Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 2: Nᴏᴛ Oᴠᴇʀ Yᴏᴜ : Sᴛɪʟʟ Lᴏᴠɪɴɢ Yᴏᴜ

Yao had been stressed for a month now. He won't go to world meeting unless threatened to, and drinking had been a habit for him. His face had gotten paler and dark lines are visible under his eyes. Which caused of Elizaveta's worrying.

Riiinnnggg!

Yao struggled to lift himself up from the couch to get his phone. Damn hangovers. But hell, it's worth it. "Hello?" his voice was husky, proving he just got up from sleep.

"Where are you!? The meeting is about to start!" He glanced at his watch. Oh shit. He's going to be late. And being late means dealing with Elizaveta's frying pan. He fished for something to wear inside his closet. Brown pants and black button down shirt. He got it on and hurried to his kitchen.

Toaster on and hot coffee on the table. He still got 40 minutes for breakfast. Ding! Finally! After eating his breakfast, he started the car and drove for another 20 minutes to his destination.

Yao ran towards the last room of the building, hoping to God that he wasn't late. He got a large scar on his back and he doesn't want another especially from Elizaveta. He stopped in front of the large door and stood for minutes. After being snapped from reality, he shakily turned the knob and opened the doors. He closed his eyes, ready for a yell but what he got was silence. He opened his eyes and almost had a heart attack.

The meeting hadn't started yet. He was early. It was just a false alarm. Damn Elizaveta.

He scanned the room. Some countries are already here. Sleeping Greece, which he hated because he knew Greece had a crush on his ex-lover, Finland with an awkward look on his face, beside him was Sweden, pushing Denmark's face away from his, Norway with a dark aura surrounding him, Iceland with his usual poker face, Austria sitting and drinking his tea and lastly Hungary smirking to him with a frying pan in her hands. Yao shivered.

He took a seat beside Elizaveta and started a conversation.

"Nice going, Elizaveta. You almost gave me a heart attack." Yao sighed. He leaned on his chair and stared up the ceiling. His head was still pounding from hangover and for the same cracked thoughts swimming inside his head.

"Oh shush it. You should thank me for saving your ass from Germany's yelling." Elizaveta smiled at him. Yao turned his attention to her. "You got a point."

The early countries waited for hours before the actual meeting started. Yao was bored out of his mind. America had been talking nonsense again, wasting half of the countries' time. He rested his head on the table and drifted away from the world. Beside him was Lithuania.

Toris kept glancing at his neighbor. He too, like Elizaveta, had been worrying about his friend's life. The usual happy-go-lucky China had been down to earth these past few weeks. He can't stand watching his friend like this. He glanced again at him and smiled as he caught him glancing at Japan. He still loved the country dearly. Japan is so lucky, Toris thought. He patted Yao's shoulder, which made him glance at him. "Are you okay, Yao?" Toris sighed as Yao smiled at him and nodded. Even though Yao kept convincing the countries that he's okay, they all know how hard it is for Yao to be in a situation like this.

One day, you'll find happiness, Yao. Toris glanced again and smiled before returning his attention to the person speaking.

Yao had been so caught up with the thoughts inside his mind that he hadn't realized that he fell asleep. He woke up with someone patting his shoulder. Elizaveta. He sat up straight and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry I fell asleep. I didn't realize." Yao closed and opened his eyes. "It's okay. Since the meeting's done, want to grab some coffee?" Yao nodded and stood up.

Yao regretted his decision. Here they were, sitting inside a café, while he kept on glancing at Arthur and Kiku at the other table. Anger built up inside his stomach at the sight of the two. Elizaveta noticed Yao balling his fist and gulped. "Yao? Yao?" Yao glanced at him and Elizaveta could see the tension inside his eyes. "Calm down, Yao. We're in a café for Austria's sake. Don't let the anger get the best out of you." Elizaveta whispered as she sipped her coffee. She sighed in relief as she can't feel the dark aura surrounding Yao's body anymore.

"You still love him, don't you?"

Yao widened his eyes and stared at the person beside him. She wasn't teasing and for once, she was sincere.

"Yes. I still do." Elizaveta's eyes softened as she heard those words. It was plain and simple but she can feel his words. He doesn't regret saying those things. She can feel many emotions from those words. Love. Yao still loves Kiku.

"I miss having someone that cares about what I did yesterday, what I'm doing right now, and what I'm going to do tomorrow," Yao bowed down. "Life is so unpredictable. It can bring you so much joy and yet at the same time cause so much pain."

He glanced again at the two. Kiku was laughing by some jokes, Arthur said. He seem so happy without me. He never laugh like that when he's with me.

Elizaveta stared at scene in front of her. Yao. She glanced at the man beside her. She can tell he's crying.

"Yao. Your pain may be the reason for someone's laugh, but your laugh must never be the reason for somebody's pain."