Author's note: RuHun and thus of course from the « But Let It Go, And You Learn » arc.
New favorite song is Russian = force it on Hetalia characters! (I have another Russian song to do this with too.) The song is « Голая » by Градусы, just look for it on YouTube. I finally found an English translation (look for the lyrics to Golaya, it translates as Naked). From what I gather… I think it's about sex? Mostly about sex methinks though I don't speak Russian… yet. ;D
The fic basically introduces the setting then follows the lyrics. I've been coming up with a lot of ideas for Vanya's and Erzsi's apartments and while his is kind of sparse (in Moscow at least), hers comes from the ex and is thus over the top. Only the finest for the Austrian's ex-wife.
Also because I noticed it rereading some of my finished and in-progress RuHun fics, Erzsi always thinks of herself as Erzsi but Vanya is sometimes Vanya but also sometimes Ivan. I've yet to figure out the rhyme or reason I give to that but there's definitely something there in the back of my mind.
See if you can spot the obscure historical reference.
Голая
[ naked ]
At first Vanya had protested the thought: Erzsi just needed a new apartment was all. Whatever pansy Edelstein had bought her, Ivan Braginski could top it. He had put all his money in a Swiss bank when the tsar died, leaving the money untouched all throughout the communist era; though the Hungarian had definitely had determination on her side, Vanya had had the means to have his way. She needed a new apartment, no matter how much she loved the old one.
But then he came to Budapest as her guest for the first time. Just the building's façade, strong lines and fine stone, had made him stop and stare. Erzsi had looked comfortable that autumn day, her hair down and blowing in the wind, her shirt loose, pants tight, heels he had brought her from Moscow making her seem less drastically short than the Russian. The doorman had seemed surprise to see the tall nation; Vanya had been surprised the man had known immediately who he was, Erzsi just smiling and leading the way, his hand in hers.
They had taken two flights of stairs up before entering the apartment, Erzsi all the while apologizing preemptively for it. His lips on her neck had fallen away taking in the apartment which was, to put it mildly, lavish. Everything was warm in colors, standing in stark contrast to his bleak, gray Moscow apartment. There was a large couch facing a larger window, a fireplace with a mantle covered in pictures, a bookshelf with tomes in several languages and the tchotchkes he had given her over the years. To his right Vanya had popped his head into a decadent bathroom before finding the master bedroom, king size bed facing the windows.
"I hope it's big enough for you," Erzsi had laughed from the door.
Vanya likes the apartment very much now, though he had insisted on some minor improvements: a new flatscreen HD TV to replace her black and white one, older than their daughter; top-of-the-line appliances for the kitchen since Vanya only cooked with Erzsi and between their family and friends they had amassed a small library of recipes; a new computer for her to use at her desk, the paper in the drawers the same stationary officials had sent her messages on during the Soviet era. What had passed could not be removed, but the Russian had done his best to fill the space with better memories.
That, and he'd made sure they'd had sex on every flat surface. For all Erzsi's protests when he told her he was going to do it, she put up very little when they finally did.
This particular trip it's chilly out, Erzsi mostly walking around in her Russian sweatshirt and fuzzy socks. Vanya however is quite comfortable on the couch answering emails on her iPad, legs thrown over the back of the furniture, wearing only his boxers. "You busy?" a voice calls from the bedroom.
"Dunno," Vanya shouts back. "Should I be?"
"Depends," the voice says seductively from the door, Erzsi watching him with lowered eyes. Immediately he drops the iPad to the coffee table; his Hungarian girlfriend wearing nothing, nothing, but his unbuttoned shirt was a much better sight to take in. "I was trying to find something to do," she continues in that knowing voice she has, swaying her hips the way she knows he likes as she walks to the fridge, getting her water bottle. "But I simply ran out of ideas." She comes around the couch, leaning over to steal a quick kiss, and Vanya is helpless to do anything but stare at her as she starts to walk away. "So I was thinking…," and the voice trails off as she reenters her bedroom, shirt falling to the floor.
Emails be damned.
They're under the blanket on the couch, Erzsi snuggled in under his arms and between his legs, a Monty Python film playing on the TV. The Hungarian's laugh is beautiful, her mouth open, her eyes wide; Vanya's stopped trying to read the subtitles in favor of watching her. While he didn't understand the humor he did understand what had caused his heart to start beating so quickly.
"Oh," Erzsi sighs, coming to lean against his chest and closing her eyes, inhaling deeply. Vanya lets a hand slip into her hair, holding her head still while he kisses the crown. That makes her smile against his skin, arms holding her tighter.
It's his fault for always letting her steal the blankets. Vanya's made peace with the fact that Erzsi simply cannot handle the cold the way he can, and tonight is no different when he wakes up to a draft blowing over his exposed skin. Rolling onto his back, his head continuing in turning to the side, the man takes in his sleeping girlfriend curled up in the mass of blankets on her.
Only Erzsi. Only Erzsi will Vanya admit the truth to every time. Only Erzsi will Vanya allow to steal the blankets or tease him or argue with him. Only Erzsi will Vanya let overpower him and see him vulnerable, bringing him to his knees because he loves her. It's only Erzsi because Vanya has only ever loved Erzsi like this and everything he does now he does for her.
The Russian has always been alone. Sure there had been courtiers to speak with and a royal family to socialize with but it hadn't been the same; they were never constants the way he was, they never saw what was really in him, the true Ivan Braginski.
He shifts to hold her, blankets and all, to his chest and Erzsi lets out a raspy noise as she unconsciously moves closer as well to her boyfriend's touch. Only Erzsi has ever seen who he really is and Vanya loves her for that.
Within about thirty seconds Vanya finds himself going from kissing Erzsi passionately on the couch, hands sliding everywhere, to standing on opposite sides of the kitchen screaming about water polo. The well-worn argument lasts two minutes, followed by stares across the space for another minute before they both move towards each other at once, meeting half way in a desperate kiss, hands pulling off clothes as they back their way up to the couch. Erzsi's back hits the couch but Vanya hadn't been expecting it, sliding off and hitting his ass on the ground, small Hungarian tumbling into his lap. There's a slight delay before they both just stare at each other and burst out laughing, the mood ruined though not altogether lost.
Vanya makes a mental note to thank Roderich Edelstein next time he sees him for having a bathtub installed large enough that both the Russian and Hungarian nations could fit in together; he's sure the Austrian would appreciate the flattery.
There's candles which were Erzsi's idea, and wine… also Erzsi's idea. But they're naked and his hands are running up and down her sides, feeling the swells of her hips and of her breasts, and that was a Russian idea. With no plans, nowhere to go, the weekend could not be passed more perfectly than this. Sure Vanya would return to Russia with little to show for his trip to Hungary beyond hickeys and a satisfied sex drive, but that was just fine by him, sipping at the rest of the wine in the glass Erzsi offers him. He places the empty glass down before making his move, pulling Erzsi to him, kissing at her neck and letting his hands roam. Immediately she begins to moan, purring magnificently in response.
"Hey Erzsi?" he whispers in her ear, nipping the lobe.
"Yeah Vanya?"
"I love you Erzsi."
She sighs, turning her face towards him. In the low light her green eyes shine, her face the most loving he's ever seen it. "And I love you too Vanya."