Being back in Spain wasn't as unpleasant as Mexico expected it to be, it was slightly stifling, yes, but it was not horrible. Being back at Spain's house was almost exciting in a way. He was standing outside of Spain's house at the moment, waiting for Philippines to carry the luggage up from the carriage. It was very heavy luggage, so it was taking her a long time.
She finally dragged the large chest up to where Mexico was standing. She looked up at the house and let out a long breathe that she had apparently been holding. She turned to Mexico and said simply "It looks almost exactly like yours. That's a bit creepy. Did you build yours to look like his?" Mexico glared at her "He built my house; I plan to remodel when I have the time." He changed the inflection on the last word so that she would clearly understand that when he had time meant after he had won his independence. She nodded and let go of the side of the chest she had been holding. The heavy chest then thumped to the ground, causing a small cloud of dust to rise around it. Philippines looked up at Mexico expectantly "I'm scared and excited all at the same time, is that normal?" Mexico couldn't help but smile a little just because he understood exactly how she felt "You'll do just fine. You're walking into a nest of backstabbing, self serving, self flattering snakes." She responded incredulously "That sounds horrible, how can you know that I will be able to deal with it?" Mexico smirked again "Because, girl, you've already pledged yourself to the worst of them, namely me."
He gestured to the chest and said "Bring that along, girl. Oh and a couple things. Firstly, I am called New Spain here, not Mexico". At this point Philippines interrupted "You let people call you by Spain's name? That makes it seem like you're married or something, you might as well wear a sign that says 'I'm Spain's bitch'". Mexico turned to her and looked her squarely in the eyes when he said "It is expected of me and being addressed by Spain's name is a very important status sign." Philippines looked like she wanted to say something else, but Mexico's ice cold expression told her that it would be wiser to be quiet.
Mexico continued on his original train of thought "Secondly, remember that you can't hurt me by revealing my secrets, but I can hurt you. This is more important than ever. There are those in court who would give you quite a lot for my downfall, you can't give them anything or I will destroy you before you can destroy me." He thought specifically of Peru, his long time rival, who would love nothing more than to see Mexico's downfall. He didn't mention to Piri that the secrets were only harmless if they came from her lips. She had no credibility in Spain's eyes, but Peru had enough that he could bring Mexico down. Most likely, the Inca boy would attempt to get secrets out of Philippines if he thought there were useful ones to be had. The best case scenario was that Philippines never hinted at what she knew, but that would be almost impossible considering her rather volatile temper. Thus why he had to scare her into believing that she needed to guard his secrets like her life depended on it.
Once he saw the shock and fear pass over her face, he was satisfied that the message had sunk in. He turned back to the house and started walking rather quickly. Philippines immediately started dragging the chest again, swearing under her breath as she did so in a language that Mexico did not understand. He assumed that it was her native language. He didn't turn back to look at her, that would give her the impression that there might be a reprieve in store for her and there wasn't. She needed to be able to endure through suffering without objection, as Mexico had learned to do by being Spain's presence for so long. Besides, he had other things that he would rather devote his thought to as he came back to Spain's house.
America cut in again "I don't get it, you were so mean to her, but she still hung on your every word. But every time I tried to impose a little discipline, she fought back." Mexico could have continued to diss America, but he knew that there was a sadder and truer answer. He might as well level with America now. His voice was somewhat subdued when he said "People change with time. Once you have tasted deceit once, it is hard to get the bitter taste out of your mouth. I wounded her heart so deeply that it is unlikely that she ever would have trusted you. When I took her in, she was a naïve little girl. When you took her in, she was a jaded woman. That's why she fought so hard against you. Because like it or not, you and I are very much alike, she probably saw history repeating and closed herself off."
America was silent for a couple minutes and Mexico feared for a moment that he had been too philosophical and the whole comment had sailed over America's head. But the other finally responded "That was really insightful. You really understand her, don't you?" Mexico wordlessly nodded. Thinking too hard about Philippines always weighed on his heart because he was so ashamed of the way he had betrayed her. He had little choice in the matter. But that made no difference. America could sense that Mexico's mood was dropping dramatically and moved quickly to change the subject "I'm guessing that the first person that you reunited with was Cat?" Mexico nodded again "You are quite correct, she was the easiest one to fool, so I started with her."
Spain had informed Mexico of Puerto Rico's whereabouts as soon as they both returned to the house, and Mexico suspected that he could see an attempt to expedite a painful process. Spain didn't want Mexico and Puerto Rico back together. But the situation was inevitable, so Spain was trying to get the pain over with as soon as possible. He found her standing next to a large window looking out at the courtyard in front of the house. She looked like she had aged a couple years since he had been gone, which was not a bad thing, if anything she looked more beautiful.
Mexico walked up to her. She heard his footsteps and turned to look at him. Their eyes met and Mexico felt a familiar warmness in his heart. Maybe he did still love her, but it still didn't feel the way it had when they first met. She spoke first "I was watching for you, I knew you were coming home today. Who is the girl?" He had already thought of how he was going to explain Philippines to Puerto Rico "That's Philippines. I expect you have already heard that I took her under my wing as my ward." He reached out and took hold of her hand gently and continued "She's a lost child, Cat. She's so alone and confused by our world. I just felt the need to take care of her and teach her".
He could tell that he had said the right thing by the way that Puerto Rico's eyes lit up. She smiled sweetly and lightly stroked his cheek with the hand he was not holding "That's so sweet of you. I almost thought you couldn't get any more perfect. And to think, I was worried I was going to have to be jealous of her." Mexico smiled to himself; he had her believing every word. Women were easy, so emotional and trusting. He replied "You don't need to be jealous, she's just a child. You are the only woman I love, and you always will be."
In his own mind he added Just you and Brazil. She took a small step forward so that they were closer together. She said her voice softer, "I've missed you so much. It's been an eternity since we saw each other." Mexico let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. He replied with a lie "I thought about you every day we were apart. Nothing makes me happier than being back here with you." With that he leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips. He had quite forgotten how sweet and perfect this felt. She was so pure and innocent; it was like kissing a piece of heaven. Part on him knew that she deserved so much better than him, but he blocked it out.
The kiss was interrupted by the sound of Philippines clearing her throat rather loudly. Both Mexico and Puerto Rico broke apart and looked at Philippines, whose jet black eyes were narrowed skeptically. Her expression was hard to read, it was critical and confused, but there was also something like repressed anger. She said pointedly "I'm sorry to interrupt you". She seemed to be talking directly to Mexico and ignoring Puerto Rico's existence, which was quite the accomplishment considering that the two were entwined. Mexico knew what Piri was doing and he didn't approve of it. She was attempting to make Puerto Rico feel alienated from the discussion. He intervened and said, while glaring at Philippines "Piri, I would like you to meet my fiancée, Catalina. Cat, this is Piri. Feel free to ignore her general lack of tact."
Puerto Rico smiled cordially and disentangled herself from Mexico. She took a step towards Philippines and extended her hand "It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you can come to think of me as a sister." Philippines did not shake the other's hand, although she did look like she was considering for a moment. After looking at the hand for a moment, she looked back up at Mexico and said "Right, Alejandro, I have put your things in your new room. Spain wanted me to tell you that he assigned you to a room by yourself this time, whatever that means." With that, she turned and walked away.
Puerto Rico turned back to Mexico and said "Why doesn't she like me?" To this query Mexico honestly didn't have an answer. He didn't understand why Philippines was being so hostile. It was strangely vindictive, but Philippines had no reason to dislike Puerto Rico. In his mind Mexico put it down to girls being catty. But, he responded "Like I said, she has yet to learn how to be tactful. She will warm up to you". She still looked rather put out. Mexico closed the space between them and gently put his hands on her face "Listen to me, Cat. You're beautiful and sweet and wonderful. Piri will see that eventually and she will love you. Don't worry about it". Puerto Rico smiled again and looked back up at Mexico "You are so good to me, Alejandro. I will put Piri out of my mind for now".
"I thought I sensed more arrogance in the house." Mexico recognized Peru's voice at once, but the words tipped him off too. He had just parted from Puerto Rico and was walking back to his room to make sure that Philippines was actually unpacking correctly. But Peru's remark stopped him dead in his tracks. He said in response "Have I done something to make you dislike me more than you did when I left". He turned to look at Peru, who had stepped out of an adjoining hallway, in order to gauge his facial expressions. Peru looked irritated, which was to be expected considering that his rival had just returned.
Mexico also became aware that he was now a couple inches taller than Peru. The Incan boy looked to have aged, but he didn't seem to have gotten any taller. Peru responded to Mexico's question "You have been monopolizing Antonio's attention, which has made me even more irrelevant." Mexico wondered to himself if Peru had always been this easy to read and he had just failed to see it before. Peru was very angry, but his answer wasn't the reason. He had chosen an answer that was believable and convenient, but not true. Mexico wasn't going to let Peru lie to him. He raised his eyebrow slightly when he said "Yes, but that isn't the reason you're mad at me, now is it. Be honest with me for once."
At this Peru seemed to snap "If you want the truth, Mexica, I will tell you. After you left, I saw the state Enrique was in. He was a mess and I had to console him. You're a cold hearted bastard!" This was the most genuine answer Mexico knew he would get. It was strange, he had no idea that Peru cared for Colombia at all. He judged it better to not show Peru any overabundance of emotion. He was the closest thing that Mexico had to an actual enemy at the moment. He remained stoic as he replied "So, what does this have to do with you?"
Peru took a confrontational step forward and said "That doesn't matter! I want you to stay away from Enrique; I won't let you lead him on again!" Mexico matched the other's step forward and said simply, allowing a sinister edge into his voice "If you want to stop me, go ahead and try. I will not take orders from you." Peru's eyes widened and he took a step backward, obviously backing down "There's something different about you. It's scary." Mexico couldn't help but laugh "Maybe you just have forgotten how to handle me. Or maybe" He took another step forward so he was very close to Peru "you're just coming to understand that I am superior to you." The Incan boy took a couple steps backwards and then turned to walk away, concluding the conversation with "Fuck off, arrogant bastard". Mexico was left standing there wondering if he really had changed, or if he just hadn't noticed before.
He finally made it to his room without another encounter. He actually found this rather odd, considering he was expecting to see Colombia at some point. He, of all people, had the most unfinished business with Mexico. The Aztec boy assumed that Colombia must simply still be mad at him. He pushed open the door to his new room, which he couldn't help but notice was very close to Spain's room. Inside the room, Philippines was sitting on a chair having a conversation with no other than Colombia, who was sitting comfortably on the bed. Both of them looked up when Mexico entered the room.
Colombia's mouth curled into a smirk and he said "Hola, Alejandro. I've been meaning to speak to you for quite a while." Philippines intoned "Actually, Enrique was just explaining to me why you two need to talk." Mexico's heart sunk at these words. He didn't need Philippines to know about his forays into homosexuality. It could potentially be very damaging to their relationship depending on Philippines' religious leanings. He turned to Philippines and said "Girl, leave the room. Now." She glared at Mexico before leaving, but complied all the same.
Once she had left, Colombia said smoothly "She's prettier than I expected. I dare say that she's even prettier than your fiancé." The Aztec boy walked over so he was standing in front of Colombia and asked "What did you tell her?" The other continued to smirk as he stood up. There was barely any space between them. Colombia replied "Nothing damaging. Yet." Mexico already knew that Colombia had seen his dark side, so hiding it here wasn't really a concern. His voice dropped into a growl as he replied "Is that a threat?" Colombia didn't seem intimidated at all. His smirk remained as he said "Do you want it to be?" He leaned in closer and said in Mexico's ear "Have you noticed that your voice has gotten deeper? It's so fucking sexy." The other's voice was so smooth and sensual that Mexico found himself wondering if it would be worth it to grab Colombia, pin him down on the bed, and ravage him. It certainly sounded tempting, but the consequences would be worse than the momentary pleasure.
Mexico took a step back in order to create some space to breathe. He defaulted back to his old reason "Enrique, I'm no less engaged than I was when I left. I am still not going to sleep with you." Yet again Colombia seemed unaffected. He looked like he was expecting this response and had already prepared a rebuttal "Is that so? Your actions indicate that you don't value fidelity as much as you say you do." Mexico snapped back "What are you talking about?" The other responded with a slight laugh "Don't pretend you don't know. There is really only one reason why a man brings a younger, prettier woman into his home."
The words hit the Aztec boy hard. He hadn't even thought about Philippines in a sexual way, but everyone here had jumped to the conclusion that attraction was the reason he had taken her in. He was quick to correct Colombia's assertion "I'm not sleeping with her either". The verbal volley continued when Colombia responded again "You aren't sleeping with her yet. I don't blame you, she's still very young, but as she ages, you will." A couple seconds of silence passed as Mexico attempted to think of a response that sounded intelligent. Colombia took advantage of the silence to change the subject "You know what I never understood: You are so obviously attracted to me, but you push me away at every chance." Mexico responded "You aren't required to understand. I have my reasons."
Suddenly he had a radical thought; he could use an entirely different tactic on Colombia. The other wasn't wrong, he felt attracted to him. Apparently Mexico was not hiding it well enough. If he was to take control of the situation, he needed to change how he was approaching this. He made direct eye contact with Colombia and his voice turned even darker as he said "You fascinate me, and" he took a step forward which meant he was very close to Colombia again, but this time he had the advantage. Colombia's dark brown eyes were fixed on Mexico's golden ones and his brazenness had melted. He looked completely mesmerized.
Mexico continued to talk "If I wanted to, I could find a way to be with you without anyone knowing." He took another step forward, which forced Colombia to step backwards as well. Mexico finished his thought "But I don't think I have adequate motivation yet." Colombia was completely dumbstruck now. Mexico took another half step forward and connected his lips with Colombia's. He was completely in control now, he was dictating how fast or slow this was going to be. Mexico knew the best way this was going to work was smooth and slow. He had one hand on Colombia's face and the other on the boy's hip. There was something electrifying about being in complete control of Colombia again. He moved his hand from Colombia's hip to the boy's butt. He moaned as Mexico squeezed his butt slightly.
It wasn't meant to be completely sexual; Mexico wasn't going to go all the way. This was a tease in order to keep Colombia intrigued. If Mexico could keep the boy sexually enthralled, then he could keep control of him. The kiss was carefully measured to have the right effect. After a couple minutes, Mexico released Colombia, who took a deep breath. Mexico leaned in and said as seductively as possible "That's all you get for now. If you want more, then you're going to have to do something for me first." Colombia's eyes had misted over, but his ability to come up with a response was far from gone "If you let me go farther, I would do so much for you." He leaned even closer and whispered in the other's ear
Mexico stopped talking for a moment, much to America's dismay. The blonde quickly said "Why did you stop? What did he say?" Mexico was glad it was dark because thinking back on Colombia's offer was making him blush. Telling America seemed like it was revealing some sort of secret. Mexico responded simply "Use your imagination; I expect you'll come to the right conclusion." He could hear America's brain working. There was a couple seconds of silence before the American broke the silence "You can't mean that he offered to…you know." The other couldn't help but laugh at how prudish his lover was when it came to mentioning sexuality. But he wasn't going to force America to express what he was thinking more "Yes, Alfred, that's it exactly and Enrique can be quite descriptive. As you can imagine, it got me a bit hot and bothered."
Mexico could feel the flush creeping up his face as Colombia pulled away with a devious smirk. The offer was tempting and he felt so turned on simply by the description. Colombia said, his voice returning to something that resembled normal volume "So, what do you say?" It took all of Mexico's will power to say "Not that it's not tempting, but the answer is still no." This was the only point at which Colombia looked crestfallen.
His eyes dropped slightly and he said "If that is really your answer, I will leave now." Mexico played this carefully; if he said simply "Yes" then he would risk losing his power over Colombia. He put his hand just under the boy's chin and tilted it back up. Their eyes met again and Mexico said "I will have you when the time is right, but now I must be careful. Just be patient for me." Colombia responded, still careful to not give in completely "You know I can wait, but can I trust you to give me what I want eventually?" Mexico moved his hand back to Colombia's cheek and said "Of course I will when you have deserved it." Colombia nodded "I will do whatever I can to deserve it." He leaned in and kissed Mexico on the cheek once before turning and leaving.
Spain didn't see any reason to stop having dinner with Mexico, even now that this was such an obvious sign of favor. For the first night back in Madrid, Mexico decided it would be best for him to be on time. He sat down across the table from Spain in complete silence. Spain looked up and said "How was your first day back in my home?" Mexico responded with a slight smile "It was pretty normal"
A/N: I am so sorry it took so long for the new chapter. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review so I know what you think ^-^