Archive of Our Own

    The doors of the meeting hall building opened slowly, and from it poured a stream of almost two-hundred people, laughing with each other and arguing with each other passionately. Many of them were yawning and stretching their arms as well. Some of them stuck in groups, while others drifted away and walked alone or hung out with different people. Anyone else who happened to be passing by at the time couldn't help but be struck with the thought that the group of people they saw before them was truly a representation of the people of the world. Few would know that their thoughts were right.

    The group of people was comprised of 197 nation personifications. The building they had just streamed out of was the World Meeting Hall in Berlin, Germany. It was time once again for their monthly, two-day meeting to discuss the happenings in their countries to prevent any problems from arising within them. It was always a difficult process, what with 195 countries being represented (Gilbert and Lovino always tagged along despite the fact that they didn't really have to), all with very different people with very different views living within them, but somehow, the personifications always found someway to have fun with one another and get things sorted out. Mostly.

    Today, however, Francis was walking alone as he exited the meeting hall building. He was still quite frustrated by some things that had been said to him by Arthur in the meeting, and thus was not walking with him, even though Alfred and Matthew were. As for Gilbert and Antonio, Francis just hadn't been able to find them and catch up with them yet (though he wasn't really trying to, either). Today had been one of the more stressful meetings for him. More than anything, he felt like he just needed to relax right now. Thank God today was the last day of the meeting.

    "Hey, Fransa!" a cheery voice called out from behind him.

    At first, Francis was annoyed that he was being called for. Really, all he wanted to do was get back to his hotel and get some sleep before taking his flight back to France the next morning. However, when he recognized who the voice belonged to, he calmed down, and even smiled a little. He turned around, only to be greeted by the Masked Man himself, Sadik Adnan. Personification of the Republic of Turkey. The man that Francis had been highly infatuated with for a few centuries now. 

    "Oh, Sadik, salut. What is it that you want with me, mon ami?" he inquired, having stopped walking to wait for Sadik to catch up with him.

    "This meeting sure was a long weekend, huh?" Sadik asked, finally catching up to Francis, at which point the two men fell in step beside one another. 

    Francis sighed softly. "I'll say..." he muttered softly.

    Sadik threw his arm around Francis' shoulder and pulled him closer, side-hugging him tightly and rubbing his shoulder a little roughly. "You want me to mess that England up for you? He won't lose a fight to me!" he asked, laughing heartily. 

    Francis couldn't help but smile, and chuckled softly as he looked at Sadik and shook his head. "Non, that won't be necessary, mon ami, but thank you anyways," he replied. 

    "Are you sure? It'll only take a second, and he'll never screw with you again!" Sadik promised.

    "I'm quite sure, Sadik. Thank you, but I can handle Arthur on my own. He just loves to get on my nerves, that's all. He hardly ever means what he says," Francis dismissed. 

    "Well, you still look like you could use something to take your mind off of the meeting. What do you say to ending everything off with a bang before we all have to leave tomorrow?" Sadik asked him.

    Francis raised an eyebrow. "What would you suggest?" he inquired.

    "It's been a while since I've been in Germany. I sure could use a drink after this weekend. How about you and I hit up a bar with some of the others and get a little tipsy? We'll be calling cabs to get back to the hotel anyways," Sadik answered, grinning broadly.

    "Well, it has been a little while since I've had a decent drink that didn't have wine in it. I suppose Germany is the best place to get a good beer or something like that," Francis said, a small smile returning to his face. 

    "Everything's settled, then! Come on, let's split up and gather some people up. Have everyone meet up at Bei Schlawinchen in an hour, yeah?" Sadik asked, removing his arm from Francis' shoulder. 

    Francis nodded. "Oui, that sounds perfect to me," he agreed.

    "Harika! Then let's hurry and gather as many people as we can from here before they all get away!" Sadik exclaimed. He grinned at Francis again before dashing off and disappearing into the crowd of personifications that were still hanging around the building. 

    Though Francis had said that he'd help find other people to go to the bar with him and Sadik, now that Sadik was gone, he didn't really feel like talking to anyone else. All he really wanted to do was get back to his hotel, take a nap, and change his clothes before he was supposed to meet up with Sadik and the others. Rather than following Sadik's lead and going to ask other people before they got too far away, Francis decided to pull out his phone and send out a massive group text message to many of the personifications that he had in his contacts list.

    Turkey and I are hitting up Bei Schlawinchen in an hour to get a few good drinks before we fly back home tomorrow. We'd love it if some of you would come with us <3

    After he had sent the message, Francis put his phone back into his pocket and walked away from the meeting hall building so that it would be easier for him to get a cab back to his hotel. Once he was a bit deeper into the city, it was easy for him to spot a cab and stop it so that he could get in. He told the driver the name of his hotel, and in a few seconds, they were driving towards it.

    Upon arrival at the hotel, Francis quickly paid his driver and got out of the cab. He wanted to get to his room as quickly as possible so that he had the most time to rest before meeting up with Sadik and the others. It wouldn't take him that long to get ready. All he wanted to do was change his clothes and maybe fix his hair a little. It would take him fifteen minutes at the most. That being said, he estimated he'd only have about twenty minutes for a nap before he had to get going to the bar. It wasn't that far away, but he didn't want to be late...

    Well, he'd take a nap first. It would be pointless to change and fix his hair if he was only going to mess it up with the pillow again. Besides, he was really tired.

     When he got to his room, he kicked his shoes off and straightened them up by the door before pulling his cellphone out while he walked to his bed, setting an alarm to go off in 25 minutes rather than 20. He could give himself a little extra time. It would be alright if he was a little late

    After setting the alarm, he set his phone down on top of the nightstand beside his bed and laid down in it. He didn't bother turning down the blankets and crawling under them. He simply laid on top of the made bed and snuggled himself into the pillows, taking a deep breath before closing his eyes and trying to get some sleep.

    As soon as the alarm on Francis' phone went off, his eyes shot open and he sat up on the bed, swinging his legs over the edge so that he was sitting on the edge. He was always very slow to wake up in the morning, but power naps were easy to wake him from. He felt much better now, having rested a little and having had some peaceful time to himself. He was ready to change now, and he was excited to go meet up with the others for a good night of fun before everyone had to leave for their respective countries the next day.

    Francis stood up from the bed and stretched his arms as he walked to the closet in his hotel room, where he had hung all of his clothes up the night that he had arrived here. Of course, he had packed casual clothes along with the suits that he wore to the meetings. For tonight, he picked out a pair of simple blue skinny jeans and a red, long-sleeved, v-neck shirt. He'd curl and brush his hair again after he got dressed, and the shoes that he had been wearing earlier would go along with his new outfit just fine.

    He pulled his chosen clothes out of the closet and tossed them onto the bed before stripping himself of his suit and hanging up each piece of it individually. When he had finished, he walked back to the bed and pulled his new clothes on. When he was finished getting dressed, he walked to the bathroom to fix his hair.

    His curling iron was already plugged into the wall from earlier that morning, but it wasn't turned on. He turned it on and put it on the second highest setting. While he was waiting for it to heat up, he brushed his teeth and looked himself over in the mirror to make sure that his makeup didn't need touching up. 

    When the curling iron was hot enough, he picked it up and began curling his hair with it. It didn't take long, especially because he didn't mean for the curls to hold really well. More than anything, he just wanted his hair to look wavy. 

    When he was finished curling, he turned the curling iron off and set it down on the bathroom counter again. Looking in the mirror, he saw that his hair was a little curlier than he had wanted it, so he ran a brush through his hair to get some of the curls out. By the time he was finished, his hair looked bouncy, shiny and wavy. Just as he had intended.

    He left the bathroom, feeling confident in himself and excited for the night ahead. He walked to the door of his room and slipped his shoes back on before grabbing his wallet off of the table by the door and unlocking the door. He opened it and walked out into the hall, shutting and locking the door behind him before walking to the elevator so that he could get to the bottom floor.

    He quickly left the hotel building and called a cab once he was outside. It didn't take long for one to come to him. He opened the back door and slipped into the cab, closing the door and buckling his seat belt as he gave the name of the bar he was meeting everyone else at to his driver. The driver gave him a faint smile before driving off to where Francis had requested.

    It only took a few minutes for the cab to arrive at Bei Schlawinchen. Francis could see some of the other nations going into the bar as his cab was pulling up to the curb. Francis smiled as he watched them. He was sure that he and Sadik had rounded up a decent turnout. 

    Francis took his wallet out of his pants pocket and paid the driver before getting out of the cab and running up to the door of the bar. He pulled the door open and stepped inside. The inside of the building was dimly lit, and the atmosphere was loud and dirty. The place looked run-down despite the fact that there at least fifty people inside of it right now, all chatting and laughing with each other heartily. 

    Francis stayed in the doorway of the bar and scanned over the room, looking for anyone that was familiar to him. Admittedly, this atmosphere was a lot more intimidating than he had thought it would be. He wasn't used to spending his time in gritty bars. He was usually a lot more sophisticated than this. Still, he figured that if he was with a group of his friends, it wouldn't feel quite so intimidating anymore. He would probably start to feel right at home.

    "Hey, Fransa! Over here, buddy!" 

    Francis heard Sadik's voice through the crowd, and it wasn't long before he spotted the exuberant man waving rapidly at him, motioning for him to join Sadik and the others at a table they had claimed in the back corner of the bar. The people who were sitting with Sadik were Gilbert, Ludwig, Antonio, Arthur, Alfred, Matthew, Feliciano, and Lovino. There were even more countries sitting at a table just a few feet away from them. 

    Francis smiled at Sadik and nodded his head, indicating that he had seen Sadik and was acknowledging him. He quickly made his way through the bar, pushing and squeezing past the people and the chairs and the tables until he made it to the back of the room. He greeted everyone at the table before sitting down in the empty chair next to Sadik that had been saved for him. 

    "Finally! It's about damn time you showed up, Fransa! I was beginning to think you'd stood us up!" Sadik exclaimed, lifting his arm up and ruffling Francis' hair roughly, making the Frenchman laugh.

    "Of course I'm here, Sadik! I'd never stand you up. You should know that by now," Francis said, pulling his head away from Sadik's hand and grinning at him broadly.

    "Well I suppose that's true. You're not one to miss out on a party, are you, buddy? If anyone were going to stand us up, it would have been England!" Sadik mused, laughing heartily once again. 

    Francis, Matthew and Alfred all chuckled at this comment while Arthur's brows furrowed in indignity. "What the bloody hell's that supposed to mean? You know I wouldn't miss out on a round of drinks with you lot," he protested. 

    "Ain't that the truth," Alfred said, grinning at everyone who was sitting at the table. 

    "Well, I dunno about you guys, but I'm pretty hungry too. I think I'm going to order something to eat before I think about having anything other to drink than beer," Matthew said.

    "Why the hell would you want to drink anything other than beer? You're in Germany, for God's sake! It's what we're famous for! We've got the most awesome beer in the world!" Gilbert exclaimed, smirking.

    "Well, some of us are a little more adventurous than you are, amigo," Antonio teased.

    "Are you joking? I'm the most adventurous out of anyone here! It's part of what makes me awesome!" Gilbert declared. 

    "Well if you're so adventurous, then why don't you show us, you potato-eating bastard? I dare you not to have a single beer for the whole night. You're only allowed to drink whatever other shitty drinks they've got at this horrible place," Lovino grumbled.

    Gilbert's eyes widened. "Hey now, that's no fair! What do you mean I can't have any beer!?" he asked incredulously.

    Lovino shrugged. "I just said I dared you, man. But if you don't want to, I understand. Just never thought you'd be the one to shy away from a dare," he said indifferently, leaning back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head, and closing his eyes. He had a soft yet challenging smile on his face. 

    Gilbert's face hardened. "No way! The awesome me would never turn down a dare! You've got yourself a deal!" he exclaimed. 

    Lovino chuckled softly. "Oh, I'll be looking forward to this," he muttered. 

    "Hey, waitress!" Sadik called out, standing up from his chair and waving to a waitress who was walking through the bar. 

    She spotted him and smiled faintly before beginning to walk over to the table where he and the others were sitting. "Guten abend, boys. What can I get for you tonight?" she asked them.

    Each of the nations at the table took turns ordering food and drinks. All of them ended up ordering beer except for Gilbert, who was determined not to go back on his word, and ended up asking for scotch instead. The waitress wrote everything down quickly before smiling at the boys and leaving the table, promising that she'd be back soon.

    Despite the number of people inside the bar, the service was relatively quick. The nations had gotten their food and drinks within a few minutes and had finished them shortly after. It wasn't long before everyone was ready for another round of drinks. This time, of course, everyone was more adventurous with their orders. 

    A few of the countries, such as Ludwig, Alfred, and Gilbert, were very heavy on their drinks since they could down alcohol like water. Other countries, like Arthur and Antonio, purposefully didn't drink too much because they knew they would turn into a walking disaster if they were drunk. Meanwhile, Sadik and Francis were having so much fun with each other and with everyone else that they had forgotten to count just how many drinks they were having. Even when they could both feel that they were starting to become tipsy, they kept on drinking.

    "Ey, Fransa, the fuck are you drinking now, anyways?" Sadik asked, taking a glance towards the glass that was currently pressed to Francis' lips before taking it from him and sniffing it.

    Francis groaned in annoyance before taking the glass back from him. "How many times must I tell you, Sadik? You must address me as Captain Francois! I will not answer to any other name!" he declared firmly. 

    Sadik rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, Francois Bonnefoi, Captain of the fucking Black Rose, the most ruthless pirate to ever live, blah blah blah." He looked at Francis seriously. "Now give me a sip of your fucking drink or I'll fight you for it."

    "Well, since you addressed me properly and asked so nicely, I guess I have to comply," Francis said, smirking faintly and handing his glass back to Sadik, who took it eagerly and downed the whole thing. 

    Francis gasped indignantly. "Sadik! I said you could have a sip, not the whole damn thing!" he shouted. 

    Sadik set the glass down on the table and smirked at Francis. "Well, Captain Bonnefoi, if you want a taste so bad, why don't you just take it from my lips?" he asked teasingly. 

    "Maybe I will, you filthy bastard," Francis growled. 

    "I believe the phrase you're looking for is 'handsome devil'," Sadik said, chuckling softly. 

    Francis grabbed Sadik by the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer so that their faces weren't even an inch apart from each other. Francis leaned forward and blew into the shell of Sadik's ear, making the Turkish man shiver. "The phrase I'm looking for, I won't say, because it's against my good Christian nature," he purred. 

    Sadik laughed and pulled his face away from Francis'. "Your good Christian nature, eh? Your so-called 'good Christian nature' doesn't do shit for the villages you plunder, does it?" he asked.

    Francis smirked again. "A man has to vent his anger somehow," he said.

    "Well, whatever happened to you taking your anger with me out on my lips?" Sadik asked, folding his arms in front of his chest and continuing to look at Francis with a smug smile on his face. 

    "Oh, thank you for reminding me, mon cher..." Francis replied, humming a little.

    He pulled Sadik down again, this time leaving no room whatsoever between them, and instead closing the gap between their lips and capturing Sadik in a rather heated kiss. While Sadik was initially shocked at just how forceful Francis was being with his movements, he adjusted to it quickly and worked to match his partner. 

    Sadik wrapped his arms around Francis' waist and lifted the Frenchman up out of his chair. He pulled Francis into his lap, making the other squeak in shock and pull away from the kiss. Sadik chuckled softly. "Afraid of a little intimacy, are we, Captain?" he inquired.

    "Of course not. You just surprised me, that's all. I didn't expect you to be so forward. But I have no problem with it," Francis assured indignantly.

    "I'm glad. I'd hate to let such a perfect moment slip away," Sadik whispered.

    Francis wrapped his arms around Sadik's neck, while Sadik tightened his grip around Francis' waist. Francis kissed Sadik again, but this time, it was Sadik who was in control. Francis sat back and let Sadik do whatever he pleased, which led to wandering hands and a very curious tongue. Francis melted under every touch.

    Sadik only pulled away when the song that was playing through speakers throughout the bar changed to something that he apparently found familiar. Without warning, he stood up from the chair that he had been sitting in, picking Francis up and setting him down on top of the table. Francis pouted, unhappy with the new position and wanting to be locked in Sadik's embrace once again.

    "Where the fuck do you think you're going? I haven't finished with you yet!" he exclaimed indignantly.

    "You can finish with me later, Captain. I need to dance now! This is my jam!" Sadik declared before turning his back to Francis and beginning to twerk in front of him. Francis watched him in awe for a few moments before smirking and leaning forward to slap his ass. 

    Sadik laughed and stood up straight before turning to face Francis again. "You like what you see, Captain?" he asked.

    "That booty's finer than anything I've found at sea," Francis purred. 

    Sadik grinned with pride at Francis' comment. "I'm glad you think so, Captain," he said, "but I bet yours is even finer." 

    "Oh?" Francis inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Would you like to see it in action?" 

    "Yes, please," Sadik urged, smiling. 

    Francis hummed softly as he hopped down from the table and walked past Sadik until he was standing in a decent spot to show off his moves. He turned his head and winked at Sadik before beginning to copy what Sadik had been doing before. Sadik watched him eagerly, the smile on his face growing ever more prominent. He whistled at Francis before starting to chant "Twerk it, twerk it, twerk it, twerk it!" over and over during the entire duration of Francis' twerking. 

    Francis eventually straightened himself up and walked back over to Sadik. "How was that, sweetheart?" he asked, wrapping his arms around Sadik's neck slowly and looking up at him, playing with the hair on the nape of Sadik's neck. 

    Sadik growled happily before grabbing Francis by his hips and shoving him against the wall that was behind them, pinning him to it. Francis continued to stare at him, smirking once again. Sadik laughed.

    "I was right, you're booty's a lot finer than mine. Sexiest thing I've seen in centuries," he said. 

    "Oh, you dirty man," Francis teased. 

    Sadik rolled his eyes. "Shut up and kiss me, you gorgeous bastard," he commanded. 

    "With pleasure, you handsome devil," Francis replied, pulling Sadik down for yet another heated kiss. 

    Sadik's hands began to wander again, moving to Francis' thighs and stroking them despite the fact that Francis wouldn't be able to feel it much through the thick denim of his jeans. After a while, his hands sunk lower, to Francis' knees, getting Francis to hook one leg over his hand, and then the other over his other hand. Sadik held Francis up against the wall as the two continued to attack each other's lips.

    Eventually, holding Francis up with the minimal support of the wall and the back of Francis' knees held in Sadik's hands became tiring. Sadik quickly turned on his heels and turned around to drop Francis down on top of the table again. Sadik pulled up a chair and sat down in it before starting to kiss Francis again.

    Eventually, Francis pulled away, panting softly as he stared at the masked man who was entirely in control of him at this moment. Slowly, he reached his hands out to Sadik's face and grabbed gently onto the elastic string that held Sadik's mask up. He lifted the mask off of Sadik's face and set it down in his own lap, continuing to stare at Sadik, but particularly at his eyes, which were now completely uncovered. 

    "Have I ever told you how beautiful your eyes are, Sadik...?" Francis asked him, letting his own hands cup both of Sadik's cheeks; his thumbs brushing over the Turkish man's whiskers. 

    "They're nowhere near as gorgeous as yours, Captain. They're as blue as the ocean you rule," Sadik whispered, smiling faintly.

    Francis blushed softly, but maintained eye contact with his partner. "I wish you could rule that sea with me. I know you've got your own country to attend to, Sadik, but couldn't you leave just for a little while? Couldn't you come on just one voyage with me?" he asked. 

    "Oh, how could I say no to that face?" Sadik asked, his smile growing wider. 

    "Sadik?" Francis asked, bringing his face closer to Sadik's again so that their noses were touching.

    "What is it, sevgilim?" Sadik answered, nuzzling Francis' face gently and tickling the Frenchman's cheeks with his scratchy beard. 

    "I think I love you. And I think I have for a long time," Francis whispered, not letting Sadik's affections deter him from what he had to say. 

    "I... Is that right?" Sadik asked, trying not to blush. His efforts were in vain.

    "That's right," Francis said.

    Sadik smiled again and laughed. "My, my, Captain, you're certainly full of surprises, aren't you?" he asked.

    "I try to be," Francis replied. 

    "Well, it just so happens that I think... I think I love you, too," Sadik said, and nodded his head as if to assert himself and what he was saying. 

    "Really?" Francis asked, his eyes lighting up. 

    "I wouldn't say something to you if I didn't mean it, Captain," Sadik promised.

    "Oh, just call me Francois, Sadik. I think we've gotten to that point," Francis said.

    "I'm glad you think that way, Francois," Sadik said.

    Francis smiled broadly as Sadik pulled him off of the table and and set him down in his own lap once again. The chair had no arms, so it was easy for Francis to wrap his legs around Sadik's waist and the back of the chair. Instead of going for Francis' lips with his next kiss, Sadik decided to take advantage of Francis' low-cut shirt and pressed his lips to the exposed skin of Francis' chest, slowly working his way up to Francis' neck and leaving a trail of visible hickeys along the way. 

    Francis' reactions were a mix of soft moans and giggles as Sadik's beard brushed against his chest and his neck. All the while, Sadik's lips never left Francis' skin. They soon traveled up from Francis' neck to his jaw, then to his cheek, and finally back to his lips. 

    "I don't suppose you'd have any desire to ditch this joint and let me take you back to my room, would you?" Sadik asked, breaking away from the kiss momentarily.

    "Oh, I've more than a desire for that, mon amour," Francis purred in response. 

    Sadik chuckled softly, and was about to pick Francis up and stand up again, when someone tapped on his shoulder from behind him. Annoyed by the interruption, Sadik turned his head to look up at whoever was standing behind him. He recognized his long time friend and rival, Heracles. 

    "What the fuck do you want, Hercules?" Sadik growled. he was frustrated that Heracles had to disturb him now of all times. Couldn't he have waited for an argument until tomorrow?

    "I just thought that you and France would want another drink before you took him back to your room," Heracles said, then lifted his other hand up to show that he was carrying two glasses of some kind of drink. Neither Sadik or Francis could tell what it was.

    "Why the fuck would I accept a drink from someone who won't address me properly!?" Francis snarled, glaring darkly at Heracles. He then looked at Sadik again. "Are you going to let him get away with that!?"

     "No way!" Sadik exclaimed, glancing at Francis briefly before turning his attention back to Heracles. "You better apologize to Francois before I beat your ass into the ground!" 

    Heracles sighed softly. "Forgive me, oh Captain Bonnefoi. I am ashamed of my mistake. Please accept these drinks as a token of my apologies," he said. He sounded almost sarcastic, but neither Sadik nor Francis caught on to that.

    "Well, I suppose one more drink wouldn't hurt," Sadik said, and held his hands up to take the glasses from Heracles. 

    Heracles gave the glasses to Sadik, and Sadik gave one of them to Francis. Sadik smiled at Francis and held his glass up as if he wanted a toast. "To us, my love?" he asked.

    Francis chuckled softly. "Oui, to us."

    Francis and Sadik clinked their glasses together before raising the glasses to their lips and downing the drinks quickly. Francis took Sadik's glass from him when it was empty and set both glasses down on the table behind him. The last thing Francis remembered after that was Sadik standing up with Francis in his arms. 

---

    Francis groaned loudly as sunlight streamed through the hotel room window and onto his face. He quickly pulled the covers over his head and buried his face into his pillow, effectively shutting the sunshine out. However, despite how much he wanted to go back to sleep, he couldn't. His head hurt so badly that he thought it was going to split open, though he couldn't figure out for the life of him why he had such a bad headache in the first place. 

    Eventually, the pain was too much to put up with. Francis needed to find some painkillers, and fast. He was sure that he had things to be doing today. How was he supposed to get anything accomplished when he felt like an atomic bomb was going off inside of his head? 

    Groaning again, Francis pushed the covers off of himself and sat up in bed, though he began to feel lightheaded as soon as he was sitting upright. He stood up from the bed and stumbled into the bathroom, almost tripping over his own feet a few times along the way. Francis was never this clumsy... What the hell was going on? 

    Inside of Francis' makeup bag, which was sitting on the bathroom counter, there was a bottle of painkillers that Francis always kept with him. He quickly grabbed the bottle out of the bag and opened it, dumping a couple of the pills into his hand before closing the bottle and putting it away. He grabbed the glass that was sitting next to the sink and turned the faucet on. He filled the glass with water from the sink, popped the pills into his mouth, and swallowed them with the water. 

    Francis cleared his throat after swallowing the water and set the glass down on the counter. He grabbed onto the edge of the counter with both hands, feeling as though he would lose his balance if he didn't hold himself up. His eyes drifted away from the empty glass and towards the mirror that he was standing in front of. His eyes widened when he noticed the trail of red bruises going from his chest to his neck.

    "What the hell...?" he muttered to himself, pulling the v-neck collar of his shirt down even more to see if there were any more bruises there. It was then that he truly noticed that he wasn't wearing his pajamas. He was still wearing clothes from yesterday.

    Suddenly, everything came rushing back to Francis. He had been at Bei Schlawinchen last night, with Sadik and the others. Everyone was going out for drinks before they had to leave on flights back to their own countries today... Francis must have gotten drunk, and he must've had a pretty good time with someone else at the bar. But who was it? Francis couldn't remember that for the life of him.

    He left the bathroom quickly and started to search around his hotel room for any sign of the person he had been with last night, but he couldn't find anything. There was no sign that anyone else had been in his room the night before. He must not have taken them back with him. In the end, that had probably been for the best. 

    Francis sighed heavily and scratched the back of his head. His hair felt dirty, which only served to make Francis even more stressed out. He needed a shower, now.

    But what time was it? Francis had a flight to catch today. He couldn't be late for that. The next flight to Paris wasn't for a few days at least, and he didn't want to have to ask Gilbert to drive him back. 

    Francis looked at the digital clock that was on his nightstand to check the time. It was 10:37 in the morning. Merde... Francis thought, groaning once again. His flight was in two hours. He didn't know if he could get ready in time.

    He decided that the best thing to do was just start with a shower. That would make him feel better. It would clear his mind. Maybe help get rid of that massive headache. He'd figure out what to do after that. 

    Francis sighed again before quickly walking back into the bathroom and shutting and locking the door behind him. He quickly turned the shower on, and got undressed while he waited for the water to heat up. When the water was hot enough, Francis stepped into the shower and quickly began rinsing his hair out.

    Francis took a rather long shower. Though he knew how to shower fairly quickly, he needed some time to clear his mind today. Thus, a short shower was not the most desirable option. He stayed under the hot water for about twenty minutes after having washed his hair and body before finally deciding to get out. 

    The shower had definitely helped him relax, and had relieved a little of his headache, as well. He could get dressed quickly, and he'd just have breakfast when he got to the airport. Everything would be fine... He'd be able to make it in time... Though he was sure he wouldn't be able to solve the mystery of what exactly had happened to him last night. 

    Francis quickly dried his body and his hair after getting out of the shower, and when his hair was dry, he turned on the curling iron so that he could curl his hair later. After that, he left the bathroom and walked back into the bedroom. He quickly walked to the closet and looked for some clothes that he could wear today. Of course, he had a ton of shirts that would easily cover the hickeys on his chest, but he hadn't packed anything that would cover the hickeys on his neck... He'd just have to cover them with makeup. It wouldn't be hard, since he had already mastered the art of hiding scars with the makeup. 

    Francis pulled a white dress-shirt and a black pinstripe vest out of the closet, as well as some black pants, and a fresh pair of underwear and socks. He quickly pulled everything on before taking the rest of the clothes out of the closet and packing them back into his suitcase. When the clothes were taken care of, Francis went back to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

    He curled his hair, brushed it out, brushed his teeth, and put more makeup on. Of course, most of the attention went to covering up the hickeys on his neck, as well as the scar on the back of his neck. Fortunately, the hickeys were easy for him to cover up, and covering the scar was already routine for him. He was done getting ready in twenty minutes.

    He was really cutting it close now. His flight was in a little more than an hour. He needed to get there as soon as possible, or he'd miss it. 

    He quickly packed up all of his makeup and other toiletries, putting them into their own little plastic bags before shoving them into his suitcase and zipping it up. He quickly checked around the room for anything that he might have misplaced or forgot to pack, but he could find nothing. Satisfied that he was completely ready to go, Francis slipped his shoes on again, grabbed his suitcase, and left the room.

    Francis called the cab company on his way down the hall and to the elevator. By the time he had gotten to the bottom floor, a cab was on its way, and Francis was able to check out of the hotel without any difficulties. The cab took a few minutes to arrive, but it was a short drive to the airport. There were forty five minutes until his flight took off... He could make it, right? 

    Unfortunately, getting through airport security was a nightmare. Not that he had any unnecessary complications, but the lines were so long and it took forever for him to get through it all. It didn't help that he still hadn't had breakfast yet. He was incredibly hungry and he was not going to get on a two hour plane ride without eating something first. On top of all of that, his headache was starting to come back. He felt terrible, and was on the verge of tears by the time he was finally able to go find something to eat and find his terminal. 

    There were ten minutes until his flight. Francis spoke quietly and said as little as possible as he ordered a breakfast sandwich from a fast food place inside the airport. Unfortunately, it took about that much time for Francis to get his food. 

    Francis ran as fast as he could towards his terminal, while also trying not to spill any of his coffee as the ice bounced around with every step he took. He prayed to God that the gates would still be open, and that he could board quickly, even if he was the last one on the plane. Unfortunately, he had no such luck. By the time Francis had reached the terminal, the gates were closed, and the plane was about to leave.

    Francis stopped in his tracks and stared at the animated sign above the terminal gates. It hadn't yet changed to say that the flight had already left, but Francis knew that he was too late. He'd missed his flight, and there was no way that he would be able to catch another one for two days at least. What was worse, his suitcase was already in the baggage hold on the plane. He was now stuck in Berlin with only his wallet and the clothes he was wearing to tide him through until he could catch another flight to Paris. Who even knew if he'd be able to get all of his stuff back...

    With a heavy sigh, Francis slumped down in the nearest chair of the waiting area and set his food down on the table that was next to it before burying his face in his hands. He bit his lip, trying in vain to hold back tears. He was so frustrated. He didn't know what to do. 

    "Oh, there you are, dude! We've been looking all over the place for you!" 

    Francis slowly lifted his head from his hands and looked looked towards his right, the direction that he had heard the familiar voice of Alfred from. Alfred was standing beside the chair that Francis was sitting in, while Matthew stood behind him. Both of the younger nations had relieved expressions on their faces. 

    "No one's heard from you all morning, Papa! We were worried!" Matthew exclaimed.

    Alfred sighed softly. "We were worried that you weren't gonna make it since your plane was scheduled to leave earlier than the rest of ours. Looks like we were right. You kinda missed your flight, dude," he said.

    Francis glared at Alfred slightly. He was already frustrated enough as it was, without Alfred having to state the obvious and remind him of just how much he had fucked up. "Yes, America, I'm aware of that," he said bitterly.

    Alfred's eyes widened a little. He was a little surprised that Francis had used his official name. That was something he only ever did when he was upset or angry with Alfred. 

    "H-hey, if you wanna be angry at someone, be angry at Arthur. He was the one who took you back to your room last night, and he told us he'd help you get ready in the morning. It's his fault you're late," Alfred said defensively.

    Francis sighed again. "No, no, it's my fault... I shouldn't have been drinking so much last night... No one should be responsible for taking care of me when I'm the one who messed up in the first place. I'm sorry for being cross with you," he said.

    "It's alright, man, I understand. I'd be angry too. But hey, at least you got something great outta last night, amiright?" Alfred asked, winking at Francis. Behind Alfred, Matthew was blushing.

    Francis raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean...?" he asked.

    "Oh, come on, you were having more fun with Turkey last night than anyone else has had in months, I bet!" Alfred exclaimed.

    Francis' eyes widened and he choked a little. He had been "having fun" with Sadik, as Alfred had called it...? Was that where he had gotten those hickeys from? Even after hearing Alfred say something like that, it hadn't jogged Francis' memories at all.

    Oh, God, what if Sadik remembers!? Had he been drunk, too? I certainly hope so, otherwise he would have been taking advantage of me... But he wouldn't do that. But if he was drunk, and he remembers it now, does he think it's weird? Does he regret it? Oh, what if he's awkward with me now and doesn't want to spend time with me? Shit, shit shit...

    "What do you mean, Alfred? What happened between me and Sadik last night? I don't remember any of it!" Francis said desperately.

    "You don't, either, huh? I asked Turkey about it earlier and he said he didn't have a clue what happened last night. But you guys were all over each other. It was quite the show. I got it all on video! Or, most of it, anyways," Alfred told him.

    "Alfred, you have to let me see that video! Quickly!" Francis exclaimed, feeling his chest tighten more and more with every passing second. His throat had begun to close up on him, too.

    "'Course I'll let ya see it, Francis! I told Turkey I'd show it to both of you, whenever you decided to show up. C'mon, his terminal is right across from mine. Let's walk over there and see him," Alfred suggested, tilting his head towards the right before turning around and beginning to walk back down the airport hall.

    Francis stood up from his chair quickly and started to follow Alfred down the hall. He had forgotten about the breakfast he had wanted so desperately earlier. Noticing this, and figuring that Francis would miss it later, Matthew decided to grab the food before following Alfred and Francis towards Sadik's terminal. 

    "Hey, Turkey! Guess who finally decided to show up!" Alfred called out as he and Francis approached the waiting area outside of Sadik's terminal.

    Sadik looked up from the magazine he had been reading and glanced towards the direction of Alfred's voice before spotting the American, as well as his French companion. Sadik quickly put the magazine down and stood up from his chair before rushing over to where Alfred and Francis were standing. Matthew soon joined them, carrying Francis' iced tea in one hand and his breakfast sandwich in the other.

    "Holy hell, buddy! Where've you been all morning?? You missed your flight and we've all been worried about you! Plus, I thought I was going to die if I didn't get to see whatever video it was Alfred wanted to show us from last night," Sadik exclaimed. He was smiling, though the look in his eyes showed concern.

    Francis sighed faintly. "I know, I know, I missed my flight. But we'll sort that out later. Right now, I just want to know what happened to us last night," Francis said, turning to look at Alfred. 

    Sadik did the same. "Yeah! You better tell us what happened last night, America! I'll have to beat the shit out of you if you don't!" he declared.

    "Alright, alright! Hang on a second, guys! Jeez! Just lemme get my phone out..." Alfred replied.

    He quickly reached into his pants pocket and pulled his cellphone from it. After unlocking it, he went to the photo album and pulled up the second most recent entry in it. He held the phone out to Sadik and Francis so that they could see it before pressing the play button and turning up the volume on his phone so that they could hear it despite the hustle and bustle that surrounded them inside of the airport.

    There were actually two videos that Alfred showed them. The first of which consisted of their twerking and witty banter with one another. The second showed their love confessions to one another and their more heated make-out session. By the end of both videos, Sadik and Francis were both staring open-mouthed at the phone's screen and blushing darkly. 

    "I... So that's what happened to us last night...?" Sadik asked after a few minutes of awkward silence, finally looking at Alfred as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket. 

    "Yep. Germany thought we should separate you two before you got any further, so Arthur ran to the drug store to get some sleeping pills or whatever, dropped them into some more drinks and had Greece give them to you. I'm pretty sure you two would've ended up sleeping together if we hadn't done it," Alfred answered, looking at both Sadik and Francis seriously.

    "Oh boy..." Sadik muttered, continuing to stare at Alfred for a moment before turning his gaze towards Francis, whom he noticed seemed to have a very anxious expression on his face. 

    "But y'know... I don't think I would have minded waking up next to you, Francis," he said, and a soft smile graced his face. 

    Francis gasped softly and turned his head to look at Sadik with wide eyes. That was the first time that Francis had ever heard Sadik use his first name. It had caught him by surprise, and had made his heart soar into his throat. There were butterflies in his stomach, batting their wings violently against his insides.  

    "Y-you... I-I... You wouldn't have minded...?" he asked softly.

    Sadik shook his head. "Not at all. In fact, I think I would have enjoyed it. A lot," he said. His face then turned serious. "I know I was drunk last night, Francis, but now that I know what I said to you, I also know that I meant every word of it. I hope that you did, too."

    "O-of course I did, Sadik! You know I wouldn't joke about love, even if I was drunk!" Francis said hurriedly, feeling as though his heart was about to burst out of his chest.

    "Then I don't think we should be worrying about last night. We should celebrate it instead. You and I are together now, if that's what you want," Sadik said.

    "I do want that! I want it very much!" Francis replied.

    Sadik smiled again. "Then it's settled," he said.

    The realization of what had just happened hit Francis like a ton of bricks. He stared at Sadik in silence for a moment before suddenly whispering "I have my own bara." 

    Sadik blinked in confusion "...What?" 

    Francis slowly reached his hand out and placed it on top of Sadik's chest. "Bara tiddy means strength, warmth, protection," he said quietly.

    Sadik still wasn't sure what the hell Francis was talking about. Something about titties? Wasn't that American slang for breasts? What the fuck was a bara? It had to be something manly, right? Francis had to be admiring Sadik's awesome pecs, right? Man titties. 

    Sadik chuckled softly and rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, I'll protect you with my bara tiddies!" he exclaimed. 

    A sudden burst of unfamiliar laughter was heard from behind both of them. Shocked, they both turned around to see Kiku, who was a laughing mess in the middle of the airport hallway. When Francis saw Kiku, he couldn't help but burst out in laughter as well. 

    When everyone's laughter had died down a bit, Sadik turned to look at Francis again. "Hey... Francis? Since you missed your flight and everything... What would you say to coming back to Turkey with me?" he asked, his tone sounding hopeful.

    "Wh-what?" Francis asked, stopping his laughing completely and looking at Sadik, hoping that the other man would repeat what he had said so that Francis could make sure he had heard right.

    "I said you should come back to Turkey with me, Francis," Sadik said again.

    "O-oh, Sadik, I-I don't know if I could..." Francis muttered, biting his lip a little. 

    It wasn't that he didn't want to. It sounded like such a wonderful idea. But Francis didn't have any of his things, and in all honesty, he didn't really want to buy another plane ticket. Besides, Sadik's plane was going to leave in about an hour. There was no way that they could get Francis in the flight on time.

    "Please, Francis? I don't want to leave you when we'll barely be able to talk to each other about what happened last night, and we won't get to see each other again for a while. I'll pay for your ticket. I'm sure we can get you onto my flight last minute, and if not, I'll just take a later flight. Please, Francis, it would mean everything to me," Sadik pleaded.

    "But my luggage... It's already en route to Paris... How will I get it back? What will I do while I'm in Turkey?" Francis asked.

    "We'll get your luggage sorted out, Francis. I promise. We'll tell them that you missed your flight and ask them to mail it to you. Or, don't you have an ambassador or someone who can pick it up for you?" Sadik asked.

    "I suppose..." Francis replied.

    "I'll let you borrow my things while you're there. You'll be staying at my place, after all. I can get you an extra toothbrush and some makeup and whatever else you need. Hell, I'll buy you new clothes if I have to!" Sadik exclaimed.

    "O-oh, Sadik, you don't have to do that, r-really," Francis dismissed, blushing softly.

    "I'll do whatever it takes to get you to come with me, Francis," Sadik said solemnly.

    Francis couldn't help but smile softly at the other's words. "Well, if it really means that much to you... I suppose it wouldn't do any harm to stay with you for a few days," he said.

    Sadik's eyes lit up joyfully. "Really!?" he asked excitedly.

    Francis nodded. "Oui, I mean it. I'll go with you," he said.

    "Fantastic!" Sadik exclaimed, laughing. Francis chuckled softly.

    "Say, have you had anything to eat yet?" Sadik asked him.

    Francis shook his head. "Well, no... I-I bought something earlier, but I haven't eaten it yet... Actually, I think I left it at one of the tables by my terminal..." he replied.

    "Forget about it! We've got a little time before my flight takes off! I'll buy you something nicer to eat than fast food!" Sadik exclaimed. 

    Before Francis could say anything to protest, Sadik grabbed his hand and began pulling him off towards one of the nicer restaurants inside of the airport. Kiku started laughing again as he watched them walk away. Alfred looked at Matthew, who was still holding Francis' food from before.

    "Well... Guess this is mine now," he said, shrugging as he took a bite of the sandwich he had been carrying. 

    Now, it was Alfred's turn to laugh. "C'mon, bro, we should be getting back to our terminal. Our plane leaves in a few minutes," he said. The two brothers took one last glance in the direction that Sadik and Francis had walked away in before walking across the hall to sit in the waiting area of their own terminal.