Tea: Hello and thank you for choosing to read this fanfiction. This is obviously a PrussiaxLiechtenstein (a very under loved pairing that I urge you to give a shot for its cuteness) fanfiction, so please know what to expect, and kindly leave if you don't like it. Thank you! Please take into consideration that some chapters will be rated M (mature) for mention/description/action on mental illness, abuse of medication, kidnapping ( I don't think so but it depends on how you look at the situation), mild drinking/smoking, mild to severe violence and bloodshed/death, suggestive themes, adult/sexual themes, mild to severe language, and crime. I will specify when something is to be rated M. Please review if you read! Thank you!
-In this fanfiction, Switzerland and Liechtenstein aren't blood relatives like some of the fandom believe. He is only her adopted brother here.
-Liechtenstein's Human Name: A highly debated subject in the fandom, and many call her Lili. However Himaruya has stated on is blog that he likes the following fan-suggested names for her; Erica/Erika, Sisia, Elize, Lili and Eva with the possible surname of Vogel or Zwingli. I have chosen the human name Lili Vogel (to keep up with the fanon) for this fanfiction with the adopted surname of Zwingli (Switzerland's last name). If you want me to change the name, just comment. That's all! Thanks.
Switzerland tugged Liechtenstein along in a rush, who stumbled clumsily behind him as she tried to keep up. His stride was twice as long as her dainty step, making his urgent pace down the countryside all the harder to match.
Liechtenstein winced a bit as Switzerland dug his bony fingers into her skinny wrist, shooting a dull pain up her arm. "Big brother, that hurts." She mumbled.
Switzerland loosened his grip a bit but held firm, refusing to acknowledge her as he kept moving. Liechtenstein moved her free hand up to her clear eyes to shield them from the powerful sun, before giving a tiny sigh to herself. Switzerland's manner was unsurprisingly callous, but his personality was always intensified this way when he became late. And for such an event as this, he was always late.
"Do you think Austria will be mad at you again?" Liechtenstein piped up, nearly tripping over a little rock in the road.
Switzerland sighed intolerantly. "Don't talk like that." He snapped heatedly. He didn't need a reminder of the circumstance he was waltzing the two of them into; it only made the situation worse for him.
Liechtenstein swallowed. "I don't think he will." She reassured in a soft tone. "He's nice."
"He's not nice, Liechtenstein. I don't trust him." Switzerland responded, squinting through the sun and over the hills. Austria's house wasn't that far off, but it was still far enough.
"I think he's nice. He invites us for food."
"Don't get used to it. This is the last time I'm taking him up on his offer."
"Why?"
"Because we can buy our own food."
"But buying food costs money."
Liechtenstein gave herself a petite grin when her adopted brother hesitated. She had smacked him with a very fragile subject, and knew he would never be able to drop his stingy tendencies and waste his own money when he could be taking free nourishment from someone else.
Switzerland opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find the words to even the score. With a huff, he redirected his concentration to the winding road before him. He hated being wrong, and utterly loathed it when Liechtenstein corrected him. He was supposed to be her guardian, the one she always looked to for leadership and guidance, but recently she had become increasingly prone to pointing out his financial obsessions. He wasn't so much mad at her for catching them, but he was angry with himself for not being able to correct them like he so wished. But still, she was only half correct in his motives by visiting Austria. Sure, Switzerland wanted the free food, as Austria was an exceptional cook, and had a hard time refusing him when he offered. Some would accuse him of taking advantage of the country, but he didn't think of it that way. Austria was the one who always offered him a meal, so it wasn't like Switzerland was raiding his house against his will. But what Liechtenstein didn't know was that Switzerland got a bit enjoyment from talking with Austria, though he wouldn't dare admit it. Austria was lonesome, he lived in near isolation from outsiders these days, and Switzerland would do anything for male conversation. Of course, he loved his sister with all his heart, but being around a woman nearly every day with minimal time apart grated hard on his nerves. A snob like Austria wasn't much better, but he was male, a good chef, and intellectual; and that was good enough for Switzerland.
Liechtenstein was beginning to wonder if she had done wrong with the notice of Switzerland's monetary habits. She had achieved her goal in rendering him wordless, but now he wasn't responding to anything at all. The rapidity of his walk had slowed to a stiff meander as he reflected on what seemed to be an awfully concentrated thought, and his face appeared distant as he mumbled a few words to himself now and again. Liechtenstein sighed to herself once more. It was to be a wearisome afternoon, as usual.
Austria greeted the two at his door in a typical unspoken fashion, a small nod of acceptance before motioning them into his large home with a swift flick of the wrist. Liechtenstein grinned up at him in a sanguine answer. It always delighted her when Switzerland allowed them to meet up with Austria. Unlike many others, she was not put off by his almost eccentric behavior; instead she found herself intrigued by his inscrutability. He was rather quiet but made up for his silence with many engrossing gifts, and his astounding musical ability was undoubtedly Liechtenstein's favorite. And sometimes, even though it was an uncommon occurrence, Austria would allow her to take a seat next to him at his large, polished, Grand Piano while he charmingly stroked the pale ivory keys to manifest that gorgeous, melodic, symphony of sound. Each note carried its own short life, breathing the will to play through Austria before fading out in a tiny waltz through the air. Liechtenstein very much wished Austria would tutor her on how to play…But for a reason unknown, he always civilly refused.
Austria closed the door softly behind the two. "You're late."
Liechtenstein felt her brother's grip tighten again at the comment. He took a deep breath then turned. "My local bank was having trouble with the new machine." He mumbled.
"I warned you that those electronic machines were a pointless expense to fund." Austria snorted. "The threat of electronic error is much worse than that of human error. I don't know why you wanted to do away with running the system by hand."
Switzerland gave a stoic blink and looked to the side in annoyance. "Efficiency's stake called for it; and you're not doing much better so you can't complain."
Austria shrugged unconscientiously. "Point taken. Neither of us are." He stated simply before turning to Liechtenstein and smiling slightly. "Hello, Liechtenstein."
Liechtenstein smiled back and pulled away from Switzerland. "Hallo, Mr. Roderich."
Switzerland placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head slightly in dissatisfaction when she looked up at him, confused. "Liechtenstein, it's rude not to use a country's political name. You should apologize."
With a raise of the eyebrow, Liechtenstein turned back to Austria, who was equally at a loss by the scornful gaze of Switzerland. "I'm sorry." She mumbled.
Austria held up a hand. "Don't worry," he reassured, "We're all acquaintances. It's only natural for us to be on a first name basis by now…Vash." He added contemptuously.
Switzerland narrowed his eyes in retort, but stopped himself from erupting. It would be unprofessional to do such a vile thing in someone else's home. A thunderous crash sounded from down the hall, causing the three to jump in shock. Numerous livid shouts echoed through the corridor followed by a flood of nasty words. They sounded like a form of German, but Switzerland could hardly pick out the words due to the thick accent of the dialect. He blinked in astonishment when a silver tea tray flew from the third door down, slamming into the opposite wall and smashing to the floor with a violent clatter. Confused, he turned back to Austria, whose back had stiffened to a rigid and uncomfortable stance.
"Do you have other guests?" He asked gradually.
Austria exhaled irritably and pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose, trying to remain composed. "Yes, and ones I regret inviting." With that he brushed past Switzerland and strode briskly down the hallway and into the third room on the left.
Switzerland followed, Liechtenstein close behind him. She winced when she heard Austria yelling stridently in his livid nasally tone, scolding whoever had thrown the tray with increasing vigor and ferocity by the second. Liechtenstein stooped down and delicately retrieved the object from the floor, admiring the beautiful polishing of the mirror-like material before turning to face the doorway. The room inside was striking but full of organized clutter; a sophisticated cherry-wood table topped with an unsullied linen cloth and many over-elaborate pastry cakes of varying flavors and designs. A large, dark framed photo of Heinz Fischer, the current Austrian president, hung against the far wall of the room and an equally outsized portrait of Werner Faymann, Austria's Chancellor, hung directly beside it, both free of a single speck of dust. A colossal window overlooked Austria's freshly clipped garden and its array of bright flowers and beautiful concrete statues, allowing for the tepid afternoon sun to cascade through the glass and coat the room in a pastel shade of gold. An elderly fair-headed maid hung back in the corner, wide-eyed and jumpy, when Austria slammed his hand down hard on the table as he yelled at the three sitting directly across from him.
Liechtenstein, still clutching the tea tray in her petite fingers, peered around Switzerland who hung motionless in the doorway. A tall blonde with a serious face and an intense blue eyed stare, as equally disturbed as Austria, glared at the busty brunette who sat beside him clutching the collar of a gaunt, white haired man. It seemed the two had swept themselves up in a scrap, the woman glaring intensely at the pale fellow who covered his face with his hands in fear of being punched again.
"Austria this was a mistake!" The blonde man stood furiously and pried the woman from the other man's shirt. "Nothing good comes of these two. They can't even sit through a meal without going after one another!"
Austria pounded on the table again, causing the delicate crystal glasses before him to ring softly in displeasure of the rough disturbance. "Don't you think I can see that?! What happened to all of us? We all used to be great." He turned to the woman who groped for her foe from behind the blonde. "Hungary! Sit yourself down and leave him be!" Austria demanded.
Hungary gritted her teeth. "No, not until he apologizes!"
Austria narrowed his eyes wrathfully. "Germany, stop this madness!"
Germany, always happy to help, held Hungary at bay by the front frills of her dress with one hand before reaching down and pulling the other man's hands from his face. "Prussia, apologize now!" He barked.
Prussia plugged his ears at the strength of his brother's tone. "Geez, shut up! And all I did was point out how sexy her boobs are! It was just a damn compliment. Girls love that!"
Hungary reached out violently from behind Germany, throwing another swing but fortunately missing. "No they don't you idiot! It's creepy and immature and it shows how much of a womanizer you really are!"
"What, are you mad that they're not as big as Ukraine's?" Prussia bit with a self-conceited smirk.
Hungary snarled and shoved Germany to the side. "You little prick, I'll kill you!" She screamed.
Prussia gasped and threw his hands over his face once more, but stopped when Austria stepped nonchalantly in front of him as a shield. Hungary blinked and stopped in her tracks, fist suspended in the air as she stared blankly at her former husband. She couldn't attack Prussia if Austria was in the way; she would never be able to forgive herself is she inadvertently struck him in the process. She still cared for him, and he was going to use it to the best of his advantage.
"Move, Austria." She ordered as sensitively as she could, letting her fist drop quickly to her side.
"No."
"Please, move."
"No. You two need to sit down and get along…or at least be quiet." Austria crossed his arms in an aristocratic fashion and willed his irritation to boil down. "I invited all of you here as guests, as friends, and I expect you to behave while on my property." He sighed and ran his fingers slowly through his hair, careful not to mess it up. "I don't have many visitors anymore, and I'm assuming that the rest of you don't either. Was I wrong to think that this could ever go smoothly like I was hoping?"
Hungary blinked at the question and watched Prussia stick his tongue out in satisfaction at her crushing defeat. Finally but grudgingly, she turned away and returned to the table, sat in an empty chair, smoothed her dress across her thighs, and grabbed a cherry topped pastry before shoving the whole thing into her mouth with a frown.
Germany nodded to Austria and the rest of them took their rightful place at the table, Prussia bounding after them, happy that he had somewhat won the fight.
"Switzerland, why don't you and Liechtenstein come and sit with us?" Austria offered, as if he had forgotten the entire ordeal.
Switzerland blinked, but didn't disapprove or complain. He moved forward and positioned himself stiffly between Germany and Hungary, who continued to hurriedly stress eat to feed her metabolism. Liechtenstein reluctantly took the only available seat next to Prussia and stared down at her lap when he glanced over to examine her expression.
She had always seen him as more a pest than anything. For one, the fact that he was still possessed the healing factor of a nation without having a country to govern bothered her, even though it shouldn't have. He was supposed to have dissolved with his state, but still, he remained as if some unseen force has chosen him to live on. Prussia knew it too, and was anything but kind about the matter. He used it to his advantage by portraying himself as a god amongst men, and persuaded normal folk to give him whatever he wanted when he wanted it. Unfortunately, they were always happy to oblige. Secondly, his crude and selfish nature was nothing less than irritating. He was constantly puffing himself up and was only out for his own personal gain, which Liechtenstein found extremely un-honorable of him.
Germany turned to Switzerland, trying to break the awkward silence that hovered over the group. "I haven't seen you in a while." He began.
Switzerland didn't make eye contact. He merely nodded and reached forward, grabbing a tea cake.
"How is the manufacturing business?"
"Fine. We're up from last quarter."
"That's good. Who's your top trading partner now?"
"You." Switzerland glared up at him for his negligence. "You've been for a while."
Germany shrunk back a bit in surprise. He nodded slowly at the small talk. "Oh, still? I thought America would have topped me in the ranks by now."
Immediately, Prussia turned away and stifled a laugh. "You'd like that wouldn't you, West? Big, strong, America on your back?" He giggled.
Germany seemed perplexed. "What are you laughing at?"
"Really, you don't get it?" A look of disappointment washed over Prussia's pale face. "Damn, you head keeps getting thicker and thicker." He tapped his younger brother lightly between the eyes, and received a swift bat from the back of Germany's hand.
Austria looked up from the glass he had brought to his lips. "Language, Prussia."
Prussia leaned forward a bit, placing his palms on the table for stability. For a moment he watched Austria intently, glaring almost forebodingly at him as he remained still as a statue.
"What'd you say?" He asked in a delicate pitch.
Austria peeked up again. "I said, watch your language." He stated again. "Did you not hear me?"
In an almost instant and uncharacteristic shift in character, Prussia raised a finger and jabbed it menacingly across the table, grinding his deep stare into Austria's forehead and making him fidget in his chair. "I thought you said that. Don't fucking test me!" He growled steadily scouring each feature of Austria's soft face with the same meticulousness of a soldier examining a firearm.
Liechtenstein watched from the corner of her eye as Germany reached up and gripped Prussia's bony shoulder before leaning in and hurriedly whispering something in his ear. Prussia held firm with a tight jaw, rigid like an animal ready to pounce and cleave its prey to slim, blood-spattered, strips. Finally and with a great deal of effort, he peeled his crimson gaze away and took a deep shaky breath, hastily pushing back from the table and standing unbendingly. He turned briskly on his heel and left the room without a word, the sound of his footsteps gradually fading as his heels clicked across the wood floors.
Hungary swallowed a mouthful of sugary cake and raised an eyebrow. "What was that?" With the question, everyone focused their attention on Germany, hoping for an answer to Prussia's abnormal and bizarre behavior.
Germany held his palms up defensively, and Liechtenstein noticed that he was sweating. "Prussia has changed over the years, but everything is fine. Just leave him alone for a while and he'll be back to his normal self."
Hungary rolled her eyes. "I like him this way. As long as these mood swings keep him out of the room, I think I could get used to it. It'll keep his big mouth quiet."
Germany frowned and looked to the side. "He has gotten to be quiet lately." He paused, then straitened up. "Don't get used to it. I told you Prussia would be fine."
Switzerland snorted. "How do you put up with that every day? He's like a child."
"He is a pain, but he is still mein brother!" Germany snapped.
Austria yawned and too pushed himself up. "It's getting a bit crowded in here. Why don't we all go outside and take a walk?" He suggested, changing the subject and motioning with a hand to the picturesque garden outside. "The flowers are lovely this time of year."
The other four exchanged a few glances and mutual shrugs before wiping their mouths on the backs of their hands and following Austria's lead. Liechtenstein straitened herself up in her chair and tugged at Switzerland's sleeve when he passed by her.
"Big brother, I'm tired from walking," she lied sweetly, desperate for time to herself. "Can I stay inside and rest?"
Switzerland hesitated, but finally nodded. "That's fine. I don't want your feet to blister."
Liechtenstein gave him a large smile and hugged his arm. "Thank you." She cooed.
"Yeah, whatever." Switzerland swiftly concealed the uneasy blush that had flooded over his round cheeks. "If you need anything, I'm assuming that Prussia is going to be in the house since he can't handle the bright sunlight. Go to him if you have a problem with anything, ok?"
"I will." Liechtenstein nodded at her brother's orders and flashed another wide smile a bit too conspicuously.
Switzerland narrowed his eyes a bit at her. She was acting a bit eccentric for his taste, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was that was bothering him. Finally he turned and followed the others. Liechtenstein stared at the doorway until she heard the front door open and then close with a click. Finally she sank into her seat and sighed long and low. Putting on a proper act for her brother was exhausting now a-days. It was a constant process of covering up her now woman-like and mature personality, and replacing it with the sweet and tender personality that Switzerland had grown to love. She watched as the maid moved forward on light feet and began collecting the plates and dirty utensils from the table. She too seemed tired as she moved about sluggishly.
Liechtenstein looked up at her. "Did you have a long day too?" she asked.
The maid sighed. "You could say that." She half chuckled. "Austria is such a nice man, but he runs me into the ground sometimes."
"I know the feeling. My older brother is very proper, but has a temper sometimes." Liechtenstein explained. "And all he sees me as is his little sister, but-"
"You're getting older?" The maid asked, cutting her off as she stacked the plates. "Sweetie, I was in the same predicament several years ago. Now, I'm not a country, but my older brother had the same temperament as yours does. He meant well, but he never wanted me to grow up and live my own life." She paused and looked at her feet before returning her gaze to the short country sitting below her. "Sometimes you have to be a bit of a rebel before they see that you're ready to go off on your own."
Liechtenstein listened intently to the woman's abrupt spill of advice. Rebel? But she couldn't do that to Switzerland…He worried so much about her. She wrung her hands slowly in her lap and uncrossed her legs.
"But, Switzerland cares so much about me." She pointed out.
The maid looked at her with soft eyes. "Honey, I can tell that he loves you with all his heart just by watching him. But I also see a girl that's forced to pretend to be a child that she no longer is. You need to tell him how you feel."
Liechtenstein closed her eyes. "Do you think it will work?" She mumbled. Truth be told, she was terrified of her brother's judgment. What if he criticized her instead of giving her the tiny bit freedom she so sought? She didn't want to fully leave him, but she didn't want to be under his firm protection and isolation for the rest of her days either. It was a thorny mix of emotions that made her a bit sick to her stomach.
The maid placed chapped hand on Liechtenstein's shoulder and thought long and hard. Finally she gave the blonde girl a kindly smile. "Sure it will. He may be mad for a while, or may need some time to warm up to the idea, but if he loves you as much as I see he does, he will always be there for you and do anything to help you bring out the person you are inside."
Liechtenstein had never met a woman quite like this, and was unsure of how she went from silent in the corner to openly voicing her powerful advice like she had known Liechtenstein for her entire life. It was quite a miraculous change of personality. She was so sensitive and warm hearted, with a patient and a tolerant face.
"Thank you." Liechtenstein breathed, fighting back the fat tears that threatened to spill across her apple-like cheeks.
"Don't worry about it, sweetie." The maid gave her a small pat on the back. "Now, I know we just met but you seem like a sensible woman. If you ever get into any trouble, or need to talk to someone, you call Austria and ask for Janica, that's me, or Florian, the kind old man who's tended to the garden ever since Austria has become frail. You can always come here. That's what the other one does." She jabbed a thumb at the door. "Gilbert always calls in for Florian. Seems that he's the only one who ever wants to listen to the poor boy since he's been sick."
Liechtenstein cocked her head and wiped her eyes on the back of her hands. Gilbert? Did she mean Prussia? "Really? But Prussia is always so confident. And what do you mean by sick? Sick like he has a cold?" She pondered slowly, curiosity peeked. She was a kind soul, but even she couldn't resist the urge to give in to her womanly instinct to gossip about her peers.
Janica picked up the china and balanced it skillfully in her palm. "I'm not sure about the sickness. He's been laid up a while is all that I've heard from Florian. He won't tell me nothin' else." She paused and shifted topics. "I'm not going to lie, Gilbert's a downright devil on the outside, but if you poke around him long enough he opens up a little; he's actually a fairly decent boy...It seems that he's been having some problems with his health, again I'm not sure what it is, but I've noticed that whatever it is has started eating away at him a great deal. At least from what I can tell. I hear Florian on the phone with him for hours sometimes while he works on the flowers, and Gilbert is just talking away. Hell, he'd talk you to death if you'd let him."
That much, Liechtenstein could accept as true. Prussia was unquestionably a talker when there was another person in the room, but not many people listened to his excited rants much anymore. They had heard everything he had said over the years and, frankly, all of it had gotten to be old news. The stories of past invasions coupled with how good a leader his friend Old Fritz* had become before death had gotten to be a complete bore.
Janica continued. "He talks to me when he visits Austria in person about once a year to discuss their political spats. He's sort of a messenger for his younger brother, sending all of that political mumbo jumbo back and forth, here and there." She pushed a stray white hair behind her ear with a free hand. "He's such a sweet boy when he wants to be, but damn he is a talker." She said again. "He has the busiest mind I've ever known in my years around you countries, besides his baby brother, those Italy boys, and that sweetheart Spain, bless their hearts. One subject to another, one to another, constantly. But put that mind to work, and that boy is sharp." She gave a matter-of-fact nod.
Liechtenstein raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Sharp?" She willed the old gal to keep on.
Janica blinked, as if surprised by the question. "Yes, well, he's smart with mechanical things at least, but not in a sense of what's right or wrong. He finds the most efficient ways to solve any problem if by machine." She set the plates down and sat in the nearest chair facing Liechtenstein directly. "About 20 years ago when I first came to Austria from America to marry my husband, I had just started work here in the political house as a maid, my car had broken down on the countryside when Gilbert was coming to visit Austria for a political debate happening in Vienna. Now that boy only had a screwdriver and a ratchet, and to this day I don't know how he fixed my car, but he did it in less than an hour."
"Well, he did teach Mr. Germany about engineering." Liechtenstein pointed out.
Janica got up and took the plates once again. "I wouldn't be surprised. Those German engineers are the damn best in Europe. Well, I'd better be off now; I've got to wash the eatery before Austria comes back in and gripes me all the way to kingdom come. Remember, if you need anything at all ask Austria for Janica or Florian, and we'll always be there for you."
Liechtenstein stood too and hugged Janica strongly around the waist. "I will. Thank you very much."
Janica moved towards the door and exited. "Good luck with your brother!" She called from down the hallway.
Liechtenstein gave a tiny giggle to herself, but frowned when the room fell silent once more. A lone bird sang out a melancholy tune from the garden, signaling to its brethren of the many countries approaching its nest from the garden trail. The beautiful golden hair of her brother caught her eye, and she noticed that he had trailed back behind Austria and Hungary, who had taken up a lively conversation of their own, to talk business with Germany. Liechtenstein giggled to herself once more. The strict look upon Switzerland's face didn't match his petite figure. Germany was a good foot taller than he and his stride nearly twice as long, but still, Switzerland seemed to be ordering him around in a commanding way as though he presided with unlimited influence over the other country. Germany appeared fascinated with Switzerland's body size as well, every so often scanning his height from head to toe as he continued on his long, business rant.
The sound of footsteps far down the hallway alerted Liechtenstein. She blinked and turned in her chair, looking over her shoulder at the empty doorway, then back at the table. Was Janica coming back because she forgot something? There wasn't anything left on the table but the linen cloth and a…book? Liechtenstein cocked her head and leaned forward a bit over the table, examining the small spiral journal. Seems she had neglected to notice it before. It resembled an artist's book and the paper appeared heavy, ideal for drawing and inking. She reached out and snatched it from the table, turning the cool cover over in her hands a few times. Liechtenstein hadn't remembered Janica ever setting a book down. She shrugged and stood; might as well be kind and take it to her.
Before Liechtenstein could take two steps she spun around and slammed right into whoever had been standing, quiet as a mouse, behind her. She yelped in surprise and stumbled backwards, landing hard on her backside with a small squeak and dropping the little book. The cover burst open and dozens of papers flew out, scattering themselves across the floor in a shambolic fashion. Still in a daze, Liechtenstein blinked and stared at the mess she had made, before looking up at the mystery person. Prussia down at her from where he stood, a half-irritated but equally bemused frown pasted across his face. Liechtenstein cringed and shrunk back against the floor when he leaned forward to examine her. He seemed inquisitive in her ways, with an almost child-like curiosity about the way she winced under his gaze and pressed herself to the wood of the floor.
"Why are you still inside?" He asked simply. "You didn't go out with your prick brother?"
Liechtenstein blinked and swallowed. She swiftly pushed herself to her knees and began collecting the papers from the flooring, stuffing them back under the cover of the mystery book, while she over thought the simple question. "U-Um…" She struggled to find an answer, sifting through the array of cluttered thoughts reverberating in her skull as she intentionally avoided Prussia's unnerving eye color.
Prussia laughed at her nervousness, but his enjoyment in the situation quickly faded when he noticed the small journal she had been holding. "Hey!" He snapped, flying down to the floor and snatching the book from Liechtenstein's hands. "Where the hell did you get this? This is very important and has a lot of top secret stuff in it!"
Liechtenstein frowned. The book was Prussia's? She would have never expected him to carry such an unimportant and undecorated object around with him.
"I-I'm sorry." She mumbled, still clutching a few papers. She watched Prussia scramble around in a hurry, scooping up each sheet as quickly as he could, before examining the papers in her hands. Upon thorough investigation of them, Liechtenstein's eyes widened in disbelief.
Upon each paper was a lightly etched drawing of a bird, each varying in species. The drawings were done in pencil with minimal ink accents, each feather meticulously sculpted with the utmost precision and care, leaving them with gorgeous, authentic features. The sheer artistry of the beautiful portraits astounded her; how could anyone have captured an animal in such a pristine and magnificent way?
Liechtenstein cocked her head in awe as she closely scrutinized each of the animal's portraits. "Wow…" she breathed in fascination, holding the pages up to the light of the window to better perceive each detail.
Immediately Prussia grabbed the drawings from her hands and glared at her a moment. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked. "This is my stuff!"
Ignoring Prussia's irritated poutiness, Liechtenstein crawled forward and took the papers back to finish looking through them. "Did you draw these?" She asked, finally making eye contact.
Prussia raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because they're cute." Much to her own surprise, Liechtenstein smiled warmly up at him.
Prussia grinned, letting his irritation flood away at the chance to feed his massive ego. "Of course I drew them." He replied proudly. "But I wouldn't call them cute; my unique drawing style is made of sheer awesome."
Liechtenstein blinked. "They're all birds though-"
Prussia cut her off. "So? I like birds!"
"I wasn't going to say that was bad. I only wanted to ask if you can draw other cute things too."
"Geez, they're not cute! They're badass. And of course I can, who do you think I am?"
Prussia pushed himself up from the floor and went to leave, but Liechtenstein got up and quickly followed, scurrying after him and falling in step at his side.
"My brother can draw cute things." She pointed out, following the white-haired man down through the hallway as he picked up his pace, trying to leave her behind.
Prussia shrugged. "So?"
Liechtenstein looked down at her feet as she walked. "I've always wanted to know how to draw. I ask Switzerland to teach me but he's so busy." She thought a moment, contemplating on the slightly disturbing thought that had worked its way into her head. Was she really about to ask such a strange question? Liechtenstein took a deep breath and nodded to herself. "Since you're not a country anymore, you're not busy…right?"
Prussia watched her carefully and shrugged again. "I help West with his work." He gave a nonchalant sigh. "It's pretty tough stuff. I have to sort political papers, go to debates, all of that. It's alright to be intimidated; I am a diplomat, after all." He stretched, trying to make his job sound more impressive than it actually was.
Liechtenstein nodded slowly, a bit disappointed. "Oh. If you weren't so busy, I was going to ask you something." She peeked up at him from behind her golden bangs, hoping that her tender voice and expressive eyes would peak his curiosity and will him to abide by her request once she asked.
Prussia abruptly stopped. "Ask for what?" He prodded, trying to mask his excitement. Someone had finally taken a bit of interest in him, and he wasn't about to let it slip away. He would do anything to pull himself out of his current state of near seclusion, even if it was to receive attention from a small country like Liechtenstein.
Liechtenstein wrung her hands nervously. "Since my big brother doesn't have time to teach me how to draw, um..." She paused. "Would you?" Her voice was barely audible as she spoke in a shaky tone. She had never really verbalized much with Prussia, so she was unsure of how she was supposed to address him or even act while around him.
Immediately, Prussia had the intense impulse to jump to an eager conclusion and agree. However, he had hidden his loneliness for years, and had become a master of keeping it from the view of others. He had to play off of an offer to enjoy potential human interaction as coolly as possible to preserve his secret. Prussia couldn't just let himself look like some lonesome recluse, or an old hermit who never left the safety of his bedroom. He smiled deviously to himself. Perhaps he could make Liechtenstein work a bit for his answer; it could be fun.
"I don't know," He replied casually. "I'm really busy." He crossed his arms and glanced nonchalantly over at Liechtenstein who had worked herself up in a small fluster, terrified that her opportunity had passed her by.
"Please?" She begged softly. "Big brother can't teach me and the only others I know who can draw are Italy and his brother, but they talk too fast and I can't understand them." She tugged a bit at his sleeve. "Won't you teach me?"
Prussia turned away, trying with every fiber of his body to stifle the smile that threatened to appear on his face. It had been awhile since anyone had begged him for anything...Years for that matter. "Well, I could try to find some time." He replied finally.
Liechtenstein never thought she would be happy to spend time with Prussia as she jumped a bit and grinned. "Thank you! I'm so happy." She giggled giddily.
Prussia held up a hand. "If," he began, "You do something for me." He wasn't done toying with her yet.
Liechtenstein could literally feel her enthusiasm leak away from her body like a slow, viscous waterfall. She knew there would be a catch, but had been so preoccupied with winning Prussia over that she had forgotten to raise her guard to his devilish tricks. Her shoulders slumped and she looked to the side, afraid of what was to come.
"What do you want?"
"What do you have?"
"Um…I could let you stay in my country for vacation free."
"Boring. What else? Any money?"
"Not really…I could ask my brother to give you some free military supplies, maybe."
Prussia gave an over-exaggerated sigh. "B-oring!" He cried again. "All of that is so last century. I need something that I can actually use today, right now. Is a war going to break out tomorrow? Hell no! So why would I need more military supplies? West'll take them from me and keep them anyway for his collection." He thought a moment, then snapped, thrilled that he had figured out what he wanted. "I want chocolate. A lot of chocolate!"
Liechtenstein blinked in disbelief at the incongruous request. "C-chocolate? I can go buy you some chocolate." She suggested, trying to figure where his thought process was moving with the proclamation.
Prussia shook his head in dissatisfaction. "Nein, I want you to make it." He pointed at her in a matter-of-fact way. "I've always wanted someone to make chocolate for me."
Liechtenstein had never felt more confused. What brought him to the conclusion that she knew how to make chocolate of all things? Discomfited, she stiffened. "But I can't make chocolate." She had never known how, and it sounded hard to figure out.
Prussia scrunched up his face and threw his hands on his hips. "Really? Go ask your stupid brother how to make it. Swiss chocolate is supposed to be really good, and I know that you live close to him, so you can't back out." His argument had quite a bit of validity to it, and he knew that Liechtenstein couldn't weasel away from his demands now.
Man, Prussia was persistent. All he had to do was go to a local store and pick up some imported Swiss chocolate himself; it wasn't exactly exclusive to just Switzerland…But still, Liechtenstein felt that it would be pointless to argue with a master of the art. Either way, Switzerland was very busy, so it would be tough to get him to agree to such a time consuming task and leave his work just to help her with it.
"Well?" Prussia asked, tapping her on the shoulder to bring her back to reality.
Liechtenstein tightened the bow in her hair and gave Prussia a small smile, weary of his obnoxious voice. "I'll ask big brother to teach me." She said finally, still trying to process how on earth her brother would find the time to instruct her on the ways of making candy.
"Yes!" Prussia flew forward and grabbed hold Liechtenstein, who squealed in discomfort when he wrapped his arms tightly around her tiny waist and spun the two of them around. He buried his face in the nape of her neck as he shook her, causing her to flail a bit in shock. "Bring all the stuff to mein brother's house in week to make it and I'll teach you to draw!"
Liechtenstein coughed when he released her to the floor, rubbing her sore stomach and taking a gulp of air to restore her lungs. She nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but jumped in surprise when the front door of Austria's house flew open, hitting the wall behind it.
Germany poked his head through the doorway. "Prussia, we're leaving. Hurry up." He commanded promptly, motioning his brother to follow.
Prussia didn't seem pleased. He groaned and threw his hands before him in a huff. "Give me a minute!" He turned back to Liechtenstein and flashed her a wide toothy grin. "Don't forget." He warned.
Liechtenstein crossed her arms behind her back, rocking a few times on the balls of her feet. "I-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Prussia had turned and bounced off to where his cross younger brother stood, flying through the front door and out into the vivid sunlight of the afternoon and through the tall ornamental grass of Austria's front lawn. She heard Germany scold him for not being more careful in the light and grass, since he burned so easily and had allergies, and blinked when Prussia retorted with a self conceited laugh and several nasty words.
Liechtenstein gave herself a petite smile when the door finally closed with a soft thump. "I won't forget. Promise."
*Old Fritz: The nickname for Frederick II, "Frederick the Great", King of Prussia. He was praised for his many victories and well thought out military tactics.
Tea: Hope you enjoyed. There aren't many supporters of the PruLiech ship, which is very sad, because everyone thinks it's a crack pairing. While it technically is in the show and Manga, the Prussian public and people of Liechtenstein did interact a bit during the Austro-Prussian war, when Prussia accused Liechtenstein of something that I can't remember. Anyway, I'm not really one to support a pairing just because it has historical meaning, I was just using that as an example of how PruLiech isn't total crack. Hope you enjoyed and please review if you read! Thanks!
-Love the ship? Add NoTeaForYou to your favorite/following authors list, because there is more to come! (It's fine if you don't want to, just a suggestion!)