Hey guys! It is time for another chapter! It's finally summer! I'm free from that freaking Hell everyone calls school! One more year! At least until the 8 years of college I'll have to do which is going to suck even more. I have no idea when I'll stop writing these stories but it won't be anytime soon. But anyway, World War 1 is over! Of course there will be more laid back chapters in between this one and WW2. So please review or comment on the story! Tell me what you think of it and tell me if I need to change anything about it! Finally, thanks so much for giving this a read, you're awesome, and here is the chapter!
Ch. 30: Advice
(Year: 1918)
Scarlett stumbled through the open door with an exhausted look on her face. She and Alfred had just arrived back in her country and they really needed a nap. She walked slowly to the couch of the living room and plopped down, closing her eyes to sleep. Alfred closed the ruby-colored door behind him and sat in the chair next to her. He lowered his head and fell asleep as soon as he let his eyelids close completely. They didn't even have the energy to talk to each other before they both fell asleep.
Behind them, the front door was unlocked and Britannia's boss came in. He walked across the room to get a few documents that were laying on the table and he gasped when he saw the two countries sleeping in the room. He didn't even notice them; their snores were so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Her boss, President James, sweat dropped and loosened the dark collar around his neck. This was the first time he had seen her in a long time so it was surprising to say the least to just see her her sleeping on the couch. America too. He cleared his throat and moved her a bit.
"Britannia...Britannia wake up…"
Scarlett's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at James with blurry circles filling her vision. It took a few seconds for the effect to wear off and by that time she was up and hugging him.
"James! Oh my gosh! I haven't seen you in like...forever! How ya been!? How's everything going!?"
"Well the economy's doing great since everyone has a war job," he said sheepishly. She laughed and shook her head. "I know that silly! It's my country so I know if I'm doing good or not. I meant how are you!" She yelled. He smiled and pointed to his hair.
"I think I'm starting to gray a little bit. It sucks but that's what happens when you're a president of a major country. Umm...I don't want to be rude Britannia but why are you and America here?" He asked her. Her smile went down a little bit and she replied back quickly, "What do you mean?"
"Well both of you should be in Paris right now for the peace negotiations that will begin in a couple of days. Please don't tell me you forgot about them! Haha you haven't changed a bit milady! I came here to grab some papers before I left for France as well. I thought you would already be there when I arrived. But uhh...I guess you can accompany me there! So come on! Get ready! Oh wait you're already clothed and packed so that's great! Let's go!"
Scarlett's mouth fell open at the news. Does nobody tell her any of this crap anymore!? Her muscles ached and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her hair felt oily and the general air around her felt stuffy. She had to take a deep breath every so often. She was definitely not in the mood to just pick up everything and go back to Europe. Did she really have to go?
"Ugh...Can't we just stay here?" She asked in desperation. Her tone was whiny and that of a five-year-old. James laughed out loud and patted her shoulder.
"Of course not! Now come on, go to the bathroom, get a snack, whatever you need to do, but I'll be waiting out front for you two and then we can get on our ship. It is pretty big. I named it after you Britannia," He commented to her.
"The RMS Britannia? Doesn't britain already have a ship like that?"
"No it's called the RMS Scarlett!" He exclaimed happily before walking out the door. Well that wasn't a very cool ship name...It was more of a human name...She groaned loudly, waking up Alfred and then she picked up her bag again. He blinked at her with drowsiness in his stare. She stared back sadly and informed him of the news. He wasn't too happy about it either.
"What!? But I didn't even get to my own country yet! God this fucking sucks! I'm gonna go take a piss!"
He stomped to the bathroom and Scarlett cursed under the breath. She rubbed her tired eyes and walked to the front door. She grabbed all of their bags and waited until Alfred was done doing his business. When he was done, they all went outside and James grinned.
"Alright guys! Let's get moving!
The three of them all traveled on their royal ship over to the closest port to Paris. There, Scarlett and Alfred just went on foot while her boss went by car. Of course they made it to their destination first. They actually got to stay in the same hotel as when they had that world meeting almost thirty years ago, Hôtel Meurice. It still looked the same other than some minor color changes. It also had the added addition of radios in the rooms which was awesome!
"Place looks the same. You think anybody else is here yet?" Scarlett asked the boy behind her. He shrugged and sat on the couch, propping his shoes on the coffee table.
"Hell if I care. I'm going to sleep."
"Okay I should too," She replied back as she dropped her stuff and sat next to him. She laid her head on his shoulder and he was wide awake now. Why was she leaning on his shoulder!? Heat rose to his face and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He couldn't stop moving around. When it came to war he was a badass mother you-know-what; but with girls, he was the biggest rookie on the planet Earth. She lifted her head and put her hand on his arm.
"Why do you keep moving?"
His throat went dry. He couldn't think of anything to say to her.
"U-Uhh...I don't know…"
"Well stop please," She giggled and fluffed his arm like a pillow. He couldn't tell if she was purposely tired or just flirting with him. Which was it!? Girls are so weird! She leaned more into him and he could almost feel his nose start to bleed but that doesn't actually happen when you're aroused...He rose his hands to wrap them around her but the door bolted open. He yelled in panic and Scarlett just jumped in place.
"Oh man! That car ride made me car sick! Is that even a thing? Car sickness? Screw it, I'm hungry! How about we all go fetch ourselves some french cuisine, eh? I've heard it's the best in the world!" James looked at them with a bright light in his eyes as opposed to the darkness in theirs. However, they did end up going out to eat with him. They had some of France's typical bread and wine. Secretly Alfred was glad that Scarlett's boss did ruin the moment like that. He didn't know what the hell to do. And who was he going to ask for girl advice. Britain? Maybe. France? Hell no unless he wanted to get arrested for sexual assault. Whoever it was, he really needed some and he was intent on finding some at the meeting tomorrow.
The next day, Alfred got up early, in this case eight o'clock in the morning. He had some breakfast ordered to his room while he sat at the table in his suite listening to music. It was just some french-styled tunes but they were listenable. A knock at the door caused him to get up and answer the door. There stood a pretty blonde-haired maid with blue eyes. Her age was somewhere between twenty-five and thirty. Her accent was thick, thicker than France's.
"Vous avez commandé le petit déjeuner monsieur? J'ai un croissant au beurre et à la confiture, un bol de noix et de baies, et un café au lait. Est-ce correct? (You ordered the breakfast sir? I have a croissant with butter and jelly, a bowl of nuts and berries, and café au lait. Is this correct?)"
He nodded his head.
"Oui, merci!" He said back to her happily, letting her push the cart of food in the room. She then bowed her head and left the room with the enormous $500 tip he gave her. She wouldn't have to be nice to those perverted bastards down at the bar tonight!
"Oh man, I'm so hungry! I wonder if Scarlett's up right now…" He muttered as he bit into the flaky breading of his croissant. He dawdled into his room and opened the closet. He could either wear a blue suit or a black suit today.
'I...think I'm gonna go with the blue.' he thought. He grabbed it from the hanger and pulled off his shirt. He looked down at his chest and smiled at himself. All that working out he did everyday was really paying off. It made him feel good to have muscles and abs. He could use that to his advantage when it came to getting girls. He glanced at his white dress shirt and pulled it on. America buttoned the buttons and pulled the collar outward after tying on his red and white striped tie. Then, he slipped on his blue pants and jacket with shiny black dress shoes that he hated wearing. He preferred normal tennis shoes.
"Although I have to admit, I look good in a suit," He said as he looked at himself in the mirror. There was no need to brush his hair because it stayed the same no matter what he did with it. So he went on to finish his breakfast, brush his teeth, and shave. For some reason, his smooth face always stayed that way and hair rarely grew on it but he liked to pretend he had to shave every day. Once he was done with everything he put his hands in his pockets and started off for wherever the hell he was supposed to be.
It was cool outside. People were going on with their daily routine. People were happier now that the local newspaper had reported that the war was officially over a couple of days ago. Lucky them. The countries still had to negotiate peace terms and conditions for Germany. Alfred smiled as he walked, knowing he probably shouldn't be. Maybe he could make some serious money off of Germany and Prussia today. More on that, it was all him today. President Wilson would arrive later in the week with some plan he came up with. Alfred didn't know what he was in for today, all he knew was that everything would be settled at the Quai d'Orsay, or The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development. It was a pretty building with expert designs and an overall government-like look. Alfred stopped to look around before going inside. A couple of uniformed men guided him to a long board room and sat him at the end. He looked down in front of him to see a little card that read:
United States of America
Alfred F. Jones
He smiled at that. He looked to his right which had a similar sign in front of the chair.
Britannia
Scarlett Lionheart
"Glad to know I'll have someone to talk to through all of this dumb shit. And Scarlett has a really pretty name. I had forgotten about her cool last name! Now who's on my left?" He asked himself as he glanced to his left. Same thing.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Arthur Kirkland
"Damn, what a long ass name Britain. I think you just need to let those countries be countries and fuck off...Oh! Hey! I just noticed I'm the first one here! Rock on dudes! I should totally plant a bomb under Britain's seat! Okay maybe that's too extreme but I'll do something...Just you wait…" America said mischievously, even though no one was around to hear him. He continued to ponder what he would to the British man's chair while someone else entered the room. It was Prussia. His snow-colored hair looked like it was made out of an angel's feathery wing by how soft it was. His blood-red eyes were also completely noticeable as he sat down at the other end of the table. He didn't look too enthusiastic about being here.
"Hey bro," Alfred called out. Prussia looked up and smiled a little.
"Oh hey Alfred...How are you today?"
"Tired, as always. What about you?" He asked back. Gilbert sighed and laid his head on his arms. "Well I don't really want to be here. I just want to stay in my bed and sleep. I bet this will take FOREVER Alfred. And I also bet France or Britain are gonna make me pay like a gazillion dollars for everything that the war has done. It wasn't even my fault so why make me pay the most?"
He sounded frustrated if not annoyed. Alfred nodded and leaned back as a maid poured some water in his glass for him.
"That's true. Shouldn't Austria and Hungry be paying since they declared war on Serbia in the first place?" He asked with a raised brow. Prussia shook his head and growled. "Austria...Austria only. I know my Hung-...I mean Hungary would never go into such a pointless conflict by herself. All Austria does is play on his stupid little fucking piano while he makes her clean and do chores around the house. He even has her have on these dirty maid clothes that she has to wear everyday to do her 'daily duties'. Who the hell does he think he is with his stupid glasses and horrible attitude. He also walks really slow on the way to meetings and I always have to freaking walk around him and that pisses me off!" He screamed as he stood up and slammed his strong fists on the table. Alfred sank down in his chair and fiddled with the white gloves on his hands.
"Whoa bro," was all he could say. Prussia's eyes widened and he gasped as he sat back down.
"M-my bad. I just really hate that guy. He gets every girl worth taking just because his country has money and culture," Gilbert snorted, tapping his fingers on the oak wood of the table. That reminded Alfred of what he was going to do today.
"He sounds like an asshole. And speaking of girls, can you help me out with something? I need some advice…" He said with blood rushing to his tanned cheeks. Prussia seemed to calm down a bit at the change of the subject.
"Of course I can. What is it?"
"Uhh...Well…" Alfred rubbed the back of his head and looked around, "Can you tell me a good way to deal with girls? Like yesterday Scarlett and I made it over here and we both sat on the couch. And then she just suddenly laid her head on my shoulder while trying to go to sleep! I didn't know what to do bro so I just continued to fidget around like a fucking dumbass gopher. That doesn't make sense but that's what happened!"
A couple of the maids on the far ends of the rooms quietly giggled while Prussia shook his head and stood up. He walked over to the American and slung his arm over his shoulder.
"Look kid, I can't tell you a lot because I'm still trying to find a way to deal with Hungary because I like her a lot. Don't tell anybody. But all I know is, women are crazy Alfred. They're all fucking crazy and you just need to go with the flow. And not the menstrual flow they get every month because that's just nasty. I mean just go along with whatever they want to do. That should get you through some awkward moments. So you like Scarlett now?" He asked with a smirk.
"What!? No! At least...I don't think I do...She's my best friend so that would be weird. And uhhh I don't think that's exactly what I was looking for in terms of advice on girls. Not to insult you or anything bro. Would Germany know anything about it?" He questioned. Prussia gave out a short laugh and smiled amusingly. "Doubt it. West has shown no preference for girls or guys at all. He's twenty and he'll be twenty forever! That's the age where you want to have sex every single fucking day! But little bro might just be the most non-sexual country on Earth. Heh, did you hear about Britain and Belgium? I heard they did it in the rain while rubbing their bodies on her morning waffles."
Alfred's face twisted in disgust.
"I uhh...I don't think that's how it went. I thought they just kissed."
"Oh. Well I heard it from an erotic source. Poland's always imagining things, that little bitch."
The blonde chuckled as another person came in the room. They looked to see Scarlett entering the room. She was wearing a black dress with white designs on it and shiny black pumps for shoes. Her blonde hair was in a crown braid with the rest of her hair falling down her back. She really wanted to go shopping after this meeting.
"She's not making this easy for you, is she?" Prussia whispered in America's ear with a snicker. He walked back to his chair and Alfred gulped when Scarlett reached hers.
"Good morning Alfred!" She said cheerfully as she sat down. He smiled widely at her and nodded. "Good morning!" He said back to her. He was starting to feel crazy about being nervous about this. It was just Scarlett. Why would he be feeling shy around her?
"Oh my gosh you look so nice in a blue suit! All professional and handsome. You look good Alfie!" She told him with brightness in her eyes. Once again, a blush crept itself back on his cheeks.
That's why.
"T-Thank you Scarlett. You look really nice too."
She smiled and thanked him before she started talking to France who had just arrived next to her. Alfred took a deep breath and gazed over at Prussia who was looking on them both with a satisfied twinkle in his eye. He gave Alfred a thumbs up and he banged his head on the table in return. He needed some better girl advice…
The meeting started fifteen minutes after that with Scarlett, being the only girl in the room, socializing with every single country expertly. She even had a small chat with Germany who just gave her one-worded responses like a nod to the head or 'yes' or 'no'. But once Britain, who was the last one, arrived everything started formerly.
"We can now commence the peace talkings for the aftermath of World War One. Now I propose a plan that is both lenient and efficient for Germany and the Central Powers. I will lay out my numbers in the U.S. dollar currency to make it easier for America over here." He looked at America who was rolling his eyes before he continued, "I and my parliament have proposed that the German government should pay the allies $20 billion dollars in reparation. There's also the added consequence of giving the Royal British Empire some land as well as some ports for better trade."
Germany and Prussia's eyes widened.
"No no no, they should pay $50 billion for what they fucking did to my country, as well as every other country in Western Europe. Their army needs to be limited significantly and this needs to never happen again!" France yelled angrily. He's been pretty pissed about this ever since he found out the Germans were planning on taking Paris. Now the German brothers were really shocked by what the allies were demanding from them. Alfred raised his hand and shook his head.
"No, peace should not be harsh. Revenge doesn't solve anything, especially when it comes to war. I know that now after the War of 1812." He glanced at Britain while talking. "Instead of asking for ridiculous amounts of money we need to make this fair and possible so Germany and Prussia won't have to pay us continuously for the next millennium. We also need to make this meeting about just peace. How are we going to keep this whole ordeal from happening again? How can we make sure we never have to be in this room discussing this again? I have a way. We should make an international...supreme court you could say known as the League of Nations. Every single country would join the organization and everyone would be able to talk about their problems while others can propose solutions. This completely erases the risk of war; however, if war did somehow break out the League would come together and put a stop to it before it involved everyone!" The blonde American said loudly to everyone in the room with excitement in his voice. Scarlett clapped her hands while Germany and Prussia were silently thanking the lord for him. Maybe he could get them out of this less scathed than what Britain or France had intended for them to be.
"I agree with America on this one. The prices you two are asking for are downright unfair. Let's not forget that these two didn't even start the war in the first place," Scarlett mentioned. France gave a short laugh and then snarled at her.
"Oh I beg to differ, mademoiselle. They both had the power to stop Austria-Hungary and Serbia from doing this when it started but they just egged it on."
"I think you forgot what the meaning of 'started' is France. You're so blinded in your quest for revenge on these two. I think you need to calm down." She retorted back to him with a stern look. Her voice came out smooth and serious with the right amount of force to it. Francis looked back at her before looking down at his hands on the table. It was like her stare cut his like glass. She had never used that tone with him before.
"As I was saying...I agree with America that this needs to be about 'Fair Peace'. I do not think it is our duty to just break up Germany like it was just a piece of a pie. Stripping the German people of their nationality is cruel in itself. But, my main point is 'Self-determination' for this meeting and treaty. Countries should be able to decide what they want and how they want to do it. I'm talking about Austria-Hungary here. Do these two countries really need to be together? Do the countries inside their empire really need to be controlled by one ruler? I don't think so. The question is how should we break up this empire? It would not be breaking up the individual countries per say so people would still have their culture and nationality. Austria and Hungary came together in the first place to become stronger and have better economies. That is not necessary now and their marriage is not real love; just a bond for economic and political gain."
Everyone nodded, especially Prussia.
'Hell yeah you go Scarlett! Get that bastard Austria away from my girl!' He was thinking. Italy raised his hand slowly and Scarlett passed the invisible talking card to him. He stood up and twirled the curl in his hair with his finger.
"Austria...and Hungary...have been together ever since I was a little kid. Back then, they had a good relationship going. Now, that relationship has evolved into a depressing sight to see. Austria and Hungary are like a Mother and Father to me and I know it's not right to support their separation but I think it's time…"
France stood up once again in his angry moody appearance.
"Can we get back to Germany please!? This is not about Austria and Hungary! I-"
"Actually, I think we should adjourn this meeting for now and come back tomorrow. Tonight, everyone come up with a written plan for the treaty and we can take turns reading them out. In the meantime, I'm going to take an aspirin. Shut the hell up frog! This meeting is adjourned!" Britain screamed while rubbing his temples. Though, France still complained. Scarlett sighed in relief as she stood up. The room was so tense that she felt like she had to go outside for a bit. She politely excused herself and went outside. Alfred followed her and tapped her arm playfully.
"That was great dudette! I think we did awesome in there!"
"I think so too, but this is only day one. We're gonna have to be awesome every single day for this treaty to be a good one. I fear France will take it too far since he was affected most by this...At least Britain was reasonable. Italy's on our side though haha," She laughed. He smiled and nodded. He closed his eyes for one second to enjoy the coming breeze and when he opened them again he felt her hand on his arm. He looked at her and she was smiling with her purse under her arm.
"Now come on! Let's go shopping Alfie!"
"W-Wait dudette! I-"
He didn't finish his sentence before he was pulled into the first clothing store Scarlett could find. He didn't know what was worse: arguing about what happens to the losing countries of a war or sitting through a women's clothing store. Then again, he would do anything for Scarlett.
And that is the end of the chapter! Yes yes yes, lots of boring government talk here and there but the story needs to be historically accurate with that "Hetalia" touch to it. I did have some writer's block at the beginning of the chapter so please forgive me for that. Also, America is starting to like her, or girls for that matter. Let's see how that goes. I'm not gonna drag this treaty process out like a damp rag so don't worry. We have other things to take care of. Please review or comment on the story and thanks to anyone who wished me a happy birthday! Finally thanks so much for reading this and I will see you next time!
