Opening notes;
First, I do not own "Hetalia." I'm pretty sure that's clear.
Second, this is not my first fanfic, just the first I care to post here.
Third, this is not an accurate representation of actual countries, presidents or armed forces. That's why I don't use the country names much, though it's pretty obvious who everyone is.
There are no pairings in this story, and it's rated T only for minor language. That's pretty much it. Enjoy the story!
I won't lose.
It was a phrase that Alfred often found himself repeating – over and over and over – since this battle began after the Second World War.
We were friends.
Another futilely murmured sentence in the effort to understand how this could've possibly happened. One minute the two nations were celebrating their success with allies, and the next… West Berlin was starving; Korea was split in two, and an Iron Curtain had effectively done the same to Europe.
Alfred currently sat in his dark home, seated beside one of the larger windows. He stared out at the expanse of the night sky – terribly lonely and frustrated. Toris had left at the start of the Depression, and Arthur hardly visited him anymore. He hadn't seen his brothers in years, and the countries under the Monroe Doctrine were getting very agitated. What's worse was that no matter how many missiles he constructed, Russia always had more – as if the Soviets had known about the project even before his boss had.
There's no use worrying yourself now,
It was what Eisenhower would constantly tell him, but… this strange relationship he'd been building with the Eastern superpower had him up all night, and busy all day. This war, this bitter rivalry, was going nowhere – and it was Alfred's greatest wish to put a stop to it, by any means necessary.
Then movement caught the young nation's eye. Alfred looked up from his distressed thoughts, his vision taken over again by the star-speckled skyline. One tiny beckon of light was drifting overhead. At first, Alfred stared at it – quite amazed. He assumed it to be a star, and was on his feet and out the door in no time flat. Alfred looked up at the slow moving space object...
And his heart sunk.
He could feel the apprehension of his people chilling his blood as they stared up at the same sky. He didn't need his boss' call to know what exactly all of America was looking at.
"Did you see it?" Ivan asked in crude English as Alfred's administration was filled in on the USSR's successful satellite launch. Alfred his rubbed his temples with a gloved hand, trying to do his best to ignore the larger country. He had been advised to watch the sky that October day, but he hadn't really thought…
"My Sputnik-1, it was really beautiful," Ivan informed, floating over to Alfred and draping an arm over the Western country's shoulder. Normally Alfred would've reacted with gusto – starting an argument or gloating about anything he thought was worth bragging about, but he just didn't have the energy to do so this time. He let Ivan press his face close, but his innocent expression wasn't fooling anyone.
'Just pretend he's me, and I'm Arthur…' Alfred thought, a small half-smile crawling onto his face. Ivan took this differently, and pressed closer.
"I am a space power now, Amerika," Ivan cooed, cupping the blonde's face in his large hands. He smiled, but the expression was malicious. "I'm unbeatable – on Earth, and now in outer space too. Kak chudyesno!" The Russian laughed, growing even more mirthful as Alfred growled and wrenched himself from Ivan's grasp.
"We'll see about that," Alfred snapped, jabbing Ivan's thick coat with his finger. He glared up at the man, who was surprised to see had not been intimidated at all. Alfred's irritated frown grew into a playful smirk, and he crossed his arms – immediately putting on an air of superiority.
"Look, my Commie friend, I'll be winning the Arms Race…" the blonde said, leaning in, "and I'll definitely beat you when it comes to space travel…" his smirk grew, and he narrowed his eyes, "in fact, we're already making progress on sending our men to the moon!"
Ivan's childish grin twitched, but he kept his mask on. "The moon...?" He muttered, staring up at the ceiling as if he could see the celestial body through it. When his gaze returned to Alfred, it was filled with a cold determination. Alfred had to keep himself from cringing at the way Ivan's eyes had changed so quickly.
"I'll beat you to the moon, Alfred," Ivan said, his suddenly terrifying expression washed away by his usual merry face. "And we'll see if I don't target Washington from my new moon base."
The door they were arguing in front of clicked, and President Eisenhower stepped out. He and his guards looked from Ivan and Alfred before the Soviet bid them all good day. As Ivan walked down the corridor toward the exit, his scarf fluttering behind him, he called over his shoulder; "Osnovaneu na lunye! Demaytye yego, Amerika!"
Alfred leered after him, but quickly cut his attention to the president. "Boss…?" He questioned, one of his brows raised. He, and the American people, desperately wanted to know what their leader planned to do. The distinguished man offered Alfred a small grin and placed a firm hand on the country's shoulder.
"What do you think of the National Aeronautics and Space Act?"
Author's Note: Please leave a review~
The title of the story, "Space Race," is tentative. I'm trying to think up a better title, but...
The Russian is all transliterated, and I'm not a native speaker by any means, so I probably made a few mistakes.
1.) Как чудесно = "How wonderful/How marvelous"
2.) Основание на луне! Думайте его, Америка! = "A moon base! Imagine it, America!"