[Fanfiction] Simplicity (for infiniteowl)
Title: Simplicity
By: sanna_lan
Recipient: infiniteowl
Rating: PG (it's just fluff, really)
Disclaimer: Trust me, you don't want me to own Hetalia.
Summary: Love was sitting next to someone on a grassy hill
A/N: For prompt #1. I'm sorry this isn't quite as good as I'd imagined it to be. Still, I hope you enjoy.
Greece was a simple person who knew exactly what he wanted.
He wanted for his people health, peace and prosperity; for his cats, good fish, many lives and places to nap; for himself, the salty sea breeze on his face, friends to share stories with, and hopefully to see Turkey drop dead one day.
He wanted Japan, too. Or rather, he wanted to be with Japan. That was slightly more complicated, because sometimes Japan fancied himself a complicated person, but simple nonetheless - once forgotten trivialities like their status as political entities and certain social conventions. Then there were only left the important things - the endless conversations, the quiet understanding, the shared cat-adoration...
And days like today. Today they were at Japan's house, sitting at the porch, wearing summer clothes and basking in the afternoon sun. There were cats everywhere - cats on Greece's head, cats on Japan's lap, cats under the table that held their cold drinks, cats stretching on the roof, cats pawing at Japan's fan, cats disappearing beneath Greece's jacket. Greece took a deep breath, feeling his lungs fill with pure life, and gave out a content sigh. This, he believed, was life, life the way it should be, life in all its beauty.
And this was exactly what he liked the most about being with Japan - sharing perfect little moments and storing them in his memory for safekeeping; knowing that Japan did the exact same thing. It made him feel... nice, in a different way sleeping did, or being with the cats, or even sex.
Some might even say he was in love.
Greece wasn't all that sure he agreed with that statement. Love was a loaded word, tricky and full of hidden meanings. Greece preferred to it keep away from his vocabulary. After all, you couldn't go around describing something as 'love' without knowing what it was.
And love was a lot of things.
Love was knowing all about someone, their ups and downs, their rights and wrongs, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person in the world.
Love was trusting them enough to tell them everything, the silly things and the deep secrets and all those things you might be too ashamed of, because you know that somehow, they'll still accept you.
Love was feeling like you'd been with them your whole life, feeling more comfortable in their presence than with anyone else in the world, and still getting weak knees and fluttering butterflies when they smile at you.
Love was sitting next to someone on a grassy hill, and musing together about life.
Love was...
Love was Japan.
The thought didn't feel like an epiphany, the world didn't stop spinning and its only visible symptom was a blink. It was simply voicing out loud something you knew since forever and only now dared admit.
It also left the sensation of being a teenage girl about to write her first love letter.
Greece wondered how he should tell Japan. Because it was love, it shouldn't be hidden. It was important Greece shared this wonderful new knowledge with who was, for now, his best friend. Maybe he could write it as a letter, or a slip of paper carried on a kitten's paw. But... too impersonal, too improper.
Spoken words, it would have to be. Maybe he should say it in Japan's language, aishiteru, that was intimate and romantic and... and Japan would probably misunderstand, think that Greece was only practicing his Japanese, or that he didn't grasp the weight behind the expression.
Maybe just words, then, English words which don't quite have the same meaning or the same weight. I love you, Japan, plainly, or maybe with something added. An explanation, a tale, a song, a way to say in many words what in itself needed less than three.
He turned to look at Japan, searching in his mind for a way to start a conversation, for inspiration, for something to do.
Sensing his stare, Japan looked up from the cat he was playing with, a question in his eyes. Is something the matter? Greece shook his head. Just thinking, his own eyes answered. He didn't have it yet, what he would do. Japan gave him a smile, eyes shining at him, and all of a sudden Greece was reminded of why, exactly, was he in love.
There was no need for him to speak, to give out some grand speech or dramatic confession.
Japan already knew.
Anata he tsunagaru daichi ni umerete yokatta
-fin-
More A/N: The randomly placed quote at the end is from the song Sayonara Solitaire, by Chiba Saeko (Listen to it, if you can. It's really beautiful.) It says “I'm so glad that I was born on this earth that connects me to you.” I found it really fitting for them, even if it doesn't quite go with the fic. Lame, I know.
Thank you so much, infiniteowl , for organizing this exchange. You deserve so much more than this little thing. <3