Otto fingered the fabric once more, careful to feel the beauty of the craftsmanship and effort put into the piece of cloth. "I still can't believe that this blanket, this bed, is just for a little chick that's barely the size of my hand!" He continued to admire the little but detailed pattern of a crown in the royal blue cloth and the little rhinestones embedded in it, while Gilbert laughed nasally behind him.
"Of course," he boomed, "the right hand man to the King of Awesome can't live in scraps of mainstream newspaper, like every other un-awesome dog and cat in the world." Otto almost jumped at the sudden arm swing around his shoulder; Prussia laughed.
Otto looked confused. "But bruder," he said, brushing off his brother's arm, "why do you live in the cellar? Why not upstairs with your nation brother –"
Gilbert waved a hand in front of Otto's face. Otto blinked; he swore he saw a tinge of sadness flash in his eyes, if only for a second. "First, it's a basement." he said, "An awesome basement. Besides it's fucking awesome being alone here; I get to plot my awesome pranks for April Fools!"
April Fools? What on earth is April Fools? Wait, enough of this now.
"You like being alone?" he asked, with a confused frown adorning his features, worryingly, "In this dingy room, to lie on that dirty bed that's been repaired too many times? You revel in those unwashed sheets, worn by time and beaten by the elements? You live in this haphazard room, yet you let that bird of yours live in absolute luxury? Gil," Otto shook his head, "Why?"
The albino wouldn't admit it, but what his brother said, it was a blow below the belt, it hurt his pride. Otto stood there, waiting for an answer. Gilbert didn't know what to say.
"Ja, I enjoy staying here!" he said, raising his voice, and filled it with a merry tone, "Why would you doubt that?" He pushed past Otto, toward the various shelves where little furniture lay neatly.
He ran his fingers across the grain of the dark wood of a little dresser, while the bird on his head hopped to the miniature bed. The room fell silent, and a heavy aura seemed to surround the four. His brother's mouse squeaked. The once grand Prussia focused on the own grandeur of the jewel encrusted objects.
The silence was eating Otto, and it didn't exactly help that his brother stood there staring blankly into space, and that his hands had stopped moving. He sighed and lightly tapped the nation's shoulder, his hat clutched in the other. He jumped in surprise of the touch; he'd gone to the realm of dreams of splendour and glory days. Otto parted his lips for a moment. "Why don't we go upstairs?"
OoOoOoO
When the two brothers reached the upper floor, no one had expected the sight of a certain bespectacled man and fierce looking woman. All of their eyes widened, their mouths slightly open. One of the strange visitors closed his eyes, a slightly annoyed expression written across his face, and then coughed.
He placed the cup he was holding on the table, and crossed his arms. "What on earth took you so long Gilbert?" The woman fixed her dress a bit, and then set her eyes on the duo on the first step of the stairwell. "And who is that with you?"
Prussia looked slightly angry, but his eyes had a twinkle of mischief in them. Before he could speak, however, the blond beside him stepped towards the duo.
"Austria…?" Otto turned to his left, and studied the woman beside him, "Hungary…?" The two were confused about this boy's strange appearance. "You two look older than I remembered… Is it really you? Tell me; please do, if you are indeed the Roderich and Elizaveta I know."
The nations in front of him looked perplexed. Who was he? Elizaveta studied him carefully with slightly narrowed eyes. Golden hair, sapphire eyes, ivory skin… he looked like any ordinary citizen walking the streets of Berlin, but something about him felt different. He had this weird… feeling around him, like they've known each other for centuries.
Her eyes drifted downward to his clothes. Otto felt uncomfortable with the woman's eyes probing over him, but his stance did not waver. He had long since changed out of shirt and pants that were so terrifyingly too big for him, and now wore a bright red "t-shirt" as his brother told him that fit his torso and "denim jeans" that hugged his legs, thin as they were. Then he saw the woman widen her eyes as her gaze shifted to the hat in his grasp.
"Is it really…" she whispered, her hand making its way to his face, "Is it really you, Holy Roman Empire?" Roderich looked shocked and surprised; Otto nodded. The frying pan in her hand fell forgotten onto the couch she was previously sitting in; her arms encircled around his torso. "It really is you! You've grown so much."
They stayed in that position for only a few seconds, before she let him go, and now Otto was completely devoid of air. While trying to regain his composure, Austria stood up and offered a hand to him. "Well?" the spectacled man said, "I don't have all day to greet you." Otto got the message and gingerly shook the elder's hand.
Still soft as ever, Roderich. Have you not done any strenuous work while I was gone? Elizaveta, on the other hand… well hers is calloused. She really is the man out of the two of them…
He smiled at the thought, but was soon gone when Gilbert crept beside the aristocrat male. "So tell me already," he said, startling Roderich and making Elizaveta become wary of him. She flashed a warning glare to the albino, which unfortunately, being the idiot he was, bounced off of his thick skull. "What the fuck are you doing here in Berlin, four-eyes? And why'd you decide to bring the psychotic bitch with you?"
The previously forgotten frying pan was in the Hungarian's grasp in a flash. "If you must know, you better give me the money you owe me." Austria said. Gilbert shook slightly, and the two of them were unaware of the furious female right behind the big headed idiot Prussia.
"What money?" the albino spat out, making the violet eyed man beside him shut his eyes in annoyance. Otto raised a finger toward the looming nation above Gilbert.
Hungary raised her frying pan with a smile that could scare children away, and her eyes were darker than usual and had a flare in there that screamed, "Murder!" Roderich argued with Gilbert. "The money I need to repair my house. Money to buy another violin and piano." he said, "I need somewhere to stay, and where else than the house of the one that left mine shambles?"
Gilbert smirked. "Well go fuck yourself," he said, "You're not gonna get anything from me. Because the bitch you called your wife – "
The albino fell to the floor in a heap. Hungary had hit her mark, and Otto was sure that his brother wouldn't be getting up soon. When Austria turned to her, she was shaking with rage. "Serves you right, asshole. Stupid Prussian bastard, calling me a bitch and treating Roderich like dirt will ensure you a future in the hospital!"
Otto was quite dazed by the events that unfolded. He knelt down and shook his brother. The creaking of the door went unnoticed by all of them.
"What the – ?!"
Everyone, with the exception of the knocked out nation on the floor, turned their heads to the source of the sound. There in the doorway stood a tall, muscular man. He looked like someone you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley at midnight; and with the scowl on his face, he looked utterly terrifying. His presence was like that of a monster straight out of a nightmare.
Otto's blue orbs widened.
It's! It's! It's that guy from the park! The one with –
A small whimper came from behind the hulking man, someone, someone scared, was hiding behind him. It sounded like they were crying. Slowly, the person's head peered out of hiding behind the man, and a bouncy curl presented itself.
Out of the blue, came the person Otto least wanted to see right now. He could feel his eyes water oh so slightly, and he heard the pieces of his shattered heart fall to the pit of his stomach, it was so loud to him that it hurt. Brown hair, golden eyes, and a face rimmed with tears…
Italy…? Or Romano…?
"Germany…?" Austria said, "Good thing you're here. Just about time."
OoOoOoO
Sorry for the long wait, but I love you all, and as a present, I give you another chapter of Returning! So Austria, Hungary, Germany and Italy (or Romano, that is if you truly believe HRE that he saw him instead of his childhood love) have joined the party! Unfortunately, all that's heading for them is bucketfulls of drama. Good thing, Prussia's there, or they'd all be sad, or will he get caught in this string of sadness too?
Posting with love and loads of apologies,
JustAnotherWriter/Ri-chi
