A/N: Hello again! I know, I know, I'm terrible for missing like, what? Three? Four update days? I lost count and I'm not proud of it, but as an apology, here's a pretty good, fun chapter.
Day 4: 154 Hours to Departure
Gilbert was the only one awake when the man came to the door. Despite his best efforts, he had been drowning in his thoughts all night. Nothing seemed to be able to quell the buzzing in his mind. Was he in love with Matthew? The only real love he had ever experienced was love for his family. And he was pretty sure that wasn't the same thing. Never before had he had trouble falling asleep because he couldn't stop thinking. Critical thinking was usually something he was able to switch on and off easily, but ever since that stupid blond Canadian showed up, his brain had been plunged into hyper-drive. He over-analyzed every little smile, every word, every action. Everything meant something, and most of those somethings were bound to be bad.
In an attempt to escape his detrimental state of mind, Gilbert had thrown on a jacked and gone walking out on the streets of Antwerp some time around midnight. Despite it being a Thursday night the streets were still lined with tourists of all ages and nationalities. Unlike Gilbert, everyone seemed so sure of themselves. Everyone had a destination and a way to get there. All the while Gilbert was stuck in the middle of nowhere without a map or even a road to follow.
He walked around aimlessly for half an hour, before returning to his hotel room to think in silence. Around one am, a man Gilbert recognized as the organization's president knocked on his door and called for all reps to report downstairs. He woke up Antonio and then Francis, who seemed more than a little put-off at being woken up so early. Gilbert hadn't ever changed out of his clothes, so he waited for his friends to get ready before taking an elevator with them downstairs.
The first floor looked a little creepy in the dark. The green foliage cast eerie shadows across the floor and the only sound to be heard was soft murmuring coming from the lobby. By the time that the trio arrived, everyone else seemed to already be there. It was hard to make out faces in the dim light, but Gilbert thought he saw Matthew standing with the Nordic reps, the Russian, and the American.
"The ancient nations!" The organization president shouted out from the table he stood on. "China! Turkey! Greece! Egypt! The Italians!" Each of the respective representatives stood up and walked to the front of the room. "Prussia!" Gilbert gave a little goodbye wave to his friends before joining his group members who were rummaging through a large box.
"What is it?" The albino asked.
"Laser tag equipment." Replied Sadiq, the Turkish rep. The president resumed his speech from behind them.
"So who should be our king? We should keep the most athletic ones out on the field." Yao, the Chinese rep, suggested.
"I'll do it!" Offered Feliciano, one of the Italians. "I don't want to shoot anyone."
"Get your equipment on then." Fired back Lovino, his brother. Prussia looked at the rest of his group. Including himself, Heracles from Greece, and Gupta from Egypt, they had seven members.
"You have ten minutes to find a room, choose a king, and get ready starting...now!" The president exclaimed. In a brief moment of panic, Gilbert snatched up their box and started running, motioning for his team to follow. His feet pounded across the tile as he raced towards what he remembered as an empty conference room. He threw open the door and busted inside. The rest of the team followed suit and began setting up.
"Ready, guys? Let's do this!" Gil exclaimed eagerly.
"Hold it, dick cheese!" Lovino said, sticking his arm out and stopping the boy. "We need a plan, idiot!"
"Lovino's right!" Defended Feliciano. "If you go out there with no plan, you would all get shot right away."
"What if we split up?" Heracles offered.
"No! That's just what they'd expect us to do." Sadiq claimed. "If we all hide out on this floor, we can shoot down anyone that comes close."
"Then how will we get a king, dumbass?"
"We'll have three people down here and three people going out to capture a king." Yao declared. "Sadiq, Gupta, and I can go up and Lovino, Gilbert, and Heracles will stay down here. Sound good?" The room answered with agreement and the nations all headed out with Gilbert and Heracles each taking one side of the atrium and Lovino guarding the door. Gilbert watch his gear give off a faint glow as the game began. He wandered through the various potted plants in the atrium, turning in slow, silent circles, always on guard.
Without warning, the door to the stairwell burst open, a figure rushing out of it. Gilbert quickly darted behind a plant and watched as the figure scrambled to hide underneath a bench. From the stairwell stepped out Elizaveta and Vash, apparently looking for whoever was hiding. Once the two retreated back up the stairs, the person emerged quietly from beneath the bench. Gilbert couldn't believe his luck when he saw the glasses-framed lilac eyes and the wavy blonde hair that he loved so much.
Matthew had a death grip on his laser gun and crept around like a little deer, frightened of the wolves that could be hiding in the greenery around him. Gilbert followed silently behind him with a smile splayed across his pale skin. He stopped when he saw Matthew standing in front of the central fountain. Full moons were said to bring out werewolves who would go and feast on innocent passerby. Was it possible it affected albinos too? Gilbert didn't know. All he knew at that moment was that being bathed in moonlight made Matthew all the more irresistible.
He raced towards the boy who immediately heard his footsteps and started running in the opposite direction. He followed the boy to the edge of the atrium when Matthew suddenly tripped and skidded across the tile. Gilbert caught up to the fallen Canadian who tried to flip himself over and run but was trapped when Gilbert set his foot upon the other's chest. His mind raced, He was an idiot! Matthew was sure to hate him now. But he could play it off, right? His mouth went ahead of his mind and he spoke the absolute most cheesy line possible. "Hello, Birdie. We meet again."
"G-Gilbert?" Matthew stuttered. Gilbert's face burned with heat and he thanked God that he was in the dark where Mattie couldn't see him blush. The Prussian looked behind him and saw Heracles asleep on a bench with his foot sticking out. That must've been what tripped him. Without thinking, Gil quickly fired a shot into each of Matthew's legs, rendering them useless. "Dammit." He uttered weakly. Gilbert picked up the boy's laser gun before scooping the other up, bridal style and rushing them into a closet.
"Gilbert, what are you doing?" Matthew asked. The storage closet was roomy and mostly empty, a few boxes taking up one corner. The albino set him down gently on the floor before locking the door. Matthew's heart raced and he squinted his eyes in the dark room. Aside from the little amount of light that filtered in from underneath the door, the closet was pitch-black.
Gilbert had no idea what he was doing. He internally yelled at himself for getting into something he knew he couldn't get out of. The long inner monologues of before were all gone, replaced by an endless string of every curse word he knew. He looked at the blonde on the floor, hair spread out in a halo around his head and moth slightly agape. He knew he was an idiot for what he was about to do but he went ahead with it anyways.
Gilbert lowered himself to the floor and placed a knee on either side of Matthew's hips, staring intently at the boy beneath him before placing a hand softly on the side of his face and connecting their lips in a soft kiss. When Matthew kissed back, any and all of his thoughts raced out, flooded by a hazy wave of passion. Matthew couldn't resist kissing the boy back. His warmth was compelling and comforting in the otherwise cold night.
Their laser tag gear made small noises as they collided but the two boys couldn't care less. They were the only ones in existence. The closet (haha) was their universe and they became one in another. The kiss quickly became more heated and rushed, as if each of them were trying to soak up as much of the other as possible. Gilbert ground his hips down into Matthew's and he let out a soft moan into his mouth. Matthew's hands came up and tangled in ashen hair as Gilbert's hands ran up and down Matthew's body. He slid his warm hands underneath his thin shirt and ground hid hips down once more before breaking the kiss.
"That's just a taste of what you'll get later. After I win." Gilbert said with a smirk. He stood up picking up Matthew and their guns.
"You mean after I win." Matthew shot back with the same look. Gilbert chuckled before setting him next to the bench where Heracles was asleep.
"Hey, dude," Gilbert said, shaking Heracles. The boy slowly picked his head up, looking confused. Gil gave Heracles Matthew's gun and pointed to the boy on the floor. "Keep an eye on this one, okay?" Heracles nodded and he ran off towards the stairwell. He ran past the second floor, knowing that both Vash and Elizaveta were great shooters, instead poking his head through the door of the third floor. Matthias stood, with his back turned, and Gilbert decided he was as good as a target as anyone. He aimed his laser and fired into the Dane's headgear.
"What!? Gilbert?" Matthias exclaimed, spinning around. "Damn." Gilbert laughed a bit before running though the door behind him. Inside the small office, Lukas sat on top of a desk, eyes wide.
"You are coming with me, little man." Gilbert said, picking up the Norwegian and throwing him over his shoulder.
"Little?! I'm only an inch shorter than you!" Lukas defended.
"Yeah, whatever." Gilbert replied, carrying the boy out the room and down the stairs.
"Stupid, Dane." Lukas muttered, rolling his eyes and smiling. Gilbert did his best to make no noise as he passed the second floor, but carrying someone almost his size wasn't exactly easy. He sprang out onto the first floor and ran for the conference room, almost tasting the victory. Before he knew what was coming, something shot out across the floor and tripped him, sending him and Lukas into a pile of bruises and swearing.
Matthew smiled at the albino that lay sprawled across the cold floor. Gilbert's eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he realized he had tripped over Matthew's stretched out figure. "W-What? But how? I-I..." Gilbert stuttered. Matthew smirked.
He held up one finger. "Heracles has a habit of falling asleep easily. And two," He held up a second finger, "There's this thing called army crawling that helps you get around when you can't use your legs. Lukas!" Understanding the signal, Lukas fired shots into each of Matthew's legs, healing them and letting him stand up. Matthew shot Gilbert's headpiece and gave a look of fake sympathy as he picked up the Norwegian and slung him over his shoulder.
"Do you think you could carry two people, Matthew?" Lukas asked. Matthew glanced over to what was obviously the other team's base, guarded only by Lovino. He was absolutely sure Feliciano would be the one waiting inside. He nodded at the other boy and set his softly down onto a bench before creeping forward silently to get a better shot. The brunet looked extremely bored, lazily swiveling his head from side to side, looking for possible attackers. Matthew ducked behind a plant and was sure the boy saw him, but once Lovino looked away, he knew it was the time to take his shot.
Matthew's gun gave off a flash of light as he hit Lovino in the side of the head. "Wha-" Before Lovino could even finish his though, Matthew pushed him aside and ran into the room, greeted by the face of a frightened Italian. He wasted no time picking the other up softly and placing him over his shoulder before carrying him out and running in the direction of the bench he left Lukas on. "Goddamnit!" Came a loud curse from behind him, but Matthew could care less at the moment. He grabbed Lukas and ran for the stairwell.
Adrenaline was really one hell of a drug. He pushed himself forward, racing up the steep flight of stairs. As he passed the second floor, a shot rang out and Vash And Elizaveta's voices could be heard yelling. Matthew picked up his speed as he heard rapid footsteps from behind him. He threw open the door and panicked as he realized how exposed he would be. The Canadian ran like hell, he looked over his shoulder to catch a glance of Vash aiming his gun. He was able to swivel his body just in time for Feliciano to act as a human shield and thanked Lukas for convincing him to take the Italian.
He was footsteps from the base when he dropped Lukas, making sure not to hurt him, but freeing up his hands to open the door and throw himself and Feliciano inside. The little boxes in the corners of the room lit up in green and let off little victory sounds. Matthew set Feliciano down before whooping and hollering in delight. "Haha! We won, Lukas!" The other blond smiled softly and held up his fist in a lazy celebration. The armor and guns responded with a mechanical voice telling them the game was over and the blue team had won.
Feliciano looked down in defeat and Matthew gave a him a little look of sympathy. "Hey," he said, holding out his hand. "Good game." The Italian took his hand and smiled, letting Matthew pull him to his feet.
"Good game, amico." Feliciano replied with a little laugh. He put his arm around the taller boy and started walking. Matthew stared down at the other in surprise. Was everyone this casual with physical contact? As he exited the room, he attempted to put an arm around Lukas in the same manner, but the teen flinched the second he made contact.
"Don't touch me." Apparently not everyone was that comfortable with it. At the end of the hall, Vash and Elizaveta had visibly relaxed, Elizaveta smiling and Vash with a neutral expression. Matthew wasn't sure he had ever seen him smile. Maybe to the rep from Liechtenstein.
"Hey guys! Nice job, Matt! I wouldn't say I exactly approve of using Feli as a meat shield, but it was a good move." Elizaveta expressed through a laugh. Matthew chuckled nervously and scrated the scruff of his neck.
"Yeah, sorry about that Feliciano." Elizaveta patted Matt's shoulder and the remaining reps followed them downstairs to the lobby. When they arrived, most of the lights in the lobby had been turned on, giving the place a much different atmosphere than the tense excitement of the game. Matthew and Lukas joined the rest of their teammates at the front of the room. Each of them grew bright smiles when they saw them and Matthew was greeted by hugs and encouraging pats on the back.
"Congratulations to our blue team for winning the game and capturing the red team's king!" The organization president exclaimed, once again having taken a place on top of a coffee table. "As a prize, the winning team gets free drinks at club Red & Blue tonight! No alcohol for anyone under 16, though." Emil sighed and rolled his eyes. "Every rep is invited! Now, take a day to rest up and get ready for a night of fun."
Matthew looked around at the tired yet happy faces of his teammates as they swapped information about the game. The sun had just barely started to peek over the buildings of the city and cast its rays on the waking people. From what he could tell, everyone's plan was to catch up on their lost hours of sleep before anything else. He smiled softly as he thought about the night. It was something he would probably never forget. And Matthew had five days to make as many wonderful memories as possible.
A/N: Red & Blue is a gay night club. :) Also, the legal drinking age in Belgium is 16. Should I write some smut for it? ,';) Maybe… Annyywayyys, thank you again for reading! I'm terrible for not updating. I'll upload the floor plans of the hotel on my tumblr, platinumcynic. Rate, review, and follow!