Ello Chick-a-dees, here it is the long awaited (Hey, a week is a long time!) part two of the PruCan two part bonus chapter that's an extra 1000 words longer. A special thanks to my beta for this chapter: Maya Gordelia. My reviewers: Peryton, meapzilla2mouse, Shiralala,
Bluejay Blaze (Thank you for correcting me. I never knew Canadians were so hardcore!), and
Casta (Thank you for your kind words, but I before I got a beta I had to do at least 3 sweeps of my story for errors).
As well as those who favorited and followed this story. I'm happy that the story is well liked. Now without further ado...please enjoy~
Warning: You guessed it: Man on Man kissing. Also disgustingly cute fluff and just a bit of angst
Disclaimer: You know if ownership of Hetalia hasn't changed in the past couple of years, it won't change in the last couple of weeks either
Omake (2)
I awoke to the sound of chirping, my eyes moving languidly beneath half open lids while I tried to gather my bearings one sense at a time. Light violated my eyes when I tried to open them fully, so I gave up trying to see my surroundings. The chirping was a continuous noise, very pleasant despite the agitated tone, however, it provided no further insight. I inhaled deeply and was assaulted by spicy-scented cologne with an underlying smell of something I couldn't quite identify. Lastly, my hands twitched to life, moving slowly off to the side of my body. I felt plushness under my fingertips and snippets of my memory came back to me. I was in Berlin, at Prussia's apartment. We were playing videogames last night, and I must have fallen asleep on the floor.
Except...I noticed something strange.
While the plush carpet was beneath my hands, under my body was a totally different story. My face wasn't nestled in soft carpet; instead it was on something firm and covered by cloth. Not exactly unpleasant, I realized when I snuggled deeper into the object, taking another deep breath and smelling cologne once more. I was perfectly content to just drift back to sleep once more, but then the object that I had been laying on moved, and then if that wasn't startling enough, it started to talk as well.
"Hmmm...Gilbird, shuddup," a low familiar voice mumbled and that got my muddled brain working. With trepidation I opened my eyes. I fought against the morning glare, and then hesitantly moved my neck and looked towards the owner of that voice. With shocking clarity, I recognized tousled white tuffs of hair and pale skin. Crimson orbs were hidden, the man still partly in the throes of sleep. My neck moved again and took in our situation.
I was lying on top of Prussia; that much I deduced before having to look. My upper half was pressed firmly into his chest, hands off to the side, while my lower half was snuggled between his legs. Our covered groins were nearly touching, I realized with a heated face that only increased in temperature when I noticed we both had morning wood. That fact spurred me into motion, I lurched away from the warm body and removed myself from his open legs, sitting off to his side instead. My actions caused the other to wake fully and I watched with rapt attention as he stretched, giving me a teasing view of taut muscles rippling under the milky skin of his abdomen. I licked my suddenly dry lips.
"Ow! Gilbird, stop that!" A more coherent voice said and I noticed a patch of yellow in Prussia's white hair. "Why are you...oh," he trailed off as he noticed my presence and his eyes widened while sitting up. "Oh, I totally forgot to introduce you guys!" Awkwardness forgotten, I took in the feisty bird. He was currently nestled in the white locks, pecking Prussia repeatedly between chirps. "Vögelchen, meet mein awesome pet, Gilbird. Gilbird, meet mein awesome boyfriend, Vögelchen."
There was a pause of pecking as the little ball of fluff turned towards me. When he took flight in my direction, instinctively I held out cupped hands where he settled with a cute chirp. I raised one hand and held out my index finger, pleased when he nuzzled his soft feathered head against it.
"Hello, Gilbird," I said in a soft tone with an equally soft smile of my face. He chirped once more and I got the feeling that he was saying hello as well. Prussia confirmed this a moment later.
"He says hello." At the sound of his owner's voice the yellow chick rounded on the albino with a vengeance, chirping angrily between pecks. "Ow, what? I totally told you he was coming!" There were more chirps and twice as many pecks. "Oh, I didn't? Okay, okay, yeah I'm sorry!" The albino whined and I pursed my lips to keep from laughing. It was an endearing sight. Even more so when Prussia took the bird from his hair and pressed it close to his cheek, nuzzling it gently. I think I even let out an 'awww' at the sight.
Too soon, the moment was over and the bird flew off to somewhere, leaving us alone once more.
"Did you sleep well?" He asked leaning closer to me to give me a kiss on the cheek. "I know the floor doesn't compare to a bed." It seemed that he didn't realize the position we woke up in, and well, there was no way I was mentioning was transpired just minutes ago.
"I was okay," I told him and it wasn't a lie. Waking up a top of him wasn't unpleasant, though I did stretch my limbs and rolled my neck to release the tension in them. Once I felt the satisfying pops, I leant forward in return, placing one hand beside his hip and the other on his cheek as I gave him a kiss on the lips. "Good morning," I said shyly.
"More like an awesome morning," he smirked before the expression was replaced with shock. "Oh, Scheiße um...sorry about that," Prussia told me, his tone remorseful and I was confused as to what he was talking about. But then my eyes took in his stance. His previously opened legs were closed and pulled closer to his body. Oh...oh. I had nearly forgotten about that, my own already returned to its normal state.
"Th-that's okay," I blushed, letting out nervous laughter. "Um... Are you hungry? I can cook breakfast." I didn't wait for him to respond and quickly rose from the floor, making my way to the kitchen with shoulders tense and face burning. Once I stepped into the small space I entered into a cooking mindset. The first thing I looked for was flour, there was no way I was using the instant mix. Blasphemy, I tell you. So I got to work gathering the ingredients for pancakes and mixing them in a bowl. I decided that bacon and eggs were typical enough sides, and soon the apartment was filled with the aroma of a fresh breakfast. All too soon the chore was done and I called Prussia into the kitchen, where I had set up two plates on the island separating the kitchen from the rest of the apartment.
"Smells heavenly," he commented, seating himself on one of the stools in front of the island which substituted as a dining table.
I stayed standing on the opposite side just so I could watch his face when he took a bite of my pancakes. They were my specialty, made with the utmost care. I watched with abated breath as he took his first bite and was not disappointed. Scarlet orbs widened and an awestruck expression overtook his face. I smiled proudly.
"Mein... Gott! Mmmm... I've never-" he paused to take another bite. "Nervm hab such awesum pancashs-" he swallowed. "-Pancakes in my life."
My smile widened and I blushed at the praise. "Thank you. And as much as it pleases me that you like-"
"Luvb," the albino put in around a mouthful of pancakes.
I rolled my eyes. "Love... My pancakes, please don't talk with your mouth full."
"Shor-" he swallowed then gave me that boyish smile that made my stomach do flips. "Sorry."
I tried to keep the smile off my face, but it was impossible. Instead, I made my way over the stool next to him and sat down, giving him a kiss on the cheek before responding. "Forgiven," I told him and then finally started eating my own food. It was a comfortable silence between us, only broken by the scrapes of our silverware on the plastic plates and the occasional satisfied hum from my companion.
"So...um...do you have any plans for today?" I asked. The food was cleared from both our plates, and I took it upon myself to wash them in the small sink along with the other dishes I used in the preparation of breakfast and the emptied tray of snacks from the previous game night. Prussia stood by my side to rinse. It was all so...domestic, and it made that warmth return.
"You bet, Vögelchen!" He answered in his usual exuberant way. "We have a city to explore, and then I have plans to make for tonight."
That caught my interest. "Oh? And what's tonight?" I asked while attacking the greasy pan that housed the bacon.
"Our date, silly," He teased, reaching over to dip his fingers into the bin I was using to wash the dishes and flicking a glob of suds in my face. I let out an 'eep' in surprise, feeling the trail the soapy water left down the middle of my face and over my nose. His only warning was my violet eyes narrowing before I returned the action with my whole hand going in.
His face was priceless, eyes wide and lips sputtering as he tried to remove the suds from his mouth. I giggled, but it was cut short by another attack. This time the juncture where my neck and shoulder met and I shuddered at the feeling. Our eyes met and a challenged was ensued. Feet were planted firmly on the ground, we both ducked and weaved, trying to evade the dishwater as well as use it to attack the other. Soon we were both covered in suds and laughing our heads off. It was childish, yes, and I loved every minute of it. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.
"Okay, enough. Now we have to clean this mess up as well," I said, choosing to be the voice of reason.
He nodded and began to wipe the clinging bubbles away from my person with a hand towel, and I did the same to him. The next few moments were spent silently cleaning each other with goofy smiles adorning our faces. The touches were gentle and endearing throughout the exchange, and I just knew that I would never forget that moment for as long as I lived. I remembered what he said previously about wooing me and I thought it was a pointless venture since I was already completely and utterly hooked.
That warmth had doubled in intensity.
(^w^)
I got dressed for the day in a long sleeve cream colored cotton shirt, dark blue jeans, and brown boots. I thought briefly about tying my hair back into a ponytail but then nixed the idea. Most people mistook me for a girl most of the time as it was. We were about to walk out of the door and I was in the middle of raking my fingers through said hair when a strong grip caught my wrist.
"What are you wearing?" Prussia asked me, staring at me as if I had two heads. I looked down at the wardrobe I spent 10 minutes putting together. Did he not like it?
"What's wrong?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
"Okay, maybe I should ask what aren't you wearing?" He clarified, but that only made me more confused. What was he talking about?
He sighed. "Where's your coat?"
Oh. "I don't need one."
"It's really cold today," he tried to reason.
I shook my head. He didn't get it. "I can handle a little cold, Prussia."
"A little- It's -13 degrees Celsius outside!"
"My winters are at least -25," I gloated and watched amused as he sputtered over the number. Rolling my eyes at his dramatics, I decided to appease him and walked over to my 'room' to get the jacket I packed. However, I switched my mind at the last minute and reached for a different article of clothing.
"There, are you happy?" I asked him after I returned to the front of the apartment, spreading my arms wide so he could see the additional clothing.
"That's not a coat, it's a vest!"
"...it has fur on it." I pointed out.
He did that thing again were he looks like a gaping fish before dragging a hand down his face in defeat. "I just… I just don't want you getting sick."
And that was when I got it. He was worried. He was worried about...me. My body actually gave a small jolt in realization and I tried to blink back the mist that started to appear in my eyes. Someone was worried about me. Someone actually cared about me. And just like that all my fears, all my doubts about my relationship with Prussia, disappeared.
"I'll go get my jacket," I told him, my voice softened even farther by my discovery. I turned back around to change, but was once against stopped by a strong grip this time on my upper arm.
"What? No, Vögelchen... No, okay? You don't have to do that. I'm sorry. I should trust you to know your own body." He looked pleadingly into my eyes, and I saw the regret that shouldn't even be there.
"No," I said wrapping my arms around his chest. "I'm sorry for being stubborn."
We stayed like that for a while, just basking each other's presence. Our torsos were pressed together with not an inch of space between us. Our limbs intertwined, our bodies like two puzzle pieces. I never thought I would be in this position, never thought I would have the chance to be so...connected to someone else. I never thought I would find someone who I would mean as much to them as they did to me.
"Hey," Prussia whispered into my hair breaking the silence, the warmth tickling my scalp.
"Hmmm?" I hummed because I was far too relaxed to make actual words. I felt like I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, but in his arms.
"Was that our first fight?" he mused and that drew me a pause.
"Yes...I guess it was." There was a short pause.
"Hey," he whispered again causing me to let out a muffled snort.
"Yes?" I asked tilting my head upwards.
"We should totally kiss and make-up now."
And we did.
(^w^)
Once we finally untangled ourselves and got out of the house, Prussia told me our first stop on the tour was the Berlin Zoologischer Garten & Aquarium, which conveniently was open all year round. We took public transportation (Cultural Experience Prussia called it) and it dropped us off a block away from the building. Even from far away you could see the primary colored arch of the gate. Walking closer I saw that on both sides were two stone elephants sitting in front of the pillars holding up the arch.
I was fascinated.
Prussia paid for both our admission tickets, but compromised by saying I could pay for the snacks. We went to the aquarium first, starting at the bottom and working our way up. The ground floor was where all the fish were, including sharks. The whole floor was dark, the only light coming from within the tanks, creating a liquid ambience. The next floor up featured the reptiles, which drew me in. I'll admit it was a bit daunting walking down the crocodile hall, but having Prussia's hand in mine helped immensely. The uppermost floor held the insects and amphibians. The insects I didn't care too much for, but the amphibians were a treat.
After I got my fill of the aquarium, we ventured outside to the actual zoo. It was marvelous. The landscape. The architecture. The animals. Oh Maple, the animals! Almost 14,000 creatures, I was told by the albino, him still acting as my personal tour guide.
"This is Germany's oldest zoo," he informed me. "Built in 1841." We were walking side by side, enjoying each other's company as well as the attractions. "It features more endangered species in its collection than any in Europe except Antwerp's."
"Is that so?" I teased because I could, and smiled when he hummed in the affirmative.
"Actually, you just reminded me that I wanted to show you something." He had an excited air around him that my emotions fed from. I let him lead me through the maze-like zoo, and after a few twists and turns we found ourselves in front of a fenced off section. I looked and spotted rock platforms above still waters that were surrounded by vegetation and full of...
"Polar bears!" I gasped. Okay, so it came out more like a squeal, but I will deny it to this day. I watched in childish glee as one gracelessly flopped into the water and another swam leisurely in a circle. Then a thought occurred to me. "Are there any cubs here?" I asked turning towards Prussia and witnessed his previous soft smile fade away.
"Um...not anymore," he said, his tone hesitant.
"Not any...more?" I asked in the same tone, not sure I wanted to know the story. He took away my choice by telling me anyway.
"There was one. Knut, was his name. Adorable little thing. He was the first cub in 30 years to live past infancy and he was the size of a snowball. His mother rejected him not knowing how to care for him, so the zookeepers took care of him. Everyone loved him, still does. He... Uh… He died a few years ago at the age of 4. It was suspected that it was his caretaker…" I let out an involuntary gasp. "But it was found later that it was a virus in his brain," he quickly continued, though that wasn't any better.
"Oh Maple, poor thing."
"Yeah," he agreed, giving my hand a firm comforting squeeze. He might have said more, but my stomach decided to announce its opinion in an embarrassingly loud manner. "Guess that's our cue for lunch, huh?" I blushed and ducked my head. "Come on, I've got the perfect place in mind," he told me leading me away. Away from my thoughts.
I followed gratefully.
We took public transportation again to our next stop, a 30 minute ride to Neukölln. Prussia informed me that the next thing he wanted to show me was also there, so it made sense to wait until we got there to eat. Along the way I had to stop the albino from strangling a man for sitting on me, thinking the seat was empty. I placated him somewhat with a few well-placed kisses and soothing words, but the tension was still there until we left the train. I sighed when we got off, but immediately gasped when I saw the city. If I had to describe it, the word I would choose would be…artsy. Yeah, it was definitely an artsy place with all the murals decorating the outside of buildings and peddlers selling their crafts from tents lined up on the streets. Not to mention the cultural diversity. Besides at world meetings, I've never seen the joining of cultures quite like this. It was unique and exciting, and I had to agree that it was the perfect place.
Traveling past the intricate graffiti design, we made our way to a café. Pappelreihe was the name that was etched on the marquee hanging outside. 4 two-person tables were arranged outside the building. The building itself featured a glass wall and a glass door that was propped open, welcoming. We walked inside and my olfactory bulb was assaulted by a heavenly mix of aromas. I looked around and spotted a display case, slightly foggy from the steam of freshly baked goods. As we made our way over, I took in the white and blue walls and low hanging ceiling lamps with avid interest. I had Prussia order for me, since I couldn't read the menu all that well, and we decided to sit inside and rest our legs from the wandering we did at the zoo.
As we ate we traded stories, historical blunders that have not been forgotten. There was a particularly loud laugh when I told him about the War of 1812 with America's invasion and my counterattack, and how that ended up with a military stalemate and both of us ignoring each other for 3 years. Childish, I know, because it's not like we had much control over our citizens. I was still chuckling over his story about the fickleness of Frederick William IV when we left the café and wandered around the town. I wanted to stop at every mural and graffiti that caught my eye and take a picture, and he followed with no complaint.
After passing a particularly...um...interesting image of two nude men embracing, we came across a few children drawing with chalk on the sidewalk. I looked from afar at first until venturing closer, wanting to watch the youthful art in motion. I saw many cutely drawn animals and names written creatively. Off to the side away from the crowd, I noticed one girl drawing what looked to be a wilted flower. It was beautiful even from a distance and I took a step closer wanting to see the details I knew would be there. I must have been staring longer than I thought because a soft voice interrupting my musings.
"Was?" she asked, her words not unkind. Bright blue eyes stared up me, she looked no more than 12 years old.
"Oh, um...Es ist wunderschön," I complimented her drawing, hoping my pronunciation wasn't too horrible. Judging by the wide smile she gave me, it was at least passable.
"Danke," she said twirling her hair cutely with her index finger. Her lips pursed for a moment before opening to speak. "Möchten Sie versuchen?" she asked, holding out a piece of white chalk to me. I caught the words 'do you want' and the last word was implied by her actions.
"Wirklich?" I asked to make sure, and when she nodded, I took the chalk gingerly from her fingers. "Danke." I crouched down to an empty space and stared at it for a few minutes wondering what I wanted to draw. I made a few lines to start hoping it would just flow, and strangely it did. I could see the image I wanted to create in my mind and I eagerly threw myself into the drawing. Vaguely, I noticed Prussia crouched next to me with a chalk in his hand, drawing as well. Soon there was a comfortable silence between the 3 of us, only being broken by scrapes against the ground with chalk. The girl supplied us with other colors as well.
It was only when I felt I did the image justice that I stood, rolling my neck and stretching my limbs to get rid of the stiffness that came from being stationary for so long. I stared at my drawing, a chibi version of a certain albino in a dark blue uniform with a yellow ball of feathers on his shoulder and a wide grin on his face. I honestly didn't plan on drawing him, but I held no regrets.
A moment later Prussia rose as well with a groan. I couldn't help it; I peeked over his shoulder at his drawing and my eyes widened at what I saw. It was me, also in chibi form in a light brown fur trimmed coat and aviator goggles atop my head, a small polar bear cub was in my arms.
"Great minds think alike, huh, Vögelchen?" He chuckled beside me, and I left out a laugh as well wrapping my arms loosely around his torso. It was cut short by a small gasp from the third person in our temporary trio.
"Ich weiß!" she shouted excitedly to my surprise. Before I could ask what she knew, she grabbed a red colored chalk and began to draw a curvy line from my picture to his. I watched with my mouth agape as she thickened the line and it turned into a red string connecting our two hands. Proud with her work, she gave us a wide smile while nodding.
I blushed at the implication, even more so after Prussia hugged me closer placing a feather soft kiss on my lips and the girl clapped her hands in joy. Arms still around me, Prussia turned his head to the girl.
"Danke, jetzt ist es perfekt." She blushed from the praise and ducked her head, blonde ringlets bouncing from the gravity pulling down on them. "Wir müssen jetzt gehen," he told her and I saw the disappointment she tried to hide with a smile at the mention of our departure.
"Freut mich, dich kennenzulernen," she said, expressing her pleasure from our company, to which we responded in near unison.
"Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen." The words flowed like silk coming from Prussia's mouth compared to my own. We waved to the little girl as we finally moved on to the next activity. Once we left the children behind, he spoke up.
"So, you've been practicing your German." It was more a statement than an actual question, but I answered nonetheless with a nod. "What else do you know how to say?"
I thought about it. It wasn't much, basic phrases and more common answers to questions. Although I did take a peek at one book to learn a few colloquial phrases, I choose one that stuck out in my mind and fit the situation perfectly.
"Wo warst du mein ganzes Leben?" I purred and smirked when he sent a shocked gaze my way.
"I'm sorry I took so long to find you," he answered and I'm sure a goofy smile was plastered on my face, but I couldn't care less. He told me we were getting near our next destination, and I wondered what he had in mind. I found out quickly when we passed a sign that said Werner Seelenbinder Sportpark and walked among the compound until we reached the outdoor ice rink. Prussia rented our ice skates and I waited eagerly. It's been a while since I last skated with someone else. I wondered briefly if Prussia even knew how to skate, but dismissed the idea. He must if he planned on taking me here, right?
"Um...hey...Vögelchen?" Prussia's nervous voice reached my ears and I turned around to see him holding both pairs of skates. "Soooo, I don't really know how to ice skate that well...or at all," he mumbled, motioning to scratch the back of his head, but thought better of it when the blade of the skate came to close to his face.
I blinked at him a few times in disbelief, but the blush on his face told me it was true. He really didn't know how to ice skate, but he still brought me here. Oh Maple, I didn't need a jacket if that warmth kept filling my chest. I smiled at him before taking his hand and bringing him over to a bench. After I made sure that our laces were tight, I led him to the edge of the rink by the rails and stepped onto the ice. It took some coaching but soon he was beside me, legs wobbly from inexperience. I spent the first 30 minutes showing him how to balance and then how to move in gradual movements. I watched proudly when he felt brave enough to let go of the railing, and I let out a small "yes" in triumph when he moved a few feet and stopped on his own. Another half hour later of practice and we were skating side by side and hand in hand. I wouldn't have traded that moment for the world.
It was well into the afternoon when we tired ourselves out from racing around the rink (I won because I'm a competitive person) and we decided to return the apartment. We were about a block away from the bus station when I spotted a red rectangular structure with the word 'photoautomat' on a white sign at the top. I dragged him over and we settled into the booth. Once the correct change was put in we readied ourselves to take the photos. The first flash caught me by surprise, but I was ready for the next and smiled widely. For the third one I was staring deep into red eyes, and the fourth captured our locked lips.
I clutched the small photos to my chest the whole ride back to his apartment.
(^w^)
The other half of our date wasn't until nightfall so we had a couple of hours to wind down until then. When I found out that Prussia had yet to see The Princess Bride, I immediately set out to fix that. Moments later found us settled on the futon with my back to his chest and limbs tangled comfortably, laughing at the wit shown by the 'Dreaded Pirate Roberts' as well as the follies of the hopelessly-in-love Princess Buttercup. It was a movie I would enjoy time and time again and I pretty sure Prussia would agree.
In return he shared with me one of his all-time favorite German movies: Lola Rennt (Run, Lola, Run). As the title suggested there was a girl named Lola and she ran a lot, like half the movie, but it was more than that. There was a romance, thrills, and action as she racks her brain to save her lover from danger. It made it into my top ten movies.
By the time the credits rolled, Prussia was already pulling on his coat and gloves. He told me that he need to pick up a few things and then he'd come back to take me to wherever the heck we were going. The albino was determined to keep our date mysterious, and though I loathed to admit it, I loved the secrecy. I did ask him though what I should wear, hoping to get a hint from him. No such luck. Wear something comfortable, he said giving me a kiss on the cheek before leaving and ten minutes later I was still fretting over what constituted as comfortable. Comfortable for me or for the event that he was still so hush hush about? In the end, I decided to switch my previous outfit for stone washed jeans and a fitted white t-shirt that had a black jacket with purple lining that brought out my eyes thrown over it. My brown boots were turned in for black combat boots with a small heel that clacked when I walked. Yes, I was dressing to impress him, sue me.
Not five minutes later Prussia returned and he quickly changed as well. I stared with an appreciative eye at his yellow long-sleeve shirt peeking through an opened fur trimmed black coat. Grey plaid skinny jeans tucked into black and white combat boots with yellow laces. He sent a smug smirk my way to show he noticed my gaze, and I rolled my eyes before opening the front door. We took his motorcycle, and once my stomach stopped lurching, it was an enjoyable ride. I even gathered the courage to open my eyes after the first 5 minutes of riding to watch in wonder as the world turned into a continuous colorful blur. After I felt like I had taken in enough of the scenery, I closed my eyes and squeezed his mid-section tighter.
We arrived no more than 15 minutes later to a place that was well known: Brandenburg Gate. I read before that the lights often range in color, but tonight it was bathed in a golden hue giving it a regal appearance. I was still entranced by the sight when we parked the motorcycle and climbed off. I noticed movement in my peripherals and turned, and with growing interest, watched as Prussia unhooked a blanket covered object that was attached to the back of the bike. Unfortunately, it remained covered while he grabbed the top with one hand and placed the other on my lower back to direct me to our destination, the aforementioned gate. We stopped a few feet away, enough to see the structure in all its glory.
"It was commissioned by Fredrick William II as an entrance to Unter den Linden, which led to the palace." Prussia informed me, a faraway look in his eyes. He pointed to the very top where a statue loomed over us. "That's called Quadriga, and that's the goddess of victory driving a chariot pulled by four horses. Napoleon ordered it dismantled when he swooped in to take over Berlin and it was shipped to Paris. It came back though when Paris fell to my forces. You see the iron cross she's holding? It was added as a symbol of my military victory over France." There was a pause as he seemed to collect his thoughts. I took this time to ask a question that was weighing on my mind since we had met.
"Do you miss it?" I asked softly. I knew he understood my question and for a moment I thought he wouldn't answer.
"... Ja," came the equally soft reply and I didn't think, I grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently just like his did for me when we were at the zoo.
"I was a great nation," he seemed to mumble to himself, his hand in mine tightening a fraction.
"Yes," I agreed giving him a squeeze right back. We stood next to each other, still as the stone statue above us, both lost in our own thoughts. "Thank you," I finally told him, breaking the silence that had fallen between us. "Thank you for showing me this."
"It's one of the few things that are...me. I wanted to share it with you, Vögelchen. You both mean a lot to me."
I didn't feel offended by being put on the same level as a stone structure. It wasn't the gate itself, but what it represented that was close to Prussia's heart and I was honored to share a part of that. After another silent moment of reflection we passed through the gate, walking into the Großer Tiergarten. Prussia led me to a clearing among the abundant trees in the garden; it had an unobstructed view of the brilliant stars above us. The people were also pleasantly sparse and out of our way.
With anticipation seeping from my entire being, I watched as he sat the item down in the grass and removed the blanket... Only for there to be another checkered blanket under it. Prussia chuckled at the slightly annoyed look on my face and removed the second blanket as well. Underneath was a basket. A picnic basket. A freaking woven picnic basket. I covered my mouth to keep in the embarrassing 'aww' that threatened to escape. Instead, I helped him spread out the checked blanket on the slightly damp grass, and then brought the heavy basket onto the blanket. Prussia held the other thicker blanket as he sat next to me and wrapped it around our shoulders. We sat close to share body heat under the blanket, more for Prussia's benefit than mine, but no less enjoyable for me.
"I went to the outdoor markets to find most of these. I wanted you to get the full Berlin experience," he told me, taking out the items from the basket and explaining each one to me. For drinks we had German beer (the best in the world he assured me) and a bottle of wine.
I tried the Hoppel Poppel first since it was one of the few hot dishes and I didn't want it to get cold. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but not the same can be said for all dishes. Berlin schnitzel, Prussia wisely told me after I had eaten it, was made with cow udders. I vowed to never touch it again. Kantine mustard eggs was a simple dish, but no less delicious than Max und Moritz meatballs.
The currywurst was odd to my taste buds, but not horrible. Prussia was scarfing down his own next to me, a glob of ketchup on his chin. Something came over me (possibly the wine) and boldly I leaned forward to lick it off. He paused at the action, his mouth still open to take another bite and turned towards me. I licked my lips slowly and his eyes widened before narrowing in a challenge, his lips curled into a smirk. I accepted it and leaned forward once more, this time licking at his lips like a cat until they opened and I pushed forward, taking control. He quickly reciprocated, tongue lapping up at mine and soon our food was forgotten while we satisfied a more...carnal hunger.
In the back of my mind I wondered when I had gotten so bold, so flirty, so confident. It didn't take long to find the answer. It was right in front of me after all, in the form of the loud, crass, childlike, thoughtful, funny, unbelievably awesome man that was my boyfriend.
It was a pain doing the research for this chapter, but you Chick-a-dees are worth it. If the translations are wrong...blame Google Translate. I know Mandarin, not any of the European languages
*Knut was freaking adorable and I wish I had the chance to meet the little fella
Keep an eye out for the sequel which will be told in Prussia's POV. Until then, you know what to do: Review please~