I'm gonna make this quick because I hate long ANs before the story~!
I have a long AN at the bottom of the story. If anything doesn't make sense here, you should be able to find an explanation for it there :D Thanks so much for reading and I hope you like this story ^^
"Australia?"
The voice had come from somewhere behind him, but it took Australia several seconds to realise this. Startled, his eyes sprang open and he sat bolt upright.
A massive grin spread across his face the second he recognised the speaker, standing several metres away and peering at him from around the doorway. He laughed. "Ah, my favourite Kiwi! It's just you; you had me thinking it was somebody important. You shouldn't worry me like that."
New Zealand scowled, stepping through the doorway. "Can we not argue today?"
Australia lifted an eyebrow. "But you're so much fun to laugh at!"
Still scowling, New Zealand shoved a white plastic box into Australia's hands. "I made you biscuits."
For at least a minute, Australia just stared at the box with an utterly dumbfounded expression on his face. "…Why?"
New Zealand crossed his arms, waiting for the penny to drop.
Hesitantly, Australia opened the box. Several dozen golden brown biscuits sporting rolled oats stared out at him.
"It's April 25th today, isn't it?" His tone was quiet.
New Zealand nodded. "ANZAC day."
"I'm sorry, New Zealand; I didn't make you biscuits," Australia confessed, unusually solemn as the two countries sat down on the hill overlooking fields upon fields of grass and sheep, as far as the eye could see. New Zealand's home.
New Zealand just grabbed one of Australia's and took a bite, leaving the box in between them. "This isn't just about biscuits, you know." He smiled slyly. "Besides, I had a feeling you'd forget what today was so I made enough for two."
Australia gave him a gentle shove, bowling the smaller nation onto his side. "I didn't forget what today was, you dumb Kiwi! You know me; I lose track of my days. I…I didn't realise ANZAC day was so soon."
"Yeah, right." New Zealand sat up again.
They lapsed into silence. Biting his lip uncomfortably, Australia helped himself to one of the ANZAC biscuits. "These are crap; who taught you to cook?"
"You did! Stupid Aussie."
"If I did then you clearly weren't paying attention!"
"With you around, it's hardly surprising!"
Any onlooker would have sworn they saw lightning bolts zapping between the two countries. Scoffing, Australia turned away, wishing he hadn't accompanied New Zealand here after all. He'd already had enough of sheep.
There was an awkward pause, before Australia finally heard New Zealand speak softly. "You really think they were crap?"
Australia laughed shakily. "No, of course not; I just said that 'cuz I'm used to insulting absolutely anything even remotely related to you. It's an Australian recipe, so of course it's nice. Like Pavlova."
New Zealand was instantly on the defensive. "Pavlova came from New Zealand, you idiot! Everyone knows that!"
Australia chuckled. "Pevlova came from New Zealand, you ediet!" he mimicked. "Iveryone knows thet!"
New Zealand grinned triumphantly. "He finally admits it."
Australia realised what he had done a second too late. "What? N- no – I was just making fun of your accent!" he insisted, internally shooting himself in the head for being so careless as to repeat New Zealand's words so...precisely.
The smug look didn't fade from New Zealand's face. "Yeah, right."
"Year, right."
New Zealand simply rolled his eyes. "You sound just as stupid to me as I do to you, you know; the difference is that I'm smart enough to differentiate and mature enough to not mention it every four seconds."
"Siconds," Australia couldn't help saying. "Well, that's fair enough." He took another bite of his biscuit. "I'm glad you didn't put mint in these."
New Zealand frowned, his expression one of confusion.
Australia tormented him for another few seconds. "Ment?"
It clicked. "Ah, mint," he repeated, his accent as heavy as ever. He glared at Australia. "That proves nothing."
"'Course not." Australia gave him an affectionate poke on the arm.
New Zealand rested his chin on one hand, staring out at the tranqility of the hills before him. "We sure do fight a lot."
"You're right," Australia agreed, hugging his legs and resting his chin on his knees. "That's just what we do."
"We're like a pair of brothers." New Zealand sighed.
"We stick up for each other and we watch each other's backs in times of need, but the rest of the time…"
"Yeah." New Zealand laughed.
"Year."
Suddenly irritant again, New Zealand gave Australia a shove, almost knocking him over. "I thought you said we weren't going to fight today."
After contemplating the best retort for several seconds, Australia just sighed. "I didn't, but okay."
New Zealand blinked, as though he hadn't expected the other nation to give in so easily. He chewed his lip for a moment before lapsing into silence.
"It's been ninety-seven years now…hasn't it?" Australia asked quietly, not taking his eyes off the horizon. "Are we really that old?"
New Zealand didn't answer at first. He was staring at the horizon too. "Time flies."
Australia chewed his lip thoughtfully. New Zealand twiddled his thumbs.
"Gallipoli." Australia had meant the word as a conversation starter, but it hung in the air like bad news. He cast a hesitant look at New Zealand, catching his eye. They both looked away immediately.
"You know...today feels like..."
"...Not like it used to," New Zealand finished. One of hi hands started absentmindedly fiddling with the grass upon which they were sitting.
Australia sighed. "I know what you mean..." He paused for a moment, considering his words. "It's not that...the people who celebrate today don't care about what happened back then, because I know they really do. It's just...no matter how hard they try, they weren't there; all the stories they've heard are just stories. They have nothing to remember."
"I remember," New Zealand said stiffly, staring at the grass in front of him.
"Me too." Australia lifted his hand instinctively, then hesitated, realising what he was doing. It remained frozen in place mid-air for a second, before gingerly extending towards New Zealand's. After an awkward pause, his hand settled on the smaller country's. Neither of them moved and it was a moment before Australia finally spoke.
"France and Britain were there too..." Australia and New Zealand both laughed. "There's a pair even less likely to get on than us."
"And that's saying something."
Australia grinned, but the smile was short lived as the weight of their conversation's atmosphere pressed down on them once more. He gulped. "But it was kind of different for you and I, you know?...It was our first...big battle, I guess you'd say."
New Zealand nodded, uttering a long sigh. "It's...not something I'm going to forget in a hurry."
There was a shaky laugh. "N- no, it's not."
After a moment, Australia gave New Zealand's hand a squeeze. "But we...we were there for each other." He stared at the sky for a second. "After everything that happened that day...and all those..." His breath caught. "All those thousands of people who died...the thing I really remember from Gallipoli is knowing that you and I were watching out for each other, just like we always are."
A silent tear trickled down the side of New Zealand's face. "I know, Australia...that's what I remember the most too."
Without a second thought – or even a first – Australia wrapped his arms around the smaller country, realising as he did so that New Zealand wasn't the only one who was crying.
Australia didn't know how long they stayed there, surrounded by those fields of sheep. It could have been years and he never would have known. Letting out a sob, New Zealand clung onto Australia, crying into his chest. Trying and failing to hold himself together, it was all Australia could do to keep himself from shaking as he clung to his companion, tears rolled down from his eyes and dampening New Zealand's hair.
"God, we're a pair of sooks!" Australia said, making no attempt to keep the moisture from his voice. New Zealand laughed shakily.
It was a long time before they finally broke apart.
It was an ever longer time before either spoke. Australia sprang to his feet. New Zealand looked up.
"Y- you know...I think I'd better, ah, go..." he mumbled.
Brushing grass off himself, New Zealand stood up too. He sniffed. "I- um, yeah, I guess you should. I'm sorry for bringing you all the way out here just to cry."
Australia looked away, trying to find a sheep he could tell apart from the others. "D- don't sweat it..." He drummed his foot against the ground. "To tell you the truth...you're the only one I cry around."
New Zealand lifted an eyebrow. "Yeah, right...you're a total wuss; don't try to hide it."
Australia made a face. Then, unexpectedly, he brought the smaller country into a playful headlock. "You're such a Kiwi!" he exclaimed, ruffling up his hair.
New Zealand laughed. "Just you watch out, cuz this Kiwi can kick your butt in a game of rugby any day."
"That's adorable. God you're funny, Kiwi!"
Scowling, New Zealand attempted to wriggle free. He failed. "'Kay, whatever. Can you let me go? I kind of can't breathe."
Australia grinned. "But can't you see I'm busy tormenting you?"
Grinning slyly, New Zealand stamped on Australia's foot. Letting out a yelp, Australia sprang away clutching at it. "No! Bad Kiwi! Bad!"
New Zealand winked at him. "How about I give you safe access to the border and we'll call it even?"
Australia was already laughing again. He switched to a mock New Zealand accent. "Works for me if I can find somebody who speaks riguler Englesh and whose bist frind esn't a sheep! Seeya later, Kiwi!" He made to go, turning around.
New Zealand gave him a wave. "Sweet as, bro!"
"Kiiiwiii!" Australia chanted, already ten feet away.
New Zealand watched him go with an unusual feeling of emptiness. He sighed.
"Dumb Aussie." He shook his head.
He started making his way back to his house, scratching the head of a nearby sheep. She let out a bleat, looking up at him.
"You know...Australia is wrong about me," New Zealand told her absentmindedly. "...My best friend isn't a sheep...my best friend is...this totally obnoxious country across the Tasman who bowls underarm in cricket, and- and can't drive to save his life, and makes a nuisance of himself when he starts drinking, and speaks with his vowels the wrong way round." He sucked in a new breath of air. "And thinks sheep are stupid while at the same time is responsible for the greatest amount of wool production in the world, and...watches my back...no matter what."
New Zealand smiled. "He's my best friend."
No...I don't expect you to read this whole A/N. It's just here in case :3
ANZAC Day: Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. It is celebrated every year on the anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli in remembrance of the soldiers who fought and died there, and in every other war before and since then. Usually it involves a memorial ceremony, a minutes silence, etc. etc. It is also popular to eat ANZAC biscuits, which are especially yummy and were send to the Anzacs by their families during the war. I don't actually know how popular they are in New Zealand, but I'm just assuming they eat them there too~!
Pavlova: is a super-delicious desert that is, in a nutshell, meringue with fruit on top. Ask a Kiwi and they'll tell you it originally came from New Zealand. Ask an Aussie and they'll tell you it originally came from Australia. It's a very heated argument between the two countries ;D As an Aussie I feel inclined to support my own country's rights to Pavlova, but I'm pretty sure it did actually come from New Zealand *sigh* I'm half Kiwi, so at least I'm not a complete traitor ;D
Yeah, right: is not a sarcastic saying that became famous in New Zealand. Yeah, right.
Kiwi: is slang for 'New Zealander'. To differentiate from the bird, just look for the capital 'K' :)
New Zealand's accent: is something that all Aussies adore making fun of. Basically, even though the spelling is the same, most of the 'i's sound like 'e's and vice versa. His 'a's also sound like 'e's. 'Yeah' sounds like 'year'. (Me, I love the accent so much that I would move to New Zealand in a flash, just to be able to hear it every day. Seriously, I once got a call from a Kiwi telemarketer. Best. Four. Minutes. Of. My. LIFE.) In this story, even though I've written NZ's lines with the proper spelling, it's assumed that he is speaking with his eccint. I mean accent. As an added note, when I went to New Zealand they all thought I sounded hilarious as well.
New Zealanders in General: I love them so much I'm gonna diiiiie DX
This story didn't really go into the logistics of the Gallipoli campaign; it wasn't really meant to :/ it was more about how the two countries felt. I'm really glad I wrote this; even if it sucks, I just feel better now *sigh* I always feel really gloomy on ANZAC day, but I don't think that should be the case; people should feel more happy when it comes around because it's a day of being grateful and feeling blessed. So now that I've written this I feel like I've done a little tribute to show my gratitude to all the soldiers~ Lol :'D I'm ranting. I'll stop now :')
Anyway I really hoped you liked it :D Thank you soooo much for reading *huggles you* I WUVS YOU~!