Written for a prompt on tumblr.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
"Why did you have this in your closet?"
Canada looked up from his laptop. Prussia stood before him, holding a book. Not just any book. A book on Prussian history. Canada adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat.
"I was, y'know, interested," Canada said vaguely.
Prussia raised an eyebrow and waved the book around. "My history. My history." The book was dropped onto the table. Prussia leaned on his arms across the table so that he was nose-to-nose with Canada. "Did you see something you like?"
Canada stuttered out some answer or another, but Prussia backed away and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Or maybe you saw something you didn't like?"
Canada furrowed his brow. He closed the lid of his laptop and gave Prussia his full attention. "What are you talking about?"
The ex-nation shrugged, but his eyes, once staring intently at Canada's, now shifted to the side. "This book was shoved pretty far back in your closet. Trying to hide it?" From me? came the unspoken question.
"Why were you in my closet anyway?" Canada blurted out.
Prussia returned his gaze to Canada. "Trying to learn more about my boyfriend since he keeps so quiet." He scoffed and returned his attention to the wall. He straightened his shoulders as he removed his hands from his pockets. "And it seems like he knows more about me than I do him." A pause. Prussia let out a sigh and let his shoulders and head drop. "Why did you go to such lengths to hide it from me? Why didn't you just ask me about my awesome history?"
Canada wisely didn't comment on how forced that 'awesome' was. "I thought... I don't know what I thought. That you'd be upset? You're not..."
Prussia made eye contact once again. Canada felt as though those red eyes were searing straight into his soul. "A nation. I'm not a nation anymore. So you thought I'd be some piss-baby about it. I'm not. I won't." Prussia shook his head in disbelief. "God, Matthieu, do you realize how long it's been since someone has asked me about, well, me? My history? How long it's been since someone even knew who I was and would talk to me about it without worrying they were overstepping? Did you think you needed permission or something? I'm not your fucking babysitter. I'm your boyfriend. You can ask."
Canada stood up and walked around the table. He lightly held onto Prussia's hands. Prussia didn't pull away, instead choosing to avoid eye contact as his ears turned red.
"You're right," Canada said. "I'm sorry. I should have just asked you instead of sneaking behind your back."
But Prussia wasn't finished. "And not only that, but you hid it from me for how long? Weeks?" Canada felt Prussia's hands tremble. Prussia clenched his jaw for a moment. He then turned his head to look at Canada and said steadily, "Did you find something you didn't like?" About me? came the second unspoken question.
Canada broke the eye contact himself this time as he pondered how to answer. "We... as nations, we've all done things we're not proud of." He tightened his hold on Prussia's hands as the latter tried to slip away. "That doesn't make any of us strictly 'good' or 'bad'. It doesn't make our histories strictly 'good' or 'bad', despite what our people think. So although I didn't like certain parts of your history, I'm not blaming you for any of it. Because it's just that. History." Canada let a small smile adorn his face. "This is the present. I like present you. I think that's all that matters."
A smile crept onto Prussia's face before it turned into a smirk. "You're ridiculous. And that was cheesy."
Canada stepped closer. "You like it when I'm cheesy." He placed his forehead on Prussia's. "Am I forgiven?"
Prussia kissed Canada briefly. "Mostly. Did you... want to talk about what parts of my history you don't like? Communication is key for an awesome relationship such as ours."
Canada thought for a moment before nodding. "Let's go sit down somewhere. And while we're at it, you can ask me about my history, too, you hypocrite."
Prussia laughed and pulled out a chair. Canada grabbed the book and flipped to one of the chapters.
"Okay, so according to humans..."