Disclaimer: Hetalia - Axis Powers © Hidekaz Himaruya. I gain no material profit from this fanfiction.
we never stop feeling that way by revabhipraya
for Austria-Hungary Week 2021
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Roderich entered the ballroom, a bit later than the written time on his ball invitation—around fifteen minutes, more or less. It was not usual for the man to be late, but it was not a usual day as well. That day would probably be the first day after a long while when he would finally meet Elizabeta again. How long had it been after their separation? One year? Two years? Fifteen years? Roderich never actually counted, but he knew it was not that long, though it felt long on his end.
The dark-haired man sighed once he realized how full the ballroom was. He slowly made his way to the beverages table, not wanting to be the center of attention. Ludwig greeted him with a small hand wave, but Roderich only responded with a slight nod. Feliciano also approached him, being all clingy and complimenting his suit, but Roderich just gave him a soft smile before continuing his walk. And of course, Gilbert would always come to playfully mock him, but the man did not care. Roderich was not in the mood to socialize—not with anyone but her , at least.
His hand was directed to take one of the glasses on the table, one with dark brown liquid in it. He took a sip while his eyes were scanning the entire ballroom. He did see familiar faces, some new faces as well, but he could not find Elizabeta. She was not near any food or beverages tables, she was not on the dance floor, and she was not on any dining tables as well. The woman could be socializing with the other countries, or she could come later than him. However, she never showed Roderich, not even once, that she was a fan of being late. While slowly shaking his head, Roderich scratched that option on his mind. Once again, he let his eyes wander around the ballroom. It should not be hard to find a woman with dazzling brown hair and a pair of lovely green eyes, so why couldn't Roderich find her?
"Looking for someone?"
The man nearly choked upon hearing a very familiar voice right next to his left ear. Turning his head, Roderich finally spotted those green eyes that he had been looking for ever since he stepped into this very ballroom. A smile finally showed up on the man's lips. He slowly turned to face the woman entirely, still with a smile on his face. Now, he could see the woman clearly, along with her majestic emerald dress. Roderich was stunned, but he could not show it in front of the lady. He coughed and quickly replied, "Yes, actually, I was looking for you."
Elizabeta chuckled. "The always straightforward Roddy." She responded to the man with a soft smile before pointing at herself. "I am here now."
"Indeed, you are." Roderich put his half-empty glass back on the table and offered his hand to the lady. "I would love to chat, but I like it better with music. So, shall we dance?"
Of course, the man knew Elizabeta would never say no to that question of his.
Roderich led Elizabeta to the dance floor while holding the woman's fingers lightly yet firmly at the same time. Once they were in the middle of the ballroom, he stopped and let Elizabeta position herself to make the duo face each other. His left hand held her right hand, gripping it gently. Roderich put his right hand on the woman's waist, and Elizabeta proceeded to put her left arm on the man's arm right after. Both nodded to each other, and Roderich started to lead the dance. They started slowly, following the slow music and making sure that they would still be able to talk to each other.
"How are you?" A simple and common question, coming from Roderich's mouth. "We haven't talked to each other again since the separation."
"I'm doing fine." Elizabeta answered shortly. However, a smile on her face felt suspicious for Roderich. "Is it rude for me to assume that you're not doing as well as I thought you were?"
Roderich naturally widened his eyes. He was not doing well? Of course, Roderich would undoubtedly deny that, but this was Elizabeta who talked to him. This woman knew him better than anyone else, even himself. If she said that Roderich was not doing well, that meant he was indeed not doing well. The question was, however, did Roderich know that he felt that way? Did he know why he felt that way?
Seeing no response from the man, Elizabeta smiled bitterly. "It's a yes, isn't it?"
"As much as I hate to admit it, Liz, unfortunately it is a yes." Roderich started to move in a circle, Elizabeta followed. "You know me better than I do."
Elizabeta chuckled. Before she had a chance to answer, Roderich had quickly let go of her hand, moved his left hand to her waist, and lifted her onto the air for a few seconds. Once the woman landed on the ground again, she grinned happily. They went back to the formal and normal dance mode before Elizabeta asked, "Who taught you that?"
"No idea." Surprisingly, Roderich also let out a slight chuckle. "It's just an instinct that shows up when I'm around you."
The woman scoffed, but she could not hide her smile. "Flatterer."
Roderich did not reply, but Elizabeta took it as a sign to continue their dance without talking to each other. To be fair, Elizabeta did not mind at all. She enjoyed every second of it, starting from how Roderich gently put his hand on her waist, how the man casually held her hand but at the same time being a little possessive about it, how he unhesitantly led her from one area to another as if they danced together often, and how he never let go of his stares towards the woman. They might not be verbally talking to each other, but Elizabeta felt like they could still somehow connect with one another.
"Liz."
Suddenly, the man called Elizabeta's name. "Mhm?"
"I don't regret our separation, but…." For the first time that night, Roderich looked away from Elizabeta's face. "Sometimes, I still wonder how it ended up this way."
Naturally, Elizabeta opened her mouth, attempting to give an answer for the man. However, she ended up saying nothing and closed it again. She tilted her head to the right, trying to "chase" Roderich's face. "Do you think you're the only one thinking like that?"
Suddenly, the music stopped playing. Roderich and Elizabeta automatically stopped dancing as well. They bowed to each other, but once the two stood up again, no one left yet no one started another dance either. Both just stood in the middle of the ballroom, also in the middle of other couples who had started another dance when a new music started being played.
"As the matter of fact, I do." Roderich finally talked after a long pause. "You said you're doing fine, so you have no reason to think why it ended up this way—why we ended up this way."
"False assumption." Elizabeta put on a sad smile. "I still miss you, Roddy, every time. I miss our days together, our everyday interactions, I miss everything." Suddenly, she paused. "But we can't keep living in the past, can we?"
Roderich shook his head slowly. He pulls Elizabeta's left hand with his right hand. It always felt so right to hold her like that, even though it was just a simple gesture. "I know," answered Roderich firmly. "That's why I never asked you to come back."
"I know." She nodded. "Which means this is another goodbye."
"This is another goodbye."
Once again, they bowed to each other and went separate ways. Roderich went back to the table where he left his glass, and when he turned his back, Elizabeta was nowhere to be seen. The man smiled and took another sip from his glass. That was short, but it was certainly a lovely night with the lady. Would they be able to be together again?
Well … no one could answer that.
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FIN