I don't own Hetalia or its charaters :/
A small, lithe figure makes its way across the debris filled streets in the early morning air. Hardly any of the houses in this area are still standing, but the charred smell of fires long extinguished still lingers like an itch that won't go away. Hungary slows her pace to the point where she's hardly taking any steps at all. The house she's looking for comes into view, a single, lonely sentinel waiting. She wonders to herself what it could be waiting for, but no answer comes to her.
The war has left most of this area in ruins, so she has to be careful with every step. She tries her best not to look at the rubble too closely. Hungary used to go looking for this kind of stuff. In her younger days, she jumped at the opportunity to fight and prove her mettle on the battlefield, but those days are long gone. Now it pains her to think of all the people who have lost everything they own to the ravages of war, and sometimes the people they love. That brings her mind back to the task at hand.
By now she's standing on the front porch of a large house. This section of the neighborhood wasn't hit as hard as the others, so there are a few other houses that still stand on this street. Hungary tentatively raises her hand to knock on the door, and then let's it drop. She starts to second guess her choice. Maybe it's too late for this. Maybe he doesn't feel the same way. But what if he does?
Hungary shakes her head, and raises her fist with new determination. It took her all night to summon enough courage to do what she has set out to do, and she's not the type to do things halfway. Even if things don't go the way she wants them to, she knows this is her last chance. Her heart clenches at the depressing thought. It would be foolish to act like things can go back to normal after so much death and destruction, especially since he's on the losing side. There's no going back now. She confidently knocks on the door three times, and waits.
Shuffling comes from within the house as someone moves to answer the door, and then it swings open. Hungary stands face to face with man clad in a blue military uniform adorned with different medals and awards. He looks at her in surprise before breaking into his usual giant smile. It almost breaks her heart to see it.
"Hey Lizzie!" The white haired man takes a step back so Hungary can get through the doorway. "Come on in. What brings you to the awesome me's house?"
She doesn't know how to respond to the question. True, the answer is simple, but she finds it next to impossible to put into words. "I came to see you," she says without giving away anything. She's not sure if she's ready for this, but there's no other choice. Time has run out. She can't afford to sit back and wait anymore.
"Well, duh," Prussia says like it's the most obvious thing in the world, which it kind of is. "Even you can't resist me, kesesesesesese." The door closes with a click.
Hungary doesn't hear his obnoxious laughing. All she can think about is what he said. 'Even you can't resist me.' How true his words are. She can't resist. That's why she's here after all. The hysteria of the war, and the war's outcome, has finally given her a reason to share her deepest feelings. Maybe he already knows. Knows what she's been too scared to admit for a long, long time.
Hungary loves Prussia.
She couldn't believe it when she first realized that's how she felt. She tried to deny it over and over, but it was no use. Most of her fondest childhood memories of contain the albino. He used to be kind of a bully, but she quickly learned that he has a sweet side too. She can even pinpoint exactly when it was that she started loving him. It was on the day she decided to start dressing like a girl and work at Austria's house. Prussia had come by to try to convince her to go hunting with him, but she wouldn't do it. The disappointment in his red eyes was enough to break her heart. That's when she knew.
She turns slightly towards Prussia, who is still standing behind her and watching her curiously. There's no easy way to do this. All she knows is that she has to tell him now before it's too late. "Gilbert…" she starts hesitantly.
"What is it Lizzie?" Prussia looks at her with concern. It's not like her to be shy about anything.
Suddenly, Hungary turns around and hugs Prussia tightly. He stumbles back a bit in surprise. "H-hey, Elizabeta, what's going on?"
"Mm mmuphooo." Hungary mumbles into his chest.
"What?"
"Eh wuff ooo."
"Speak up, Lizzie."
"I love you, okay!"
Silence.
"Lizzie..." Prussia starts, but doesn't continue.
"I just had to tell you that. I needed you to know." Tears start to run down Hungary's face. She inwardly scolds herself. What a silly time to cry, but she can't help it.
Prussia slowly tilts her face up so he can look into her bright green eyes and gently presses his forehead to hers. "There's no need to cry," he says in a soft voice that Hungary has never heard before. Then he leans in and kisses her.
The kiss is sweet, and expresses all of the emotion Hungary has kept in for almost as long as she can remember. Prussia wraps one of his arms around Hungary's waist, and the other moves to her back. She feels his hand move through her long brown hair, and come to a rest on the back of her neck. Hungary wraps her arms around his neck in response. She tilts her head back to deepen the kiss. It begins to move away from the innocent touch of the tips it started as, and Hungary feels as if she's on fire.
Prussia pulls away slightly to give the two some air, but he's still close enough that their noses brush. "Is that why you came today?" Hungary gives a small nod. She doesn't trust her voice after that kiss. "Then I think you should know, Lizzie," he says as he moves ever so slightly closer. His lips gently brush hers as he talks. "I love you too, and I have for a long, long time."
Upon hearing that, Hungary closes the gap between the two, and they're kissing again. She runs her fingers through Prussia's messy, white hair. She has often daydreamed about this, but the real thing is much better. His lips are softer than she imagined they'd be, and the sparks they send down her spine causes her heart to race. Prussia gives her bottom lip a gentle tug, and Hungary lets out a surprised gasp. She nips his lip back in response, and Prussia grunts lightly in pleasure.
"I wish I told you sooner," she murmurs against his lips.
The white haired man pulls back slightly to look into her worried eyes. "It doesn't matter-"
"But it does!" She searches his red eyes for the words to express what she's feeling. There's never been anything like the thrill of his arms wrapped around her, or his lips dancing with hers. She would trade anything to stay here forever. "We could have been happy. Even when things were getting bad toward the end of the war, we at least would have had each other. Now all we have is this tiny moment before…" She can't make herself finish the thought, so she drops her gaze to the floor. "We could have been so happy."
"But I am happy." Hungary looks up in surprise. "I am happy," Prussia says again with a smile. "Any time with you is better than nothing." He pulls her close and kisses her gently.
This kiss is much sadder than the other two. Desperation mingles with every movement of their lips like this is the last they'll ever see of each other, which it could be. The two kiss with their hearts beating as one for a few more minutes until they hear several sharp knocks on the door. It sounds as if someone was hitting the door with something metal. The worst part for Hungary is not being interrupted in the middle of the best kiss of her life, but the awful sense of dread that swallows her entire being. They break apart, and Hungary looks at Prussia with fear.
It can't be time yet. She's only just arrived. Hungary desperately wishes she could make time stop, make all the terrible things from the last few years disappear. It can't possibly be fair that she's found the one thing that makes her happier than anything, but has to have it taken away the minute it's in her grasp.
Prussia reluctantly releases his hold on Hungary, and goes to answer the door. In the doorway stands Russia with several of his Soviet soldiers. In his hands he holds a metal pipe with a faucet attachment that Hungary suspects is what was used to knock on the door. The whole scene appears innocent enough, but she knows this isn't just a friendly visit.
"Hello there. You are doing good, da?" asks Russia pleasantly.
"Go screw yourself, Ivan," Prussia growls in reply.
"I cannot do that," Russia says with amusement, like this is some big joke to him. This strange calm scares Hungary more than any angry response would have. There's just something about Russia that sets her on edge. He's twisted in ways most people shouldn't be. "I'll give you a moment to say goodbye," he says when he notices her in the room. "Then you will come with me, da?"
"Gilbert, I'm scared," Hungary whispers when Prussia turns and pulls her into an embrace.
"It's going to be fine, I promise," Prussia promises. "I'll be back soon. You'll see." He squeezes her tighter, and she wishes again that this moment would never end, that he wouldn't have to leave.
"Your time is up," Russia says with an innocent looking smile. The two in the house know it's anything but.
Prussia turns to Hungary again and gives her a quick kiss. "I love you. Don't ever forget."
"Never," Hungary softly replies as tears start to fall from her eyes.
Prussia presses something small and cold into her hand. She opens it to reveal an iron cross on a thin silver chain. She recognizes it as the one Prussia always wears and is very protective of. "Hold onto it for me," he says softly enough that only Hungary can hear. "Hold onto that, and my heart."
"We will go now, da?" Russia says. It's not so much a question but a demand. Prussia turns to face him and nods.
The tall man motions for him to step outside, and Prussia complies. Hungary watches silently as the group moves away from the house. Her brain goes numb. They're taking him away. Hungary may never see him again. He's leaving. She can't move.
"Move!" she commands her legs. "Move!"
Suddenly, her legs find the strength to run, and she dashes outside. She shouts as loud as she can. She shouts with everything she has. "Gilbert!" One of the figures in the distance turns. They've already gotten much farther than she could have imagined possible in such a short span of time. "Gilbert! I love you!" The figure raises his hand in response, and then is forced to move by one of the other figures. Hungary watches as they slowly disappear over the horizon.
Everyday the sun rises in the east, and sets in the west. It runs it's course without fail. People often follow the sun's path with their eyes during the day. In the morning they look east, and in the evening they look west. These directions mean a lot more now after the war. West means freedom, liberty, and justice. East means bondage, poverty, and death.
Hungary always looks East no matter the time of day because it is there that her heart lies. It belongs to a certain white haired man who patiently waits for the Curtain to fall so he can find the one he loves. She also waits. It wasn't long before she too was taken to the East, but they don't allow her to search for him. That doesn't stop her from looking. Everyday without fail, Hungary looks to the East because that is where he is. Where her heart is. Waiting.