Thanks to FGO, NadiaJA627 and a guest for reviewing. Haha, sorry for the late update... I got some writer's block and I ended up getting a lot busier with real life stuff than I thought I'd be. Oh, and then I got kinda sick and... 'sigh' I wish I could've posted this sooner. I hope the longer chapter makes for it. Now, on with the show!
(Deltarune OST: Friendship)
America just couldn't get the big smile off his face.
After the three of them got busted by Allen, America took the opportunity to nearly tackle Allen with a good ol' bear hug. Yeah, yeah, his buddy was squirming, probably getting slowly suffocating and his ribs were cracking, but America's just so proud of Allen that he just couldn't help himself. The blonde was so over the moon happy that he could just die.
Ah, of course, he's not gonna leave out Hungary, out of the hug, so he reached out his buddy and pulled her into the now group hug. Even it couldn't have been easy for Al, it was probably even harder for Hungary to accept Allen, but she did even after he snapped at her like that. Man, that wasn't cool, and America was totally going to grill his red-headed clone for it later, but let's just enjoy the moment.
"O-Oh, alright…" Hungary blinked when was pulled into the hug, but America was a little puzzled why his girl buddy's face was turning red. "Gah! Wow, I know you're probably tired of hearing, but you really are incredibly strong!"
"Not shit, Sherlock!" Allen exclaimed.
"Aw, I'm so happy for you two!" America squealed in delight, too happy to have been paying any attention to what his buddies were saying. Yeah, it's kinda dumb of him, but he's glad that things turned out well.
"Hey, hey, Al, don't get all 'proud mom' on me, man." Allen grumbled as he struggled to escape America's super-awesome-powerful grip. "I'm not marryingthe damn lady. We've just reached a semi-understanding-!"
"A semi-understanding? Well, I can't believe you're still this stubborn." Hungary snorted, believing him as much as others did. "You've smiled at me at least five times, and you even laughed. Also, you didn't insult me… for the most part. Is that something you do with someone you've reached a semi-understanding with?"
Aw, Allen was blushing! "Ngh…"
Beaming, Alfred hugged him even tighter until he decided to let them go. "Oh, call it whatever you want, Allen. I know as your bestie for life that deep down, you starting to like her."
"No, Al, I'm telling you that… Oh, what the hell? Who am I kidding?" Allen rolled his eyes, smiling sardonically. "Fine, I guess we're now on the long, hard journey of becoming friends."
Feeling himself being filled with joy, America from ear to ear and picked up Allen in another big hug. "YAY! HE ADMITS IT!
"HEY, WATCH THE BONES, AL! WE'RE NOT REENACTING THE BANE SCENE FROM THE DARK KNIGHT RISES!"
America just laughed, but eventually did give him a break and let him down, allowing his redheaded buddy to breathe. It's the least he could do for finally befriending Hungary.
…Except Allen's freedom was short-lived.
"Oh, Allen, mi bambino, I'm so proud of you!" Flavio sang as he wrapped his arms around an annoyed Allen, who was scowling like a big fluffy cat America once owned. "You actually managed to be a somewhat decent person around Miss Elizaveta, although I must say your little outburst earlier was much uncalled for."
Allen's eye twitched, but he smirked anyways.. "Yeah, yeah, don't mention it. Now get your hands off me, Flavio. You win… again."
"Why of course I did!" Flavio grinned. "My plans always work!"
"You did good, Allen." Gillen smiled and clapped Allen on the shoulder. "You may have acted stubborn and insensitive at first, but in the end you did the right and mature thing. And for that, I'm proud of you."
Allen sputtered. And America couldn't help but chuckle at how his dopplergangster's face was turning as red as his hair. "I-I… Well… J-Jeez, you're making me sound like I can't be mature or something."
"Wrong. You are completely capable of being mature, but you are at times held back by stubbornness and pride." Gillen told him earnestly. "What I meant to say is that I know how difficult it can be for you to overcome those troubling aspects of yourself as well as your overprotectiveness and paranoia, so it warms my heart to see that you've overcome it somewhat."
Allen awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Well… I-I… Thanks, Gil…"
While Allen's over there getting all cutely embarrassed, America realized that he's yet to give credit to his new gal pal. So, he turned around to Hungary, who's still red in the face for some reason (the AC was on, right?), and clapped her on the back with the biggest smile he could muster. He's genuinely thankful for what she did. He's thankful to both of them.
"Hey, hey, I haven't forgotten about you, dude." America turned his smile toward Hungary. "I really appreciate that you... you know... I know it couldn't have been..."
"It kind of wasn't." Hungary smile looked more dazzling than usual. "But he's actually kind of charming in an awkward sort of way when he's not scowling at you.
"Yeah, he's" America flashed a grin before he realized something, and he frowned as he shifted uncomfortably. I'm… I'm sorry about the way he blew up at you at the beginning though. You didn't deserve that. I think we should've- I think I should've done more to-"
"Alfred, what the hell have I told you about blaming yourself again?" Hungary's eye twitched and she smacked him on the shoulder. Didn't hurt though. "It's all right now. Sure, it wasn't pleasant at first, and… it was a bit more painful than I would've liked, but everything turned out all right in the end, no?
"Ah, that's right. Forgive us, we also have you to thank as well." Gillen smiled at Hungary and then nodded his head. "Now, we know it must've been easy giving Allen here a chance, after all the things he's said to you. I apologize if he has hurt you in any way."
"Hey! I'm right here you know!" Allen exclaimed from the side. "But yeah, I…"
"It's… all right," Hungary just smiled and waved it off. "I know Allen is very brutish, vulgar, extremely distrustful, rude..."
"Gee, thanks…" Allen muttered, but Flavio nudged him.
"Calm down, Al. You've grilling on her since she got here, dude." America told him. "Least you can do is put up with a little bit of trash talking."
"Doesn't mean I gotta like it."
"But I found that underneath that veneer of rudeness and anger and his scowl… is a frown." Hungary said with a pretty smile, and America saw a sort of mischievous glint in her eyes. Wow, Allen did notlook happy at that. "And underneath that frown and thousands of leagues sea of pent-up rage and hate… is a grimace."
Well... she's not exactly wrong. Sure, Liz here was kind of exaggerating a little. Allen could be a real sweetheart once he likes you enough to let his guard down.
"However, if you keep chipping and chipping, and chipping and chipping without ever giving up on him…" Hungary made a gesture describing said chipping while grinning straight at Allen. Aw, look at her. She's already smiling at him like they're true pals! "There's an admittedly intimidating snarl."
"Oh good. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks it looks a little frightening." Flavio said happily.
"Flavio..." Gillen sighed for the thousandth time today.
"Please just get on with it." Allen growled out through his teeth.
"…And then, with just a little more chipping, and maybe a drill, underneath that…" Hungary's smile became prettier- warmer! That's what he meant. "You'll find a genuine, kind smile. And not only that, but there's a man who although has serious trouble expressing himself properly, is ultimately a well-meaning nation who's willing to do everything in his power to protect the people he loves, especially his counterpart. There's a man who is a true friend to the ones he cares about. And I hope we can somehow become friends, or at least get along."
Man. The room got so quiet you could hear the crickets chirping. He should totally remind Allen call an exterminator later. But come on, who cares about that right now?
America beamed. But the best part was the look on the cake was the look on his doubleginger's face. Aw, he knew that look. That's the look of someone's cold heart thawing~
"That's…" Gillen looked pleasantly surprised. "That's actually quite nice of you to say, Elizaveta. Allen?
"Huh…? Oh... Um..." Allen blinked and fumbled over his words. Guess he wasn't expecting to hear that. "…thanks… Betsy…"
Aw, America loved when everything worked out in the end. If only it could happen more often…
"Well!" Flavio happily clapped his hands, gaining everyone's attention. "This turned out as well as I had predicted. Now, I believe we have a pizza that's getting cold…"
"About damn time!" Allen exclaimed quickly, eager to get over this whole thing as quickly as possible. Classic Allen. He started walking briskly away. "I'm fucking starving here…"
But Flavio held him back by the arm. "Hold on, Allen. I think you're forgetting something important."
"What do you mean? I gave you the fifteen bucks, didn't I?"
"Oh no, not that, Allen." Flavio patted his back, smiling encouragingly. "I think it's time you've apologized to Miss Hungary here for your rude behavior and for that little outburst you had."
Allen looked kinda lost there. Yeah, America couldn't really blame him. He had so many 'outbursts' that it gets hard to keep track of them. Flavio sighed, muttering something about little brothers, before putting on a slightly tight smile and trying again.
"Oh my- Your little not-so-pleasant to Miss Elizaveta early in your bonding time? Remember that?" Flavio asked pointedly, jabbing a finger into Allen's chest. "I'm sure every inhabitant of this building heard it too."
Allen's eyes widened, and he glanced at Hungary before his shoulders slumped. "Oh… That…"
Flavio smiled knowingly, that usual mischievous glint appearing in eyes. "I believe you know what to do from the many lessons in good manners I've given you throughout the years. Of course, if you don't recall them, I'd be more than happy to-"
"Okay, okay, I'm on it!" Allen shouted before stomping his towards a waiting Hungary with her arms crossed over her chest. He then wringed his hands, scowling at the floor, and mumbled, "So… Betsy…"
"Yes?" Hungary smiled hopefully.
"I'm… sorry for blowing up on ya earlier, Betsy." Allen said in a clearer voice, and he had the decency to look at Hungary in eye for more than three seconds before averting them and rubbing the back of his neck. "You don't deserve to be treated like shit just because the rest of your world is shit."
America smiled and went over to nudge him on the shoulder. "And?"
"And… I shouldn't have been a jackass and treated you like shit." Allen continued sheepishly, his face turning red from embarrassment. "And maybe… who knows? Maybe your buddies like Poland aren't as half bad as I think they are… But that could be bullshit for all I know."
"And?" America was full-blown grinning now.
"And… I hope you can forgive me and that we can try to be buddy-buddy more in the future." Allen finished awkwardly before glaring menacingly at Hungary. "…Unless I see ya doin' shady stuff, in which case you're going down, down, down-"
"Yes, yes, you'd already made that painfully clear." Hungary smiled tightly, but it quickly relaxed into a more genuine one. "And since it looks like you really mean what you say, then I guess I'll forgive you…"
Allen sighed in relief. "Oh, thank fucking goodness…"
"…on one condition."
"Ugh, this again?!" Allen growled, but then he let out a defeated sigh with a flat look. "But fine, I'll do it. So, what do you want me to do? Do a pole dance? Make me butcher an innocent deer and then eat it? Or do you hit me with that frying pan of yours until my head flies right off?"
America couldn't help but laugh awkwardly while Flavio and Gillen lowered their heads. Yeah, it's a habit in these kinds of weird situations. Aw, Allen, always assuming the worst no matter what… Now that's one thing they're complete opposites in.
"By God, what on Earth do you take me for?!" Hungary exclaimed in horror. "I was just going to say that you'll try to leave this whole 'Lightners are bastards' things behind us and see me as my own person!
Allen stared at her, puzzled. "Wait, so that's all you want?"
"Yes! God, you're so negative…"
In response, Allen glared at her. "Well, we can't all be living balls of sunshine, Betsy."
"Oh, whatever. Do you accept the condition?"
"I will, damn you!" Allen barked, and he cringed when Flavio gave him the disappointed parent look. "But fine, if this'll help you forgive me for being so shitty to you… then I guess I promise that I'll do my best to do… what you said."
Hungary raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yeah, really. Just don't expect to do a heel-face turn right away." Allen warned before turning to the others. "Now, can we please just go eat the pizza already before I lose it?"
And with that, most of the drama was wrapped up with a positive note for once in their lives. America couldn't be gladder that things turned out for the best. But before they could on go with America's plan on, he pulled Allen over for a brief talk.
"You did good, you know that?" America whispered to him gratefully.
"Thank Washington. I don't need another screw-up on my damn guilty conscience." Allen chuckled, letting a more genuine, awkward smile show up on his face for once. "But thanks, Al. I… I guess… I'm also glad that you're so over the fucking moon over this and..."
"That you made friends with Liz?" America smiled knowingly.
Allen snorted, and looked to the side, probably not wanting America to see his blush or something. "Hm, I guess… She's pretty spunky, you know. Kind of reminds me of Erszi, in a way…"
"Well, technically, they are the same gal." America reminded him. "But yeah, she's a pretty great lady, ain't she?"
"Maybe…" Allen muttered, and then gave America his good ol' scowl. "Just promise me that this'll be the first and last time you and Flavio do something like this. If you do, I'll force ya to watch the Batman & Robin movie next time you come to visit."
Sweet Jesus, not the bat credit card! America paled. "Okay, okay! I promise! Geez…"
Allen smirked wryly. "You're so gonna break that promise."
"Am not!" America huffed.
They both glared childishly at each other for a few seconds before they cracked a grin and laughed. Boy, it was great to be with Allen again.
"Come on, let's go and have loads of fun, Red! I wanna tell Liz about all the fun times we had together!" America wrapped an arm around him as they went to the dining room "I dunno where to start… Ooh, how about we tell her about the time you turned yourself into a chick?"
Allen gave a smug smirk at the idea. "I did have tits that gave Dolly Parton a run for her money…"
"Oh-Oh! How about that whole New York Fashion Week fiasco? That was a lot of fun!"
"Erszi did end up stealing the show with that awesome dress of hers." Allen said fondly, smiling more sweetly this time. Aw, he looked adorable!
"Oh! And how about that time you and Turkey almost got-"
"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE, AL!"
/ / / / /
(Epic Arabian Music | Desert Night)
In a small house near the outskirts of a buzzing city, a bespectacled young man with messy black hair dressed in simple clothing was feeling rather frustrated.
His appearance was normal enough, but the utter disdain in his lifeless amber eyes gave him away as the aloof personification of Bahrain.
He was pacing back and forth in his room, a frightening glint in his eyes, and quietly growling to nothing in particular except for the insolent worms (AKA the human spies from Italy in case your meager intelligence forbade you from realizing the obvious) who were probably prowling his country, thinking that they would be safe from him.
He, who could immediately ensnare them the moment they touched his skin. He, who did not hesitate to punish any human who dared bite the hand that fed them or believed that they could deceive him. He, who loyally served the glorious personification who could easily throw them all into the fire. He, who did not tolerate any security breaches or threats to his nation despite his disdain for humans.
Well, there's obviously more to it than that than just pride and such. Bahrain wasn't blind. He was no fool.
Granted, while he still didn't know for sure if there were any spies like there were in Argentina, the prospect that that Italian asshat could think so highly of himself that he thought he could send his humans to Bahrain to gather intelligence and have them leave alive.
Did Italy finally go off the deep end after all? If his behavior at the meeting didn't prove it, then this certainly would. While Italy was arrogant to an infuriating degree (and this was coming from someone who looked down on humans too), he wasn't stupid. True, insanity could lead to making some terribly idiotic decisions and actions, but still.
There was obviously a much more logical explanation for this that Bahrain wasn't seeing. He needed to think clearly, meditate on this. It won't do him good if he kept seething. He'll just end up thirsty again. He immediately stopped pacing and inhaled sharply.
While humans were undoubtedly troublesome rats, Bahrain will admit, albeit with incredible difficulty and pain, that his care for his people wasn't… solely out of self-preservation. There were those who were competent and actually possessed strong loyalty without any fear of getting devoured, so it'd be a shame to see them go. But that's all there was. There's also what remained of his sense of justice,
Although his humans were quite a decent lot compared to the fanatical dullards littering the lands of Pakistan and the dull and boring cardboard cutouts from Qatar. He wasn't sure if his sanity could survive being forced to live and care for millions of people as unimpressive as his sister. Bahrain shuddered at the thought.
So, he did 'appreciate' (if that was the word to describe it) his people for actually being grateful and not being (completely) like his sister.
Ah, but he's going off-topic here. What Bahrain was trying to get at here was that he didn't like this, but not solely for the obvious reasons that he stated above. Something was very wrong, if there were spies lurking the country after all. His instincts were screaming at him
He had sent out his men to conduct a search, but Bahrain wasn't going to sit around twiddling his thumbs and let them do all the work. This was someth
He was born, reborn, to devour. He was rebuilt to feed, to serve and to persevere, just as Kuwait was rebuilt to be unbreakable. Bahrain will not fail in his task. He will find the… foreign humans, if there any wandering about in his land. He will find them, consume them, he will relish the rich, metallic taste of its blood, and he will enjoy feeling them struggle and flail uselessly inside of his body, slowly dying away…
Well, he was free to do all that once he interrogated them thoroughly. If these were the types of humans who were frustratingly stubborn, then Bahrain was sure that a quick trip in the inescapable prison that was his body would be more than enough to break their will.
Although, in spite of his hopes that he'll find prey, he couldn't help but wonder what the North Italian blood sacks would be doing snooping in his country. It's not like Bahrain had many things that would be of value to that foolish European. And any important information were completely kept secret thanks to a few spells that big brother cast.
And what few things Bahrain did consider to be of high value enough to be sought after, he did not think Italy would have any knowledge of them.
Still, he will have to discuss later with brother.
/ / / / /
(Kimono Girls - Pokemon GSC/HGSS (Teion Remix))
A pale girl with jet-black hair, with a wild curly strand sticking out from the right side of her head, angrily stared at her own reflection in a mirror of her old vanity table.
Her magenta-colored eyes were narrowed, but occasionally one of them twitched as a result of her incessant frustration of something she couldn't quite put her finger on.
"Why the hell are you in my mind all of a sudden?" She asked to no one in particular, except for maybe the mirror itself and her own reflection. She preferred to think that this damn mirror was actually an animate being responsible for doing something sucky to her; it at least made her feel less stupid and crazy.
Wasn't it always easier to blame someone? Sure, it could be a very cruddy move, but Taiwan was sure that there had to be someone out there was to blame for her compelling her to come here to her old vanity table and remember the worst memory she ever had while adorning her hair in front of that thing.
"I was a hell lot happy forgetting that you ever existed," Taiwan spat at it, watching her own reflection glare at her in disgust. "And that I got decapitated and… and then…"
She stiffened, but then she shook her head profusely. No, no, bad Taiwan! Don't waste your precious valuable time thinking about bad times.
"So why did I feel so compelled to look at you all of a sudden?" Taiwan asked to anyone she hoped was out there watching her and could help her. "Why… did I suddenly get a bad feeling about this thing?"
Who the hell knows, her mind answered to her in the same snarky voice she so often used. The only reason why she bothered to drop the game she was playing on her console was because she figured that she's never going to stop thinking about it unless she just went there. She just felt that she had to do it,
"Ugh, I'm such a loser, talking to a mirror. I'm too young to lose my marbles." Taiwan grumbled under her breath, feeling like kicking something.
A part of her also figured that, hey, maybe you should trust your instincts on this, Taiwan! You need to go visit an old bad memory so you could maybe confront it or something. You're not getting any alarm bells, so it's not like you're going to get another Canada incident.
Taiwan never really got any of that corny 'trust your instincts/heart' junk from anyone, not even from China. He was all about calmness, becoming emotionally detached (not that anyone in the 'family really followed that part, except for maybe Japan), superiority, power, all that condescending stuff. That bastard even said that following one's heart or instincts was a foolish. One lived and succeeded by using their mind and brawn, with one only following their instincts when in combat, but nothing else.
And… she could see why. You shouldn't override your brain cells and intuition by 'following your heart'. That's just stupid. You know old ladies were going senile if they say that absolutely EVERYTHING will turn out honky-dory if you just follow your heart no matter what the smart part of your brain tells you.
But that didn't always mean you're doomed to fail miserably by following your heart.
Taiwan knew this more than most people. It was by following her heart that triggered the chain of events that led to her defection. It was her instincts that led her to leave him and join the good guys, to turn over a new leaf, to seek happiness in life. She was wary, but deep down she knew that China's enemies could give her the home she never had.
And what's more, she even found true love! Sure, it's a work in progress, but it's still a wonderful thing to discover.
"But even all that in mind… WHY THE HELL DO I SUDDENLY FEEL THE NEED TO DO THIS?!" Taiwan screeched to no one. Yep, she'd definitely not losing her marbles. "Why do I feel that something happened that's related to this thing?! Why am I even still here? I'm even putting off some of the stuff of my agenda to sulk around you…
Her agenda…
Wait, wasn't she supposed to check up with her men on the whole search for the Italian spies who, for all she knew, were lurking about in her proud, beautiful, amazing country?
Taiwan squeaked, and she facepalmed herself hard.
Oh, goddamit! How the hell could she forget something so important like that! She was wallowing in self-pity so much that she's neglecting to take care of a serious problem! Grr, get a fucking grip, Taiwan! This was not the time to think about the bad parts of your past!
Groaning loudly at the top of her lungs, Taiwan scowled and kicked the wall as hard as she could, causing some old chairs to fall, but she sure as hell didn't care. She shot the mirror one last scowl before stomping out of her basement. She had a lot of better stuff to do than to waste time thinking about that jerk. She should spend time thinking about his much more appealing twin brother… and the whole spy thing.
The thought of the red-headed, hot-headed true love immediately helped brighten up her mood.
No, no, come on, focus, Taiwan. Focus on dealing with possible security breach now and fantasize about America later! Think, he wouldn't be happy knowing that she's neglecting her duties, would he?
No, he wouldn't. He'd want Taiwan to get out there, track down any spies and beat the crap outta them!
"Just you wait, you Italian rodents! When I get a hold of you bastards, I'll clock you all right into the next realm!" Taiwan shook her fist angrily, before something occurred to her. "That is, if you really are in my country… But if you are, prepare yourselves to experience the worst beating of your lives!"
Yeah, she'll kick them right in the Leaning Tower of Pisa!
…The Leaning Tower of Pisa's located in Northern Italy, right?
Oh, whatever! She had work to do.
/ / / / /
(Japanese Fantasy Music - Honō no Megami)
Sometimes being the tyrannical leader of his nation could be quite dull when there was no one to torment for the moment.
The red-eyed Asian leaned his head on his cheek while he stared off in boredom from his office while brandishing his katana.
Ah, no, don't get him wrong. He loved having power and order at last after years of annoyances. But there were times where Japan missed the days when those worthless humans had that disgusting thing called 'hope'. He always had more things to do during that time. Nowadays they'll either live in despair or try to make the most of things, but very rarely attempt to rebel.
While he was extremely pleased that those lower beings have learned their lesson for the most part, that they now know not to act ungrateful when they're lucky that they haven't been starved to near death (at least not since the nineties), and that the propaganda was even working, Japan will grudgingly admit that he missed crushing the hopes of his people.
What's more, every time the rebels inevitably lost, the people would fall further into despair, therefore solidifying Japan's control over his nation even further. It was a win-win situation, as the Westerners say.
Hmm, but at least today wasn't boring. No, he'd even say he's feeling quite happy today.
Italy had called him again earlier today, wanting to discuss a few things, and Japan was more than pleased to hear that that mad European wasn't in such a snappy mood again. He was even sort of polite. Maybe Italy finally had a good night's sleep. Whatever the case, Japan didn't care in the slightest. It's already grating working with the man, the least Italy could do was have good manners.
While Italy was annoying, although Japan could say for certain that the feeling was mutual, he did know what he's doing despite what many people might believe. Japan wouldn't spend so many years being this man's ally if he was a bratty, cowardly, overly arrogant and stupid man.
Well, alright, his personality could be quite grating and extremely annoying, but Japan was willing to forgive all that and not decapitate him because he's interesting. His past, his goals, his cleverness, it's all interesting.
Oh, but Japan's not just in it for the ride. He's going to make sure he'll get something of value out of this strange but fascinating plan Italy told him about. They had a deal. While Italy will get to enjoy the stress of ruling the world populated by idiots and human trash, Japan will be left to his devices ruling all over East Asia, tormenting the foolish members of his 'family'.
Fortunately, as power-hungry Italy as the rest of them, not even he was willing to spend eternity managing the living migraine-inducing embodiment of a pain in the ass that was Taiwan.
Why must a beautiful girl with such an impressive figure be so annoying? She was hardly even annoying back when she was loyal to China. No, she was much more ideal then. Honestly, that damn America's uncouthness was infectious. Well, Japan will have a lot of work to do when he finally had her in his clutches.
…But he's straying too far from the main-topic, please forgive him for that. Speaking of the plan, that very same thing was the subject the two of them spent the majority of their conversation speaking about. The European had finally decided that it was time to begin the so called 'great plan'.
Italy didn't exactly fill Japan in on all the details, but he did share enough to pique the latter's interest and revealed a few more details over time. But from what Japan did know, it's going to be quite the adventure.
But one thing Japan just failed to understand, or rather, failed to convince Italy the futility of, was how the fuck was that guy going to convince his brother to side with them?
/ / / / /
(Deltarune OST: Hip Shop)
The little get-together was pretty fun.
And all the stories Gillen told her, they ranged from hilarious to borderline bizarre Who would've thought that Allen was once transformed into a girl by Haiti, and fought alongside Saudi Arabia disguised as a teenager during a war? Who would've thought Gillen and Austria almost got married?
She's not going to lie. If it weren't for the fact that Gillen seemed to truly hate Dark World Austria's guts and scowled at the mention of him, she totally would've squealed at the mental images it conjured up in her not-so-pure mind.
But all good things must come to an end. And as much as Hungary had fun, both she and America had a home to get to.
Gillen had actually managed to prevent Allen and America from starting another racing competition on the way back to the UN Headquarters (or Trinity Alliance Headquarters as Allen angrily corrected her, but it's a bit of mouthful, so…), but it still didn't stop the blonde cowboy from driving the motorcycle like a maniac… and Hungary loved every minute of it.
And when they arrived, the three oddball nations (yes, she's aware that's rich coming from her), went out of their way to show her around the building some more, telling more about the building's history along the way. Apparently the Trinity Alliance was a group of 'good guy' or 'not so bad guy' nations whose main mission was to strengthen the power of the non-evil nations, find a way to overthrow and defeat their enemies, and prevent all-out war from happening, among other things.
In other words, the UN but they're actually competent and effectual.
Hungary had actually garnered confused or shocked looks from the three when she
"This is it." America announced as he walked up to the door leading to the Dark World's version of the supply closet. "This is our way back home, Liz, the same place we used to come to the Dark World. 'Course, there's other options, but this is the way we need to go."
Hungary stared off into the Dark World's UN Head quarter's supply closet portal thing (Wow. That was a mouthful) and she felt a chill go down her spine. Just like before, when America first opened the door of the supply closet of their world, there was nothing visible in the room but pure darkness.
What's more, Hungary couldn't help but pale and take a wary step back when she had once again witnessed the pitch black room cast a long shadow and the hallway's lights go out. Oh, goodness, was that dramatic effect really necessary? It wasn't helping with her nerves. Well, yes, it's not like nothing bad was going to happen, but it's still far from pleasant. She definitely needed to later ask America what's with the whole darkness thing.
She shuddered "Please tell me we won't have to fall into endless darkness and fall unconscious again."
America smiled at her reassuringly and waved his hand. "Aw, no, no, no, that's only in the trip to the Dark World. The trip to the Light World is totally different. No falling and unconsciousness involved, promise."
"Different how, exactly?" Hungary asked uneasily, despite America's reassurances. "Will we have to be swallowed up by a monster or something?"
America laughed, and Hungary weakly laughed along with him. "Of course not, Betsy! From my previous awesome experiences with my buddy Tony, all we have to do is run into the closet together. We'll run and run until we black out for about a second or two, and we'll be right back in the Light World."
Hungary perked up considerably at that. "Oh… really? That's good then."
"Yup. So let's say our last goodbyes, then." America told her, and he turned around to face the Dark World nations. "Hey, guys, thanks so much for helping us have a great time."
"It was our pleasure, Alfredo." Flavio said proudly, with a smile that Hungary still couldn't get used to seeing on Romano's face. "Oh, we had so much fun with you and Miss Elizaveta.
"You know you're welcome here anytime, man," Allen smiled in a manner too similar to America's, but it then turned into a smirked when he glanced at Hungary. "Even Betsy over there."
"Ja, you are both welcome here." Gillen stated with a smile that made Hungary want to giggle madly, nodding. "I hope that despite our current circumstances, we can all meet each other again soon."
With that, Gillen looked straight at her.
"Elizaveta, I… I'm glad to have met you, today." Gillen began awkwardly, but in such in an adorable way with such an adorkable smile that Hungary inwardly squealed. "It was… quite pleasant and interesting, to say the least. I hope we can continue to become good friends, and to see each other as their person."
"I feel the same way, Gillen." Hungary smiled back at him. And when he reached out his hand, she took it. "We should have another one of our talks next time we come here. I still need to finish that story about how God ordered me to hit France with a frying pan, remember?"
Gillen's smile twitched. "J-Ja… Quite right…"
Her next goodbye was to Flavio, who was beaming as always. "Oh, it's been very fun with you, Miss Elizaveta. I'm glad you've forgiven me over that whole leaving you and Allen in the kitchen thing, but everything turned out for the best! Why, I'd say you're as charming as Erszi herself!"
Hungary giggled. "Oh, thank you, Flavio."
"I'll be certainly looking forward for when you two meet. Oh, and there's still so much the four of us can do together…" Flavio sighed happily, until he suddenly brightened and snapped his fingers. "Ooh! And I'll be sure to provide you with all sorts of fashion tips and ideas for new clothes the next time you pop by-"
"Yes, yes. Goodbye, Flavio!" Hungary quickly said before leaving to talk with the last person she needed to say goodbye to. Because if she heard one more comment about her clothes…!
Surprise surprise, Allen was standing there with his arms crossed and a slightly grumpy look on his face.
"So…" Hungary started awkwardly, fiddling with her fingers. "I guess this is goodbye."
"Yeah, it is…" Allen said gruffly, and he quietly stared at her with an unreadable expression (which was a little creepy), before he scowled and looked to the side. "You know, it fucking pains me to say this, but I envy you, Betsy."
Hungary was taken aback by this. "W-Why is that?"
"'Cause you get to go back to the Light World with him, duh." Allen rolled his eyes, but he frowned. "We Darkners can't, remember? The mirrors are all I have. But the others…"
Hungary felt a little stupid for not realizing that earlier, and she cast her eyes to the floor, biting her lip. "Oh."
"Yeah, 'oh'." Allen snapped bitterly, and he grabbed at his red hair. "I- We don't even know why Al's the only one who can past the barrier, or why he can only bring someone from the Light World. I-I've tried to go with him so many damn times but I…"
Allen trembled, gritting his teeth, and for a moment Hungary was concerned that he might last out. But after a few moments, he calmed down and lowered his hands, sighing.
"I just… end up crashing into a wall… Right after Al vanishes from my sight."
Hungary frowned and wanted to try to comfort him, but then she figured that Allen wouldn't want pity, so she went another route. "Oh… Well, that is a shame. But hey, what matters is that you can meet him with the mirrors and when he comes back, right? At least Alfred can come here whenever he wants."
To her relief, it did seem to help him a little. Allen's expression softened somewhat. "Yeah, I guess… I am grateful for that. But still, how cool would it be, strolling right into the your damn meeting room and showing everyone's who's boss? How cool would it be, to beat up Al's enemies? How cool would it be, to see Dad's…"
Allen's eyes suddenly widened as he stopped himself, and then he relaxed. Hungary wondered what he was going to say.
"But I guess I shouldn't be so damn ungrateful." Allen chuckled quietly. "Life isn't fair. I should be happy with what I've got."
Allen was quiet for a while, and Hungary was still thinking about what to say. She's still trying to get used to not expecting to get snarky comments from him every five minutes.
"Hey…" Allen suddenly spoke again. "Since you're gonna be visiting from now on too, then can I ask you to do a favor for this badass piece of shit, Betsy? For Alfred too?"
Hungary gave him a warm smile, hoping it'll help. "I think I can. What do you want?"
"Be there for him, Betsy." Allen ordered her. With a softness in his voice that Hungary hadn't heard before. "If you really do understand him and want to support him, be there for him when I can't. You already proved yourself by standing up to your world's shitty ways, so now go, be there for each other, and try to build a better future for your nations together, aight?"
Wow… Allen… trusted her with doing that? Who was this man and what did he do to the real Allen?
But in all seriousness, Hungary did want that too. But their world was cruel, and America was the world superpower, so… Still, Hungary will do her best and stick by America, after everything's that happened today. She wanted to be better friends with him. If she could do it for Poland than she certainly she could do the same for America, right?
Hungary nodding, smiling confidently, "I will, I mean it."
"Good." Allen sighed in relief, but of course, he then glared at her. "But remember, I'm still keeping an eye on-"
"Alfred, I think it's time we go home now!"
The two of them were standing in front of the door. America had taken a sort of sprinting position, and Hungary decided to do the same. She took one last glance at her surroundings, and at the bright lights of New York City and the red sun of the Dark World.
"You ready, Liz?"
"If you are."
"Okie dokie. Then we're off!" America's eyes sparkled, and he looked back to give one last grin and wave goodbye at the Darkners. "See ya next time, guys!"
"Arrivederci, you two!" Flavio cried out. Goodness, he was actually crying. "Stay fabulous!
"Auf Wiedersehen. God bless you both!" Gillen declared, a bright smile on his face.
Last but not least, Allen gave them one last smirked, and flashed a thumbs-up. "Good luck with your shitty world, you guys! Remember to show the world who's boss!"
And with that, America sped off into the darkness, with Hungary following suit.
They ran, and ran…
Until…
/ / / / /
(MLP Gypsy Bard Instrumental)
Belarus let out a small huff at the mark on the window that just wouldn't vanish no matter how much she sprayed and wipe it. Oh, Mr. Mark-On-Window-That-Belarus-Hoped-To-God-Wasn't-A-Scratch, why did you have to be so stubborn today? She wanted the house to be spotless for Big Brother!
The blonde haired made a sound akin to a whimper or a whine, or maybe even a sob, and sprayed on the spot on the window where the mark was again, careful not to stain her favorite pink dress. Oh, she better not get it dirty. She had just washed it! And Russia liked seeing her in this dress.
Well, Russia actually said that it was that that dress wasn't as painful to look at as much of others, and even that's a softer version of what he actually said. B-But Belarus was sure that that's just Big Brother's own unique way of complementing her dress! He… He wasn't very good at socializing after all. O-Oh! But she'd never say that to him, no, never! It could break his poor heart… even if he literally kept in a box.
At least it appeared that Big Brother hadn't noticed that the house was only 99% spotless. B-B-But that's not excuse! She needed to clean off that mark (which hopefully wasn't scratching or anything that'll remain there permanently) no matter how long it'll take.
She just hoped Russia won't notice that she's been slacking off… a little. But fortunately for her, it looked like big brother was going to be secluded in his room more so than usual. Um, she didn't really know why though. He's been acting pretty pensive and apathetic lately (although unbeknownst to her, he's like this all the time…) since the last meeting.
…Could he be planning a way to get rid of Italy once and for all? Russia did have a habit of spending a really long time in his room thinking about how he could get rid of the people he doesn't like…
Oh. Will the General be involved in this? Will Belarus and Ukraine be involved in this? She didn't want to take part of an assassination. They're much messy, very mean, super rude, extremely wrong, and plenty evil and Russia won't let her buy a stealth outfit that's colored pink!
W-Well, this was all just mere speculation but still! It sounded likely… The Russia planning something super big and scary part.
Oh, dear. Poor Italy. Sure, he's a big meanie with a dirty mouth that almost rivaled Big Sister's, he's super rude and had made fun of Belarus in front of everyone more than once… but even so, she hoped big brother will go easy on him…
Although if Russia's planning to do something bad to Italy, why was he spending his time staring at a map of America?
/ / / / /
Going back to the Light World was… kind of weird, to be honest.
Then all of a sudden she completely blacked out. It was lasted for about… a few seconds? A minute or two? Hungary honestly couldn't tell.
But then, similar to a nasty surprise scare from a horror movie, except that it was only surprising but not terrifying, the darkness suddenly vanished from her vision and she found herself running through a dim-witted surprise closet. The shock was just as bad as you'd think it'd be.
Completely disoriented, Hungary gasped in surprise, staggered for a second before falling and crashing onto the smelly floor along with America.
Oh… Oh goodness, that was… that was just… a lot to take in.
"Did… Did we do it? Are we really back in our world?" Hungary drawled as she rubbed her eyes. "And just to be clear, everything that just happened did happen… right?"
God, she hoped it wasn't all a dream or a vivid hallucination caused by something Hungary must've drank earlier. That would just be too cruel. But it was too real to not be too.
"Yeah… Don't worry, Liz. It was all real." She heard America promise, and when she opened her eyes, she saw him standing up in front of her and smiling down. "And we're home."
Hungary chuckled a little in relief. "Perfect, perfect…
"Come on, let me help ya up, Lizzy." America smiled kindly and offered his hand. "Least I can do for the rough trip."
Blinking away the spots she was seeing, Hungary smiled back and grabbed America's then, then she let out an 'Oh!' when she was not-so-gently immediately pulled back up to her feet. Oh, she forgot about that monstrous strength of his.
She took the opportunity to get a better look of her surroundings, and she got a good whiff of the place too. Yep, they're definitely in the supply closet in the UN Headquarters in the World of Light. They're home.
"Is it always like this when you come back?" Hungary asked, still feeling a little off.
"Hah… Only on the first few tries, Liz. It's something that needs some getting used to." America smiled weakly as he adjusted his glasses, which Hungary just noticed had vanished when they arrived at the Dark World. "Trust me, I'm feeling it too. Reminds me of my earliest trips…"
"I feel dizzy and… a little confused." But even with that, Hungary managed to not to stumble, and she rubbed her head.
"Yup, that's pretty how it feels like." America laughed a little tiredly, but he was still all smiles as always. "Then again, it's not like everyone's done inter-dimensional travel at some point, of course it's gonna feel super weird and stuff. Or maybe it's also because I'm not used to bringing another dude with me and back."
America's back to his usual appearance and attire again. Gone was his cowboy getup and surfer hair to be replaced by his normal shorter hair and uniform with his signature bomber jacket respectively. It's pretty bizarre…
Hungary, still feeling a little dizzy and in awe at everything that's transpired today, let out a breathless chuckle. Too bad, he really looked handsome like that… although his normal look wasn't bad by any means. Oh, but she's definitely going to find a way to make him let his hair grow out one way or another…
Speaking of normal appearances, Hungary blinked and stared down at her hands then at her clothes. Naturally, she's back to the clothes she was wearing. Yup, she's back to wearing the old military uniform she was so fond of wearing at meetings along with her black gloves and boots. It's as if she never changed in the first place. To think that it was only a little while ago that she was wearing a funky version of her country's traditional dress…
Hungary had to laugh a little, although she wasn't sure if it's because she's still reeling from the portal thing or more likely because she's still so amazed with everything she's saw and discovered today. It all feels too good to be true…
She couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment at seeing her 'Dark World clothes' gone. Hungary really liked that dress, and the skirt, wow, the skirt was, as Poland would no doubt say, 'fabulous~'. Well, at least she'll get to wear it again when she came back for another visit.
Another visit…
"Oh, what a day!" Hungary sighed loudly, before deciding to laugh out of the pure joy in her heart, unknowingly leaning on America for support. "What. A. Day… Oh god, I can't believe what a crazy day I've had."
'"Cause it's probably one of the best days you've ever had?" America asked hopefully, blue eyes twinkling.
Hungary smirked and lightly nudged his shoulder. "Probably. Or maybe because I discovered that you have an alternate world in your supply closet filled with doppelgangers of us including but limited to a cussing, cranky version of you, a more pleasant but metrosexual version of Romano, and the best version of Prussia anyone could ever conceive. But yes, in the end, it was a pretty good day."
"You bet it was, Liz. It was awesome!" America beamed. "But hey, I told you, the supply closet's only the portal to the Dark World. You know, like Narnia! It's just an entrance, the other world's is just that, another world.
"By the way, you still haven't explained how that whole thing came to be or how it works." Hungary crossed her arms while smiling at him expectantly.
"And I totally will, dude… After I tell Artie to chillax and not chew me out for ditching the meeting." America grinned before taking out his phone his pocket, when he then winced. "'Cause if I'm not wrong, I think we spent a couple hours on the other side and missed the whole meeting. Also, I think we might've run some people over when we were chasing Kiwi and Aussie for their cuddly cute animals. But who cares about that?"
Hungary furrowed her brow in concern, feeling a bitter taste in her throat at the realization that she still had the EU to deal with. Not to mention that Poland will be wondering just where the hell did she up and disappear to.
She tried not to sigh. "Oh yes, I forgot about that. We pretty much skipped the rest of the meeting, didn't we?"
"Y-Yeah
"I meant it when I said that we really need to see each other more often, you know." Hungary told him earnestly, smiling.
America brightened up like the sun after he said that, and he nodded profusely. "I totally agree, dude. We should
"Problem is that my boss's one super strict guy. It's hard to convince him to give me a day off. And I've been busy with paperwork for weeks. It's part of the reason why I haven't visited the guys for a while."
Hungary felt a pang of d "I… I guess I have the same problem too, Alfred. My boss's been dealing with a couple issues and I think it'd be best if I'm there for him… He's been a little stressed out as of late."
America rubbed the back of his head, averting his eyes. "Yeah."
"So…" Hungary bit her lip.
"When do you think we can meet up?" America finished for her.
Hungary pondered on that for a moment, and when she opened her mouth to respond, she was unexpectedly cut off by her phone's ringtone. Nearly flinching, she hastily searched for it as she tried not to let the awkwardness bother her. Oh, she's forgotten she's had her phone with her. America told her that their phones didn't work in the Dark World, and Hungary remembered him mentioning that trying to call someone will only get you a 'super creepy static'
For a moment Hungary was scared that she lost it on the journey back here, but she was relieved when she found in her one of her pockets. But she was baffled when she saw the number on the screen. Why was her boss calling her?
As soon as that thought passed, her eyes widened when she heard rock music playing in her ears, and she glanced to see America .
Deciding on finding out what her boss wanted to talk about first, then ask America her questions later, Hungary put the phone and prayed to God that her boss didn't find out that she pretty much ditched the rest of the meeting… Oh, she's in so much trouble.
Still, Hungary cleared her throat, and spoke formally for her boss. "Jó napot, sir! How may I help you? Y-Yes, the meeting is over. But, ah… Um, if this is because of something the UK or Germany said, then I…"
Meanwhile, she also overheard America talking to his caller. "Yo, boss! How's it hanging? What I can do for ya?"
Good God, him too?!
"Oh, you have some important news for me? What is it? What's wrong?"
"Ooh, something important? Sure, lay it on me, boss."
Hungary listened to her boss's answer, and she could've sworn her job dropped to the ground. "Wait, what?"
"Say what?" America exclaimed?"
No way… They were really going to… This almost sounded too good to be true, but she couldn't help the smile slowly making its way to her face."R-Really? You're going to meet with him for a bilateral meeting next week? And I'll be going with you? A-Are you serious, sir?"
"Whoa, whoa, boss… Say what now? You've been speaking with the guy and you're gonna meet him around one week from now? And I'll be there with ya?"
"Problem? No, no, no, there's no problem at all! I'm overjoyed at the news!" Hungary laughed in delight, not believing her luck." I-I've actually been planning on suggesting on strengthening our relations with the United States, but I'm very happy to see that you're one step ahead of me as always! Thank you so much, sir."
"What? Hell no! I don't get any problem with it! In fact, I was so gonna talk to you about getting closer with Hungary, but guess I should've known you were one step ahead of me. She's super nice, boss. I think strengthening relations will be totally worth it! I really don't how to thank you, boss. And here I was, worrying that I won't be able to see her anytime soon, haha!"
"Igen, of course I'm looking forward to it! I agree, we'll speak more of this when I come home to Budapest."
"Yeah. We'll talk this more when I get back to Washington.
"Again, thank you so much!"
"See ya later, boss!"
With that, Hungary hanged up, having the biggest smile on her face, and she whirled around to face Alfred. "Alfred! ALFRED! You won't believe this. My boss just called! He's going to be visiting your boss in your capital and-"
"You'll be going with me, and I'll be there to host you!" America finished with an excited grin, and Hungary blinked. "My boss called me, he told me the same news! The visit's next week!"
"I KNOW! I can't believe our luck!"
"Yeah, me neither, dude. Looks like we're gonna be seeing the gang a lot sooner than we thought, huh?"
"Y-Yes! It looks like it!" Hungary laughed breathlessly, and she took America's hand in her own. In a reversal of roles, Hungary was now the one dragging him. "But we can celebrate that in a bit. We still have some business to attend to do. Now, come on, let's deal with them together."
America nodded, a determined glint in his eyes. "Yeah, let's do this."
And with that, hand in hand, smile and smile, the two Ligthners left feeling a lot happier than what they'd thought they'd be today.
/ / / / /
Curious…
This unexpected event is very, very curious… The boy brought another player into the game… curious… Not what I had expected at all…
No matter.
In fact, perhaps it is better this way. This will change nothing. Perhaps this will make things more fun…
Yes.
This new development will be… very, very interesting…
…
You. I know you are watching.
I know you are observing them too.
Why so quiet?
Why have you not said anything?
Are you… afraid?
…
Jealous, possibly?
…
It is rude to keep someone waiting.
…
I know, I know…
So…
What do you think?
YES! Finally movinng on to the main plot. Sorry that it ended up taking a bit longer than expected, but I hope you're enjoying this story nonetheless. Oh, and fun fact: The US president and the Hungarian PM did actually have a meeting a few months ago. I was actually thinking of having that happen in the story, but it's still pretty funny that it ended up happening in real life. XD
Please review if you have a minute.