Xx 1920-Antwerp, Belgium xX
"This is boring," Prussia whispered loudly to anyone within earshot.
"Would you be quiet?" Germany whispered back.
"What do you care? You can't do anything."
Germany sighed, turning to the nation seated behind them. "I am sorry about him." he whispered.
Japan gave him a bemused expression before leaning forward to whisper to him, "I'm always surprised when he calls you a child," he confessed, "You always seem so much older."
"That's my brother for you." Germany sighed again.
"I can hear you," Prussia whispered, "And I don't like your attitudes. Especially you, Japan, I expected better."
"My apologies, Prussia-kun." Japan gave Germany a smile that said he wasn't at all sorry and settled back into his seat.
"Germany-san?" Japan asked at the end of the night, as all the nations were getting up to go back to their hotels, "At the risk of being incredibly rude, may I ask you something?"
"Of course you can."
"Why did you come here this year? Your country isn't participating in the games. Unless someone required you to be here, I'm afraid I don't understand why you would choose to watch."
"That's what I kept telling you!" Prussia slapped his shoulder.
"You didn't have to come with me." Germany reminded his brother.
"I'm sorry, that was terribly rude of me to ask," Japan interrupted, "Please forget I said anything."
"No, it's alright!" Germany reached out to stop Japan from leaving, but he turned back to face him again before he could touch him. "I don't mind answering. I...I enjoy the games." He admitted, "There's a sense of excitement and camaraderie that I've never felt anywhere else. Even now, with most of the world angry with me, I still wanted to be here."
"And now you regret it…" Prussia egged him on.
"No, I don't." Germany corrected him, "I still enjoy the games." He looked at Japan, "I'm glad I'm here."
"I must say, I admire your tenacity," Japan gave him a serious look, "I don't think I would have the strength to come back after such a fall."
Germany shrugged, "We do what we have. Keep pushing forward. I'll have my chance to rise again."
Xx 1924-Paris, France xX
France gave him a derisive sneer when he entered the stadium. "I wasn't aware you were invited." he said coldly.
"My country wasn't invited to participate," Germany responded calmly, but equally cold, "I'm still allowed to attend."
"Perhaps you shouldn't." France brushed past him on his way to speak with someone else.
Germany really couldn't blame him, the past years hadn't been kind to them, and they hadn't been kind to each other. But he was trying. Trying to recover, trying to pull himself back up from the hole he had dug himself into. He was trying.
"Germany!" he felt someone grab onto his arm, clinging to him like he was a lifeline.
He glared down at Italy, who was smiling up at him. "What do you want?" This little idiot had been following him around for the better part of the past ten years, despite their countries opposing ideals. He just couldn't seem to get rid of him.
"I just wanted to say hello," Italy chirped, "How are you doing? Have you had dinner? Big Brother has told me about some nice restaurants around here. Or we could go back to my hotel room, and I'll make some pasta! But my brother's there…"
"I don't want dinner with you anyway." Germany snapped.
"Oh, well," Italy dug around in his pockets for a minute before offering him a small cardboard box, "How about a cigarette?"
Germany sighed. He was about to decline, when he looked past Italy, at France, who was quietly talking with some of their other neighbors, occasionally glancing up at him. "Fine," he sighed, "Why not?" If he was going to end up miserable, he might as well go all out.
He continued to glare at France while Italy lit both their cigarettes. France finally looked away. Germany didn't. Italy followed his gaze.
"I wouldn't worry about Big Brother France," Italy assured him, "He's always been gossipy and judgmental. Being here just makes it worse."
Germany looked at him in surprise, "What do you mean?"
Italy cocked his head, looking surprisingly like Germany's dog when she wanted something. "You hadn't noticed? I thought you were more observant than that." there was a teasing tone in his voice, but it just aggravated Germany more.
"Noticed what?" he repeated.
Italy hummed as he looked down at the field and the race going on below, "The games...they have a way of...amplifying our emotions...I guess you could say? Everything we're normally feeling, just...seems to be stronger. I don't know why. Maybe it has something to do with national pride, or competition, or something. You've really never noticed it?"
Germany shook his head.
Italy shrugged, "Maybe I'm wrong." He shrugged again and took a long drag from his cigarette, looking down at the field again.
Germany's own cigarette hung loosely in his hand, already forgotten as he followed Italy's gaze to the race, although he wasn't really seeing it. His mind was on Italy's words, he couldn't think of any specific instance that seemed to prove his theory, but it still felt right. He turned it over and over in his mind, wondering if there was a way to prove or disprove it.
He was jolted out of his thoughts by the distinct feeling of being watched. He looked over at France, expecting it to be him again, but he had moved on to picking on England, who appeared to be growing angrier with every word, judging by the red flush creeping up his neck.
He looked around, trying to find the source of the discomfort creeping up his spine. He found Japan. Japan met his gaze, as calm and collected and unreadable as ever. Unlike with France, this time it was Germany who looked away first.
Xx 1928-Amsterdam, Netherlands xX
"So…" Germany looked at the tower, "What exactly is it?"
"A tower." Netherlands said blandly.
"Yes, I can see that." Germany frowned, "But what's it for?"
"Why?" Prussia asked from somewhere on the other side of the tower.
"There will be a fire in it," Netherlands looked at his watch, then tapped his unlit pipe against it.
Germany waited for his cousin to explain as Prussia came around to rejoin them. "Is there something special about the fire?" Prussia asked, evidently not wanting to wait for an answer.
"There is to the Greeks," Netherlands shrugged, "I don't know much about it, it wasn't my idea."
"It was sacred to them," a new voice contributed. The three turned to find that Japan had joined them. "They believed it was from the gods. Apparently they would keep a fire burning on an altar during the ancient Olympic games." He hesitated when he realized the three others were staring at him in surprise, "Greece...explained many of the original traditions to me when I started participating in the games. Oh! Please pardon my manners," he dropped into a bow. "Netherlands-san, thank you for hosting me. Germany-san, Prussia-kun, it's good to see you again. I hope I'm not interrupting something?"
"No, of course not," Netherlands assured him, "Germany wanted to see everything before the games start tomorrow, so I was showing them around. You're welcome to join us, if you'd like?"
"If you're sure you don't mind?" Japan looked at Germany for reassurance.
"I'd like it if you joined us." Germany promised.
"Then I would enjoy a tour of the grounds."
Netherlands nodded, and turned around, gesturing for them to follow him to their next destination. Germany fell into step next to Japan, wondering if it would be appropriate to make conversation with him. Much like Italy, the man didn't seem to hold much hostility towards him over the past decade, despite their opposing sides during the war, unlike certain people.
"I hope you had a safe trip here." he finally settled on saying.
"It was...uneventful." Japan responded, "And you? How have you been, Germany-san?"
"We've been...not bad."
"If I may be so bold to ask, do you still enjoy attending the games?"
"Of course I do. I'm happy to be able to send a team again. I think you'll see we've come back stronger than before." He looked at his brother and cousin, who were walking ahead of them, idly chatting about something he couldn't quite hear. "May I ask what brought you to the stadium so early?"
Japan smiled, "I just arrived this morning. I was hoping I would be able to greet Netherlands-san and thank him for hosting me before he became too busy. I was told he would be here, so I came to see for myself." Germany nodded, satisfied with the answer. "What made you so interested in touring the grounds?"
"I'm, ah, I'm hoping to be able to host the games myself in the coming years." he confessed.
Japan looked up at him, intrigued and slightly curious, "Is that so?"
"It is."
Japan smiled, "I look forward to that."
Xx 1932-Los Angeles, United States xX
"Stop staring at America," Prussia scolded, "It's weird."
"How is he so energetic?" Germany asked. America had been bouncing around from energetic conversation to energetic conversation all day, his seemingly boundless energy a stark contrast to most everyone else's subdued fatigue.
"Probably hyped up on too much caffeine. Or maybe something stronger." Prussia shrugged.
"Still. He's in as much trouble as the rest of us, if not more. Even France is surprisingly subdued," he looked around for the older nation to prove his point, but was surprised to see he was absent. "Where is France?"
"I think he snuck out with Greece earlier."
Germany startled when he realized Canada was sitting next to him. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."
"It's fine, I just sat down," Canada waved him away, "And as for America, as least half of it is a front. He's just as worn out as everybody else, he just thinks he has to be a good host right now. How are you doing?"
"I'm tired." Germany answered honestly.
Canada nodded, "Aren't we all?"
Germany stared at him for a minute, trying to figure out why he looked different from what he remembered from the last time they had a proper conversation. He seemed to have grown a little older, but then the last twenty years had aged them all. His hair was longer, just barely brushing his shoulders, which made him look more like France, and he was wearing glasses, which made him look more like America.
"I didn't know you wore glasses." He said bluntly.
Canada looked surprised at the abrupt change of topic. He self-consciously reached up to adjust them. "I suppose they are rather recent. I, ah, I injured my eye during the war-"
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Germany interjected.
"It's alright, you didn't know." Canada hurriedly amended. An uncomfortable silence fell over them. "I should probably go...help my brother…"
"Right, it was nice catching up with you."
"You too." Canada gave him a polite smile before hurrying away.
Prussia's elbow dug hard into Germany's ribs. "Ow!"
"Quit being rude to Canada!" he scolded.
"I'm not-I am being rude." he admitted. "But I'm exhausted. And I'm tired of being so tired. And I'm tired of being here."
Prussia sat up straighter, giving him a surprised look, "You? Tired of coming to the Olympics? I never thought I'd hear you say that."
"I'm tired of being gawked at. All the judgmental stares and pretending to be polite to people who clearly still hate me."
"So," Prussia gave him a challenging smile, "What are you going to do about it?"
Xx 1936-Berlin, Germany xX
Germany was standing in the nation's private viewing booth, overlooking the final preparations for the opening ceremony. He was wearing his military uniform and stood tall, strong, and proud as he watched the goings-on below.
"Germany-san," Japan greeted him as he entered the booth.
"Japan," Germany returned the greeting, "Thank you for coming early."
"Thank you for inviting me." Japan joined him at the balcony to look down at the stadium, "Your preparations seem to be going well. I hope you're not overworking yourself."
"Don't worry. I haven't felt this well in ages."
Japan paused, looking around like something was missing, "Isn't your brother with you?"
"He's taking care of some other things for me at the moment. He'll be here later. Were you hoping to see him now?"
"No, I suppose I've just grown accustomed to seeing the two of you with each other, it's strange to see you without him." Japan gave him an easy smile.
Germany frowned, "He's my brother. It's not as if we're attached."
"No, of course not. I apologize if I've overstepped my boundaries." Japan looked around again, "From what I've heard about your plans, this seems like it will be an impressive ceremony."
"It should be. I've been planning this for a long time now. Making up for lost time, I suppose."
Japan nodded, "I'm glad you're finally getting your chance to show the world what you're truly capable of."
"They'll remember this for a long time." Germany assured him.
...
Germany looked around at the crowded stadium, the gathered nations, his brother and his colleagues surrounding him. This was finally his chance to show them all what he was capable of. The start of a new world, and he was at the front of it.
"You seem happy," Italy practically had to shout to be heard over the noise of the opening ceremony. Japan looked up at him, waiting for his answer.
Germany gave them a confident smile, "I'm on top of the world."
Xx 1940-Tokyo, Japan xX
"They've chosen to cancel the Olympics this year. Had you heard that?"
Japan sniffed derisively at Germany's words. "What does that matter to me?"
"I just thought you might like to know."
"Thank you, Germany-san."
Germany stood in silence for a few minutes, waiting to see if his companion would say more. Japan shuffled through a few of the papers on his desk. "Is that all you have to say about it?"
Japan spared him a quick glance, "Forgive me, Germany-san, but I don't believe we need any games to tell us who the strongest nation is, or who deserves the world's attention." He gave him a small smile. "I believe we already know who stands at the top of the world."
Germany returned the smile, "I suppose you're right."
Historical notes:
1920: Due to their actions in World War 1, Germany, along with the rest of the central powers were not allowed to participate in the Olympics.
1924: Germany is still banned from the Olympics.
1928: Germany makes it's Olympic return. He makes a comment to Japan about coming back stronger than before, Germany won the second most medals that year. The Olympic Flame was first lit at the 1928 Olympics.
1932: It's the depression, so nobody has any money. Germany owes a lot of money to a lot of people, which is why he's so tired and annoyed.
1936: Technically, the 1936 Olympics could be called a success, but of course, there's the whole 'Nazi regime' thing that was going on, so...
1940: The 1940 games were originally awarded to Tokyo, but then moved to Helsinki, Finland due to Japan's invasion of China. The games were later cancelled altogether due to World War 2.
1944: Awarded to London, but again, cancelled due to World War 2. (somehow I completely forgot to write a section for this year...oops?)
