Guess who the lucky man is~ oh wait, his name is the chapter. Aw hell.
/= [10 DAYS LATER] =/
He had no idea what he was doing, and that was after he was reading all the self-help books he had. Ludwig sighed as he looked at the mirror in front of him, his hair gel bottle in his hand. He would always gel his hair, no doubt about that. It was a part of his procedure in the morning. What he couldn't understand was that he was actually hesitating about this. What the heck was wrong with him…?
*Ding Dong*
He sighed, lowering the bottle before going to the door. He was expecting Feliciano to be there (he already knew what he looked like with his hair down), but when he opened the door he saw with surprise that it was Charice, holding up a huge bag of what smelled like dumplings. She blinked for a few minutes before looking into the room.
"Is Feli-chan here?"
"Why do you always assume that he's here?"
"Because I'm usually right. I'm here to give him his breakfast."
"…he's back at his house."
"…oh…" She sighed, looking back up at him. "You want it?"
"W-what?" He blushed.
"It's dumplings. Really good ones, too."
"…um…sure." He rubbed the back of his head. "You want to come in?"
"Did you forget to gel your hair or something?"
"Y-you just caught me off guard, that's all." Ludwig sighed. "I was about to when you rang the doorbell."
"Don't, actually. You look nice with your hair down."
Ludwig could only blush as Charice walked slowly in with the box of dumplings and plopped at his desk, waiting for him to join her. He really had no idea how to talk to her (she's so surprising that even Feliciano has no idea what to talk to her about), so he allowed himself to sit across the table. Despite her German phobia, she didn't seem to be that anxious (though she was still a little bit), which oddly relieved him.
"We can eat outside, if you want."
"…where'd that come from?"
"J-just saying."
"Please. You're not even fully dressed. Walking outside with an open jacket is only going to get people to stare at you. Though you may actually like that…"
"What are you talking about? I'm fully dressed."
"But you're missing a shirt!"
"No I'm no-"
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"WHERE THE HELL DID MY SHIRT GO?"
"See, Doitsu-ki? You have to be more careful next time!"
"W-wha-?"
"Here! Now enjoy your breakfast!"
He spent the rest of the moment holding onto his shirt for dear life as he couldn't help but sneak a glance at her as she started to eat the dumplings and coo all the way through. She actually looked cute when she wasn't hugging someone cuter than herself, and almost womanly. Ludwig found himself blushing and forcing the dumpling in his hand into his mouth. It was a good distraction to say the least.
"Is this the Chinese restaurant down the street?"
"You ate there?"
"Once…I never ordered this, though."
"We're in your home country, man. I'm surprised you haven't eaten everything from all the stores here."
"I'm not Feliciano. I don't eat that much."
"Though you do make the best pastries~"
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"W-wha-?"
"Feliciano smuggled me a piece of one of your cakes. Freaking awesome, man. Thumbs up."
"…t-thanks…which cake?"
"The black one…with the cherry."
"Black Forest?"
"…that sounds racist."
"No, it's called Black Forest cake. Dark chocolate."
"No wonder it tasted awesome." She chuckled, eating another dumpling. "You're a great baker~"
"Um…thanks."
"Welcome~" She leaned back in her seat. "Soooo…you planning on doing anything today?"
"I was going to finish some paperwork from the meeting." He answered, clearing his throat and trying not to look directly at her. "My boss is waiting for me to finish it as soon as possible."
"How about later tonight? You got a whole day to blow through!"
"Wha-?"
"Come on! Rizal's doing his own thing today so I have nothing to do! Join me!"
His face completely blew up a shade of red.
"W-what are you planning on doing today, anyway? If you're just going to waste my time while I have to do something important-"
"TOO BAD!"
And he was dragged out the door.
/=+=/
Ludwig couldn't get away from her, so he was forced to follow her as she wandered through the streets of his home country and pointed out everything that he already knew. He stared at her for a few seconds, realizing that she was rather childish for a nation that had been taken over and nearly assaulted (by his own men, no less). What was making her so happy…?
"Do you have any money?"
"Hm?"
"I'm in the mood for German ice cream."
"…it's just ice cream, Charice."
"But I'm getting it in a different country~! So it's foreign!"
Oh good Christ. "All right. What flavor?"
"Cookies 'n cream~ or vanilla if they don't have it."
"All right…"
Ludwig sighed and walked over to the nearest ice cream booth, seeing Charice quickly join him with interested eyes. He stared at her for a few more minutes before giving up and heading toward the front of the line. The woman behind the counter looked at them in intrigue.
"Ist sie deine freundin?"
"N-nein!" He blushed and turned away. "S-sie ist nur ein Freund."
"Wenn Sie darauf bestehen." The woman looked at him. "Was gefällt Ihnen?"
"Um…" Damn that woman for making him forget what he was thinking. "Die crème."
"Ist das alles?"
"Ja."
"Das kostet fünf neunzig Mark sein."
Ludwig nodded as he got his wallet, only hearing Charice coo in happiness (coo? What is she, a bird?) and take the gigantic cone for herself. He rolled his eyes at the woman and pointed at Charice before heading on after her. She plopped onto a bench and started eating the entire thing.
"Don't get a brain freeze, please."
"I won't~" She grinned. "German ice cream is awesome~"
"It's just ice cream…" He blushed. "Made by an American company, no less."
"But you bought it for me, so it's all right~"
"W-why do you keep talking like Feliciano?"
"I dunno, maybe we hang out way too much for mental safety."
"Are you talking about Feliciano, or you?"
"Ha ha, you make me laugh."
"Nice to know."
Ludwig sighed and watched as Charice continued to consume all of the ice cream like it was her mid-morning brunch. She actually did look kind of cute with the look on her face as she was eating the ice cream. And yes, that thought did in fact make him blush and look away. It didn't help that she was leaning on him while eating. He froze, making her look up.
"You all right?"
"W-what about you? You're the one that's scared of me…right?"
"Well…not really. Not anymore, I guess."
"H-huh?"
"With my brother wanting to hang out with you and all, I have to get used to you. It's not like you're a drug addict and I can't find a bad thing that I can use to ban you from him." She grinned. "You're not as scary as I thought…and nothing like the men that attacked me."
"…Charice…"
"You're a lot sweeter than most men I know…including the countries…and including Feli-chan. He's sweet, but that's because he has no evil in his soul…like Buddha or something. You, on the other hand, are almost as sweet while being human at the same time…if that makes sense."
He was speechless.
"I almost see you as similar to Antonio: trying to repent for ruining so many lives in whatever way you think you can do so. You try to distance yourself from endearment in any form. For a human, it's in case your boss wants to et rid of them. For a nation, you don't want distractions in case you have to go to war with them. You're almost like my brother in that sense…you read just like him."
Y-you're wrong on some level…
"It's all right to be emotionally attached again. We're human after all…a human that can learn from their mistakes and actually help everyone else for the rest of eternity…kinda like gods in a sense, doing the bidding of a being higher than even us."
I can be attached to someone…
"You out of all people deserve to be happy. Your history is filled with crap, destroying a whole legacy of kingdoms with ten years of tyranny, and here you are fulfilling America's role on the other side of the pond! Heck, if Alfred was impaired on any occasion, you can take his place!"
That's because I want to protect who I trust.
"It's strange, now that I think about it: you're the youngest strongest nation in the world. And I'm glad that you didn't end up going mentally insane or on a mass murdering spree."
I'd be disappointing you…if only you can hold a grudge…
Charice stared at him and realized that his face was completely red. She couldn't help but laugh and cling onto him, making him blush even warm. Why did her body have to be so warm at a time as cold as this? And why was he thinking about something like that at a time like this? The redness was now all over his body…even his neck.
"Awww…you're thinking of Feli-chan, aren't you?"
"O-of course not!" He blushed. "I wasn't thinking about him."
"Oh please. He could be your son, that's how much you care for him~" She finished her cone and laughed. "Seriously. You can't think of anyone else."
Y-yes, I can…
His expression mellowed until it only showed sadness, looking down and the woman that was cooing in happiness about something that she was claiming. What he thought was weird, though, was that she was holding onto him as if she was sad about something as well. Without even thinking, he turned around and hugged her.
Instantly, ten thousand thoughts ran through his mind on how this was a horrible idea, but for the first time in his life he was able to suppress them. He felt the cloth of her sleeve on his fingertips. He found himself smelling her hair for no reason (was that grape?). She was so warm to the touch and it was actually calming his heart down. It was too bad that she was trying to wrestle out of it.
He didn't bother to hold her back as she finally got out of it. She was terrified at what had happened (which didn't surprise him whatsoever), and he clearly wasn't surprised when she turned and ran out of there. He panicked and ran after him, not understanding what was going on.
"Charice, wait!"
She wouldn't stop running. He couldn't stop following. He knew that her past was running away from the men who had harassed her so long ago. He also knew that she had no idea why she was running away from him. All Ludwig wanted to do was to find enough courage to tell her the truth. That he would do everything in his power to make sure that never comes close to happening again. That he was even going to take a human life to save her. And he knew that he vowed against it. Never again…but…
He had no idea that she could run so fast. In fact, he didn't realize that she had already crossed the road. All he could register afterwards was a bright light and a strange blast of sound.
/=+=/
When did he close his eyes?
How come his body was so pained and stiff?
Wasn't he following Charice as she was running away from him?
Come to think of it…where was he?
He stressed to open his eyes (they were not helping him whatsoever), and couldn't do so. It was as if something was holding it back. That was strange, for a nation such as himself would easily find the energy to move his eyes after being damaged in this sense. The room he was in was completely silent.
No one's in the room… Did Charice know where he was? Or did she run away so far that she didn't see him?
"You're awake. I'm glad."
He would've jumped if he had enough energy. All he knew was the voice and the fact that he was next to him. He felt a hand on his arm, but the voice came from the other side of the bed. He was utterly confused: who was talking to him? And was it the same as the hand he was holding?
"…who…?"
"It's Ivan. We were wondering if you were alright, da?"
"…we?"
"Me and Irunya. You were hit by a truck when you crossed the road."
"…oh…" Why can't his eyes open?
"It was called a Dodge."
"Ha…ha…"
"Don't mock him, brother. He's still injured." It sounded like Irunya, and from what he can concur she was holding his hand. "Can you move?"
"…can't open my eyes…"
"You were hit with enough force to knock out a human for a week." Ivan nodded. "I'm not surprised."
"You need your rest, Ludwig. That way you'll be able to leave the hospital sooner."
"All right…"
He was really mad that he couldn't open his eyes, but at least his nation status allowed him to regain consciousness sooner. Ludwig laid still and didn't move at all, and to his surprise he actually fooled the others into thinking that he had fallen asleep (or maybe Ivan just wanted to leave). Whatever happened, he was left alone with the person that was lying (most likely sleeping) next to him. His logic told him who it was, but…no, it can't be her…
He quickly devised a plan: something he could do in order to at least hear this person's voice. Ludwig took deep breaths (hard concerning the fact that he was aching all over the place) and felt the hand on his stir a little bit. They were waking up…that's good. He let out a low groan and tried to open his eyes, letting that fail him again. The person gasped softly and held his cheek, and my god he shouldn't be blushing right now.
"Ludwig?"
Oh god, it was Charice. Part of him wished that it was Feliciano…or better yet, her brother Rizal. This…the fact that her voice sounded so happy…and the fact that he was hearing her cry…god, how he wanted to open his eyes so much…and yet he still can't. She was holding his hand even tighter.
"…Ludwig…? Can you hear me…?"
God, he could.
"I'm sorry for running away from you…I just thought that you were…trying to do something to me. The phobia's still there…"
I know that…I've always known that.
"But…but after I ran away, this…this happens to you. Now Feli-chan's crying outside…everyone's so worried about you…and it's all my fault…"
No…
"It's all my fault…"
God no…this isn't your fault…
Suddenly, he felt something wet drip onto his face and he froze (giving him a bit more pain). Charice can't seriously be crying…she can't seriously be crying on him. The last time that she cried was…god, when was it last? He couldn't remember, and wished that he'd never see in his life. After a while, he couldn't tell whose tears were on his face. He felt her descend until she was sobbing openly on his chest, feeling the cloth between them slowly moisten from her tears. He seriously forced all the energy into his eyes; he had to open them, and now.
With enough energy, he was finally able to pry them at least half open. He was definitely in a hospital, and the light wasn't too bright to glare into his eye. Ludwig took a deep breath to calm himself and looked down, seeing her sob on his chest before sliding down to the bed, getting softer and softer until he couldn't hear anything from her. Slowly, he lifted his hand until he could feel the tread of hair underneath his fingertips. He felt her freeze and look up, seeing the bright blue eyes shining right at her.
"…Charice…"
She lunged at him, making him cry out in pain and her panic before moving away and seeing each other for the first time. Without even thinking about it, he had reached out and wiped a lone tear from her eye. She kept on crying, and just had to hold her in his hands.
"Why are you crying?"
"…because…you're alive…"
"I've been through countless wars…it's going to take more than a car to take me down…"
"But it almost did…"
"Charice-"
"I almost ruined everyone's lives because of what I did…if I hadn't run away from you…none of this would've happened…"
"…why…why are you planting the blame on yourself?"
"Because…this is all my fault…think about it…"
Ludwig forced himself to sit up, making Charice panic and try to push him down. He wouldn't have any of that, and instead moved her until they were literally looking straight at each other in the eye. She was shaking and crying, and for some reason it made his heart shiver all the same.
"Never. Ever. Take the blame for something you didn't do or cause. The last time I did that…I ended up a broken man."
"…Ludwig?"
"Even if you did run away from me, if that car didn't come, I would've been fine." He answered with a smile. "You see…i-it's not your fault."
She stared at him like he had just spoken German. And that's when he realized that he did. He closed his eyes.
"Ich liebe dich."
"What?"
And he kissed her.
/=+=/
And that, my friend, is the end of all the GerCha I may willingly post. May. If I wanted to post more, that would be totally dickish of me and my OTP of GerIta. Ain't that right~?
And speaking of weird angst, is it just me or can I hear Holy Rome singing this?
[http:/ www. youtube. com/ watch? v= 0qSV9P70CmA& feature= BFa&list= PLCDCDCAB75F640504& lf= plpp_ video]
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And for those of you who have posted OCs for this fic, expect three of you to get your chappies~
