Hiya, everyone! Well, it wasn't a month this time. Yay :D
Anyways, I've come to the realisation that university life never becomes any less busy. Just when you think you've finished your homework, you realise it's the end of the week and you should start working to finish all your assignments for Monday. And then on Monday the week starts over with a new mountain of homework.
But that's all right. I chose to do this, after all.
Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed again on the last chapter. It brings me so much joy to know so many of you are still reading this despite the updates slowing down significantly.
I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, plans were being made to reunify East and West Germany altogether. West knew that his brother had reservations about this at first, and after they'd sat down and talked about it, the younger nation also understood why. There was no deadline set as of 1989, which eased both their minds: they knew it would be difficult to undergo complete reunification after spending so many years apart. If not for them personally, it would certainly be difficult for their people, who turned out to be quite different from one another and were used to entirely different things. At least if things didn't have to go too quickly, if the reunification could be a gradual process, it might be easier on everyone involved.
Except of course it didn't go quite like that; by January 1990, it became clear that the process would be a swift one after all. Daunting as that thought was, the two brothers could both agree that it might well be the best course of action. For them, anyway. East Germany's economy had always been considered the strongest in the Eastern Bloc, but now that it was suddenly exposed to the concept of 'world economy' in ways it never had been before, it suddenly crashed, and it crashed hard. The most pressing matter, it seemed, was economic reunification. East Germany couldn't go on like this for much longer.
For the nation himself, the poor state of the economy left him near-bedridden. Leaving the house was close to impossible. As a result, West stayed with his brother to help look after him. At first East protested against this, of course, or at least against being cared for, but it took him only two days to quiet down about it and accept the situation as it was.
West was happy to do it, although he couldn't deny he would have preferred if it were in his own home, if only for the lack of space in his brother's apartment. West had opted to sleep on the couch in the living room, only because the alternative would have been an old matrass on the floor in his brother's bedroom. Much to East's initial dismay, Berlitz couldn't be left at home, so the dog was there, too. He never had been a small one, but in this cramped apartment, Berlitz sometimes looked like a bear. Worst of all was that he happened to like East's birds, but the fondness was completely one-sided. Whenever Berlitz sat by their cage, watching the two little animals curiously, they birds would twitter frantically, which eventually would agitate Berlitz and cause him to bark at them.
For this, the birds had been moved to East's bedroom, which had been declared a dog-free area.
"Can you believe it?" West huffed as he read reports that had been sent this way. "The UK and France really go out of their way to show the world how against all this they are. Calling German Reunification a threat and all that… Bunch of idiots, they are."
Across from him, East sat shivering a little, a cup of tea in his hands and a blanket over his shoulder. He was ghostly pale but his cheeks were flushed with fever. The sick nation still managed to chuckle softly, though. "Oh, yes," he rasped in response, laughter twinkling in his eyes. "But of course they are! After all, aren't you and I just the most dangerous duo on this planet?" He ended in a cough, almost as if to drive the point home.
West smiled as he looked at him, then he glanced back at the report and shook his head amusedly. "Well, at least the French admit that they can't do anything about it."
After shrugging at this, East let out a shaky sigh. "To be quite honest, I can't blame them that much. I mean, while it seems ridiculous to fear a nation that is undergoing such major internal changes, that is in complete and utter chaos and -for a part anyway- has to deal with an economy like this-" The albino gestured to his pitiful position when he said this. "-it has happened before. Now of course, we know better than to fear our governments going militaristic and homicidal again, but they have a perfectly good reason for being scared of exactly that. If no one else, I can at least understand Israel's reservations regarding this."
West nodded and put the reports down again, looking at his brother. He could understand all that, too, but there was still something else about it that almost pissed him off, even. "It's just ridiculous that, until recently, they all said they completely supported any possible reunification, and now that it's a work in progress, just look how that turned out." He couldn't help but grunt at the sheer stupidity of it. "They really are a bunch of dimwits at times. Cowards, too."
"Can't argue with that," East snickered softly. He shifted a little and pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders. "They know they can't stop it, Ludwig, so it will be fine; they will all see in due time that we're not a threat, and then everyone will quiet down about it."
"Probably." West took a deep breath and pushed those thoughts away. The world could be foolish, that was a lesson he had learnt a long time ago. He shouldn't have expected any better, really. Instead of focusing on that anymore, he checked his watch; he had a meeting to go to in the afternoon, and the time was nearing that he would have to leave. "I'll be going in twenty minutes," he said to his elder brother. "Will you be all right on your own?"
East gave him a stare for this, slight annoyance but mostly amusement and warmth in his gaze. "What do you think?" he rasped, smirking a little before he chuckled. He drank the last of his tea and put the empty cup on the table in front of him then. West watched as the albino nation heaved himself to his feet, trembling a bit. "I'll be 798 years old in a few days' time. Do you really think that in all those years, I haven't been in this state on my own yet? I don't prefer it, I'll admit, but I can look after myself even like this."
Once East Germany was standing, however, he closed his eyes with a look of discomfort. West instantly had a guess of what was going on, and he shot up from where he sat to support the older nation as he stumbled.
With a soft grunt, East regained his balance that way, and then he suddenly laughed softly. "I'll be fine so long as I don't decide to go for a stroll," he said jokingly. "Mind you, I seriously doubt I will. Dammit, fevers really know how to do a number on one's balance, don't they?"
"They certainly do," West replied, adjusting his hold on his brother and moving his free hand to his damp forehead. "And yours seems to have grown higher since last time I checked." After concluding this, he let out a soft sigh. Looking at East in worry, he asked before even thinking: "Are you sure you will be all right? I can call it off, I'm sure they'll understand. And if they don't, that's their problem."
"No, don't," East protested, narrowing his red-and-blue eyes in determination. "If you keep postponing these meetings for my sake, nothing will ever happen. I'll be fine, so just go." He moved away from his younger brother, peeling his hands off him and staring him straight in the eyes. "Really, Ludwig, it's fine. I'm not going anywhere if you just got to a meeting for a few hours. Okay?"
West didn't want to give in so easily, but he couldn't argue with the fact that he had a job to do, and East probably would be fine on his own indeed. He could be scared for his brother's life all the time now, but there was no need; so long as East Germany existed, his brother would be around still. He knew that now.
Which means that his survival will be questionable as soon as the reunification is over and done with…
But that was nothing to worry about right now. He had other things to think about, and as of yet, he still had his elder brother right by his side. That was all that mattered at this moment.
West nodded. "Fine. But maybe it's a good idea to lie down again?"
For this, East gave him an amused look and let out a soft sigh. "If that would make you feel better," he replied softly, smiling. "I'll likely still be in bed by the time you come back if I do, though. I do feel like I could go for a nap."
"That's a deal then," West concluded, returning the smile his brother gave him. "Get some rest. I'll see you after the meeting."
East Germany crashed onto his bed the moment he heard the door close, announcing West leaving for the meeting. Dizzy and nauseous, he curled up with a grunt, shivering with cold.
"Sweetheart, please," came Brandenburg's voice from behind him. She had followed him into his bedroom. "Why would you pretend you're feeling better than you are?" She sat down on the bed beside him.
"Ludwig wouldn't let me out of his sight for a second if I didn't," East croaked in response, curling up a little further. "He's got a life, he's got other things to do than look after me." A wave of nausea hit him, and he clenched his jaws until it passed. His economy was in the worst state it had been in for many years, and he couldn't recall the last time he'd felt this bad. Of course, the near-lethal pneumonia had been even worse than this, but in a different way. Back then he had been in pain and out of breath all the time. Right now it was just fever, nausea, dizziness. It was like no matter what he did, he couldn't get any more comfortable than this, which was about as far from comfortable as could be.
"It's not like Ludwig can do much to help, anyway," East went on, his voice hoarse and strained. "Not much anyone can do until my economy's back on the right track." He forced a little smile again and looked up at Brandenburg, who was staring down at him with a concerned blue gaze. "Besides, I've got you with me. If you're here, there's no reason why Ludwig should be here all the time, also, if he's got work to do."
Brandenburg sighed and shook her head. "And we can do even less for you than he can. At least your little brother is capable of helping you keep your balance when you get dizzy, or he can get you a drink or something of the likes if you need anything and can't get it yourself."
Somehow, every word she spoke came like a dagger to East's heart. He looked away again. "Don't say it like that," he pleaded softly. "Don't make it sound like I'm too weak to do anything. I'm not. Not yet."
Brandenburg didn't respond for a moment, blinking at him. Her warm blue eyes still betrayed nothing but worry and sadness. Then she spoke softly, a little accusingly but mostly just saddened. "Prussia…"
"That's right," East retorted, a rush of determination coursing through him. He pushed himself off his bed again and stood up. The world felt like it was spinning around him, but he retained his balance. "I'm Prussia," he said, looking straight at Brandenburg. "I'm the Legendary fucking Black Eagle, and I'll be damned if I'm too weak to do anything myself! I may be far gone right now, Brand, but I'm not that far gone!"
With a wave of dizziness, his vision momentarily went black, and when that faded again, he was on his knees on the floor. Frustrated as he was, he had to admit he'd seen it coming, and he just sighed as he reached out to grab the side of his bed. Clinging to that, he heaved himself up, not quite to his feet but rather toward the bed. He didn't even really stand up, instead he dragged himself onto his bed and lay down again.
"Well," he choked out as he lay gasping for breath -for some reason this effort had left him breathless- looking back up at Brandenburg. "That of course doesn't take away the fact I'd be better off getting some rest now. Awesomely strong or not, sick means sick, and there's one way to get through that."
Brandenburg managed a smile again now, too. "Exactly," she replied warmly, getting up from the bed and kneeling down beside it instead, resting her arms on the side of it and her chin on her arms. "So go to sleep now, dear. You need to rest in order to be your awesome self again as soon as possible."
Still smiling, East Germany pulled the covers over himself and closed his eyes. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke up again. "Brand?" he began in barely more than a whisper. "Could you… keep talking to me?"
"You won't be able to fall asleep very well if I do," Brandenburg protested gently.
But East could already feel his consciousness sway ever so slightly. "I will, trust me," he replied. "I'll likely fall asleep even faster hearing your voice. Please?"
Although rarely, the two did this more often. East knew Brandenburg had run out of stories to tell him at moments like these way back when he'd been imprisoned in Auschwitz: over there, this had often been the only way for him to get what little sleep he got in those months. No matter how exhausted he was, after all the torture he would have been put through that day, hearing his beloved Brandenburg or another family member speaking to him would be the only way to ease his mind sufficiently for him to fall asleep. Getting him to sleep like this was one of the ways his family had kept him sane in that place.
He knew that the chances of Brandenburg having something new to tell him were slim, but he didn't mind. He never had. It was the voices that mattered, not the stories they told. He felt a surge of warmth when he heard Brandenburg hum amusedly before she started talking. And despite how horrible he had felt just moments before, a warm comfort was the only thing East felt as he drifted to sleep soon after.
Halfway through February, East Germany had recovered a lot. Even so, West had decided to stay with him for a little while longer, if only because he enjoyed being able to spend so much time with his elder brother. So far, East hadn't said anything against it, and West didn't expect him to do so anytime soon. He knew that his elder brother was as happy about being reunited as he was.
There was no way he would overstay his welcome. Right?
There were moments where he actually wasn't so sure of that.
Unfortunately, with the return of East's health and energy came also the return of his occasional fiery temper. However, he got pissed off about the silliest things at times. Well, silly things according to West, that is. The albino nation seemed to take them rather seriously himself.
There was one instance where things got a little out of hand over a drink, even.
"Ludwig!"
West Germany nearly jumped in shock when he heard his brother's angry voice call out to him from the kitchen. He turned to look at the door, and only moments later, East Germany came into the room, red eyes shooting fire and a glass bottle in his hand.
He held it up like it was some illegal object his little brother had smuggled into the house. "What the hell is this poison doing in my fridge?!"
"Poison?" West echoed, dumbfounded. It was just a bottle of cola. "Well, I bought it...? Not my favourite thing to drink, I'll admit, but from time to time it can be nice. Have you even tried it before?" What was his brother overreacting like this for? Sometimes he had outbursts like these that West just couldn't comprehend.
East's face contorted in utter disgust when West suggested he should try it. "No way," he snapped. "I'm not drinking your filthy capitalist juice!" After saying that, he tossed the bottle to West, who could only just catch it.
This was the craziest thing he'd heard his brother say so far, and in the past weeks, he'd heard a number of crazy things. "Capitalist juice?" The young nation couldn't even begin to wrap his head around the idea. For a moment he could hardly even believe this was his very own elder brother he was speaking to. "Do you even hear yourself talk, Gilbert? What nonsense is that?"
"Do you think I will just sit back and do nothing while you capitalists go and ruin everything my people have established for themselves in the past decades? Like hell I will. Goddammit, Ludwig, it's like your people are seriously trying to force your culture on us. That's one thing I will not stand for; go ahead with the reunification for all I care, but you will not mess with my people!"
"Okay, go back a bit," West interrupted, unable to follow anymore. Wasn't this about cola? "You're not making any sense, Gilbert." He really was trying, but it was impossible to understand the East German right now. Was he saying he was against the reunification? Didn't he comprehend that, if the reunification happened, their cultures would be merged anyway? Better, even: East's people were the ones taking over Western culture, it wasn't in any way being forced on them. Was it?
East narrowed his eyes and huffed. Without responding immediately, he turned around, about to leave the room again. He muttered to himself as he did. "They should've never taken that blasted Wall down…"
In an instant, West was on his feet, hands clenched into fists. "Oh, don't worry about that!" he yelled at his elder brother, enraged now. "You're doing an excellent job keeping your walls up a kilometre high! Dammit, Gilbert, will you be straightforward and say what the problem is for once? This can't possibly be about a bottle of fucking cola, so what is going on?"
"Leave me alone, Ludwig."
"How about I don't?" West took a deep breath and let out a brisk sigh. "Gilbert, I'm serious. Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong or stop acting like a kid on a temper tantrum. Whichever you prefer."
East Germany didn't respond, but he also wasn't moving. That he didn't leave told West enough; he did want to get something off his chest, but he didn't know how. Or maybe he didn't even know what it was himself. But that didn't matter; West was patient enough about this.
Two or three minutes must have passed before East finally spoke up. His voice was soft, wavering a little, the complete opposite of what he had sounded like just minutes before. "Why do they have to rush things like this…?" He sounded confused, scared, hurt. Angry, too, but in a completely different way than he had earlier. "Why can't the reunification be more… gradual? Why does it all have to happen so quickly?"
Hearing the older nation like this, West felt bad for him. He'd been surprised when he first saw what East Berlin had become in the years he hadn't seen it. But in the months since the opening of the borders, things had already changed significantly. For West, it wasn't so much overwhelming to see this half of the city change so rapidly. For East, that must be a different story altogether.
He took a step closer to his brother. "I know it must be a culture shock to you…" he began carefully.
East cut him off before he could say more. "Do you? I sometimes have my doubts whether you really understand what this is like for me. I don't think you do… I don't think you can." That seemed to be all he was going to say right now.
But West wasn't going to let it stay at just that. "You can try to explain it to me, though, can't you?" he insisted gently. "You never know unless you try. Maybe I can understand it, if you just tell me."
The look East gave him for this was one of confusion and sadness, some regret also. "Showing might be better than telling," he said almost tentatively. "If you want to know what I sometimes… or quite often… really feel like doing." He took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, then looked his younger brother straight in the eyes.
What he said next, West had no idea. He just stared at East, dumbfounded, as the older nation said something again. It took a few moments to find his voice back again. "Was that… Russian?" What was even going on right now?
East sighed deeply. "Yes. Ludwig, I've been speaking Russian for most of the past forty years; what did you expect? I don't particularly like it, but it's become natural for me to do so. It's become normal. The way things were the past decades was completely familiar by the end of it all, and it felt good. It felt safe." He looked away. "And now it's all gone again. The thing is, Ludwig, I know things will be all right. After all, we've both survived long before that, and things went fine for a long time before the Soviet Union, but at the same time… I miss it. Part of me is glad it's over, sure, but part of me… I want it back, Ludwig. I need it back."
Hearing how desperate his elder brother was in those last words, West's heart broke for him. He reached out slowly, tentatively trying to figure out whether East would accept this gesture or not. The albino nation looked at his younger brother, his outstretched hand, then back again. He said nothing, so West laid his hand on his shoulder. "You don't need it," he said gently, hoping to sound reassuring. "You'll get past it, Gilbert. I promise you will."
With another, softer sigh, East Germany pulled West's hand from his shoulder, only to hold it with his own. "I know…"
Over the course of the year, several treaties were signed between West and East Germany. From July onward, their economies were merged again, and near the end of August 1990, the East German government agreed to become a part of West Germany. Days after deciding this, they sent a proposal to the West German government, which they accepted.
On 31 August 1990, representatives of both nations, including the personifications, came together to sign the Treaty finalising the reunification of both Germanies.
Looking at the treaty, pen in hand, East found himself trembling ever so slightly. This was it, then. This was the end. How long had it been since he'd found out what he was? How long had he been able to enjoy being a nation?
For some reason, he could actually answer that question. The answer just came to him. 26 October 1211. The day he had met Hungary, the day he had been taken into a tent, asked to cut into a kid's hand, and had then been told he was a nation. 778 years, 10 months and 5 days. That's how long he'd been doing this. Well, unknowingly he had been a nation for 19 years longer than that, but he didn't count those first years. It was what came after that fateful day that really mattered.
The years spent trying to figure out his own identity. What an adventure that had been. How incredibly infuriating that it took him so long. How disappointed he'd been when he'd found out that he was Prussia. Looking back, he couldn't quite comprehend how he had been so disappointed by it; 'Prussia' was the best thing he'd ever been, and it had brought him all the best things in life.
It had brought him his family. He still remembered his first meeting with the Holy Roman Empire. Back then he hadn't been able to appreciate the moment at all, having just been tortured in an attempted exorcism. Nowadays it was among his fondest memories despite how painful all that had been and how confused and hurt he'd been during his first conversation with his elder brother. It had all been worth it a million times over.
East couldn't help but smile as he recalled his first time meeting Austria, too. He was so glad they had finally been able to come to an understanding, to set aside their differences and be the cousins they always should have been. But then, their days of teasing each other continually were precious, too. Their fights not so much, but the way East saw it, they had more than made up for their past hatred and strife now. After all this time, they cared about each other, loved one another as they were always meant to. It was all right like this. It was enough.
How excited he had been when he'd travelled by ship for the first time. In those months, he had met Netherlands, England and Wales. The last two meetings didn't go quite as smoothly as the first, but he still cherished them. Back when he was little the event had been special to him, and for that reason it always would be.
Brandenburg. Oh, sweet Brandenburg. She had brightened his darkest days. Back when he'd first met her, when he'd built a friendship with her and eventually got into an arranged marriage with her, he had still been under the impression no one really cared about him. In many cases, it had been the truth. In plenty of cases he had been proven wrong, but not until much later. But Brandenburg had been the first to make him feel loved unconditionally, even more than Holy Rome ever had.
If he had never been Prussia, he would never have met her. Not quite like that, at least. If he hadn't been Prussia, he wouldn't have known Old Fritz the way he had. He would have been spared so many hardships, but he would also have been denied so much joy.
He had a life he could be proud of when looking back on it. He had worked his way up from nothing and been thriving. He had done and achieved so much. Looking at West now -no, Germany- he could only feel pride. His greatest achievement, his ultimate pride. His little brother.
And really, his life hadn't even been that short, had it? Not many people could say they had nearly 8 centuries to their name.
It was fine like this. He might be signing his own death sentence right now, but he was also signing the most important treaty in his life. His last one.
It was okay. He had been enough. He had done enough and experienced enough. It was okay.
And with a steady hand, East Germany wrote his signature at the bottom of the paper.
As East Germany stepped back, West took his place and calmly put his signature beside his brother's. He didn't appear to hesitate for a heartbeat. That was good. But did he even realise the impact of this moment? East wasn't certain of that when he saw how calmly his younger brother went about this.
The albino nation looked at Holy Rome, who stood watching from a slight distance. The old empire appeared to be having mixed feelings, but the strongest emotion East could see in his gaze was pride; all he had ever tried to achieve was the unity of the German States, to create a single Germany. He might not have succeeded himself, but twice now he had been able to watch his life's ambition be fulfilled. Hopefully this would also be the last time. Hopefully this unification would be permanent.
West went to stand beside his elder brother again. "Just three days from now," he said in a whisper. "Then we'll officially be reunified. Can you believe it?"
Barely. Just a year ago, the Wall had still been up, the borders had still been closed. This had all gone so quickly. What East found most perplexing was how he had three more days left as a nation. After all, if he wasn't Prussia anymore, and if he now also wouldn't be East Germany anymore, what would he be? He had been able to prepare for this and think about it for a long time, and while he had come to accept his fate fully now, he still struggled to wrap his head around it. Right now he wasn't even sure if he would live long enough anymore to ever do so completely. But that was all right, too. He would have all the time in the world for that after he died.
"We'll make it a celebration."
And they did. On the evening of 2 October, Austria, Hungary, Italy Veneziano and even the Benelux all came to Berlin. Especially the latter came as a surprise to the two brothers; they hadn't thought their three cousins were quite ready to come and celebrate with them, especially if it was about something they had been opposed to at first. They had called beforehand, of course, to see if they were welcome. On the phone, Belgium had explained that they wouldn't miss this if they could help it. And besides, 3 October would also be West Germany's 119th birthday; they had missed that day often enough by now, they had decided together.
"Didn't we tell you?" Austria said to West Germany, a smile on his lips and his dark blue eyes shining with joy. "That separation wouldn't last forever."
"I told you, Gil, you would see the day you would be back with Ludwig," Hungary added, looking at her old friend. "You didn't need to worry. You never had to." She finished with a friendly nudge, and the Prussian smiled at this.
West was overjoyed at that moment. To have all the people closest to him all in the same room, to see his brother smile… It was all he could have hoped for and more. It felt to him as if his life was finally back to normal. After all this time, he could at last leave all the hardships he'd been through in the past. No more separation from those he cared about, no more hatred and strife. The world was as it should be again.
"I hope the rest of the reunification process will go well for you," Luxembourg said over his mug of hot chocolate. "The simple fact that the final treaty will go into effect in a few hours, doesn't mean all the work is done. But then, between the two of you, I'm sure you can manage."
Belgium hummed in agreement. "And besides," she added, more to Luxembourg than the others, it appeared. "The more enjoyable a certain task is, the easier it becomes, right? And correct me if I'm wrong," she then said, turning to West and East now, "but I do believe this falls under that particular category for you. Am I wrong?"
"Not at all," East replied, still smiling. His expression turned into a more pensive one, and he sighed after a few seconds of silence. "Well, all right, there have been one or two things that I didn't quite enjoy; the state of my economy earlier on wasn't exactly something to celebrate, for one. But once things have adjusted and settled down a bit, I'm sure it will all be just fine."
He looked at West for confirmation, and the younger nation nodded. "It's mostly Gilbert's people who will need to adjust," he explained. "But from what I've seen so far, I doubt it will be much of a problem. Given time, I'm absolutely certain things will turn out just fine. It might even be that it'll be hard to tell the difference between the East and the West in the end." It was hard to imagine right now, but he certainly wouldn't rule it out as a possibility in the future. "That at least sounds like the ideal situation to me."
"That would be great," East agreed softly. West looked at him in surprise; his brother sounded off just then, and when he saw the look on his face, he couldn't help but feel a spark of worry. Something was wrong, obviously. But what? Well, of course, the reunification was a strenuous process, on East more than anyone else. Still, so far the older nation had only shown his support of the whole undertaking, albeit it a little hesitant from time to time. But that was mostly because it was all going a little too swiftly according to him. Aside from wanting everything to slow down a bit, he had never expressed his dislike of the reunification. Was he having second thoughts now? And if not, what did he have on his mind? All West could tell was that it was troubling the older nation.
East Germany sighed deeply and closed his eyes. "Listen, all of you," he began in a soft voice, uncomfortably fidgeting a little. "You all realise what the consequences of this reunification are for me personally, right?"
The initial response from everyone was silence. The Benelux siblings glanced at each other questioningly, but West could tell from their expressions that their confused looks weren't so much about what East was referring to; they knew very well what he meant.
Eventually, it was Veneziano who replied tentatively: "We… we do."
East nodded and looked up again, his gaze trailing over each of the nations as he went on. "I'm still not entirely certain what will happen -or rather when it will happen- but I have made one decision regarding all this." He paused for a moment, but when he spoke again, he did so in a steady and determined voice. "From the moment the Treaty comes into effect, I wish to be known only as Gilbert Beilschmidt. I am no longer East Germany, after all, and I haven't been Prussia for a long time. I simply think this is the logical thing to do. So please… Try to stick to using that name for me from now on."
His words came like a punch to the gut to West Germany, and the younger nation was speechless. Why would he ask something like that? He had always been so proud of being Prussia. He had been absolutely gutted when he lost that name. Why not take this opportunity to take on his old name again?
Hungary seemed to think the same thing. "But that's crazy!" she protested, staring at him in wide-eyed confusion. "That's who you are! You have always been Prussia, why wouldn't you-?"
But East cut her off. "That's not true." He looked her straight in the eyes when he said this, his gaze calm and somewhat soothing. "When we first met, Lizzie, how did I introduce myself to you?"
She blinked in surprise, but then answered in a tiny voice: "G-Gilbert…"
East nodded. "Exactly. I know that, technically, I was Prussia from the moment I was born. But I was well in my thirties before I even knew that and took on that name. And I haven't been Prussia for over forty years now." He shrugged and looked away. "The one name I've had since birth is Gilbert. I know that there was a time when people rarely referred to me by that name, but it always has been my name. Look, Lizzie; I started my life as being just Gilbert. It seems fitting to end it like that, too. And besides," he added with a slight grin. "Would it really be fair to refer to me as something non-existent? From midnight onward, neither Prussia nor East Germany still exist. Now I don't know about you, but to me, using that name would make me feel like I'm a ghost or something. And I know I will be someday, but that might still take some time." He laughed for a moment after saying this. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves in that, right?"
He was still somewhat surprised over his brother's decision, but after hearing this explanation, West understood. And he agreed. Who was he to decide what his elder brother should be called, after all? If East wanted this, then so be it. It was his choice, and he had clearly made up his mind.
The younger nation glanced at the clock. Just two hours until midnight. Two hours until everything would change once again. But this time it would change for the better.
The evening passed quickly once everyone started talking about other topics. Veneziano told them a story which made even Netherlands laugh. Hungary and East then told everyone an anecdote from their time in the Eastern Bloc; there had been one particularly cold night where the heating wouldn't work, so everyone had gathered in the living room together. They had lit the fireplace, wrapped themselves in blankets and had just started talking. Later on in the evening, they had even decided to play a cards game together. That had been one of the first nights all the nations in the Eastern Bloc had been together peacefully, without there being any arguments whatsoever. For both Hungary and East Germany, it was still among their fondest memories of their time in Moscow.
Since East expressed his curiosity over this at one point, brought on by Berlitz curling up on the floor at his feet, Austria also told them how he had come up with the brilliant idea to get West a dog all those years ago. "And it turned out well, didn't it? Aster had a wonderful life here, and as for Ludwig, well…" The nation looked down at the sleeping Berlitz with a warm smile. "I think we can all agree I made the right decision, even if it was done on a bit of a whim, admittedly."
West Germany shrugged at this. He looked slightly embarrassed by it. "Well, you were right, after all," he said a little defensively. "I did need the company at the time, and I do still enjoy it now, too."
Belgium chuckled a little. "Oh, don't worry about it, Ludwig," she told her younger cousin with a smile. "There's nothing wrong with keeping dogs. If you're worried it hurts your 'image', or something silly like that, it doesn't. And on that matter…" She smirked as she glanced at Netherlands briefly. "An example of that would be mister Tough Guy over here keeping bunnies."
It didn't faze Netherlands, though. "So?" he challenged his sister calmly. "They're easy to take care of and make fine companions."
"And don't forget how fluffy they are," Luxembourg added teasingly, snickering softly.
East looked at Netherlands now, waiting until his cousin would notice and meet his gaze. When he did, the albino nation shrugged. "Don't worry, Neddie," he told the younger nation. "I like fluff, too. Doesn't make me any less badass, does it?"
Hungary snickered now, too, and looked at East with mischief shimmering in her eyes. "No, it's not your love of fluffy, cute things that makes you less badass," she teased. "Not that."
"Oh, so there's something else that does, then?" East asked her, having to suppress his own laughter. "Pray tell, Lizzie. I'd love to hear your opinion of me."
Before Hungary could reply, a loud noise from outside alerted the nations. For a second or so, East thought it was explosions, and his heart skipped a beat. Then he recognised the explosions as being fireworks. Voices followed, sounding excited and happy. He looked at the clock.
"Is it already midnight?" Veneziano queried, surprised. "Oh! Can we go outside, maybe, to watch the fireworks?"
Austria smiled at this. "Sounds like a plan."
Hungary already jumped to her feet, and the Benelux siblings all showed their approval as well. The albino didn't even get a chance to reply before his younger brother stood beside him and held out his hand. With a smile, he took the young nation's hand and got up, following everyone outside.
The two brothers stood side by side, their family and friends around them, watching the fireworks that signalled the start of the official Reunification. The rebirth of the nation that had shaped both their lives.
Warmth filling his whole being, Gilbert gently squeezed his younger brother's hand.
"Happy birthday, Germany."
I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I don't know what it was, but I really enjoyed it.
Maybe the happy ending? Probably ^u^'
There's a couple of chapters left for me to wrap this thing up properly, and I hope you'll all stick around for that, too. Most of all, I really do hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks so much for reading!
