Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.
The sun was shining brightly in Petřín Park.
"I'm so glad you invited me, Terezie," Taiwan chirped. She was clutching a few flowers. "I've missed you!"
Czechia shot her girlfriend an amused look.
"Oh? Maybe I should pull some favors so we can do this more often, then," she lightly teased.
What had been a simple suggestion over the phone-"Why don't you join me for Labour Day? It's a day of love in my country. A lot of couples kiss under blossoming cherry trees for good luck, but that's just superstition. We can go to Petřín Park, spend some time together." had turned into a reality with a few pulled strings and business-related excuses later.
At that, Taiwan gave her a fake pout; it was adorable.
"You're supposed to say it back, silly!" she said.
Czechia rolled her eyes fondly.
"Yes, I've missed you, too, Mei," she said, and gestured for Taiwan to follow her. "It's this way," Czechia said. Taiwan did so, but Czechia was suddenly aware of Taiwan's hand sliding into hers.
She felt the heat rising to her face, and turned to see Taiwan giving her a bright smile that made her heart flutter.
"I-" Czechia began. How did she do that? They'd been together for how long now, and Taiwan could still fluster her. "Come on."
The statue was on the easter side of Petřín Park, along a cement pathway that was dotted with trees.
They came to a stop directly in front of it; there was a large plaque bearing the name "Karel Hynek Macha", along with his birth and death dates. A few flowers were laying on top of the plaque, with a few strewn on the statue itself.
Czechia nodded at Taiwan, who gently placed the flowers she was holding on the foot of the statue.
They lingered for a little longer, a few lines from Mácha's most famous poem running through Czechia's head.
Late evening, on the first of May—
The twilit May—the time of love.
Meltingly called the turtle-dove,
Where rich and sweet pinewoods lay.
And looking around her now, Czechia could see all the marks of spring; budding plants, birds twittering, sunlight streaming through the trees. Czechia suddenly found herself hit with the beauty of spring, and as she looked at Taiwan, she realized why May was considered to be the month of love in her culture. Taiwan was even more gorgeous than spring, her soul simultaneously gentle and strong. That was something Czechia couldn't help but love about her; Czechia herself was many things, but she knew gentle wasn't one of them.
And it wasn't fair that it was so difficult for them to even visit each other's countries; they couldn't even go official because of Taiwan's international status.
"You have to think about your relationship with China ," Czechia's boss had told her after Czechia and Taiwan had gotten together. Czechia was fairly certain China still hadn't forgiven her for suggesting Two-Chinas and pushing for Taiwan to be re-entered to the UN back in 1995. While Foxconn usually made a convenient excuse for Taiwan to visit, it was much harder for Czechia to visit her.
This time, Czechia took Taiwan's hand.
"Terezie?" Taiwan said.
"Let's go for a walk," Czechia said.
"Okay!" Taiwan said, taking out a camera with her free hand. Czechia couldn't quite bite back a smile of amusement; Taiwan loved taking cute pictures.
They strolled through the park, stopping to let Taiwan snap pictures. Suddenly, Taiwan stowed her camera away and grabbed Czechia's hand.
"Mei?" Czechia asked.
"Come with me, I want to show you something," Taiwan said.
Czechia let out a huff.
"What're you-"
"Just come on!" Taiwan said, pulling at her hand, and Czechia followed.
They came to a stop beneath a blooming cherry tree.
Oh .
When couples kissed underneath a cherry tree on the first of May, it was said to bring good luck.
It was merely superstition, of course, but it was Czechia's own tradition. Czechia recalled briefly mentioning it over the phone, and, between the two of them, Taiwan was easily the more superstitious. Czechia herself typically didn't place much stock in superstition. But maybe it would be nice to let herself believe, if only for today.
Czechia looked into Taiwan's dark eyes, and, not for the first time, was taken at how beautiful she was.
Without another word, Taiwan leaned forwards and pressed her lips against Czechia's; after a moment, Czechia kissed her back.
When they broke apart, Taiwan reached over and cupped Czechia's face.
"I love you," she said.
"...I love you, too," Czechia said.
Somewhere above them, they heard a nightingale's song.
Notes:
Karel Hynek Mácha is a Czech poet, and the title is taken from his poem "Máj".
May 1st is indeed Labour Day in the Czech Republic, but most people celebrate it as a day of love, and couples visit the Karel Hynek Mácha statue and kiss under blossoming cherry trees. According to legend, girls who aren't kissed are said to wither, though some sources simply say kissing under it brings good luck.
Foxconn is a Taiwanese company in the Czech Republic, and the subsidiary is one of the biggest companies in the Czech Republic.
In 1995, the Czech Republic did indeed openly support Two-Chinas and push for Taiwan's re-entry back into the UN, though within a year accepted the One-China policy.