Things like fate and karma are things for little kids and girls. Nothing like that ever happens in real life, except for maybe some flukes here and there. Believing in fantastical ideals was tempting, but it just seemed so fake sometimes. The way people would sell it and manipulate it. Even so… when Hong Kong found those eyes again, he really wanted to believe. In destiny. In fate. In those curious violet eyes.
Even more so when Hong Kong and the pretty teenager had touched lips. Kissing, that's an adult thing, isn't it? He'd kissed his siblings before, sometimes Yao-baba, but only on the cheek. Baba said it was something he'd explain when Hong Kong was older. But he'd kissed a stranger! Hong Kong looked at the person he was sitting on.
No, they weren't strangers. So it was ok.
The boy who was a stranger but wasn't a stranger was giving him a weird look. Hong Kong could tell because he was only a few inches away. Wow, his face was really intriguing. It was angled slightly, and his eyes seemed huge, like a cat's. His nose was delicate, but not feminine. White hair fell across his forehead in swept bangs and curled slightly over his ears. Hong Kong had seen pretty people in magazines and movies and the videos Japan-gege showed him sometimes, but this guy was the first he'd seen in real life.
He realized his human cushion had said something to him.
"…What?"
"Ok, first of all, that's my line, and second of all, did you just, did you just set off a bomb in the… guy's bathroom? And … how did you do that thing?" The boy looked so baffled and disturbed. His voice was thick with confusion. It was hilarious. A slow, feline grin passed over Hong Kong's face.
"Yeah," he said. Then he felt a sudden wetness on his back. The water sprinklers had come on and they were determined to do their job. It didn't take a minute for the duo on the ground to be absolutely, utterly, hair-sticking-to-face drenched. Hong Kong sneezed and the boy winced at the uncomfortable feeling of wet clothes.
Hong Kong looked up and saw the doors to the meeting room open quickly. They slammed against the wall with a bang. Unsurprisingly, the rain sprinklers had also come on in the meeting room. A very wet England stormed out into the hallway and immediately spotted Hong Kong. They locked eyes. England's narrowed. Hong Kong stuck out his tongue.
Right behind England came a person Hong Kong didn't recognize. He was a little smaller than England, but not by much. A small curl of pale yellow hair escaped from his head; in fact, it wasn't attached at all. His face was expressionless and bore a similarity to the white haired boy. A blue sailor-styled outfit contrasted with his serious demeanor.
The wet eyebrows man trod across the carpet tersely. Blondie followed. It was obvious that England was peeved, but as he approached, his anger faded into amazement. He quickly knelt down and picked up Hong Kong from under his armpits. Hong Kong blinked in surprise, startled. He hadn't realized that he had returned to his smaller frame, and he absentmindedly worried that his pants were gonna fall off.
"You're a kid!" England gasped. His eyes were wide with amazement, then narrowed in confusion. He looked over Hong Kong quickly, like he had missed something important, then swiveled his head toward the pretty snow haired boy. He was being examined by the blonde nation, looking somewhat irritated. After a moment, blondie seemed satisfied and knelt back, finally looking at Hong Kong and England. The island nation cleared his throat. "Erm. I think… we need to talk."
England held eyes with the other blonde for a moment, then glanced back towards to the younger pair of nations. He looked back and tapped his lips. Understanding lit up the other country's eyes and England nodded.
"I will call off the meeting. Meet me afterwards." The blonde pointed a finger at Hong Kong. "Bring him. And then you will explain this."
~HKHK~
"I'm …what?" Iceland exclaimed incredulously. Both England and Norway looked at him with expressions of exasperation.
"Please, just let me finish," England pleaded. He looked strained and at the end of his metaphorical rope. It had been a very long day and Iceland's questions weren't helping matters. He and Norway were sitting conspiratorially together, whispering and muttering so that Iceland couldn't hear.
Iceland swallowed his vexation and sat back in his chair. Instead of sopping wet dress clothes, he had changed into a dry white t-shirt and jeans. His hair wasn't completely dry, but at least it wasn't getting his neck wet. He rolled his eyes and rubbed his hands on his thighs in annoyance. Ugh, he hated being treated like a kid when it was obvious he was part of this somehow. Whatever this was. And speaking of kids… He crossed his arms and looked over at the chair next to him.
The boy was sitting on his legs, seiza-style on the chair. He too had changed clothes and was now wearing a light gray shirt and slacks. Boredom radiated off of him and he saw the young asian stifle a yawn. His name was mentioned a couple times in the conversation, and through that Iceland had identified him as Hong Kong. Iceland hadn't recognized him earlier, but continued exposure had awakened Iceland's memory and he knew he'd seen the other at some country meetings. Hong Kong was part of China's entourage, along with littler countries like Taiwan. That explained his looks: dark brown hair, like China's, and the same eyes. Wasn't he attached to China, geographically speaking? Maybe he was autonomous.
Hong Kong caught Iceland looking at him and gazed at him curiously. Iceland instinctively looked away. Awkward…Iceland thought, and tried to pretend that the impostor Cézanne painting on the wall was the most interesting thing in the world. Human years weren't the same as nations years; every nation he was acquainted with was at least 200 years old. But even so, Iceland was in the period of "nationhood" that corresponded to teenage years, and with that came teenage social anxiety.
In short, he wasn't social and preferred it that way.
After a few moments, he risked glancing back, and saw that Hong Kong was still staring at him with inscrutable brown eyes. He began to get flustered.
Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to stare!He wanted to say. He even got as far as opening his mouth. Then England chose that moment to bring Iceland and Hong Kong back into the conversation.
"So. This situation in itself isn't ideal, but it is what it is." England harrumphed and rubbed his hands together. Norway looked slightly harrowed, but held his composure.
"Where to begin…" The big-browed man looked up at the white plaster ceiling. He looked a lot like a kid who had to give a presentation in class and really didn't want to. "Hong Kong. Because of an unfortunate, uh, accident, you have a reaction of sorts. Basically… you age. According to previous experience, it seems like you age to around a physical age of 18 or 19. It is currently unknown what exactly causes you to age." England paused and grunted in annoyance. "Alas, my spell book was not that clear. And it didn't give any immediate remedies, either."
"And yet you have somehow managed to counteract the effects of the spell," Norway interrupted, staring at Hong Kong. His eyes narrowed. "How… is the subject of our curiosity." England's and Norway's stares intensified and looked at the small nation like he was a fascinating test subject.
"With a 'Princess' Kiss,' I'd venture." England said slowly, after a few moments of consideration. "It's considered to be the ultimate spell to undo magic. To transform a prince from a frog or a beast or to destroy an eternal sleep spell. If the person has found their beloved and they kiss, that should reverse any type of magic. That is the power of the legendary 'Princess' Kiss.' At least, that's how it goes." England chewed his lip.
"But Hong Kong is merely a child," Norway said. "By nation standards, he's quite young. It is highly unlikely that he'd have found someone—"
"I have." Hong Kong turned to face Iceland, shifting in his chair slightly. "It's you."
WHAT.
Something like a volcanic eruption happened on Iceland's face, and he began to sputter incoherently. His throat constricted, and he found himself coughing. He could still feel Hong Kong's eyes. This is ridiculous! He's just a kid! And what the hell? We've only known each other for like, a DAY!
Norway watched, a fist held against his lips in thought.
"Well. Isn't this an interesting development… It follows then that the two must share housing."
Iceland turned to gape at Norway. He was horrified that the other nation was even considering the notion.
"Whoa! How'd you come to that conclusion? Don't I get a say in the matter?! I'm not a tool," he gasped, "—to fix someone else's mistake. And… kisses should be saved for somebody that you really have feelings for. A fated person. Not this." God, why did he sound like a melodramatic girl? He turned a brighter shade of red. It was no point holding back his true sentiments, but even so, how embarrassing.
"A fated person?" Hong Kong said slowly. "Can't I be that?"
Iceland stared at him. A lightning bolt of tension shot through the room.
"… Do you even know what a fated person is?"
"Not really."
"You—!"
"Iceland, calm down. Nations have to look out for each other, and this one needs your help. If you don't help him, he could end up in a very, very precarious situation." Iceland looked away, trying to avoid Norway's condemnation.
"A mature person wouldn't be getting this worked up." God, he really knew how to push Iceland's buttons. "Adults don't shirk their responsibilities." Stupid Norway. "Wouldn't you like to prove yourself as a nation?" After a few minutes of simmering in anger, Iceland felt his resolve crumble.
He exhaled tensely.
"Fine," he grumbled through gritted teeth. "The ankle biter can stay with me. But I'm not gonna kiss him."
Norway seemed satiated, but England was stiff with anxiety. He looked like he wanted to argue with Iceland. Norway caught his gaze and shook his head subtly before the Brit could get his words out. England refrained from speaking but looked as put out as Iceland felt.
The roomed was still strained, but the situation had been resolved as best as possible. England and Norway agreed that Hong Kong and Iceland should be excused from the World Meeting and return to Iceland's house. They also said that Hong Kong's situation should be kept secret from other nations. England reasoned that even though Hong Kong had appeared in that day's meeting as an adult, he didn't cause that much of a commotion (aside from setting off a smoke bomb in the boy's room) and countries wouldn't remember him.
"No offense, lad, but you're a quite the quiet one." England managed to let out a small chuckle. "And, well, I'd rather that your situation be kept secret for your safety. Ideally, I would like to be with you, considering I'm your current guardian, but… I can't do that and keep my own country in tip-top shape. Norway has promised to stop in and check on you for me. If you have any questions, call him." England drew himself up and got out of his chair. He turned toward the door, making to leave, then turned back toward Hong Kong with a little apprehension in his face. "I'll be back, I promise." He offered a pinky to the little child.
Hong Kong looked at it. Then he turned his head away and stared at the white wall emotionlessly.
Looking pained, England bid the other two countries farewell and departed.
After England left, Norway spoke again. "You too ought to leave tomorrow. It's not necessarily urgent, but if you do stay here longer, Hong Kong should stay inside and out of sight. Iceland, I trust your judgement."
"Yeah, well. Thanks for nothing, Nor—"
"Big Brother."
"Just shut up and leave."
A/N: How do I use this site again. Ah, well, anyway, I'm gonna try giving this fic a shot again. I'm sorry if my style's changed a bit… But hopefully it's a change for the better.
Poor England. Maybe he'll get through to HK one day.
Please leave reviews! It helps keep me motivated. XD Maybe I will re-write previous chapters later… reading them now is almost physically painful.
