Main conference room
1:24 p.m.
China slammed the door open and proceeded to his seat at the table. He threw himself in his chair, panting heavily after an hour of running up and down the stairs and corridors, and stared blankly at the table. He had lost the game. Puffin was sitting on his head, purring and nipping his already messy hair lovingly.
"Welcome back," Hong Kong announced.
Japan snapped a photo and then handed China a glass of water. "You certainly look tired. Why didn't you give up earlier?
"Look at Puffin, he doesn't look tired at all," Taiwan chuckled. "He's so cute."
"She," Iceland corrected.
The Asiatic nations blinked.
"...um, forgive me if I'm much mistaken Iceland, but is Puffin's real name not Mister Puffin?"
"It is. Your point?"
Taiwan stared blankly at the Nordic nation, who flushed under her inquisitive gaze.
"I named her before she laid an egg," he mumbled in explanation. "Leave me alone."
"...Okay?"
China finally answered Japan's earlier question by grunting and slamming his brow against the table. Puffin balanced with the help of her wings and managed to remain seated on China's head.
Korea appeared from somewhere, dragging Norway along in a tight hug. Norway still refused to believe the situation. He had tried summoning some trolls to help him but for whatever reason that hadn't worked—perhaps the trolls were not impressed with Greece's balmy weather this time of year—and he was now completely at the Asian's mercy.
"Look brother! Look what I have! Isn't he cute? Cute isn't he? He's so lovable!" Korea rubbed their cheeks together. "My little Norwegian... and look brother!" Korea grabbed Norway's chest with both hands.
Norway gave a high-pitched yelp, shivered heavily and struggled to get away.
Korea didn't let him. "Look at him, brother! He's ticklish! It's adorable! Isn't it brother?"
Without waiting for an answer, Korea turned Norway around and gave him a loving hug, wiggling with joy. China didn't look, but Puffin did.
"Let. Me. Go," Norway said slowly against Korea's shoulder.
"Don't want to!" Korea answered happily and cuddling the Nordic tighter.
Norway tried to free himself once more by pushing against the Asian's chest. "This is irritating!"
"Irritating?" repeated Lithuania. "That's just confusing. This is irritating!"
He pointed at Egypt, who was sitting cross-legged in front of him on the table and staring at him intensely. He'd been sitting there for almost half an hour and had said nothing as usual. At some point, he had refilled Lithuania's coffee and done other similar favours, but hadn't touched him even once.
"Honestly, I would gladly have someone hugging me before having someone just staring at me..." Lithuania sighed and buried his face in his hands. "This is getting ridiculous, guys."
"Calm down," Poland said. "At least he isn't groping you or anything. As long he doesn't touch you, I like−"
Egypt leaned forward and gently took Lithuania's chin in his hand. Lithuania jerked his head out of his hands and gaped in shock. Poland's jaw dropped. Egypt pressed a gentle kiss to the Baltic's forehead. Then he leaned back a little and looked questioningly into Lithuania's eyes, still holding his chin. "You want me to touch you?"
Lithuania tried to avoid blushing but failed when Egypt was just stared at him calmly like he'd asked something completely normal, when the fact that he had talked at all was abnormal in itself.
Greece smiled a little. Egypt was kinda cute. But he had to talk to Eros about this.
Poland couldn't believe his eyes. "Let go! Liet is like, totally mine! Almost. Anyway, get away from him!"
Egypt answered by fixing Poland with a cool, blank stare and pointedly not letting go of Lithuania. Poland had expected some reaction so he fell silent for a moment when the other didn't say anything. He had obviously forgotten who he was dealing with.
"Aren't you gonna like... say something back?" Poland asked warily.
Egypt raised his hand and pointed at him with a butter knife.
This turn of events earned a shocked "Eh?" from everyone in the room. Well...except Sweden who didn't care, China who wasn't paying any attention to his surroundings, Russia who just smiled, Greece who had raised a hand to his eyes and Turkey who was still sulking in the corner.
"Whoa wait!" Lithuania grabbed Egypt's wrist with one hand and used the other to turn Egypt's eyes back to him. "No violence! Start acting like Belarus and England and I will never let you–"
Egypt blinked. Lithuania gasped a little when he moved to caress Lithuania's hand on his cheek, closing his eyes with a contented sigh.
"Stop it!" Poland tried again and reached for their hands.
Lithuania stopped him. "You both stop it!" he ordered. "Estonia, would you hold Poland? Egypt, release my hand."
Greece stood up. He had seen enough. At the centre of the table, the problematic situation went on but Greece had decided it was high time to talk Eros out of this. He glared at the god perched on the window sill, laughing his head off, and tried to get his attention so they could have a little talk.
Right at that moment England stormed in through the double doors he'd once used to break Turkey's nose and got the attention of everyone, seated or otherwise, in the room in a split second.
"SEYCHELLES!"
.
Corridor, unknown location
1:14 p.m.
"France, this is a bad idea!" Ukraine yelped and jumped out of the closet. "We can't!"
France grabbed her wrist. "Oh, come on, I knew you were going to say that. I know it might not be an appropriate moment, but show me some pity, Ukraine. I have two monstrous−"
"Sister?"
France turned pale.
Ukraine whirled around. "Oh hi Bela! I've been looking for you. Russia−"
"What's this about?"
"This? It's, um..."
"What were you doing in that closet?"
France panicked. "No, you're misunderstanding! It's nothing like that! We−"
"Sister, why do you have bare legs?"
"Uh!" Ukraine blushed heavily. "I just−"
Belarus didn't listen, but glared. "France…"
Ukraine raised her hands to calm her sister down. "Now, now, he's just giving me directions to the main hall, that's all. We er…"
"Sister."
"Yes?"
Belarus casually checked the sharpness of her knives. "What are you doing with my spouse?"
France shivered and attempted to disappear back into the shadows. "I told you to stay in the closet..."
.
Main conference room
1:31 p.m.
Turkey heard someone come in, barging through the double doors. Then there was shouting. People talking. More shouting. Screaming. General hassle. More talking.
Not that he cared that much what it was about.
His nose was still aching and moreover...
"Canadaa-aa," he whined and huddled into a tighter ball of misery, hugging his knees.
...he was lonely.
.
Corridor, unknown location
1:33 p.m.
France huffed heavily and leaned on the wall. Oh dear, that had been a close call. He made a mental note to thank Ukraine after all this (or at least bring some flowers to her grave).
France's knees gave out and he slid down to the floor. Leaning his head against the wall behind him, France gave a deep sigh. "I can't do this anymore... Maybe if I just fly back home," he smiled a little. "They'd just come after me." He closed his eyes. It's been a while since England overpowered me like this...
"Hey, France."
France's heart lost its rhythm for a second and he let out a little frightened yelp as he stumbled to his knees, ready to run away again. This other persistent lover was standing at the turn of the corridor, just a few metres away from him.
England tilted his head. "It's rare for you to be that afraid of me."
"Is it that strange considering you've reawakened your inner pirate and are unleashing it on me?"
"Calm down, dear." England sounded a little worried. "I have absolutely no intentions to harm you; I'm not Belarus after all. I find I'm quite enamoured with you, chéri, and I just want to play a little game of cat and mouse. Surely you understand? In any case, I have a deal to offer. What do you say?
France frowned. "What kind of deal?"
"Be mine," England said simply.
"Or?"
England took America's gun from under his jacket and reached around the corner to pull out his secret weapon. "Or face the consequences."
.
Main conference room
1:30 p.m.
"I won't accept it! Like hell I'm going to! Let me go! I'm going to kick the shit out of him!"
Italy squeezed his brother chest tighter to prevent him from rampaging. "Brother~! Stop it!"
"I already told you I WON'T!" Romano answered and wriggled to get away. "Let me go! I'm not leaving her! I'm going to save her!"
Germany grabbed his shirt and locked him in an iron-strong stranglehold. "If you think you can match England, you're insane! Especially when he has Seychelles!"
"Let me go! It's none of your business, you bastard!" South Italy tried to free himself from the two. "I can't let this happen! I'm not a man if something happens to her! I can't let her get hurt!"
"Calm down, Romano," Spain tried and took his shoulder. "You'll get hurt that way. Don't worry. England wouldn't really do anything."
"Don't be so sure of that."
"Hong Kong!"
Liechtenstein sobbed. "This is so scary now..."
Switzerland turned to her and gently took her hand. "Let's leave now, Liechten. It's the safest. And I'm not planning to get involved in this."
"Watch what you say," Norway spat in a poisonous tone. "I tried that too and look what happened to me."
Switzerland gave him an indifferent look. "I'm not as helpless as you are."
"Shut up! My trolls will be here any moment!"
"You've already used that excuse."
"It's not an excuse! I don't know what could be hindering them, but they are coming!"
Korea hugged him. "Hope they don't come~ "
"Urgh…" Norway growled and turned to his fellow Nordics. "Could you just help me already?"
"I'm busy. I have my own lover to deal with."
"You're just lazy!"
"I think you're cute."
"Don't you dare share that video...for the love of God, if I find that thing circulating the internet... Ice, you're on my side, right?"
"I think it's good for you actually."
"Excuse me?"
Korea laughed and took Norway in his arms like he was a fairytale princess and kissed him, squeezing his shoulders tightly but not so that it was painful. Norway looked like he was choking. He raised a hand to Korea's throat to strangle him, but the attempt failed when his self-proclaimed lover moved his fingers to his armpit. Norway shuddered and pulled his hand back to make Korea stop tickling him again. Korea chuckled against his mouth and twisted his fingers again. Norway attempted to yelp but was cut short when he opened his mouth to do it.
Austria sighed. "Hungary. Hungary."
"Yes?"
"Clean your face, please. You should do something to your nose."
Prussia laughed again and received a glare from Austria and Germany. "This is so much win!"
Switzerland snorted. "You're all idiots."
"Let me go already!" Taking advantage of the distractions, Romano was able free himself from Germany and Italy. Dancing out of reach of his captors, he turned to the central European nations. "Switzerland! I'll borrow your gun!"
Switzerland glared and stood up. "No you won't! We're leaving! Liechtenstein, come on!"
"B-brother, I... umm..." Liechtenstein hesitated. "I... would like to stay and watch for a while... "
Switzerland stared at her. His sister, on the other hand, was busy observing the interactions between Korea and Norway, as well as the behaviour of Denmark, who had figured Korea's idea wasn't bad at all. Sweden didn't seem to mind.
"It seems you're not leaving, so give me that damn gun!" Romano approached the Swiss angrily and was stopped by Spain and Italy.
"Romano, I know you miss Seychelles, but–"
"Shut up!"
"Brother~-"
"You too!"
"You're not having my gun! How many times do I have to say that!" Switzerland spat and grabbed Liechtenstein. "We're leaving. Now!"
Romano swore loudly and looked around. He soon found just the thing he needed and without caring about all three nations trying to stop him he seized his new weapon and ran to the doors. Greece raised his hand to object, but found he couldn't form any coherent words.
"Stop right there!" Germany shouted, trying to catch the fleeing Mediterranean nation.
Romano just yanked his wrist free and ran out through the door, shouting to Turkey as he went. "I'm borrowing this!" He charged forward, unleashing a fearsome call to battle. "ENGLAND!"
Turkey didn't even notice his saber was gone.
.
Next: Romano goes England-hunting, Puffin sees to it that China is properly fed, and Switzerland IS. NOT. APPRECIATIVE.
TBC.
A/N: Those who have read this in the meme: After this part was out, one of you wrote me a review like this: "You've just made officially ship Korea and Norway. Congratulations." Dear friend, if you're re-reading this now, let me tell you that your comment is still in the top three of my favorite feedbacks. Congratulations.
Thank you to everyone again: the reviewers, readers, general supporters, Greeks, perverted people, Himaruya and Emzy. You're all wonderful.
