Love Once Lost, Love Reawakened
An AusHun oneshot by Sinfonie Electoria and on Instagram
The Austrian nation had decided that he was thoroughly lost. There was a half-hour before his flight was to leave and he had managed to strand himself with only a violin case and a messenger bag halfway across the airport from the gate. Roderich sighed, resorting to asking for directions. Seeing a confident-looking woman in the hallway, he walked up to her, asking, "Milady, if you know where you are, could you possibly give me directions to gate A-113?" He showed her his ticket for reference.
The lady looked at the ticket and smiled to him. "I'm going to the same gate. You can follow me," she replied, picking up her bags.
"Thank you," Roderich said politely and followed her to the gate. Upon entry of the plane he sat down in the middle seat next to an empty aisle seat and a strange albino man who had managed to sneak his bird into the plane.
The lady sat down next to Roderich, speaking annoyed at the bird man. "I told you it wasn't a good idea to take Gilbird with you," she said, glaring at him.
The man made a sound that sounded a bit like, "Kesese," that was accompanied with a smirk. Roderich couldn't quite catch what he had said, however. Turning to the lady, he looked at her. Seeing as they had met earlier, he asked, "May I be so bold as to ask your name?" He was reminded of someone he had known from his past, though he couldn't quite place a finger on it.
"Milady?" The Austrian nation turned from his seat on the piano bench. "May I be so bold as to ask your name?" He had been running one of his favorite pieces, and it sounded so full of emotion that Eliza just had to come in and listen.
"Elizaveta," the lady replied. She looked at him with emerald eyes, remembering the day when she had met her true love, Austria. But they had separated long ago, and it was, for some odd reason, now that she remembered him like she hadn't for a long time.
"Roderich Edelstein," he replied formally. "You are traveling to Austria with your friend here?" Representing the nation of Austria, Roderich was quite proud when people visited his country.
"Yeah, he's Gilbert. We're going there for a few days just to visit," she told him, crossing her legs and running a hand through her long hair.
He nodded. "Well, being a resident of the country, I do hope you enjoy your visit." Roderich didn't want to let anybody know that he was a country, so he resorted to say the former. As the plane took off, he watched the night sky from the window. "I'll miss New York," he thought to himself. Elizaveta, the lady, soon fell asleep with her head on Roderich's shoulder, a peaceful look on her face.
Seeing her sleeping form at his side, Roderich was again reminded of someone, though he couldn't quite remember.
She lay at his side, sleeping peacefully in the great bed, feeling comforted on his shoulder even though it was a cold night in their stone chamber and the straw mattress was hard.
He took out his laptop, trying not to disturb the sleeping lady at his side and began finishing some work for his boss. They had a meeting the day after Roderich would land back home in Austria. Eliza slept for a while, sometimes snuggling against him, his warmth seemed so familiar.
The flight attendants came around with dinner parcels available for purchase. Roderich tapped Eliza gently. "Dinner is coming around if you want it."
She slowly opened her eyes. "U-uhu?" She looked at him, blushing.
"The flight attendants are serving dinner. It's seven U.S. dollars," he told her. Realizing they were in close contact, he quickly moved back.
She blushed more. "S-sorry." Eliza took out seven dollars, paying for dinner. The ladies handed her the small package. Roderich simply ordered some black tea and took a bundle out of his bag. He had bought dinner earlier.
Eliza ate slowly, looking really tired. Noticing her strained appearance, Roderich asked, "Are you feeling all right?"
"U-uh, no, I don't mind sleeping a bit. Gilbert here dragged me to nightclubs every night for the past two weeks," she informed the Austrian.
"Sounds like an effort," Roderich commented. "May I ask whether you were in New York for a vacation, or do you live there?"
"Just a vacation. I live in Hungary."
He nodded. Something flashed through his mind. He knew that he shared borders with Hungary and was once in a political alliance with the country, but he couldn't remember what their representative looked like. "I used to travel there frequently," Roderich said, choosing his words carefully.
"Same goes for me," the Hungarian said to him. "I once lived in Austria with a… friend…"
Roderich felt that she wasn't quite telling him the whole truth, but he wasn't exactly telling her everything either. He heard Eliza make an awkward chuckle.
He paused, asking, "Have we met before?"
"No, no, I don't think so." Eliza still wore the marriage ring of when she was married to Austria. She loved him so much. Inside the ring was carved both of their names, but she couldn't understand why this man looked so similar to her long-lost love.
The Austrian paused. "That's odd. I feel like I used to know you before…" He trailed off.
He awoke in the great bed alone. As far as he could remember, last night his wife had been in the bed with him as the couple drifted off to sleep. He realized he had never gotten to confess his love to… BLACK. He hit a mental wall.
"The same goes for me, but I can't remember…" She trailed off and crossed her legs, humming a tune she used to sing to her husband when he couldn't sleep.
"O eternal light, guard us safely here, O eternal light, hold us close and dear…" She sang softly, her husband slowly falling asleep under the words of the song.
He looked at her, wonder in his eyes. "You know that song? It's one of my favorites," he told her happily. "Someone far away used to sing it every night…" Roderich stopped there.
"Oh, I used to sing that to my husband before… before he left me," she said, chewing her lip. Eliza never thought about their separation, she always thought that he didn't care enough to keep their alliance.
"I'm so sorry for your loss…" He trailed off tiredly. It was nearing one in the morning, and unfortunately for him no amount of coffee or tea in the world could have kept the tired Austrian awake.
"It's fine, you should rest a bit."
He fell asleep, but that night he was plagued with strange dreams about a lady whom he loved but never worked up the courage to tell her. It looked quite like Eliza whom he was in love with in the dream. Roderich was suddenly startled awake at this point. He saw Eliza's sleeping form next to him, reminding him, "If only I could breach that wall maybe I could remember…" He looked forlorn, watching her as she slept.
She held an old photograph in her hands, a picture of the day she was married to Austria. Her mascara ran all over her cheeks as she cried. She loosely held the picture. Their marriage was so platonic. He never told her, "I love you," but yet she was always at his side, after the wars she cleaned and treated his wounds, she helped him when he couldn't sleep yet she never had the chance to feel a sign of affection from the love of her life.
Roderich did not sleep the rest of the flight. He watched over Eliza and thought about where he remembered her. Sighing, he took his necklace out from under his shirt. He had worn this chain for a long time, it had a small pendant on it as well as a golden band. It was a wedding ring from long ago, which read "Austria and Hungary" in the inside. But since that day long ago, he hadn't been able to remember Hungary. It was as if he had been in a terrible accident and couldn't remember. Roderich wanted to remember. More than anything he wanted to know that she was safe and happy even if he wasn't there with her.
When Eliza woke up the flight was almost finished. She opened her emerald eyes, but they were red and puffy.
Roderich looked pretty dead as well, having only slept two or three hours on the plane. He fingered the golden ring that hung from his necklace, lost in thought as Eliza awoke.
She glanced at his ring, her eyes widening. "M-may I see your ring?"
He looked surprised, but gently handed it to her. "Why do you ask?"
Eliza didn't answer. When she looked inside it her eyes teared up. Taking off her own silver ring, she showed it to him.
Roderich looked down. "This ring, it- it matches mine…" He looked at her surprised, but his violet eyes finally revealed his feelings. "You – you're Hungary!" He looked about to cry, but he had never been happier.
"Austria," she cried, hugging him close and crying silently.
"I've always wanted to tell you that I love you," he whispered, now crying, holding her warmly. "I'm sorry I never told you that before."
"I love you too!" She clung onto him and kissed him gently.
Roderich looked at Eliza blissfully, his love finally realized and reawakened.
OKAY… So I have totally not been on an unplanned hiatus for six months of more. Totally not. I do apologize for this absence. But I'm back now, with a new fandom: Hetalia. I will likely be making AusHun fics, and maybe even Ameripan? We'll see with that last one.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Thank you to my amazing friend on Instagram for writing this with me! It was great to finally write and publish something with you like this. I'd also like to thank my little brother who listened patiently to this and kept asking, "What about Prussia?" And last of all, thank you to anyone who reads this! See you in my next fic!
- sinfonie