azureether (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
azureether) wrote2010-01-03 12:41 am
azureether) wrote2010-01-03 12:41 am
[Axis Powers Hetalia] Love me for Who I Am (America/England) [2/5]
Title: Love me for Who I Am (02/05) // [FF.net link]
Fandom: Axis Powers Hetalia
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Rating: PG
Characters, Pairings: America/England, (on this chapter) Japan, Prussia, mentions of several countries and OC-Hawaii.
Summary: Prompt: Thanks to one of England's spells, America becomes the kind of person England always said he wanted him to be. Eventually, however, England realizes that he prefers the old America to this one and searches for a way to turn him back.
Notes: Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
usxuk Secret Santa Exchange. My deepest gratitude to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sillyputtie for betaing this chapter! ♥
“Konnichiwa, Nihon desu.”
“Japan? Are you there? Hey, I can’t understand gibberish, you know.” a thick German accent said through the phone.
“I’m afraid it isn’t gibberish, but my own language, Prussia-san,” Japan stated. He stopped for a second. “Is there anything I can help you?”
“Wow, you could tell it was me? You’re really clever, Japan! But it was to be expected, my awesome voice surely can be recognized anywh—“
Japan cleared his throat, causing him to stop.
“I think I didn’t express myself properly. Is there any issue you would like to discuss with me? You must have called me for a reason.” Japan asked with a slight tone of impatience.
“Oh yes, there is! Say, do you know if something happened to the American kiddo?”
“You mean, America-san?”
“Yeah, him! Anyways, I had been planning this Smash Bros Brawl rematch with him for a long time, you know, and the night we were supposed to fight, he didn’t appear at all! I guess he must have felt intimidated and scared of facing the awesome me! Did you hear I beat Korea last week? I was told he ended up crying out for his mommy!"
Fortunately, Prussia couldn't see Japan rolling his eyes. "I don't think America's the type of person who would feel intimidated with a challenge. I believe that if he didn't show up, it was just because he forgot, or he wasn't interested at all."
"You can't be serious! That guy is even more of a geek than you! Uh...perhaps I'm exaggerating. Anyways, it's not like him to not to be interested on a game! Unless...hey, Japan. Could it be that jerk England didn't allow America to get into the game? Yeah, that must be it! Always been a wet blanket, that fuzzy eyebrows idiot...I knew this would happen. I knew America would become less awesome being stuck with England. But did he listen to me? Oh no, the brat was so loveblind he didn't bother to listen to the wise advise of this humble serv---"
Again, Japan could be heard clearing his throat. Once he had made sure that Prussia was quiet, he resumed his talk. "Personally, I don't think England's the reason why America didn't show up. Actually, something interesting happened last week, when I managed to play with him."
"Did...did you manage to play with him? So, what happened?" Prussia asked with curiosity.
“Well, he came to my house. I had been wanting to show him this new RPG I released and I wanted his opinion… you know he’s quite skilled playing RPGs.”
“Don’t even remind me! Last time we played Ragnarok Online, he kicked my ass so spectacularly, that France and Spain mocked at me for weeks! Man, what a cheater! I’m sure he only won because---“
“It would be a pleasure for me to hear that story any other time. Now, as I was saying, he played so badly he…he even lose against the tutorial monsters. In fact, it was a miracle he didn’t end killing his own partner character.”
“F-For real?! What a loser! Is he sick, or what?” Prussia yelled into the phone.
“It doesn’t seem like the case, Prussia-san. As I saw it, it’s like he suddenly became terrible with games. Or rather, he has become the opposite of what he used to be.”
There was silence on the other side of the line. For a moment, Japan thought Prussia finally realized how serious this was. Finally, Prussia spoke. “Does… does that mean I can reclaim my title as ‘King of Games’?!”
Japan had to contain the urge of smack his forehead. “If you say so, Prussia-san…”
“Heh! It's about time! With America out of the map, nobody can argue that I'm the best gamer in the world!" Prussia boasted.
"I think you're forgetting me, Prussia-san. Anyways, is that alright with you? To be the best player and not having somebody worthy of being your rival?"
"Of course it's alright! Where's the fun if you can't be the number one? Whatever. Now, if you excuse me, the King must go validate his title. What's next in my agenda? A Halo match?! With...uh, America..."
Japan didn't catch what Prussia mumbled after that, since he had already hung up the phone. Perhaps, he thought, someday he would realize the magnitude of the problem and he would call again. If nothing else, to find a partner to play with.
Japan could now see the problem was way more serious than he had imagined when America had visited his house. He had already done his own little investigation, but since the other nations were starting to notice America’s behavior as well, it was time to investigate a little further. Of course, Japan wasn't aware that Finland and Sweden already knew the truth but had chosen to stay silent. For most nations, America's behavior seemed like his typical, eccentric self and nobody had given it much thought outside of a passing comment.
But things had started to change, and weird news was coming up all across the Internet, all related to America, and Japan was determined to find the common thread between all of them.
The first report had come from Russia. Some weeks ago, due to Russia’s insistence, a long-waited chess match between Russia and America had taken place. They hadn’t played against each other since the Cold War (those matches with Russia against America’s super machines didn’t count), and Russia had been especially enthusiastic after his boys’ epic rematch. Russia had been feeling eager to play some chess, and he was looking for a challenge.
The challenge never came, though. The match must have been one of the shortest ever recorded, and while Russia didn’t keep from boasting about his victory, it was clear he wasn’t satisfied. Japan let out a shudder; he could imagine Russia unleashing his uneasiness on Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Speaking of Estonia, there was news that Estonia’s new movie had its premiere; it was a sequel of the equally bad and successful independent movie co-produced with America. Now, Japan knew tons of America’s movies were bad from the start, but for some unknown reason, they always did well in the box office.
This wasn’t the case. Estonia’s new movie did awful in the box office, and Estonia was already threatening to produce his next movie with Spain, or Germany.
That is, after he managed to recover from the loss left by the failed movie.
Over the recent days, Denmark’s whining could be heard all over the Internet. Apparently, he was counting on America to make his pedal-energized, hideously big Christmas tree work as part of Copenhagen’s climate summit. Apparently, Denmark hadn’t considered how difficult it could be to find a volunteer to pedal for hours, let alone several of them. But America had enough strength to cover all the volunteers, without even feeling tired. That was what Denmark thought, at least.
He hadn't counted on America to complain because he bicycle had its suspension set to ‘extremely hard’ (even though Sealand was pedaling on his side with ease), and already feeling very tired. After a few minutes, America excused himself since he had plenty of things to prepare for the summit.
According to other sources, Denmark managed to make his tree to work, at the expense of his Nordic family. Rumors had it, that after this Finland was considering to ban bicycles as Santa’s gifts.
And lastly, there was Hawaii, America's little girl. After several years of waiting, finally, on a sunny December morning, she found the perfect wave. It was time, then, for her famous Surf competition! Surfers from all over the world came for the challenge, but she was waiting for 'the shark', America, to show up.
It had been very difficult to convince America to assist with the event. That had really weirded out Hawaii, since America was normally the most eager follower of this competition. The worst was still yet to come, however; he had barely made it into the water on his surfboard, when a small wave knocked him over. The show started, with America causing an uproar and acting as if he was drowning. Nobody took him seriously, until Hawaii immersed herself to get him out, finally realizing that America was serious. It would probably take some time for Hawaii to understand what happened, but for now, needless to say, she was truly disappointed.
Japan massaged his temples. As much as it bugged him to not have someone to discuss video games with, his main worry was that there were plenty of other things going wrong. And there wasn’t any way to contact America: his cell phone was always either busy, or went to voice mail. America wasn’t updating any social networks either, even though he used to spend several hours a day on those sites. The only one being updated with certain regularity was America’s Twitter account, but it was obvious the one updating was a secretary and not America himself.
Japan let out a breath of air. He was truly worried for his friend, but it was clear he couldn’t do anything until he could see the America again. That would happen for sure during the next World Conference. He opted to be patient and wait until then.
But before that, he would make sure to e-mail every country, hoping to hear more about America’s weird behavior. He certainly didn’t want to miss out on any of the gossip…
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England, on the other hand, wasn’t worried in the least bit about the comments going around. He was still living his happy dream, being able to share things with America he had never shared before, and surprisingly, they hadn't quarrel at all in more than a month. The bad part was that America was spending less and less time at England's house. Thanks to his hard work and his increasingly good ideas (and England did feel a little proud of that), America was suddenly in high demand. America’s presence was increasingly required on meetings, summits, and that meant more paperwork. England never complained, since he understood, but he couldn't keep himself from missing him sometimes.
This time, it would be different. England thought America was ready to be presented to the Queen again, and after long negotiations, he got an audience with her. The problem now was to convince America to go; the Copenhagen madness was still in the air and it was hard to find America available even for a few minutes. However, since America still felt guilty about what had happened at the Royal Party, he forced himself to leave work aside for an evening to attend.
On the day of the audience, England had a slight sense of déjà vu. He was ready to fix America's tie and vest, only to find them already perfectly in place.
"Okay, let's check everything again, right?" England said while he was unsuccessfully looking for any crease on America's suit.
America just smiled. "There's no need for that, England. I already memorized everything! This time, I'll make it work. I give you my word."
England let out a sigh, finally giving in. His mind told him they were ready, but some part of him insisted there was something still missing.
"You have dirt on your nose," England said, pulling out his handkerchief.
"Really?" America asked, looking surprised. "I was sure I had checked my face several times. Could you clean it for me?"
"Sure..." England replied smiling, and he raised his arm to clean the nonexistent dirt. For some reason, while doing this, his heart finally felt at ease, and the sensation of something being missing finally disappeared. "There, now you're ready."
"Thanks a lot, England! Should we go now? We can't leave Her Majesty waiting, can we?" America asked, holding out his hand to England.
"No, you're right." America took England's hand, and led him out of the house. England’s thoughts were in another place, though. Where did this America come from? This guy who in no way resembled the America from the previous party? Although England was sure it was for the best, he had considered America's insecure self one of the most endearing things about him, as much as England loathed admitting it. He looked at this new America, full of overwhelming confidence, and while he thought about old America, an uncomfortable feeling struck England. A feeling that, when put into words, could only be defined as 'sadness'...
As America had planned, they arrived at least half an hour in advance. When the Queen arrived, America was the first to approach her, bowing and kissing her hand in a gentlemanly way. England had to actually contain a giggle, since even for him, this was way too stuffy. He remembered when he could tease, mock and even insult America without having to worry. But that couldn’t be possible anymore, since the new America was quite touchy when it came to teasing.
Almost like me, England thought bitterly.
The dinner went great, without any inconvenience. After that, America began a long conversation about history, current affairs, and mostly, about the status of the relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States; the typical stuff you’d hear at a meeting. It was obvious America had spent a fair amount of time preparing his speech for this occasion.
England listened truly interested at first, but as time passed, it was getting harder to keep his eyes open and keep from yawning. However, the Queen listened carefully to everything without looking bored for a single second.
It was very late when America decided to stop, distracted by his cell phone. Apparently, he had another appointment early next morning, so after clumsily managing to silence his phone, he apologized profusely asking for permission to leave.
England stayed behind, along with the Queen. He was dying to ask about her impression of America, and judging from the way she was looking intensely at him, he knew he had to say something.
“Your Majesty, I…”
“I know how respectful you are of our traditions, and I really appreciate that. But, I believe you went too far this time,” she looked at England with a serious face.
“W-What do you mean?” England asked looking visibly worried. Maybe she would say she didn’t like America after all? Or, even worse, that she didn’t approve of America as his…well, lover?
However, the Queen’s features softened. She didn’t looked disgusted, after all.
“There’s no need to force manners and etiquette on this young lad. He has the charm of youth; the joy and vitality proper of his land. But he also has some brilliance that’s his and only his, along with a pleasant warmth he irradiates wherever he goes. America is a fine and charming young man, my dear England, and it would be a shame to ruin all of that forcing him into some old-fashioned manners. Don’t you think so?”
Not believing what he was hearing, England shyly replied, “That may be true, Ma’am. But still, there are protocols to follow! What happened at the last Royal Party…I still feel deeply ashamed for what happened in there. He--” England had to stop, since he noticed the Queen was now chuckling. What the hell?!
“My dear England, I think it was a lovely gesture for him to embrace me in that way. Now, if you’re bothered for those funny anecdotes…”
“N-Not at all.” His face showed he was lying, since England was now quite flushed. “But, you didn’t think it was rude or something?”
“Did I not make myself clear, dear? I had a wonderful time at that party. And, if you were wondering whether I would approve or not your relationship, I don’t see why my opinion would matter, especially since you already made your choice.” she smiled.
Relief spilled over England after hearing those words. Did that mean the Queen accepted America? Still, the party fiasco was too much for England to let it go so easily. “I’m really grateful for that, Ma’am. But, he still didn’t have any right to say such embarrassing things about me…” he grumbled.
“You may complain, dear England, but I know his authenticity is one of those things that made you fall in love with him. I’d suggest you to stop worrying about that. I think it is only a matter of time before people forget everything he said about you. I’m sure you wouldn’t be happy at all if America were to change.” With that, she said goodbye to England and left the palace.
England stood silent, feeling slightly numb because somewhere, deep inside him, he knew the Queen was telling the truth.
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Another month passed. Until now, gossip had only been isolated comments, but now America was the topic of interest for most nations. Today wasn’t the exception: before the beginning of the meeting, a small group of countries were chatting on a solitaire hallway on the Conventions Center. America was nowhere in sight; he was said to be on a secret place, preparing his presentation.
"Ve ~ Do you think this Conference will turn out well, Germany?"
Germany just groaned. "I suppose it will be perfect. With America being the head and everybody agreeing and supporting every single thing he says. He’s the one in charge; what could go wrong?"
Italy gave a pout. Germany had been in a very bad mood ever since America had proved to be more reliable and a better leader. Germany always complained that he had to be the one to bring sanity to World Meetings, but Italy suspected he liked to be the one in charge.
“I don’t know about you, guys, but I prefer the old America, and I’m sure Germany prefers feels the same. He was…nicer…” Italy said in a whisper.
“It’s almost as if he became England’s clone!” France groaned.
“I do think America’s still a nice guy, but how serious he is worrying. Something really bad must have happened to him.” Japan stated.
“He even eats England’s scones!!!” France whined.
“I think you’re all overreacting. I’m sure this is our friend America's natural reaction, after realizing my undisputed superiority on chess.” Russia gave a sinister smile.
“He even drinks England’s tea!!!” France moaned.
“I don’t think this is related to chess…or England’s food. I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation to this. Have you considered asking America himself?,” China stated in a reprimanding tone.
The nations looked at each other, nobody saying a thing. It was France who broke the silence, suddenly looking excited. “Do you want to hear my theory? I’m sure that closet perv England jinxed America in order to ‘change the routine’ or something…”
“You’ll have to excuse me, France, but…why would it be related to England wanting some…special treatment from America? Can’t you think of anything that doesn’t imply sex?,” Germany arched an eyebrow.
“Why, you ask? Because England’s a closet pervert and a horny bastard! I assure you, this must be some new kink of his and---OW! Why do you kick me, China?!”
France turned around to face China, and he saw England walking just beside him.
The nations stood silent, all of them looking at England, as if waiting for him to snarl sooner or later. But that never happened, since England never even look at them. He had a gloomy face, and crossed the hallway without saying a word. What’s more, he seemed to have not heard any of the comments about him.
Once England was out of sight, the nations looked at each other, astonished.
"Comrade England doesn't look well, da?"
"I called him a closet perv and he didn't even react!!!" France whined.
England didn’t hear either men's increasing babbling. Lost in his own thoughts, he headed to a solitary office where he knew America was hurrying to get his presentation ready on time. How long had it been since the last time he spoke to America? Maybe 15 days?
Taking a deep breath, England turned the knob and entered the office.
He found himself wishing America would at least say something to him.
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Notes:
- Not relevant, but the RPG Japan's talking about might well be Tales of Graces, the newly released Namco-Bandai RPG for Nintendo Wii. Thought you'd like it, Sill ;D And if you ask me, I don't think it's possible at all to kill your own partner character!
- His boys' epic rematch. Russia is referring to the rematch between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov, which took place on September 2009. I suppose Russia would be in a chess mode, after that!
- Denmark's Christmas Tree did exist; it was placed on the on City Hall Square in Copenhagen a week before the Climate Summit. Now, they didn't have any problem to make the real one to work....
- Hawaii's competition is the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau wave surf contest, which is an irregular tournament run only when the ocean reaches a certain height. Last year, it took place on December 8th.
Fandom: Axis Powers Hetalia
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Rating: PG
Characters, Pairings: America/England, (on this chapter) Japan, Prussia, mentions of several countries and OC-Hawaii.
Summary: Prompt: Thanks to one of England's spells, America becomes the kind of person England always said he wanted him to be. Eventually, however, England realizes that he prefers the old America to this one and searches for a way to turn him back.
Notes: Written for
usxuk Secret Santa Exchange. My deepest gratitude to sillyputtie for betaing this chapter! ♥“Konnichiwa, Nihon desu.”
“Japan? Are you there? Hey, I can’t understand gibberish, you know.” a thick German accent said through the phone.
“I’m afraid it isn’t gibberish, but my own language, Prussia-san,” Japan stated. He stopped for a second. “Is there anything I can help you?”
“Wow, you could tell it was me? You’re really clever, Japan! But it was to be expected, my awesome voice surely can be recognized anywh—“
Japan cleared his throat, causing him to stop.
“I think I didn’t express myself properly. Is there any issue you would like to discuss with me? You must have called me for a reason.” Japan asked with a slight tone of impatience.
“Oh yes, there is! Say, do you know if something happened to the American kiddo?”
“You mean, America-san?”
“Yeah, him! Anyways, I had been planning this Smash Bros Brawl rematch with him for a long time, you know, and the night we were supposed to fight, he didn’t appear at all! I guess he must have felt intimidated and scared of facing the awesome me! Did you hear I beat Korea last week? I was told he ended up crying out for his mommy!"
Fortunately, Prussia couldn't see Japan rolling his eyes. "I don't think America's the type of person who would feel intimidated with a challenge. I believe that if he didn't show up, it was just because he forgot, or he wasn't interested at all."
"You can't be serious! That guy is even more of a geek than you! Uh...perhaps I'm exaggerating. Anyways, it's not like him to not to be interested on a game! Unless...hey, Japan. Could it be that jerk England didn't allow America to get into the game? Yeah, that must be it! Always been a wet blanket, that fuzzy eyebrows idiot...I knew this would happen. I knew America would become less awesome being stuck with England. But did he listen to me? Oh no, the brat was so loveblind he didn't bother to listen to the wise advise of this humble serv---"
Again, Japan could be heard clearing his throat. Once he had made sure that Prussia was quiet, he resumed his talk. "Personally, I don't think England's the reason why America didn't show up. Actually, something interesting happened last week, when I managed to play with him."
"Did...did you manage to play with him? So, what happened?" Prussia asked with curiosity.
“Well, he came to my house. I had been wanting to show him this new RPG I released and I wanted his opinion… you know he’s quite skilled playing RPGs.”
“Don’t even remind me! Last time we played Ragnarok Online, he kicked my ass so spectacularly, that France and Spain mocked at me for weeks! Man, what a cheater! I’m sure he only won because---“
“It would be a pleasure for me to hear that story any other time. Now, as I was saying, he played so badly he…he even lose against the tutorial monsters. In fact, it was a miracle he didn’t end killing his own partner character.”
“F-For real?! What a loser! Is he sick, or what?” Prussia yelled into the phone.
“It doesn’t seem like the case, Prussia-san. As I saw it, it’s like he suddenly became terrible with games. Or rather, he has become the opposite of what he used to be.”
There was silence on the other side of the line. For a moment, Japan thought Prussia finally realized how serious this was. Finally, Prussia spoke. “Does… does that mean I can reclaim my title as ‘King of Games’?!”
Japan had to contain the urge of smack his forehead. “If you say so, Prussia-san…”
“Heh! It's about time! With America out of the map, nobody can argue that I'm the best gamer in the world!" Prussia boasted.
"I think you're forgetting me, Prussia-san. Anyways, is that alright with you? To be the best player and not having somebody worthy of being your rival?"
"Of course it's alright! Where's the fun if you can't be the number one? Whatever. Now, if you excuse me, the King must go validate his title. What's next in my agenda? A Halo match?! With...uh, America..."
Japan didn't catch what Prussia mumbled after that, since he had already hung up the phone. Perhaps, he thought, someday he would realize the magnitude of the problem and he would call again. If nothing else, to find a partner to play with.
Japan could now see the problem was way more serious than he had imagined when America had visited his house. He had already done his own little investigation, but since the other nations were starting to notice America’s behavior as well, it was time to investigate a little further. Of course, Japan wasn't aware that Finland and Sweden already knew the truth but had chosen to stay silent. For most nations, America's behavior seemed like his typical, eccentric self and nobody had given it much thought outside of a passing comment.
But things had started to change, and weird news was coming up all across the Internet, all related to America, and Japan was determined to find the common thread between all of them.
The first report had come from Russia. Some weeks ago, due to Russia’s insistence, a long-waited chess match between Russia and America had taken place. They hadn’t played against each other since the Cold War (those matches with Russia against America’s super machines didn’t count), and Russia had been especially enthusiastic after his boys’ epic rematch. Russia had been feeling eager to play some chess, and he was looking for a challenge.
The challenge never came, though. The match must have been one of the shortest ever recorded, and while Russia didn’t keep from boasting about his victory, it was clear he wasn’t satisfied. Japan let out a shudder; he could imagine Russia unleashing his uneasiness on Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Speaking of Estonia, there was news that Estonia’s new movie had its premiere; it was a sequel of the equally bad and successful independent movie co-produced with America. Now, Japan knew tons of America’s movies were bad from the start, but for some unknown reason, they always did well in the box office.
This wasn’t the case. Estonia’s new movie did awful in the box office, and Estonia was already threatening to produce his next movie with Spain, or Germany.
That is, after he managed to recover from the loss left by the failed movie.
Over the recent days, Denmark’s whining could be heard all over the Internet. Apparently, he was counting on America to make his pedal-energized, hideously big Christmas tree work as part of Copenhagen’s climate summit. Apparently, Denmark hadn’t considered how difficult it could be to find a volunteer to pedal for hours, let alone several of them. But America had enough strength to cover all the volunteers, without even feeling tired. That was what Denmark thought, at least.
He hadn't counted on America to complain because he bicycle had its suspension set to ‘extremely hard’ (even though Sealand was pedaling on his side with ease), and already feeling very tired. After a few minutes, America excused himself since he had plenty of things to prepare for the summit.
According to other sources, Denmark managed to make his tree to work, at the expense of his Nordic family. Rumors had it, that after this Finland was considering to ban bicycles as Santa’s gifts.
And lastly, there was Hawaii, America's little girl. After several years of waiting, finally, on a sunny December morning, she found the perfect wave. It was time, then, for her famous Surf competition! Surfers from all over the world came for the challenge, but she was waiting for 'the shark', America, to show up.
It had been very difficult to convince America to assist with the event. That had really weirded out Hawaii, since America was normally the most eager follower of this competition. The worst was still yet to come, however; he had barely made it into the water on his surfboard, when a small wave knocked him over. The show started, with America causing an uproar and acting as if he was drowning. Nobody took him seriously, until Hawaii immersed herself to get him out, finally realizing that America was serious. It would probably take some time for Hawaii to understand what happened, but for now, needless to say, she was truly disappointed.
Japan massaged his temples. As much as it bugged him to not have someone to discuss video games with, his main worry was that there were plenty of other things going wrong. And there wasn’t any way to contact America: his cell phone was always either busy, or went to voice mail. America wasn’t updating any social networks either, even though he used to spend several hours a day on those sites. The only one being updated with certain regularity was America’s Twitter account, but it was obvious the one updating was a secretary and not America himself.
Japan let out a breath of air. He was truly worried for his friend, but it was clear he couldn’t do anything until he could see the America again. That would happen for sure during the next World Conference. He opted to be patient and wait until then.
But before that, he would make sure to e-mail every country, hoping to hear more about America’s weird behavior. He certainly didn’t want to miss out on any of the gossip…
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England, on the other hand, wasn’t worried in the least bit about the comments going around. He was still living his happy dream, being able to share things with America he had never shared before, and surprisingly, they hadn't quarrel at all in more than a month. The bad part was that America was spending less and less time at England's house. Thanks to his hard work and his increasingly good ideas (and England did feel a little proud of that), America was suddenly in high demand. America’s presence was increasingly required on meetings, summits, and that meant more paperwork. England never complained, since he understood, but he couldn't keep himself from missing him sometimes.
This time, it would be different. England thought America was ready to be presented to the Queen again, and after long negotiations, he got an audience with her. The problem now was to convince America to go; the Copenhagen madness was still in the air and it was hard to find America available even for a few minutes. However, since America still felt guilty about what had happened at the Royal Party, he forced himself to leave work aside for an evening to attend.
On the day of the audience, England had a slight sense of déjà vu. He was ready to fix America's tie and vest, only to find them already perfectly in place.
"Okay, let's check everything again, right?" England said while he was unsuccessfully looking for any crease on America's suit.
America just smiled. "There's no need for that, England. I already memorized everything! This time, I'll make it work. I give you my word."
England let out a sigh, finally giving in. His mind told him they were ready, but some part of him insisted there was something still missing.
"You have dirt on your nose," England said, pulling out his handkerchief.
"Really?" America asked, looking surprised. "I was sure I had checked my face several times. Could you clean it for me?"
"Sure..." England replied smiling, and he raised his arm to clean the nonexistent dirt. For some reason, while doing this, his heart finally felt at ease, and the sensation of something being missing finally disappeared. "There, now you're ready."
"Thanks a lot, England! Should we go now? We can't leave Her Majesty waiting, can we?" America asked, holding out his hand to England.
"No, you're right." America took England's hand, and led him out of the house. England’s thoughts were in another place, though. Where did this America come from? This guy who in no way resembled the America from the previous party? Although England was sure it was for the best, he had considered America's insecure self one of the most endearing things about him, as much as England loathed admitting it. He looked at this new America, full of overwhelming confidence, and while he thought about old America, an uncomfortable feeling struck England. A feeling that, when put into words, could only be defined as 'sadness'...
As America had planned, they arrived at least half an hour in advance. When the Queen arrived, America was the first to approach her, bowing and kissing her hand in a gentlemanly way. England had to actually contain a giggle, since even for him, this was way too stuffy. He remembered when he could tease, mock and even insult America without having to worry. But that couldn’t be possible anymore, since the new America was quite touchy when it came to teasing.
Almost like me, England thought bitterly.
The dinner went great, without any inconvenience. After that, America began a long conversation about history, current affairs, and mostly, about the status of the relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States; the typical stuff you’d hear at a meeting. It was obvious America had spent a fair amount of time preparing his speech for this occasion.
England listened truly interested at first, but as time passed, it was getting harder to keep his eyes open and keep from yawning. However, the Queen listened carefully to everything without looking bored for a single second.
It was very late when America decided to stop, distracted by his cell phone. Apparently, he had another appointment early next morning, so after clumsily managing to silence his phone, he apologized profusely asking for permission to leave.
England stayed behind, along with the Queen. He was dying to ask about her impression of America, and judging from the way she was looking intensely at him, he knew he had to say something.
“Your Majesty, I…”
“I know how respectful you are of our traditions, and I really appreciate that. But, I believe you went too far this time,” she looked at England with a serious face.
“W-What do you mean?” England asked looking visibly worried. Maybe she would say she didn’t like America after all? Or, even worse, that she didn’t approve of America as his…well, lover?
However, the Queen’s features softened. She didn’t looked disgusted, after all.
“There’s no need to force manners and etiquette on this young lad. He has the charm of youth; the joy and vitality proper of his land. But he also has some brilliance that’s his and only his, along with a pleasant warmth he irradiates wherever he goes. America is a fine and charming young man, my dear England, and it would be a shame to ruin all of that forcing him into some old-fashioned manners. Don’t you think so?”
Not believing what he was hearing, England shyly replied, “That may be true, Ma’am. But still, there are protocols to follow! What happened at the last Royal Party…I still feel deeply ashamed for what happened in there. He--” England had to stop, since he noticed the Queen was now chuckling. What the hell?!
“My dear England, I think it was a lovely gesture for him to embrace me in that way. Now, if you’re bothered for those funny anecdotes…”
“N-Not at all.” His face showed he was lying, since England was now quite flushed. “But, you didn’t think it was rude or something?”
“Did I not make myself clear, dear? I had a wonderful time at that party. And, if you were wondering whether I would approve or not your relationship, I don’t see why my opinion would matter, especially since you already made your choice.” she smiled.
Relief spilled over England after hearing those words. Did that mean the Queen accepted America? Still, the party fiasco was too much for England to let it go so easily. “I’m really grateful for that, Ma’am. But, he still didn’t have any right to say such embarrassing things about me…” he grumbled.
“You may complain, dear England, but I know his authenticity is one of those things that made you fall in love with him. I’d suggest you to stop worrying about that. I think it is only a matter of time before people forget everything he said about you. I’m sure you wouldn’t be happy at all if America were to change.” With that, she said goodbye to England and left the palace.
England stood silent, feeling slightly numb because somewhere, deep inside him, he knew the Queen was telling the truth.
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Another month passed. Until now, gossip had only been isolated comments, but now America was the topic of interest for most nations. Today wasn’t the exception: before the beginning of the meeting, a small group of countries were chatting on a solitaire hallway on the Conventions Center. America was nowhere in sight; he was said to be on a secret place, preparing his presentation.
"Ve ~ Do you think this Conference will turn out well, Germany?"
Germany just groaned. "I suppose it will be perfect. With America being the head and everybody agreeing and supporting every single thing he says. He’s the one in charge; what could go wrong?"
Italy gave a pout. Germany had been in a very bad mood ever since America had proved to be more reliable and a better leader. Germany always complained that he had to be the one to bring sanity to World Meetings, but Italy suspected he liked to be the one in charge.
“I don’t know about you, guys, but I prefer the old America, and I’m sure Germany prefers feels the same. He was…nicer…” Italy said in a whisper.
“It’s almost as if he became England’s clone!” France groaned.
“I do think America’s still a nice guy, but how serious he is worrying. Something really bad must have happened to him.” Japan stated.
“He even eats England’s scones!!!” France whined.
“I think you’re all overreacting. I’m sure this is our friend America's natural reaction, after realizing my undisputed superiority on chess.” Russia gave a sinister smile.
“He even drinks England’s tea!!!” France moaned.
“I don’t think this is related to chess…or England’s food. I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation to this. Have you considered asking America himself?,” China stated in a reprimanding tone.
The nations looked at each other, nobody saying a thing. It was France who broke the silence, suddenly looking excited. “Do you want to hear my theory? I’m sure that closet perv England jinxed America in order to ‘change the routine’ or something…”
“You’ll have to excuse me, France, but…why would it be related to England wanting some…special treatment from America? Can’t you think of anything that doesn’t imply sex?,” Germany arched an eyebrow.
“Why, you ask? Because England’s a closet pervert and a horny bastard! I assure you, this must be some new kink of his and---OW! Why do you kick me, China?!”
France turned around to face China, and he saw England walking just beside him.
The nations stood silent, all of them looking at England, as if waiting for him to snarl sooner or later. But that never happened, since England never even look at them. He had a gloomy face, and crossed the hallway without saying a word. What’s more, he seemed to have not heard any of the comments about him.
Once England was out of sight, the nations looked at each other, astonished.
"Comrade England doesn't look well, da?"
"I called him a closet perv and he didn't even react!!!" France whined.
England didn’t hear either men's increasing babbling. Lost in his own thoughts, he headed to a solitary office where he knew America was hurrying to get his presentation ready on time. How long had it been since the last time he spoke to America? Maybe 15 days?
Taking a deep breath, England turned the knob and entered the office.
He found himself wishing America would at least say something to him.
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Notes:
- Not relevant, but the RPG Japan's talking about might well be Tales of Graces, the newly released Namco-Bandai RPG for Nintendo Wii. Thought you'd like it, Sill ;D And if you ask me, I don't think it's possible at all to kill your own partner character!
- His boys' epic rematch. Russia is referring to the rematch between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov, which took place on September 2009. I suppose Russia would be in a chess mode, after that!
- Denmark's Christmas Tree did exist; it was placed on the on City Hall Square in Copenhagen a week before the Climate Summit. Now, they didn't have any problem to make the real one to work....
- Hawaii's competition is the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau wave surf contest, which is an irregular tournament run only when the ocean reaches a certain height. Last year, it took place on December 8th.
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love it, and i'm looking foward to your next update...ehehe~i esp. loved the prussia part. he's so awesome :3
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To write Prussia is always an amazing experience for me. I'm glad you enjoyed that part!
Working on the next part <3