Homeless (a Hetalia Fanfic, Book Three)

Chapter 37~!

"Rrrrrgh..." Aksel groaned as he was awoken by the sounds of feet stepping around him. Matthias, who was trying to get over his brother sleeping on the floor, looked down at him apologetically. 

"Sorryyy," he whispered. "You don't have to get up yet if you don't wanna."

In answer to that, Aksel flopped back down and turned his back to his brother, shutting his eyes. His glasses lay on the floor near his hand, and he grabbed the pillow under his head with said hand. Suffice to say that Aksel wasn't much of a morning person, but he was loads better at waking up than Lukas and Tino were. 

Just thinking about that incident when the coffeemaker broke sent shivers of fear up Denmark's spine.

"Okie dokie, I'll take the floor tonight and you get the bed!" Matthias announced when he returned with blankets, pillows, and a sleeping mat under his arms. 

"What?" Aksel replied, eyebrows rising up. "No way! Why'm I getting the bed?"

"Uh, 'cause?" was Denmark's response to that. "C'mon, Aksel. You're the guest here!"

"You don't have to coddle me, Matt," Bornholm told him sternly. "I'm fine with taking the floor. Really."

"I ain't coddling ya!" Denmark laughed. "Fine, you can sleep on the floor if ya really want to. But we're gonna switch every night, got it?"

Bornholm let out a sigh and nodded, agreeing with his brother. "That'll work."

Matthias tip-toed out of the room and shut the door as gently as he could before setting off at a normal, more relaxed pace. 'Aksel's not gonna get up for another hour. Might as well eat now!'

~

"Heeeere's coffee!" Denmark announced, sliding mugs down the table to everyone waiting (im)patiently. Norway, of course, snatched his up and downed it in three big gulps. With the life-giving brew coursing through his system, he visibly relaxed and soon lost the murderous look on his face.

Tino was slower in downing his drink, but it, too, was gone quickly. He brightened upon reaching the bottom of his cup, and greeted everyone with a cheerful, "Good morning!"

~

Training came after breakfast, of course. What healthy morning would be complete without it?

Jogging, muscle-developing work-outs, sparring, and exercises to focus on specific skills: everyone who planned on being a part of the mission participated in everything possible. There were four nations still missing, and every second wasted was a second more where they endured cruel and inhumane captivity.

Before then, however, when Aksel rose from sleep and ambled his way to find someone he knew-- just about anyone would do-- he ended up running into Lukas, whose eyes marginally widened upon seeing him.

"Oh, hei, Lukas," Aksel yawned, and rubbed his eye with his fist. "How're you?"

"Fine," Lukas replied shortly, and made to leave when Aksel stopped him with a light touch on his shoulder. Lukas turned to look at him with a deceptively neutral expression. "Ja?"

"I thought we already got past everything," Aksel stated, getting right to the point. Had Lukas just acted how he normally did, Aksel wouldn't have even brought up the subject, but clearly there were still issues that needed to be worked through.

"I don't know vhat you're talking about," Norway lied smoothly.

"Of course you know," he countered, putting his fist on his hip after adjusting his glasses. "Norway, I thought I told you already that I'm not bothered by the past anymore."