Greetings to you guys, HetaWriter/HetaReader here - another chapter for you! :D

Well, let's not waste any time now, shall we? A BIG thanks goes to xXBlueSariaXx, Madam Platypus and Guest for the reviews! 8D

xXBlueSariaXx: I'm glad to see that your alert now works. :) I think it was just the site screwing up. ^_^' and again, thank you very much. :D well, despite that, they will try hard to make it work. Quan is quite clever for one thing, and though he's a bit air-headed, I think Antonio would know better than to just poke around on human land, since he'd be at a disadvantage unless there was a body of water. :)

Madam Platypus: Yup, I used 2P!talia, and honestly, I am getting pretty fond of them...much like how I'm fond of every other nation in Nyotalia and Hetalia. XD again, thank you very much for the compliment! :D yes, it is quite sad, isn't it? However, they will try to make it work despite that. ;) ahh, which Little Mermaid songs do you have in your head? I remember I couldn't get Les Poissens out of my head for a while. XD

Guest: Thank you for finding it cute! I'm glad you enjoyed it! =^^=

Onward we shall go!

Quan blinked at the red-tailed merman, unsure if he heard him correctly. He shook his head; did Antonio seriously just ask to live with him right now?

No…that can't be right.

"I think it's just the nice feeling of the moment," the Vietnamese man said. "But for a moment, I could've sworn you just asked if you could live with me…"

However, to Quan's surprise, Antonio didn't laugh and call him crazy; he was keeping his steady emerald eyes on him. They were glowing with soft and firm flames.

"You…were being serious?" inquired the Vietnamese man, his golden eyes widening.

Antonio nodded, "Si. I'm being dead serious." Catching sight of Quan's shocked expression, the red-tailed merman continued, "I really want to stay by your side; you can't breathe underwater, so why don't I just move into your home? I can breathe perfectly fine up here at the surface-"

"Antonio…" Quan interrupted, deciding that now was the time that he put his foot down. "I love you, and I know that you love me, but stop for a moment. Can you seriously hear what you're saying right now? Live with me? Really?"

The merman's face furrowed down to a scowl; the orbs of green fire were unwavering as he nodded, "Yes, I can hear what I'm saying, and I already told you; I am dead serious. I want to live with and stay with you, Quan. Te amo."

Quan shook his head, "No."

"Why not?"

The Vietnamese man now kept a stern look down at the merman, "Merpeople are not a sight in a human's daily life. Seeing you…it'd cause a lot of questions and unwanted attention. Antonio…there are people out there who are capable of doing horrible things. It's actually not an uncommon place for humans to act in a despicable way; I definitely don't want anything happening to you."

Here, Antonio shook his head, though a small, sunny smile graced his features, "You don't have to worry about that one, mi amor; I can definitely fend for myself."

Quan quirked a pencil-thin eyebrow up, "On land?"

Antonio nodded, "I can still hit things with my tail!" he then added, "Plus, I know that you'll be there to protect me, too."

The Vietnamese man's cheeks were burst into flames as they also coloured scarlet. He cleared his throat, trying to gain back his serious, stern composure, "Ahem…yes, I definitely will protect you the best that I can. However, please…just consider as to what you're saying; your friends told you that the human world is dangerous – that definitely isn't a lie. People are capable of destructive things. What someone so capable of such nasty things…I don't want to imagine what they'd do to you if they saw and found you…"

"What would they do to me?" asked Antonio, rather curious; he wanted to see if the claims that the merfolk back underwater would proclaim about humans. Seeing the hardened look and how stiff his human became, the red-tailed merman urged, "Please, just tell me. I need to know."

Quan swallowed the lump in his throat, but instead of responding, he shook his head, "No…it's too horrible."

"Quan—"

"Please, don't make me have to think up various scenarios that would end up with you getting hurt or killed…"

Antonio's emerald eyes widened at the last word. "K…killed…?" he squeaked.

Quan nodded, "Still want to live with me? Here in this screwed up world? It sounds like a nice, democratic place where you live, but up here…it can get really unlawful. People are known to kill each other for no reason whatsoever."

"But the town and home you described to me," spoke up Antonio. "They all sound so nice and considerate; I'm positive things won't be so bad."

"It's just this town," interjected Quan sharply. "Yes, most of the people here are nice and considerate, however, a lot of visitors come here; they would be the problem."

"Then, we'll just look out for them!" piped up Antonio, now beaming that radiant smile widely. "There! Problem solved! I can lie with you, mi tesero!"

Quan heaved a heavy sigh, "Problem not solved. Even if you justify that point, you forget one very important thing that prevents you from staying with me…"

Antonio blinked, looking utterly perplexed, "And…that is…?" he asked innocently.

The Vietnamese man rubbed his temples, but couldn't help the little chuckle that rumbled in his throat; the merman was so naïve…it was quite cute in his opinion. He then reached a hand out and gently stroked the glistening red scales of Antonio's tail. "This…though it is so beautiful; it is that beauty that will draw horrible people to you…"

Antonio's breath had hitched into his throat when his human had started caressing his tail; he liked it whenever he did that. The merman looked up again and shook his head, "Then…we'll just hide my tail!"

'He's so optimistic…' Quan inwardly sighed as he gazed at his companion. 'It's not a bad thing, but…' the Vietnamese man then stared back down at Antonio's tail, "How will we hid it, though? It's rather hard to hide something large…"

Antonio looked at his human with an expression etched with hope, "Do you maybe have something in the human world that can help conceal my tail? Cover it up?"

Quan was close to arguing back that, no; he didn't have anything to cover up the merman's tail, but when he opened his mouth, the question, 'cover it up' replayed in his mind. The Vietnamese man blinked and looked away, his mind suddenly snapped into a momentary blank as he sat in a thinking position; how he was when he had to ponder deeply to solve a problem.

And he tended to be good at solving problems.

'Cover…cover…cover…' he thought to himself as he rubbed his chin, staring pointedly at Antonio's tail. 'Cover…'

The merman blinked at his human, unsure as to what he was thinking. Antonio knew that Quan was clever and cunning; one of the many things he admired about him. However, the merman wished that he could catch on as to what was running through the human's mind right now.

"I think…" Quan hesitated. "I think I have found a way for you to cover your tail. And to get you around."

Antonio's eyes immediately sparkled, "Really?! You have!"

The Vietnamese man gave a slow nod as he straightened himself on the golden sands and patted Antonio's tail fondly, "When you said 'cover', it made me think of a blanket."

"Blanket?" Antonio questioned, looking highly curious.

"It's something humans use to keep warm when we go and sleep," answered Quan. "However, it is also used to cover up things, too. I think…I may have a blanket that's large enough to cover your tail. Transporting you around…" he said slowly as his sharp mind continued to tick, "I have a wheelchair that's still in the garage."

"Wheelchair?" the merman looked excited at hearing some new human contraptions.

"A thing that people use when we can't walk," replied the Vietnamese man. He patted at his right calf. "I broke my leg badly before. I was on a wheelchair for a good several months."

"That's horrible!" exclaimed Antonio. "What happened? How did you break your leg?" the merman looked down at his own tail and shuddered at the thought of not being able to move his tail anymore. If a mermaid or merman broke their tail…they were, simply put, vulnerable and probably stricken to their home for the rest of their life.

"Yes, well," Quan stretched out his leg. "It's perfectly fine, now. The doctor said I could keep it just in case. And now, I see it's going to be put up for good use again…" the glow in his golden eyes then extinguished as a scowl replaced the motivated expression that was on his face. He then leaned down again in the same thinking position, rubbing his chin again, "Hmm…"

"What's wrong, Quan?" asked Antonio, concerned with his human; he really wished he could think of something to help assist him with his moving arrangements right now.

"The final problem…" Quan said slowly. "Is my family…"

Antonio nodded in understanding, "Ahh, yes…they still don't know anything about me, do they?" he couldn't help but feel a great pang of disappointment.

"Yes, they don't," answered the Vietnamese man. "I'm not sure how they'll take this…"

"But you told me many things about them, too," replied Antonio. "You said how they're the closest family you have." He kept going when the Vietnamese man's honey-gold orbs simply darted to the side to look at him, "And it really sounds like you care deeply for them, and that they care for you, too – I remember during the storm; your sister didn't want to leave you on the boat…"

Quan's eyes wandered to the ocean, his eyes now tinted with fond hues as he gave a small chortle, "Mei isn't my sister; she is my cousin. However, she definitely is like a sister to me…"

Antonio nodded, "Si, see? Also you said many stories about your other cousins – Kasem and Yog Sue?"

The Vietnamese man laughed at his companion's attempt to pronounce the more Asian sounding name, "Yong Soo. But, yes…they truly do care…" he sighed as he leaned forward, his knees brought up to his chest as he rested his chin on his arms, "And I worried them when I was…feeling really down…"

The red-tailed merman shifted himself closer as he leaned against him, "Well…you can tell me anything, too, mi corazón." He placed both hands on his human's face and gently tugged him around to face him, "I am all ears."

Quan knew that his face must've exploded by now; staring at those beautiful, sincere orbs of grass green, and the inviting, welcoming smile…his head swam, and his heart swelled joyously just by taking sight of the merman before him. A small smile ghosted his face, however, he gently took Antonio's hands off of his face as he said in a quiet, yet gentle voice, "I truly appreciate that. However…believe it or not; I still don't feel inclined to telling anyone about it…"

Antonio nodded in understanding, instead opting to lay his head on his human's shoulder, "That's okay; it is your business, after all. Just know that I am here."

As he stared down at the merman who was lying on him, the Vietnamese man felt a sudden, wild flame burst into his whole being; bright and burning with determination.

It was a risky move, but if lady luck was truly with the both of them, then it will work out.

'Besides…who said that love was easy?' he thought to himself before speaking up, "You know…you're allowed to go and see your friends and home again…but maybe…you should say goodbye, first?"

Antonio nodded, "Si. I should say goodbye. However, I don't think I will be going back anymore."

Here, Quan looked astonished, "Why? Don't you like it there anymore? Was someone being nasty to you?"

The red-tailed merman gave a little laugh, "No, no, it's not that. It's just…rules of humans are strict, and the consequences are harsh; the king knows nothing about my meetings with you. But if he did, then I would no doubt, be exiled from his kingdom…"

"Exiled?" Quan echoed. "So…you are…exiling yourself?"

Antonio gave a merry chuckle as he leaned even closer, feeling quite comfortable against Quan's shoulder, "I guess you can say that, mi amor. But…you do have a point. Si, I will say goodbye to my friends before I leave."

"You should," responded Quan. "They have the right to know, and you should pack some of your mementos, too."

"I'll do that," smiled Antonio.

And so it was, that Antonio returned back into the kingdom of King Romulus. But the next day, after he was packing a few things, he had swam around to get Emma, Gilbert, Francis and Lovino, also telling him that Felicia could come along, too, if she wanted.

However, strangely enough on that day – Felicia was nowhere to be found.

Antonio didn't have the time to wait for her, though – he and Quan had arranged to meet at sunset, where the merman could finally move into his home.

And honestly, though it was painful to leave his friends behind and say goodbye, the merman's heart swelled also in excitement at the thought of living with the one he loved, and starting a new life with him in a new and different world he could only dream of living in before.

They were all in the grotto now.

"So…guess this is it, huh, Toni?" Gilbert asked, his voice low and stoic. His face was solemn and serious; his crimson orbs narrowed down to dangerous slits. "You're gonna live with him, huh? That human?"

Antonio nodded, feeling slightly awkward at how out of character his white-haired friend was acting right now. "Si," he answered back. "Quan and I have made plans; I'll be able to live with him. He said that he would cover up my tail with a blanket or two, and I'll be able to move around on land with a wheelchair."

"What the hell's a wheelchair?" questioned Lovino with an arch of the eyebrow.

The red-tailed merman chuckled, "Honestly, I don't know…but it sounds amazing, doesn't it?"

"Well…you always were more interested and intrigued in the way of the humans than us, mon ami," sighed Francis. He swam forward and kissed both of his best friend's cheeks as he bowed his head respectfully, "It is still a dangerous move, but…since I am one of your closest friends, I will respect your choice – this human truly does sound like he cares about you a great deal. And, well who am I to tell you that you should not pursue your love?"

Antonio smiled warmly as he hugged his blue-tailed friend, "Muchas gracias, Francis. Thank you so much for understanding."

"For once," Lovino spoke up with a sigh as he blew some strands of bangs out from his hazel eye. "I agree with blue-tailed bastard," he jerked a thumb in Francis' direction. "It's your choice, and your business. That freaking human is your business. If you want to go and live with him, then fine; go for it. But don't be such a dumbass up in their world; it's not as friendly and peaceful like down here, red-tailed bastard…"

Antonio couldn't help but give a big, wide beam at the prince's words, "Aww, thanks, Lovi~" he then swam forward and engulfed the slightly smaller merman in a tight hug, "I'll really miss you~"

Lovino spluttered, "Fine! You'll miss me, now get the hell off of me!" he was able to shove the red-tailed merman off of him as he rolled his eyes.

"Emma…" Antonio said, this time turning his full attention onto the mermaid.

The said mermaid gave no response. She was clutching at one of her arms as her eyes lay onto the ground, refusing to look up at the red-tailed merman.

"Emma," Antonio pleaded. "Please…look at me?"

"Why do you have to go?"

"Qué?"

"You don't have to go you know!" spoke up Emma, now facing him. Much to Lovino's shock, there were tears that were already starting to form out of her pale green eyes, starting to join with the sea's salty waters. "You can just stay here! Stay here with us! With me…"

Antonio breathed, "Emma…?"

"Toni…" the mermaid shook her head as she immediately took hold of his hand, her eyes desperately pleading him not to go, "Antonio…I love you! I've loved you for such a long time, and it hurt so much to see you just go! So, please…" she then took embraced her arms around his torso, clinging tightly as if afraid that he would evaporate on the spot. "Please…" she started sobbing. "Don't go…don't leave…"

The red-tailed merman could only gaze down at the mermaid who had just cried a confession to him. Antonio's surprised face morphed into an uncharacteristically blank one for a moment. However, it was slowly melted into a gentle, caring one as he tenderly took hold of Emma's arms that were enveloped around him, and softly forced them off, so he was holding them.

"Emma," he said with a small, sad smile. "Lo siento, but I cannot reciprocate your feelings; I to me, you were one of my most trusted friends – one who I could always rely on and share my secrets with. It is so hard to find someone like that, to which, I will treasure that forever."

Francis gave a dramatic gasp as he placed a hand on his chest, "Mon dieu, that is rather hurtful, Antoine! What about me?"

"Please, stop crying," the red-tailed merman said in his soothing voice as he reached up his hand to brush away the ones that were forming at the corners. "I don't want to leave you sad…"

Emma sniffed as she gave a small hiccup; though her heart was screaming at her as it continuously ripped into thousands of pieces at the thought of Antonio leaving, and for somebody else, as well, the mermaid knew that it would be selfish to grab hold of him and force him to stay.

Antonio had the right to love, too.

The mermaid nodded as she wiped at her eyes with her arm, mustering up a brave smile as she nodded, "Y-yeah. Okay…I'm sorry."

Antonio shook his head, "Don't be sorry." He then leaned down and wrapped his arms around her, enfolding her in a great deal of warmth, "I'll really miss you, mi amiga…"

Emma nodded, "Likewise…" she then breathed in his lovely, fresh scent and combed her fingers through his mocha-coloured locks one last time with her eyes gently shut; preserving this memory before finally letting go of him.

And that left Gilbert.

The red-tailed merman swam up to his pale-haired friend and sheepishly scratched the back of it, not really knowing what to say. At first, Antonio thought that Gilbert would be the most lenient when it came to pursuing his feelings for a human since the albino merman was known for being a delinquent and breaking the rules.

However, Gilbert being rather against Antonio's daily meetings with Quan did come unsurprisingly as a shock.

"Gil…" the red-tailed merman began, only to be cut off sharply.

"Look, I don't wanna do shitty mushy goodbyes," Gilbert snapped hoarsely. "That just isn't my awesome style. However, what I will say is this; it's stupid to go and risk it all for a human – especially one that you've only known for a couple of months. But Francis and Lovino have a point – you love him a lot, and it seems like he really loves you, too. You can't just block off love."

Antonio felt himself tremble with emotion at hearing his friend's words, which naturally prompted him to burst forward and bring him into a hug. One that which Gilbert returned rather slowly. "Muchas gracias, Gilbert," the red-tailed merman smiled sincerely. "Really, that means a lot, coming from you."

Gilbert snorted, a smug smirk on his face, which made Antonio relax again, "Heh, well it's just my awesomeness. But just promise me one thing, okay, mein freund?"

Antonio nodded vigorously, "Si! Sure! Anything."

"Don't forget us, okay? And…just in case things do turn out wrong; just remember that you can come back home. Everyone here will welcome you; definitely."

The red-tailed merman nodded yet again as he turned to face all of his friends. They all looked saddened to see him go, but brave smiles were placed onto their faces so as not to worry the leaving merman, and, to instead, encourage him to keep going onward and not give up at this shot of love.

"I won't ever," declared Antonio. "How could I? You're all my best and closest friends; that is so precious to me, too." Gazing up to see glints of orange and gold shimmer slightly down from the surface, the red-tailed merman gave a deep breath, "Well…it's sunset now – my cue to leave." He waved at his friends, "Adios, mi amigos and mi amiga! You don't have to worry about me! And keep on smiling!"

With that, his strong, streamlined figure began swimming away to shore as he continued to wave goodbye to them.

Likewise, they all waved back at him as they called their own words of departure to him.

"Come on, hyeong!" whined Yong Soo as he fidgeted on the spot. "When's your boyfriend coming over?"

Quan's face instantly flushed at the word starting with the first consonant of the alphabet, however he shook his head and spoke sternly, "Be patient, Yong Soo; he'll be here any minute now."

"How exactly is he getting here?" Mei asked curiously as she looked around. "By bus? By cab? Car? Motorcycle?" she was hopeful with the last suggestion. The thought of her cousin's boyfriend riding a motorcycle made the Taiwanese girl inwardly swoon; guys on motorcycles were really hot in her opinion.

The Vietnamese man shook his head, "No, no, no and no, unfortunately." He gave an amused snort at the slight disappointment in Mei's expression.

"Then…how is he getting here?" his female cousin looked thoroughly confused now. "By boat?"

"No," responded her older cousin. "But you're very close."

Quan had brought out his three cousins to the spot where he and Antonio would meet up every day. The Vietnamese man revealed to them that the reason why he would return at later times during the day, and as to why he adjusted his work schedule to earlier times was to see a special someone. And not just a special someone; it was the one who saved him from the freak accident with the storm.

His cousins were ecstatic to find out that he was being more social, however, the next bit of news came as a much bigger shock to them.

Quan and his rescuer had apparently both developed very strong feelings for each other.

And, as a result, they both confessed only yesterday, and thus, began making arrangements for the Vietnamese man's lover to move in.

They were shocked at the fact that he was jumping so deeply into the relationship already; wouldn't a date go first? However, Yong Soo had been able to put forth the point that maybe Quan and his mystery man had already gone on a fair few during the number of months they spent time with each other.

"I can't wait to meet him, ana~" said Kasem, his light brown eyes twinkling in excitement from behind his clear glasses. "He sounds very nice!"

Quan nodded, a smile dusting over his features, "Indeed…he is really nice." He scanned the ocean to see any sign for his companion.

Yong Soo yawned, "So sleepy…hyeong why'd you also take out your old wheelchair?" he plopped himself on it, "Can't your new boyfriend walk?" he joked and laughed, however he immediately stopped upon looking at his older cousin's serious expression. The Korean boy gawked, "O-oh my God…I'm sorry, hyeong; I didn't mean it! I didn't know…"

Quan shook his head, "No, no, it's fine. It's just…well, you'll be in for a shock…"

"You keep telling us that, too," Mei gave a pout as she placed her hands on her hips. "Why, though? Is he deformed or abnormal or something? Quan-kun, we don't care what he looks like; as long as he makes you happy, we're happy, too!" she flashed him a truthful smile.

"Mei is quite right there," agreed Kasem as he gave a warm beam to his cousin. "Quan, you know us; we don't really care."

"Just like when you came out of the closet," spoke up Yong Soo. "Err, well…part of it, anyway, since you swing both ways. We definitely don't care about your sexual orientation, and heck; if this guy's all burnt up or has warts or something, we wouldn't care! Because he's precious to you, da ze!"

Quan couldn't help but feel very touched with his family's approval despite not meeting with his lover yet. "I thank you very much for those words," the Vietnamese man said sincerely as he bowed his head to them. "However…this one…will be quite a shock to you."

"You dated Allie," said Mei as she rolled her brown eyes. "Nothing can be worse than her!"

Hearing a splash, the heads of the Asians snapped up. Especially at the bright, cheerful voice that called loudly, "Quan!"

The owner of that name gave a chuckle as he waved back at a rather handsome young tanned man with waves of chocolate-coloured hair and glowing green eyes, "He has now arrived." He then motioned for Yong Soo to get off the wheelchair, "I need that now."

The Korean boy quirked an eyebrow, "But, wait…I thought you said he can't walk! He's swimming perfectly up to us…"

Quan flashed his cousin a blank face, however there was no denying that glowing, mischievous (?) spark that danced in his honey-gold orbs. "I was correct; I said that he couldn't walk, when and where did I say that he couldn't swim?" he questioned.

"Wait, what?" Kasem blinked. "That…should technically be impossible; you need legs to swim and walk, ana~"

Mei smiled with a shrug, "He's really cute, though; nice choice, Quan-kun." She flashed him a thumbs-up, causing Yong Soo to roll his brown eyes. Naturally, this prompted her to stick out her tongue at him, where he also responded likewise. The Taiwanese girl however did wonder as to how Quan's new love could move like that.

"Ohh!" Antonio chirped as his eyes sparkled at the wheelchair that Quan brought forth. "That's a wheelchair? Muy bueno…"

"Yes," Quan nodded, amused at seeing the fascinated expression on Antonio's face. "Now, let's get you on this thing."

"Wait, hold on, we'll help!" piped up Mei as she, Yong Soo and Kasem care forward. However, they stopped only a few steps forth on the golden beaches when Quan was able to carry his love onto the wheelchair, they could only stare in shock, astonishment and awe at what they were seeing.

A beautiful red tail with shimmering golden fins.

"Hola!" the owner of the tail beamed widely as he waved at them. "You must be Quan's cousins! He told me so much about you guys!" he jerked a thumb at himself, smile still present on his face. "Me llamo Antonio – it's nice to meet you!" he shot forth his hand, ready to shake.

They could only stare at his extended hand and his tail; looking back and forth at the two of them.

Quan couldn't help but feel both worried and entertained at the priceless expressions on his three cousins. The Vietnamese man simply grabbed the large blanket and placed it over Antonio's tail, tucking gently into the gaps and spaces until the merman's tail was on longer in view. He then laid another sheet over it to make it look like that Antonio simply couldn't walk like an old woman.

"It's so warm," the red-tailed merman marvelled as he shifted slightly in the spot. However, that caused some of the blanket to slip off a bit. "Oh no!" yelped Antonio.

Before Quan could pick up the bit of the fallen blanket, someone else had beaten him to it.

Yong Soo simply tucked it back into place, however he fixed it so that when Antonio moved around a bit, it wouldn't fall out again.

Quan arched an eyebrow at his younger cousin, but Antonio piped up, "Muchas gracias! I mean; thank you so much!"

The Korean boy simply nodded as he responded, "S'okay…after all; someone precious to hyeong…should be okay with us."

"That's perfectly true, ana~" agreed Kasem as he was able to plaster a smile on his face, however, Quan could easily detect the hint of nervousness that was there. "Now, why don't we all go home and I'll cook us all some dinner?"

The Vietnamese man blinked, but he bowed his head respectfully at his cousins again, "Cám ơn." However, before he could start wheeling Antonio to his house, Kasem stopped him.

"But, please, can you at least tell us how this even happened when we get home?" sighed the Thai man. "This is…quite a lot to sink in."

Quan nodded, "Definitely. I'll be glad to tell you the details at home. I'm sure Antonio would love to speak his perspective, too." And that was when he started wheeling the merman home, to which the said merman was crying in delight at moving quite smoothly without the use of his tail.

At seeing how animatedly their cousin was acting with the merman and how brighter and lighter the atmosphere suddenly became with the both of them, Kasem and Yong Soo exchanged looks.

"Wow…"

"I know…"

During that time, Mei couldn't help but keep her eyes on Antonio and her Vietnamese cousin the whole time, not paying attention as to what was being said around her. However, she could see that old flame that used to burn so vividly years ago burn back in full throttle when Quan was around Antonio. Even when he only spoke about the merman, the Vietnamese man seemed much more high-spirited.

The Taiwanese girl rubbed her chin as she nodded, an odd look of approval crossing over her face.

'Boy, does Quan-kun know how to pick 'em!'

"Okay, okay!" the bartender spoke up sternly. "That's enough already! You've drunken like...seven shots in a row! Come on! No more for you!"

"Noooo..." whined Mathias in a slurred speech as he made a grab for a whiskey bottle this time. "I want more! Gimme more!" however, as he tried to grab for the bottle, he almost fell off his chair, had it not been for the German woman with him.

"Mathias..." sighed the said German woman. "Honestly...you're a lot of trouble, you know that? Sometimes, I still wonder why I'm going out with you..."

"Am not, Louise!" pouted the Dane, his cheeks now flushed, and his eyes bloodshot. "Don't be a meanie! I'm just grieving! S'all!"

"Grieving?" Louise asked, arching a delicate eyebrow. However, she couldn't help but brim with pity for the Danish man; whenever he drank, he became more emotional - if fond memories or tragic experiences washed over him, this tall, towering, muscular Dane would get easily reduced to tears and sob like a child. She knew that she had to tread with extreme caution in this case, "Grieving, you say? Well..." she helped him up on the chair again. "What is it that you're grieving?"

The Dane blubbered, "I miss 'im! I miss him so much!" and with that, his baby blues were now tearful and shiny.

"Miss him?" echoed Louise as she came closer, now genuinely concerned for him. "Who do you miss?"

"Norge!" cried the Danish man over and over again. He sobbed as he placed his great hand on his agonized face, "I miss him so much! It was all my fault!"

"Mathias..." Louise said soothingly, she brushed away loose strands of blonde bangs from his right eye and shook her head, "Lukas disappearing was definitely not your fault. He went missing; how could it be your fault?"

Mathias shook his head as he sniffed, the lump in his throat more distinguishable, "No, no, no, no, no! You weren't there! It was all my fault he's now gone!" he wept unceasingly. "I shouldn't 'ave let him jump! I should've held him! But, no...! Norge!"

And with that, the Dane suddenly took hold of his girlfriend and sobbed more of his sorrows aloud in her bosom. To say that the German woman was flustered was an understatement.

No, she was downright mortified.

However, looking down at her Danish boyfriend who was crying his heart out, and obviously letting out a past regret, or guilty feelings that he felt he deserved, she simply let him do what he was doing, and began gently tenderly stroking his hair as she uttered soothing words in his ear to calm him down.

He only came here into the city to visit his mother since she became sick and his Vietnamese boss was a rather considerate man. But now, it looked like the Dane was too upset as he relieved old memories that didn't make much sense to the German woman as well.

'Jump? I wonder what he means by that...'

As she watched Mathias snooze on her, she was able to drag him to her apartment and pushed him onto one side of the bed while she herself made some herbal tea before washing up and joining him as well.

He could really use some warmth tonight. And honestly, so could she.

And yes, here the chapter must draw to a close. So, it looks like Antonio and Quan are still trying to live together despite Antonio's little "handicap", and Quan's cousins don't seem to have any qualms against having a merman in the house so far. Will the couple be able to pull it through, though? Will they be able to overcome any potential obstacle? And if so, what obstacles will they face?

[Character/s Introduced]:
Louise [Nyo!Germany]

Yes, I actually liked the idea of Nyo!Germany x Denmark - I ship it after DenBelg. XD

Well now, thoughts and opinions? Have a pleasant day. :DDD

Sincerely,
HetaWriter/HetaReader