Behind Closed Doors

Behind Closed Doors



Mon Dieu, he's so handsome… gah, Jasmine, what are you thinking? J-Just calm down, he's just a person, just go up to him- geez Jasmine, he won't bite! Just go up to him and say-



"H-Hi A-Ant-toNIO!"



What came very close to being a very smooth move (for Jasmine, anyways) suddenly went straight downhill, and the failed attempt was punctuated by a scream, crash, and slam, before there was the silence of stillness.



When Jasmine felt herself losing her balance, she had braced herself for a meeting between her arm and the floor, and so she was surprised when the painful blow never seemed to come.



"Ugh, mi dios." That voice, the accent, rang in Jasmine's ears and sent flashing red lights off in her mind. Oh…



"Antonio! Are you okay?" The burnette squeaked, standing quickly and offering a hand to pull the other up, but the Spaniard was too busy rubbing at his forehead to catch it.



"What happened? Rosa, is that you?" Jasmine frowned, her heart clenching uncomfortably at the mistake, though she had a feeling this time it was completely innocuous. After all, it was pretty dark in the room…



Which was far too small to be a room, the girl quickly realized when she backed into a wall. Judging from the size, the darkness, and the damp, musty smell of wood polish and dirty mop water, Jasmine figured they were in a closet. Instantly stricken with dread she ran her hands over the walls, until she managed to find the door handle. For a moment her blood began to flow again, but then she realized the door was locked, and it seized right back up again.



Door. Stuck. Closet. Antonio. Alone. In the dark. With Antonio. In a closet. With Antonio.



Wordlessly, mostly because her heart was pounding so hard in her throat that she was afraid if she opened her mouth it would jump right out, Jasmine slipped onto the floor and banged her head into a wall. Excellent.



"Rosa? What's wrong, amiga?" There was concern in the other's voice, and from what Jasmine could sense, it seemed as though the Spaniard had managed to sit up as well, which was something of a relief. The last thing she needed was to have had injured Antonio with this little accident of her.



"I'm not Rose, I'm Jasmine." The burnette barely managed to get out, figuring it was best to set this straight before things got too confusing.



She was expecting the statement to be followed with a question of 'Who?', and so it was almost a surprise when Antonio answered, "Lo siento, Jasmine, it's hard to see very well in the dark. Has anyone ever told you that you both have similar voices?"



Jasmine mumbled something that sounded like an affirmative, and so Antonio continued, "Are you alright? You sound hurt."



The concern in Antonio voice struck Jasmine at first, but then she realized it was Antonio and he'd probably show the same amount of care to a drunken Russia.



"I'm not hurt, but we're locked in this closet until someone finds us." The girl said, a hint of heaviness in her tone, before she buried her face in her knees. She knew what went on in this particular closet at World Meetings, and the idea caused reactions in her body that she wasn't too proud of.



"Ah, well, that's not too bad." Antonio consented, stretching his hand up and tugging on a light switch with ease, as if he'd done it before…



To say that Jasmine was brooding by then was an understatement. Or, at least, she was until a heavy warmth pressed itself against his side. She lifted her head from her knees and looked beside her, only to regret it a moment later when she caught sight of Antonio's dazzling smile in the dim closet light.



"I mean, they'll have to find us eventually. And, until then, at least stuck with someone as sweet and cute as you."



Jasmine felt her face turn bright pink, and could only manage a nod. It was probably nothing; Antonio was known for saying things like "cute" about everything, wasn't he? No sense in getting her hopes up, right?



Still, it was hard to maintain this mindset when Antonio's arm was suddenly wrapped around her waist, especially seeing as how she felt the other's body heat through the fabric of her shirt, and it was so comfortable it was almost uncomfortable.



"So, Jasmine, it's been a while since we've spoken, hasn't it? How have you been?"



Only Antonio can be stuck in a closet with someone he barely speaks to and use it as an opportunity to bond, Jasmine mused, closing her brown eyes as her mind then raced to respond.



"I-I've been well." Instantly Jasmine started to berate herself for such a weak answer, but Antonio chuckled softly in a way that younger somehow knew was not mocking, and instantly the tension melted away.



"That's good. Glad to hear someone is staying positive in tough times!"



"Hm. H-How are you doing, Antonio?" The burnette wished the stutter would leave her voice, but since that did not seem like it was going to happen she decided to resign herself to the fact that it seemed Antonio still hadn't noticed it.



"Me? I'm okay, though it's been lonely around my house lately, since Lovi is always trying to protect his brother from Germany now and doesn't visit, and France is always busy with one thing or other and Prussia is usually harassing Austria from the afterlife and-"



As Antonio continued to tick friends off his fingers like flies who got too close to Australia during his rebel days, Jasmine felt her heart turning into a lead weight. Of course Antonio was not like her; Antonio had many, many people who he could spend his time with, while Jasmine was usually all by herself. Why would such a popular, charismatic man resign himself to timid, introverted little girl?



Jasmine could not continue her train of thought any longer, because in that moment a set of warm, moist lips pressed themselves against her cheeks and frazzled all her senses beyond function. When she finally did recover, she turned around looking for an explanation, and was met with warm green eyes.



"I don't like it when my friends cry, Jasmine. What's wrong?" The concern was back, but it sounded a little different this time; Jasmine couldn't tell if that was because of the kiss or not, but it hardly mattered as she brought a hand up to her cheeks to find that she had, in fact, started crying. What an idiot…



"N-Nothing." Man, did she ever feel stupid, especially when as she saw Antonio's worried face. How could she have been so obvious?



"It is not nothing. Tell me, por favor?" Man, why did he have to have such beautiful pleading eyes?



Jasmine swallowed thickly, choosing her words carefully.



"I- there's this guy… and he doesn't ever notice me…-"



"Oh." Antonio started thoughtfully. "And you like this guy, don't you?"



"Uh-huh." The burnette nodded meekly.



"Then the solution is obvious! Just go tell him how you feel, and then live happily ever after!"



Jasmine almost wanted to smile at how simple that sounded, but Antonio's thickness made it hard to be happy.



"I-It's not that easy… he has so many friends, and he probably likes someone else anyways and-"



This time he was cut off by a finger to his lips, and the younge girl had to bite back the sudden, strange urge to kiss it.



"It's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, si? If you want, you can practice on me, and pretend I'm the man you want to confess your undying love to!"



Oh Antonio, if only you knew…



Still, the idea sounded so… promising. At least if she confessed and Antonio obviously didn't want her, she could always say it was a name slip or something and hide out under her bed back in Alberta until the apocalypse.



"O-Okay."



Antonio beamed, and Jasmine felt her heart skip a beat.



"Good! Now, pretend I'm your secret lover and tell me all about how you feel."



Jasmine felt her throat becoming dry, while her heart rapidly beated, but knew this wasn't a chance she should pass up. Taking a deep breath to brace herself, she looked Antonio directly in the eyes and, before she could loose her nerve, sputtered "I love you, Antonio!"



Before she could even gauge the other's reaction, before she could even take a breath of relief that came with having the words out of her mouth, Jasmine's lips were seized roughly by the same warm, soft ones that had graced her cheeks minutes ago.



Jasmine's brown eyes widened incredibly, trying to confirm that what she felt was really happening, but when the arm Antonio still had around her waist pressed them even closer together, the otaku could no longer resist. Her eyes flew shut, and she tried to match Antonio's fervor with her own passion, before breaking the kiss for much needed oxygen (and cursing her lungs at the same time).



"H-How… W-Why…?"



"Mi tomate, I've been wanting to do that for so long, but I didn't know how you would take it."



Jasmine's mind was dizzy, both from the kiss, and now that confession. "B-but… how did you know I was going to say your name?"



The burnette shrugged. "I didn't. I was going to blame it on your convincing act, and my hot Spanish blood."



There was a smile playing on Antonio's lips, one that made Jasmine realize that she could finally relax. Her blood started flowing through her body again, and that, mixed with lightheaded giddiness, made the burnette giggle a bit.



"Ah, mi tomate, you're so cute! You have an adorable smile, you know." And as if to prove his point, Antonio leaned in once more and left a small peck on Jasmine's chocolate-flavored lips.

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"Antonio? Jasmine? Où êtes-vous?"



Neither knew exactly how much time had passed before they heard their 'savior's voice drift through the hall, but when they did it took a moment for them to untangle their limbs, before Jasmine knocked on the closet door.



"France? We're stuck in this closet!"



"Vraiment? How did this happen?" The Frenchman's voice was much closer now, and Jasmine could only sigh as she replied,



"I tripped and we fell in. Can you get the door open, s'il vous plait?"



"One moment please," France replied airily, and within seconds the locked "clicked" and the door came open.



"Oh, and what is this?" There was a mischievous hint in France's tone that finally made Jasmine realize that Antonio's hand was still inside her back pocket. She turned to swat the hand away, but Antonio didn't even flinch, only smiling as if this were completely normal (which to him, Jasmine figured, it probably was).



"You were right, France, it did work."



Jasmine gasped. "W-What? You planned this? Antonio! France!"



It was France who chuckled first, ruffling the girl's hair, "I'm sorry, but Antonio was desperate, and could not ignore a friend in need."



"You're not mad at me, are you?" Antonio asked, and Jasmine turned to see the beginnings of a pout on his face.



"N-No, I guess not…"



After all, it was hard to stay mad at Antonio when he gave little kisses like that.