APH - Den/Hun - Unexpected Invitation - Chapter 24

Mathias had found himself staring at the Hungarian for some time, and was slightly surprised when she moved to kiss him. In those few seconds, his heart rate quickened, and he was slightly disappointed when she drew away. It was that simple movement that sparked the desire in the Dane all over again. He didn't want to leave her, even though he knew he had to. He didn't want to leave her, even though he knew she had other things to attend to. He didn't want to leave her, because he knew she felt the same way. Finding Elizaveta so near as she just drew away from the kiss, Mathias leaned forward, placing another kiss on her lips as one hand came to rest on her hip, the other caressing her cheek. He slowly kissed her, but didn't draw away.

Elizaveta, for once, was hoping for a normal night - or rather, a night in which she could sleep well and peacefully without her or Mathias getting out of hand. However, that hope vanished as she found herself lightly pressed against the wall, as the Dane had trapped her into yet another kiss. She froze up for a moment, fearing that he wouldn't ever be able to let her go even if she was happy he felt that way, but calmed down. He isn't doing anything that bad, Elizaveta thought, trying to think positively. Gently, the Hungarian decided to return his kiss, her lips moving slowly as well, while her hands rose to hold his face.

The Dane continued the slow pace of the kiss, though pushed her up just slightly more against the wall. The feel of her hands caressing him and the returned kiss made him feel a surge of warmth throughout his body. He deepened the kiss, though gently, keeping himself in control. Any sudden movements and the Hun would surely shove him away. If he could at least keep this up, he'd be content. He only hoped that Elizaveta was feeling the same towards him, though everything they had gone through so far had confirmed that she did.

Elizaveta was enjoying this to the fullest, she would admit that much. But even so, worry began to fill her head and allowed Mathias to further kiss her before her hands gently pulled his head away from hers rather reluctantly. She tilted her head to the side slightly to get a better glimpse of the Viking's face, particularly his eyes.

"Mathias," Elizaveta spoke softly, though convincingly, "if we continue to do this, then how can we survive as nations?" She hated to bring it to him, but wasn't sure of how to stop him otherwise. If she was to be with him, now wasn't the time; she still had her issue with Roderich to deal with - who knew what he was thinking about her and her feelings toward Mathias at this very moment - and Mathias probably had his own. The Hungarian lightly stroked his cheek with the palm of her hand, murmuring, "We can't always be like this."

Mathias allowed himself to be pulled away, as much as he didn't want to. His blue eyes looked into her green ones, and her soft words tugged at his heart, her touch making it feel as if he was melting on the inside. Get a hold of yourself. The Dane understood the Hungarian's words clearly-he knew what she said was true, but didn't want to face it, until now as she openly said it. His thumb brushed her cheek as he pressed his forehead against her gently, sighing and closing his eyes. "I know." He responded barely above a whisper. "I know." He repeated, though this time there was a slight edge to it. It pained him to speak those words, but he knew, yes knew, that he had his own issues to deal with. After all, they were nations-it was dangerous to even be in such a relationship that the two were in now. He never hated being a nation more then he did now.

Elizaveta could feel herself internally tear apart from his reiterated words, almost to the point that she thought her blood was escaping from her veins and arteries and was filling up the cavities of her organs. Her eyebrows knitted as Mathias placed his forehead against hers, warming her physically yet at the same time emotionally torturing her, and she rasped out, "Don't say it like that." She immediately closed the distance between them to embrace him, her arms wrapped around Mathias' back. However, upon a realization, Elizaveta leaned her upper body back so that she could face him again, a weak smile enlightening her face. "But even if we do separate, there's always another day to meet, right?"

Mathias returned her embrace, his arms not wanting to let go of her as he absorbed the warmth she gave him. It had been too long since he had this strange feeling, a feeling he couldn't place a name on or identify. All he knew was that he didn't want it. The Dane looked down at the Hungarian, her smile seeming to give off more than one emotion. "Right." He replied, though he felt that his voice sounded weak, and mentally kicked himself. He hated how she could make him feel this way, though he loved it at the same time. He squeezed her tightly in his arms, enjoying one last complete embrace, before pulling away from her. He didn't want to, but knew he did-for once, he wanted to be the one to break contact. He leaned to give her another light kiss, then breathed on her lips: "Good night." With that, he turned to make his way into the guest room.

Elizaveta enjoyed the bear-like hug while it lasted, but then her face flushed lightly from his goodnight kiss. She stared at him until he isolated himself inside her guestroom, sighing a few seconds after he disappeared from her sight. I won't be liking tomorrow...or these next few days.

Elizaveta refused to head to bed right away, let alone her room, as she did not want to end up lost in her thoughts if she wasn't able to fall asleep right away. She decided to quietly go downstairs, grabbing a cup of water for herself, and fixed up the living room, closing the cover to the piano and pushing in the chair. Her eyes then happened to fall upon a plastic bag, with clothes she well recognized. They're Mathias'...and they stink of water and horse. Again, the Hungarian smiled and picked up the bag, sliding out the Dane's clothes - oh did she wonder what was in the pile - and headed off to wash and dry them for him to wear for the next day.

Mathias pushed the door of the guest room, causing it to gently rest against the door frame, but not close. He realized he was more tired than he originally thought. That wine probably isn't helping. His head felt heavy. He pulled the covers of the bed back slowly, remembering how he had tricked Elizaveta earlier. A small smirk couldn't help but appear on his lips, and as he stretched he realized how uncomfortable the clothes he was wearing would be to sleep in. Sighing, he took the vest off, and slowly unbuttoned the white shirt, staring straight ahead in to a mirror as he did so. What are you doing to yourself? The Dane was starting to get sick of that voice. He let out another sigh, not wanting to think about the day awaiting him at morning and the week after that.

He peeled off the shirt and without much thought the black pants as well, folding them neatly (or as neat as he could in that state) and setting them to the side before crawling into the bed, wrapping the covers tightly around him. The bed had obviously not been used in years, and as he stared in the ceiling, his mind began to wander. He wondered what Eirik and Valdimar would have to say tomorrow, wondered if new issues were present that he should be attending to, and wondered most of all when he would be able to see Elizaveta again. He turned to his side, staring out the window as the moonlight filtered in, and slowly, his eyes closed.

After some while - perhaps ten, twenty, or maybe even thirty minutes - Elizaveta managed to toss Mathias' clothes into the dryer, no longer needing to watch over it. (And, unfortunately, there was nothing interesting she found within the pile or in the pockets. She guessed that he took out his cell phone.) Still thinking that it was too early for bed, she tried to think of other ways to kill time, but gave up and retreated to her room.

However, she stopped before the guestroom, peering through the door left ajar. Elizaveta spotted a giant lump under the blankets, which was steadily breathing, and upon a closer look, Mathias' head. She couldn't help but to grin as she noticed he had fallen asleep rather quickly. Then another idea popped into her head, despite how terrible it was because she knew it was worth it in the end: the Hungarian momentarily disappeared from the front of the guestroom and returned with her camera in her hand. Choosing it best to not enter to let the Dane sleep, Elizaveta took a picture of the sleeping man from the doorway before finally getting to bed.

As she laid in bed, her head on her pillow and arms over the blanket, the Hun didn't close her eyes, but stared at the ceiling instead. She was actually rather thoughtless and shook her head to get herself together, then shut her eyes. Elizaveta waited for a few minutes to see if she had fallen asleep, but ended up turning onto her side and reopening her eyes to stare at her room. Ugh, I hate these kinds of nights. Her eyes then wandered over to the flower from Tivoli Garden - it was still flourishing, looking no different than the last time she saw it, and reminded her of her time with Mathias in Copenhagen. She closed her eyes and grinned as the memories replayed in her head, in which sleep took advantage of her, causing the Hungarian fall unconscious.

Mathias had wished for a peaceful night. He thought he would be able to have one, as he had fallen asleep quite nicely. He had managed to make the most of the night with Elizaveta (even if it wasn't exactly what he wanted), and he had been tired from the long day.

But of course, nothing ever worked out to his liking.

The Viking found himself suddenly awake in the night, his hand clenching onto the bedsheets, breathing heavily as he felt cold sweat staining his body. God fucking damn it. He gritted his teeth and his eyes were shut so tightly that he didn't know if he would be able to open them again. Memories had come to haunt him in his dreams. Where his heart should have been it felt hollow, his nightmares tearing apart his insides. What the fucking hell...

Blood. That's what he remembered most of. Now, he wasn't queasy-no, far from it. But it was where he saw that blood...he remembered eyes full of hate, eyes full of fear, eyes full of death. He remembered seeing a boy, with his back turned to him, dripping with blood, a sword in hand. Before he could remember anymore he opened his eyes, wishing to find comfort in reality and to forget what had haunted his dreams. And there was that voice, that terrible, terrible voice...

The sky was starting to turn to blue, but the moon still settled high in the sky, and the moonlight soothed the Dane. He remembered where he was, and he let out a large sigh. Just a dream. Just a dream. He turned to his other side now, and allowed his heart rate to slow back to its normal pace, his breathing also becoming steady. Mathias however didn't want to close his eyes, fearing what he would see this time. But as his eyes settled on the door of the room, he remembered Elizaveta, and just the memories of her alone helped calm him once again. He hugged a pillow tightly against his body, and soon fell asleep again, this time peacefully, the nightmares having done their job for the night.

Elizaveta woke up energized and refreshed, waking up to the calls of the birds outside and to morning light that filtered through the window. She didn't exactly remember her dream, or even know if she had one, but was certain that she slept well and immediately sat up once she realized that she was awake, then slid off of her bed to do her morning routines. Her eyes happened to catch the clock as she did so, seeing that it was just a bit before 10 A.M. It wasn't her usual wake-up time, but at least it wasn't noon.

The Hungarian had nearly forgotten that Mathias was in her house, and had remembered when she walked out of her room, dressed in the green maid outfit she was often seen in (she was planning to confront Roderich later that day, but disliked the idea of doing so in casual clothes and thus wore it). She stared at the door of the guestroom that Mathias slept in, though rather worriedly. Doesn't he need to get going very soon? Elizaveta thought, remembering that he had scheduled to be with Eirik and Valdimar. She debated whether or not to wake him up, but decided to wait and see if his internal alarm clock would wake him.

She then headed downstairs to pull Mathias' clothes out of the dryer and returned upstairs to set it inside on the guestroom's table, hoping that he would see it. However, when she entered, Elizaveta found herself madly blushing as she discovered the Dane in only his boxers.

Her eyes probably didn't stray away from the heavenly sight for at least a good ten minutes.

After all, his muscular body seemed to glow from the sunlight, his peaceful face against the pillow fed to her happiness, his childlike posture adding to her inner fangirl, and then down there...

But after that ten minutes, Elizaveta quickly came up with a better idea before Mathias caught her staring at him for the third time. A whoosh was made as she swiftly walked out, another whoosh back in, and - snap. A picture. Now she had something she could stare at for hours and never be found guilty of checking out the Dane. Satisfied, the Hungarian placed the camera back into her room, shutting the door as to suggest and request that she did not want visitors in there, and descended down the staircase to prepare breakfast.

Restful and peaceful sleep was thankfully granted to the Dane after his horrific experience during the night. He felt the warmth of the sunlight on his body as it gently woke him. Lightly groaning, he stretched and turned onto his back, blinking as he opened his eyes, allowing the room to come into focus. The usual songs of birds could be heard, and he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Mathias looked over to the clock-It's almost 11:00 AM? I should go soon...though Eirik and Valdi usually don't show up until later in the day anyway...

He rubbed his eyes, trying to get the last of the sleep out, and his eyes fell on the pile of clothing the Hungarian left him. She washed them? He blinked, and then his eyes slowly came downward. Wait...did she... He lightly blushed at the thought of Elizaveta coming in to see him as he was-boxers-only-but shook his head to get rid of the thought. Stretching once again, he got up onto his feet, and changed into his own clothing. He re-folded the shirt, vest, and pants that the Hun had let him borrow. He quickly made the bed and went to the bathroom to fix himself up. Once satisfied, he left the room, looked around, and went down the stairs to the kitchen.

Big breakfasts were a part of her culture - she had many plates set out on her kitchen counter with foods ranging from toast to eggs to pastries to bacon to sausages for herself, including some coffee. If anything, it was much like a buffet. The kitchen was filled with all sorts of aromas and every morning, Elizaveta's house was just like this. However, she knew that other countries didn't eat as much as she did for breakfast - such as Roderich, he ate more during the evening - and was considering that Mathias may consume more food during a meal other than breakfast. That restaurant in Copenhagen did serve a lot for dinner, the Hungarian noted. And Mathias didn't eat much the morning I was at his house. Now sure that the Dane didn't take down so much for breakfast, she decided to let Mathias choose any of the plates she had spread across the counter and as many as he wanted, and whatever was left, Elizaveta would eat.

Elizaveta was nearly startled to see Mathias in the kitchen - and dressed, at that - after she turned around, squeaking out a small "ah!" before smiling. The sizzling from her frying pan while cooking blocked out any sounds from upstairs, she guessed. She eyed the clock, checking what time it was. 11 already? Time flies when cooking. "Good morning," the nation greeted the Dane. "Go ahead and take whatever you like - I don't expect you to eat all of it, by the way. My breakfasts are always like this, though I'm sure yours aren't." She chuckled, then poured a mug of coffee and walked over to Mathias, offering him the beverage. "You shouldn't leave without eating, either."

Mathias could smell the various aromas before he even entered the kitchen, some of the smell having already drifted up the stairs. He saw the Hun cooking, who looked quite happy at that, and looked at surprise at the large amount of food present. He returned her smile, taking the mug with a nod. "Thanks. And thank you for washing my clothes as well." He gestured to his body. "And no, my breakfasts are usually pretty small. This is like a full out buffet." The Dane looked around, amazed by all the food he saw. Everyday? Wow. He took a plate and just put a couple of things on it-some toast, eggs, and sausages. He sat himself at the dining table, looking over to Elizaveta in the kitchen. "You sure are a morning person." He laughed, then glanced at the time again. "I'll be leaving shortly after eating, though. I do need to get back." He didn't like the taste of the words he had just spoken, but they had to be said. He quietly then ate his food, enjoying the flavor he experienced from her cooking.

Elizaveta wore a gentle smile. "Of course." She then found herself chuckling at Mathias' amazement over her breakfast, watching him claim some food to himself, before taking the remaining plates and settling down at the same table the Dane sat at. A small frown appeared on her face once she was told about his departure - it was just too soon. Slowly, Elizaveta nodded and murmured rather reluctantly, "Alright. I understand." Remember, you do have things to get done, she reminded herself, trying to cheer herself up as she bit off a small piece of her pastry. Finding something to distract herself with, the Hungarian glanced around her living room; again, her eyes came upon the miniature Viking boat, then strayed away to look at Mathias. "Do you remember the time you gave that to me?" she questioned after swallowing, testing him rather than wanting to know the answer.

The Dane glanced up at the Hungarian as she sat down, though eyes downcast again from her words. He could hear the reluctance, but he did concentrate on the fact that she didn't want him to leave. At her question, he looked up, slightly confused. Gave what? His eyes then, too, traveled to the miniature Viking boat. Oh. He stared at it for a while, chewing his food as he thought, reaching into his memories. So long ago...yet I can still remember it.

Mathias then turned to face Elizaveta again, nodding. He smiled after he finished his mouthful. "Yeah...well, I remember something about Tino and Eirik stopping me from giving it to you, or trying to, because they thought I was just bragging or somethin'?" He shyly looked down, poking at one of the sausages. "But I wasn't, really. You were just sorta...standing there, and you didn't look very happy, I remember." How long ago was that meeting? Centuries, surely. "I...I didn't like seeing someone look like that so I thought, hey!, why not." He nodded again, as if confirming his words, though his gaze remained averted.

Elizaveta grinned and continued eating as he retold the story, rather pleased with how much Mathias was able to remember. Her smile further widened, rather embarrassingly at that, when he explained the reason for his actions; it was so much like him to do that, even if it really seemed like he was trying to boast. When he finished, the Hungarian had already cleaned her plate with the pastry and moved on to the bacon. "Good, so you remember," Elizaveta said with a slightly teasing tone, as if she expected him to recall that day. Quietly, she whispered, though purposely loud enough for to the Dane pick up and sarcastically, "Why am I not surprised?" She was not commenting about his memory, but about his thoughts during that time.

Mathias took a bite of the sausage, chewing on the meat slowly, his eyes traveling back up to look at Elizaveta at her words. "Of course I remember." When he heard her whisper, however, he couldn't help but shyly smile as he glanced again to the longboat model. "Just can't help it. Happiness is contagious," he said quietly. It was true-being labeled the happiest nation in the world (along with one of the most peaceful, even though he could be a total troublemaker), he was always trying to cheer up others. Of course, there were many sides of the Viking that others had not seen, and he was trying to keep it that way. Coming back to his meal, the Dane was about to eat up another mouthful, but stopped. He looked up curiously at the Hungarian. "...Was there a reason you've kept it for so long, and that to on display?"

Elizaveta eyed the toy again, thinking. That's a good question, actually... Once she was done with her bacon, she set aside the plates, stacking them as she thought about Mathias' question. "I think I set it there for display," the Hungarian answered, running a hand into her hair and keeping it there to hold her head. "I don't like putting away or throwing out gifts either, so I guess that would explain it." There were other small presents that were given to her and sitting around the same place as the boat, such as an aged but well handcrafted music box from Roderich and a miniature replica of the crown on Lili's flag. The Hungarian got up from her seat to walk into the kitchen, snatching toast and a mug of coffee for herself, then returned to her seat. "Oh, and how is the food?"

Mathias nodded at her words. So it's been sitting there with the other things ever since? The Dane finally finished off the rest of the sausage, putting down his fork with satisfaction as he leaned back in his chair, patting his stomach. "It's delicious. Best breakfast I've had in a while." He laughed softly. "I'm not a morning person, so I'm usually too lazy to make myself anything more than toast and some coffee." Mathias then sipped at his coffee, enjoying the warmth of the beverage traveling down his throat, spreading its warmth to his chest and stomach. His eyes drifted to the clock. Times sure passes by quickly... He slowly finished off the rest of his food before sitting back once again, mug in hand, gaze staring into the warm beverage. To think I'll have to get going soon...

Elizaveta smiled as she sipped her coffee. "Thank you," she murmured after removing the rim of the cup from her lips, rather flattered. "And I can well imagine that from you." The Hungarian then quickly finished her coffee, trying her best to finish it as fast as possible while still savoring its taste, before piling up the empty plates and her cup and heading to the sink to wash them. She turned her head to steal a glance at the Dane - she sensed sadness emitting off of him, and frowned slightly as her own heart began to sink from seeing him in such a state. Elizaveta knew well why. "So," she began awkwardly, "you're...leaving in a moment, right?" Though she somewhat failed to, the Hun did her best to cover up for her melancholy tone.

Mathias laughed softly. "I'm sure you can." He drank up the rest of the coffee as the Hungarian washed the dishes, still staring at the mug until she spoke. "Oh." He looked again at the time. He could hear the sadness in Elizaveta's voice, which caused him both to feel bitter about leaving but also soothed as he knew she felt the same way. "Yes, I do." His voice was soft, a whisper almost. Finishing the last sip of coffee, he got up and quickly washed it before the Hun could object. After doing so he leaned against the counter, hands gripping onto the edge. "Thank you again, Eli. For everything." He spoke gently, his gaze focused downward. The car keys in his pocket never felt so heavy before.

As she put aside the last washed plate, Elizaveta discovered another pair of hands entering her view to clean a mug. She frowned at them and glared up to her left at Mathias with a disapproving look, but then simply sighed. We're eventually going to kill each other over something as unimportant as this. She stepped away from the sink and bent over to a nearby towel to dry her own hands of the water, but then turned her head around to Mathias' sudden word of thanks. ...Everything? Her eyes widened from that, feeling her face heat up slightly from a pink blush, but shook her head lightly to return her skin to its normal color.

"No, thank you!" she insisted, staring at the ground with embarrassment. She then wondered if she should lead the Dane to the door, believing that he wouldn't be able to depart without her lightly urging him to. Deciding that it was better for them, Elizaveta headed off to her front door, beckoning Mathias with a single glance, and opened the door for the Viking. However, the Hungarian found herself staring outside, admiring the sunlight and the various bright colors from the plants surrounding her home. ...It looks like we'll be on our own paths for a while, she eventually thought.

Mathias blinked at her word of thanks, and seeing her embarrassed look, his lips curved into a small smile. He reluctantly pushed himself off the counter and followed her to the door. He stopped behind her, looking past the Hungarian to the outside world, where the sun was shining brightly in a clear blue sky, bringing out the lush green of the grass and the many colors of the various flowers and plants, giving everything a very dreamy feel. That's what this feels like, for sure. The Dane sighed, and finally managed to force a foot out of the house, then the other.

Once out, he turned to Elizaveta one last time, his hands on her shoulders. "Don't forget, if anything happens, you can always give me a call." He paused. He took a deep breath, not wanting him having to say these words. But before he could, Mathias couldn't help but do one thing. He leaned in and kissed her lovingly for a few seconds, possibly a minute. When his lips left hers, he murmured. "Goodbye, Eli." Before he could convince himself otherwise, he went to his car and hopped in, starting it up. At this rate, it'll be a miracle if I can even back the car out.

Elizaveta felt her heart deeply sink inside of her as Mathias took one step out - when he made his second foot join the other, she couldn't help but to clench her fist. Behave like an adult, she commanded herself, rattling her fist back into a relaxed hand. To his words, the Hungarian nodded. "Right." She knew that she didn't have to request for his phone number - it was required that every nation have each others' phone numbers, and none of them ever called unless it was important or urgent, which was one of the rules they applied when it came to sharing contacts.

She then heard air escape from the Dane's lips; the woman cocked her head to the side slightly, wondering what else could be wrong. However, Elizaveta found her lips suddenly in contact with Mathias', her eyes once again widening in surprise. A wave of emotions hit her - it attacked her so hard that her eyes nearly glazed over with water. Nothing so powerful had struck her this emotionally, not since the time when she and Roderich filed the divorce papers. But those were divorce papers - this was just a kiss, which seemed to mean so much more to her; perhaps it lasted for a year, decades, or maybe even centuries according to her misleading clock.

She was so stunned that she was having trouble finding the right way to pronounce her own words of goodbye, let alone find them. Eventually, Elizaveta barely managed to whisper out, her voice almost like air, "Goodbye." It wasn't easy to say either - her soul seemed to tear apart temporarily, but quickly recovered (though not completely) as she realized that this was the life she was leading before: alone. The Hungarian's eyes remained glued onto Mathias as he made his way to his car, and had to stand on her own porch in order to keep her gaze on him. There's always another day...another day...

Mathias felt as if something had broken inside him when he heard the Hungarian's goodbye, which carried with him to the car. The ignition started, the Dane gave one last look to the porch, able to see Elizaveta, though barely, and gave a small smile, as much as it hurt to do so. His emotions were on a roller coaster ride, pulling this way and that and doing several upside-down loops that he wasn't sure of what was what anymore. He quickly backed out, and once on the road, he looked back one last time. Soon. We'll see each other soon. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, he stared ahead with knitted eyebrows, nodding, as if to confirm his thoughts. He managed to start driving, and soon he was cruising down the road.

"Destination?" the electronic voice of the GPS spoke up, already having loaded a map of the area. Sighing, the Dane answered. "København." The system made a couple of sounds, and soon begun it's navigation. Mathias leaned back in his seat, staring ahead. Soon.

A/N:

Not much happens in this chapter, but lots of emotional stuff. ;~; You can probably tell that we're going to be doubling/tripling/whatevernumbering up as more characters again.
Denmark and Hungary in this chapter - excessively romantic. hehehehe
Also, expect some drama coming up soon as we finally got ourselves on a plot line. C:

xNeyu: Oh, yes - I learned something from roleplaying this part of the chapter and it's that the Hungarians' biggest meal of the day is breakfast. xD Hahaha.