Thanks to HelloThereHowAreYou, Kramburg and NadiaJA627 for reviewing. Yes, I did! I managed to update weekly again! Anyway, please enjoy this continuation and the introduction of a couple more 2Ps. Now, on with the show!
(Final Fantasy VII OST: Anxious Heart)
Maybe, if the situation wasn't so serious, Allen would've laughed at the look on the Erszi knockoff's face.
But Allen's not an idiot, despite what many, MANY people might say… and he's not laughing. This was no joke and no laughing matter. Only a fucking moron wouldn't take any of this seriously. This just didn't involve the lives of the USA, his pals and the world, this involved Alfred too. While for the most part, those human-whoring doormats, jackasses and hypocrites could rot in hell for all Allen cared, but then Alfred would also suffer…
The very thought made Allen clench his teeth, and a feeling of protectiveness burned in his heart. No… No way in hell… The only way those pieces of worthless shit would get their hands on him was over Allen's goddamn body…!
Speaking of Thunder Thighs… Well, Alfred already knew of the whole sitch with that crazy-ass Italian for years, so… yeah, didn't come as a surprise to him. He did look super worried, enough to make Allen want to groan and complain to Gillen for dropping that bombshell when they coulda just ended it right there with saying that they needed to stop Italy, and then they could all… dunno, beat the shit out of some douchey Canadians or something?
However… Allen grudgingly admitted, maybe it was necessary to tell Brunette Hungary that detail about Italy. That way if she's planning on double-crossing them and selling them out to the Lightners, she'll think twice about doing it. Wouldn't wanna risk total chaos by having the two worlds finding about each other, right? Then again, from what's he's heard and seen of those Lightners, they're definitely dumb enough to do that thinking that they'll come out as the winners in the end.
…Right? Yeah, no, definitely dumb enough.
Oh puh-lease, like those dumbasses stand a chance against the likes of Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, India, of course and the great and awesome Trinity Alliance themselves. Even for all the Light World's 'scary' nations like Belarus or North Korea, they'd be quickly crushed into dust by Lithuania's superb swordsmanship and reflexes and Singapore's badass martial arts and gymnastics skills respectively in a fight.
Allen wanted to scoff. My god… he's actually kind of rooting for his fucking world, even the shitty heartless bastards from here, to win if an inter-dimensional war really will happen. Al wouldn't be happy about that. But he's just stating facts, man…
And, well, it may be a shitty world, but it's still his world. Wait, didn't Alfred say that too?
Bleh, he's just rambling boring crap now, dammit. Whatever, and anyway, another thing was that with this info, Brunnete Hungary won't be careless with their visits here. Alfred must've given her the rundown, but still, a bit more motivation wouldn't hurt, right?
'Cause Knockoff Erszi looked pretty shaken. But Allen didn't blame her for that. It's not every day that some handsome, pretty, starry-eyed, too good for his own good nation took her to another world only to discover that there's a chance that someone from that world will invade her crappy world.
"W-What…?" Boy, Brunnete Hungary sure looked like she'd just been hit by a ton of bricks. She gaped like a fish, and Allen wondered if he'd laugh if a fly got into her mouth. "Your Italy knows about the other world?"
Allen shrugged, feeling his lip curl in distaste. "Yep, pretty much, Other Erszi."
Flavio's brow furrowed in worry, "One day in a world meeting about sixty years ago, without even saying a word about it to me, my brother came forward and told everyone about the existence of another world that he dubbed 'the Light World' or 'World of Light' and he called the inhabitants the Lightners."
"He spoke of a world with a blue sky, a blinding yellow sun, and representatives of countries everything and nothing like us." Prussia continued for Flavio. "The descriptions he gave were too accurate to be a mere coincidence. It couldn't have been a bluff or a lie."
Oh yeah, that was a terrible World Meeting, even more so than usual. Allen still couldn't believe that he somehow managed to keep it cool during all that, thank god. 'Cuz if he failed to do just that, and he freaked out in front of everyone, then…
Wait, no, bad Allen! What mattered was that nothing went wrong. No one asked questions and (apparently) no one suspected them. Just focus on the fucking conversation, Allen. This was super important.
"He announced his intention of finding a way into that world and conquering it for himself, along with our world. Truly, an insatiable lust for power…" Gillen shook his head in disapproval, and Allen agreed wholeheartedly. "Naturally and fortunately, and since he also had no proof to back up his claims, no one believed him nor took him seriously. However, he hasn't given up on that goal."
"Not even the crazy ones believed my fratello, and that's saying something." Flavio added in discomfort, cringing for a moment. "But it'll take much more than scorn to make Luciano give up. He's… known for very stubborn."
Understatement of the century, Flavio!
"But how did he find out about the other world? I thought you three, and also my counterpart, were the only ones who knew!" Brunette Hungary asked.
"You tell us, Lizzy." Alfred shrugged, just as confused and beyond worried. "It gave me a big scare when Allen told me about it. I even stopped visiting for a couple of years after that. But we got no idea how the bad guy could've found out about it. We always made sure we were careful!"
"Trust me, Knockoff Erszi, we launched a full-blown investigation to see how Italy could've found out about your world," Allen stated lazily, picking his teeth again, and he ignored how the knockoff herself glared at him. "And what did we find out? Nothing. Nada. Zero. We were left with a gazillion more questions than answers."
Gillen then put on his thinking face, and he grasped his cross again. "The fact that Italy hasn't ever pointed fingers at us, never publicly stated that we were hiding that secret, or ever questioned us if we knew about another world also served to further baffle us. So we then concluded that if he didn't find out through us, he must've discovered it through someone else."
"Who would that be?" Brunette Hungary said, asking the same question they've all been asking themselves for years.
"Well, that's the thing. We don't know, nor have any possible leads." Gillen stated grimly, shaking his head in disappointment. "It's a curious and very concerning mystery that remains unsolved to this very day…"
At this, Brunette Hungary glanced questionably at Flavio, who scowled at the unspoken accusation. "Hey, don't look at me, bella! I was just as shocked as everyone was when my fratello said all that. I'd never betray my best friend and my beloved bambino!"
Allen immediately glared angrily at Flavio for calling him that embarrassing nickname, and face-palmed, hoping that no one saw his blush ('cause he just knew he was blushing). Gee, thanks, big bro…
"As far as we know, it shouldn't be possible for Italy to travel to the other world, much less know about it." Gillen stated with a stern look, crossing his arms, and he glanced at Allen and Alfred. "For reasons that Alfred seemed to have claimed, only he has the power to travel between worlds, while Allen can only see the other world through a mirror, an ability Alfred also happens to possess."
Brunette Hungary looked at Alfred and Allen curiously, looked like Chops hasn't told her how this all got started yet. Good. At least he wasn't completely too goody and friendly for his own damn good.
"I'll… explain later, Lizzy." Alfred said nervously, smiling.
"Despite our lack of answers, we should be glad that Alfred hasn't been discovered. That's what's important" Gillen remarked calmly, and then he frowned. "Still, what a truly baffling surprise it was… Nothing seems to make sense…"
Oh, don't get Allen started on that.
Flashback: Sixty years ago…
Allen yawned and stretched his arms as he walked through the halls with two of his pals, while on the inside he repeatedly thanked whoever who made the goddamn universe for giving him Hollywood, cause if it weren't for his acting skills he'd be sweating bullets and shouting all sorts of cuss words… because boy, was he freaking out. Oh god, this was bad, like, really bad.
God, how the hell did he manage to keep his cool like that? He must've been too damn shocked to actually react.
Luckily no one seemed to have picked up on it, thank fucking goodness, again because of his super-awesome award-winning acting skills and overall coolness, but Gillen and Flavio knew that deep down Allen wanted to scream at the top his damn lungs if the way they looked at him like worried parents were any indication. Why? Because they knew that what Italy said was true too. The three of them knew the truth.
Well, at least no one believed Italy.
Right now neither of his pals, Cuba and Argentina, didn't look like they suspected Allen's having a bit of a crisis, probably 'cause they're not the sharpest tools in the damn shed (although Argentina could be pretty damn observant). Besides, they're probably deep thought or something over what happened too.
Allen really needed to meet with Gillen and Flavio pronto, but not now. It'd look too suspicious; they were a team after all. And he promised Cuba and Argentina that he'd hang out with them for their monthly game of canasta with the rest of their little gang. Gee, was he looking forward to twenty minutes of arguing over which version of canasta they'll play this time.
So… To keep the suspicion off him, Allen decided to play it cool. Make a couple of mean jokes and throw some shade so people will get the idea that he's not taking any of this 'bullshit' seriously. He's awesome at that.
"Man, can you believe Italy back there?" Allen smirked, and he snickered like he usually did. Yeah, he's doing great. "Seriously, you'd think the Brit Bros would the only ones crazy enough to say that sort of crazy stuff like that, and even they were looking at him as if he was an idiot."
Both of his freaky pals turned to look at him. Cuba stopped trying to accomplish Haiti's dare that he could smoke despite his allergies, and Argentina stopped nuzzling his ovenbird plushy against his cheek to look at him. Man, they were weird…
Cuba, Alfred's main man and self-proclaimed sidekick, nodded furiously in agreement. "Si, you said it, boss. I don't believe it, not one bit! I mean, where the hell would he get the idea that there's another world out there?"
Oh, Cuba… Maximo… (Because according to him, he's 'Lo Maximo!').Tall, fit, better looking and smarter than his Lightner self, surprisingly good at math and technology but still couldn't land himself a date, and extremely allergic to tobacco even though his island's full of it. He's weird, but a fun, interesting but kind of annoying type of weird… and he's… a good friend. He's got long dark hair in dreadlocks, honey eyes, and wore stylish clothes, but he's nowhere near as flamboyant as Flavio.
Ever since Allen learned what an ass Alfred's Cuba turned out to be and what a complete sucker for something as unbelievably stupid and fucked up as communism, he's been going through a lot of lengths to make sure Maximo didn't end up the same way… even though the guy's a lot smarter than that and there's no communism in this world. Allen also resolved to appreciate him more… Max was surprised, but he didn't question it and was just over the fucking moon that Allen wasn't scolding him every ten minutes.
Allen also promoted him from clingy lackey and neighbor to henchman and close friend, since it was kind of… long overdue… and there's no way he could describe how fucking happy Maximo was. He was happy for the guy… until Maximo decided to kiss him. Let's just say that someone came out with a broken nose. Still, so far so good!
"Yeah, I know, right? A world with a yellow sun too bright to see directly and a blue sky? Sounds super lame…" Allen laughed loudly, glad that he was buying it. "What's next, green leaves and grass and golden sand?"
No offense to Alfred's world, of course. There was a lot of pretty stuff in his good buddy's world, sometimes even prettier than the places he's seen in this world… though in the Dark World's forests, flora and stuff were leagues better.
Cuba snickered at that, while Argentina just kept hugging his ovenbird. "Heh. Good one, boss. Wouldn't be surprised if that guy came out and said just that."
"Hmm, well, let's just ignore the bastard, guys." Allen suggested earnestly, linking his hands behind his head. "I don't know about you two bastards, but I'm not gonna waste my time with that bullcrap. Besides, I still need to deal with that bitch Mexico…"
It felt like that would be the end of it, but then Cuba frowned. "But, boss…."
"But what?" Allen almost nearly snapped. "Don't tell you're having second thoughts, Max."
"Ay, no, no! Not at all! But, boss, you gotta wonder, how did he thought up that crazy stuff? And why did he tell us all about it? What's the endgame?" Ah, yet another one of Cuba's surprisingly good points. "I mean, I know he's not sane, but he could've seriously been expecting that we'd all buy it, no?"
Allen froze at the other surprisingly good point, and it got him thinking. Yeah, Max's right, what the hell was Italy thinking when he decided that he'd tell the world about the Light World only to make himself look like even more of a loser in front of everyone? Was he so cocky and entitled that he actually believed they'd all believe him even he's got like zero evidence to back up his claims and shit?
Did he want to see how they'd react? Was this a plan to manipulate the magical nations to grow curious and investigate for themselves? Nah, even they didn't look convinced or confused enough to do that.
"Personally, I doubt that those were just the ramblings of a madman or even lies, amigo." Argentina's quiet and raspy voice spoke for first time since they left together. "Italy is mad, si, but I sensed no madness in his words."
Allen cringed and looked at his pal warily.
Argentina… poor Santiago… He's fairly tall guy, and people would know he's actually Allen's height if he weren't hunching over all the damn time…! But Allen understood why, Argentina needed to be hunched over and have his head low if he wanted his hair to keep covering his face. Oh, speaking of his face, it's… Well, let's just say Spain loved torturing him.
He's a guy physically the same age as Allen, but who the hell could tell, really? Santiago's got dark brown hair, along with a strand of hair sticking out of his head, long enough to brush past his shoulders and to cover his face except his creepily wide and unblinking hazel-colored left eye, but you could just tell he didn't take care of it very well, and didn't brush it often. Flavio couldn't stand him 'cause of that. He's pale as paper, and he wore cheap, simple and dirty clothes… which was ANOTHER reason why Flavio couldn't stand him.
Allen glanced at the ovenbird plush doll in Argentina's scared hands warily. Santiago's great and all, but if you hang you with him, you gotta make sure he never lost that damn ovenbird of his. If you're too brain-dead to do just that, then, well, get ready to see the results of Spain's 'loving' care. Still, insanity aside, Santiago's a pretty swell guy, one of the best people you'll ever meet! And he's good at canasta!
"Hey, what are getting at, Santiago?" Cuba asked him skeptically.
Argentina turned to face them, his visible eye staring at them creepily from the curtain that was his hair. "I'm not saying that he's telling the truth, Maximo. I don't believe this nonsense about another world. I'm merely saying that there may be more to this than we might think…"
Allen narrowed his eyes. "You mean like what Max said?
"Si, I also believe that Italy is nowhere near as stupid to think that we'd all believe estos tonterías, especially with no evidence." Argentina nodded, speaking softly, and he hummed in thought. "What's the point of telling us this? Was this a ploy and part of some grand scheme of his? Who knows, maybe he's going with the 'so crazy that it might work' method."
If that's the case, then Italy's getting either really desperate or even crazier.
"…Was it an action driven by desperation, I wonder? Or did he want to provoke someone?"
Now that got Allen's attention.
He tensed and whipped his head in Argentina's direction. "Wait, what?"
"It's just a guess, but it seems likely, at least to me." The guy shrugged, and he hugged his plush tight. "Why else would he embarrass himself like that?"
But… How… If that's the case then why didn't he confront Allen and… Wouldn't Italy have too much damn pride to… Why would he want to provoke him? He couldn't seriously think that Allen was that stupid, right?
"Ugh, NONE OF THIS MAKES SENSE!" Allen yelled nearly at the top of his lungs.
Why did Italy have to be such a fucking headache?! It's driving him crazy! And now it turns out that he knew about you-know-what and (god forbid) maybe even you-know-who too? Oh, that tears it. Bro or not, he's gonna make Flavio spill!
Cuba playfully lightly punched him on the shoulder, much to Allen's annoyance, grinning. "Hey, don't worry, boss! Calm down. This'll blow over soon, and this is no big deal. Besides, I got your back."
YES, THIS WAS A BIG DEAL!
"Same here, amigo." Argentina concurred, no doubt smiling behind his messy hair. "If any problem arises, don't hesitate to call us or the rest of the Trinity Alliance for help. And please be careful out there, Al.
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Allen snapped, praying to the universe that they didn't see his blush. "No need to get all mushy with me!"
"One thing remains perfectly clear, despite everything…" Prussia started, bringing Allen back from his little trip down memory lane. "You two must be very careful whenever you come here, and you mustn't let your guard down. One mistake could ruin everything."
With that warning, the atmosphere turned even gloomier, even Chops was feeling it, Allen reckoned. Speaking of Chops, he looked depressed. It made Allen's frown deepen. Meanwhile Brunnette Hungary said nothing and bit her lip as she looked down at the ground, not sure what to do.
But, you know, no pressure. Still…
"Gil's right. You better be more careful here from now on, Al. I'm worried about you" Allen frowned, for once letting his worry show in his voice and face, but he made up for it by glaring at Brunette Hungary "And you… Knockoff Erszi… You better be as damn honest and genuine as Alfie says you are, 'cuz lady or not, if anyone hurts Chops-
"Allen…" Alfred said in exasperation.
"What? I'm just saying-"
"Just… stop…" Alfred pleaded, rubbing his temples, and he stared at Allen in… disappointment? "Can't you at least try not to act like a jerk to my friends for once? Please, dude? You don't see me trash-talking your other friends even when a couple of them treat humans like garbage, do I?"
Allen flinched at the way his buddy spoke to him, feeling like he just got slapped in the face. "I-I…"
"I… I think I need some alone time, dudes…" Alfred turned around and stared to walk away. "See you later, I guess…"
"W-Wait! Come back! Alfred, I didn't mean to…!"
/ / / / /
(Deltarune OST: Quiet Autumn)
This wasn't going as well as America hoped it would.
The blonde-haired cowboy sighed in disappointment and plopped down on a bench not far from the bridge, needing some alone time after that less-than-ideal meeting. He hoped Allen would understand. Man, this really sucked. Guess he should've known things would've have gone the way he wanted. He only learned that time and time again…
He was not expecting to come back to the Dark World with his new travel buddy in a terrible time. It wasn't the first time he came to find Allen pulling his hair out over politics, and they have met each other during times of war. Whether it's the World Wars, Civil Wars, Vietnam War on America's side, North American War on Allen's side… they always found a way to make time for each other.
They always kept each other sane no matter how bad things got… Allen looked out for him, and America did the same for him. When of them was hurt, the other dude would always drop everything and meet up with each other to give comfort and stuff…
But he was hoping, kinda stupidly now that he really thought about it, that things would be okay in the Dark World when he brought along Hungary. He wanted her first trip to be a day she'll never forget… in a good way, obviously!
He was hoping they'd have all sorts of fun together with the gang here. Like… Like go on helicopter tours while Allen and Flavio wrestle for the controls and nearly crash into the Empire State Building. Or play canasta! Or… Or… try to climb the Statue of Justice (long story)! Or even better, go watch G.I. Joe the Musical!
The whole reason why he brought his new buddy here was because he wanted to share his special place with her. He wanted Hungary to have fun. He wanted her to be happy. Sure, she'd have to learn about the situation with Dark World Italy at some point, but not like this!
Not when there's a big chance he and Allen would go to war which will then turn into basically World War II but worse….
Not in such a bad, super stressful time and now Allen's stressed out and America knew how his lookalike was when he's totally stressed out…
He totally let his new buddy down.
"You know, I really never took you for someone who'd mope, Alfred. Brood, maybe, but not mope." A voice like bells remarked. America flinched, and he looked to see Hungary standing before him with a sympathetic smile. "You're always too optimistic for that. But I guess we all have our moments…"
America blinked, stunned that she looked so happy. She looked so down in the dumps a couple of minutes ago back there. Who wouldn't, though?
"Uhhh…"
"Do you mind if I sit here?" Hungary asked politely, still smiling. "I think you need some company. I know you said you wanted some alone time, but I don't think moping here all by yourself will make things better."
"N-No, go ahead…" America gestured to the spot next to him.
"Thank you, Alfred." She sat down to his left, dusting off her colorful skirt, and she leaned back, letting out a sigh.
America was almost jealous at how chill Hungary was with this, especially compared to how she reacted to all the other stuff. But if she actually was just as bummed and nervous as he was, then wow, she's doing a great job hiding it.
For a while the two of them just sat there, just two outsiders in a world so different yet so similar from theirs, two people who didn't belong here, one cowboy and a Hungarian in folk dress, two buddies dealing with the fact that their little hideaway might get destroyed if the nations here didn't solve their problems. The silence between them wasn't awkward in any way, but it was a little weird hearing the trio's arguing from here.
Honestly, he didn't mind the silence. Even someone as loud and talkative as him, and for all his love of blasting his favorite songs in his car and stuff, he loved some peace and quiet, especially when he's feeling stressed.
But of course, he'd love talking to Hungary.
Almost as if on cue, Hungary turned to him with an exasperated smile "Alfred, I know he's your best friend and all, but god, your counterpart's a little infuriating.
Despite his mood, America couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah… Sorry about him, Liz. I told you, he's pretty bad with strangers and he's got some trust issues and stuff. And don't get me started on his anger issues, but that's obvious. Oh, and, um, did I mention that he's a little overprotective?"
"Yeah, I noticed…" Hungary snorted, and she crossed her arms as she puffed her cheeks angrily but in a cute way. "Erszi knockoff… Other Erszi… I know we just met, but is that all I am to him? Just a cheap and disappointing version of the Hungary he knows? Can't he just give me a chance?"
"Hey, I'm sure you'll grow on him eventually…" You know, if she still wanted to come here. America smiled nervously. "He really likes your counterpart, and he sees her in you. That's probably why he's so cranky towards you. He's worried that the fact that you're her counterpart will make him let his guard down."
"Make him let his guard down so I'll what? Bite his head off?" Hungary asked skeptically, and she scoffed. "Does he think that the second he acts nice to me, I'll turn into some kind of monster and kill everyone?"
America hummed, recalling some past memories, including one where Allen was totally convinced Cuba was a mermaid just because he hasn't been wearing a shirt. "Well, he is pretty superstitious… and kinda paranoid."
"He's acting as if I'm sort of terrible threat. It's just not fair."
"Yeah, but…" America trailed off, and he narrowed his eyes. Wait, why was he trying to defend Allen? He's mad at him.
But Hungary didn't seem to notice his change of mood. "I mean, I understand that you trust me a great deal with this and that this wasn't an easy decision for you either. If I can understand that, and you trust me, why can't he do the same thing?"
America wringed his gloved hands, frowning. "I told you, he's overprotective and… we just don't always see eye-to-eye on everything. He thinks I'm too nice and forgiving for my own good, and that I'll just get hurt. He knows I'm smart, but sometimes he acts as if I'm actually a moron even though he probably… Allen doesn't like the Lightners, our world's nations. As far as he's concerned, you and the others are just a bunch of delusional, corrupt, hypocritical jerks who can't even stand up to their own humans."
…Which was exactly what the others thought of America.
"Did I mention that he hates that? The fact that we're ordered around by humans, I mean. He keeps convincing me that I should launch a coup against them, heh…" America laughed humorlessly, and he smiled sadly to himself "But still, I… I… love him anyways, and I try to cheer him up and help loosen up as much as I can. And boy, I can't stay mad at him…"
He buried his face in his hands. Oh, god…
Then he felt someone rub his back in comfort. "Hey… Calm down, Alfred… I didn't mean to make you feel bad. And I'm sure… he's a lot more likable than I think. I was just complaining a little, that's all. I'm sure things will get better."
America removed his hands and frowned at Hungary. "I'm sorry, Liz."
She gave him a disapproving look. "You're still on with this?"
"Yeah, I am! I wanted you to have super-rocking-fun-time here in the Dark World with Allen and the others, and instead you get this huge bombshell dropped on ya!" America exclaimed , gripping his head. "Now you're gonna spend every day worried about this world's Italy. I mean, you were gonna find out eventually, but… I didn't want the first to be like this!"
"Oh, for God's sake, Alfred, I told you, you're sweet but there's nothing to apologize for." Hungary lightly smacked him on the shoulder and looked at him stubbornly. "You did nothing wrong, Al. It's not your fault that you took me here at the wrong time. You didn't know."
"But… the thing with Italy… he wants to… and Allen and the others, they're in danger…"
"Yes, I know. But again, I don't blame you."
America stared at her in surprise. This… didn't happen to him often. "But… aren't you worried? This world's Italy, an honest to goodness supervillain, somehow knows about our world and wants to take it over along with this world. Doesn't this make you feel a little scared?"
Hungary snorted, and she managed a small smile. "Oh no, I am worried. Of course I'm worried. This is a beautiful world I just discovered and now it turns out that there's a chance it'll get destroyed, and what's more, the same thing just might happen to our world. And I can tell how much this place means to you. But even if you didn't tell me, which I wouldn't have been happy about, it won't magically make the problem go away."
America tensed at that, and he began fidgeting his fingers. That's… a really good point. It wouldn't have fixed anything. But still… "I… Yeah, you're right. I just wanted wasn't expecting any of this mess to happen."
"Well, I didn't either. Guess we were just unlucky we came at a bad time…" Hungary sighed in dismay, and she shrugged. "But I'm used to it, honestly. I've had to deal with a lot of bad luck in my life; it's something Romania even makes fun of me for. And I know you've dealt with it too."
"You're right, I did." America agreed, nodding at that. If only more people realized that… "I just… wanted to cheer you up and share my special with you. I wanted to show you that we can escape from our hard lives. I wanted you to be happy…"
(Deltarune OST: Friendship)
"I know you did, and I'm happy that you did all this for me, when I'm not even one of your closest friends." Hungary smiled warmly, and a happy feeling blossomed in America's chest at the sight, at the knowledge that made her happy. "Although after today, I think I'd really like to get to know you better and hang out with you more often. You and I really can relate a lot to each other…"
America felt his face brighten, and he finally smiled again. "Really? You mean it, dude? You want to be better friends with the hero?
Hungary grinned, "Now there's the America I know. And yeah, I'd to be better friends with you, strengthen our relations, something we probably should've done years ago. And besides, we are going to be coming here a lot, won't we? We're going to be bonding either way."
"You mean you do want to come here again? Even after…"
"Of course I do! I want to have fun here with you." Hungary said earnestly. "Besides, I think you're not looking on the bright side. We had a lot of fun riding through the city on your motorcycle and exploring this park, didn't we?"
America felt his face burn at the mention of his driving skills, and he smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, we totally did…"
America had to smile. "Yeah, you really liked them, didn't ya?"
"Yes, I did! Flavio is… well, I can tell he's flamboyant and probably a metrosexual." Hungary noted in amusement, and she snickered.. "But he's a lot like Poland, so I think I'll like him very much and I'll know how to handle him. However, this outfit is great and very stylish, thank you very much…!"
America burst out laughing when he saw her smile like a maniac while she seethed in rage. "Aw, don't get mad at him. Besides I told you that you looked awesome back at the building, right? You have the hero's approval, you know, if it makes you feel any better."
Hungary stopped raging and froze, blinking. "Oh… that's right… you did say that..."
"And you really liked Prussia, didn't ya?" America said cheerfully, oblivious to Hungary's reaction.
"Huh…? Oh. Oh, yes! He's everything Prussia's not… No, not just that. He's everything Prussia should have been." Hungary corrected herself, and America sweatdropped as her eyes gleamed. "Gillen's kind, gentle, polite, serious, calm, patient, mature, pious… Everything a Christian, especially someone who represented a religious military order, should be!"
America laughed nervously, and he hesitantly tried to defend Prussia a little. "Oh, come on, Gilbert's not that bad…"
"I know he was raised by apes and is an ape himself…"
"Lizzy…"
"But honestly, he's such an embarrassment!"
"Okay, now you're exaggerating, dude."
"Hmph, maybe, but the point is, Alfred…" Hungary cleared her throat and smiled gently. "The fact that there's a slight chance that war will break out, which the others apparently prevented multiple times before so this isn't the first time, isn't stopping us from going out and having fun. It's serious and I hoped it gets resolved soon, but is it bad that for now we distract ourselves by having fun?"
Huh… she's right. There's really nothing stopping them from doing what they came here to do, was there?
"And look at this way, if we go out and hang out together, everyone will benefit in a way." Hungary added helpfully. "We'll all have fun just like you wanted, Allen and the others will feel less stressed out… Everyone will be happy."
Yeah… Yeah, that's right!
"Oh, look at me! I'm the one being optimistic and cheering you up when you should be the one doing it!" Hungary shook her head furiously and stood up from the bench. She reached out her hand toward him with a wide grin. "Come on, Al. Are you going to keep sitting there moping all day or are we going to do the very thing we came here to do and have fun?"
America grinned, and he grabbed her hand, standing up as well. "Heck yeah! You're totally right, Lizzy. We should make the best of it and have a rockin' time in this world!
"ALFRED!"
He jumped at the shout of his human name and whirled around to find none other than a dejected Allen wringing his hands nervously while Gillen and Flavio stood behind him expectantly and worriedly respectively. Boy, his redheaded clone sure looked hurt. It was more than enough to make America worry and feel bad for what he said earlier.
"Allen…" America blinked. He couldn't have hurt him that bad, could he?
His dopeygangster… dopplerginger… No, doppelganger swallowed and walked toward him, gazing at America the entire way, which he knew couldn't have been easy. It meant that Allen was truly sorry. That thought made America feel a little better.
"Um… Porkchop… Alfred…" Allen began, much quieter and calmer than usual. "I thought about it a little, you know since I'm a stubborn bastard, and I talked it over with Gil and Flavio, and I realized you're right. I've been a huge jerk, not just to Ers… your Hungary, but even to you. I'm sorry, but I've just been so… Wait, no. I'm not gonna make any excuses. I'm sorry, Al…"
America frowned at this. "Allen, listen. I'm glad that you know that you did was wrong, but I shouldn't have said what I said, dude. I should've… handled that better."
"Oh, come on, Alfred. See? You see what I mean? This is why I'm worried about you!" Allen exclaimed, upset again, and he poked a finger at Alfred's chest. "You forgive people way too easily! Now you listen, I'm the one who was really in the wrong. I deserved getting called out like that after all the times I insulted your shitty… I mean your buddies from the Light World! I know I'd be upset if someone I like kept shitting on my pals."
"What's wrong with wanting to forgive people?" America exclaimed in offense. "I don't blame you for not forgiving evil dudes like England or Spain but all that hate kept inside your heart can be really bad for ya, you know! And anyway, I should also be sorry. I should've understood that you were stressed out and you couldn't help yourself and then tell you in a nicer way to stop being so rude! You're going through a lot more stuff than I am right now!
"So what if I was stressed out? That's no excuse for acting like an ass! And nicer? Oh come on, how was I supposed to learn with you sweetly telling me 'Oh Allen, I don't think it's very nice that you call my world's Hungary a knockoff'. I'm too stubborn for that kind of approach!"
"It's not like I would've done it like that!"
"Yes, you would!"
"Oh here they go again…" Flavio said in exasperation.
"What? What's wrong?" Hungary asked curiously.
"Whenever those two have an argument or get mad at each other and then inevitably make up, they always argue over who should really be apologizing." Gillen explained as the two Americas argued. "Instead of the usual 'it's your fault' argument, this is a 'but it's actually my fault' sort of argument. It sounds more pleasant, but it gets exasperating after a while."
"It's only my fault and only mine, dammit!"
"No, it's also mine!"
"SILENCE!" Gillen bellowed, and the two Americas froze in place. The silver-haired priest stomped over to them, scowling. "Ja, Alfred should've phrased his words a little better, but it's mostly Allen's who's in the wrong because of his rude behavior! End of discussion!"
"Yes, sir…" The two of them said quickly.
Man, Gillen's scary…
"Now then…" Gillen sighed and glanced behind America and then at the redhead. "Allen, I believe there's one more person who you're supposed to apologize to…"
America's eyes widened. Oh, right, Hungary! He looked at his Light World buddy and found her smiling. It looked like she was looking forward to this. He saw Allen grimace and reluctantly walk over to Hungary.
"I'm… sorry for being kind of an ass to you." Allen said clearly, and he reached out his hand for Hungary to shake, expression grumpy. "Can we, I dunno, start over or something?"
America smiled, and he was sure he heard someone facepalm behind him. Hey, in Allen's defense, that turned out to be a better apology than he expected!
In fact, Hungary looked happy with this! She winked at America and smiled a little mysteriously at Allen. "I'll forgive you, but on one condition."
Allen immediately scowled. "I'm listening… reluctantly…"
"I'd like you to call me by my human name Elizaveta, or Liz or Lizzy, whatever you prefer. I don't want to be called Knockoff Erszi or anything like that. If you're really sorry, you'll stop calling me those names and use my real name."
"Really? That's all you want?" Allen raised an eyebrow, but he shrugged. "Sure okay. I'll use your human name from now on."
"Then I forgive you." Hungary nodded, taking Allen's hand, and she smiled more kindly. "I hope we can get along, for Alfred's sake at least."
"Yeah, same here…" Allen agreed a little grudgingly, and he smirked. "But… I'm still gonna be keeping an eye on you though, you're not that lucky. But I'll try not to be such an ass while doing it."
Two people facepalmed this time, while America just grinned. This was going so well!
Hungary's eyebrow twitched, but she kept smiling anyways. "Well, if that's what it'll take to get you to trust me…"
Flavio clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention, and he smiled excitedly. "Okay, everyone, now that that's settled, how about we got back to the penthouse to play poker and canasta and order some pizza?"
Everyone cheerfully agreed.
"Ooh, pizza? Sweet! Race ya there, Allen!" America challenged as he ran off, grabbing Hungary's hand. "Come on, Liz, to the motorcycle!"
"You're on, Alfred! Loser gets to pay for the pizza!" Allen dared as he sped off after them.
"What? Don't turn this into a competition, you two! We don't need another accident!" Gillen barked as he ran after the others.
"Oh, Elizaveta, when we get back to the penthouse, maybe I can give you some tips to fix your tacky fashion sense!" Flavio cheerfully suggested as he ran next to Hungary.
"Hey, I love these clothes! And it's not like I chose to wear this in the first place!" Hungary squawked in indignation.
And so, the five nations, Lightners and Darkners, ran off to have their fun, determined to make the best of things while they still could.
/ / / / /
Meanwhile… In the same world… but in a different country…
(Deltarune OST: Cliffs)
A uniformed nation with cruel violet eyes and a certain curl kicked the door to his brother's flamboyant room opened. He had just come back to the country after discussing a few certain important things with Japan for the coming future, and his brother was nowhere to be found.
He went in, not caring that he'll get an earful for it, and looked and furiously.
His brother wasn't here.
Which meant…
He gritted his teeth and gripped one of his knives.
His stupid brother went off without telling him to hang out with those idiots, didn't he?
That… ungrateful little….
He stopped himself from finishing that thought, but he kept gripping his deadly knife tightly, if only to stop himself from tearing this whole place apart. No matter… Romano always came back eventually, and when he comes back, he'll have a word with him about his plan.
Whether Romano liked it or not.
There won't be any escape this time.
Italy will make sure of it.
Heh... Uh-Oh... Well, the next chapter (and maybe even the one after) will be dedicate to show the group bonding and explaining a bit more stuff about the Dark World. It'll be more lighthearted like the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review if you have a minute.