Thanks for making it to the second chapter!
Things get heated among the Germans!
…xXx…
Switzerland groaned inwardly as the taxi pulled into the long gravel driveway of Austria's estate, and he stared apprehensively up at the mansion looming towards him.
The home was a deep purple in color with cool gray shutters, and the beautiful columns on the porch supporting the overhang were a worn white marble with soft swirled patterns engraved at the base. Tall willow trees lined the stone walk up to the front door with white rose bushes along the front of the house. The old mansion had an overall stoic presence, and the Swiss couldn't help the anxious feeling beginning to seep in his gut as the car pulled to a stop near the iron gate.
He followed Liechtenstein out of the cab and into the cool outside air, stopping to pay the driver before turning back to face the familiar home. His sister was already through the gate and trotting her way up the stepping stones towards the door. He heard the car back out of the driveway as he made his way up towards the estate. The blonde sighed at his sister's eagerness. "Lilli, slow down!"
Liechtenstein stopped and waited for him, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, big brother." She gazed back up at the mansion, awe in her green gaze. It traveled higher to stare at the sky as Switzerland caught up to her, noticing that it was a dark gray in color. She shivered from the cold. "I hope it doesn't storm. It sure looks like it's going to . . ."
Switzerland steadied her as a strong breeze blew, nearly knocking them off their feet, and his eyes narrowed as he followed her gaze to the growing mass of clouds. Alarm started to fill him against his will. I guess he really isn't feeling well, he thought.
"Come on." He began to quickly usher her up the stairs and onto the marble porch. "Let's get this over with before it starts to rain," he grumbled.
Just before he could lift his hand to knock a loud crash sounded from the other side of the door followed by muffled yelling. Loud running sounded within the house, coming straight for the door. Switzerland yanked his sister back just in time before the door burst open and Prussia went flying out into the yard, landing with a loud thud! An extremely pissed off Hungary gripping a frying pan stalked out onto the porch after him, her eyes tinted with a malicious red. Prussia managed to sit up on the walkway, rubbing a large bruise on his cheek painfully.
"Get out of here, you mangy mutt! Who the hell gave you the right to come here and—and . . !" Her breaths came out in short huffs, her chest heaving with fury. "You son of a—!" She threw the pan with all her might at the cowering country. Prussia yelped and scrambled down the stones, trying to escape her wrath. The pan nailed him right in the back of the head and sent him tumbling through the front gate and onto the ground again.
Prussia stood up slowly and brushed himself off, turning back to glare at the furious woman. He barely had time to flip her off before Hungary whipped out a pistol from beneath her apron and began shooting at his feet. He gave a very girly scream, his feet dancing about crazily on the gravel, before turning and running off into the hills. Hungary huffed again, putting away her smoking pistol. She glanced off to her left to notice the two shock filled countries staring at her wide-eyed. "Oh, hello."
Switzerland blinked, still trying to process what he just witnessed. "H-Hello, Hungary," he said shakily. He grimaced, inwardly scolding himself for stuttering.
Hungary glanced from him to his sister. She leaned down and smiled happily, her eyes now back to their normal green. "Hello, Liechtenstein," she said cheerfully. It baffled Switzerland on how she could switch moods so quickly. "What brings you both here today?"
"I wanted to see how Mr. Austria was doing," the tiny country said, apparently unfazed by what just happened. She shivered again as another breeze blew across the porch. Her big eyes were filled with worry. "How is he, Ms. Hungary?"
"Well," Hungary started, walking down the pathway towards the gate to close it. "He's awake, but has a fever and is lying in bed right now." Her eyes flickered through the doorway as she bent to retrieve her pan, glaring slightly as she straightened. "Or, at least he should be, anyway."
"I'm fine, Elizabeta."
Switzerland stiffened as that low, familiar voice trickled out of the doorway, and his heart sped up against his will. Austria stepped out onto the porch with a thick wool blanket wrapped around his thin frame. He watched as the wind ruffled his slightly messy brown hair, his hand reaching up to tuck loose strands behind his ear. His creamy skin looked slightly flushed, a bit paler than normal, almost sickly. Switzerland's heart stopped momentarily when he turned his attention on him, his violet eyes widening as their gazes met. "Vash . . ."
The blonde nation angrily looked away, ticked off at how he was unable to control himself. "Tch. I told you not to call me that."
"Of course," Austria murmured quietly, clearing his throat. He tore his eyes away awkwardly to look at the smaller blonde standing next to Switzerland. He smiled softly. "Hello, Liechtenstein. How are you?"
Liechtenstein gave a small bow in greeting, her eyes widening slightly at the question. "I'm very good, Mr. Austria, but please do not concern yourself with me. We're here to check up on you. You seemed really sick," she said sincerely.
"Exactly," Hungary agreed, pointing the pan at him as she walked towards them. "You get your butt back in that house and go lay down, mister."
The Swiss held back a snicker at the woman's tone. She sounded like she was scolding a dog.
Liechtenstein felt a warm weight come down on her shoulders and she jumped slightly. She looked up to see that Austria had put his blanket around her and was now guiding her inside the mansion. "Please come in and sit for awhile, won't you?" he asked politely. "You'll catch a cold if you stay out here too long." The small blonde thanked him and pulled the blanket tighter around her arms. She hadn't even noticed she was shivering, but now she could definitely feel the chill in her bones.
Switzerland followed them slowly, reluctant to enter somewhat. He stared around the grand hall as Hungary shut the door behind him, sighing.
This place hasn't changed at all since I was last here, he thought, his eyes ghosting over familiar fixtures hanging on the walls. Medals and trophies sat on shelves enclosed in glass off to his left and an antique looking vase rested in the middle of an old oak table beside the door. It was filled with a bouquet of Edelweiss arranged along with a smaller white flower that he determined as baby's breath. The hall arched high above their heads with gold and marble engravings of ships and doves following the walls all the way up to the skylight.
Yep. Not a damned thing had changed.
"Alright, how about I go make us some tea?" Hungary offered with a smile. She sent a stern look to Austria. "And you should go lay back down."
The musician shook his head, attempting to be cheery. "Not while we have guests. It would be rude."
She was just about to give him a sharp remark but Liechtenstein interrupted her. "Ms. Hungary, may I help you make the tea?" she asked, her green eyes hopeful.
Hungary stared at her a moment before nodding happily. "Yes of course, dear." She began to lead the little country towards the kitchen.
As their footsteps faded Austria turned to go into the living room and sit by the fire, when he spotted Switzerland gazing at the bouquet of Edelweiss. Upon seeing the blonde man shiver slightly, he swiftly went into the next room and returned with another blanket. He walked quietly over to the Swiss country, careful not to scare him, and draped the thick material over his shoulders. Switzerland jumped incredibly high anyway, instantly spinning around to face the Austrian.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Switzerland spat out, his eyes glaring. He looked him up and down, just noticing that the aristocrat was wearing an old white cotton shirt with the top buttons open and khaki pants. He snapped his gaze back up quickly, trying not to get distracted. "What's this blanket for?"
"You looked cold. Come sit by the fire and away from the door where it's chilly," Austria murmured.
"I'm not cold," the blonde man argued, standing a little straighter. "There's no need to coddle me like a child!"
Austria huffed and turned away to walk towards the living room. He didn't have the energy to fight with the other country. He sat down next to his piano in a plush violet velvet seat. There was another chair and two couches that were splayed across the room. He very ungentlemanly propped his feet up onto the coffee table in the center of the room and leaned his head back, his gaze following the Swiss as he entered the room cautiously. "Trust me, I'm completely fine. In fact, I feel quite warm for this time of year."
"Well, that's not normal, idiot," Switzerland muttered, stalking over to him. He layed his hand on his forehead before the Austrian could object. His eyebrows furrowed as his concern deepened considerably. He could tell that he was hot, even through his black leather glove. He peeled it off quickly before returning to the man's forehead. The Swiss gasped, his hand flinching away from him for a second before he layed it back down on the man's heated skin. It felt like it was on fire, almost too hot to touch. He couldn't help feeling worried. "My god, Austria! You're burning up!"
"Mmm . . . And you are cold." Austria lifted his hand to cover Switzerland's, making the man gasp again as it was just as hot. He held it on his head, relishing in the coolness seeping from the other man. Without thinking, he grabbed Switzerland's other hand and pressed it to his cheek, blissfully tilting his head into his cool gloved palm. This feels nice, he thought lazily, closing his eyes.
Switzerland could feel his blush beginning to return and he swore his heart stopped beating for a moment. He couldn't help the creepy feeling that ran up his spine at Austria's behavior. He was definitely acting strange; maybe his fever was messing with his head. At least he hoped so.
Suddenly, Austria's eyes snapped open and he shoved the man away roughly. Switzerland's curse was cut off by several massive coughs erupting forcefully from the aristocrat. Though he was covering his mouth, Switzerland didn't fail to notice the small trickle of blood down his chin. The blonde's heart jumped and he immediately took out a small handkerchief, beginning to wipe at his face. His hand shook slightly as he tried to repress his nerves and the oncoming surge of memories. "Why is it I always seem to be taking care of you?" he grumbled, flustered.
Austria quietly let him clean up the blood, still recovering from his coughing spree. He grabbed the cloth from Switzerland and pushed him back lightly, unable to meet his gaze. He cleared his throat nervously. "Vash . . . I have a favor to ask of you."
Switzerland didn't know what pissed him off more—that the Austrian had said his name again or the fact that he had the gall to ask him a favor. The blonde straightened himself, crossing his arms as his eyes twitched in annoyance. "What is it?"
The musician still refused to look at him and instead kept his gaze on the roaring fire behind the Swiss. He took a deep breath to steady the ache in his chest before finally turning to stare up into the man's luscious green eyes. They clearly radiated some anger and worry—shining brightly in the dim light as the fire reflected in them, making the irises ripple like emerald waves. Finding himself lost in them a moment, the brunette failed to get out what he was going to say before Hungary and Liechtenstein returned with tea.
"Here we go," Hungary said with a happy lilt, setting the tray down on the coffee table. She gingerly slid Austria's feet off the surface, a glance signaling to him that he needed to straighten up. He did as he was told, still keeping the handkerchief pressed against his mouth. Hungary smiled, glancing over to Switzerland. "Please sit. Would you like some sugar in your tea?"
"Sure," Switzerland said, sitting down away from Austria on one of the couches. He nearly fell back as he sank deeply down into the plushy purple material. He quickly corrected himself, clearing his throat in embarrassment.
Hungary poured the tea while quietly humming, a sweet aroma steaming off of the liquid. She handed a cup to Liechtenstein to hand over to him and he took it gratefully. He breathed in the warm, sweet scent and tasted it. It had a raspberry flavor, the taste heightened slightly by the sugar, but not overpowering. Right when he deemed it good, Hungary said, "So, what did you boys talk about while we were gone?"
Switzerland sputtered, nearly choking on his tea. He felt another blush appear on his cheeks and he could sense Liechtenstein looking at him curiously. "Well, we were, uh . . ." he stammered.
"We were just talking about the weather," Austria said faintly, his voice muffled by the handkerchief Switzerland had given him. He set the cloth down on the arm of his chair and kindly accepted the tea Hungary offered him, glancing at the relieved Swiss.
"It looks terribly frightening outside." Hungary nodded at her statement, walking back over to the table and adding, "It'll probably storm here soon."
"Ah, yes," Austria agreed, taking a sip of his tea. He paused, frowning down into the cup. "It's cold . . ."
Hungary smiled somewhat mischievously, continuing to pour Liechtenstein and herself some tea. "I made some ice tea for you to help get your fever down. The last thing you need right now is something hot."
The musician didn't object and sipped his tea quietly. Switzerland silently agreed with the woman—he had felt for himself just how high the Austrian's fever had become. He stared at the man, sipped his tea, and wondered just how he had gotten ill. Despite his pallid skin tone the aristocrat didn't even look that sick. Unless you seen him cough or felt his skin there was no way you could even tell that something was wrong. Switzerland's thoughts kept going back to his fever. What was strange was that his hands had been just as hot as his forehead. He wondered if the rest of him was fevered, as well . . .
Austria caught the blonde staring, raising his eyebrow curiously at him. Switzerland averted his gaze quickly to stare out the window, distracting himself with the gathering dark clouds outside. That was close. His thoughts were about to turn against him and head down a different path entirely than a fever. Or . . . at least to a different kind of fever. Dammit, stop this! He thought angrily, mentally slapping himself.
"Elizabeta, darling." The Hungarian looked up at the musician questionably and he beckoned for her to come closer. She bent down so he could whisper something in her ear. Her eyes widened and she tried to pull back, looking like she was going to protest something, but he caught her chin and held her steady, continuing to whisper. Hungary's face gradually grew somber and she nodded. He let her go and handed her his tea before pressing the handkerchief back to his mouth.
Liechtenstein witnessed this and she glanced at her brother, looking for a reaction, but he was staring out the window and probably had no idea what just happened. She sighed and finished off her tea, looking to Hungary, wondering if the woman would bring up what they had discussed in the kitchen. As she hoped, the woman looked serious for a moment and opened her mouth to speak, but closed it as Austria gave a small cough.
Thunder explosively erupted outside, making them all jump in surprise. Austria suddenly stood up from his chair, holding a hand to stop the advancing Hungary. He turned and looked over at Switzerland and his sister, managing a smile. He put a hand over his heart and bowed a little. "I'm terribly sorry, but I must retire for the evening," he said, rising from the bow. "I'm grateful that you came out of your way to see me today, but please do not worry yourselves further. If you'll excuse me," Austria finished, walking swiftly in between the couch and window, flashing through Switzerland's gaze.
He gave the Swiss a quick glance before disappearing down the hallway behind them, thunder booming as he left.
Switzerland's eyes widened; the look that the Austrian had given him shocked him to the core. His mind couldn't wrap itself around it; those burdened violet eyes had bore themselves into him with such a heavy presence, filled with indescribable emotion. The blonde couldn't figure out was it was, and it froze him in place.
Hungary's words snapped him back to attention. "I apologize for him leaving so unexpectedly," she said, trying to keep her smile. She looked wistfully past them to the hallway as rain began to pour heavily outside, tapping loudly on the roof. "Poor Roderich . . ."
Switzerland nervously stood up and walked over to set his empty cup down on the tray, clearing his throat. "I think it's about time we left, as well," he said dutifully, regaining composure. He looked over at his sister. "Come on, Lilli."
The little blonde glanced at Hungary before quickly stopping him. "Actually, big brother, there's something we'd like to ask you," she said.
Switzerland looked confused for a moment and Hungary nodded in agreement. She set down her own tea before standing up and facing him. "I have to leave for a business trip with my boss tomorrow after the world meeting," she began. "I'm going to be gone for at least a couple weeks and won't be able to take care of Roderich, defending him from Prussia and whatnot."
The Swiss' eyes narrowed suspiciously and his gaze flickered between the two girls. "Yeah . . . so?"
"So," Liechtenstein said eagerly. "I offered for us to look after Mr. Austria for Ms. Hungary while she's gone."
"You did what?!"
"Please, you do not have to accept right away!" Hungary said quickly, trying to cool his anger. "I'm going to ask the other countries at the meeting tomorrow, so you probably won't have to do it. All I'm asking is that you please take it into consideration," she finished desperately, bowing deeply to him.
Switzerland's mouth hung open like a fish and he was momentarily speechless. When he did speak, his voice was surprisingly quiet. "Why me?"
Hungary straightened herself, tears glinting down her cheeks. "The doctor said that he won't last long if this sickness keeps up. His health keeps deteriorating—fast," she paused, her face scrunching in anguish and she sat back down. "Vash . . . he's dying."
"What?" Switzerland's heart gave a sharp pang at the statement and he froze in place. Anger and disbelief over took him and he rushed forward, kneeling before the woman. He grabbed her shoulders, gripping them tightly as she cried. "What do you mean 'he's dying'? That's impossible! He's only been sick for a day, how could that doctor possible know he's dying?!"
"It's actually been going on for a few days now. At first the doctor thought he just had a chest infection and a cough," Hungary sniffled out and Switzerland her go. "Then once he'd seen all the symptoms that he had the doctor said that Roderich is way too weak to push past it. He doesn't have that much longer to . . . to . . ."
Liechtenstein went to stand beside her brother, resting her hand gently on his head. He didn't even acknowledge her presence, too busy trying to come to terms with what Hungary was saying. He kept shaking his head, refusing to believe what he was hearing. "No . . . There's no way this could be happening. Isn't there some kind of medicine we can give him?"
Hungary just shook her head, wiping furiously at her eyes. She looked up at him, her expression filled with pain. "The doctor put him on antibiotics, but they aren't doing anything accept making him more nauseous." She grabbed his hands, holding them tightly between them. "I wanted to ask you this now before the meeting so you would have more time to think on it. I'm pretty sure the reasons any other country would help is because they'd probably want to claim Austria's land while he's weakened, like Prussia," she growled his name. "Even though you two split apart a long time ago, Roderich still thinks of you as his friend. That's why I'd rather you did it."
He still thinks I'm his friend? Switzerland lowered his gaze, standing up stiffly and letting his mind race. How on earth could he still believe that? They had both been bitter after their separation and usually went out of their way to avoid each other. But, when they had met, the aristocrat was usually very polite to him and his sister, treating them to lunch every now and then. I guess I'm the bitter one here, he thought. He'd always snapped at the musician for one little thing after another, criticizing him and calling him an idiot. Blaming him for everything . . . He never realized the kindness, the politeness, as something else. He never realized how the Austrian had felt.
But he did realize that he didn't want to see the man die.
The Swiss pulled his hands slowly out of Hungary's grasp and she looked up at him with wet green eyes. He nodded solemnly down at her. "You ask tomorrow at the meeting and see if anyone else will look after him," he said determinedly. "If no one else can, I will do it."
…xXx…
Switzerland rubbed his eyes tiredly as he walked into the meeting room the next day with Liechtenstein. He yawned rather loudly, shuffling over to his seat, not having slept a wink the previous night. His nerves were completely frayed and he was on edge. Despite his tired mind, he caught every conversation. Everyone was at it again as they all filed in the room.
France was annoying the hell out of England and America, insulting their "non-stylish" military uniforms and insisting they'd be better off walking around in the nude instead—America taking extreme offense to his bomber jacket being called drab and grubby.
Korea kept repeatedly claiming all of China's ideas were originally his in response to every time China said something to him, causing the older man to yell and smack at his arm. Japan desperately tried to ignore the two of them and directed his attention to Greece, whispering quietly with the sleepy man.
Poland was talking hip again to Lithuania and the other Baltics. First it was about how the northern lights were, "Like, totally more rad than normal," and then he went on to gush about some dresses he'd recently bought at a sale. Lithuania did his best to keep up with the eccentric blonde's conversation while Latvia and Estonia threw in some obligatory ooo's and uhuh's every once in awhile.
Russia kept trying to pull Canada on his lap again while speaking to him sweetly in Russian. The Swiss could feel the Canadian's embarrassment radiating beside him and tried to pay no mind to the two larger countries flirting. He did, however, catch how the two men froze with fear as Belarus suddenly appeared beside the Russian and started muttering darkly, clawing at her brother's shoulders while staring her murderous intentions at Canada. Switzerland scooted his chair just a little bit farther away.
Spain kept poking at Romano's cheek and Italy was tugging insistently on his brother's sleeve. The Spaniard seemed to have no idea as to why the southern Italian was getting angry with him, and his northern half was insistent on them skipping the meeting to go fetch some pasta. The brunette's head made a loud thud as it connected with the table in absolute exasperation.
Denmark was getting on Sweden's nerves about how he'd become 'soft,' lately, and calling him some choice words in Danish. It was only when the obnoxious man began insulting a nearby Finland as well did the Swede react, standing up and slamming the other onto the table. The Swiss could hardly make out the man's grunted threat, but assumed it must have done the job as Denmark fell into silence. The Finnish man was trying to settle the two down before they came to blows, always the polite one, as a small, blonde boy in a sailor cap—the Swiss recalling his name being Sealand or something—cheered on the Swedish man.
Switzerland sighed and looked around the room. The rest of the countries were being silent or talking quietly to each other.
Hungary sat growling at Prussia as he kept trying to apologize for the night before—actually he kept telling her that she should forgive him because he's 'so awesome'. Japan was now fixing Greece's tie in an effort to help him look decent, but all it earned him was the Greek man slouching on him again even though he was awake. Turkey and Egypt were whispering to each other about the two cat lovers on the other side of Liechtenstein while Australia and Romania were getting involved with Spain and Romano on the other side of Turkey. Across the table, Iceland and Norway were looking uninterested while Finland tried to peel Sweden off of a cursing Denmark. Canada had scooted closer to the Swiss in fear as Belarus glared at him from behind the Russian, Ukraine trying to hold her back from attacking the Canadian. Switzerland's gaze drifted to the empty seat directly across from him. His heart sank and he dropped his head into his arms on the table, not wanting anybody to see his expression.
There was a slight tap on his shoulder and he raised his head reluctantly to see who it was. His eyes widened as he spotted Taiwan bending down next to him. "Yes?" he asked in surprise.
"Are you alright, Switzerland?" The pink girl asked kindly, blinking at him.
"Why?"
She shrugged her shoulders, giving a nervous laugh. "It's just that you didn't look too well sitting over here. I was just curious if maybe you weren't feeling good or something."
"Oh," his gaze dropped for a second, but he soon raised it again, sitting up a little straighter. "No, it's nothing. Thank you, though."
"Ok then," Taiwan said, smiling happily. She walked back to her seat with Hong Kong following silently beside her.
Strange, he thought, turning back to the table just as the meeting started.
"Alright, everybody settle down now," Germany said, getting everyone's attention. Sweden stopped pinning Denmark to the table and sat down while Spain and Italy stopped picking on Romano. Belarus settled down but continued to shoot deathly glares at Canada when Russia wasn't looking. Everyone quieted down and the German continued, "Before we start today, we have some important news requiring Austria."
The rustling and fidgeting stopped and everyone finally seemed to be paying attention. They were curious as to what happened to the aristocrat. Germany sat down and nodded to Hungary. The woman stood up gracefully and straightened out her dress before smiling slightly to all of them.
"Good morning, everyone," she said, making sure to be loud enough for them all to hear. "As you all witnessed yesterday, Austria is currently not well. He's not well at all." She paused a moment, taking a deep, steadying breath. "In fact, he's dying," her voice cracked on the last word.
Everybody gave a collective gasp—not expecting the last bit of her statement at all—and murmurs sprung up all around the room. Even Germany looked surprised; he apparently didn't know what she was going to say either. The only two who really didn't react was the Swiss and his sister, both blondes sitting solemnly still.
Hungary barely gave the others enough time to recover before continuing to explain to them all on what he had, the fever and cough, and about how long he had left to live—according to his doctor, of course. She made sure to put emphasis on the fact that none of it was for certain, though, sounding more hopeful for her own sake. There were some sighs of relief when she added that the illness didn't appear to be contagious—shooting down worries about it being the next plague. "But," she added quickly. "I do have a favor to ask of you. Since I have a business trip today and will be gone for a few weeks, I was wondering if one of you wouldn't mind looking after him until I got back."
The room grew tense as people whispered to each other. Some just looked up at her and shook their heads. She flat out denied France and Prussia's offer to do it, giving them a hellish stare. Italy desperately wanted to do it, but Romano wouldn't let him and he settled for crying into his hands. The German thought about it, but ultimately said he probably couldn't, though he added that he would keep Prussia away. Canada tried to offer but she didn't hear him and Russia patted his shoulder comfortingly. The Asians, Baltics and Nordics were all silent, giving her sympathized looks. Most everyone else seemed disinterested at best, impatient to be onto the main topics of the meeting.
That's when Switzerland huffed out a tired laugh, running his fingers through his hair. He had a feeling this would happen. "I guess that settles it, huh?" He rested his elbows down on the table, setting his head in his hands. He could feel everyone's confusion bubbling around him. "It seems that I'm the only one left," he said quietly, sighing in exhaustion. "Fine, I'll do it."
He didn't expect the room to explode into the uproar that it did.
"What do you mean you'll do it? I thought you were enemies with Austria!" Turkey exclaimed in shock.
"I'm not enemies with anyone, nor am I allies. I'm neutral remember?" He never understood why that concept was so confusing to some of the others.
"Exactly, aru. That's why it's so weird for you to decide to help him now," China argued.
"Nah, it's not so weird," Prussia said. He smiled wickedly, kicking his feet up on the table.
Switzerland twitched at the snide silver man, his nerves tightening as he glared curiously at the man. "Oh?"
"Yeah, I mean you always used to be babysitting him anyway, right?" Prussia's grin widened as he pushed the Swiss towards his breaking point. "You always rush to Austria's side whenever he's in trouble or hurt, am I right? After all, he's your heimliche geliebte, yes?"
The room grew incredibly silent once more and everyone turned to look at Switzerland. The intensity of their stares didn't help his growing irritation and he fought to reel himself in.
"Be quiet," he said angrily. He'd managed to keep his cool, but he didn't know what he'd do if the damn German kept talking. If he was smart then he would stop, but apparently Prussia was intent on being an idiot.
"Aww! You didn't deny it. I guess that means it's true then."
"Shut your mouth, Gilbert."
"Getting embarrassed now, are we?" The German kept getting more and more resolute in his teasing, and the other countries around the room were at a loss of how to stop the obviously impending fight. "I thought you'd be relieved now that the cat's out of the bag."
"Shut up."
"You and Austria are definitely two little freunds."
"Shut up!"
"Why else would you be helping him out? Probably doing it because of the sex, huh, Switzey?"
Switzerland snapped, launching himself at Prussia. His chair was kicked out from under him as he flew across the table and grabbed the other's collar so forcefully that it knocked them both away from the table, making the silver haired man yelp in surprise. The German's chair tipped back and Switzerland landed heavily on the man's stomach, pinning him to the floor. Prussia stared down the barrel of the other's rare Mauser C96 as Switzerland flipped the safety off. The blonde's glare combined with the looming threat of being shot nearly wiped the smile from his face, but he kept it plastered there just to taunt the Swiss even more.
"Shut your goddamned mouth!" Switzerland snarled, pressing the gun harder to Prussia's forehead. "Give me one good reason not to shoot you right here, right now." "Hah, you can't kill the awesome me," Prussia mocked. Pushing his head against barrel further boldly, he added, "If you could you would have pulled the trigger already."
"You wanna bet your life on that?" Switzerland clicked it back, his finger itching on the trigger. He couldn't care less about the scene he was causing nor the thought of how he was very nearly prepared to kill the other man—he was too tired and frustrated.
England stood up from his seat irritably and began to walk over to them. "Hey, there's no weapons allowed in here!"
"That means I have to leave my pipe outside, da?" Russia said cheerfully.
"Yes—wait what?!"
"Be quiet, England," Switzerland snapped, whipping out another handgun from beneath his coat and pointing it at the Englishman. He never took his eyes off the Prussian. "Stay out of this."
"Are you trying to start something here, Switzerland?"
"No, just back off," he growled. He wanted to wipe that damn smirk off of Prussia's face so bad and England was just interfering.
"Like bloody hell I will," the English country said in determination, walking closer to them.
Without looking, Switzerland fired off a warning shot, making everyone in the room jump, including Prussia beneath him. The bullet whizzed by the Englishman's head, missing by a mere inch. Germany quickly got up and began to walk over.
"You shot at me!" England shouted, charging at him. America appeared behind him suddenly and hooked his arms under the man's own arms, holding him back. "Let me go, America!"
"Calm down, dude."
"He bloody shot at me! And he wasn't even looking!"
Switzerland ignored them and instead slid his gun down from Prussia's forehead to tilt up his chin. "You want to know why I'm going to help?"
The silver man was silent, his smile completely gone, red eyes hard.
"I'm helping because no one else will and it's the right thing to do. We all should help someone when they're in need," Switzerland said, letting himself finally be pulled off of Prussia by Germany and Hungary. Prussia stood up and brushed himself off, a glare slipping into his features. Germany sighed and began to lead his brother away towards the end of the table where he sat. Prussia grumbled something.
Switzerland turned to the angry Englishman. "Sorry, but I knew I wouldn't hit you."
England muttered some unintelligible profanities and America let him go. He huffed and turned on his heel, heading back to his seat.
"Hey." Switzerland looked over to his right at Hungary. Her green eyes glowed somewhat and she smiled warmly at him, touching his shoulder lightly. "Thank you," she murmured before moving to sit down.
"Why is it I'm always the one who gets blamed for everything? He's the one with the gun!" Switzerland heard Prussia say to Germany, rounding the corner at the end of the table.
The younger German sighed, motioning for Italy to go sit by Hungary. "Because you just don't know when to quit talking, Gilbert."
"Hey! That's totally unfair, man! Switzerland was being more of an ass than me, defending his boyfriend—"
BANG
Hungary's ears rang and the back of her head grew hot as she felt the side of a gun pressed to her hair. Italy jumped as something whooshed by his ear and Germany felt air rush by the tip of his nose. Prussia's eyes widened and his hand flew up to his left cheek where the bullet had grazed his skin, leaving a welting scratch. He stared incredulously across the room at Switzerland's stoic form, the pistol aimed directly for him. His anger boiled up and Germany had to hold him back from running at the blonde man. "Hey, Arschloch! You missed!"
Switzerland began walking back around the table, stopping next to England's seat, and looked back with a deadly serious expression. "I never miss." Prussia's eyes narrowed, but he stopped struggling. Switzerland turned to England and set his two guns down on the table in front of the Englishman. "I want these back after the meeting," he said quietly, not meeting the man's surprised gaze before walking the rest of the way around the table. He sat down in his seat, resting his head in his arms again as he ignored all of the heated stares and murmurs around him.
Liechtenstein petted the back of her brother's head gently, watching as a shaken Italy sat down in Prussia's seat across from them. Hungary patted his back with a smile and he leaned on her for comfort. Germany finally got Prussia to sit down and be quiet before he struggled to get the meeting back on track. Switzerland tried his best to ignore all the conversations about him and Austria, but that was a nearly impossible feat. He felt another hand beginning to rub his back, joining his sister's. He peeked over his elbow to see Canada smiling softly at him.
Switzerland buried his head back into his arms and closed his eyes, allowing the two countries to soothe him. He gradually began to relax as the meeting went on and the voices seemed to fade around him. He just desperately wanted some sleep, needing time to calm down and control himself. Sighing again, he let slumber overtake him—no one would notice him napping, anyway.
When it came around time to speak, Liechtenstein calmly passed for both her and her brother. She could tell he was asleep and she didn't have the nerve to wake him. She just sat back into her seat calmly, continuing to pet his hair. She looked around the room, noticing that the usual people who slept were, indeed, snoozing like Switzerland. It didn't seem that Japan minded anymore that Greece leaned on him, considering he was dozing, too. Spain and Australia were both sprawled out in their seats and even Sweden managed a little nap, only waking to speak when Finland shook him. She could feel everybody's eyes glance at her brother in between speakers and she fidgeted nervously, not used to this kind of attention. Prussia's eyes, however, never left Switzerland except to glance at her every few minutes. She shrunk in her seat as the ridiculing red gaze slid over her, lingering for a moment before returning to her brother.
"He's kind of a sore loser, da?"
Liechtenstein turned to the large country off to her left, surprised that the Russian had spoken to her. The man was smiling down at her, his eyes showing a rare kindness.
"It's ok, Liechtenstein," Canada said quietly, moving his hand to pat her shoulder before returning it to Switzerland's back. "Just ignore him."
She looked at them for a moment, her eyes drifting between them before she closed them in a grateful smile. "Thank you."
They both nodded at her before turning back to the meeting. It didn't last for too much longer after that, only a couple more people needing to speak. Most of them passed and the last finished up quickly. Everyone gathered themselves as Germany closed the conference and they all began to file out of the room. Some migrated into couples or small groups and others just kept to themselves.
Liechtenstein watched as Italy met up with his brother and Spain, leaving after giving a goodbye hug to Germany, and Hungary followed to go talk to the blonde and Prussia about something. Several countries came over to offer kind words to her and some, like Sealand, told her to call if she needed help with anything while taking care of Austria.
"Seriously, if that bloody Prussia is giving you trouble you just call and I'll come over and-and . . ." Sealand was waving his fists around madly in the air, pretending to punch Prussia. Liechtenstein giggled and nodded. Finland smiled at her and Sweden set his hand down on Sealand's head, ruffling his hair playfully. "Hey!" the boy said happily as the large Nordic lifted him onto his shoulders and began to walk out of the room behind Turkey. He waved excitedly at her with a goofy grin. "Bye, Lilli!"
"Bye, Peter," she laughed again, waving back.
She sighed comfortably, looking over to Canada. He was gripping Russia's arm nervously, waving farewell to her also. Belarus had a vice grip on the man's other arm and was staring daggers at the Canadian as Russia lead them both out of the room. Ukraine hung back with the Baltics as they scurried after the Russian—Latvia calling out a small goodbye to her before Estonia ushered him out. Poland hung lazily off Lithuania's neck, practically letting the man drag him out of the room. America spotted his brother's distress and claimed something hero-ish about how he was going to beat the crap out of "that commie bastard" and raced out the door. England shot out after him, yelling for him to stop being stupid and France followed, quietly laughing. She saw the Asians stand up and begin to leave the room. Korea grinned mischievously before grabbing China and Hong Kong around the waist and slinging them over his shoulders.
"Hey, put me down this instant, aru!" China shouted, his feet kicking wildly as Korea skipped towards the door. Hong Kong beat at the man's back with his fists, trying to squirm out of his grasp.
"You guys are so fun to mess with!" Korea cheered, running out the doorway.
"No we are not!"
Liechtenstein tried not to laugh at the older countries, not wanting to appear rude. As she stifled her giggles she watched as an annoyed looking Japan slowly stalked after them, Greece following tiredly behind him. Taiwan paused at the end of the table before turning and walking down towards her, smiling.
"Hello, Liechtenstein," the woman said cheerfully.
"Hello."
"England gave these to me to give back to your brother." She reached behind her to pull out Switzerland's two handguns before handing them to the smaller country.
Liechtenstein smiled as she took them from her, the weapons heavy in her small hands. "Thank you, Miss Taiwan."
"No problem," she said happily. Her brown eyes became serious for a moment and she bent over Switzerland's sleeping form to whisper so Hungary and the others wouldn't hear her. "Don't tell anyone else this, but I know how to cure Austria."
Liechtenstein's eyes widened in shock and she quickly set the guns down on the table. "Y-You do?"
Taiwan nodded, her smile never fading. "I've heard of this fever before when I traveled around Africa. I had to get a vaccine to prevent it, so I'm immune to the virus. But, while I was down there I seen a lot of people who were sick with it get better within a few weeks, so they must have a cure down there."
Liechtenstein's heart soared with hope. Mr. Austria wouldn't have to die after all! She cleared her throat, trying not to sound too eager. "Could you get us the medicine?"
Taiwan patted her head kindly before straightening up. She began to walk to the door, saying, "I'm not sure, but I'll see what I can do. You just do your best to take care of Austria—and remember . . ." The pink girl stopped in the doorway and turned back to her, pressing a finger to her lips. "It's our little secret."
Liechtenstein shook her head vigorously. "I won't tell anyone, I swear," she said sincerely. She quickly got up and ran over to hug the Asian country. Taiwan froze in shock for a moment before melting and hugging her back tightly. "Oh, thank you, thank you so much, Miss. Taiwan!"
"Please, just Taiwan is fine," the woman chuckled before letting the tiny country go. She winked at her before walking out of the room.
Liechtenstein thought her smile would never end. She was so happy. She ran back to Switzerland to wake him so she could tell him the news, but stopped herself. Right, she had to keep it to herself until she knew for sure that the woman could really help. She desperately wanted to tell him, though, so he would stop being sad. She shook her head. No she would wait for Taiwan. If all I have to do is keep a secret to save Mr. Austria's life and brother's happiness, then there's no way I'm blowing this, she thought in determination.
"What are you so happy about?"
Liechtenstein froze in fear and a chill ran through her veins. She turned her head slowly to meet Prussia's murderous gaze. The red eyes burned themselves into green ones and the tiny country gulped nervously. Her smile immediately evaporated and she backed herself up against the table as he stepped closer. "Well?" he growled. "What are you so damn happy about?"
"N-Nothing," she stammered. She reached behind her back to grip one of the handles of her brother's guns, their presence comforting her. "What does it matter to you?"
"Just that there's nothing to be happy about," the man said, his eyes flicking to her hand. He shot forward, pressing her flat onto the table and smacked the gun out of her hands. She tried to shout for help, but the noise was quickly muffled by his hand. The air got knocked out of her as the man layed his full weight on top of her, his face snarling just inches from hers.
He leaned down and she closed her eyes tightly. "Dummer esel mädchen," he whispered maliciously into her ear. "Are you really this naïve? Did you seriously think you would be able to shoot the awesome me?" He raised his head up to glare in her face again.
"She can't, but I can."
Prussia paused as the cool barrel of a gun pressed to the back of his head. Liechtenstein's eyes flew open and the stared behind the German at her brother. She hadn't even seen him move, let alone grab one of his guns. Switzerland looked incredibly tired and pissed off as he held the gun up to Prussia's head.
"Let go of my sister right now," her brother said menacingly. "Before I really do end you."
Prussia rolled his eyes, giving a bark of sharp laughter. He was getting fed up with the blonde's tactics. Slowly, he lifted himself off of the tiny country, releasing her mouth and letting her gasp for air. He raised his hands into the air and backed away from the table to give her room, the smaller blonde dashing away to the side. He turned his head to the side and smiled at Switzerland. He spun around and lashed out with his hand, knocking the gun from the blonde. He didn't give him time to recover before tackling him to the ground, easily pinning the smaller man.
"Brother!"
Hungary and Germany finally noticed the ruckus going on and rushed over to try and break up the battling countries. Prussia and Switzerland were rolling around on the ground in a furious whirlwind of punching, kicking and biting. Germany hooked his arm around his brother's neck and pulled him off before he could land another punch. Switzerland kicked out and managed to nail Prussia under the chin before Hungary pulled him back. Both of them were bruised and bloodied and cursing at each other in various dialects of German.
"Hey!" Germany gave Prussia a harsh squeeze to try and get him to settle down. "What the hell has gotten into you today?!"
"You too, Switzerland!" Hungary roared behind him, struggling to hold back the smaller country. "It's so unlike you to be this violent! What's wrong?"
"You know what's wrong!" Switzerland cried out. He gritted his teeth and shut his eyes, trying to stop the sudden oncoming tears. "Prussia, you bastard . . . How could you not even try to care that he's dying?! He's your friend! Friends look out for one another! He's always so nice to you and you just treat him like dirt!" Switzerland's strength sapped away from him and he went limp in Hungary's arms, his hands remaining clenched. A single tear escaped him, sliding mockingly down his cheek and he opened his eyes to stare at the silver haired man.
Prussia had long since gone still, stunned at the blonde's ferocity. He hadn't expected Switzerland to react like that, let alone cry. His pride caught up with him and he turned his face away. "Tch. You don't know anything about me or that pompous Arschloch. Who gives you the right to judge our relationship when you don't even give him the time of day?"
"I'm done listening to your voice," Switzerland said tiredly, supporting himself on the back of his chair as Hungary let him go. Prussia's eyes widened slightly at the statement. Liechtenstein moved to help her brother, but he just shook her off and turned one last time to stare hard at the silver man. "Leave."
Germany sighed, releasing Prussia as well. "I think it's about time we went home, Gilbert." Prussia stared at the floor, silently rubbing a bite mark on his arm as he let his brother lead him towards the door. "I'll call you if he does anything," Germany said, glancing back at them before pushing the other man out the door. Hungary gave a relieved huff and straightened out her ruffled skirt, turning towards the two blondes.
Liechtenstein's attention immediately went back to Switzerland and she moved to help him sit down. He shook her off again, rubbing his shoulder painfully. She saw the skin around his left eye beginning to darken and his lip was split open. He watched as she wiped away the blood dripping down from the corner of his mouth and eyes with a small handkerchief, wincing slightly as she stroked his bruised cheek and murmured, "Thank you for rescuing me, big brother."
"Yeah, yeah . . . You're welcome."
…xXx…
"heimliche geliebte." – secret lover
"freunds." – can mean friends but in this sense is lovers or mates
"Arschloch!" - asshole
"Dummer esel mädchen." – Stupid ass girl.
Yay, chapter 2! Things are starting to come together and you guys get to know more about Austria's illness.
Thank you for reading, please continue to do so, and review! (reviews keep me going…)
~WhisperWeeper