Three of One Thousand
Hungary stood, leaning against the frame of the French door, lips pursed as she stared unblinkingly at the silhouette standing on the edge of the balcony. The melodious sound of violin filled the chilly air, reverberating beautifully yet somewhat mournfully into the dark, dark night. She closed her eyes and listened silently, the dim, silvery light of the moon blocked out from her own, small world. It won’t last long. The music, the tranquility, the elegance which sent goose bumps down her arm... Not now, anyways.
As if on cue, the fluid song of the strings was interrupted with a horrible, ear-piercing screech-not for the first time since the girl stood, unnoticed, in the frosty autumn night. The silhouette gave a cry of anguish, then collapsed on the nearest outdoor seat, prized musical instrument discarded unceremoniously on the ground.
Hungary flinched, fingers digging deep into her stained apron. It was a rare sight to see the usually-composed man slump in frustration and utterly out of character ever since she had moved into his house to live with him, Italy and Holy Roman Empire. He had always regarded every single activity as a serious matter-sometimes too serious that Hungary wanted to scream at him about acting his own age for once in a while. It was for his sake, and partly, selfishly for hers. But trying so hard to relax to the extent where he just couldn’t handle anymore music… Hungary loathed that. It was a phenomenon that just wasn’t made to happen to a man like Austria.
She exhaled softly, more like a timid huff than a sigh. Shakily, she drew her breath and tiptoed forward closer to where her ‘employer’ sat. How odd it was to see him slouch, head buried into his hands in an exasperated manner.
“Mr. Austria…” she began quietly, tapping him gently on his shoulder. Startled by the man’s reaction, she quickly drew back her hand as Austria sprang up on his seat and snapped his head back in alarm. A moment of hushed silence came where the only sound Hungary could hear was the blood roaring in her ears, slightly afraid of what Austria would do next. Hungary watched as his shoulders relaxed slightly, relief flooded his face as he digested the appearance of the uninvited guest. He cleared his throat and straightened his back, retrieving the amount of dignity he had almost lost in that brief moment of tension.
“Good evening, Hungary,” he replied coolly, fixing his gaze on something completely transparent in the distance. “Do you have something to say to me?”
Hungary bit her lip, fumbling with her apron. “Dinner’s ready nearly half an hour ago. I reckon it’s getting cold. Should I reheat it for you, sir?”
“No, its fine, thank you,” the man said, a little bit too hurriedly for Hungary’s notion.
Austria turned his head towards her, his eyes wandering around Hungary’s face. She felt her face grow slightly warm under his stare-the thought of him inspecting her body flustered the girl slightly.
“Tell me, have you been standing out here for the whole time?” he queried, crossing his arms. Hungary presumed it was to stop the cold from seeping into his ribs. The girl blinked and shook her head vigorously.
“No. I just came not so long ago,” she answered, her voice cracking slightly. Thank goodness it was dark outside.
Austria arched an eyebrow at her, making the back of Hungary’s neck prickle uncomfortably underneath her bushy brown hair. He was the type of man that cannot be easily fooled, unfortunately.
“Well then, I suppose you won’t mind just taking a seat and have a break for a little while,” he said calmly, getting up to fetch an extra chair for Hungary. Austria, whether he noticed the girl’s jaw drop as if it was filled with lead or not, merely blinked at her direction and gave his shoulders a small shrug. “It would be quite a shame if no one shared this night sky with anyone, don’t you think?”
Of course, why didn’t Hungary think of that? Manners, manners, and more manners. Surely, Austria would never think of raising a bond between a mere servant? Hungary smiled weakly, flushing as he pulled a chair beside her.
“Err, thanks… Sir,” she murmured and plopped down on the outdoor seat, regretting at once that the chair was coated with a thin sheet of frost. Austria flashed a brief smile before receding back to staring blankly at the mountains lingering around the horizon.
Hungary stared at him, emerald eyes searching the distant look on his face for something that even she didn’t know what to look for. Even beneath the faint moonlight, her ‘boss’ clearly radiated distress and anxiety-Hungary found this quite typical for a busy man such as Austria. Maybe he had an insecurity of yet another war erupting without warning? Or, could it be-Hungary’s stomach did a little knot at this thought-that he was fed up of staying beneath the same roof as her, Italy and Holy Roman Empire? She frowned lightly at this. Sure, Holy Roman Empire and Italy could cause minor nuisances and make little blunders-but they were practically still children. She sighed inwardly, ripping her eyes slowly away from his face. If only he would ‘open his borders’ a little…
“It’s pretty chilly out here, isn’t it?” Hungary started, the words itching to escape from her slightly chattering teeth. A cloud of steam formed from her lips as she spoke before it disappeared with a sudden, bitter wind. She glanced at him again, half-expecting at least a brief response. “Err, Sir?”
She had almost thought that the man would not reply when he uttered, completely catching Hungary off-guard, “Hungary, I’m afraid I’m not being completely honest with you.”
The girl merely blinked, astounded. “Sorry?”
“I mean, I don’t lie to you; you know I’m not the type of man who tells stories,” he paused, running a hand through his dark, brown hair. Hungary flushed, her heart suddenly throbbing furiously against her ribcage. Austria raised his brows and continued, “And I just wanted you to know that I trust you. Sincerely.”
Hungary’s hand flew instinctively to her reddened cheeks as she pretended to rub a freckle. What was going on? What was he trying to say? Maybe he was trying to confess something to her?
No, Hungary, don’t be silly.
She gulped and forced a trembling smile. Whatever it was, maybe Austria just wanted to compliment her as his servant. Her heart sank slightly at this thought. “Uh, thank you… Sir.”
Hungary received a small smile from the other nation before silence filled the night once more.
…That was it? One moment he was bristling with aggravation and the next he was praising Hungary for being a reliable servant? That was it?! Hungary couldn’t resist exhaling an air of confusion and disappointment. She shifted in her seat uneasily, her rear starting to feel damp from the slowly melting frost. Curse winter for arriving so early.
“Hungary, I suppose you’re wondering why I am telling you this,” Austria, for once, broke the silence in his usual cool manner. Hungary jolted in her chair at the mention of her name.
“Yes. I-I guess I’m kinda confused,” she muttered, flicking her eyes back to look through the man’s transparent glasses. She was surprised, yet again, to hear the nation emit a barely distinctive chuckle as a response.
“Even the toughest of men has to have a face they know they can spill the contents of their hearts to,” he murmured, tilting his head upwards to gaze at the crescent moon. Hungary felt as if she was basking her chest in warm sunlight. She, with her filthy apron and matted hair and incredibly un-lady-like characteristics, held a presence significant enough to be able to lift the weight off the aloof man’s shoulders? Yeah, right.
“In other words,” Austria added, “I… I trust you’ll be there when I need you, even when you’re not formally required to be present?”
Hungary felt her breath hitch in her throat. It wasn’t a big sentence, but the way the words poured from his mouth sounded as if he had rehearsed it a million of times and yet he still found it stiff and awkward on his tongue. And yet, this little flaw was the one which made a smile etch upon the girl’s scarlet face.
She reached out to Austria’s lap, fumbling for his hand hesitantly and clasped her fingers around his cold flesh. The country recoiled slightly at her touch but obediently allowed her to melt the rigidity away from his fingers. Hungary beamed at him smugly as though to say ‘What a stupid idea to play the violin at a night like this!’
Austria sighed, letting out a breath of relief, his lips gradually forming a smile. A movement of the face which was so simple, and yet he believed that it described a thousand words in merely a split second. And only three of these thousand words did he choose to let her hear;
“I love you.”
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Just a little something for Hetalia. Based on HungaryxAustria. Gosh I love that couple.
Sorry if it's odd and, well... not satisfying. I couldn't think of a title. I liked it. XD Review plz! ^^