20/3/2016 If you are new to this story, please look to Chapter 26 for the latest information about editing.
This chapter also starts up a very small part of the Hearts arc, there's something I'd like to explore with the backstory but I haven't quite thought of it, so we'll see!
Toris-Lithuania
Feliks-Poland
Scarlet-nyo!China
Sophia-nyo!Austria
As always, I do not own Hetalia nor The Selection. They belong to Hidekaz Himaruya and Kiera Cass respectively.
Kiku had already zipped on his scarlet jumpsuit for the night, his hands already preoccupied with thumbing through his comic. A cup of steaming green tea was sitting on his bedside table, his glasses rimmed firmly on his nose and his legs crossed elegantly.
Finishing the last page of his book, he folded the book neatly and reached for another one, his fingers catching on the hilt of the camera strap in his duffel bag, placed on the foot of the bedside table. The touch set off a set of embarrassing memories the teenager would have not liked to remember…
The day had started off weirdly enough, Kiku striking up a timid conversation with the brown haired boy, whose name was revealed to be Toris, and his friend, a boy named Feliks. The trio had stuck together through the trip, in which Feliks blabbered on about random topics and Toris pitched in from time to time politely, while Kiku was feverishly taking photos of the brief trip, inspired by the stunning sights, only pausing to answer a question posed directly at him, and apologizing feverishly, to which both boys reassured him that it was fine, and please, to stop apologizing, which naturally, drew out another flustered apology.
They had disbanded when they were allowed to roam the palace grounds for a few hours as a self induced tour, where Kiku had allowed himself to wander from his newly minted acquaintances to find new places to take pictures for his photo album. On the side, he was hoping to catch a glimpse of Heracles, who he was convinced was lurking in the palace walls, waiting to catch him alone.
The latter didn't have any luck, but he found several beautiful spots to take snapshots of, including the regal throne room, draped with luscious red velvet, and the glorious gardens, rows and rows of roses that were particularly red. He'd joined up with one of the girls, her black hair tied up in buns with two ribbons called Scarlet. They both shared a love of photography and history, and they toured the library and the small painting gallery, talking enthusiastically, more on her side, on the way. They discovered a brown haired girl with a fierce plum streak in her hair trailing behind them shyly when they moved to the gardens. Scarlet invited them to join them, and the girl introduced herself as Sophia. They then adjourned to the lavish music room, which Sophia read out from a plaque that the Jack Feliciano Vargas had a love for music he inherited from his mentors the Queen and Jack of Clubs Elizabeta and Roderich Edelstein, and that he had requested this room as a tribute of some sorts.
She proceeded to sit on the chair, Kiku and Scarlet perching precariously on the other sides of her while her pale fingers tickled the shiny white ivories of the piano. Her companions listened, spellbound. Kiku had remarked about how well she played, and Scarlet gushed about how she could teach her quite a few things about music. Sophia accepted the praise, blushing, and they split up after that, Scarlet clamouring for more of her friend's music and Kiku simply wanting to take more pictures and search for Heracles, turning around and taking a few snapshots of the two friends happily playing piano and admiring the ballroom.
That was where everything went wrong.
Kiku was wandering back and forth the drawing room, waiting half an hour early for their allotted returning time as his habit, before he wandered off to the kitchens, one of the places where he wasn't expected to go, and for a good reason.
He heard a clamouring chant of 'pasta!' and he scooted around the corner quickly to see…
...the Jack of Hearts himself, Feliciano Vargas, twirl around a forkful of spaghetti bolognaise, holding out the forkful to a grumpy looking King of Hearts was holding up a plate of the same food. A fond look was on his face and a few smears of cream were around his mouth while he was feeding his Jack.
He simply couldn't help it, he giggled out loud, his hand covering his mouth out of habit. When the Jack tried to give the King a saucy kiss on the cheek, eliciting a shocked gasp from the royal, it turned it into a full scale laugh.
Unfortunately, the entire kitchen had been alerted, and Kiku found himself being ushered to the royals, his head hanging down with shame and a flurry of apologies streaming from his mouth.
"Ve...who is this?" the Jack questioned, his pasta forgotten and his playful expression turned serious.
"Speak! What is your name?" the King demanded.
"K-Kiku Honda, Your Highnesses. I am very sorry…" he stuttered, his hands shaking and his face red.
The Jack paused, his face creasing in thought.
"So you're Kiku Honda! One of our soldiers won't stop speaking about you!"
"Ah! Who...who is he? Is his name Heracles? He-Heracles Karpusi?" Kiku stuttered, his words tripping over themselves in excitement.
"Ve, something along those lines! You know him?"
"He's my-I mean, y-yes, I do. We're l-friends. Very good friends." he replied, hanging his head in grief.
He knew he couldn't speak of Heracles in that way if he wanted to stand a chance in this dangerous game of affection and royalty. He knew that the royal court would not take kindly to another burden living in their castle-he would have to keep on the down low for now, but his heart still belonged to him…
"I see. I thought it was made clear that the kitchens were not an expected place to be, Sir Kiku?" the King frowned.
"A-Ah, I am sorry, Your Highness, I got carried away when I was taking pictures of your beautiful castle." he apologized, bowing lower.
The Jack's face softened, and he murmured something in the King's ear, to which he nodded, his expression relaxing, but his gaze still stern.
"My Jack here believes that you are full of good intentions, Sir Kiku. I find you in no fault-" he began, but he was cut off by his husband.
"Ve! You don't have to be afraid, little one, don't be scared by Ludwig's big talk! He's just trying to act all scary and intimidating cos that's what kings do, but inside he's a real big softie!" Feliciano cooed, trying to hug the now blushing King.
Kiku tried to interject about the fact that he was only a few years the Jack's younger, but managed to keep his mouth shut.
"I…I do apologize for my husband's behaviour. Feli, please settle down. We are royalty and we are expected to behave that way." King Ludwig complained, flustered.
"No problem, Your Highness. You two are very cute. Oh-do you mind if I take a picture?" Kiku smiled.
"Ooh, yes please! Smile pretty for the camera, Ludwig!" Feliciano cajoled softly to his reluctant King.
"Very well, Feli-just this once!"
"Three, two, one!" Kiku called, the flash on the camera going off.
Click!
"That is a very lovely photo, Sir Kiku. You do have some skills." The King praised him, a light blush tinting his cheeks.
"Wow~ I wish I could take such a nice picture like that! You must send us a copy when they've developed!" Feliciano giggled, his floppy hat falling into his vibrant brown eyes, the back of his palm brushing it off.
"Thank you, Your Highnesses. I will give you two the images-but oh! I am very sorry, but I must adjourn to the Drawing Room for my allotted time-I will look forward to seeing you both again." Kiku smiled, bowing once more, before him and the Jack hurried over to the room, King Ludwig watching behind them.
After the nerve inducing run through with the royals of Hearts, Kiku found himself sitting in a chair, cushioned next to Toris and Feliks, as he watched the Jack talk enthusiastically about the Deciding, King Ludwig nudging him every so and forth to keep him on track and stop him blabbering about pasta, which they all found very endearing.
"Oh, I wish I had a relationship like King Ludwig and Jack Feliciano! To have someone to love you as unconditionally as them…" Kiku heard someone coo behind him.
Heracles' smiling face, his ruffled brown hair and shining green eyes ran through his mind, a pang shooting through his heart.
He knew he couldn't fall for another, he would never betray him…
Kiku clenched his fists tightly, desperate to stop the emotional pain. Knowing that Heracles was somewhere in this castle and he was not allowed to see him almost drove him mad.
Shaking out his black bangs, he concentrated on the talk. Finding Heracles would have to wait, duties had to come first.
"Sir Kiku?"
A timid voice behind his door broke him of his reverie, and he swivelled around his chair to face an ashen haired girl, her hands behind her back, trembling slightly.
It was just after dinner, and the candidates had retreated to their rooms. Toris and Feliks had asked him to come to the Library together, but he politely declined, saying that he had a letter to complete.
"It is no problem, miss-please come in." he quickly said, but she shook her head.
"One of the soldiers wanted me to deliver a message to you-I'm not supposed to tell you who it is, though…" she trailed off, her feet shifting uneasily.
Kiku's heart soared. Could it possibly be…?
"T…thank you, have a good night." he mumbled, but his hands were already halfway into ripping the envelope open.
She bowed hastily, and took her leave.
As Kiku shelled out the cluster of papers from the envelope, an intricate map fell out, along with a picture and a letter.
Picking up the map gingerly, he smoothed it out, uncramping the creases, making the image clearer. By examining the map closer, he could see it was a very advanced map of the Hearts castle, showcasing the secret entrances and detailing the various patrolling areas and when they would stop. It was a perfect map for planning a secret escape or meeting. His hands trembled with the weight of such knowledge, and he was happy to pick up the picture.
It was a slightly lopsided shot of the garden, the shot trained on the red roses, but Kiku caught a glimpse of a sleepy smile and an orange tabby and he knew at once who had sent it.
Holding the photo close to his chest, he spun around happily, his thought whirling and giddy because he knew what the picture meant.
In the early days of their relationship, Kiku and Heracles would send each other pictures to arrange meeting times between the separate facilities. One day, it would be a grainy shot of the Chinese takeaway near the Clubs border, or it would be a perfectly orchestrated polaroid of the cherry blossoms near the pond behind the mountains, near the heart of Hearts territory, enclosed in an envelope with a kiss.
The phrase flew through his mind as he picked up the letter, his eyes scanning it swiftly.
Dear Kiku,
I know that you have entered the Hearts palace for the Deciding, so I must see you again, for I love you and I miss you.
I hope you know where this place is, if not, you can see the guards' map that I've enclosed in this letter, along with my love. It is a rather well known place because that's where King Ludwig courted Jack Feliciano. Please see me at eight on the day you get this letter.
-Heracles
Kiku had already left his room, his heart hammering as he put on his formal jacket on, tassels and all, and he'd slipped on his Japanese slippers and was sprinting to the garden to meet him, his camera swinging back and forth on his chest, which he'd forgotten to take off in his haste. He was still wearing his pyjamas underneath, but that didn't matter now. All that mattered was seeing him.
As he got to the garden, he was sitting on a stone-carved bench, his gaze fixated on the moon.
"Heracles?" Kiku murmured, edging past a rose bush.
His gaze lit up, and he leapt up from the bench, calling Kiku's name.
"I am here!" he nearly sobbed with relief, the sweethearts colliding.
They crashed against one of the rose bushes, but Kiku felt like he would get thorns in his back for a week after that, but he didn't care.
He was with Heracles, and nothing else in the world mattered in that moment, as they met, Heracles' arms snaking around his waist and pulling him closer, Kiku's hands slowly making their way into his brown hair, trembling with emotion. Piercing green eyes met soulful brown ones, and in that space of time, everything seemed perfect, as they broke apart.
"You got in! I was worrying you didn't, and I couldn't see you before I...never mind, Kiku, you're here now, and that's all that matters." he murmured, his voice husky, sending a chill through the shorter boy's spine, as they linked hands and sat down on the stone bench again.
"I did, I did, Heracles! I have missed you so much. How have you been doing these past few weeks?" he asked.
"It has been pretty hard..." Heracles admitted, twisting his thumbs.
"...but it's been fun. I've made a few new friends-none as good as you or Arthur, of course-but I haven't had quite as much time to sleep or play with Corporal or Larry as much as I wanted to…but I really missed you, Kiku. Lots and lots." he said fervently, his cheeks lightly flushed.
"I have really missed you as well, Heracles-but I have made a few friends here and there."
"Do tell!"
"Well, this morning I met a boy from where it used to be someplace called Lithuania named Toris, and a boy who claims he's 'fabulous'-"
"Oh my god, you're serious?" Heracles laughed.
"Yes! He is called Feliks, and him and Toris are best friends. So this afternoon, I met two girls called Scarlet and Sophia. But that is it for now-and you obviously know Arthur-my second best friend."
"And I'm your best friend, right?" he teased, his smile shining with mirth.
"Oh, shush!" Kiku exclaimed, his face red as a cherry.
Heracles only shook out his hair, smirking, and leaned in, his fingers on Kiku's cheek as he began to close the distance.
Kiku's eyes began to close, and he could feel his breath ghosting over his lips as they leaned in, and-
-his bleary eyes opened to the dark wood of his desk, his fingers clasped around a fountain pen and his glasses askew over his unfinished letter.
A dream?
Looking frantically at the polished, ornate desk, he saw no letter, no picture of the garden, no map…
He hadn't met Heracles in the garden last night. It was all just a fantasy, a perfect dream.
Curling up, his knees pulled up against his chest, he sobbed, his hands covering his face, his hunched figure casting a shadow over the table, the weak morning sun slashing their rays through the windows.
Kiku finally realised that he and Heracles would never have their happy ending.
reviews would be appreciated. However, I would just like to let you know that this chapter is part of a side plot, and does not make up most of the story.
EDIT: 20/1/2016 This story is a lot more active than before. I update chapters at least weekly, however, the first few chapters are not very reflective of the current plot. I will try to fix this after I have gotten out more content, so please give this story a chance! Favourites, follows and reviews are very helpful to the improvement of this story.