Our Happy Ending (Hetalia) (PruHun)

Chapter 8

Gil plopped himself down on Liz's couch, snatching a worn pillow and placing it in his lap as she sat down to join him. Katarina placed a plate of cookies on the coffee table in front of them, beaming. "Happy studying, you two!"

"Yeah, yeah." Liz scowled, grabbing a cookie and shoving the entire thing into her mouth. Her mother shot Gil a knowing look, before sighing and heading back into the kitchen.

"Now, what's with that attitude?" he asked, lips upturning in a little smirk. "Having a bad day?"

As difficult it was for him to admit, he had sort of settled into a routine. After the final bell rung, he would head to their daily club meeting, in which Ms. Braginski, with her seemingly boundless supply of energy, attempted to stir them all into excitement by involving them in charity projects and discussing ways with which they could "better society" and "become civilized individuals." Once the meeting had been adjourned, he would follow Liz back home, his feet practically carrying themselves. They would sit down, eat something Katarina had whipped up for them, and hit the books.

It was as if things had returned to the way they had been, albeit with more bickering.

"Shut up!" She stuck her tongue out at him, but the gesture lacked its usual contempt. Fidgeting and averting her eyes, she blurted out, "So, um, how's your dad?"

"Oh, well..." Gil struggled to find the words to answer, more or less thrown-off by her sudden inquiry. "He, uh, couldn't find a suitable job here, so he moved to Virginia. He works there now, and sends us money every once in awhile." Glimpsing the way her jaw clenched at that, he cursed himself for his lack of tact, plastering a smile onto his face. "Oh no, it's not nearly as bad as it sounds! We rent half of a house from a friend of his, and Ludwig and I both have part-time jobs, so everything's awesome! Really, we're doing just fine."

She nodded, staring pointedly at the cookie in her lap. "That's good. I'm glad to hear that."

Sensing that he had put a damper on the mood, he stuck a hand into his bag, sifting through loose papers and disorganized binders. "I've got great news!"

"And what would that be?" She raised an eyebrow at him, eager for a change in subject.

He found what he was looking for, humming in satisfaction as he proudly lifted up the two crinkled pieces of loose-leaf for viewing pleasure. "I got a B on my history paper!"

Liz managed a microscopic smile "Good for you, Gil. Nice to know that you're not as stupid as I thought."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He leaned forward to give her a stern look, jutting a thumb towards his chest. "I've always been awesome! You're just jealous!"

"Of what?" She wrinkled her nose at him, folding her arms over her chest. "Your ability to burp the alphabet after you've had enough ginger ale? I'd rather not."

"You've gotta admit, that's pretty damn impressive." He grinned crookedly, lifting a heavy textbook out of his backpack and depositing it in his lap with a grunt. After spending a good thirty seconds flipping through the monstrosity, he finally found the page he had been searching for, pointing to a complex diagram. "I really don't get this, so could you explain this to me?"

"Um, okay." Elizaveta slid closer to him, tugging the book over so that it was halfway on her lap. He inched away, uncomfortably aware of her proximity; he could detect the faintest trace of strawberry shampoo in her hair, her sugar perfume. Determinedly ignoring this, he vigorously took notes as she launched into an animated explanation.

After a fair amount of bickering, Gil glanced at his watch, eyes widening in surprise. He tapped Liz on the shoulder, interrupting yet another lengthy lecture. "Sorry, but I really gotta leave."