APH - Den/Hun - Unexpected Invitation - Chapter 28
Mathias froze at the doorway of the room the Hungarian was being treated in. His heart sunk as he saw the various wires attached to her and the numerous doctors and nurses, as well as the bloodied bandages that covered her arms. What. . .what happened? However, that didn't matter at that moment. All that mattered was that she was okay, that she was being treated to, that she. . .
His eyes widened, being snapped out of his thoughts at the shrieks of alarm from the machinery, and he made eye contact with the Hun. The Dane was dazed at first, but upon hearing her call out to him, upon seeing her action, something kicked him from behind, and his own heart pumped a new range of emotions throughout him. He soon found himself by Elizaveta's side, ignoring Roderich, taking hold of her outstretched, trembling hand and squeezing it. He pressed his forehead against hers, eyes closed, and whispered: "Idiot." He had to force himself not to let his emotions get to him, though he felt a mix of feelings from heartbreak to relief. Idiot. . .
Mathias's eyes then opened and traveled to the open wound on her arm that the doctor was attempting to treat beforehand. He gently pushed the Hungarian back down, nodding to the doctor, who still looked surprised from the Hungarian's actions. The doctor understood, and again proceeded to remove the bullet. A nurse came to check and make sure that the wires were in place and hadn't been disconnected. "Please, try to stay still this time." As the doctor worked, the Dane distracted the injured nation, brushing hair out of her face and stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Why did you have to go get yourself into something like this?" He murmured, though not expecting an answer.
Meanwhile, Lili smiled at her older brother. "Oh. . .you know." She walked out of the CLINIC as she spoke, glad that Mathias had decided to go through the trouble of coming to see Elizaveta. So he does really care about her. . . Vash looked back towards the room, then shook his head, following after his sister. I will never understand these people. . . He quickly got into his car, waited for the Liechtensteinerin to jump into the passenger seat, and sped back home.
The Austrian, too, had noticed the Dane at the doorway; he narrowed his eyes at first upon seeing him as his brain clicked into a different demeanor. However, that click reversed itself as Roderich realized that Elizaveta was sitting up and trying to take a hold of Mathias, and tried - though fruitlessly - to calm her down. It surprised him to see her this way - she never looked so...agonized like this before. To his luck, the Dane himself was able to ease her and Roderich moved away immediately before anything dangerous could happen. He, with no doubt about it, was stunned by the Nordic's lack of hesitancy to display his affection toward her, as well as his commitment to his former wife. Again, he narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms upon a small epiphany. ...So perhaps what Elizaveta said regarding him was true. Deciding it was best to leave the two alone (and before he could possibly get sickened from the scene), the Austrian left the room, though remained in the lobby of the CLINIC.
Elizaveta hadn't realized that she was literally gasping for air - gasping for Mathias's scent - until he gently pressed his forehead against hers, causing her to exhale and inhale deeply as his unique aroma flowed through her nose. It greatly pacified her brain of her lust, and the pressure that the Dane's hand applied to hers further soothed her. Her eyes had closed while Mathias made his way to her, though slowly opened when that familiar, deep, husky voice of his rang through her ears. Even if he was gently scolding her, Elizaveta found that everything about him at the moment would only alleviate her.
As she regained control of herself and her body, her head shifted slightly to glance at the doctor, and nodded rather embarrassingly. Without realizing it until now, the Hungarian rested against the pillows underneath her head and body, staring at the doctor for a few more seconds before looking back at Mathias. Though he didn't expect an answer, she gave him one anyways: "I'm sorry. I couldn't control myself." Her voice was still weak and rather motherly sounding again due to her exposure to Roderich and the other nations. "...How in the world did you find me?"
Mathias could feel the Austrian watching him, and was relieved when he heard his retreating footsteps. He didn't want to face him at the moment, and instead returned his attention to the Hungarian. He shook his head slightly at her answer, though it hurt him to hear her so weak, as if her weakness was tearing away at his own strength. Of course, not control herself... It wasn't like he could scold her for it-he was the kind who, given a situation, would not be able to control himself either. The Dane smiled in response to Elizaveta's question, sitting down on a small stool a nurse had provided.
"You can thank Lili for that. She sent me a couple of messages. Sweet girl." Mathias spoke softly, He continued to hold onto her free hand, comforting her in any way that he could. "I dropped off Valdi and our luggage at the hotel in Brussels, and I headed here right away." The Viking wanted to know what exactly had happened, but decided he would ask at a later time, when the Hun had regained some of her strength.
The doctor suddenly straightened up, a tweezer in one hand and a small, plastic bag in the other. Mathias thought his heart had dropped into his stomach when he saw what was held in between the tweezers. . . .A bullet? He looked to the Hungarian incredulously, whispering: "He shot you? No, don't answer, save your breath." His gaze went to the doctor again, who was murmuring to the nurses before turning to the two nations.
"The bullet was removed properly. Now we just have to put in some stitches, and let you rest. Being as strong as you are and healing as fast you are, you should be up and about by tomorrow evening." He nodded to Elizaveta. Mathias nodded as well, glad that the doctors seemed to move fast. Tomorrow evening. . .?
The Hungarian temporarily widened her eyes when she was told that the Liechtensteinerin was the one who notified the Dane about her injured status. A small smile decorated her face as she closed her eyes, thinking as if sending a mental message. ...Thank you, Lili. I owe you much more than just a dinner now. She shouldn't have been surprised to hear that she would do such a thing - though, Elizaveta couldn't ask for a better friend.
She reopened her eyes to look at Mathias, quickly admiring his facial features before turning her head to glance at the bullet displayed in the bag. Her mouth opened to answer the shocked Viking, but then frowned as he took back his words. She decided to disobey him and spoke anyways, waiting until the doctor finished talking first. "I'm not that weak," she mumbled with insistence, though her tone of voice still proved her otherwise. In a more serious manner, she continued shortly, "Yes, he did." To the doctor, she replied to him calmly, though she was truly somewhat angry but managed to mask it well. "I have important business to attend to tomorrow morning - I'll be able to leave once you put in the stitches." She refused to miss out on the EU meeting tomorrow, especially after what Emil had done to her. However, the doctor did not approve of her plan and shook his head to tell her so.
"I'm afraid we can't let you do that. We would rather release you when we are certain that you are in good health." The doctor lowered his voice slightly. "After all, Magyarorszg, you are our lifeline, and your welfare is not to be taken lightly." Elizaveta frowned slightly in some frustration, looking away from the doctor; he was right, and she couldn't deny him. Essentially, if she got her ways and arrived at Brussels in time for the meeting, she could potentially let down her people by going in such a terrible condition. Slowly but reluctantly, the Hungarian nodded and murmured, "...Alright."
Mathias frowned at the Hungarian's response. So the two do truly hate each other. . . As angry as he would like to be at the Slovak, he knew he couldn't be-after all, he wasn't to get involved in personal affairs of other nations, and he himself had had good relations with Emil. "Not that weak, my ass." He murmured, knitting his eyebrows at her. He sighed, shaking his head, and listened to the conversation between Elizaveta and the doctor, though not without struggling to hide a small smile as the Hungarian showed her stubbornness.
"He's right, Eli." The Dane spoke gently. "Your health is more important than a meeting. Besides, the conference is three days long- - missing one day, especially in your current state, isn't a big deal." He bent to kiss her forehead before looking at the doctor, speaking in a more authoritative voice. "Well then, put in the stitches right away." The doctor nodded, and motioned to one of his nurses. He wanted to ask the male nation to leave the room as they performed, but decided not to, as the Hungarian was the only patient in the CLINIC center after all (not to mention that the Hun also had a temper, and it would be better to have someone around who could keep her calm).
A nurse approached the doctor with another small tray of tools, and after exchanging a glance with the Viking, began to work on stitching up the wound. Mathias understood the glance and again distracted Elizaveta, squeezing the hand he held again and brought it up to his lips, and murmured against her skin: "You're going to be the death of me, someday." He smiled, not able to suppress a small and soft chuckle. We both will.
Again, another frown appeared onto Elizaveta's face. Though it didn't bother her too much nor did she make a big deal out of it, she disliked it when Mathias wouldn't side with her with things such as this. Of course, she knew that he was doing this for her benefit, not that he was truly against her. It was still tempting to leave right away, however; Emil constantly returned to her thoughts, occasionally igniting her hostility, and made her want to get to Brussels immediately. Luckily, Elizaveta refrained herself, even relaxing her thoughts as her eyes came upon Mathias, and nodded to his words less hesitantly. After the Nordic encouraged the doctor to begin stitching, she turned her head once more to glance at the man tending to her wound, but then instinctively looked away, finding herself setting her eyes on Mathias again. A small grin appeared on her face. "I have to say the same for you."
Then, she discovered that something seemed...out of place. She blinked a few times, realizing what it was. "Where..." Elizaveta again observed the room. "Where did Roderich go?" Worry filled her heart - hopefully the Austrian didn't leave because of Mathias. The aristocrat did say that he was fine with her relationship with Mathias...but maybe he was giving her time with him? I guess that's it, she assumed. The Hun's concern for him cleared away when a nurse came in and overheard her question, answering, "Edelstein r is sitting in the lobby." Her heart seemed to relax in relief. So he didn't leave after all...but he needs to go to Brussels, doesn't he? And Mathias, too?
She then flinched her arm, feeling something strange in it - the stitches - before questioning Mathias again, deciding to ask Roderich the same thing later. "Well, I have a reason to miss the first day of the meeting...but you certainly don't." The Hungarian paused, thinking what he could say next. "Don't tell me you intend on staying here with me."
Mathias smile had widened at her response, but disappeared as she had asked about the Austrian. Before he could answer her question, one of the nurses had, calming the Hungarian down, who had looked so worried and concerned it was difficult for the Dane to suppress a frown, but he managed.
At her question, he blinked a couple of times, not expecting it. Though I should, coming from her. . . He thought about Roderich, and how it seemed he had planned to stay with Elizaveta, and miss the first day of the conference. Mathias wanted to do the same, even though he knew quite well that the Hun would not be happy with that, or his brothers, for that matter. He sheepishly smiled, twirling a lock of her hair between his fingers. "Well, that's what I planned on doing before I even got here." He paused, thinking. "I mean, I've driven all the way over here, haven't I? It would seem a waste to head back now. . ."
Elizaveta blinked at him several times, somewhat surprised. Eventually, her lips curled up into yet another smile, but she still worried about him - if Mathias and Roderich were missing as well, what would the other nations see from the conference? More of her concern, if they found out her relationship with Mathias, what would they think? Even if Roderich and Lili approved of it, who knew what opinions the other nations would have. Her smile faded from that thought, but managed to recover it quickly as she answered with a small chuckle, shaking her head slowly, "Of course you would say that, Mathias. But..." She paused, discovering that her next question about his decision to stay here would be rather pointless to ask. Instead, another question formed in her head. "You will be returning before the meeting begins, right?"
It begins at 8...what time is it now? Elizaveta shifted her eyes around to hunt down a clock, then realized it was almost midnight. ...He might end up staying here even after the meeting begins. Roderich too.
The Dane's eyes, too, had traveled to the clock, observing the time. It's practically midnight. . . He then looked back at her, wearing a foolish smile. "Before it begins? I'm not too sure if that'll be possible." He shook his head. "Don't worry, Eli. It's seriously not that big of a deal. Your well-being is priority right now, and until I see that you've recovered, I'm not going to be able to concentrate." He realized he was basically pouring out his feelings towards her right in front of not only her but others, but he didn't care.
He suddenly remembered he had promised to send Valdimar an update, and quickly pulled out his phone to send him a message.
Probably staying overnight-might not make it to the meeting tomorrow.
He knew the Icelander and others wouldn't be too happy to hear that, but again, he didn't care. If the doctors believed the Hungarian could be up on her feet by the evening of the next day, he might as well just wait. After all, he along with the Nordics always seemed to be outcasts, himself only shining in the spotlight when it came to talking about business. What was the big deal if he missed one day? Besides, the majority of the time will be holding a panel and questioning Emil about his actions. . .
Elizaveta's eye twitched as she felt more pressure and tightening on her arm, though did not receive any pain. Again, she found the stitching strange to her senses, but did her best to continue ignoring it. Before the Hungarian could respond to the Dane, the doctor murmured while doing his work, not moving his head up, "Are you alright?" Elizaveta nodded her head and told him not to worry about her in her own language, then turned her attention back to Mathias.
"Not able to concentrate?" A grin immediately popped onto her face; if he was that easily distracted by her...if he really had her on his mind that much...I'm flattered. However, the same could be said for Roderich, so she thought twice about feeling that way...but Elizaveta could imagine that he could concentrate on meetings and any sort of business-like thing very well. Mathias struck her as the type of person that would fidget irritably and impatiently in his chair, dozing off when he got too tired from squirming around. Her smile remained glued onto her face from that image. "...Alright, if you're really that worried about me. I really hate to do this to you." Only if Emil didn't go that far... "And...aren't you tired? You should get some rest if you've been moving around Europe this much."
The Dane enjoyed the sight of the Hungarian's grin-it comforted him to know that she really was okay, not to mention before the two had gotten into the relationship they shared now, it was difficult to ever see her this happy. He fidgeted slightly, getting a bit impatient at the amount of time it was taking the doctor to put in the stitches. He frowned at Elizaveta's comment, shaking his head. "Do what to me? Will you stop being so apologetic all the time?" It was starting to strike a nerve, but Mathias knew it was just that the Hun had grown accustomed to it while being with Roderich.
Mathias managed to suppress a yawn as she reminded him of sleep, shaking his head lightly again. "I'm fine, and I'll get my rest. Stop worrying about my health and concentrate on yours!" His eyes wandered to the wound the doctor was tending to, and breathed a sigh of relief when the doctor finally straightened up, nodding.
"The stitches are in place. Now, please don't move that arm too much- -it is important to keep it as still as possible." He motioned to one of the nurses, who came and wrapped a bandage around her shoulder and upper arm. "Now it is important to rest. I will get one of the nurses to bring you some food, and please relax. Otherwise it will take longer for it to heal." The doctor took off his gloves as he spoke, nodded to the nations again, and walked off, speaking softly with some of the others in the room as they kept an eye on her statistics. The Viking watched the others, trying to pick up what they were saying, but realizing that they were speaking in their native tongue, sighed and looked back to the Hun, flashing her a smile.
Mathias' words somewhat startled her, but Elizaveta wasn't hurt at all. She started picking up that he disliked it when she was formal with him, though couldn't help it as it was her nature to say such things. Especially when Mathias was risking himself for her. It was literally a circle - he would do anything for her, and she would do anything for him. And somehow, they were still living...just somehow.
Once the doctor was done with his task and further advised her about her arm, Elizaveta nodded, not bothering to translate what the doctor said for Mathias as she thought it was not important, and became rather disappointed. She was hoping to at least walk around the hospital, somewhat unwilling to remain in one place for such a long time, but would probably have been held down by the Viking sooner or later. Instead, she beckoned a nurse passing by in the hallway with a gentle call, requesting that they fetch food for both Mathias and Roderich. The nurse nodded with a smile and immediately changed directions to do so.
After a few seconds of silence, Elizaveta slipped her hand out of the Dane's to caress his cheek. Her eyes softened upon staring up at him as she murmured, letting her emotions flow out, "I've...missed you, Mathias. Hours without you seem like years." She paused, rather embarrassed with how attached she has become to him. "How was your day with the others?"
As Elizaveta caressed his cheek, the Dane brought up his hand to mask hers, enjoying the feel of her soft and smooth skin. Her confession caused Mathias to look at her in surprise, not expecting her to say such a thing. He found warmth and joy surge through him-since when had anyone felt that way about him? He couldn't think of one. . .most found him either a nuisance or too stubborn, thus being relieved when not with him.
"I've missed you too." He replied, his voice quiet and barely above a whisper. "I couldn't stop thinking about you, not once." He leaned in closer to her, taking in her sweet scent, his own breath tickling at her face. "And it was. . .okay. We didn't actually get to hang out as there was a protest-a peaceful one-going on in Copenhagen, Eirik got called about some issues, and so did Valdimar, so we ended up splitting up pretty fast. But everything is okay, so. . ." He trailed off. Mathias didn't want the Hungarian to think he was pushing off his own duties to see her. Everything truly had been alright. "And now I'm here with you."
A blush discolored the skin on the Hungarian's face. Countless times, men and boys have flirted with her or tried to flatter her - and none of those worked, ever really. Yet, she was flushing over something so small and simple so easily. His voice, again, was like music notes to her ears - impeccable, rich, deep, and somehow not needing to be in tune. Elizaveta, too, felt Mathias' warm breath stick onto her skin, soaking in his scent as she murmured, "A peaceful protest...as expected from your people." Her smile strengthened slightly. "It's good to hear that everything's alright. Though, I have some news for you - aside from this." A nurse interrupted the two just as Elizaveta completed her sentence, arriving with two trays of high quality Hungarian food. She laid out a bed desk above the hospitalized nation before setting down one of the trays, then handed Mathias the other.
"Mr. Edelstein would like to thank you," the nurse told Elizaveta, again in her native language. The country again smiled and nodded, once more asking her to tell Roderich that if he needs to leave, then he may. The nurse bobbed her head down and up before leaving, carrying out her request. Finally, Elizaveta continued, keeping her hand on Mathias' face (and again not translating), "Roderich doesn't mind about our relationship. As long as I'm safe."
The sight of her blush made it difficult for the Dane not to smirk. However, he found him smiling from her comment. As expected, eh? Good to know I've built a reputation. He perked up at her next words, wondering what the news was. Before he could find out though, he found the nurse setting up the bed desk for the Hungarian, and took the tray offered to him. "Thank you." He said to the nurse, before returning to look at the food, a bit confused. I didn't ask for anything to eat. . . He sighed, knowing that Elizaveta had probably requested it, and even if not, that the workers at CLINIC would treat any of the nations with the highest degree of respect and hospitality.
His attention then was brought back to the Hun, his eyes slightly widening as she spoke. What? That was a surprise. He had expected the Austrian to continue being a grump, and continue to hold the Dane in the negative light he did. So maybe he's not too bad of a guy after all. He then remembered her last words. As long as she's safe. . . He smiled, and nodded. "Heh, well then, I guess there won't be a problem."
Elizaveta lightly shook her head, withdrawing her hand away from Mathias' face. "No, there won't." She then turned her head to observe the food that she was given; they had served her vegetable soup in a bowl, though from the smell of it, she didn't detect that much spice. The hospital was probably limited when it came to adding that ingredient, seeing as they feared that it could cause upset stomachs. The Hungarian took one of the spoons provided and test-tasted the soup, determining that it was edible - and very well made, at that.
She fiddled around with her spoon as her eyes gazed upon Mathias once more, secretly admiring his appearance (despite him being slightly disheveled) before urging him, "Eat, Mathias. If a Viking wants to stay strong, he can't skip meals - right?" Elizaveta's lips twitched into a small smirk, hoping that it would spark something inside of him to start eating.
Mathias watched the Hungarian taste the soup, himself still holding the tray that the nurse had given to him, untouched. At her remark, he laughed. "Eli, I eat so much during the day I don't think I even need to worry about that." He then returned her smirk, and to make her happy, decided to eat what had been given to him. It was the same as the Hungarian's, and he slowly raised the spoon to his mouth, tasting it, and then downed the spoonful. It was. . .different, from what he usually ate, but it was good and a decent enough dinner.
"There? See, I'm eating. Now concentrate on yourself and eat-or do I have to feed you?" His smirk widened, twirling his spoon around with his fingers.
"Eat so much, you say?" Elizaveta released a small laugh, then twisted her head with little strain to get a proper view of the Dane, once again moving her eyes up and down to scan (and to be honest, explore) his body. It never disappointed her. "I wonder how you manage to keep a fit body like that, then." She watched him scoop up a spoon of the soup, with some hope that he would enjoy it. He should, since this hospital's food is better than any other out there.
She then raised her eyebrow slightly at his question, and strengthened her smirk. "No thanks, I don't find it difficult to pick up a spoon, get food with it, chew the food, and swallow it." Her hand executed her words exactly, leaving some silence and glancing at a nurse coming in to check on her arm before she continued, "But I see that you have trouble with it."
Mathias grinned at her comment. "Well, it's not like I sit around all day and do nothing while eating away." He chuckled, though stopped at her answer to his question. He watched her as she spoke, and snickered quietly. "Congratulations, you can successfully eat a bowl of soup. Want me to give you an award?" The Dane smirked widely, and repeated the Hungarian's reactions, exactly as she had done. "No, I think I'm fine. Better than you, anyway." He then quickly finished up the rest of the soup, his stomach suddenly craving for food.
Once finished, Mathias once again smirked at her. "Now let's see how long it takes you to finish that." He nodded towards her bowl of soup. A nurse had walked by and saw the Dane's empty bowl, and immediately relieved him of it, smiling and walking out of the room so quickly that he didn't even have a chance to thank her. He looked over to the time again. Wow, has that much time passed by already? It was well past midnight, the first hour quickly approaching. He then looked to the Hungarian, this time speaking in a softer voice. "You better get some rest."
Elizaveta rolled her eyes, though was unable to hide a smile. The way the Dane teased her told her that he was in a good mood, and nothing bad - that bad anyway - had happened while she was away from him. And it proved that he wasn't lying either, which was another plus. "Is this the way you'll treat me whenever I'm hospitalized?" she questioned with a chuckle. "But no. I'm better than that to just greedily accept an 'award', which is probably something ridiculous anyways." Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Mathias imitate her while she herself slipped another spoonful of soup into her mouth. She frowned against the utensil. I take that as a challenge. Immediately, she increased her eating pace, but then was spotted by a worried nurse who told her to take her time. Elizaveta sighed and took her word of advice, lagging down her speed and nodding to Mathias's suggestion as well.
When she finally finished, Elizaveta sighed with satisfaction, leaving the empty spoon and bowl for the nurses to clean after. In a short amount of time, one nurse retrieved them in addition to the bed desk, then the doctor reentered to check on her. After exchanging a few lines and a small examination at her wound, the doctor nodded and murmured in English to the Dane and Hungarian, "She's good to go for the night, though we'll be regularly checking her throughout the night. Magyarorszg, it's best that you sleep now, and thank you very much, Dnia, for your company." He nodded to recognize the Dane before disappearing from the room once again.
The Hun stared off after the doctor for a few seconds before snapping back into attention as she realized that Roderich entered the room, sitting up straight suddenly as a shiver zipped down her back nervously as a reflex. Though the Austrian admitted that he accepted Mathias, Elizaveta was still worried about the way the two would treat each other. Roderich approached his ex-wife with ease on the empty side of the bed, almost as if ignoring Mathias, and murmured, "Are you alright, Elizaveta? Do you need anything?"
The female nation shook her head, her polite and respectful demeanor instantly returning to her without consciously noticing it. "I'm fine, Roderich. Please, if you need to, you can return to Brussels for the meeting. It's late and I know that those are important to you."
"No, not when you're in this condi-"
"Roderich." Elizaveta pursed her lips, feeling rude that she interrupted him in mid-sentence to try to convince him. It sounded like she wanted him to go away just so that she had some time alone with Mathias, too. But she truly was concerned for him and luckily he listened anyways, knowing that whenever she did this, it was serious. After a moment of silence, she continued, "You have much to talk about. And, as a personal request, I want you to talk it out...with Emil."
Roderich needed several seconds to absorb her words, then nodded in comprehension, accepting her words. "...Of course." His eyes narrowed as he came upon a realization, finally wandering over to Mathias. "...And I trust you that you will take care of her?" Elizaveta's heart nearly knotted up in worry as the aristocrat began to interact with the Nordic; his tone of voice was neither cold nor friendly, but seemed more as if he wanted to know something - not just information, but if Mathias could care for the Hungarian.
Mathias grinned at her response. Ridiculous award? Maybe. He watched her put down the bowl and spoon with satisfaction, and observed the nurses quickly coming to retrieve everything. He perked up when the doctor approached, and was relieved to know that everything so far was going by fine. The Dane was taken by surprise when the doctor turned to acknowledge him, and nodded affirmatively in response.
The Viking was about to turn and say something to the Hun, but noticed the Austrian walk into the room and approach them. He closed his mouth and watched and listened quietly. He perked up at the mention of the Slovak, and his eyes wandered over to Roderich. I guess if anyone can talk it out calmly . .or somewhat calmly. . .he'd be the best choice. . . He then again was taken by surprise when the Austrian suddenly turned to him. Mathias's eyes narrowed at his question, and he had to force himself to keep his eyes glued to him instead of wandering back to Elizaveta, showing Roderich that he was determined.
"Of course. I can and will take care of her." He responded coolly, showing the Austrian that he wasn't as bad as he had made him out to be. "It's best that you attend the meeting. As Elizaveta said, you probably have a lot to say, and of course, the issue with Emil. . .they're going to want someone who knows a bit more when they question him tomorrow." The Dane had almost gone to his 'business-mode', how he usually would act in a meeting. Even though the Hungarian had told him that Roderich accepted them as a couple, he still felt that the Austrian was suspicious of him. But he is after all actually letting me watch over her. . .
Roderich closely listened to the Dane's words, his expression not changing as he was too preoccupied with picking up Mathias's tone of voice. He sensed no hatred, no scowling - none of that. He even noticed that the way he spoke was familiar, since the memories of past meetings reappeared in his head. Deciding that the Nordic was not intentionally trying to offend or scare him off, the Austrian nodded slowly, keeping his gaze on the other man for a while longer before murmuring to Elizaveta, taking hold of her hand without the wound and lightly planting a kiss on it as a form of farewell. The Hungarian knew better not to take that as a sign of affection, aware that it was his tradition to do that. "I will see you later then, Elizaveta. Take care of yourself and don't do anything reckless." He set down her hand onto her body before departing, not turning back once to either of them.
Elizaveta nodded and, rather worriedly, watched Roderich walk out of the room, but couldn't help but display a small smile. He didn't cause any trouble this time. Thank goodness. She released a sigh, though noticed that her body suddenly felt tired and wiped out after doing so. The Hun was nearly convinced that she was having a food coma. Looking back at Mathias, she laid back down as she murmured with a weak grin, "I'm going to sleep now." Silence momentarily overcame her. There was one question she wanted to ask, but felt...stupid for even wondering. Elizaveta summoned some courage to ask anyways, but rather shyly, "...You'll be here when I wake up, right?" She needed some kind of confirmation - some reassurance - that Mathias would still be there for her, the thoughts of her relationship with Roderich back then now haunting her.
Mathias watched the Austrian leave, feeling relieved (though he had slightly twitched when Roderich kissed her hand), and looked back to Elizaveta. He could see how tired she was-just a look at her eyes was enough to tell. He nodded at her words, though saw that something was bothering the Hungarian. Before he could ask, she spoke again, her voice and actual question surprising him. The Dane's eyes widened slightly, staring at her. Why would she even. . .
He leaned closely to her, his nose brushing hers, and responded: "Of course. What type of question is that?" He gave her a quick good-night kiss, smiling at her, and sat back down, watching her as she fell asleep. Mathias was ready to knock out as well, and glanced around. As he did so, a nurse quietly approached him.
"Dniaban, would you like to stay here or in the guest room? We have a room ready for you, if you would like." She spoke softly, as to not disturb Elizaveta. The Dane glanced at the injured nation, and looked back at the nurse. "I'll be fine. I can sleep just about anywhere. But thank you." Mathias had glanced behind him, and there was a comfortable enough looking couch in the room. He would just drag it to Elizaveta's bedside, he decided. The nurse looked at him in concern, but decided to leave the nation be and smiled. "Good night, then, sir. If you do change your mind, the room is just down the hallway, to the right." She turned around and left, closing the door but not all the way, so that the doctors and nurses could come in to check on her when needed.
Relief flooded through Elizaveta's body, though she had no reason to be unrelieved. Even so, she felt this tinge of worry still remaining inside of her - but then realized something. If Mathias said he would be there and she was still concerned, it meant that she wasn't trusting him. There was no way she couldn't trust him. The tiny bit of worry in her head seemed to be blown away instantly upon her epiphany, and she closed her eyes as Mathias pressed his lips against hers, a surge of intense warmth flowing into her body. Almost immediately, Elizaveta sunk into sleep; but as she heard a nurse, her ears listened closely to her words in case it was important, causing her to be no deeper than half-asleep. The Hungarian found her mouth twitching into a small smile in response to Mathias's answer. He's rejecting a better place to sleep for... Her thoughts trailed off as her senses faded out, allowing sleep to dominate her for the night.
Mathias waited a few minutes, listening to the Hungarian's breathing pattern. Once he confirmed that she was fast asleep, he stood up and stretched, and found himself letting out a long yawn. Man, I really am tired. Exhaustion from the day was catching up with him-fast. He looked behind him at the couch, and slowly and quietly dragged it over, moving the stool to the side. The Dane dimmed the lights, then sighed as he plopped onto the couch, enjoying the sensation of his body sinking into its soft exterior. He spread out on it, slinging his legs over the arm of the couch, his head resting on the other arm. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but Mathias didn't care.
As he stared up at the ceiling, numerous thoughts floated in his head. He wondered about the meeting tomorrow. He wondered how his fellow Nordics would react to his absence. He wondered what the others would think of his absence, and if it in the end would reveal the relationship the two now shared. He wondered what would come of the questioning of Emil, and hoped everything could be worked out peacefully. He wondered if Elizaveta would be okay the following day, and that she would heal properly. Finally, sleep overtook him, and his eyelids slowly drooped until they were closed, and he was out, his thoughts vanishing into thin air.
A/N:
SUPERRR overdue chapter. Sorry about that...this actually should have gone ahead and been uploaded with chapter 27 but...yeah, didn't happen. Things have been hectic on our side, but yeah.
So for that we're going to go ahead and upload the next chapter as well~
