried crimson. Gilbert was on the floor in an instant, his cell phone in hand. Roderich shut his eyes, whimpering softly. Gilbert dialed his brother, who said he'd be there as quick as he could. He gulped and searched for another number, Vash Zwingli. He knew that Switzerland had the closed hospital geared to deal with the unique anatomy of Nation People. Gilbert pushed the 'dial' button and swallowed deeply. The last time he had a run-in with Vash, it took the hospital hours to get all the buckshot out of his hindquarters.
"What the hell do you want, Prussia?" Vash asked as he answered the phone. Gilbert ran a hand through his slivery hair and cleared his throat. "I need you to get your hospital ready for a Nation Person emergency." Vash let out a weird sound on the other end, halfway between a chuckle and a sigh. "Who's you piss off this time, Prussia?" Gilbert tsked . "No one, you dummkopf! It's for Austria!"
"What did you do to Austria?" Vash asked, a tone of anger in his voice. Gilbert raised his voice as he saw Roderich's hand loosen it's grip and fall limply to the floor. "NOTHING! He had a bunch of these weird drinks, and I think it busted his heart or something!" Vash started speaking to someone else, Gilbert hearing his clipped voice demanding the hospital get ready immediately. "I'm sending someone to get you. They'll be there in ten minutes. Get one of those drinks bring it with you. Don't make things fucking worse." Vash said bluntly, hanging up.
Gilbert frowned and felt to see if Roderich was still breathing. With a sigh, he noted the Austrian was, though soft and far too shallow. Hearing his brother enter the house, Gilbert called out to him. Ludwig found them quickly, and Gilbert explained everything to him. Leaving Ludwig with Roderich, he dashed to the kitchen, grabbing a full can of the drink from the fridge, just as Vash's crew came in to gather them all for transport.
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Reviews are nice. Chapter 2 will be up…at some point. This week. I know that.
