The Girl by the Sea (Countryhumans AU)

Peace Treaty

Written: March 30, 2024

"My designs?" China squints. "Why?"

"Because... because I don't believe anything that Taiwan said about your designs." I confessed, my tone growing softer as I spoke. I didn't want this to end up being a repeat of what Taiwan had said earlier, and rather wanted to ensure that she had a support system that could truly appreciate these designs that she was passionate about, even if Taiwan couldn't.

"Aw, Oki." China gushes. "Maybe next time." She turns around to the source of the yelling. North Korea and Taiwan were at each other's throats.

"I don't understand why you two can't just get along for once..." I sighed, my gaze falling onto the shouting figures for a moment before shifting back to China. I couldn't help but feel disappointed that the conversation ended before I could have a proper look at China's designs. "Should we go over and try to break up the fight?"

"We can try, but you do know they're arguing about us, right?"

"Really?" I asked in response, my eyes widening in surprise. "About us?"

"Yeah. Remember before you started crying?" China rubbed my arm a little. "North was mad at Taiwan for not interacting with me, and Taiwan was mad at North for pushing aside your mental health."

I nodded, my voice shaky as I confirmed this. "Yeah, I remember..." I said softly. Another beat of silence passed, and I remained silent for a few moments, wanting to process everything that had transpired. The arguing, the emotional outburst, the revelation of what exactly Taiwan was saying about China, it was all still a little overwhelming for me, and I couldn't help but feel a little anxious about what would happen next.

"Boys will be boys." China rolls her eyes. "You're right, Oki, we should try breaking it up." China gets up and I follow. I nodded once more, following behind China as she made the conscious decision to intervene. As we both got up, the loud shouting continued once more, the voices from North and Taiwan making it obvious that the confrontation was still going strong.

The scene shifted slightly as I imagined the confrontation between North and Taiwan. The volume of their voices was growing even louder, the back and forth between the two of them growing increasingly harsh.

"I told her the damn truth about herself. If she can't handle it, that's her problem!" Taiwan yelled.

"No, you were just being a dick towards her!" North barked.

"And you were a dick to Okinawa!" Taiwan argued, his tone getting increasingly irate with every word he spoke. "China is being stupid and useless! She doesn't deserve anything from me!" Taiwan yelled angrily, his rage now visibly increasing. He clearly didn't see his sister in a very positive light, and his words were growing increasingly hurtful and degrading.

"She's doing what she can!" North stepped menacingly forward. "And I don't mean anything I said about Okinawa, unlike you did about China." His tone was doused by a hint of remorse. China smiled softly at me.

"Well, I still spoke the truth." Taiwan spat out angrily. "China's designs suck, and she probably won't do well financially from doing it, so she should really just give up." China's smile flattened perceptibly as she peeked around the corner. I could sense the anger radiating from her now, and I felt my heart rate rise once more as I looked over to see how she was reacting to these words. Clearly, she was furious about what Taiwan had just said, and I saw her hands balling into fists as she struggled to stay calm.

"China," I whisper, grabbing her wrist, "stay calm." I saw her take in a sharp, steady breath in response as she glanced back at me, her anger still evident on her face. She was trying to stay calm, and clearly appreciated my gesture of trying to comfort her while she did so. However, the fact that she was even having to do this in the first place due to Taiwan's words irked me to no end, and I felt a wave of anger rise within me as well.