After years of Christmas molesting bloodbaths thanks to France, Germany finally decided that this year would be different. His busy schedule didn't allow for much, but he could at least afford a weeklong vacation away from his paperwork. And a week of silence and the solitude of his own thoughts was more than enough for Germany o relax.
He had rented the hut in the Austrian Alps early enough in the year to make sure that no one else snatched it away, they were a popular form of vacation after all. He had made sure at the same time that no one caught wind of his plans. Sure it would be a kind of lonely holiday but he would go out skiing all day and sit in front of the fireplace on the evenings. He would even leave his paperwork behind in order to solely focus on himself, without the usual ruckus that accompanied Christmas in Germany's house.
But this Christmas would be peaceful, without a drunken Prussia molesting Austria, without the multiple abuse of hapless kitchen equipment, without a rampaging Switzerland that always happened to pay a visit with Liechtenstein when Italy had forgotten to put his pants on, again. And maybe most importantly without France blackmailing him into wearing weird outfits, not that he really minded he just thought it was unfit for Christmas.
So on the day before Christmas Germany had packed all the things he needed and stuffed them into the trunk of his car. He had only recently informed the people he considered friends and family of his plans and even though Austria and especially Hungary had been sad they still wished him Merry Christmas with a smile. The only one he couldn't get his hands on was Prussia, he had locked himself in the basement and was sulking over the fact that Germany left without him.
He had briefly thought about breaking in to at least wish his brother happy holidays, but he figured that he wouldn't be able to get away at all if he should end up in the clutches his sometimes more than clingy brother.
Germany closed the front door of the house and got into the car. Prussia would get over it eventually. While he started the engine Germany wondered if he should have taken his brother with him, but he quickly came to the conclusion that that would defeat the purpose of his little escape. A quiet Christmas was close to impossible with Prussia involved.
Albeit that had not been the case all the time, Germany recalled as he pulled out of the driveway, the house rapidly vanishing in the rearview mirror. He remembered the way they used to celebrate Christmas when he was still little, when Prussia would make an effort to spoil his little brother. He would venture deep into the forest to get the biggest tree possible and then they would decorate it together. Prussia would lift him up so that Germany could attach a star to the top of the tree and afterwards compliment him on his 'awesome work'.
On Christmas Eve they would go to church and attend the mass and Prussia would always try his best to make it as exciting as possible for little Germany, more than often annoying the other participants to no ends. Afterwards they would go home and eat bratwurst with Sauerkraut or sometimes steamed fish, then Prussia would coax him to sing a few Christmas carols for him while accompanying him on his flute, and secretly Germany would be very proud that his brother valued his singing voice so much.
And then finally the most exciting part of Christmas would start when Prussia would lock the door to the living room where the tree stood and Germany would try and hide on the stairs to watch out for the Christkind that brought the presents. Today Germany of course knew that there was no Christkind1 and that it had been Prussia all along who would put the presents under the tree, but as a child he had believed everything his brother told him.
And what wonderful presents they were, carved wood figures of soldiers and horses, a specially version of Prussia's uniform that fit his smaller size, a wooden sword to practice with, sweets and chocolate and one time even a small pony for him to learn riding with. But nowadays Prussia either ended up drunk under the table or do other stupid and embarrassing things, most of the time he did both.
Germany drove on, lost in thought as a sudden sound from behind him made him jump and he almost enough crashed the car into a tree. Something rustled behind him and a glance in the rearview mirror revealed a disheveled looking silver haired male that climbed out of the space behind the front seats.
"Guten Morgen Bruder."² Prussia greeted with a yawn.
Hadn't they been on the Autobahn for quite a while now, Germany would have stopped at the side of the road, but like this he had to wait until the next rest area came along. It has to be noted though that driving on an Autobahn after nearly dodging a heart attack is very ill advised and should be refrained from under any circumstances.
"Prussia, what are you doing here?" Germany kept throwing glances into the rearview mirror, watching as his brother stretched idly before he climbed over the middle console onto the passenger seat.
"I was sleeping, but seriously that was terribly uncomfortable, you should really get a more spacious car." Prussia buckled up after he noticed that the car's speed was closing in on 200km/h. "Uh West, mind if you slow down a bit? It is winter after all and the road is wet." Germany who only now realized that he had continuously pushed down the gas since Prussia's appearance, stepped on the brake a bit to slow them down, his irritation was still present though.
"I mean why were you sleeping in my car in the first place? Don't tell me you just fell asleep here on accident? How did you even get in, you don't have a key." "I sneaked in when you went back in the house to check if you turned off the stove, which was a bit pointless by the way since you didn't even turn it on in the first place. You really should watch Zombieland by the way, don't you know two always check you back seat before you get into a car?"
"Prussia…" Germany warned with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He spotted a sign that read 'rest area 1km ahead' but decided that at this point there was no use in stopping anymore.
"Oh right, well I thought I'd come with you and keep you company so you don't get lonely." Prussia smirked and Germany resisted the urge to bury his head in the stirring wheel. So much for his attempted solitary Christmas. They had come too far to turn back now, Germany didn't want to drive home only to have to drive the whole distance again and like that he definitely wouldn't make it before nightfall. And maybe it wasn't even that bad, it was time for them to spend some quality time together anyway, Germany had felt that he had neglected his brother for quite some time now.
And Prussia even proved to be quite bearable. He didn't talk as much about his awesomeness, but instead asked Germany about his work, how his days prior to Christmas break had been and they spent the rest of the way in with pleasant conversation.
When they finally arrived at the parking lot half way up the mountain, Germany was almost glad that his brother had come with him. He had forgotten how much he missed the times the two of them had been close, before World War II had torn a gap between them.
They took their stuff, or rather Germany's stuff since Prussia didn't bring anything and started the long and tedious climb up the mountain slope. The hut was reachable by foot but they had to follow a steep path that wound around the mountain a lot. Germany figured that they wouldn't be able to stay for the whole planned week like this, he had only packed food for one person and he didn't like to ration on Christmas. And of course he would have to share his clothes with Prussia, but he didn't really mind that. Prussia was after all as neat and tidy with his clothes than he was.
After they finally arrived, both didn't really feel like doing much, the long drive and the arduous climb had drained most of their energy, so they just went to sleep after a quick dinner. They had to share the bed too of course, but neither was awake enough to much care.
On the next morning Germany was woken with a surprise. He usually would get up on 6:30 straight, but for the sake of the holidays he had left his alarm clock along with his cell phone back home. So when he woke up it was already late in the morning, at least for him and the smell of freshly made breakfast wafted through the air.
"Good morning sunshine!" Prussia greeted as he entered their, in lack of an alternative, shared bedroom, a tray with food in hands. And the day continued like that, Prussia wouldn't allow Germany to do anything aside from relaxing in front of the fire or reading a book. He even went as far as to massage Germany's strained back after he had noticed how uncomfortable he seemed to sit in is chair.
When night fell on the Eve of Christmas, Prussia was standing in the kitchen to prepare dinner and Germany decided that it was time to inquire just what exactly was up with his brother's unusual behavior. It was so out of character for Prussia to be selfless like that; normally he would demand that Germany returned the favor, like that one time when he insisted on counting sheep.
Germany entered the small kitchen and watched as his brother rummaged through the drawers to find the silverware. As it was tradition, Prussia had cooked Bratwurst with Sauerkraut and Germany couldn't help but lick his lips in anticipation. "Let me help you." He said as Prussia struggled to carry two filled plates, two glasses and the silverware at once from the kitchen to the dining table.
"No you just sit down and relax." Prussia ordered and actually managed to get everything down on the table without dropping anything. "Why are you doing all this?" Germany asked as he sat down. "What do you mean?" Prussia replied with a somewhat fake air of innocence. "This." Germany made a wide gesture to indicate the whole of the room and the table. "Since when have you been so nice?" "Oh can't I spoil my little brother a bit?"
Germany sighed and took the fork, there was no point of getting any more out of Prussia now, not with the way he was grinning at him with that 'I am awesome, I do what I want' look.
They finished the meal in relative silence, aside from an occasional remark, and afterwards Prussia forced Germany to sit down in front of the fireplace and relax while he was doing the dishes. They didn't set up a tree, it would have been too much work to carry it all the way up the mountain, but the warm and crackling fire was a good substitute.
Germany had a cup of hot Glühwein³ in his hands as he watched the dancing flames; the sight had a numbing effect on his mind. Still he couldn't stop wondering why Prussia was so nice to him. It was almost like in the times before the war, before the country of Prussia had been dissolved, when Prussia was closer to him than anyone ever had been, closer even as Italy.
And Germany couldn't help but to wish that those times back when he and Prussia would share a bed and so many nights of pleasure. When they would hide their love from the rest of the world and when he would wake up to a warm body not only next to him but wrapped around him. Back when they called each other by their names and not by their country's name.
Germany sighed and took another sip of his Glühwein, the spicy hot liquid pouring down his throat and filling him with warmth. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the pale form that entered the room, and only when he sat down beside him did he realize that Prussia was there. "West…" Prussia started but he seemed unsure about what to say next. Germany suddenly noted how the light of the fire shone beautifully on Prussia's silver locks and how the flames were reflected in his red eyes. And hadn't he always called him that somewhat affectionate nickname instead of Germany?
"I'm sorry." Prussia said, breaking the silence before he leaned in and pulled Germany into a surprise kiss. Germany was startled at first, unsure what to do think or what to do, but before he could try and return the kiss, Prussia had already released him. "I'm sorry." Prussia repeated, and the look in his eyes tore at Germany's soul. So much hurt, so much longing and so much love.
He had always thought he was the only one, that after what happened, after Germany himself robbed the Prussian state of his foundation, Prussia would never forgive him. That all they could ever hope to be again was an awkward pair of brothers who lived in the same house but shared nothing else. He though he was the only one who clung to the feelings of the past.
It seemed as if he had been wrong all along.
Prussia smiled ruefully at his brother's lack of reaction before he got up with the intention to leave, only to be pulled back by Germany. It caught Prussia off guard so he let himself be pushed down and pressed onto the couch, the cup of Glühwein forgotten on the side table. "What…?" was all that Prussia was able to get out before he his lips were sealed by Germany.
He should have said something, he should have tried to get Germany off and talk to him, but all Prussia could do was to return the kiss as passionate as possible, his hands entwined in Germany's blond locks. It could have been all a dream so he might as well enjoy it.
Germany was lost in the sweet taste of Prussia's mouth that he had missed for so long. He didn't care about the consequences as he ripped open Prussia's. no his own shirt that the other was wearing, all he wanted was to get to that soft pale skin underneath, that was supposed to be his and his only. Prussia slid his hands under Germany's shirt and pushed it up, getting rid of it in a gentler fashion.
Germany pressed his lips on Prussia's chest and marked the skin with light bite marks, only enough to leave a trail of little red dots from the collar bone to one nipple, where Germany stayed a bit to play. Prussia was mimicking his brother's action only with his hands instead of his mouth. And both nations felt an increased need for air as their actions continued.
No one said a word, for it would have shattered the moment, they just did what their instincts dictated them. Germany's hands trailed over Prussia's flat stomach until they reached the hem of his pants. As before he didn't hesitate long before he pulled the garment down along with the underwear, revealing Prussia's half erect cock that was twitching with anticipation. Prussia moaned as he was touched and pinched a nipple in reply. Germany took Prussia's hands in his and guided them down to his own constricted arousal and Prussia readily complied as he pushed the pants down.
For a while there was nothing else heard than the rubbing of flesh against flesh and the quick and erratic breath of two people jerking each other off. Germany would have loved to bend his brother over and fuck him senseless but even in his clouded state of mind he was aware that there were lines that better not be crossed without a serious talk beforehand.
Prussia came first, bucking his hips into Germany's hand, eyes closed shut as he moaned a breathy "Ludwig…". It was his voice that pushed Germany over the edge, his voice that had moaned his name like that and of course the hand that tightened around his member.
Germany mimicked his brother by groaning "Gilbert!" when he came, violently spurting his essence over Prussia's stomach. Both were panting afterwards and needed time to calm down. After a while, when their breaths were even again Prussia spoke up: "I missed this, I missed you." And Germany couldn't help but smile, a rare occurrence really, as he sat up and kissed Prussia gently on the forehead. "I missed you too."
And both knew that things between them were looking up again. It surely would take a lot of talking and maybe a little more time but eventually they would make it. That was the best Christmas present Germany could ever wish for.
The End
1Christkind is the German predecessor of Santa Claus. It literally translates to Christchild or more appropriately to baby Jesus. He was believed to bring the presents and in some parts of Germany he is still believed to do so.
²Guten Morgen Bruder = Good morning brother
³Glühwein = hot spiced wine that is drunken on Christmas markets/during Christmas in Germany