Trust is Dangerous- Russia x Germany

The Leaf and the Stone

As the colder months set in, I had to either move faster or wear more clothing in the mornings. I felt my throat get scratchy and my sinuses started to get clogged from the November wind and ice. Not anything major, but I didn't want to try my luck. Just to be safe. I also heard the physician on site was a crazy man who liked to collect hybrid and crossed breeds of finches with rare abnormalities. Today, an unusually bright sky greeted everyone who came out, mocking and teasing at the fact that it was a Monday and we would have to be stuck in a classroom. Without any special conversation, I bid Iceland a farewell until the afternoon and set off to my English class. I had studied the material yesterday most of the evening, and was fully prepared for a stress-free lesson. I had arrived earlier than anyone else and as it seemed, so did Mr. UK. After a terse hello, we were submerged in an awkward silence, till he cleared his throat. Today, he was wearing a red dress shirt under a black vest. His ever present cane was propped on the podium. His teacup which usually disappeared by the start of class was sitting on one of the student desks. I sat down next to his cup, and peered into it while he wasn't looking. Darjeeling, with lemon and speckles of chocolate drizzle. As he turned to me, I quickly snapped my head up and back to make it look like I was not just smelling the stuff in his cup.   

"So, lad, how do you like it here?" He asked me, while writing the date on the blackboard. The chalk on the blackboard made me want to curl my shoulders over my ears.   

"It's fine, sir," I responded without much emotion. "Some classes are nice. Others are not."

"As in all schools." He smiled. "But I do hope you are enjoying this class?"

"Of course, sir." My honest answer would be no. But you can't go around insulting your teacher and headmaster, so lying for a good cause was appropriate. He looked at me once more with his bronze gaze, which could even be called a "tea colour", and just merely nodded.

"That is good." He commented. "What other language do you take? Or speak, maybe?"

"I am currently taking German." I explained. "But I speak Russian, Chinese and Finnish, a little."

"Very interesting, are you exposed to many languages at home?"

"My father knows Esperanto. But he frequently converses with Mr. China, so I kind of learned Chinese at an early age. I was just interested in Finnish, so I can understand and speak in it."

"How charming." Mr. UK finished his sentence early once more people started to file in. "It was nice to get to know you a little more, Russia." Mr. UK didn't like to talk on personal notes when many people were around.

"Of course, sir." I opened the English textbook that we were using and started to read the paragraph on the page. The last bell rung, and I finally looked up to face our professor. Not before I realised that someone was sitting next to me.

"Hallo!" He chirped. Oh, it was Germany. He looked very happy and lively this morning. He was even courageous enough to say something first.

"Hey." I said back lamely. His enthusiasm seemed to deflate a little bit, and his smile turned quickly into a frown. After a few moments, he pursed his lips tightly together and looked away. Only after he did that, I found that my teeth were showing and I probably looked very offended and defensive. "Er, sorry. I didn't mean to be so sullen. I was just a little surprised."

"Oh, that's okay." He faced me, but kept his eyes down. "I'll try to be less surprising next time."

"Sounds like a plan." I ended the conversation as soon as Mr. UK cleared his throat in an animated fashion to get our attention.

"Good morning everyone!" He announced, stepping up on his podium and shifting some papers around before continuing. "Today, I would like to try something different." Several people groaned in the back and Mr. UK asked why.