Thanks to HelloThereHowAreYou and NadiaJA627 for reviewing. I'm sorry for the delay... again. Hope it won't happen for a third time. Now, on with the show!
(Deltarune OST: Dog Check)
Well… Allen didn't take the news as angrily as America thought he would… sort of…
It was America's idea to tell Allen the plan, or at least part of the plan, so that the chances of all this crashing and burning would be in the single digits (even though Flavio insisted his plans were fabulously flawless). Uh, that, and since Allen had a habit of catching on to what Flavio's up to, he'll definitely might figure out what they're trying to do with him and Hungary and practically rage-quit.
Yeah, Allen's didn't like being the subject in Flavio's 'fabulous' plans. Wait, no, that's totally a huge understatement. Allen hated being the subject of Flavio's 'fabulous' plans. Once the guy sensed that something was off and Flavio's responsible, he'd swear like a sailor and bail. If he figured out what this whole thing's about, then he'll not even bother to stick around.
Flavio wasn't too sure that telling Allen was a good idea at first, since according to the dude his plans 'always' worked even if Allen was aware of said plan or not. Not to mention that usually every attempt to make Allen socialize with someone he hardly knew didn't… end perfectly.
But after America put his own good arguments, including the super important fact that Allen's a lot less likely to kill Flavio if he already knew the super awesome plan beforehand, Flavio gave him the green light.
America knew it wasn't gonna be easy convincing Allen to go along with this and that it's totally worth it, but he's not gonna let his one of his coolest (if not the coolest) besties stay with a not-so-good opinion of Hungary and vice-versa! 'Sides, there's always the puppy-dog look. The puppy-dog look always worked on Allen, always! Well, except for that time America tried to convince him that some of Disney's live-action remakes were pretty good.
If Allen won't do it for Hungary, Gillen, Flavio, or even for his own happiness and the chance to make a good friend, then America will just hope that he'll do it for him. For the sake of America just wanting to see his friends get along. They'd go hell and back for each other after all.
But before he'd do that, it was time for some guy time! Or even better: America time!
America didn't think it was right to help Allen try to befriend Hungary when they haven't even gotten some alone time together. Sure, there's always later, but it still didn't feel fair. And it wasn't just 'cause he knew Allen loved their talks together and always looked forward to them, America wanted to spend some time together with him too.
He really wasn't surprised to find Allen moping on a couch bitterly staring at Hungary and Gillen when all they were doing was having a good time getting to know each other, 'cause he figured Allen would still be wary of Lizzy. His buddy didn't really do a good job hiding that, or maybe he didn't bother to try.
"…You have got to be fucking kidding me."
Hey, at least he didn't yell at Flavio this time. That's an improvement.
America laughed nervously as Allen glared daggers straight at a beaming Flavio, who was way too used to his 'lil bro to be bothered by how he's obviously angry. Whoo boy… Here comes the hard part. Fingers crossed that they won't get in an 'Italian argument' this time, those were pretty nasty.
"You… you two… came up with this probably shitty plan that'll somehow help me and… and her finally get along?" Allen growled through gritted teeth. America noted how his fingers twitching dangerously, as if he wanted to strangle Flavio with his bare hands. "And you agreed with this, Alfred? You agreed to help with his damn cockamamie plan?! Again?! For the damn billionth time?!"
Oh boy… America smiled placidly and carefully raised his hands in a calming gesture. "Hey, hey, Al, don't call it 'cockamamie'. We haven't even told you what the plan is yet. 'Sides, you gotta admit that as cockamamie some of them really are…"
"Hey!" Flavio shouted in protest.
"Come on, let the hero speak, Flavio. Ahem, some of them actually are-"
"No! No, no, no. Forget it, Al. I'm not gonna hear any of this." Allen interrupted hotly, covering his ears. "I don't need to be fucking Sherlock Holmes to know this is gonna be a disaster."
Flavio scoffed, and he actually kinda offended. He crossed his arms, and Alfred anxiously prepared himself for another argument. "A disaster? A disaster? Why, how dare you! Didn't you say the exact same thing when I came up with the plan for the two of us plus the rest of our favoloso gang escape that volcano in Russia? You know, before we all escaped?!"
Yeah, don't ask.
"That was, like, a dangerous situation, Flavio. This is you butting in my personal life again!" Allen furiously retorted, ignoring America.
America laughed out loud nervously, and he wanted to cringe at how forced he sounded. Dammit, but he could never help himself. It's what he always did when he was caught in the middle of an argument and it looked things were gonna get nasty. He supposed he did it to reassure himself, that everything will be alright or something like that.
"Argh, I should've known you'd come up with some kind of scheme to make me 'befriend' that chick! That's just like you, Flavio." Allen snarled, throwing his hands up in frustration. "I can't believe I didn't see it coming. Of course you wouldn't stand me not being all buddy-buddy with her even though I apologized and promised to stop acting like a jackass. "
Flavio sighed and gently put his hand on Allen's shoulder, smiling, "Bambino, I haven't forgotten that you apologized, and I know that you're trying to be better-behaved, and I'm truly proud of you for it. However, I think this is something that requires my fabulous intervention."
Allen scowled and shrugged Flavio's hand off. "Why? Couldn't you just wait until we warmed up to each other or I finally trust her enough to open up?"
"Allen, I know you. For over three-hundred years I've known you and seen your relationships with others," Flavio frowned and took Allen's hand in his, gripping it tightly. Allen avoided his brother's eyes, but it didn't stop Flavio from continuing. "And you know as well as I do that you are both stubborn and protective of our home and especially Alfred enough that you'll never let go of this distrust you feel for Miss Elizaveta."
Wow, he pretty much hit the nail on the head. Allen definitely though so, 'cause clamped up and gritted his teeth. That's what America's doublegangster… no, doppelganger buddy usually did when someone, especially close family like Gil and Flavio, give an argument he just couldn't counter. America thought that he looked like a snarling wolf whenever he did it.
You know, except less scary. But believe him, there's time where Allen actually pretty darn terrifying when he's growling or snarling, enough to make America feel anxious. Oh, wait, but that only happened when Allen's super-duper royally pissed off. This'll sound crazy, but sometimes America could've sworn that he even saw Allen's eyes-
"You always were a stubborn one, even since the day I met you when you were still a rebellious little boy." Flavio sighed, but it was fond way, and he even smiled a little. "Now, that isn't necessarily. But you're too stubborn for your own good sometimes, although you have learned when to quit it throughout the centuries. You've gotten better. However, you always seem to regress back to behaving like a stubborn brat whenever your dear friend is involved. Well, I guess that just shows how much you care about him."
Allen's face morphed into a scowl when Flavio called him a brat, but it just as quickly became a comically flustered expression that honestly made America laugh at his expense. Man, he almost looked as red as his hair! He really couldn't stand someone telling him he's soft, could he?
America stifled his guffaw just as Allen whipped his head to glare at him
"S-So what if I'm a stubborn ass when it comes to Alfred?!" Allen tried not to stutter as he crossed his arms and angrily looked away from the snickering Flavio and America. "Okay. Sure, sometimes I overdo it, but who's gonna keep him safe in this world and stop him from doing stuff that'll probably come back to bite him in the ass?"
"Hmm, maybe. And who's going to stop you from making rash decisions, jumping to conclusions and lashing out angrily at the smallest things?"
"I'm not that bad. And that's not the point, you Queer Eye reject!"
It was at this point that America felt that he needed to speak up, so he did. And he made sure to put on sad face for good measure. "Aw, come on, Red. I mean, it's awesome of you and you have no idea how much I appreciate that you're looking out for me. You're a great pal and I mean it. But come on, you gotta trust that I can make smart choices! I'm not dumb."
"I'M NOT SAYING YOU'RE DUMB, DAMMIT!" Allen barked, causing both America and Flavio to shrink. His scowl deepened, "Bullshit. You're a genius, we're both geniuses. You're just too damn good for your own damn good, see? I'm looking out for you, man."
"D'aww, thanks, dude!" America grinned. Yeah, sure, he's already heard this before, but it's still heartwarming. Anyway… "But come on, Al. Can't you try to give Lizzy a chance before you decide whether or not she's a totally awesome and trustworthy gal, which she is?"
Allen scoffed, putting his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "Course I can give the chick a chance, but I'm telling you that-"
But then Allen was suddenly cut off when Flavio loudly clapped his hands, a smile full of mischief on his face. "Meraviglioso! I knew you'd see reason, eventually, bambino. Now come, we should start preparing for the plan by practicing those breathing exercises I told you about."
Without even waiting for Allen's response, or for him to even make a move to escape, Flavio caught his wrist in a tight grip and began to happily lead him away.
"Hey, wait a damn minute, you Italian Zoolander!" Allen yelled at the top of his lungs as he could only be dragged away by a humming Flavio. "I never said I agreed to this! Seriously, Flavio, let me go!"
"Sha-la-la-la, I can't hear you~"
"Yes, you can, you dumb Italian mother-!"
Meanwhile, America could do nothing but gape at how this turned out. Huh, he kinda expected the three of them to start talking some more until they eventually reached an understanding (that's… pretty much how it usually went). This felt pretty anti-climatic in the hero's opinion. Flavio must've been getting impatient…
Well, that pizza's not gonna wait downstairs forever. Hopefully Flavio knew what he's doing.
/ / / / /
(Deltarune OST: Friendship)
As they conversed, Gillen had managed to get a more accurate and defined picture of Miss Elizaveta's personality. So them getting to know each other was working, that's good to know.
He had found that Elizaveta was a headstrong and tomboyish woman, evidence of her upbringing. A stark contrast to the calmer, patient and even timid Erszi, to the point that it felt a little bizarre to see someone sharing the same face as her curse someone under her breath or burst into amused cackling at the flustered look on Gillen's face.
Speaking of which, she was definitely mischievous and fond of good-natured teasing, again unlike Erszi. It wasn't annoying, no. If anything, it was charming. And Gillen found himself liking the sound of her laughter. Her sense of humor even reminded Gillen of Switzerland, of how that man was when in friendly company and far from his horrific little sister.
And he was right in suspecting she had more of a short temper, not to mention more willing aggressive. Gillen saw her go into what could only be described as a sort of rage-like state in which she would freeze before forcing a terrifying shaky grin while trembling in anger, clenching her fist and proclaiming her hatred of whatever country they were talking about or how they'll one day die painfully at her hands.
It… really made Gillen wonder how the hell his counterpart… His arrogant, somewhat infuriating (as well as an embarrassment to the Teutonic Order) counterpart… managed to survive incurring her wrath many times throughout history.
No, seriously, how was he still alive?!
It didn't help that at one time she pulled out her frying pan out of nowhere and clutched as if she was about to swing it to bash someone's head. Also, she had a frying pan. Oddly enough, it wasn't even the strangest choice for a weapon Gillen had ever seen.
As for how different she was from Erszi in terms of personality… well… Firstly, Elizaveta was clearly more headstrong and willing to resort to violence than Erszi, who was borderline infamous for her pacifism, dislike of violence and being a little shy with strangers. But Gillen wasn't trying to imply any of that was a bad thing. No matter how different they were, they're both lovely and friendly women…
Oh, what was he comparing them for? That went against what they were trying to do. What he was trying to say, but failing to, was that he was having fun speaking with Elizaveta.
Gillen was being honest when he tried to say that he was willing to put aside his… strong negative feelings for both Austria and Poland if Elizaveta wanted to know more about them, despite how anger often overtook him whenever either of them were brought up.
He wasn't one to hate someone with all his heart as many other nations would no matter how they may have wronged him, as he had learned centuries ago that such feelings were poisonous and caused no end of suffering to oneself. It only allowed him to suffer as his enemies wanted, as Poland, Austria and others wanted. It wasn't because of religious reasons, he truly believed it wasn't healthy.
However, this didn't stop him from feeling anger towards those who hurt him or his loved ones in the past. Anger was different from hate, yes, but it could blind you and corrupt you just as hatred could. To Gillen, however, anger was easier to control and suppress than hate. It still wasn't easy.
And when it came to those two, as well some other unsavory individuals who all really tested Gillen's patience and got on his nerves, anger will always flare up within him. Anger for their past transgressions, for tormenting him throughout the years, for the fact that evil and heartless people like them continue to exist and stay strong no matter what happened to them-!
No. Gillen inhaled sharply then slowly released the air through his mouth to calm himself. He won't give in to anger. It's exactly why he wanted to avoid speaking of them in the first place.
Well… at least she didn't inquire about his brother. He wasn't sure if he'd be willing to discuss him, although Elizaveta would probably convince him it's alright if they don't.
Honestly, he was a little surprised she didn't ask anything that involved Germany. Gillen thought she'd be curious to know a little more about him, as well as the other two Axis members, after what little she information she had been given about them back at the park.
Perhaps she figured out that it was a touchy subject, considering that they implied that Germany was not one of the good ones, and thus decided not to ask? It's also likely that maybe she didn't want to go into a dark and tense subject again, which was understandable.
And the situation regarding Gillen's relationship with his brother was… certainly a dark and tense subject, as well as complicated.
He shouldn't dwell on it. There's no point in doing it. If he really wanted to think about his enemies and complex relationships with certain nations that'll no doubt end up souring his mood, then he could do it another time.
So, he should stop thinking about his negative emotions regarding his enemies and instead pay attention to Miss Elizaveta's story about how God told her to hit France with her frying pan for no apparent reason.
…No, that wasn't another of his 'lame' attempts at a joke.
Gillen listened, albeit reluctantly, with a skeptical but increasingly baffled expression as Hungary nonchalantly talked about how she received a message from God, a suspiciously indifferent and not very benevolent God, to 'deliver his wrath upon France with Hungary's skillet'. Why? No reason. Apparently, Hungary also didn't think to ask why.
In fact, from what Gillen gathered, there's even a chance that the entity that visited her wasn't God.
"…But even though it was an order from God himself, I still couldn't really bring myself to do it." Hungary was telling him with a sad smile. "Oh, I know how foolish and silly that sounds, disobeying an order from God. Why, I'd never hear the end of it from the religious nuts if they found out. But I had to wonder, just what sin did France commit to earn a good pummeling?"
Gillen mumbled something incomprehensible under his breath as a response, not really thinking clearly at the moment. It's rude, yes, but he's too busy trying to make sense of this nonsensical story, no offense to Hungary. It's so mindboggling baffling and random that Gillen lost count of the number of questions he had about the validity of this 'God'.
No, no, Gillen wouldn't say that it was foolish or silly to disobey an order from that 'God', considering that the God Hungary had described sounded nothing like the kind, benevolent, forgiving deity that he had followed and prayed to all his life. He was a little tempted to ask if Hungary had eaten something that night that caused strange dreams, but with all the new questions popping in his head, Gillen couldn't even open his mouth.
"…Yes, yes, I realize now that that might have been a bit of a dumb question since it is France after all. But still, I had to wonder what he did among all the things he did that pissed off God enough to send me a message to deliver some divine retribution via my frying pan."
That's actually one of the many questions Gillen about this whole incident. While he was aware that the France from the Light World was infamous for being a pervert and having an irrational fear of computers, and Gillen knew quite a lot about his history from what Alfred told him, he really had to wonder what France did to earn the wrath of God.
"…So I was tailing France, still indecisive and worried over my dilemma. For a moment I thought that I was never going to be able to do it, but then it happened. I saw France spying on Austria playing his piano, so naturally I got suspicious…"
Oh dear.
"You wouldn't believe how pissed off I was to find out he was leering at him and saying how he wanted to make Austria French territory."
Oh Lord.
"So, after a lot of pondering and indecisive, I raised my frying and…!
"Gillen!"
Blinking in surprise, Gillen barely turned his head when Flavio laughed merrily and wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug, much to the Prussian's discomfort. Curses, what he did tell Flavio about hugging him…?
"F-Flavio?"
"Si, it's me! And I have something very important to talk to you about." Flavio winked in a not-at-all suspicious way before smiling sweetly at Hungary. "Bella, you don't mind if I borrow Gil for a moment, do you?"
Hungary certainly looked like she'd mind from the way she puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "Ngh… Well, if it won't take long…"
"Grazie. Come on, Gillen!" Flavio insisted, but without even waiting for Gillen to ask what he's up to, his friend started dragging him away. "It's really important, you know. And I need some backup to calm Allen down."
"Just what are you talking about, Flavio? What did you do?"
"I'm talking about the plan, of course."
"What plan?"
"This plan…"
When he found out just what Flavio had in mind, even with his friend's track record, Gillen wondered if this will end up well.
/ / / / /
(Deltarune OST: Scarlet Forest)
Hungary wondered if Flavio and Allen were always this… dysfunctional.
She felt one of her eyebrows twitch as she stared exasperatedly at Allen who was having an intense and loud whispering argument with Flavio (and to a lesser extent, America and Gillen, both of whom who was trying to break them up). Yes, you heard her right. Even though they were 'whispering', or maybe trying to, Hungary could clearly hear them.
To their credit, while Hungary could hear them, she couldn't really understand what they were saying. Partly because it sounded like they kept constantly switching from arguing in English to arguing in Italian… or was it Latin? Oh, she didn't know. Like she said, she couldn't understand what they're saying. Most of it sounded like hissing than saying actual words.
However, she did catch some snippets, but since she had absolutely no context, she had no idea what it's supposed to mean. Honestly, some of what she understood, or thought she understood sounded borderline nonsensical. Like: 'Oh, I wish I was your mother, young man!', 'This is why I said Gil was my favorite when I was a kid!', 'Mamma mia! and 'Gah, I hope your marinara sauce never clings to your damn pasta after this!'
…which was then promptly followed by America and Gillen gasping in horror as if Allen insulted the Italian in the worst way possible and Flavio gaping then angrily crying out 'Sono tua favoloso fratello, come osi!' before smacking Allen on the head.
Okay, that got a brief chuckle out of her.
She seriously had no idea what those two were arguing about, and Hungary wasn't sure whether to be worried or to dismiss this as normal, since small arguments seem to be really common in the group, but Hungary couldn't help but feel that maybe she had something to do with it.
Why did she think this? Well, she couldn't think of any other reason why the three of them would keep throwing glances at her or why America constantly send her nervous smiles and thumbs-up as to tell her there's absolutely nothing to worry about.
Well, it ended up doing the opposite of what America probably intended. Hungary's starting to feel a wee bit concerned…
Gillen wasn't helping either. He kept constantly groaning, putting his hand to his face and trying but failing to intervene Allen and Flavio's argument. And whenever he wasn't trying to calm them down, he kept giving her apologetic looks or throwing his hands up in frustration. Poor Gillen.
Honestly, Hungary was completely out of the loop. Just what on earth was going on?
She was just having a nice talk with Gillen (everything Prussia wished he could be and more), you know, happily then sheepishly telling him about the time God visited her in the middle of the night to give her the task of hitting France with her frying pan for some reason while Gillen stared at her as if she suddenly grew a second head.
You know, that's actually how most people react to the story…
…When Flavio suddenly waltzed up to them and interrupted Hungary just as she was about to get to the part where she finally decided to pummel France in the name of God when she found him ogling Austria! Oh, shoot, what bad timing! That was the best part of the tale.
He sent her a pretty suspicious smile and stated that he's going to borrow to Gillen for a minute before hauling said nation away, much to Hungary's bafflement. A few minutes of plenty of suspicious whispering and Gillen facepalming later, they come back, with the Italian wearing an excited smile and the other giving Hungary an apologetic look before telling her to go wait in the dining room's because the pizza's here.
Of course, Hungary wasn't an idiot, so she tried to ask them what's going on, but Flavio (of course) cut her off mid-sentence and practically towed her away to the dining room. Goodness, who would've guessed Flavio had a good grip?
And now here she was, watching this borderline hilarious bilingual argument, still wondering what the hell Flavio's up to.
Eventually it seemed that those two finally resolved their argument (thank god) after Alfred intervened with what appeared to be some choice words and the puppy dog eyes look that immediately brought Allen to his knees. Even though Hungary's out of the loop, it still made her snicker.
"Well, I'm glad you finally saw reason my bambino," Flavio said loudly as he happily patted the far from overjoyed Allen on the head. "I knew you would. And I accept your apology,
In response to that, Allen's scowl deepened, and he opened his mouth, but America wisely decided to clamp his hand over his counterpart's mouth. "Y-Yeah, Allen's totally sorry for what he said… right?"
Allen grumbled under his breath, but Hungary did manage to hear a, "Yeah, whatever."
"Ja, thank Gott you two finally finished arguing," Gillen sighed in relief, as well as exasperation, and looked at Flavio tiredly. "Now can we please move on before one of you snaps at the other again?"
"Si, of course!" Flavio grinned and he grabbed Gillen and America by the wrists. "Now then, if you would excuse us, Gillen, Alfred and I will go pick up the pizza. We'll be back in a jiffy as the humans here say!"
As he started to pull the two noticeably reluctantly and apologetic nations away, the realization finally hit Hungary. Oh no… She glanced at Allen, who was grumpily glaring at the departing nations, and briefly their eyes met. Suddenly Allen's anger made sense.
"Wait, why do you need to take Allen and Gillen with you?" Hungary quickly asked as the three were leaving.
"Because… um…" Flavio stopped, confusion in his features, and he glanced at America. "Alfred, why do you and Gillen need to come with me?"
Hungary's jaw dropped while she heard Allen facepalm. He didn't even know?!
America laughed nervously. "Because… We wanna check if Old Murray's still alive, duh! We wouldn't want the pizza guy or gal to call the hospital on him, drawn attention to the apartment building and make it harder for us to leave, right? Haha… So that's why if Murray's dead, we gotta haul him away before someone notices!"
…Huh, that's actually a decent point.
"Si, that's exactly it!" Flavio nodded with a big smile, ignoring Gillen's groaning and Allen crying out 'bullshit!', and went back to dragging the two nations with him. "So you have to understand, the three of us need to go. We won't be long~"
Before Hungary could even stop them, they left. With America flashing her one more thumbs-up and a blinding grin while Gillen sending her one more silent apology before they left the room, closing the door behind them.
So… they're now alone… just the two of them alone…
(Final Fantasy VII: Anxious Heart)
While Hungary could only stand there trying to process the fact that maybe this was all part of some plot, she saw that Allen was still glaring in the direction where the others have left, brimming with frustration.
Then, as soon as Hungary let out a defeated sigh, the punkish American suddenly turned to face her. She expected him to glare at her, but instead Allen just wordlessly stared at her with a conflicted expression. That's when she realized that he was shaking a little, and the redhead started gritting his teeth along with cursing under his breath.
It only got weirder from there. Allen would then somehow go from gritting his teeth to scowling to frowning in annoyance to… a look of helplessness? But it vanished as quickly as it appeared, and just when it seemed like he was going to settle with a flat expression, he went back to a scowl. It got to the point where it was a little creepy, or at least odd.
It's almost as if he's trying to decide which emotion and facial expression wouldn't earn him a reprimand from Flavio. That, or maybe he was trying to calm down his anger and resentment so that he could properly talk to Hungary without coming off as a jackass again.
Could it be he really was trying? It almost seemed too much to hope for, seeing as he's been a stubborn person so far. But perhaps he'd do it for America's sake... hopefully.
But when this kept going on for over two or three minutes, Hungary decided that she wasn't going to wait anymore.
"So, are you going to say something or are you going to just stand there while trying to decide how you're going to glare at me?" Hungary asked in a nice enough way, complete with an impatient smile.
With that, Allen's face finally settled into a look of irritation. "You mockin' me, lady?"
Now it was Hungary's turn to give an irritated look. "Oh, of course not. Where on earth did you get that idea?"
"Don't play dumb." Allen's irritated expression morphed into his usual scowl. "From what I've seen, you think you're quite jokester. Sides, I bet you'd love a chance to mock me after how I treated you at the park."
Hungary had to resist the urge to make a snarky retort, it'll only make things worse. But honestly, was Allen usually this paranoid? Oh, she should just try to calm him down before he could get angrier.
She's definitely going to make America promise never to leave her alone with Allen again.
"Don't be silly, Allen. It has nothing to do with that. It's just too awkward and uncomfortable watching you go from one scowl to another, don't you think?" Hungary said in the calmest tone she could muster, but she ended up sounding exasperated. It also seems like you're trying to decide just how much you don't like me and how you want to express it."
"Hey, don't go off jumping to conclusions, dammit! I'm not as much as open book as you think, you know!" Allen snarled, as if Hungary had insulted him. "First of all, I'm just pissed off at Flavio for taking Gil and Al and leaving us here alone. Second, it's not that I don't like you, it's just that I don't wanna be here alone with you."
This time Hungary couldn't help but give him a deadpan look, "If you don't dislike me, then why is being alone with me such a problem?"
"Because... I..." Allen faltered, and for a moment Hungary could've sworn his scowl became a guilty frown before finally getting his act together. "Shit. Because it's you, obviously. I can't talk to you. And I definitely don't wanna be in awkward silence with ya either!"
"What do you mean 'you can't talk to me'?" Hungary demanded, feeling herself running out of patience for the redhead. We are talking to each other, and it doesn't look like you're having any trouble doing it!"
"That's cause we're fucking arguing, I'm great at that! I could do it all damn day!" Allen yelled in response and then he smirked proudly. "I once debated against Stephanie Fucking Meyer over how crappy her work is until she collapsed from dehydration. The audience were in fucking stitches. They thought the broad fainted!"
Hungary stared at him in surprise. "You debated against the author of Twilight?"
"Yeah, good times." Allen snickered, but then his scowl returned when he noticed the look on Hungary's face. "What? Just cause I'm a punk, tough, badasss, swear like a sailor and love beating the crap outta people, I can't appreciate good literature and want to give authors who give vampires a bad red a piece of my mind? Why, I oughta-
"Oh, for the love of- We're already arguing, Allen. Let's not make things harder for us both." Hungary cut him off exasperatedly before realization dawned on her. She blinked, "Wait a minute, why are we arguing, anyway? No, you know what? I'm not going to beat around the bush, anymore. What is your problem with me?"
Instead of getting angrier like Hungary expected since he practically had a shorter temper than Romano, she was surprised when all the anger vanished from Allen's face… before giving her a cold stare. Hungary frowned. It wasn't enough to make her flinch, but it still looked… off.
"Finally addressing the elephant in the room, huh? I'll give you props for that, lady." Allen remarked coldly, and Hungary was surprised to see him frown. "You wanna know why I acted like suc a jerk? Why I can't stand any of you Lightners? Well, I'll tell you. But first let me make something clear: My opinion of you has gone up… a little bit since the park. The main reason why I'm being so cranky right now is because of Flavio."
Hungary wanted to ask him why he and Flavio were arguing, but she quickly realized that maybe she shouldn't make him angry again. "Your opinion of me has gone up? Really? How come? Did Alfred finally get through to you?"
"Sort of. I'm still gonna keep a good eye on you though, and don't you forget it."
Hungary rolled her eyes, but she felt a small smile on her face. "Yeah, you made that quite clear. So, what did he tell you?
"Al had just told me why he decided to bring you over here, about the whole wanting to escape the shitty life of a nation for a day." Allen replied flatly, and Hungary's eyes widened. He looked away to the side with a bitter expression. "He told me that you also had some beef against the European Union. Nice to see someone else's seen through their bullshit. I can respect you for that."
Hungary blinked "Well, I'm glad you understand.
"Yeah, yeah…" Allen waved it off with a grumpy face. "And he also mentioned how you helped cheer him up and how he helped cheer up and whatever. Oh, and something about chasing after a koala and a sheep?"
Hungary grinned at the mention of that fun little idea. "Oh yeah! That was a lot of fun."
"Yep. So as someone who has to deal with not being able to be there for Al the time, I wanna say…" He grimaced Then to Hungary's surprise, he bowed his head in gratitude "Thanks for helping him. You really got no idea how rough his life is, dealing with you damn Lighters and humans…"
Needless to say, Hungary was taken aback by Allen's words. She wondered if she was seeing and hearings things, because it almost seemed unreal for the apparently ever-cranky Allen to say thank you, and hardly in a begrudging way too.
She rubbed her eyes and looked at him again. Yep, she wasn't imagining it.
Huh… maybe she was being a bit too harsh on him in her mind. Hungary supposed he and America wouldn't be such good friends if the redhead of the two was so cranky and
"…But you better not have some kind of ulterior motive or anything, dammit." Allen growled, his eyes almost glowing red. "Sure, neither of us sense something's off. But the moment I see that you're fucking using him, don't expect any mercy from me. I don't care if you're a lady. As a firm believer in gender equality, I'll gladly beat the crap out of you in the same way I did with Japan."
…Well, it was nice while it lasted. At least he had some measure of respect for her…
"So, after everything Al told me, I could… sort of… get why he likes you enough to take you to this crazy world." Allen hesitantly admitted, rubbing the back of his beck. "I ain't trusting you yet, but I understand now. I still don't like it, but again, I understand now."
Hungary smiled warmly. "Thank you, Allen."
The redhead sneered. "Yeah, don't get used to it."
"Who would've thought that most of this drama would've been avoided if you've known the full story from the beginning." Hungary smiled wryly. "I think Alfred would've told you back at the park, but what with the whole situation with this world's Italy…"
Allen's face scrunched up in distaste. "Nah, I think I would've been a bit of a jerkass. I would've still needed that stern talking-to form Gil and Flavio."
"Who knows? But anyway, I'd like some answers to my questions." Hungary frowned at him. "Why do you still have it out for me? And again, what's your deal with the Lightners? You're acting as if they've done something horrible to you."
That last sentence caused Allen to chuckle darkly.
"Tch, now that's a dumbass question." Allen snorted, bitterness in his voice. "You should know why I can't stand you Lightners. And done something horrible to me? Don't make me laugh. I don't need to have been screwed over by those guys to know what bastards and losers they are. And besides, you know what shit the nations and humans put Alfred though."
Hungary bit her lip. Whether she liked it or not, Allen had a point. She knew why he'd hate them, but… "You're right. I know why you wouldn't like us very much. I'd understand if you were annoyed or disappointed, but you hate the countries of my world."
Allen nodded, scowling. "Pretty much."
"Why do you hate them so much? I doubt America always talked about us in a bad way." Hungary could understand him complaining from time to time, but he wouldn't deliberately make them all look bad. "And how come you're badmouthing us? Didn't you and the others say that this world had a lot of nations that were either crazy or cruel? How come we're the losers?"
After asking that last question, Hungary flinched when Allen snapped his head at her, expression filled with rage. He growled at her, and his furious red eyes almost seemed to glow in his anger. For the first time, Hungary actually felt unnerved by his glare.
But then he stopped growling, and he settled for a cold dead stare, like the one he gave her before.
"Lady, before I answer that, tell me something. How much did Alfred tell you about his relationship with me and the other Darkners?" Allen asked suddenly in an eerie tone. "How much did he tell you about the connection between this world and yours?"
Hungary raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Because, Lady, I've seen your world. Like they say, you gotta see it to believe it."
"W-What do you mean?"
"Oh, I mean I've been watching you bastards," Allen said darkly, speaking with no trace. "For over three-hundred years, I've been watching you Lightners go about making fools of yourselves and letting the humans… those damn bugs… boss you around. I've seen most of your world meetings. I've seen it all through the mirror, the only window I have to your world."
Yeah... another cliffhanger. Man, it's becoming a bad habit. Please review if you have a minute.