Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Thick, gloomy and ominous clouds conspicuously gathered across the horizon. With the sun nowhere in sight, the midnight sky continued to shed in tears, yearning to be embraced by the presence of its dear, old friend.

About a couple of blocks away from the central plaza—tightly cramped between rows of other buildings—was a small apartment. Due to its rather unwelcoming and rigid exterior like the dry concrete stains found chipping off its bricks, many pedestrians tend to avoid it with no intention of another glimpse.

A cold, eerie wind wisps through the half-opened window vent, thus awakening a certain young man sprawled on a bed. He stirred a bit, stretching his arms as he did so.

That is until a wave of pain began enveloping within his chest, his head pounding like the beat of a drum.

Immediately, Alfred pushed the covers, jolting upright, leaving a trail of drool in his wake.

Glancing around, he squinted his eyes.

As he massaged his forehead, his hand unconsciously patted the surface of the small bedside table for his spectacles. A few seconds later, he found them and once he put them on, Alfred blinked. Looking down, he noticed that he was no longer wearing his tuxedo. Instead, he wore a short-sleeved blue shirt with a large superman logo in the center along with dark blue patterned pajama pants.

Fear gripped in his stomach as utter confusion began to settle in, his pupils scanning frantically across the unfamiliar room.

What happened?

And where the hell was he?

The creaking noise by the door disrupted his thoughts, causing Alfred to look up. He then emitted a grin upon catching sight of his best friend. "Ah, Kiku!"

Kiku didn't respond but simply nodded as he approached the bespectacled young man.

Scratching the back of his neck, Alfred let out a light-hearted laugh. "Hahaha! Do you know where we are?"

"We're at Gilbert's place," Kiku answered calmly, folding his arms.

Alfred stopped laughing, his expression replaced with confusion. "Huh? How come?"

Kiku frowned, wrinkling his eyebrows.

How should he break the news without having to worry about freaking him out?

'He'll find out eventually,' He thought to himself. 'Once Alfred gets curious, there is no telling how annoying he could get.'

Looking the other way, Kiku began, "Well, you see—"

But before he could resume his explanation, the door burst opened once more.

"Guess who's back, bastards?"

After the albino's dramatic announcement, another voice followed shortly.

"Don't forget about yours truly!"

Hearing this, Kiku rolled his eyes followed by a long sigh. Fixating his attention to the boisterous duo before him, he raised his voice. "For crying out loud, it's the middle of the night!"

Gilbert snorted, "Does it matter? This is my house anyway!"

"Don't you care about your neighbors?" Kiku asked further, "What would they think?"

"Don't know, don't care." Gilbert stated, shrugging, "Oh and also, Ludwig went out for an errand." Forming thumbs up, he grinned. "That means I'm in charge!"

In response, Kiku instinctively slapped his hand against his temple.

Why did he even bother?

No matter how many times he questioned himself as to why he was even friends with these people, it always seemed to lead him into a dead end.

Meanwhile, Mathias walked over to his bedridden friend, "How're you feeling, dude?"

Alfred smiled. "Totally fine."

Gilbert turned his head and whistled, putting his hands on his hips as he did so. "Hah! You're unusually perky for someone that had passed out."

As soon as those words escaped his mouth, silence impregnated the bedroom.

Alfred furrowed his eyebrows in an attempt to make sense of the situation. "Hang on, what did you just say?"

The three men in front of him stopped to exchange weird looks with each other.

Clearing his throat, Kiku boldly spoke up, "Alfred, do you not remember?"

Alfred scratched the back of his head, "Remember what?"

The tension in the area grew thicker.

Alfred narrowed his eyes, searching their faces individually for possible clues. This didn't seem to favor him as all three of them wore unanimous expressions. "Does anyone wanna spill the beans?"

Mathias opened his mouth to say something, only to stop himself.

Eventually, it was Gilbert who decided to break the ice. "Since I'm in charge, I'll tell him." He informed the other two, his voice laced with a bit of authority. "Before our gig, you ran out all of a sudden and didn't come back. We formed separate groups to find you but we were stopped by your brother." He explained before muttering lowly under his breath, "Damn him and his stupid rules."

"We were running out of time," Kiku added, joining in on the conversation. "And so I decided to ask for some help from Xiao Mei and Lien."

"Man, you should've seen her," Mathias chimed in, letting out a whistle. "When that Lien gal heard that you were gone, she ran wicked fast! And to top it off, she was wearing a dress and heels on! How awesome is that?"

"Dude, whatever happened to Natalya?" The albino interrupted, getting out of topic.

Mathias smiled cheekily, boasting with confidence, "Of course, I'm still courting her!"

Kiku, on the other hand, just sighed, "Ah, so he wasn't drunk after all." He muttered, thinking back to the night of the karaoke party.

Taking his cue, Alfred asked with anxiety, "What happened next?"

Turning his attention back to his best friend, Gilbert said straightforwardly, "We decided to play without you."

Hidden underneath the covers, Alfred clenched his fists, "Did we, at least, make it to the final round?"

Kiku brought a hand to grip on his right arm, taking a sudden interest in the floor, "Barely."

"Star Fest won first place," Mathias, admitted, the tone of his voice noticeably serious.

Alfred cringed. "And my brother?"

"Went berserk," Gilbert said before gesturing his hands back and forth. "Threw tables and chairs everywhere. It took Matthew and Michelle to calm him down while Francis tried to convince the police that he was just overly dramatic."

Alfred's eyes widened, "The police came!?"

Kiku nodded intently. "Yeah. Someone filed a complaint about him."

"Good thing that we had Francis on our side, you know?" Mathias said in an effort to ease the tension. "If he hadn't, not only would our Conductor get himself arrested but our band would also have been disqualified on the spot."

"Around that time, I received contact from Lien saying that she had found you," Kiku explained further, his tone becoming softer. "And some unknown reason, you collapsed."

Alfred wasted no time throwing more questions, "How long was I out?"

"Weeks."

"Weeks!?"

Gilbert slapped a hand against his thigh, "Pfft! Just messing with ya, dude!" He cried, throwing his head back in laughter.

"Gilbert, this is no laughing matter." Kiku lectured to the albino before focusing back to face the bespectacled young man once more, "Don't listen to him, Alfred." He assured. "To answer your question, you were out for only seven hours."

Alfred lowered his head down. "I see…" He trailed off. "So, is that all?"

Kiku shrugged. "Who knows? Was there anything else you recalled before passing out?"

Alfred pursued his eyes, closing his eyes. His brain wriggled in desperation in an attempt to recollect the events that occurred beforehand. The last thing he could remember was the smell of rain and then…a taste of heaven.

Tracing one of his fingers against his chapped lips, he froze.

Even now, they were slightly tingling.

That's when it hit him.

"Shit." Alfred murmured, "Shit, shit, shit!"

"Oh, you remembered something?" Mathias asked, taking note of his friend's unsettling form.

"Yeah," Alfred said almost in a whisper. Swallowing thickly, he spoke. "I kissed Lien."

"Yahoo, I won!" Xiao Mei cried with sheer joy as she measured her arms out with the video game controller tucked in her hands. Turning around, she then pointed a finger toward the middle-aged man sitting comfortably on the couch who was preoccupied with sipping his tea. "Beat that, old man!"

Yao looked up and turned to take a quick glimpse at the large television screen. Scanning the long list of names and their respective scores, he nodded, "Ah, you beaten my score, aru."

Xiao Mei puffed her chest out with her head held high, "Well, they don't call me the Queen of Call of Duty for nothing!"

Yao chuckled, "Does this call for some celebration?"

The younger girl beamed, "Yes!"

Sliding off of the couch, Yao squatted his knees before the coffee table. Stretching his hands forward, he then reached out for the silver tray, consisting of a medium-sized kettle and five empty cups. With one hand gripping onto the handle of the kettle, he proceeded to use his other to take one cup—pouring the hot, steamy liquid into its content. With the right amount, Yao then offered the cup to Xiao Mei who accepted wholeheartedly. "There you go."

Xiao Mei licked her lips, leaning her nose a bit closer to the edge of the cup, savoring the remarkable scent.

Just as she was about to drink, the beautiful melody of strings caught her by surprise. Pausing for a moment, Xiao Mei crinkled her nose.

"Isn't it a bit early to be practicing?" She uttered curiously, loud enough for Yao to hear.

Yao rests his chin underneath his knuckles and shrugged, "It's never too early." He said, his voice brimming with confidence.

Ever since their orchestra band, Star Fest was announced as the winner of the second round, Yao was on cloud nine. Though it wasn't much of an importance, the fact that they managed to beat their rival, World gig—which barely made it out alive with the sudden absence of a certain trumpeter—made Yao realize something.

For the first time, Star Fest could actually win this year.

And it was all because of her.

Who would have thought that one of his prized students, if not—possibly even his successor, gave him such happiness. Aside from their relationship as mentor and student, they viewed each other as family, with Yao naturally taking on the role as the older brother of the two.

Watching her grow from a meek little girl and into a beautiful and successful young woman over the years was certainly worth the wait.

A smile graced on his face. And he couldn't be any more proud.

"Would you like to deliver some tea to your sister, aru?" Yao asked Xiao Mei.

Gulping the herbal tea in a rapid pace, Xiao Mei let out a pleasant sigh before placing her own cup on the table. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she nodded. "Okay!"

Yao took another cup from the tray and poured more tea before presenting it toward Xiao Mei again.

Wrapping her hands around the cup, she leisurely rose from the carpet floor, "I'll be going then!" She saluted before disappearing into the hallway.

By the time she disappeared from Yao's range of sight, Xiao Mei's lips fixed into a straight line.

Unlike Yao who deemed Lien's practicing to be a positive thing, she on the other hand did not. Clicking her tongue, she continued to walk further down the halls, making sharp turns, with the sound of the violin as her source of guidance.

Her sister's playing was known for being passionate and precise.

This current one; however, was not the usual.

It was different.

It was aggressive, almost desperate even.

Xiao Mei rolled her eyes. Not that Yao seems to mind as his thoughts right now were consumed with their band's recent victory to realize.

It didn't take long for her to find her older sibling.

As she approached the open fields of the garden, Xiao Mei was met with a peculiar scene.

In the open fields of the garden stood Lien, who wore a green spaghetti shirt and white shorts stretching down to her knees. Her facial features slightly twitched each time she attempted to move one of her bare feet around in the wet grass. A group of laundry racks surrounded her with large white blankets in their possession, enveloping her small frame in an invisible bubble—as if to shield her from the dangers of the outside world.

'I bet this is how Alfred looks at her.' Xiao Mei's lips curved upward at the mere thought.

Suddenly, an idea struck her.

Slyly taking out her phone from her dress pocket, Xiao Mei hoisted it up and without warning, pressed the middle button to snap a photo.

Unfortunately, she forgot to take out the flash.

A soft click erupted, causing Lien to stop playing and turn around. Her eyes slightly widened upon discovering the presence of her younger sister. "Mei!"

Quickly hiding her phone behind her back, Xiao Mei grinned. "Wanna take a break?" She asked, extending the cup of tea forward.

Lien shook her head. "I would love to but—"

"No 'ifs, and's or buts'!" Xiao Mei cried, making a puppy face. "Just come here and rest for a few minutes!"

Biting her lower lip, Lien eventually succumbed to her request, much to Xiao Mei's delight. She then sat down on the floor, placing her instrument beside her before cautiously receiving the tea from her sister.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Mei decided to start, "I got a call from Francis earlier."

"Really? What did he say?"

"He wants us to go to work tomorrow early." Xiao Mei explained, yawning. "Something about baking a cake for an important birthday or whatever."

Lien nodded and continued drinking her tea.

"You know, your playing is a bit off." Xiao Mei interrupted, changing the topic.

Lien stiffened. "It was?"

Xiao Mei stuck out her tongue playfully. "Yeah, it was!"

Lien took a deep breath. "I don't know what's been going on with me lately," She groaned.

"I heard from Kiku that something happened between you and Alfred," Xiao Mei said with a mischievous grin. "Is there something I don't know?"

When she didn't receive a response, this only caused the younger sister to get more curious.

Nudging her sibling, she excitedly recited, "Tell me, tell me!"

"It's really none of your business, Mei."

Xiao Mei pouted, "Come on, sis! Don't be such a party pooper!"

Lien's cheeks reddened. "Mei, what did Mother say about invading other people's privacy?"

"But this isn't fair!" Xiao Mei whined childishly.

"You didn't answer my question, Mei!" Lien retort.

"Not until you answer mine!"

Damn it, she was cornered.

Quickly turning her head to avoid the intense stare of her sister, Lien began, "It happened so fast."

"What happened so fast?"

Lien quickly swallowed the delicious substance of the tea trapped in her throat before she could continue, her words becoming softer, "I barely knew him and then he just…"

"He just?"

"Went for it." Lien quickly said, finishing her sentence in a rush.

"Went for what?" Xiao Mei pressed further, resisting the urge to contain her delight.

Turning back to face her sister, Lien pressed a finger to the center of her lips, making sure to avoid eye contact.

Seeing this, Xiao Mei exploded, "HOLY F**KING GOD! HE KISSED YOU!"

"Mei, language!" Lien cried out, bringing a hand out to cover her flushed face.

"Oh my god, oh my god! He kissed you!" Xiao Mei cheered hysterically, throwing her arms into the air.

"Mei!"

Once Xiao Mei settled down, she automatically asked, "Did you kissed him back?"

Lien shook her head, feeling a bit chagrined. "No."

Xiao Mei froze. "What? Why not?"

"Because."

"Because what?"

"Because I don't even know him that well," Lien reasoned, raising her voice, "Mei, we just met a week ago."

Xiao Mei allowed the information to sink in. Crossing her arms, she asked, "Sis, do you like him?"

"Why should I like him when I barely even know him?"

The younger sister sighed. "Alright, alright. But seriously, what do you think of Alfred?"

Lien gasped, "Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Xiao Mei asked, slanting her head to the side, "Look, just say what's on your mind. Don't overthink."

Lien took a deep breath.

Here goes nothing.

"When I first heard of him, I expected someone with the position as ace to be always serious, intimidating and quiet. But Alfred, he is the complete opposite. He's overly optimistic, childish and hyperactive." Lien explained thoroughly. A small smile unconsciously emerging on her face. "Knowing that, I was quite relieved that he wasn't what I thought he would be."

Xiao Mei stifled a giggle. "You know, now that I think about it, you always told me that you had a hard time doing that."

Lien tilted her head, confused, "Doing what?"

"Smiling." Xiao Mei answered simply. "I'm not sure if you noticed this but ever since the night of that karaoke party, you've always been constantly doing that."

"That's because it's contagious," Lien argued.

"What's contagious?"

"His smile," Lien said, frowning. "Just seeing it, I can't help it."

"Shouldn't this be a sign then?" Xiao Mei pointed out.

"For what?"

"That you're developing feelings for Alfred." Xiao Mei explained.

"No, I'm not!" Lien barked, blushing furiously.

"Right…" Xiao Mei sighed dramatically, shrugging. "You're just in denial."

"Mei, he kissed me because it was a spur of the moment," Lien explained, defending her side of the argument. "He had a fever. And who knows? The next time I see him, he wouldn't even remember." Setting her cup down, Lien stood up from the floor, picking up her violin. "If you'll please excuse me, I have practice to attend to." And then left without another word.

As she watched her older sister walk away, Xiao Mei looked down at the cup next to her.

It was half-empty.

'She didn't finish.' Xiao Mei thought, sighing heavily.

"What a tough cookie…"

A hollowed space appeared within the sea of clouds, gradually expanding its size in which unveiled a collection of stars in the midnight sky. Leaning his back against the railing of the balcony, Alfred looked over his shoulder, admiring the view from down below.

For a place that was located near the heart of the city, the public streets were dull and lifeless, except for the sounds of sirens filling in the mysterious enigma of the area. Regardless, Alfred didn't seem to bother questioning it. In times like these, he felt like he was on top of the world, almost to the equivalence of a superhero. Lifting his chin up, he averted his attention from the ground and into the sky above him.

As he gazed at the stars, his mind began wandering elsewhere—or more specifically, a particular someone who shined as equally bright and lustrous in his eyes.

Alfred couldn't help but inwardly groan; how he desperately wished to turn back time because if he did, then he wouldn't be feeling the anxious gnawing in his chest right now.

It was true that Alfred had always wanted to kiss her, but not like this! He wanted it to be a memorable moment between them and with his sudden collapse afterward didn't help the situation either. For someone who enjoys breaking the rules, this was one of the few times that he internally wished he didn't commit.

And yet a part of him didn't want to.

Aside from his inner doubts, Alfred was content. Not because he sounded like a masochist but the fact that he was able to finally become aware of his feelings, in a way, his actions were justified.

The main question now is; what would Lien think of all this?

Did her brain go haywire when their lips were softly pressed together?

Did she feel anything—like fireworks bubbling inside of her like how it did with him?

Did she hear it; his heart thumping loudly against his chest?

'Did she like it?' Alfred wondered. The corner of his lips raised in amusement. 'I hope she did.'

The pocket of his light blue sweater, which he temporarily borrowed from Gilbert, vibrated. Pulling out his phone, his eyes widened upon recognizing the number. Not losing a minute, he pressed the phone screen against the shell of his ear.

"Hello?"

"Al."

The soft voice of his twin made him smile. "Mattie!" Alfred greeted cheerfully, "What's up?"

"I could say the same thing to you, brother." Matthew said, "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, I guess. My fever is going down so that's good news." Alfred answered him before continuing, "How's Arthur by the way?"

There was a brief moment of hesitation on Matthew's part. "Not doing well." He admitted in defeat. Though they weren't talking face to face, Alfred could imagine him shaking his head. "Since we finished the second round, brother has been drowning himself in alcohol."

Alfred cringed, "He hates my guts, doesn't he?"

"Don't say that, Al. It wasn't your fault to begin with." Matthew assured calmly. "Brother just needs to accept that we lost."

Alfred chuckled, "Hey, at least, we made it to the finals, right?"

"Don't jinx it, Al," Matthew warned cautiously.

Alfred chuckled, "Hahaha! Do me a favor and switch roles with him. You'll make a fine older brother."

"Say what you want, but I prefer not too."

"Hmm? How come?"

"Sure, I sound more matured but that's because I can hold myself together unlike you two." Matthew explained further, "Al, you are so full of life but you can be random at times. As for brother, he portrays a gentleman but then insult him and you might get a beating."

"But you love us, right?"

"'Course I do," Matthew said without hesitation. "Both of you are family. No matter how crazy one of us gets, we must love each other unconditionally."

"Awww! I totally love you too, bro!" Alfred gushed.

On the other line, Matthew rolled his eyes, "That's sappy." He commented; his voice hardened with mockery. "Anyway, I wanted to let you know that Francis wants the whole group to meet up in his bakery tomorrow."

"Petite Patisserie, right?" Alfred asked with a raised brow.

"Bingo."

"'Kay, see you there then!"

"Alright." Matthew said, "Oh and Al?"

"Yeah?"

"You better not mess this one up," Matthew advised, emphasizing the weight of his words. "Remember, this is for you to get a chance to apologize to brother."

"I know," Alfred said, flashing a smile. "Wouldn't wanna let the birthday boy get angry on his special day now, am I right?"

A measured sigh followed. "Just don't mess up," Matthew repeated one last time before hanging up.

Alfred pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at the screen, smiling.

Good thing he was blessed with a kindhearted twin like Matthew. If he wasn't around, god forbids how their family would manage on their own.

Now that Alfred found a way to make peace with his older brother, another question loomed in his mind with uncertainty.

What should he do to make Lien forgive him?

"GIVE HIM BACK, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

A loud shriek in the background caused Alfred to lose his train of thought. Turning around, he then proceeded to approach the large open window. Poking his head out, he chuckled at the humorous sight.

At the far right corner of the studio apartment, the Nordic laughed with his arms raised above his head.

Within his grasp was a tiny blob of yellow, which meant one thing…

"Mathias, stop this nonsense and give his pet back!" Kiku scolded loudly, too preoccupied with distributing the plates on the dining table to assist his struggling best friend.

Mathias ignored him, lifting his arms a little bit higher. The albino next to him grew frustrated.

"HIS NAME IS GILBIRD, DAMMIT!" Gilbert shouted to Kiku as he constantly jumped to grab his poor bird from Mathias's hands.

"Oh god, you named your pet after yourself?" Mathias teased, snickering.

Gilbert gritted his teeth and cried loudly, "SHUT YOUR TRAP AND GIVE HIM BACK!"

Something poked him on the side of his left shoulder, causing Alfred to slightly flinch.

Looking away from the commotion, he was met with a tall, muscular young man with sleek blonde hair towering before him. "Oh, Ludwig!"

The man named Ludwig bowed his head in response, motioning his hand to direct toward the dining section. His monotone voice was composed with civility; one of the most interesting factors which made it quite hard for others to believe that the boisterous Gilbert was ever related to someone like him. "Dinner's ready."

"Be there in a sec," Alfred informed him, emitting a grin.

Nodding, Ludwig walked away.

"Wait, Ludwig!"

Ludwig stopped in his tracks, hurling his head to face him once more, "Yes?"

"You work at a florist shop, right?" Alfred asked.

When he received a nod of confirmation, he beamed. "Tell me, what do you know about the language of flowers?"

Author's Note:

I apologize on my behalf of my lateness (my sister got sick and I had to take care of her for two days so in a way, it deduced my time to draft). Hopefully this lengthy chapter could make it up!

I would like to shout out for the readers who's always supported me this far and the reviewers and their excellent reviews (when I start to lack on ideas for the story, I read your comments for inspirations!)

Anyway, here it is: the tenth installment to the fanfiction! Here we have the aftermath of the kiss and Lien's reaction concerning it.

I decided to finally bring Mathias back to make things more fun despite the heavy tension in the room.

I'm guessing that Xiao Mei's reaction was what everyone had (same goes for me actually!)

Two chapters ago, I mentioned Kiku having a Playstation 4 so hopefully this pretty much covers up what kind of game they were playing before.

This time, I reintroduced Ludwig (appeared in Chapter 5) and from one of the requests, Gilbird!

Excited for the next chapter? I hope you do! (Birthday chapter!)

It would take awhile for me to write the next chapter so in the meantime, please bare with me!

Again, I'm open for more character requests!

And as always, your opinions are very much appreciated!