I had this idea in my head for a while, and just had to get it out~ It's my take on how Prussia might react when his old man Fritz (Frederick II) died, in August, 1786. This wasn't really meant as a PrussiaxHungary story, just friendship – but I guess you can see it the way you want~ ^^ Hope you'll like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia – Axis Powers, or any of its characters.
oOo
Hungary was tired. The inevitable exhaustion of chasing enemies that dared try to mess with her, seeped into her steps, making her feel like a crippled old hag, or something of the sort. It didn't help that her clothes pulled her down, thoroughly soaked through by now, from the constant rain fall. Thank goodness it was still summer, and not really that cold yet, or she'd be freezing her butt off.
"Ugh, stupid bastards..." she muttered to herself, flicking her long hair back across her shoulder with an angry motion, wincing at the way it clung to her face with rain and... was that blood or mud...? She couldn't tell, but as she was certain she hadn't been injured that badly, she shook the thought away.
A bath would have been nice... She gave a wistful sigh, letting her guard down for a moment, as she dreamed of warm, steamy water, cleaning away any traces of mud, and blood, or whatever , warming her shivering body. Ah, the rare joys of warm, wonderful water...
She was nearly drifting off into her dream world, when she caught a glimpse of silvery white hair. That immediately snapped her out of it, as she knew only one person with such hair. It was not a person to let your guard down with. Putting on her battle face, she tensed and looked in his direction again. After a while, however, she faltered a little, blinking.
Prussia, her rival throughout the years, was sitting a bit away, by the edge of a calm river. The fact that he was sitting silently by himself wasn't all that surprising – despite his rough act when it came to interactions with others, he could be surprisingly tranquil at times. Of course, he denied this if it was ever brought up, or he'd come up with a ridiculous excuse, usually with extent usage of the word "awesome".
Still, this wasn't like the usual times when he'd sit by himself. Even when relaxing, Prussia was always somewhat tense, and on-guard, as the experienced fighter he was. Now, however, his posture was slumped, and the way he sat, with his knees drawn up and his head bowed, he looked almost... fragile.
It was not a word Hungary would ever had associated with the word "Prussia", and it unnerved her greatly. Before she really knew what she was doing, she was walking towards him, slowly. Any moment, she expected him to snap out of it, sensing her presence. It didn't happen. On the contrary, as she got closer, she could see the way his back and shoulders trembled slightly.
Only now did it occur to her that he was dressed rather formally, and seemed to have been sitting in the rain for a long time, just about as soaked through as she was. His attire confused her somewhat, and she was beginning to get a bad feeling about this. Forcing away these feelings, she decided to make herself known.
"Hey, what's up with you, huh?" she pressed a smirk onto her features as she walked closer, though not too close.
No reaction, other than a slight tensing of his shoulders as he heard her approaching. Now, that was unexpected, and it put her attitude out of balance.
"Oi..." walking closer, and to his side, she froze as she could see his face. Now, he was always pale, but his face was now a pallid white, as if he'd seen a ghost. Dark circles rested beneath his eyes, which in turn were rimmed with red, and strangely glazed over... completely void of the mischievousness and life they normally held.
Never before had she seen her long-time rival and - though she dreaded to admit it – friend, look so utterly miserable.
"Prussia...?" she frowned slightly, as he blinked, glancing up at her for a moment, before swallowing heavily and turning back to the river.
"If you came to pick a fight, I'd appreciate it if you could just... leave." His words, soft-spoken and uncharacteristically serious, were the final proof that something was wrong. Very wrong.
"Do I look like I'm looking for another fight, you fool?" she muttered back, motioning to her own appearance. Her tone lacked the normal ironic bite, as she couldn't help but feel worried. Despite their constant arguments, verbal and physical confrontations, and general lack of touchy-feely-moments, she found herself sitting down beside him. Close enough to show that she was there for him, yet not too close to invade his personal space.
"What happened, Gilbert?" she had known him for long enough to tell that this went deeper than just losing a battle or struggling economically. The use of his human name seemed to startle him a little, but it also made him relax his tense posture somewhat, and he went back to the slumped posture he held previously. They only used human names when they put their issues as nations aside, and were able to interact as human beings. It did not happen often, but was all the more meaningful when it did.
"He..." Prussia swallowed, breaking off before trying again. "He's dead..."
Hungary eyed him for a moment, feeling her heart sink. She didn't really have to ask who had died; there was only one person she could think of, whose death would affect him this badly.
"Your king..." she murmured, more a statement than a question, really. The response she got was a slight nod of his head, and a pained expression in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Gilbert..." and she truly was sorry. She knew how much that man meant to Prussia, both as a nation and as a human.
"The formal ceremony was held today..." he whispered, and she could only imagine how that must have been. Prussia was a proud man, and it was in all ways expected that he would keep his composure as a nation, even when things like this happened. It was always expected of nations to be the calm and collected ones, even if very few knew exactly what they were. Those who did know what they were, tended to forget that their hearts were very much human, and that they could also fall victim to emotions, just like anyone else.
"Must have been painful," she said quietly, and he turned, meeting her eyes for a moment. His eyes had always been rather expressive, at least to her. It might be a result of knowing him for years, and having gone through a lot with him, she couldn't be certain. It wasn't really important either.
All that mattered was that she could see the emotions in his eyes now, and they made her heart ache. Moving closer, she put an arm around his shoulders, holding him closer to herself.
"It's all right, you know... It's all right to be sad." She gave him a meaningful look, for once not caring about rivalry or pretences. At the moment, what Prussia – no, what Gilbert needed, was someone who wouldn't laugh at him or take advantage of his moment of weakness. She could be that person, and he knew that.
Leaning slightly into her, desperate for some kind of warmth, he let his mask fall. Before long, tears were falling freely, rolling down his cheeks along with droplets of rain. His sobs were partially drowned out by the river, and the wind whispering in the tree tops, but they still cut into Hungary's very soul.
The one-armed embrace turned into a full-fledged one, as he sobbed harder, and clung to her almost desperately. Hungary held him close, and let him cry into her shoulder, not saying anything, simply stroking his back comfortingly. She wasn't too good with these touchy-feely situations, but she didn't need to be. Not with him.
How long they sat there, Hungary didn't know, but eventually both the rain and Prussia's tears drifted to a stop. He sat up eventually, looking calmer now than he had before. Even though the sorrow still lingered in his eyes, it wasn't nearly as overwhelming as before.
Their eyes met for a moment, before he blushed slightly and glanced out on the river again.
"I got your clothes wet..." he muttered, with a tiny ghost of a smile, as he glanced at her again. She raised an eyebrow, a smile playing at her lips as well at his attempt at humour, even in his current state. She looked very much like a drowned cat, she knew, and he wasn't in a much better state.
That was all that was needed to break the heavy, awkward atmosphere, and both of them chuckled lightly, still sitting close to each other and enjoying each others' presence.
Both knew that they had to part soon, to go back to their own business and duties, and both also knew that the next time they met, they would be back to their usual jokes and rivalry, and their usual bickering and fighting.
Even so, when all came down to it, they knew that when life got rough, they had each other's support. Not as nations, not as enemies, not even as rivals... but as two human beings that shared a bond of mutual respect and close friendship, despite it all.
oOo
I really believe this might be the way they would both react in a situation like this, so don't start bitching about how they are OOC. I know they are, but the situation called for it~ ^^
I hope you enjoyed it, and if you could leave a comment telling me your thoughts, instead of just faving, that would really warm my heart~! Thanks!