His eye was stinging from the blow it had received and something inside Prussia snapped. A blow intended for the other much larger nation in front of him was quickly dodged and instead of hitting Russia, accidentally hit a window. The glass smashed, the light hitting the glass shards in an almost beautiful way. The blood dripping from Prussia's hand and onto the floor was oddly beautiful in it's own strange way as well, starkly contrasting his pale skin. The room was nearly silent for a while, nothing but two ragged breaths breaking that. Meanwhile Prussia stared at his hand, seemingly distracted from the fight and from Russia himself. Nothing happened, the blood continued to drip, drip, drip right onto the carpet and droplets of it slowly snaked down his arm. Russia too looked on, noticing the other man's face slowly falling. A quiet despair, he knew it well and he himself had almost forgotten a small but quite important fact, Prussia could no longer heal. Russia sighed, worry reluctantly gnawing at his insides. Well, at least it wasn't his fault, he had done nothing this time. Prussia had behaved rashly hadn't he? He had been awful. He had always been foolish and so this was his fault, not Russia's. He left.
As Russia silently went off to who knows where Prussia seemingly paid no attention, but in reality was more than aware of him going off. A part of him wanted to call after him, to ask for help, for comfort. However Prussia had always been proud, always been stubborn, always been a solider, so he did nothing but continue to stare at his hand. Stare at the drip, drip, drip of blood. A groan of both pain and self disgust left him. "Shit, it's that bastard's fault…." Though a part of him couldn't help the sneaking admiration at being so skilled in dodging such a sudden blow. A biting sting then brought him back to his current predicament, his hand. Russia was still no where to be found, something that despite his anger pained him. Prussia let out a sigh, rubbed his forehead, and went off to find some bandages, alone if need be. He didn't make it too far before spying the larger nation silently making his way towards him, and as he got closer he saw that Russia was holding something, a first aid kit. Despite everything Prussia couldn't help the tiny little smile that curled up unbidden on his lip and the warm feeling in his chest.
He was foolish, but he had always been, and now even more so that his condition was so delicate. Russia remembered the day he had found out, the fear and shock and sadness. By now he had accepted the fact that there was a decent chance Prussia would not be around as long as he thought he would be. Wasn't that just like life? Misery would continue to follow him and those he associated with. Sometimes he wondered blearily, despite his recent and reluctant faith, if God Himself had cursed both of them. In any case clearly Prussia should of been more careful, should of not tried to hit him right then and there, should of not caused the entire conflict in the first place. If he had gotten angry enough to do so, well that was Prussia's fault then wasn't it? Not his. However he would take care of him, help him out though both this and the fate that had been put upon the other man's shoulders and upon his own as well. Russia pondered these things as he made his way back, hopefully Prussia would still be there. You could never tell what exactly he might do sometimes. As he looked in the room Russia saw that he was, in fact still there, and as he entered Russia could of sworn that he saw the smallest of smiles upon his face. Ah, so he was not so angry after all. Either that or his relationship with him had made Prussia rather pliable to any affection and attention received. Russia couldn't help but feel smug at that, at knowing the strong black eagle of the north could bend to his will if he played his cards right, and play them right he would. These emotions and thoughts he hid well however, for his own face was marked by a look of quiet and simple concern. "Come here." He muttered, and said nothing else. Prussia might not be as angry as he seemed but his own anger was still burning, dim yet constant within him.
Meanwhile Prussia hesitated at the command. Of course it made perfect sense to go to Russia, he was bleeding badly and needed care, and he had clearly cared enough to get him help and not leave him to fend for himself. However again, stubborn pride and residual anger made him contemplate refusing. However if that happened, he could almost picture Russia dragging him and forcing him to shut up and sit down in order to treat his wound. Normally Prussia would be more than eager for these little games, but now he wasn't in the mood, so better sense won in the end. He sighed, "Alright, I'm coming. You know, you could of said where you were gonna go. I almost thought you ditched me. I guess you can't stay pissed at someone as cool as me for long! Now you can tend to me like the king I am, and who knows in my mercy maybe I won't be so pissed at you. I..I'm still pissed by the way, don't forget!"
"Of course." Russia said indulgently, though there might of been a hint of condescension in his tone. Ah yes, no matter what, even at his most irritating Prussia was still somehow endearing, Russia thought as he carefully began to take the glass out of Prussia's wounds and clean and disinfect his hand. "Though perhaps I should be the one more angry at your indiscretion. You do realize….Ptistka-" He added after a pause, "-that you were quite bad. If you hadn't of gotten so upset then none of this would of ever happened, and if you hadn't told him our secret then I wouldn't of gotten upset. I would punish you once more, but perhaps you've been punished enough by your own actions and foolishness." In more ways than one, he almost thought involuntarily. Gilbert winced as his wounds were cleaned, but made no sounds of pain. If anything he only looked mildly annoyed and just gave Russia a big and almost childish pout. "Lame, you're no fun. You're the one who pissed me off too don't forget that, you jerk, and you still hit my face even though…you know. I guess I don't mind too much, I mean I love a good fight! Still….what if I wanna be punished?" The pout turned onto a leering and mischievous grin and he gave a wink, partly because it was just the sort of thing Prussia liked to do, and partly because he wanted to get rid of the tension. However Russia only blinked. Prussia had always been an odd thing hadn't he? Still, it made things interesting. It was a thing he needed in his weary life, even if work sometimes prevented them from seeing one another much. Russia's lips quirked up, looking slightly mischievous himself. "But is it truly punishment if one wants it, Ptiska? I think not. " Russia was slightly annoyed that his anger was fading and was being replaced by amusement instead. Prussia made him weak and he didn't like it sometimes. The thought almost terrified him, but the yearning for the other man was stronger than his own fear.
Prussia's own anger was ebbing as well, or rather it almost had ebbed by now, a process that annoyed him. He certainly hoped he wasn't softening up. What if that caused Russia to lose interest in him as well? Even worrying about such a thing was unacceptable and yet here he was doing so. Sometimes Prussia wondered too if this was all just part of both a punishment and a final task from God. What a sweet sweet punishment, and a fitting one for many reasons, it was not the first time he had thought such thoughts. "What?! No way! It's still a punishment and you should do it! I totally dare you! You're even more lame and stupid too for dodging. We should of had a good fight and beaten each other up hard. You probably gave me a black eye too and I barely got in anything, how unfair. "
Russia simply made an amused noise as he gingerly dried Prussia's hand, then he looked up. Prussia was right, there was a rather ugly looking black eye forming. "Does that mean you enjoyed the first punishment you received? I wonder too, what Germaniya will say. What will you tell him?" There was a pause as he took out the gauze and bandages. "Does he know about your condition?" At that Prussia suddenly looked a little nervous. "Um…no? I'll just tell him you did it anyway! Or that I…um..hit the door? And you hit my hot face, hit somewhere else next time. At least the eye's gonna look badass." Prussia honestly didn't know which he would do, it was probably a bad time to tell him that they were involved as well. He could already picture Germany worrying about him, scolding him, and questioning his life choices as per usual. Russia sighed and rubbed his temples, then started to gently yet firmly bandage Prussia's hand. Of course Prussia would suggest such things. "Does he even know that…that you and I-" Try as he might Russia just didn't know how to say it. Not only was it embarrassing but a slight paranoia was nagging him, as if if he admitted their relationship his boss would find out that very second. He was not supposed to be doing this, not at all. Sometimes he had no idea what he was doing actually. Then Prussia piped in,"That we hooked up?" Oh and Prussia was just so shameful and casual about it, it was almost amazing.
Russia nodded slowly and then Prussia laughed nervously. "Not…really? I mean he knows I've been hanging around you more lately but I think he figures that the usual…uh..Ostalgie thing. It was never that! I just liked to annoy the shit out of you." It had been both and perhaps more than that. In any case Prussia, though he had bouts of it, didn't like to admit that he was subject to those ostaglic attacks. It felt almost shameful, like he shouldn't be feeling that way, yet he did at times. "…Like I said West doesn't even know about what's wrong with me either…and before you say anything I just…I dunno, I just don't want him to worry. He has enough shit to deal with." Ideally he didn't want Germany to know until it was too late and he was gone, but he couldn't exactly control that. He would just hope for the best. Prussia simply wanted no pity, no worry, as he had said. He was strong, he had always been and always would be and he would be alright on his own. Getting involved with Russia meant he had to know, it was only the responsible thing to do. Worrying his brother on the other hand was not. "Who else knows? Not about our involvement, since I already know Amerika knows as you just told him." Russia said bitterly, tying up the bandages a little to tightly and harshly as he spoke. "Ow! It was a slip of the tongue ok? You already hit me for that didn't you? Geez, and I'm guessing about the healing…shit, just you and one other person." Russia finally finished the bandaging and gave the back of Prussia's hand a kiss, looking into his eyes as he did so. "Who?" Though he seemed perfectly calm Russia couldn't help the feeling of jealousy and possessiveness bubbling inside his chest. He wanted to know who else was so important that Prussia felt it necessary to tell them.
The kiss had made Prussia turn bright red and had flustered him terribly. How dare Russia be so romantic, he should be arrested, what an awful man. It was terrible and wonderful at how gentlemen-like such a gesture was, he would never get over it. However Prussia knew the question afterwards, though short and simple carried much weight. He also knew he had to answer, there was no getting out of this one. "Oh….Erzi. Before you get annoyed or whatever just remember this. Remember that time I had my blog and everyone thought England killed me with his shittastic food? Yeah I know you were there, I saw you commenting ok? Anyway when she thought I was dead she like freaked out. So I figure I owed it to her to tell her before anything happens. I told you first though!" Russia couldn't help but be mildly annoyed, however he just sighed and gave Prussa's injured hand a firm squeeze. "Very well." Prussia winced and scowled, then he stuck his tongue out at the other. "Wow, rude. I bet you're jealous and wait till my hand gets better. I'll get back at you and beat you up."
Truthfully Russia was jealous. If he could keep an eye on Prussia at all times he would of after all, but he didn't want to admit it aloud. Instead he simply cleaned up the supplies, and said with a slightly playful and teasing tone in his voice, "I shall hold you to that then, but I wonder if you could truly do so." Prussia just smirked, with a face that was simultaneously both adorable and irritating."You bet I could, I bet I could beat up the whole world I'm just that good." Again Russia was amused, and by now in contrast to his previous anger he was in good spirits, as was Prussia himself. So much so that now that he was done, he got up and then suddenly picked Prussia up, holding him in a bridal carry as he began to walk out of the room again. The mess could be cleaned up later. The gesture had taken Prussia by surprise though and had made him red and flustered once more. The glass on the floor was still a nagging thought in his mind so he too made a mental note to come back and clean it up before quickly giving Russia another pout. Russia simply thought it endearing. "Now what are you doing?" Prussia said, with a face still slightly red. A small smile then graced Russia's face."You're injured? Are you not? So I'm simply helping you get to somewhere more comfortable, that's all. Or would you rather me leave you here?"
Prussia's mind quickly went to the gutter and his heart beat like a drum for an instance, but he quickly regained his head and figured that it didn't have to mean that. He would just have to wait and see, it probably didn't in any case. If anything he'd simply wind up on the couch and maybe Russia would make them both tea. "Is that a threat Vanya? But um..uh..I guess this is alright. This just shows I'm a great lord who must be pampered. I knew you'd see how cool I am eventually!" Russia simply snorted and continued to carry Prussia away in his arms. "If you'd like to know Ptiska…I have decided to forgive you for being such a chattering thing. Just be more careful next time or I shall have to punish you once more like I said." The threat didn't worry Prussia though, instead it was just a challenge, maybe even a fun one. He looked up at Russia, his lip curled in amusement. "I told you I might want that, I'm starting to think you either need to be more creative or you're just as interested in it happening as me. Next time I'll win." And he gave Russia a hard pinch on his cheek. For anyone else that impudence might of angered and irritated Russia, but once more Russia found it almost cute. He had such a endearing intelligent little bird, it truly was an honor to look after him. What a pity that it might not be for long, he silently mused.
Author's notes: This story is set after November of 2014 when Prussia officially stopped healing as per the Private Concert strip. Also Ostalgie refers to a nostalgia for certain aspects of life under the GDR which some former residents have experienced.