AN: Hello, everyone! I am so sorry for the slow updates (and the short chapter). School is making it kind of difficult. The next one should... hopefully... be out sooner.

This was a request from Black Blood of the Red Rose. Again, sorry this took so long. I'll do your other request next and I'll get to other requests soon. The song is Move Along by All American Reject.

I hope you enjoy!

A dull clamor was whispering through the meeting room. No one had sang anything for the past few meetings and Toris was assuming it was either because they couldn't think of anything or… they were holding out? Either way, it seemed like a fight was going to break out soon.

With the various nations singing it had somehow diminished their argumentative tendencies. Odd, but… very helpful. Now it was like someone was slowly flipping on a light switch.

He turned the song he was planning over in his mind. He had stumbled on it upon suggestion and he actually rather liked it. The brunet glanced around, checking. He caught Lovino glaring at the usual culprits, though it seemed he was also glaring at practically everyone. …maybe he was having a bad day? Across from him, Arthur was trying to pay attention to the- oh, yes, the speech.

Toris paused as his eyes shifted to the nation. It was Tino. Suffice to say he would feel guilty for interrupting the Fin's speech, but he shouldn't mind too much… right?

A pair of grass green eyes met his and he blinked, noticing Feliks from his place near the end of the table. His friend pointed his pen at him, smiling as he mouthed silently, 'You going to sing?' He smiled slightly in return and nodded a little. While Feliks looked like he was going to say something, something that would probably end up being very loud, he shook his head. Not yet…

Feliks got the message and nodded slightly, returning his attention to the speech with a little bit of difficulty, the pen now tapping away against the meeting table.

Toris smiled slightly and waited a minute or two. As that passed, seeing that no one had caught on, he quietly pulled out his phone and attached the ear buds. He stuck one in his ear a moment later and waited, briefly directing his attention to Tino. Though no response came immediately, the Fin's eyes wandered towards him and, when the spotted the wires, he smiled slightly. He didn't look to be bothered at all and, though his attention shifted to something else a moment later, it seemed other had caught on already.

"Toris?"

He blinked a moment and glanced over to the other Baltics, who were seated only a few chairs away. Eduard was the one who had spoken, though both were raising an eyebrow at him. He shrugged slightly, giving them a small smile. Without further ado, he turned to Ludwig. The German sighed and shook his head slightly, barely motioning for him to continue.

Part of his mind said to apologize. Ludwig got enough interruptions as it was… But… for once, he didn't. He could do that later if he really needed. Instead, he turned towards Tino again, silently telling him to finish. They all knew the rules well enough by now.

The rest of the meeting went by without much interruption. The atmosphere that had previously been building had disappeared almost immediately, replaced by curiosity. Nations kept glancing his way, all asking or wondering in their own little ways. Some raised an eyebrow, one or two tilted their head, a couple even pointed. A few tried to ask him on breaks, namely Feliks and Alfred. For the most part, everyone else was quiet… including the remaining Baltics. They were just as curious as everyone else, but they only asked once. When he had shown no indication of answering, they had agreed to wait.

And now he was sitting, waiting patiently for the last presenter to finish. When they had sat, Ludwig turned to him and nodded slightly. He nodded in return and pulled out his device, quickly tugging out the ear buds, and flipped through the songs. After a few moments he settled on the one he had chosen and turned the volume up. After a moment of silent questioning he set the phone on the table and pressed play.

Within a few seconds the music began, something he could only assume to be a drum entering within a few beats. An electric guitar came in a few moments later with new rhythms, making the tempo faster, and Toris was already smiling. For once, he wasn't nervous at all. He tapped his foot, though he knew the feel of the song, and glanced around to see if any knew what he was singing. Alfred and Matthew were grinning and the American sent a thumbs up his way, making him hold back a laugh. Arthur also seemed to know the song if the small smile of approval on his face was anything to go by.

Feliks and the other Baltics watched him with raised eyebrows. His smile only widened a little in response, shutting his eyes, as the lyrics began. His voice was a bit louder than normal and much less tremulous when he started to sing, his words smoother.

"Go ahead as you waste your days with thinking… when you fall everyone stands." He snorted softly, thinking of the next set of lyrics. Oh, could he relate. "Another day and you've had your fill of sinking with life held in your-" His smile softened a moment and so did his voice, tightening his fingers just a little in his lap. He leaned forward in the chair.

"Hands are shaking cold… these hands are meant to hold…" His eyes slowly opened and his voice rose as the music grew louder. He looked out at the other nations, meeting several of sets of eyes. "Speak to me- when all you got to keep is strong, move along, move along-" He could see Alfred and Matthew mouthing the words out of the corner of his eye and turned towards Feliks, Eduard, and Raivis. The latter two still looked a little puzzled, but Feliks was smiling now. He looked like he might start cheering. "-like I know you do!"

His head nodded a little with the beat, his hands tapping lightly on his knees. "And even when your hope is gone, move along move along just to make it through- move along!" Toris waited, glancing at his phone during the brief pause in lyrics. His lips quirked upwards.

This was a side of the man that very few had ever seen, or at least one that had not been present for some time. This Toris wasn't a jittery mess, stuttering at every few words. He didn't speak under his breath, as if the next thing he would say could get him punished. No, on the contrary… he smiled, he laughed, he sang with assurance and clarity.

There was a short instrumental, a change in verses, and Toris's eyes flicked over towards Ivan. They stayed there only a second, hardly noticeable, before they returned to his phone. He sang the next lines thoughtfully, his smile falling into a more serious expression. "So a day when you've lost yourself completely could be a night when your life ends… such a heart that will lead you to deceiving…" He tapped a finger a moment, thinking. It did deceive… for quite some time. But he got better… and ivan still wasn't one of the sanest of them all so… "All pain held in your-" The music tempo didn't slow as much as it had the first time, staying a little more upbeat.

Toris smiled again, singing, "Your hands are shaking cold…" His voice rose for the next line, practically grinning as the music grew in volume. He thought of Raivis and Eduard a moment as well. "Your hands are mine to hold- speak to me!" The Lithuanian leaned forward, meeting his audience's eyes once more, trying to find those he had yet to look at. He found more tapping there feet and more than a couple smiling.

"When all you got to keep is strong, move along, move along like I know you do! And even when your hope is gone, move along, move along just to make it through- move along." A background voice in the recording sang a softer, "Go on, go on, go on, go on…" He sang the next line a tad louder, marveling in how true it was. "When everything is wrong, we move along…" That was what they did, what they had to do, as nations; keep going and make the best of it.

The recording repeated again, "Go on, go on, go on, go on…"

He repeated, "When everything is wrong, we move-" His smile widened and he carried out the last word, making it rise in volume. "-along..!" He paused a few seconds. "Along..!" Somewhere in the recording it repeated him ever so softly. "Along..!" Just one more… "Along…" He held the last out longer, letting his voice fall to nothing as the piano entered.

His smile softened as he fingered the chords under the table, singing quieter, as if he were advising his friends, "When all you got to keep is strong, move along move along like I know you do…" He listened intently to the piano as it joined him, enjoying the notes as much as the words he was saying. "…and even when your hope is gone, move along, move along-"

Suddenly, he sat straighter, giving a small un-Toris like smirk. His voice was not quiet anymore and it stood alone as the piano chord died, making way for the guitar's re-entry. "-just to make it through!"

There was a very small pause as the guitar returned with its rhythm and he continued, "When all you got to keep is strong move along, move along, like I know you do! And even when your hope is gone move along, move along, just to make it through!"

The chorus repeated again. His foot tapped and he seemed to notice Ludwig looked a bit less irritated. "When all you got to keep is strong move along, move along, like I know you do! And even when your hope is gone move along, move along, just to make it through!"

For a moment it sounded almost as though most, if not all, of the other nations were singing along in some way, whether it was whispering or mouthing the lyrics. Toris continued to have his voice grow in volume.

"When all you got to keep is strong, move along, move along, like I know you do-" He broke off for a moment, singing an echo in the pause, "Know you do!" before he went on.

"And even when your hope is gone, move along, move along, just to make it through- move along."

A few actually joined in for the echo, Feliks, Gilbert, and Eduard included. Raivis was too busy grinning. "Go on, go on, go on, go on..!"

He nodded something like thanks or appreciation, meeting everyone's eyes once more. "Right back what is wrong, we move along."

"Go on, go on, go on, go on..!"

"Right back what is wrong, we move along!"

They repeated it one more time and he laughed softly. "Go on, go on, go on, go on…"

"Right back what is wrong, we move along…" He trailed off, making his voice quieter with each word, as the recording began to fade away. He let it go off for a few seconds, waiting, before he paused it. The room was silent for a couple more moments before, well…

"Like, go Liet!"

"Way to go, dude!"

"Awesome song!"

He laughed again, nodding in their direction. He opened his mouth to say something, but the room was only continuing to grow louder.

Ludwig clapped his hands together, gaining their attention. "Alright, the meeting is adjourned. Please keep your voices down." He thought he could hear the silent, 'We do not need any more noise complaints or they will not let us come back.'

His expression, however serious, caused them all to laugh. Everyone was in a better mood now, it seemed, all thoughts of arguing with one another gone. Toris could not have been more happy to help.

AN: Thank you so much for reading and waiting for the chapter! I'll see you all again soon. Let me know what you think.

Also, to those who read Black Nightmares or The Price of Freedom: The next chapter for BN is about halfway done. I'm still planning what to do for some of it. I have pretty much everything planned for TPoF, but the muse hasn't really been around when I try to write the chapters. I'll try to get it up soon.

Thanks for sticking with me!