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The countries were infamous for doing and achieving nothing productive at meetings like this. There was simply no stopping every little rivalry from erupting into total chaos, and the slackers among them didn’t do much to help the situation.
Greece, face down on the table front of him. Poland, playing with a pen and paying absolutely no attention to anything that was being said. Italy, who had somehow managed to sneak a cat into the meeting room. Russia, who rarely spoke anyway. France and England at each other’s throats at every turn, America doing his damnedest to control the whole meeting with a heroic fist, and Prussia constantly antagonizing the reserved Austria.
“Ne, Doitsu~!” Italy called when he noticed the frustrated blonde storming his way to the door. He caught the taller man’s arm and attempted to hold him back. “Come on, don’t go yet~! The meeting’s only been going for five minutes!”
“That’s why I can’t stand to put up with any more of this!” Germany exclaimed impatiently, his hand already on the doorknob. “You idiots can’t even keep it together for that long!”
“Eh~? But we can still do something fun anyway, right?”
“Fun?”
Italy nodded and tapped his chin with his pointer finger for a brief moment. “Ah – I know! Maybe someone knows a good game for lots of people!”
“Game?” America approached the other two with a triumphant look about him. “I know one! It’s called ‘Truth or Dare!’ Everyone gets a chance to decide if they want to answer a question or follow someone’s order. You have to tell the truth, and if you can’t answer or complete the task, you lose!”
“Ah, I’ve heard of that,” Italy replied in his usual laid-back fashion. He was quite obviously all for it.
“It certainly sounds like an interesting game,” Japan ventured, and several other countries readily agreed. After all, what country in his or her right mind wouldn’t jump at the chance to get valuable information or mess with a rival?
Germany shook his head incredulously. How had he ever been roped into attending a meeting of idiots like this?
Still… If he didn’t stick around, Italy would definitely make a fool of himself – not to mention all the top-secret information that he’d have no problem revealing if he agreed to answer any questions. He’d stay, he told himself, just to make sure that nothing unfavorable happened.
“Hai, well then!” America called gleefully. “Everyone should sit down and stop fighting so that we can all play!”
“Hah? Play what?” England paused in his verbal fistfight with France long enough to see what it was that had everyone suddenly united toward a single purpose. America explained again, and England grinned wickedly. “I’ve heard of it, too. Alright – France, why don’t you also join?”
“Oh? Aren’t you afraid that I’ll make you do something indecent? Or do you plan on dropping out of the game before then?” France’s expression was a little scary, and England matched it perfectly with his own glare.
“Why don’t you play and find out, croissant bastard?”
“I think I’ll join, too,” Russia offered as the other two again launched into a long-winded argument. “I can’t wait to see everyone making incredible fools of themselves!” He said this gleefully, with a totally innocent smile on his face, and several of the other countries shuddered in response to the swirling, evil intent that was almost visible around him.
It took quite a bit of maneuvering, threatening, and banging on the table, but eventually the room was restored to relative silence and the game was explained in full. The first to go would choose any one of the other assembled countries, and that country would then be allowed to decide whether they would respond to truth or to dare. After completing their turn, that country would then have the chance to pick the next victim. “To avoid fighting at the very beginning,” Germany insisted rather forcefully to the waiting group, “we’ll start with Switzerland, because he’s neutral.”
“Me? Alright, then… Um, how about Japan?”
Japan blinked in surprise and then hesitantly answered, “I’d prefer truth, if you don’t mind…”
Switzerland considered for a moment, then crossed his arms on his chest and – “The first time you met me, what went through your mind?”
Japan blushed a little and said, very softly, “Um, well… I was picturing you and I dancing to a Swiss folk song… And you were in a dress…”
Several others – America and China, in particular – started laughing quite loudly at this, and Switzerland’s own face also turned a darker shade of red. “Eh?! R-really?”
“I’m very sorry,” Japan apologized with a little bow, and the two waited uncomfortably for the room to settle down. It did, albeit slowly, and Japan finally managed to pose his question. “Chuugoku-san, would you perhaps mind…?”
“Alright, I’ll go with dare, then – aru!” China was looking very confident, and Japan had to mull it over for a moment.
“Let’s see…” The shy black-haired man nodded shortly, then said with confidence to rival China’s, “Stop adding ‘aru’ to the ends of your sentences!”
“Wh-what – a… F-for how long?” China’s previous confidence disappeared quickly, and he cast about for help from one of the other countries.
Japan is unexpectedly cruel… That seemed to be the general sentiment.
“Shouldn’t it just be for the rest of the game?” England suggested pityingly, and Japan grudgingly nodded his approval.
“Ah, that’s a relief then – a – um, so then, R-Russia…” China, though still flustered, managed to stick with the rule.
“Hai?” The fair-skinned man responded with his eyebrows raised as if to say I dare you to ask me anything questionable.
“N-never mind,” China stuttered, and Russia’s smile widened. “Um, well… England?”
“Dare,” England said nonchalantly as he cast a sidelong smirk in France’s general direction.
This was a perfect chance for China to redeem himself by making someone else look even more ridiculous. England had used him in the past, after all – the Opium Wars, and all that – so he had no reason to feel bad for what he was about to do. “Good,” he said cheerfully, and England didn’t appear to miss the hint of evil intent that had wormed its way into his voice, “go and sit on France’s lap for the rest of the game, then.”
“Wh-wha - ?!” This was said in unison by both France and England, who turned to glare at each other with exceptional vehemence.
“Like hell I’m going to do that with this croissant-loving bastard!” England followed up, much to France’s amusement.
“Oh? Poor England, losing this early in the game…” France ran a hand through his hair melodramatically, and England gritted his teeth in frustration.
“Then, you want me to, huh?” He stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor, and stalked over to his rival. France looked about ready to bolt, but he managed to stay in place with a relatively calm expression on his face as England made himself comfortable on his lap. The room was very quiet, then, and both men had to avoid looking at each other while their faces flushed in embarrassment. China grinned to himself in total satisfaction.
Germany was the first to break the silence. He cleared his throat and shot a warning glance in a very amused America’s general direction. “Are you planning on keeping us waiting much longer?”
“Sh-shut up,” England growled. “America,” he snapped, and the bespectacled young man looked up in surprise.
“Yes! I pick dare, of course!” the blonde said excitedly while raising an arm in the air to call more attention to himself.
It wouldn’t be easy to make a fool of someone who did it so perfectly on his own. That was fine, though; England grinned and said, “You’re the youngest one here, right? How about acting your age a little, America?”
America cocked his head to one side and asked, “Whaddaya mean?”
England face-palmed. He already does… “You know, act like a little kid.”
America considered this for a moment, then grinned and called, “Okay, o-nii-san!”
“O-o-nii…?” England sighed. It was cute – too cute, and several other countries shot the two of them teasing glances. America and England did have that sort of past, after all, and America didn’t seem at all bothered by his dare.
He brought his legs up to his chest and, wrapping one arm around his knees, asked, “Is it okay for me to take my turn now, o-nii-san?” He cocked his head to one side yet again as he cradled it between his knees, and England cleared his throat uncomfortably.
“Fine,” he muttered, and America was on his feet in under a second.
“I choose you, Italia-nii-san!”
“Me? Yay!” Italy’s excitement was on par with America’s – it was easy to pick out the idiots in the room. He hesitated, though, and decided, “Oh, but I don’t want to do anything difficult, so I think I’ll pick truth after all!”
Germany cringed and cast a warning glare in America’s direction.
America smiled innocently back and said, “Okay! Are you in love with Germany-nii-san?”
“America-san…” That was Japan, but he wasn’t alone in his sentiment. Spain, Romano, Austria, Hungary – even Prussia – sighed in unison. You idiot.
Italy looked around at the other countries, and he smiled in a manner that clearly showed that he had no idea what the big deal was. “Of course!” he said, and Germany looked at him in surprise.
“Italia…” He glanced awkwardly around at the others before blushing and doing his best to look unconcerned by the revelation. He’d said something similar to Italy before, of course, but that had been away from any large crowds – not here, in front of everyone who knew them both well.
“I love Germany this much,” and Italy spread his arms wide with a smile on his face. “He’s super nice, and his food isn’t that bad if you give it a chance!”
“Ah, so he’s just a freeloader, after all,” Prussia muttered, and Spain sighed sympathetically.
Romano, on the other hand, didn’t appear to be particularly convinced of this, for he slammed his fist down on the table and shouted, “You potato-loving bastard…!”
As chaos erupted once more on that side of the room, a startled America looked to England and widened his eyes inquisitively. “Did America say something wrong…?”
“You idiot!” England snapped – mostly because of the blonde’s use of the third person, although the fight he’d just started had a little something to do with it, too. France eagerly joined in the exchange, and it wasn’t long before the entire room was once again fully overtaken by pandemonium.
This lasted, all told, nearly an hour, after which Germany very loudly demanded order as he had before. To everyone’s collective surprise, however, he didn’t call for actual discussion, but insisted only that the game be resumed in an organized fashion. It was, eventually, and the truths and dares continued well past the scheduled time for the end of the meeting.
It was agreed at that point that everything that had come to pass in that room would never leave it; they even went so far as to work up a top-secret treaty, even the name of which remains unknown to this day. Only one nation’s signature is said to be missing from it, and that is –
“U-um… everyone… I’m here, too…”
Canada’s.