Alfred was silent for the entire ride. Not that it made much of a difference in the rowdy bunch he had sitting the car. There was a mix of complaining and whining and just regular chatter about nonsensical and irrelevant things. Toris, next to him, gave him a sorry look. Alfred won't outwardly admit that it helps but it really does. Toris is and always had been a huge help.

He adjusted his grip on the steering wheel with a sigh. They were almost at the house and he was grateful for that. Another god-forsaken hour with all these whining assholes would drive him to absolute madness. He was like a glass just teetering over the edge. He could already tell this was going to be a long couple of weeks.

Slowly, he sped up the car so no one noticed. Before he hit the brakes, he glanced at Toris and mouthed a 'get ready'. Toris got the message and stiffened up, clearly bracing himself for impact. With a smirk, Alfred hit the breaks hard. He heard a few grunts and one shriek. He tried hard to keep the straightest face possible. He glanced at Toris again and saw him shaking with a crooked smile on his face. He was trying hard to suppress a laugh. Just with that, Alfred felt triumphant. He turned around and looked at the disjointed countries. He bit back a laugh.

"We're here." He announced with the slightest bit of a smile. Promptly after, he got out of the car. His message was clear and the other nine stepped out.

"When was the last time you came here?" Toris asked him with a slight chuckle. They stood side by side with familiarity, both looking at the faded yellow house. The wooden stairs caving in slightly. The porch dirtied by time, with white rocking chairs adorning it. The garden was starting to grow into it not that he really minded all that much. A fairly big wood door with a screen door covering it's masterful beauty stared back them.

"Last week, I had to clean it up a bit." Alfred shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. "It was so dusty, I damn near triggered my allergies."

"I could have helped."

"Yeah, but it really didn't take long." He both metaphorically and quite literally shrugged off Toris' worry. "It was a one man job this time."

"Where exactly are we?" Francis butted in, looking at the old house with pure confusion. Which wasn't much of a surprise. "This looks like an old man's home."

"Well, it is my home."

"You're not that old though." Toris furrowed his brows at Alfred.

"I feel old." Alfred shrugged again and turned around to address the other nations. "Welcome to my humble abode. This here old girl is where you'll be staying for a few weeks. I, of course, need to tell you the rules first."

"Rules?" Kiku spoke up, tilting his head slightly. The guy was always so cat like, it was admittedly cute.

"I have five rules." Alfred held up a hand. "Number one." All fingers dropped except his thumb. "Always take off your shoes when you get inside." His pointer finger shot up alongside his thumb. "Number two; no fighting." His middle finger joined the small party. "Number three; the attic is off limits." Now his ring finger shot up. "Number four; the basement is also off limits." Lastly his pinky. "Number five; if there's a problem or you have a question about something go to either me or Toris, here." He dropped his hand. "Got it?" All nodded. "Alright, then let's head in."

It took him an irritating hour to show everyone to their rooms. Ludwig was simple. Feliciano, oddly simply, yet a bit too talkative. Lovino slightly more annoying. Kiku was nice and quiet which Alfred was grateful for after the fiasco that was Francis and Arthur fighting over who had the better room even though Alfred took the utmost time and care to make each room accommodate each nation specifically. Ivan was only irritating for the fact that Alfred's suspicions towards him never actually went away after the Cold War. Neither did Ivan's, clearly shown by the murderous look they shared. At least it was mutual.

After that whole round of awfulness, Alfred retreated to his room. He found Toris there sitting in a rocking chair, looking out the window. A soft smile adorned his face. It was a bit of a contagious smile with Alfred tiredly copying it. He went and sat on the bed.

"You sure you're okay with sharing a bed?"

"Yeah," Toris responded calmly rocking himself in the chair. He didn't look away from the window though. "I'm pretty used to it actually."

"Alright." Alfred let his fingers dip under the frames of his glasses to rub at his tired eyes. They burned ever so slightly, making a satisfying sensation under his lids.

"I want to know." Toris started. Alfred let his hands slip away from his face, his frames falling gracefully back into place. His sight revealed a Toris now looking at him. "How long will you put with them?"

"I'm not sure." He fell back onto the bed. The old ceiling stared back him, stained with age and other stories that would make him laugh at any other time. Like the small bit of slime stuck in there. "I like to think I'll last the entirety of the three weeks but I doubt I will."

"Sometimes I wish I had your level of tolerance so I wouldn't take such harsh beatings."

"But that stuff made you stronger." Slowly into his sight same a soft smiling Toris looking down at him, leaning on the bed frame. "Sometimes I think your stronger than me."

"We all have strengths and weaknesses. I'm bound to be better at you in some things, while you're better at me in others."

"That's true."

"You're too hard on yourself."

"That's because I have to be."

"No, you don't."

"You can keep trying to be my therapist or you can kiss me." A shy look replaced the warm smile. Which was only slightly annoying. "Either way, you're being a huge help."

"I would but I have some business to attended to."

"And what would that be?"

"Dinner."

"Mind if I help?"

"Not at all."

He was chopping tomatoes when Lovino peaked in. A curious look on his face. Alfred felt far more relaxed now. Toris being a huge help just by his presence. His energy seemed to surge back now. He grabbed one of the extra tomatoes and waved it at Lovino as if he were an owner waving a dog treat at a puppy. A big grin overcame Lovino's scowl. Which was uncanny to say the least; cute nonetheless.

"Think fast." He quickly warned and tossed it. Lovino, of course, caught it. He fully let himself in the rather large kitchen. Toris at the stove hummed while pushing vegetables around with a wood spoon in a pan. Alfred stood on the other side at the counter, chopping away at vegetables for a salad.

"You making dinner?" Lovino asked as he leaned on an unoccupied counter close to Alfred.

"Yep." His fingers carefully slipped stray pieces of the tomato he had been cutting up off of the knife. "Figured you guys would be starving by now."

"You would be right." Another deeper voice said this time with a slight sigh. Alfred only glanced slight. Enough to see it was Ludwig.

"Is everyone else being rowdy out of hunger?" He could almost chuckle. He felt like he was talking about children (which really wasn't that far from the truth).

"Yes."

"Well, I owe Toris a few bucks."

"You have too much faith in them, Alfred." Toris butted in from across the kitchen. Alfred could practically feel the smirk on the guy.

"Thanks, I know." He countered. "Quit mothering me."

"I'm not mothering you." A big sizzle on the pan left Toris to pause. "I'm simply stating the flaws in your logic."

"Will you two shut it and just make dinner appear already?" Lovino rolled his eyes.

"You don't need to be quiet to cook, Lovi." Feliciano appeared at the door way.

"I'm not surprised to hear that from you." Ludwig sighed.

"And yet I still make delicious food. I would argue that it comes out better that way."

"That's true."

"You two are not help at all." Lovino grunted and bit into the tomato that had been previously thrown his way.

"Neither are you." Feliciano sassed. This started a big session of bickering. If one more person walks in, I'm going to throw this knife. Alfred promised to himself amidst the immensly irritating and pointless words being thrown around. Alas, someone else did walk in. Arthur did. He was asking something about the noise. Which didn't really matter because Alfred abruptly stopped with by turning around and throwing the knife at a cabinet. In hit hard and precise going in far enough to get it somewhat stuck. Everyone but Toris looked at him with pure shock.

"You guys are annoying." He shrugged and went to pull the knife out.

"Well, that's one way to tell us to be quiet." Ludwig mumbled.