Stray
Title: Stray
Summary: Greece hides his cats from Turkey.
“Braaaaat!” He yelled, stopping in the middle of the empty street, scratching the back of his head, and turning his head to look around him. It was impossible to see behind the mask but the empire was truly aggravated. It was late at night, almost into the earliest of morning hours and that damned kid had yet to come back home. Damnit, he cursed to himself. That kid had a hellalotta’ nerve walking out of his house after breaking his things and then making him come after the filthy kid.
“Damnit brat!” Sadiq growled, scratching the back of his head and looking up at the dimmed windows in the buildings around him. It had been a damned long time since he had last bothered to come down here; to the streets where the filthy giaours roamed like rats. Damned right, he thought, they better stay in their holes. “How many churches do I gotta burn to get ya t’come out?!” He demanded and he fell silent, listening for the slightest of sounds.
Nothingness.
Slowly, he continued his walk down the deserted road, “One?” He mused, “Two? Three? Hell, how ‘bout the whole lotta them?”
“Don’t you dare!” A voice yelled back and there was the sound of the ground being kicked at and rocks rolling away.
Sadiq raised a hand to his face, touching the smirk forming on his lips. “Then ya’d better get back here, giaour. Ya got ‘til the count a-ten ‘nd ‘m startin’ on nine.”
The response he received was a question-markless demand. “. . . You won’t hurt anyone.” The younger voice threatened.
“Heeeell no, I ain’t makin’ promises to a giaour!” Sadiq responded, following the sound of the would-be nation’s voice.
“Promise!”
And that was it. He knew where the little rat was hiding. He stood in front of the narrow ally, hands at his hips and scowling angrily behind his mask, “Oi! Get out!” He snapped and there was the sound of something falling, liquid spilling, and a distinctive mewing.
“No!”
Raising his arm, he pushed back his sleeve and laughed, “Then I’ll just come in and get ya!”
And with that, the smaller nation came out of hiding. The front of his tunic had water stains, dirt stains, and-ah, the empire was pleased to see some blood stains from that previous day’s beatings were still there. Kneeling down just slightly, he ruffled the boy’s hair and made sure he could see his grin. “Good boy.” He praised sarcastically.
“Don’t touch me.” Heracles sneered, swatting at the hand and turning away.
“The fuck are you hiding, giaour?”
“Nothing!” Hearcles snapped defensively.
Sadiq frowned. Why was this kid so damned difficult? Him and that damned bitch of a mother?! “Get it.” He demanded, looking down on the defiant little rat.
“No.” the younger nation resisted, looking up with defiant eyes.
Sadiq kicked the kid lightly with his boot, “Get- it.”
“No.” Heracles spat, pushing back with his hands and refusing to take his eyes off of the coward’s mask.
“Then let’s burn the whole damned town, eh?” The empire hissed, playing at the younger nation’s love for his people.
His eyes flashed, narrowing and yelling up at the man, “You wouldn’t!”
“Wanna bet?”
Sadiq looked down and Heracles looked up intensely at one another, staring each other down before Heracles bit down on his lip and turned around, yelling and cursing angrily in his native tongue. Sadiq stood proudly as he watched the younger one stomp back into the alley and return with a broken basket with an old, oil rag covering it.
“The fuck?” Sadiq asked, looking down, “Uncover it.” He demanded and noting the rebellious look in Heracles eyes, he added, “Now.”
Reluctantly, the boy uncovered the basket, revealing one- two- three kittens.
The empire leaned down, inspecting the kittens and reaching out to touch one but stopping a few inches short. “Awright!” Sadiq began, “Who’d y’steal it from, brat?”
“I didn’t steal them!” Heracles retorted, pulling back and turning so that the kittens were away. He refused to let the old man near them. If the old man could have his way, he’d probably tie them up in a bag and toss them into the sea. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to them. “They’re mine!”
“And why the fuck would you be taking care of them? Y’can’t even take care of your own people!”
“Because!” Heracles began but he quickly caught himself, biting down on his tongue and turning away completely, mumbling quietly to himself, “They don’t have a mother.”
“And why not?”
The territory remained silent, holding the basket closer and rubbing his cheeks against the mewing kittens.
“. . . Oh.” Sadiq realized, standing up straight and raising a hand to the back of his head. Well, damn, he hadn’t been expecting that. “Dead, huh?” He asked to which Heracles silently nodded his head.
“And ya’ve been takin’ care of ‘em?” He asked. Once more, Heracles nodded.
There was a moment of long, awkward silence between the two. Over the buildings, hazy rays of light were beginning to shine in the sky signaling the early morning. “It’s damned late.” Sadiq observed and when he did not get a response, he continued, “Let’s go.”
The Greek boy began to run back into the ally to put back the kittens-
“I said let’s go! Bring the damned cats too!” Sadiq snapped, turning his back and making his way back to his house.
Heracles could not believe his ears, “Really?” He asked, almost hopefully.
“Before I change my mind.”
“You won’t kill them!”
“Hell no I won’t! Got better things to do than drown strays!"
ning after the Ottoman, Heracles held onto the basket tightly, careful not to move it too much so he would not awaken the kittens. He slowed down from a run to a double-paced walk beside the older nation as he walked double-time to match the empire’s large strides. “If you do, I’ll kill you.” Heracles warned.
“Keep sayin’ that.” Sadiq dismissed with the wave of a hand.
Hurrying further ahead, the Greek stopped a good distance away and yelled, “I mean it!” Before hurrying back to the Ottoman’s house. He refused to let the old man see, but the young nation was smiling.
Summary: Greece hides his cats from Turkey.
“Braaaaat!” He yelled, stopping in the middle of the empty street, scratching the back of his head, and turning his head to look around him. It was impossible to see behind the mask but the empire was truly aggravated. It was late at night, almost into the earliest of morning hours and that damned kid had yet to come back home. Damnit, he cursed to himself. That kid had a hellalotta’ nerve walking out of his house after breaking his things and then making him come after the filthy kid.
“Damnit brat!” Sadiq growled, scratching the back of his head and looking up at the dimmed windows in the buildings around him. It had been a damned long time since he had last bothered to come down here; to the streets where the filthy giaours roamed like rats. Damned right, he thought, they better stay in their holes. “How many churches do I gotta burn to get ya t’come out?!” He demanded and he fell silent, listening for the slightest of sounds.
Nothingness.
Slowly, he continued his walk down the deserted road, “One?” He mused, “Two? Three? Hell, how ‘bout the whole lotta them?”
“Don’t you dare!” A voice yelled back and there was the sound of the ground being kicked at and rocks rolling away.
Sadiq raised a hand to his face, touching the smirk forming on his lips. “Then ya’d better get back here, giaour. Ya got ‘til the count a-ten ‘nd ‘m startin’ on nine.”
The response he received was a question-markless demand. “. . . You won’t hurt anyone.” The younger voice threatened.
“Heeeell no, I ain’t makin’ promises to a giaour!” Sadiq responded, following the sound of the would-be nation’s voice.
“Promise!”
And that was it. He knew where the little rat was hiding. He stood in front of the narrow ally, hands at his hips and scowling angrily behind his mask, “Oi! Get out!” He snapped and there was the sound of something falling, liquid spilling, and a distinctive mewing.
“No!”
Raising his arm, he pushed back his sleeve and laughed, “Then I’ll just come in and get ya!”
And with that, the smaller nation came out of hiding. The front of his tunic had water stains, dirt stains, and-ah, the empire was pleased to see some blood stains from that previous day’s beatings were still there. Kneeling down just slightly, he ruffled the boy’s hair and made sure he could see his grin. “Good boy.” He praised sarcastically.
“Don’t touch me.” Heracles sneered, swatting at the hand and turning away.
“The fuck are you hiding, giaour?”
“Nothing!” Hearcles snapped defensively.
Sadiq frowned. Why was this kid so damned difficult? Him and that damned bitch of a mother?! “Get it.” He demanded, looking down on the defiant little rat.
“No.” the younger nation resisted, looking up with defiant eyes.
Sadiq kicked the kid lightly with his boot, “Get- it.”
“No.” Heracles spat, pushing back with his hands and refusing to take his eyes off of the coward’s mask.
“Then let’s burn the whole damned town, eh?” The empire hissed, playing at the younger nation’s love for his people.
His eyes flashed, narrowing and yelling up at the man, “You wouldn’t!”
“Wanna bet?”
Sadiq looked down and Heracles looked up intensely at one another, staring each other down before Heracles bit down on his lip and turned around, yelling and cursing angrily in his native tongue. Sadiq stood proudly as he watched the younger one stomp back into the alley and return with a broken basket with an old, oil rag covering it.
“The fuck?” Sadiq asked, looking down, “Uncover it.” He demanded and noting the rebellious look in Heracles eyes, he added, “Now.”
Reluctantly, the boy uncovered the basket, revealing one- two- three kittens.
The empire leaned down, inspecting the kittens and reaching out to touch one but stopping a few inches short. “Awright!” Sadiq began, “Who’d y’steal it from, brat?”
“I didn’t steal them!” Heracles retorted, pulling back and turning so that the kittens were away. He refused to let the old man near them. If the old man could have his way, he’d probably tie them up in a bag and toss them into the sea. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to them. “They’re mine!”
“And why the fuck would you be taking care of them? Y’can’t even take care of your own people!”
“Because!” Heracles began but he quickly caught himself, biting down on his tongue and turning away completely, mumbling quietly to himself, “They don’t have a mother.”
“And why not?”
The territory remained silent, holding the basket closer and rubbing his cheeks against the mewing kittens.
“. . . Oh.” Sadiq realized, standing up straight and raising a hand to the back of his head. Well, damn, he hadn’t been expecting that. “Dead, huh?” He asked to which Heracles silently nodded his head.
“And ya’ve been takin’ care of ‘em?” He asked. Once more, Heracles nodded.
There was a moment of long, awkward silence between the two. Over the buildings, hazy rays of light were beginning to shine in the sky signaling the early morning. “It’s damned late.” Sadiq observed and when he did not get a response, he continued, “Let’s go.”
The Greek boy began to run back into the ally to put back the kittens-
“I said let’s go! Bring the damned cats too!” Sadiq snapped, turning his back and making his way back to his house.
Heracles could not believe his ears, “Really?” He asked, almost hopefully.
“Before I change my mind.”
“You won’t kill them!”
“Hell no I won’t! Got better things to do than drown strays!"
ning after the Ottoman, Heracles held onto the basket tightly, careful not to move it too much so he would not awaken the kittens. He slowed down from a run to a double-paced walk beside the older nation as he walked double-time to match the empire’s large strides. “If you do, I’ll kill you.” Heracles warned.
“Keep sayin’ that.” Sadiq dismissed with the wave of a hand.
Hurrying further ahead, the Greek stopped a good distance away and yelled, “I mean it!” Before hurrying back to the Ottoman’s house. He refused to let the old man see, but the young nation was smiling.