The Delicate Art of Holding A Torch
Summary: Ever since he knew that she was a she, he had felt something for her. Years passed, and he grew to love her, but was left behind for Austria. Hungary never seemed to notice him standing there, and Prussia hoped that one day she'd notice him holding a torch for her. PruHun.
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Hungary was a girl.
That stood out among all else.
She was a girl.
And she could kick his ass in battle. She was almost as awesome as he was! That made something unknown flutter in his chest, the feeling poets and such tried to capture in their songs and stories.
Oh, Lord….
He was going to learn the finer parts of chivalrous love that they spoke of in courts. God forgive him, but he was going to try and be her knight in shining armor! He wanted her to be awesome beside him!
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The next time he saw her, little Teutonic Knights pushed her out of the way and fought off her enemy.
Unfortunately for the boy, his efforts to be knightly were wasted.
Hungary was pissed.
"I'm not weak! I can fight for myself!" The confused girl protested against his efforts and proceeded to beat him up- again. Hungary was a fierce girl in battle.
Of course, the almighty Teutonic Knights was just too awesome to be allowed to hit a girl, so he just let her win.
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…..Okay….
Maybe Chivalry wasn't for him.
Pfffttt.
As if the awesome Teutonic Knights had to be chivalrous to win Hungary's heart- and besides that, Court's love was for pansies.
But, then again, it was a better approach then none. So, what would the young boy do instead of being a romantic-love-story-mush-knight?
Teutonic Knights was left to wonder.
…..
Maybe Hungary would respond better to being his friend? It wouldn't be insulting her so-called manhood if they were on equal terms, and besides that, it was an honor for her to be called a friend of the Teutonic Knights!
Yeah! That's right, just the other day he had heard someone saying that a wife was like a husbands best friend! That made sense, if only a little to him!
Okay, the awesome Teutonic Knights would try and be friends with her! That would be sure to win her over!
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"Hey! Aren't you coming?!" Hungary looked to be having the time of her life. Teutonic Knights grumbled.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" He snapped at the girl in the tree he was trying to climb. Although, he did get a rather nice view from down here….maybe he should keep her in front of him…..strictly for protection purposes.….
"You better hurry up, I'm sure you don't like the taste of my dust." Hungary looked down mockingly at him, and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Oh you!" Teutonic Knights launched up the tree to catch her, and the both ended up falling out of the branches.
The wrestled for a little bit, before both children were out of breath and lay on the grass, satisfied.
"Huh, I guess it's been a while since I just played." Hungary said between pants.
Teutonic Knights made a noise of agreement, too tired and content to form words.
"We've all been so busy fighting…." Hungary sat up with a thoughtful look on her face. "We all have forgotten we're just kids."
Teutonic Knights sat up with her. "Yeah," he agreed, but in truth he was paying more attention to how pretty she was becoming. Hopefully, Hungary would realize she was a girl, and then she would like how nicely he had been treating her and she would go back and they would marry like adults did.
"You know, I don't think you're really too bad, I just think that you hide this part of you from most people." Hungary smiled a bit, and then asked. "I also heard you've recently lost your head over a maiden," Hungary's kind smile became a smirk. "Care to give me a few details?"
Teutonic Knights had no idea how to lie to the object of his affection, so he told the truth. "Well…. She doesn't really know I'm after her…" Hungary raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Why haven't you tried the whole 'court's love' thing that has been going around?" She sounded genuinely curious, so Teutonic Knights gave her the laydown of what happened.
"I did," he grumbled. "She just…." He paused when he just was about to say he was beaten up, and instead said, "…Ignored my advances." HA! It made sense! This way it would show that he was still available! And then Hungary would figure out she's a girl, and they could be together! It made total sense!
"Pppffft, even the girls know you're just an act!" Hungary laughed. It was a nice laugh, and he would have savored the moment had the joke not been at his expense. Teutonic Knights, being the awesome guy he was, was totally not hurt! Duh, did you just expect him to break down? No, he was stronger than that!
"Hey! Maybe she had her eyes on another! Besides that, I'll be fine alone! I'll be awesome alone!" Teutonic Knights grinned broadly, and Hungary laughed.
"Hmm, I suppose you might be right…." Hungary said, mockingly on one level, but thoughtful on another. "….So, what'd she look like?" She elbowed him playfully, and he thought long and hard before answering truthfully.
"…..She's really pretty. Green eyes like the meadows. And her hair is a soft brown…." Teutonic Knights sighed wistfully. "But it's like she doesn't notice me…."
Hungary looked a little scared at the description. Maybe she was noticing that she didn't find girls attractive. Huh. He watched her get up.
"Well, I should be going Teutonic Knights." She bowed jokingly, "I hope we can be friends for a long time, you aren't as bad a guy as you seem. Anyways, what happened to the "awesome" you? I thought that you could do anything!" She grinned a little bit, before having it fade, and she turned.
Hungary ran off, distressed about something he was unaware of.
And she was right! He was Awesome! He could do anything, and he would most certainly get her!
But…..on the other hand…..
….. Okay, so her opinion of him had risen up a few notches- that was a good thing!
Totally! Now that her opinion of him had gone up, he needed a place to call his own- a home! Somewhere he could settle down and maybe even raise a family, and maybe his brothers could get back together! Maybe Holy Rome and he could have a nice time! He could raise the little Holy Rome, no problem! He was the Awesome Teutonic Knights!
He and his fellow Knights would get themselves a great place! And it would be awesome as he was, and Hungary would be so impressed with him that she would like him!
Er, at least when she realized that she was actually a girl and not a guy.
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Prussia.
His name was Prussia.
He would probably never get tired of saying that, ever! He repeated it to himself, just for the feeling of having it said aloud. He was so excited!
He was the awesome Prussia! He was a nation!
And he was so going to get Hungary! She was not going to be able to resist him now that he was a great nation, the almighty Prussia!
He had grown up a little, and assumed the same of Hungary and the others. He had also heard that there were some new countries about. He looked forward to being a strong power, and winning Hungary's heart.
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He banged on the door of his friend. "Hey, Hungary, wanna come out and play a game!" He was excited- he had a lot to tell her, and hoped that maybe Hungary would even have things to tell him!
"T-Teutonic Knights…? Is that….Is that you?" She sounded unsure. Then again, his voice was beginning to drop, according to the other knights; Prussia supposed it could sound differently to her. It might sound more manly, more awesome now that he was a little older.
"Yeah, it's me, but I am called Prussia now!" He smirked and puffed out his chest proudly, feeling surprisingly Nationalistic for his new home, that he had recently taken over. Germania would be proud! He was doing good for a young nation, taking over a nation and naming himself after it.
"Um… uh…. Could you, umm… come back later?" Hungary still was unsure- maybe even a little fear was in her voice. As a result Prussia was also a little scared for her; she was almost as awesome as he was! She had to be alright!
He knocked again, this time with a little worry in his voice as he called out to her again. "H-hey, are you alright, Hungary, let me in!"
"Go away, Prussia!" She cried out, and she was standing right behind the wooden door between them. He was more worried about her. The day Hungary cried out in worry was the day the world would end- or so he had thought.
"H-Hungary….." He was quiet, and he stopped banging on the door. He hung his head, defeated. "O-okay…." He was unsure where to go from there. "W-well, just so you know, the awesome Prussia will always be here with an open ear, Hungary!" He grinned half-heartedly, before stalking off into the forest. He reiterated the most important part of that sentence to himself along the way.
"Always," his thoughts of her increased, from her laugh to her sweet face. She would be a beautiful woman when she was older, he thought with a bit of happiness. And she would be his; she would be the wife of the awesome Prussia!
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No matter what he did, he was always refused when he tried to see her.
Slowly, he grew up.
His figure was elongated, he became taller, his voice deepened, and he grew into his features.
The ladies in his court were pining after him, and the men were jealous of him.
No one called him a freak anymore, though he still had the blood red eyes of a devil and the hair the color of pure snow. He was a rather pale young man, and while he used to be considered sickly, it looked attractive on his older form.
His boss was almost tempted to marry him off to someone.
Almost.
But he refused. He wanted Hungary or no one. So, he told his boss he wanted to be alone- That he would be awesomer alone.
Hungary had been the only one who hadn't judged him on his appearance alone, and if she hadn't then, she would never do it. His heart was in her hands.
Holy Rome was still a young child, and Prussia was still taking care of him.
Germania would have a fit if he knew that one of his children was taking after one of his worst enemies when he had been alive. It was almost laughable.
Now, he was at war, and as a nation, he had to fight!
He used to be a mercenary, or a knight, as it was more commonly called.
And once you were a knight, you were always a knight.
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Holy mother of god, she was not just pretty! She was beautiful! She was the nicest thing he had ever set eyes on, beside himself, of course! She was a real woman now, and she would be his woman!
This was the second time he had seen her, after he had seen her nearly naked self, and left in his underwear.
"Kesesese!" He cried out, gathering his hunting equipment. "Alright, I'll ask her to go hunting with me! Knowing Hungary, she won't be able to resist the awesome me, or the offer to hang out with me!"
He smoothed out his black and white knight outfit, and combed his hair out from where a leaf had gotten stuck.
Hungary would be his!
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…..
Prussia didn't know what to do with himself at this point.
…S-she had turned him down…
Him… The awesome Prussia….
For that pansy Austria, and house-cleaning! What on earth was so enticing about house-cleaning! She should have gone hunting with him, and he would have asked her to be with him, but she had turned him down!
W-what had happened to her… her flame… it was gone, extinguished, had water dumped on it- almost like it had never been in the first place! He wanted a flame like hers to grow and match his own, as she was the only person who was as awesome as he was.
Prussia drank himself into a state where he could convince himself the water on his cheeks were not his tears.
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Holy Rome was becoming powerful, like his father, Germania and his namesake, Rome.
He wanted to be with the other nations in his empire.
Not with Prussia anymore.
That broke the elder nation's heart, but once again, he convinced his boss that he'd be better off alone. He didn't want to live with Prussia anymore, and Prussia would only try to boss him around if he was with him.
Holy Rome would be alright, and besides that, as much as a pansy Austria was, he would probably take better care of the boy than Prussia ever could.
Prussia was just a little clueless when it came to raising the boy, who was so different then himself. Holy Rome was a serious little boy; it probably came with being such a powerful force. Prussia was proud to be related to him, even if they had nothing in common.
Prussia was the exact opposite of his younger sibling. He was often foolish and enjoyed messing around. Holy Rome claimed that love had made him soft, and Prussia never did anything to deny that claim, as it was rather true.
When the boy met his heart, he would know what it was like to be so in love, and not know what to do with all those feelings, which was the only thing they had in common. Neither of them was good with feelings.
And, besides that- while he was on the subject of hearts, Prussia wanted to see Hungary, who had become part of the boy's empire at this point. He had picked a nice bouquet of posies and daises and other wildflowers.
….He would try one more time. He had to; Hungary held his heart-she had since they were little. He would a torch for her forever, just like he had promised when they were young.
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Prussia, the weird nation he was, always wanted to be aware of the situation before he went in.
Holy Rome was getting ready before he would leave, so Prussia felt a small need to go prepare Austria.
He ran off, his things in town, and a small yellow bird flying after him with franticly beating wings. That bird had recently appeared, and for whatever reason liked to nest in Prussia's white hair. He had to shoo it away on more than one occasion to keep his hair presentable for Hungary.
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He stalked the grounds of Holy Rome's new home, looking for Hungary or Austria, but hopefully Hungary, as he still didn't really like that pansy excuse for a nation.
Only to see something that broke his heart- shattered it into so many pieces that he didn't even recognize it anymore.
Austria was kissing his girl.
Hungary was kissing the pansy back.
…..What did he do wrong? He… He had been chivalrous and kind and her friend and had given her all the hints in the world that he would be there for her….
Austria had his hands in her long, brown hair, and she was holding his delicate face with her tough hands. It wasn't chaste, or anything else he had heard about love. It was stabbing him in the heart. It was hard to look at, but impossible to look away from.
It… It wasn't fair! Hungary was supposed to be his! After all this time, he had hoped that she would be his…. He had loved her first! He had known her secret first! Why was he left behind for… such a…. such a…. pansy!
And he was left in the bushes, hiding while he watched his heart walk out of his chest and fall for another man.
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Once Hungary and Austria had walked away, he left the bouquet out on the place he had seen them kissing. If Austria was any kind of man, he'd tell Hungary that he hadn't put them out for her.
Prussia walked into the first bar he could find, planning on drinking himself out of his misery. The little bird caught up with him, and nested in his white hair again, but Prussia couldn't bring himself to care anymore.
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H-he could handle being alone! He was the awesome Prussia! A-and that pansy Austria might not be able to be alone, so he needed Hungary more than Prussia did. After all, he was always getting beaten up when they were younger, so maybe Hungary was just taking pity on him!
Yeah! That was it!
He wiped the tears from his eyes. He still had to talk to Austria.
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When Austria found the bouquet of yellow and white wildflowers, he knew that something was off. Hungary was inside, cleaning up a bit, and hadn't had the time to collect the bouquet.
So, the proper nation was left to ponder who had left the bouquet. It wasn't for him, but instead for Hungary, if the elegant handwriting had anything to say.
It was then the nation saw a ruffling in the bushes. Perhaps, that was the secret admirer. The brunette walked into the woods, and saw a familiar figure leaning against a tree. "Prussia?" He questioned.
"Oh, hey…" The strange nation looked up from where he had been staring at the forest floor. Austria noted that the nation most certainly looked worse for wear. He looked like he had been crying, and like he was a little tipsy. His pale face was flush, and he slurred his words as he spoke. "Austria, I w-was just looking for ya-you."
"Prussia, why are you here?" Austria reached for his sword half-heartedly. The nation who had often beaten him up when they were younger just looked defeated. His red stare was without any heat.
It wasn't normal on any level, and if Austria were a better man, he would have admitted that it scared him that Prussia was acting so… odd.
"Ah… I w-wanted to speak to Hungary… but then…." He hiccupped, and fell over. Austria abandoned all thoughts of considering him a threat.
The nation walked over and picked up his fallen brother- of sorts. "I-I-I loved her first….." He looked up to Austria with a pleading gaze. "But she chose you…W-why…?"
Wait, had Austria heard him right?
Could the pompous, self-absorbed, narcissistic nation of Prussia love anyone other than himself? Said nation dropped his head when he received no answer from Austria. He pushed himself out of the gentlemanly nation's arms, and forced himself back onto his feet.
"P-promise me… You'll…. You'll take care of my heart….." Prussia didn't look at him.
Austria felt something like guilt settle in his gut. Hungary was Prussia's heart? And he wasn't fighting for her? "Alright," He promised softly.
"Because… If…If you make her h-happy…..Then… I g-guess I'll be just fine by myself! I'm the awesome Prussia! A-and you w-wouldn't be okay by yourself…. You…Y-You'll get beaten up…" Prussia gave a half-hearted grin.
Austria was surprised. Prussia wanted her, but would give her up to make her happy? At what cost to Prussia?
"O-oh, yeah…my little brother is coming over here…..I think he'll be better off with y-you…" He staggered a little, but Austria was frozen, unable to help him. "B-Because I-I don't know… how to be a good influence…." Prussia looked up at Austria, who now knew the man was dead-drunk, with tears glistening in his red eyes. "S-So…. Take care of…of them…."
Prussia staggered off, and Austria was left feeling like the most horrible man on the earth.
Prussia…He could now see why Hungary claimed to be friends with him… He was every bit as human as they were. And maybe even more.
Holy Rome was coming to live with them? That must be a crushing blow to Prussia- to have your own brother no longer want to be with you. Austria didn't have any siblings to speak of, so he wouldn't know the feeling of a family.
Prussia had come here to try and win Hungary's heart, and had found out she had already been taken instead. He was going to be left alone, by his family, by his so-called "heart"….
"Austria?" The elegant nation turned to see Hungary standing there in a beautiful dress. "Oh! You picked me flowers? How romantic!" She took the bouquet out of his hands, not aware that the letter that had been attached was currently in his pocket.
"You know, these wildflowers were always my favorite…. This was sweet of you, Austria…" She kissed him on the cheek.
Austria felt like the dirt beneath his boots as he was credited with something that Prussia had done trying to court her.
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Holy Rome was a pleasant surprise. Both Austria and Hungary had expected him to be like Prussia. But, he was cordial and polite, and relatively serious and quiet.
But Holy Rome cornered Austria on the second day after his arrival.
"You know, I need to know this." Holy Rome looked more serious than usual.
"I can understand if you stole my brother's love because you love her, but I will not excuse you from it if you do not take care of her. Big Brother has pined after her since before I was aware. Before she even knew that she was a woman- and has tried to win her heart since they were kids."
Holy Rome stared at Austria with those all-knowing blue eyes of his. "You protect my brother's heart, alright? And if one day you decide that you don't love her, send her back to the man who will always hold a torch for her."
Austria felt so conflicted. Holy Rome left him, to go off and do other things around the house.
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Prussia was alright for a long time. Or, at least that is what he always said to anyone who questioned him.
Prussia taught himself how to hide the fact he was missing his heart, and learned to see other people, because he knew that holding a torch for someone like her was not a healthy thing to do if she was just going to beat him up.
He would always welcome Hungary back into his arms. She was the person he had fallen for, and even if he was left behind, he would accept it- so long as she came back one day.
Because he knew that someday-hopefully- Austria wouldn't be able to hide her fire while she was being a housewife, and she would become the strong, warrior nation Prussia had always known her to be.
Hopefully one day she would notice that he was holding a torch just for her.
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A/N: On today's episode of Alex Tries to Write Canon Timeline