Chapter9: MangoScones!
A/N: Yes! This is a continued part of Chapter8! And UKPH it will still be!...just from the title.. Halata naman (Pretty obvious..) XD
This got kind of a bit trivia-like, for a bit. I loved how I learnt a lot about mangoes during my time in the province. As for scones, I had to ask my dad about them, since he is a cook. So he knows a bit of how it goes, and some are based off the net. Enjoy the fluffiness and more~. (w) .
That quiet afternoon, as the sun started its descent across the horizon and the rest of the students were leaving the school...
Inside the detention room...the President of the Student Council and the ASEAN Secretary sat together, alone in that big room. The young girl busied herself as she looked over the rest of her golden treasures to choose which to give to her friend, whose stomach she had been hearing for the past few minutes. "Give me a second, England...just looking for the rights ones to give to you!"
"Sure...thanks, Piri. But, how'd you get all these mangoes sent to you?" England asked as he was given a rather large mango by the girl. "Was it sent directly from your country?"
"Yep! I got my farmer friends to send me their freshest batch of mangoes once the harvest comes! So, they sent me a crate of unripe ones so that when it gets here, they would be near ripe! Just the perfect ripeness too! Ahh, I'll bring them lots of pasalubong (gifts/souvenirs) once I get back home...", the girl happily answered to him.
The British gentleman just smiled at her childish nature, and then turned to admire the mango he held in his hands, it had a pretty golden yellow color, the sweet smell wafting around them and the coldness it emitted on his touch, it was probably refrigerated for her, "Well, is this what they call the Mangifera indica?"
At his question, Piri flinched and looked at him weirdly, "Biology lessons, now, kaichou? Yes, that would be the genus for the Common Mango. Since it is more widespread, it is more popular and known than the other Mangifera species, especially to me and my Malay brothers. We have tons of plantations of these 'Indian Mangoes'..."
"But your mangoes did originate from India, right?" he asked as the image of his Indian friend came to mind, him and those Bollywood dances, his uncanny but somehow pretty much good character, although he did usually get too much on his nerves...
"Yes...even though it is my favorite and national fruit, that is correct. It's not native to my land, so it most probably came via trade with him and Indonesia. But, of course, my mangoes are quite unique in compared to his mangoes..."
"Really? Don't mangoes look the same?"
The Filipina gave a smile as he asked her that, "Well, that's what most people would know but, there are different types of mangoes, I'm not sure with the others...but my home has different ones. Actually, that mango you're holding? We call it Manggang Kalabaw."
"Manggang Kalabaw? Kalabaw...if I recall, you told me that that was your National Animal, right? The one that represents hard work and diligence?" he remembered since she would tell him stories about her farming days back at her home. And she would remark something about her adorable pet Carabao, saying how they would work together in the fields, rain or sunshine. "Am I right?"
"Yep, to be specific, the Kalabaw, or Carabao or Water Buffalo, in English, is my National Land Animal, since my National Bird is the Philippine or Monkey-Eating Eagle." Maria tipped her head backwards for a bit as she tried to recall her talk with England about their symbols. "As for you, England, your National Animal is the Lion, right? To depict bravery and the courage of you and your warriors even back in the medieval times?"
England was glad to see she had recalled it correctly, "Correct! Am glad you would be able to remember something about me once in awhile.." he remarked as returned his attention to the golden fruit in his hands.
"I usually do remember things about you, you idiot..." Piri mumbled under her breath, although it was inaudible enough, as she watched him sniff over the mango, and saw a smile spread on his face. Maybe he liked the sugary scent as well?
Once Piri had counted around 5 mangoes on the cloth, she turned around to return the lid on the crate. While she was closing it properly, she was surprised when she heard him chuckle again. "I see that they really are heart-shaped..." he said when he had placed his mango beside one of hers, and pointed to the pair of them on the table.
She couldn't help but smile at his observation, as he had separated some mangoes from the pair. Surprisingly, one of her mango and his mango looked alike, with the curves and hooks, it was a match. "W-Well...that's quite rare. I've seen some close mango pairs before but this is...certainly a surprise..."
"Really now...that's so wonderful. It's like a miracle, ne?" he asked as he looked back at her, and laughed a bit. Maria liked it better when England laughed...it was rare to see him smile, what more to see him laugh? A real laugh at that. So, she couldn't help but laugh herself as she took out her phone and took a picture of the two fruits. "A perfectly-shaped heart..."
"Yes. But you know...there is one fruit that has a heart..." as she saved the image in her folders, she smirked when she saw the curious and confused face on the President's face.
"There is such a fruit?" when she gave him a nod, he started to ponder over what fruit she was thinking of, but gave up after several seconds. "I give up, so what is it?
At his reply, Piri gave him a raspberry face, followed by a giggle, "It's the banana! You know, that red flower, or since you were talking biology, that inflorescence we can see along with its fruit? That's actually the Heart. Puso!"
"...it is?...but it's in your language! No fair!" he glared at the Filipina who just shook it off with the wave of her hand.
"Same same," and only smirked as England continued glaring at her "Well, at least the banana has a complete heart..."
Arthur, as a thought crossed his mind, smiled and applied it to the pair in front of him, "But as for a mango, it would take two for it to tango..."
The girl beside him erupted in giggles as she took in the pun from her friend, "OMG! That rhymes! So cute!", and as she tried to catch her breathe, she finally got to mutter out...much to both her and England's surprise "Like them! A perfect match to complete each other! We sure make quite the match!"
End result...time stopped for both of them as they took in the words of the girl, and she even understood what she just said. "I-I meant m-made! Made a m-match for the m-mangoes, o-of c-course!" she corrected or stuttered out her explanation as she turned away not to face him, just like he did. Both were blushing...at the thought of each other's mango, the right match for the other, had been able to make a beautiful and perfect heart. And how Piri's words...meant something...
The Asian nation was already freaking out in her head as she reprimanded herself, "AWKWARD! Augh! Mouth! Why won't you stop when you're getting ahead and getting carried away?"
But he suddenly spoke..."I-I agree...with..about..t-the mangoes, I mean..." Piri looked back up in surprise, but only blushed harder and didn't look back at him. England, also looked the same way as she was. And they stayed in their positions, not looking at the other, blushing like bright red tomatoes. Just as she said...they sure 'match' each other...
Not bearing the sudden silence that came between them, England decided to ask, although his voice was stuttering because of a while ago, "A-Anyway...b-back to the topic...so this would be Carabao Mango?"
"Y-Yeah! Haha! I-I know it's a funny name, but it's to d-differentiate it from the other mangoes." she remarked as she rubbed the back of her head and saw England's nod, urging her to continue and explain how mangoes would be different. At least it would divert them from the previous topic...
"Well...you see, Indian Mangoes are smaller than these. Actually, they're also known as Apple Mangoes, because of their circular shape and they usually have a red top. They taste like medicine, if I recall...Then, there's also the smaller type of Mango, we call it Supsupin. It's small and round, but sweet in taste! It never grows bigger though."
"Then, we have the Pico. It's nearly got the same size as this Mango, but it is flatter and a bit longer than the usual mangoes. And then, my favorite! Manggang Kalabaw, or as you called it, Carabao Mango, is of the larger type of Mango. They're bigger in size and shape, quite sour at first but sweet once ripe! Usually, these are the ones found in my provinces. Unripe ones are perfect with bagoong or salt...ohhhh...I can feel my mouth watering for one now..."
Her explanation ended when she heard a chuckle come from her friend beside her, "What is it, England?" and he laughed even harder when she turned to face him, feeling all irritated, she poked him by the shoulders. "Kaichou?"
Deep in England's mind, he wanted to explain how funny she looked a while ago, he knew her mind had drifted off to dreamland, but her face...those dazed dreamy eyes, and a dopey grin, and was she starting to drool? But he held it to himself and just explained simply, "Well...you're pretty knowledgeable about this..."
And as fast as her irritation came, as fast did it leave as well, and she beamed with happiness "Of course! This comes from someone who has always been feasting on these fruits since the 15th Century!"
"Well, no wonder..." he remarked and watched as she took back her fruit and gave his mango back to him.
"Here you go! Well? Why won't you eat it?" she asked as she pointed to the mango in his hands, she knew he was hungry and all, but why won't he eat it already?
The Briton scratched his head as he looked at her with a bewildered look on his face. Eat it? "Errr, Piri, I'd love to...but do you have a knife or a spoon or something?"
The girl, at his reply, looked at him in shock, nearly dropping her mango on her lap, in realization, "Oh England...don't you know how to eat mangoes without using utensils?"
"No...when I do eat these kind of fruits, they'd usually be chopped up in a bowl or already part of the pastries and desserts...so I don't know how to eat it...like this..." he explained truthfully to her.
"Geez...you're missing a lot if so...all right, let me teach you a bit of my techniques.." she took out a packet of tissues from her bag and placed it on the table for them to reach, "All you have to use are your hands, your mouth and a little help from me, but I'm sure you'll get the gist of it later on. Just follow me, got it? Oh, and raise your sleeves, this might get sticky..."
England worried a bit that he wouldn't be able to do this, but seeing the determination on the young girl's face, he smiled and gave a nod, as he followed her orders, "All right...so how do we do this?"
"First, clean it. We wouldn't want any of the sticky sap or Dagta on us. It will really leave a bad itch." she explained as she started wiping her mango over and over again with a wet tissue and dried it out with another tissue. Her mango lost some of its glimmer but it was safer to eat by then.
The boy carefully wiped all the sides of his mango, copying the girl's movements, "Done that...then?"
"We peel the skin off. You can remove it with your mouth or with your hands." and with skill and precision, Piri's hands worked over one edge of the mango to remove the skin partially.
"My hands? How?" England asked and tried to see how she was able to remove the skin by herself. He tried and failed, making some of the juice squirt on his hand, "Ah! Close call, at least it didn't go to my sleeves..."
"Yep, good thing your sleeves are up. Actually, most won't be able to get it by hands first, so the mouth is much better. But, hands are best if you want to avoid getting too sticky. Fine, I'll help you. Look here..." Piri took his mango and pressed a small indent on the edge carefully, and gave it back to him with a skin partially off, "You just need to press firmly but not too hard. Now, pull it off..."
"All right..." England pulled some off but succeeded in only getting a small portion of the skin off, and the girl snickered beside him. "Was that...supposed to happen?"
"For beginners, yes..." she took her mango and her fingers started working wonders again as she removed the rest of the mango skin off it easily "But for pros like me, it's a piece of cake..."
"I know that...but...wow..." he admired the work of the Asian girl, she had cleaned it off in one slice, and had already disposed the peeled mango skin on the table, "N-Nice work..."
She blushed at his comment while scratching her temple and smiling back at him, "Thanks. It takes a bit of practice...but try to remove more of the skin, come on, I know you can do it!" she remarked and pushed his mango again to remove some of the skin.
"Augh..." England blanched once again as he again removed a small portion of the mango skin, how did that girl get to do this? It kind of reminded him on how apples or potatoes were peeled with a peeler, so how could it be applied to this? Maybe...if he tried it slowly...
"Oh! I see you got how it works!" Piri congratulated his work as he was able to reach the middle portion of his mango with one long strip, "You could try doing it diagonally, England. It's much easier that way..." and as he followed her advice, he was finally able to remove the rest of the skin without breaking it. "See! Great job, for your first one..."
England groaned in relief a bit as he placed the peeled off skin back on the table and looked at his work, well, it wasn't as clean as Piri's, with some skin left and some bumps here and there...but at least he was able to pass this step, "You should have told me diagonally works better in the first place...and then?"
"You eat it!" and then gave a large bite on the mango, and he could hear the faint squelching sounds as some of the juice sticked to her lips, "Careful on biting, the juice can squirt a lot or drip all over your arms. Bite slowly but surely...or, you can use a handkerchief on your lap in case it drips. You have one?"
England gave a nod as he took his out of his front pocket when he gave Piri his mango to hold. Once he had set it up on his lap, he took it back and watched as she got her own, copying him "All right..so..j-just like that? I chomp it up like that?"
"What do you expect?" she asked sarcastically as he looked at her confusingly again, and gave a gulp as he looked back at his mango. Slowly...he brought his mango closer to his lips, whiffing the sweet scent and feeling the sticky sap on his fingertips...although his mind reeled over how improper and not etiquettal this would be, but...unique and diverting-off-the-usual experiences are nice once in a while too, right?
He let the mango touch his lips first, feeling the juice stick to his lips but it left quite a sweet and delightful taste as he licked his lips. His stomach grumbled a bit on his slow pace, but he gave in, as he slowly opened his mouth and carefully bit on the mango. The juice spread all over his mouth, and he could feel some drip down his chin...but England felt delight course through him as he bit a portion and started chewing it slowly, thoroughly enjoying the taste of the fruit in his mouth.
England took a wet tissue from Piri's packet to wipe out the rest of the juices he felt on his lips and the corners of his mouth, and then his hands followed for a bit, since as she said, some dripped along his. She was pretty silent as she watched his movements, trying to gauge what was going onto his head. But she smiled as he gave a contented grin at her.
"Well, it is quite sweet. A little sour on a side but just right as you said. It is pretty good, thanks for the meal.." he exclaimed once he felt contented he had wiped himself well.
"All right then, please dig in!" and both of them were contented as they ate their mangoes together in silence, although with the familiar squelching sounds and England grunting a lot as some of the sap dripped over him and Piri just laughing it off as she finished hers off within a few minutes. Piri couldn't help but giggle as she watched England doing his best to avoid getting into the 'sticky' situations.
But somehow, he was able to get the hang of it and didn't get that much trouble. As soon as he was done with his first mango, the girl was already on the half of her next mango. "Finally...augh...I'm all sticky...I like the experience, but I'd rather have a spoon, thank you..." he explained as she looked up at him.
Piri just laughed and looked at his leftover mango seed, there were still some pulp of the mango on it, but at least he was able to finish it, almost clean. "Hmph...killjoy. Very well, since you were able to peel and eat your own mango like I did," she remarked and pulled out a spoon and a knife from her bag "Here you go..."
And she laughed at England's glare again, "You had one all along and didn't give me any?"
"It would spoil my fun!" she answered as he sighed and wiped his hands overall with a wet tissue and a sanitizer Piri had placed beside it.
"Geez...then I'll just have some scones instead..." he exclaimed and pulled out a small paper bag and rummaged for some scones inside of it. Seeing the surprised look of the girl's face, he explained smugly, "Magic, if you're going to ask me how I got it here."
She blushed since that was the question in her mind, was it written on her face?, "A-All right. But, you have some scones with you?"
Giving her a nod, "Yeah. I usually bring some with me, if I ever need a snack or something. I sometimes get hungry along the way so I started to bring these scones with me...but I'd like them better when they're fresh from the oven..."
"Wow...just like pandesal! All white and brown and fluffy with that delicious scent once it's out of the oven!" she was about to enter into dreamland but stopped as England took a bite of one of his scones, "Wait, are these the plain types of scones?"
"Yes. Some usually add fillings in them for additional flavor and some areas share different recipes for these. Actually...Scotland, and I had this idea of something that would go for tea, other than currant buns and cakes. And we made it work, much." he explained although his voice sounded a bit bitter at that point.
Piri giggled again as she asked him to explain some more, "Well, I did explain my mangoes, care to explain more about your scones? How they're made and stuff? I am kind of interested!"
This time, England couldn't help but smile and feel happiness spread deep inside him, no one had ever tried to ask for his scones before, much more even be interested and ask him about how they were made! Piri seemed to be the first one to ask about his scones by her own initiative. He blushed as he waved his hand at her, completely flustered and a very...bright and flowery background behind him all of a sudden, "Ahahaha..really now? Wow...err...I don't know what to say!"
"Wow..he got all flustered? This is surprising...Well, just give me a brief explanation." Piri exclaimed as she stared at the background behind him, weird.
"All right...but, pronounciation-wise, you said it like you said cone. But for me and Scot, we would say it like gone. But any pronunciation is quite fine. Anyhow, the scone was originally flat and round. It is commonly made out of wheat, barley or oatmeal and was then baked on a girdle. But ever since leavening agents were introduced, they became oven-baked!"
"Wow...just like pandesal then...oops..sorry, continue..." she apologized for interrupting but he waved it off.
"No problem. So, several variants were made throughout different times and areas. Some added fillings and the like since they go so well with our tea. But even though there are commercial scones sold in markets, family scones will always be the best. Actually, our scone's recipe comes from our Mumsy and it is a very sacred family recipe my brothers and I have been guarding!" England explained proudly as the young girl clapped her hands.
"Wow...so it's a tradition being passed from generation to generation! Ang galing (So wonderful)!" she exclaimed while clapping her hands but gave a pout, "Aww..too bad, I wanted to try and make really good scones too. But if they're too family-guarded..."
"Y-You want to make scones?" she answered only with a sad nod. England scratched his head, well, he did know his scones had reached other places such as Hungary (looks like it) or in America and Australia...but, the girl besides him wanted...to make her own? Blushing, he felt flattered deep inside as he thought it over, at least someone wanted to make them on their own accord..."W-Well...I, could show you how to cook them next time...err...but...my family recipe remains a secret..."
At his words, the girl's eyes flew open and she jumped from her seat with surprise and happiness, "Oh, ould you, England? Yey! I'm so happy, thank you! Oh, don't worry. I won't tell a soul about it, even if you show it to me. I know the importance of family and traditions!"
England smiled and handed over a scone to the Philippines' hands, "It's a deal then. Here, have some of them. So you'd at least have a taste...". Deep in England's gut, he was dead nervous. Other nations would cringe at the thought of his scones, no matter how many times he would make them or share them, tell them they were good...but, possibly France's fault in spreading it...or perhaps America.
What about her? He knew Maria had good taste and is one great cook, or so he had heard from Spain about his Colonial Days with her and how she would love to cook and how her wonderful tastes may be exotic and weird...yet at the same time, be something wonderful and out of this world. What if she'd change her mind all of a sudden once she gets a taste?
He gulped as the girl gave the scone a bite and she started chewing it slowly, assessing the flavor in her mouth. Much to his surprise, and relief, she bit again and ate the rest of the scone. "S-So?" he asked in a shaky tone.
"It's quite all right! Tastes a bit bland, but that's how most breads would taste like. Besides, I'm sure if there are some fillings and others to go with it, it would taste the best, right?" she asked as she raised her hand to him, "May I have some more, please? It's pretty good!"
And much to Piri's surprise, at that moment, England had cried out real tears. Someone called his scones..good..not much of delicious...but someone complimented his scones...in a good way? And even ask for some more? Has he entered heaven yet?
"E-England...why are you crying? D-Did I say something wrong? Or...can I not ask for them any more?" the girl asked worriedly as she stared at him and his reactions.
The Briton sniffled a bit as he rubbed his eyes to remove those tears, but just smiled graciously at the girl in front of him, "N-No..you can have some more...I'm just so happy that I could share my scones with you..."
"Whoo..well that is a relief. And don't worry! When I make them, you'll be the first one who's get to eat them!" she exclaimed as she bit some more on the scone she held in her hands. "So good...thank you!"
"N-No. T-Thank you...I am the one who is more flattered. I can't wait for that time." he said and started munching more on his scone. "Wow...we sure learnt a lot about our foods today..."
"Yep! Well, it is nice to share them to everyone else." she happily replied and munched some more but stared again at her held scone and then back to the mangoes on the table...until an idea came to her head. "Oh! Wait a second..."
England eyed her curiously as she took a knife and a scone and pried it open. Then, she got one of her mangoes and started cleaning and cutting the it into 3 slices. Once she had one of the curved sides of the mango, she took her spoon and scooped the fleshy insides. "W-What are you doing?"
Without answering, she took her one half of the cut-open scone and placed several scoops of the inside of the mango on top of it. She finished it off as she placed the other half back on, squeezing it slightly to see if any tipped out. Once she was sure it was done, she turned to her friend with a cheery expression written on her face as she showed it to him.
"Look, what I made...MangoScones!"
But he just gaped at her finished product and looked at her weirdly, "W-What?"
"MangoScones! See, I combined both of our foods together and...Pamparapammmmmm! We have MangoScones!" she repeated and emphasized a lot on her...new term for the fruit-filled pastry.
"Y-Yeah..I can see that...but..." England eyed at the product curiously, sure, he had seen variants of the scones with other fillings, but this was certainly... "Well, most fruits would be added as a filling or when baked...but..."
"Well, we can always think of other unique ways to make food much better! No need to follow the norm! And...have you tried making ones like this before?"
"N...Not that I recall of making..." So, perhaps this is where her skill of cooking came from? Inquisitiveness and resourcefulness. Not a bad trait for the kitchen world.
"Then it's decided!" and she stood up while raising her finished dish in her hands "I, Maria Clara de la Cruz, and my partner, Arthur Kirkland, have created a new dish! Behold, world! The original MangoScones!"
The British Gentleman couldn't help but blush as she added his name onto the creators of the dish... "T-Thanks for putting me in...but maybe someone else would have thought of it already..."
"Perhaps, but we would all have our variations. And, besides! This will still be a new dish for all of us! Why don't you try it?" she told him and gave him the 'mangoscone' as she made her own. "I'm sure it will be good. Mangoes are good...scones are good. So why won't they get well once together?"
Well, she did have a point. He looked back at what he held in his hands, it reminded him a lot about fruit sandwiches but this involved large pieces of mango and had no cream or anything. Still, might as well try it out...he bit through the pastry, feeling the sticky sweetness of the mango and the crusty feeling of his scones...but he was surprised by the taste. "Well, it is pretty good...surprisingly. Certainly adds to the flavor and taste..."
He turned to face the girl as she munched away on her dish, "Yep. It's quite good! I'm sure with a few additional ingredients, this would taste better..." and then another few minutes passed as they finished out their meal. "Ah, I'm stuffed! That was really good."
England smiled as he ate the last bit of his 'mangoscone', "I'll have to agree. Thank you so much for the meal."
"Oh!" she gave a gasp all of a sudden, "You've got some more of the juice on your lips...and we ran out of tissues..."
The boy reached out and touched his lips, yes. They were all sticky. "N-No. I'm quite fine, it'll be all right..." he told her but jolted when she took her water bottle and wet her handkerchief with it.
"Let me fix it, England...it's my fault you have the juice on you..." she remarked as she closed in onto the boy, although he was edging off farther from her. "Come on...this will be just quick..."
NOW. This was more of a surprise. The boy was getting flustered with every second he spent with her like this...but now, doesn't she know that what she as doing was pretty...AWKWARD? He'd seen lovey-dovey couples do this before in Romance films and all...but...this situation? Oh no. So not!
As he thought over how he was going to stop her, he stopped. He had reached the edge of the long chair and the girl was still near him, waving her hadkerchief. "P-Piri..it's all right, I-I can handle this by myself!"
"But you'll be even more sticky! Come on, don't be such a baby!" and with swift movement, she managed to grip England's sleeve with one and and placed the wet handkerchief onto his mouth. And the world stopped.
Closing his eyes with the impact, England flinched as he felt the touch of the handkerchief on his lips, the smell of jasmine and mango mixing up and invading his senses, making him...picture the girl in his head. Just with the smell, he could draw the image in his mind, that sweet face, that loving smile, everything of her. His mind reeled a bit with the attack, but he kept his stance when he felt her hands start to move the handkerchief on his mouth.
He didn't know how it happened...he didn't know when his body went on autopilot...he didn't feel himself, his hand move...to touch her hand, the hand that was pressing on his covered lips. Despite his eyes closed, he could imagine the surprise of the young girl, but he was the one more surprised. England did catch a faint gasp from the girl's lips, and her hand stopped moving when he held those soft hands with his.
For some seconds, they stayed in that position, not one moving, but their soft breaths could still be heard, the girl's was more of uneasy...the way his breath, tickled her fingers, feeling its warmth, and sending a soft shiver across her body. Gently, Piri felt England's hand move her hand to the corners of his mouth, as if urging her to continue...and continue she did.
As she did so, the young girl felt herself sighing, although she did feel the rush of blood to her cheeks, she wanted to move off to her comfort zone...but, she continued, her eyes still watching him. England's eyes still remained shut, yet he was relaxed under her movements. Once in awhile, when her fingers slipped to touch him slightly, he could hear a soft gasp and shudder, yet he didn't push her away...and neither could she pull herself away from him.
For some minutes, Piri moved her hand, gently brushing the handkerchief on his lips, until she deemed his mouth clean of the sticky sap of their meal together. As she stopped her motions, her hand fell on the middle of his lips, that, either because of her own mind, reeling to the proximity and warmth he gave her, and the feel of his hand still on hers...
She slightly pushed her fingers on the handkerchief, and to her surprise, she felt an opposite force as well, pushing back on her applied force. Piri could only blush at what was pushing on them, especially when a soft yet content exhaled breath came from England, his hand gripping harder on hers. It took the Philippine nation several seconds before she got herself to speak again, "E-England...i-it's clean..." or more of a soft mumble.
At her voice, England slowly opened his eyes to peer at the young girl in front of him. Although she had said this, her hand didn't make any movement to leave his hand, it stayed where it was. In his eyes, he saw how her breaths became more uneasy, more choppy, as he stared into her chocolate eyes. The red on her face maintained its intensity but she never broke contact with his eyes.
Piri certainly lost her will to speak when England looked at her, staring deeply into her eyes. His green eyes, those that sparkled like peridots before, now looked more a dark emerald green color, especially with his eyes only open in slits. It took all of her strength, and with the help of some from England's hand, she had removed the handkerchief off his mouth. Although it had fallen down to their side, she still gazed into those eyes, as if his eyes were pulling her in.
For what seemed like an eternity, England finally blinked and moved his sight to the side of her lips, and noticed the familiar liquid on her lips. Much to Piri's surprise, England's other hand had shifted to behind her waist and pulled her closer to him. She gave a loud squeak as she turned behind her to feel England gently push her to him. "E-England?"
"You've got...some on your lips too..." England heard himself answer the girl's squeak. Again, his body was acting on its own, although his head was screaming for him to stop...that this was not right and how he was invading the young girl's private space...his body continued with its own way...and deep in England's conscience, he wasn't feeling any regrets at all...
What was causing him to act this way? Was it the smell of jasmine? Or was it the mangoes? Or their snack together? Their proximity for the past few minutes? Or was it because he...he gulped...he wanted this?
When Piri finally earned the courage to look back at the other nation, she only squeaked again, and closed her eyes, when she felt a handkerchief touch her own lips, but...it felt different. Even if she didn't breathe in yet, she smelt the whiff of that sugary scent of roses, like a garden in spring, and she could smell out the tea and honey he would have for his meals..and somewhere along it...was that unique male smell...of his...
It smelled...smelled so much of England.
Piri relaxed after the surprise touch, but spoke through it, and with each word, the scent came more to her, flooding her senses, "E-England...you could have used mine..."
At her remark, England shook his head slightly, "It's all right, yours would be still sticky from mine...", he noticed his voice had suddenly dropped an octave lower, and he quite caught a soft sigh from the girl's lips. The handkerchief she had used for him, he had laid it on his thigh and took out his own when he saw her lips. He had mimicked her actions, and as she talked through it, her breath reaching pass his fingers, he felt himself go red as well, and his breathe getting more ragged.
Moving his hand with the handkerchief, his fingers followed the contour of her lips, earning a soft moan from her lips. And like she did his, he applied pressure on her lips, and was quite surprised, also Piri, that her hand suddenly came up...and touched his own hand, coaxing it to move. And he did. His other hand on her waist, he coaxed her to move closer so he would have more pressure when he moved. As she inched closer, he felt her other hand reach up to his sleeve and clutch on it tight.
As this continued, both nations felt their breaths become more labored, although all they were doing was sitting down and wiping off each other's mouths...but they couldn't mistake that mutual feeling...that warmth feeling spreading out to them as they sat near each other. "It's done..." England mumbled as he gently removed the handkerchief off the girl's lips.
Piri opened her eyes, her mind still in a daze, her eyes glazed as if she had fallen asleep and had woken up, and she breathed heavily as he still held her close...and only did she notice how she was close to his...less than 5 inches away... "I-I s-see.." she got herself to answer as her other hand, either by instinct or due to her daze, reached and clutched to his other sleeve.
"P-Piri?" England asked as she lowered her gaze from him and only staring at his shirt. "A-Are you...all right?", at that moment, he got worried...did he do it wrong? WAS this wrong? He didn't get to answer those questions when the girl slumped softly on his chest, making him shudder at the sudden contact.
"S-Sorry...England...t-tired..." she explained, her voice muffled by the clothes on her mouth. Piri's mind was dizzy,..she didn't understand herself...nor her body. But it felt heavy and she needed to lean onto something...but, there were several other thoughts that had been going through her head, even before, and at the moment...and she shook, making the Briton worry over her.
"I'm...all right. Just, please...for...a while...stay..." her murmurs were so soft and low, England had to tilt his head to hear her clearly. He noticed...her voice kept shaking for a bit, and then her body followed. What was wrong?
Once he got his voice back, he asked worriedly, "Are you cold?" a shake, "Scared?" no reply, maybe he was correct... "Scared...of now?" a flustered shake of the head, if not now...then...perhaps from then?
He inched his lips to whisper on her ear, "Were you scared a while ago? When you faced that teacher? When you did it to him?", she didn't reply for a while, but he felt her nod onto him afterwards.
"Truthfully...I was...I even surprised my self. This...attitude of mine had always...put me in bad situations or the sort...this is rare...that everything ended well...and...I was so scared..." she started shaking even harder under his grasp. "I...was that bad? Did...I do...bad?"
England sighed. She acted all tough back then, she didn't even shake during those moments, had her head up high and kept smiling...but deep inside, she was also worried and frightened. So the girl did fear things too once in a while, her attitude like this was hard to control. A double-edged weapon, being too honest...if not used properly, it can hurt more than it can heal. But it certainly is a powerful force to be used in life situations.
But as of now, he noticed he was going to cry soon. She was scared...it reminded him so much of how he had comforted America and Canada when they were children, he smiled, she was still quite a kid herself, "Piri...don't worry. It's all right. You did the right thing. And no one's blaming you for it, or for it being bad."
"Really?" she murmured sadly and he noticed her exhale a contented sigh, "All, right...I'm just scared...that he would try to get back at me or at my brothers or something...are you sure...he won't-" her words were cut off as a pair of arms encircled around her back and brought her closer to him. She could only hear the faint whisper England murmured through that silence.
"Even if he dares try to come back and hurt you guys, you've got us by your side. We won't let you down, never ever will, Piri." giving a soft sigh, he continued, "You told me that I can always ask for help from others...use it for yourself as well. You can ask us for help, and we'll be there to aid you...just call for us, all right?"
He didn't get a reply, but he felt the girl's hands grip even tighter onto his sleeves. She still didn't look up, her face still obscured by his clothes, but he could feel the soft nod and murmur of agreement from the girl. "I-It's all right, Piri...we'll be here...I'm here...don't worry..." the boy then circled his arms around her waist, bringing her even closer to him. He placed her head on his chest and felt her snuggle on him to fix herself onto a more comfortable position.
After several minutes of comforting words for her followed by silence, England heard the soft and normal breathing of the girl on his chest, "P-Piri?". There was no reply and he gently pushed her onto his shoulder so he could look at her. "Oh, have you fallen asleep on me?" he mumured softly as she just lay on his shoulder. "You've had quite a rough day, you really must have been tired out from everything...at least everything ended well for all of us..."
"Seriously...what will I ever do with you..." he asked himself, although he would be surprised if she replied to him. He pushed several of her bangs and placed it back behind her ear. For once, he was able to look at her closely and watch her soft movements, enjoying his arm as her pillow. Her face was pretty much peaceful, quite a difference when he would always see her full of energy, or going onto several emotions and the sort...but here she was...so peaceful and meek like a lamb.
England...didn't know what was happening to him at those moments. He felt weak-headed...his mind a bit cloudy, like he had just drank hard liquor, he tried steadying himself and thinking straight. But no...his mind had began shutting down, the more he kept staring into the girl's face. What WAS causing him to be like this...a thought crossed his mind...could it be? Had he really...for her...
"For her...for Piri...she's so beautiful...so...much...just...Piri..." he heard his mind say as he watched her sigh in her sleep. "Piri...I..." He didn't know when, but he felt his face was just mere inches from hers, his heartbeat thumping against his chest...his hands shaking in her grip on hers...slowly...his body moving in its own accord...his mind screaming bloody hell, this is wrong, this is not happening, he shouldn't be bloody doing this and all...
But deep in his heart...he wanted...to...he wanted...it...to happen...the consequences? Those thoughts had driven off a thousand miles away from them...and he couldn't stop himself anymore...pressure building...he inched closer, his lips a few more inches from her lips...their breathes mingling with the other...a few more...and-
*CLICK*
England jumped at the familiar sound. It was a loud click...and, it sounded like it came from a... "C-Camera?" he asked himself as he turned away from the girl, forgetting all of a sudden what he was...going to do. He saw a figure beside the door, holding a camera...and the person was...
"Wow..this would be good for the Newspaper! I should send this over to Germany-san, immediately!" Japan looked at his taken photo and winked once he saw England had seen him, and ran off. "Oh, thank you for the time, Mr. England!"
The President sat there...motionless. Too stunned to react or say anything...but his mind went:
3...Japan...took a picture...
2...A picture of him and Piri...
1...Where he was going to...
0..."N-No...wait...wait! JAPAN!" the President nearly screamed but remembered what situation he was in. A gentleman as always, he pried himself slowly and carefully off the sleeping girl, positioned her into a better lying position on the chair with her bag as a pillow under head, "Sorry, Piri. I'll just fix this..." he whispered to the girl, but she whimpered softly, probably from the lost of warmth and heat. Sensing this, he took off his jacket and tucked it onto her body.
Giving her one more glance before running out of the room, even accidentally upsetting some of the documents on the desk, he screamed "GET BACK HERE, JAPAN!"
As England left the room and chased after the escaping Asian, a meek 'invisible' nation approached the young girl and helped pick up the scattered documents on the floor, "They didn't even notice I was here..."
Author's Note: Yes! I seem to be getting...pretty long with my recent chappies. I hope it is all right with you guys. It's kind of changing for me. And, I kind of like the feel of writing it more descriptively. Continued on the next!
Thank you all for supporting this pairing and this story! Your views have certainly pushed me forward for this! I'll continue! And yes...it is quite near na. XD.