"It's dusty up here." Toris commented as he rubbed his finger on coffee table in the middle of the room. He inspected his finger finding it filled with the dust left there.

"That's not surprising. I don't come up here that often." Alfred sat down on the floor next to the table.

"Sometimes I wonder what it's like when I'm not there to clean up after you." Toris wiped his hand off and sat in front of Alfred. The lamp in the table illuminating the cramped space they had. The boxes acting as walls with a sheets over them. It was almost like they were children hiding under their own personal fort. "I guess I know what it's like now."

"It's not all this bad."

"It was horrendous when I visited before this whole thing with the others."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Alfred shifted his gaze with a smug smile lining his lips.

"God, you're like a puppy." Toris sighed.

"Wouldn't that make you my master?"

"What?" He choked.

"That's pretty kinky, Toris." Alfred's gaze shifted back to the nation in front of him.

"Alfred!"

He chuckled, "Sorry, I couldn't help it."

"Of course..." Toris let his own gaze move from Alfred. He looked at the mess of pillows on the rug. It was a mystery how Alfred got so many pillows. Although, he once asked and Alfred simply told him that they were all from different decades. Yet they were all so fluffy and practically new that it left Toris wondering if that was true.

"You know, you're terrifying when you're mad."

"Really?"

"When I drove off, I was so scared that I almost crashed the car."

"That just make me feel guilty."

"It shouldn't."

"But it does." Toris frowned. "I don't like being angry."

"I know." Alfred sighed. "And I'm sorry about everything. I'm a bit of a self-centered prick sometimes. It's a habit I just can't break."

"It's not all your fault, you know."

"Yeah, but I'm still going to get the blame anyway.

"I wish you wouldn't."

"Not how the world works, I'm afraid."

"Maybe there's some way to fix that."

"Doubt it."

"Don't be like that." Toris reached out to caress Alfred's cheek. "There's always a solution to these things."

"I know." Alfred grabbed Toris' hand and pulled it off his face. "But it still feels hopeless, you know?" He inspected the calloused hand like he was reading a book. Rubbing the pads of his fingers over the skin, tracing the patterns. "When its been the same for so long, you just expect to get hurt."

"Doesn't make it hurt any less either."

"Yeah." Alfred's voice went down to a bit of a squeak. He went silent as he methodically traced around the patterns of the hand he held. Toris simply watched for the longest moment, noticing the movements becoming sloppy.

"Are you not usually the one that finds a way to solve problems like this, though?"

"What do you think I'm doing?"

"Looking at my hand."

"Well, I am, but I'm thinking of all possible routes."

"Like those videogames you like to play in mass?"

"Those games are at least fun. This is hellish."

"I could help you out, you know."

"You are." Alfred cracked a smile.

"Really?"

"Why do you think I brought you up here, silly?" He giggled.

"I'm not quite sure."

"You're my support." He let go of Toris' hand and looked up. "And now I've got a solution."

"What's the solution?"

"We show them the basement."

"What?" Toris furrowed his brows, trying to figure out how that was the solution. "What was the point of the strict rules then?"

"I couldn't have them thinking I was a crazy asshole but, like you said, fear tactics work which was especially proven when I scared them earlier."

"Well, if you think that will work then we'll take them down there tommorow." Toris sighed. He was really starting to feel the exhaustion from the day at full force.

"Yay!" He couldn't help but smile at Alfred's childish nature though. It was always a delight to see him excited and smiling. It's what made him so different to the others. He was always trying to compensate for the wrong turns. He always smiled after he frowned. He was almost the embodiment of the feeling of seeing the sun out again after a bad storm.

~

"How do we apologize?" Feliciano asked himself, not really expecting anyone else in the room to answer.

"We don't need to." Francis frowned in his place at the end of the bed. "Arthur does."

"That's outrageous." Arthur deadpanned. "It's almost like I made a fool of myself in public."

"Don't be a smart ass." Lovino whacked him in the back of the head with a rolled up newspaper. "You got us into one hell of a mess."

"I know that." Arthur hissed. Leaning forward in his chair to protest. "But it's not as easy as you think it is."

"And why is that, Arthur?" Francis asked.

"It's just a sentence, it won't kill you." Feliciano added.

"What I meant is that right now is not a good time." Arthur replied.

"We're not talking about doing it right now, dumbass." Lovino whacked him again. "We're talking about how you'll do it tomorrow."

"You're real full of yourself, Lovino."

"At least I know how to control myself."

"Lie!" Feliciano commented.

"Shut it!"

Arthur chuckled, "We're one in the same then." He got another whack for that comment.

"Listen here fucker," Lovino moved to stand and lean over Arthur. Nothing but a scowl on his face. "you need to learn how to appreciate what you've got and it starts now."

"Why are you so protective of Alfred?" Feliciano Suddenly asked. To which Lovino froze in place with widened eyes. Arthur curiously tilted his head at the man's expression.

"Feli, don't ask things like that." Francis stood up, catching Arthur's attention. "It's private information."

"No, it's fine." Lovino composed himself and turned around to look at his brother. "He has a right to the truth if he wants it. He's my brother, after all." He gave Arthur one last whack with the newspaper and set down on the nearby desk. He looked at the newspaper. It was an old one with the edges faded and torn. An old grainy picture of people on a boat at the front grabbed the eye naturally. "Truth is, we've all had stories revolving around Alfred even if he was late into the game. Alfred, for me, was a man who could do no wrong. He was someone willing to help me for once. So, naturally, I stayed with him for awhile just to get back on my feet while Feli did better than me.

"I once told him some of my hopes and dreams. And I found that there was no such thing as an over the top Alfred." Lovino turned around to look at the others. "He's down to earth and willing to listen even when he isn't doing so hot. We grew to this understanding that we are not what others see us as. I especially needed that at the time." He sighrd, looking down to the floor. "You want the truth Feli, I'll give you the truth. I'm protective of Alfred because I never want to see him upset because I love him."