Icy Heart and Warm Love

Chapter Twenty-Four

The next day, Kalda didn't come down from her room.

Britain was starting to worry about her, and he could see that the others were worried about her too.

"I better bring this snack up for her," Britain claimed, holding up a silver tray with a cup of tea and a small slice of cake on it.

"I'll come with," France offered, following his friend up the stairs.

"I'm starting to worry," Britain sighed. "She hasn't come out all day."

"She will," France assured the other blonde. "She always does."

"But this is different," Britain replied. "This time, someone she knows is actually after her. For some pretty messed up reasons, as well."

"I see your point, but all we need to do is help her out," France nodded.

"I'm not really sure there's much that we can do," Britain replied. "One way or another, she's going to go with them. I mean, Veneziano is her brother for goodness sake. I can't take her away from him like this."

"You're forgetting who else is here," France smirked.

"I thought you said that you would raise her wrong," Britain pointed out in confusion, stopping in the hallway to look at him.

"I did, but zhat doesn't mean zhat I still don't care about her," France replied.

Britain sighed and rolled his eyes with a smile.

"You're too much, you know that?" he answered.

"But you love me, anyway," France answered.

"And I still hate you," Britain replied, knocking on Kalda's door.

"Go away!" Kalda yelled at them. "I'm not hungry and I don't want any company!"

Britain sighed, looking at France.

Britain silently nodded his head at the door, the "Go on you pervy git, say something!" look on his face.

France rolled his eyes, looking at the door.

"It's me, Kalda," he said. "Don't you want to talk to me?"

"No!" Kalda replied.

France sighed, too, and the two men realized that they were out of ideas.

Britain silently put the tray at the foot of her door, gesturing for France to walk away with him.

France nodded, following Britain down the stairs.

"When you can't catch the beast, the best way is to lure them out," Britain grinned triumphantly.

"I don't even want to know anymore," America groaned, annoyed.

"Yeah, well, just remember who tucks you in at night," France happily pat Britain's shoulder, a big grin on his face.

"You tuck me in?" Britain replied, grossed out.

France laughed, obviously amused by Britain's reaction.

"How many of my boundaries have you broken this week?" Britain went on. "First, you kissed me while we did the dishes the night that Kalda freaked out-"

"Ah, ah, ah," France waved a finger, still grinning. "You kissed me first."

"Well, that was because-well, you forced me to-and I-I-" Britain stuttered, completely at a loss.